Pioneer1

Del Does anyone still think Donald Trump is a figure head? Or unimportant With the possible exception of Franklin D. Roosevelt, I think all of the past Presidents were basically figure heads or masks hiding the real faces of power. However I don't think Trump is unimportant. I think he and more importantly what he represents will play a crucial role in the future of this nation for the very reaons you mentioned above. He and what he represents could very well be the force that will unify so many different factions of this society that couldn't seem to come together before his administration. Just yesterday I was reading an article in the Huffington post about how non-Black people of color are finally starting to realize what time it is and how Black people were right all along...lol.

In view of that, he might've suspended marching for white acceptance and focused more on blacks coming together to love and respect each other Yeah. Infact he was starting to do THAT before he was killed. King wasn't a god, but his powers were clearly SUPERnatural.....true to it's definition.....in that his powers of influence and persuasion were above that of most natural human beings. Most leaders have a measure of charisma and influence over the people, which is how they became leaders in the first place. However people like Malcolm, Garvey, and King were not only exceptionally intelligent and socially shrewed, but also EXCEPTIONALLY CHARISMATIC. It's very important to undertand this fact because it's one of the key reasons I believe that had he still been living the problems that affect the Black community wouldn't have grown to nearly the extent that it has. He wouldn't have just stood by with a sour look on his face wringing his hands in helpless frustration like so many self-appointed Black leaders do today. In the 70s and probably all the way through the 80s he would have been so active in establishing economic and political gains for the Black community that the situation we see today would be non existant. The thing that would have made Dr King so effective is his unprecedented power and influence over wealthy, middle class, and well educated Black people. The base of most "Black leaders" are the poor and those on the street level, but King had most of the well to do "responsible" Black folk in his corner and this influence over them would have forged the economic and political institutions that would have sky rocketed Black progress. Ofcourse you'd still have SOME poverty and violence and division in the Black community as you had even 100 and 200 years ago, this exists in all human communities. But I seriously doubt that had he lived that things would have degenerated to this point.

Mel Are your comments based in facts, local observation and/or is it just how you feel personally? Actually, my comments were based on all 3. I personally know White women and a few Latina women who consider themselves strongly pro women's rights, but still have very domineering conservative husbands who have so much control over them that they wouldn't "permit" them to even attend a march like this. They are only pro-woman verbally. In a "cutesy" sort of way like a little girl in pink stockings and a Hello Kitty backpack poking a little fist in the air shouting "girl power". It looks and sounds cute but pretty much ineffective in eliminating true sexism and inequality. I'm glad women around the world stood up to make their voices and concerns heard, however I don't think marching and protesting ALONE will change things to any meaningful extent. Sexism and the devaluation of women is ingrained in Western culture and unless most of these women are ready to totally abandon Western civilization and build a new one......they're not going to get what they want. If they want true change they should do like the sisters did in the movie Chiraq and threaten to withhold sex from the men in their lives until all of the structural sexism in society's various institutions are eliminated. That would be far more effective than marching.....lol. 　 Also, here's the mission and vision of the Women's March - here's the link . The overarching goal is to upend the more than 5,000 years of patriarchal rule and return our culture to the egalitarian culture it once was. I believe that time is coming very soon but again it can't be solidly established within the framework of Western civilization as so many women in the West would like to achieve it. Just like many Black and Brown people are so in love with the amenities of modern Western society that they'll tolerate the racism in it, many women are so in love with the amenities of modern Western society that they'd put up with some degree of sexism rather than delve into the unknown in hopes of establishing a new society.

Lol......damn.

Troy I agree, this nation isn't better off today than 8 years ago. And Black America is certainly in worse financial shape today than 8 years ago. The financial crisis of 2008 really hit Black America hard and a lot of people lost their homes and other real estate from that bubble bursting. All Obama did was just slow down the ball George W. had already got rolling. He didn't even stop it let alone reverse it. Perhaps out country is indeed broken right now. But you know what? Just like it's better to have a broken family where the parents are separate than for a woman to continue living with an abusive husband who beats her every night.... Perhaps it's better for a nation to be broken and divided than for them to be united under an oppressive regime of terror.

It will, however, help galvanize people in such a way that they thwart anything bad Trump might do and prevent this shit from happening again. They tried that same strategy 16 years ago with George W. Bush. All the protests in the world didn't stop him from carrying out his agenda, especially when it came to Iraq.

What would Dr King think about these issues? This question is posed as if the Right Reverend Doctor would have been just some passive observer not actively involved in solving the problems of the Black community. Martin was a TRUE activist in the sense that he actually took action himself as well as effectively mobilized others to take action to address the injustices he saw in society. My sense is, if he were alive today that question would be a classical moot point because I doubt that many of the problems listed would even exist or atleast not be AS SERIOUS as they are for him to worry himself with.....because he would have addressed most of them in their infancy stage before they had progressed. He would have mobilized the Black community to nip them in the bud, so to speak.

I like the fact that women are standing united against Trump's sexism and misogynism but what good is it to hold a march against it then turn right around and go home and sleep with the same type of man you're marching against. Most of the White women out there marching have White boyfriends and husbands who hold the same views the Donald Trump holds...and many Black and many if not most Latina women do also. This has been the problem with the feminist (not womanist) movement for decades. Preaching against sexism while endorsing it through their behavior. American women....especially White American women...more so than women of any other industrialized nation has done more to reverse the social and even financial gains women have made in Western civilization because of the desire to return to old fashioned "family values". Sexism and misogynism is ingrained in the very fabric of Western civilization.

I don't believe Hollywood is THAT liberal. It's ran by rich, powerful, egotistical White people (regardless of their religious affiliation). Most of the negative racial stereotypes that saturate this society is fueled by Hollywood. Infact, I think we need to establish clearly what it means to be a "liberal" I'm seeing too many wealthy, snobbish, people with elitest mentalities who are just as closed minded and almost as racist as any redneck except for their one or two little nitches of concern like being pro-environment, or the right for a woman to have an abortion being thrown into the "liberal" category . Liberal used to mean being open minded and believing in fairness to women and Black people. Now any fool who smokes weed on a consistent basis is considered a leftist. Things have gotten so confusing and convoluted in this nation that entire neighborhoods of poor and working class people....if it's mostly White....are identifying themselves as "conservative" when they have absolutely nothing in common with the rich businessmen who operate through the Republican Party. Meanwhile most wealthy suburbs are full of White people who are vegan, do yoga, and are environmentally conscience and call themselves "liberal" but STILL hold to traditional values like marriage, stay-at-home parenting, and even have negative views about Black people and really don't want them living next door to them. Really........ Take a stroll through your average Whole Foods store and most of the people who shop there will be labled as "liberal" even though most tend to be wealthy, snobbish, and not fond of Black people. I think we should either have clear definition of what liberalism is so that it can't keep switching around and getting convoluted generation after generation. And don't get me started on the term "Progressive"........ If people want to see a REAL Progressive in action, they should study the Presidency of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Not these elitist snobs in suits and ties who are just as conservative as their Republican counterpart but may not be quite as ruthless.

The murder rates in Chicago and other major cities were going DOWN until the media began hyping it up and broadcasting the homicides and shooting incidents for every single weekend....then it began to rise again. The same thing happened in Los Angeles a generation ago. Gangs were more of a Latino thing than a Black one until Hollywood and the music industry started putting a Black face on gang life in L.A.....then the youth started imitating it. Don't look for the government as a whole to do anything to stop this. There are racists at all levels of goverment from local to federal who WANT this to happen because it helps justify their beliefs. On top of that, police, lawyers, and private prisons are literally "making a killing" over the violence that goes on in urban areas so it's in their financial interests to keep the madness going. I've said it before and I'll say it again........ The only time this will stop is when RIGHTEOUS BLACK MEN decide collectively to put and end to it by marching into these neighborhoods and doing what needs to be done.

"Now" in their grips????? Lol...since when has the United States NOT been in the hands of greedy White men who sought to maintain and dominance? As Troy pointed out, Black people have seen this and worse since the founding of this nation. The worse Trump can do is just take the mask off what has been going on for centuries and make that which was covert for a while more overt again. Which probably wouldn't be such a bad thing since so many people don't even believe let alone understand what really goes on unless it's presented to them in a literal and quite graphic manner. Often times through direct experience. The average Trump voter..... You can talk to them until you're blue in the face and still not convince them they're making a mistake. But which their medical coverage is dropped.....they'll understand their mistake clearly and QUICKLY. When that social security check is cut off an that pension is snatched.....then they'll get the picture. But to answer your question directly.....I'm not sure. I just know this is my nation and I don't know of any other I can go running to. But no presidential election is ever a "fluke". I sincerely believe that every President who gets in office was chosen well in advance of the "election" by the REAL powers for that position.

Troy I posted these questions to Xeon LAST YEAR and he STILL hasn't responded.....lol. I've used the term Negro myself from time to time as well as the word "nigga" too. But it's not so much about whether or not I like the term, my focus is on his intent for using it and why he chose THAT term as opposed to "Black" or "African American" or "AfroAmerican". As I pointed out, Asians used to be refered to as "orientals" and "Chinamen" yet I don't recall Xeon ever using those old outdated terms for them. But I recon you and I can only speculate as to why he favors this term "negro" since he seems incapable.....for the moment...of telling us why himself.

Maybe it's just my take on it but it seems that Jim's response to the interviewer's question sounded like a rant or ramble to me. The man asked him a simple question about the racism he experienced at Syracuse and he gets into slavery and Obama and everything else and at the end of it, slaps the man upside the head for asking the question in the first place. I mentioned before that a lot of White people are genuinely confused about how Black people really feel because so many of our people can't properly focus and articulate how they feel in a direct manner. What Jim said was correct, but much of it was irrelevant to the direct question the man asked him, which although I'm sure the Jim's intent was to INFORM him of the history of racism...the fact is the guy wasn't looking for a lecture. For me, White Supremacy is pretty simple and straight forward. White people think they're better than other races because they see themselves as smarter with more accomplishments. If we want to change this attitude among them, we should show ourselves to be just as smart and smarter....and accomplish just as much and more. We're not going to "talk down" White supremacy with telling White people history they already know. Nor should you expect sympathy and understanding from those who put you in the position you're in in the first place. If we want White people to drop the White Supremacist mentality then we must disprove the myth of White supremacy by showing superiority in thought and action.

Wishing: Troy Cynique Delano And other members of the AALBC family a happy new year................

I can't condemn America. America is my home. If there's something going on in my home that I don't like.....I don't leave it, I try to change it. The differences between how conservative Republicans think and how liberals and "minorities" think is stark and striking. When Republicans lose an election, conservatives immediately regroup and plan how to "take back" their nation and regain the reigns of power. When Democrats lose an election, most liberals are quick to give up and talk about leaving the country and moving to Canada or submit to being victims that drift around in whichever direction the winds of political change may blow them.

Troy I only brought that example up as an illustration of how the media uses subtle racism to influence the public. Ofcourse I don't take most of what I read in the New York Post seriously, it's sensationalism at it's best. Infact, I'd consider it one step above tabloid journalism. However, you or I refusing to read it doesn't negate the fact that hundreds of thousands if not millions of others DO read it and are being influenced by it to various degrees. If the New York Post is churning out biased news and racist propaganda.... Don't we have a duty to monitor it and challenge it's poisonous content rather than ignore it and dismiss it as ridiculous while it's toxic influence spreads like a plague? Black New Yorkers should be at the forefront of condeming such right wing media propaganda.

No one "ignored" the working and middle class Whites. For the past 40 something years Democrats have been the only major party to advocate raising wages, improving working conditions, providing affordable healthcare for more Americans, increasing funding for schools, supporting unions. If THAT doesn't show support for and benefit the working/middle classes of ALL races, I don't know what does.....which I suspect may be part of the problem. Many poor and middle class Whites don't like any program that benefits ALL people, only those that benefit them to the exclusion of others. Troy Yes this election was IN PART about "green" to the extent that most of the wealthy elite saw in Trump the opportunity to continue accumulating and consolidating wealth and influence in this nation. But make no mistake about it....race was also a MAJOR factor in this election. Millions of poor Whites who didn't have a pot to piss in went out of their way to show up to the polls and vote for a Wall Street billionaire who they KNEW didn't give a damn about them personally. Not because of what he promised to do FOR THEM...but for what he promised to do TO OTHERS. There are poor White men in this nation who would rather starve to death or lay at home and die for lack of health care, than live in a society where both Black and White men live together with decent jobs and great healthcare.....because that would increase the chances that his daughter just might consider marrying and having children with a Black man of similar socio-economic status.

((six days later)) I'm almost certain that you've read my questions by now. So one can only make assumptions as to why you haven't answered them.

Del My statement was an astrological prediction, six months ago . It was not a position taken by most astrologers either You said Trump COULD become the next President. You didn't say it was definate or even most likely. So your statement didn't meet prediction standards.....lol. It was a mere comment just like Troy and mine but from the other side of the coin.

If we want to talk about how many Black people kill eachother, we should also talk about how many White people kill eachother AND THEMSELVES through suicide. I've said it before and I'll continue to say that people shouldn't minimize the major role the racist U.S. media plays in hyping up Black violence and criminality to the public. A good example is what i just saw tonight by the New York Post. The headline reads: Woman stuffed 61-year-old lady’s head in a trash can: cops And the story comes with this picture.... 　 Which leads the public to believe that this young Black woman cut off some 61 year old woman's head (whom they didn't show) and stuffed it in a trash can. After reading about so many horrendous things in the media, most people will see this headline and the picture attached to it, store it in their memory and basically move on to something more interesting without actually reading the details of what happened. Others may mention the story to friends during casual conversation or at work. But all they'll remember is some young Black woman being caught putting a 61 year old's head in a trash can. However when you actually read the entire article you realize that there was a fight and she tried to stuff the woman in the garbage can head first. https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/90f1cdfd-32ee-36ca-959f-fa607a0b065a/ss_woman-stuffed-61-year-old.html So why would they flash a local story like that with intentionally misleading information, put the picture and name of a woman up there who is still a "suspect" and hasn't even been convicted of a crime yet, and even make it national news? Because it's part of the overall theme to put a Black face of violence and criminality. It also destroys the self esteem of many Black youth by subconciously assigning to them the role of criminal and social deviant. And that's probably not even the picture of the woman the New York Post is accusing of the crime. I've been seeing quite a few "fake news" stories lately where pictures of innocent people are just being outright posted along with stories unrelated to them.

.....sincere questions Why do you habitually refer to members of the African/Black race with the archaic term "Negro"? I notice you don't refer to Chinese, Japanese, and Koreans collectively by THEIR archaic term "oriental" . Is Spanish your first language or something?

Xeon You say the Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans are no longer colonized people but nearly all of their technology and even most of their social customs today come from Western civilization. They are among the biggest "imitators" of the West to the point that there is no need for the West to FORCE their values on them anymore as they did in the past because now Asians readily accept them as superior to their own. White men are still going to Asia and taking Asian women in mass numbers to be their wives and sex toys as the original European colonizers did in the past. Western corporations are in Asia right now exploiting millions of in Japan, China, and Korean who are basically being forced by their own government to work for these corporations as an opportunity to move into the middle class....which basically makes them slaves twice removed. Can you provide any authentic information that documents East Asian cultures (Japan, China, Korea) or Native American (either North or South) cultures being obsessed with White/light skin or European features and behaviors BEFORE European colonization forced it on them? I would have included South Asian cultures in that challenge too but I know that Indo European Aryans brought White supremacy to South Asian millenia ago so they were already conditioned when the British arrived. Most indigenous communities (communities that haven't been indoctrinated by Western civilization) around the world see White or European culture as not only weak and inferior but perverted and unnatural.

The most effective thing the Democrats can do with their "staff" is go through it with a fine tooth comb and start weeding out those who aren't really sincere in supporting and voting for the progressive issues on the Democrat platform. One thing about the Republicans, demographically they may be smaller in number than the Democrats but atleast ALL of them are inline with eachother and work as a team to pass legislation and win elections. They are far more united from the bottom to the top. Half of of the Democrat party hates and mistrusts the other half. Half of the party is sincere and wants to fight for the issues............ The other half can evenly be divided into - those who are Democrats in name only but are actually conservative racists that pal around with their friends in the Republican party -and those who are sincerely for progressive issues but are too cowardly and weak to stand up and fight for them. Even with the recent election, there were enough Democrats in each state to demand a recount. As you pointed out, far more people voted Democrat than Republican.....so the PEOPLE would have supported a recount. But they didn't get one. Not because of Jill Stein....but because DEMOCRATS refused to stand up and fight for one. Not even so much as an argument or a questioning of the results. Why in the hell were conservative Republicans.....typical establishment figures....talking more about voter fraud and voter suppression than Black and Latino Democrats who've been historical victims of it??????

Legacy? What "legacy" does Obama have besides a continuation of Bush's foreign and domestic policies? Not even the Affordable Health Care Act (Obama Care) can be considered a legacy because all it is is just a re-enforced version of the same policies that existed before to keep the insurance corporations richer at the public's expense. He has no legacy and neither will Trump. They are just different masks on the same corporate faces who really run this nation. If people want to see a REAL legacy that a President has left then they should study the works of Franklin D. Roosevelt and how what he built and initiated 80 years ago (like Social Security) are still benefiting the nation today.

which is why 1/2 the country believes Donald Trump is the answer to ur prayers A lot of people.....infact a lot of BLACK PEOPLE...support Trump believing that he'll be a strong "law and order" President who will solve the crime and violence problem by taking a heavy handed approach and dropping the hammer on criminals. What they DON'T understand about Donald Trump and other Republicans who preach law and order is: a) They don't really mean what they say. Rather than being tough on crime most Republicans actually INCREASE crime because the policies they institute create more poverty and desperation which breeds more crime. b ) Republicans actually BENEFIT from crime waves because when a society is gripped with fear it's easier to control and the people will tolerate a lot more abuses than they ordinarily would. So the oppressive and usually fascist policies of locking people up and slashing welfare and social services which would usually draw outrage from the public is often readily welcomed by society as a way of punishing the "criminals".