Pioneer1

Most people in southern Illinois, southern Indiana, and Missouri also have strong "southern" dialects. They don't say "AS-PER-IN" they say "AS-PERN". They don't say "WASH".....they say "WARRSH"

Yes, places like Missouri and Illinois are part of the "Ozarks" area which has a very strong backwoods rural tradition. Parts of Pennsylvania and Ohio have that same tradition as large segments of it are part of the Appalachia Mountain range. Hillbillies for real. Culture and education does have a lot to do with it, but rural people who live far away from large cosmopolitan cities tend to be narrow or closed minded, fearful of anything and anyone "different", and conservative in their thinking whether it's down south, up north, or even out west where you have a lot of very racist conservatives living in the rural mountainous parts of the so-called liberal Pacific Northwest. I observed more racism in the southern Midwestern region in places like Missouri and Nebraska than I had in the deep southern states of Alabama and Mississippi.

Sara I'd like to thank you for all that information you gave me! I already knew much of it. And as for the information that I didn't know.....I'm still not too sure what I'm gonna do with it. However, I'd like to thank you for it. As for your question, I'm not sure who the man is but judging from his uniform I'm guessing he was one of the key figures of the Mexican Revolution.

Dr J Once again we have evidence that skin color, not money, is the key to survival Please excuse the ignorace but.... Unless the ozone layer is depleted, how is skin color any key to survival in this world?

The California Endowment’s 10-year Building Healthy Communities initiative seeks to bring equity to all neighborhoods so that all Californians can enjoy the benefits of healthy communities and live long and productive lives. Look at the words: long AND PRODUCTIVE lives. I'm not sure about this organization, but most of those holding power in California don't want you living a long life if you're not producing goods and services for corporate America. And this is the primary reason why the United States is the only industrialized without some sort of Univeral healthcare program for all of it's citizens and this is part of the extreme inequality the video alluded to. It's the carrot on the stick held out infront of the horse (worker) to keep it moving forward. Healthcare is treated like a privaledge or reward only for those who either ARE working or those who have worn themselves out FROM working. So it's tied to employment and retirement. But I personally believe when it comes to states like California and Texas, they're going to have to get the boarders secured and their illegal population under some sort of control or the strain they would put on a Universal Healthcare system may break it. I've talked to many people who lived in Cali back before th 80s who said that much of it's "liberalism" started to diminished when so many illegal immigrant started taking advantage of it's many social programs.

Well, I'm waiting! Lol.... When I was younger I was at the mall one day and an older woman told me to never keep a lady waiting. I smiled at her, grabbed my crotch, and asked her had she ever have anything WORTH waiting for???

Dr J let's travel this road most are interested....we want change.... Most people want CHANGE, but most people don't want to do the work in coming up with and implimenting the solutions. This demands lot of careful thinking, disposable time, and patience as well as courage....a combination most people don't come equipped with. Troy There has been a lot of press lately on the rise in suicides over that past 20 years. I believe the largest increase is among middle aged white men. During the same period the icde rates for Black men has actually gone down. Some feel that the increase in white suicide is a reaction to the loss of white privilege. While this is devastating to white folks reality, this is par for the course for Black folks--arguably an improvement. I came across those articles a few days ago. I'm not sure how Black men compare with other demographics but I DO believe that a lot more Black men are suicidal than the numbers probably lead us to believe. I believe a lot of these police shootings are actually "suicide by cop" from hopless brothers purposefully putting themselves in fatal situations with the law. Del I'm going to seriously consider to begin to looking outside the US I echo Sara's sentiments.....don't go bro. We need more brothers like you to stay here and as Lauryn Hill would say help "reverse the hypnosis" Besides, CD Burns doesn't have his passport so if something goes down, somebody has to stay here with our brother......lol. Mel The family structure that would "win" out, if it was necessary for family to have a main structure, would be "community". Living in close-knit communities is the one structure that allowed us to grow a "healthy" civilization for the last 3 millennia. We've been moving away from that structure and we're suffering. That's exactly what I'm talking about....mini-communities in the form of group families. Say a group of about 4 men and 5 women get together and form a unit, an actual "entity" in and of itself made up of individual members but not reliant on any one of them. They have children in that group and that group helps to raise the children. As the children grow up some members leave that group, others join. But this acts as a more stable environment because it pretty much secures a feminine and masculine presence, financial support, a home, and other necessities for the well being of children. Atleast more so than the nuclear or single parent family structure would. Plus it works better for the adults involved by not putting too much pressure on one individual to be the primary bread-winner, disciplinarian, or homemaker.

But NOT thinking can be quite costly....in time, money, and even your freedom. There are a lot of impulsive men and women in prision who made moves without thinking them out carefully. However I've come to believe that people who sit around and think "too much" are often to stagnant and inactive.

Sara Well, since I ain't skeered o' you, I ain't acarin' 'bout yo "good" side so will say what I want! Well...... Since you ain't scare......I'm sorry. Might as well apologize to you since intimidation didn't work....lol.

I understand the demographics and population distribution of states like New York and Pennsylvania. What gets me is how so many people born and raised in Northern States around big eastcoast cosmopolitan cities like New York and Philadelphia can STILL have such conserative right-wing and in many cases "red neck" political and social views like I found in Pennsylvania. I think I saw more Confederate flags driving around mid-Pennyslvania than I saw all over the south. Pennsylvania produced Taylor Swift who does a lot of country music. Why would a girl born and raised in a mid-Atlantic state promote "country"? How can people just a few miles away have views so different from their urban counterparts. You find the same thing in Illinois with people from Southern, Central and even parts of Northern Illinois having vastly different political and social beliefs than those in the Chicago area. Something is going on around the nation that is driving the more rural populations outside of the cities to be of similar mindsets...I believe it's TALK RADIO.

Sara Euuuu.... somebody don't like it when others don't take their insults lying down.... and fling 'em right back at'em! That's right. Standing up to bullies don't always work, sometimes it gets you in MORE trouble with them....lol. Sometimes it's best to just agree with them and do as they say to stay on their good side....lol.

Sara "I found definitions of both that I find plausible, to wit: http://www.answers.com/Q/What_is_the_difference_between_ghost_and_spirits " Sad. Just sad. Well, I can't say the person who extrapolated their definition of ghosts and spirits is WRONG. We are human beings trying to use the very young and very limited English language to describe ANCIENT spititual concepts that often go beyond our underdstanding. Spirit originally meant "breath" so because of this I choose to keep the world "spirit" associated with the life-force or chi...or the individual rather than their actual essence.

Del Just no that if you want to travel this road most aren't interested. Maaaaan, I don't think most people know how REAL this statement is. I'm truly astounded at how few people tend to be interested in TRULY changing their society and solving their own problems. They would rather conform to the problem. God has blessed me to have never had a drug problem. I didn't understand why people liked getting high and going out of their minds so much. Then I found out that it's a form of escapism for people who can't stand the reality they're living in. I was suprised at how many people became drug addicts because of this. Others are suicidal and see THAT as a way out. It's weird how so may people would rather kill themselves or turn to drugs and alcohol rather than just atleast TRY to change things. I don't know if it's because of fear, indifference, confusion, or a mixture of all 3.

Sara One of the biggest indicators of autism is a tendency to repeat oneself, as in "half the teachers.... half the teachers." Ergo, stop projecting your challenges upon others.... simply because they take you to task for exaggerating WILDLY, i.e., making stuff up (Freudian slip?). Yeah, I'm gonna "slip" something alright. It's gonna be my FOOT up somebody's ass in a minute...lol. And REPEATEDLY....like a true autistic....lol.

I've read some beliefs that ghost are a "shell" of the deceased person's soul or their "astral body". I'm not sure. What I do believe....quite strongly....is that we have atleast a SOUL and a SPIRIT. The spirit is the LIFE of a person that keeps them functioning. The soul is the actual "self" or the essense that we speak of actually being us. When a person is in a coma, their soul may be abscent from the body and travel to various locations but their "spirit" is still there keeping them alive. Yoga and other forms of meditation focuses on separating the soul from the body in a healthy way. Sara I thought you said you didn't believe in ghosts. Now you write a whole thesis about them....lol. Sara and Troy It I were a spirit, I seriously doubt I would give a crap about anyone who has done me wrong on this physical plain. Personally, I believe that once you die, that's it. You don't hang around for there is no reason to do so. So what do you two think about traditional African and Native American religions who believe in sacrificing to deceased loved ones believing that they are still near to them and can assist them? This belief is actually found all over the world....not just Africa or the Americas. I wouldn't call it "everybody" but that's a lot of people around a vast geographical area who never met eachother but seemed to have arrived at similar beliefs and have maintained them for thousands of years.

Sara Yes, I know what autism is. Most autistic people are very literal minded and tend to take everything exactly as it is said and don't understand benign conversational exaggeration. If you tell them HALF the people driving around in traffic are crazy drivers, they'll try to google those stats and come back squealing at you about "making up facts"....lol. The fact is, Black males ARE targeted for sexual exploitation by teachers and other staff in our school system. I believe they're targeted more than boys of any other race. Speaking of autism, we're looking at some of the children of Flint to see if the lead contamination is also contributing to the rise of autism in children around the United States along with other environmental factors.

Mexico also has a BLACK population, those not as large as the Dominican Republic or Cuba. They stay mostly in the Vera Cruz region of the country:

Sara 　 More people immigrate to this country legally than illegally. (smh) Thanks for that information. Although it's useless as far as THIS conversation is concerned, perhaps the fact will be useful at some point in the future, lol. By the way, Stop shaking your head so much honey you're ruining something you might need. Don't know where you live, but all I see are the lighter-skinned ones in Illinois. In fact, it's so rare to see a darker one, that I'm always taken aback when I do! At any rate, if what you say is true, you obviously have a link that can corroborate it. Please share. I live just outside of the Detroit area. We have a barrio of Mexicans and Puerto Ricans on the southwest side of the city just like Chicago has a barrio on the westside. Most so-called Mexicans in Illinois and other parts of the Midwest are lighter skinned because they are MIXED with Whites whom they've been marrying and interbreeding with for generations. So they look different than the darker more indigenous looking Mexican from Mexico. Most of the darker Mexicans can be found in places like Texas, Arizona, Utah, Montana, and other places either out West or closer to the border of Mexico where they are larger in numbers and tend to marry and reproduce more with eachother. And their darkness isn't due to the climate either, because I used to live in Oregon an the illegal immigrants who were working in the rural areas of Oregon and Washington state where you got less than 3 months of sunshine days a year were STILL almost as dark as the average AfroAmerican. You see this same thing is seen among Italians on the Eastcoast. Go to New York or Philadelphia and most of the Italians are dark complexioned with Black hair and a larger nose and have a "middle eastern" look about them The ones out West look like the ordinary White man, many with blonde hair and blue eyes. Why? Because of the large population, Italians on the Eastcoast are more likely to marry and reproduce with other Italians thus maintaining the same genetics.

Sara Autistic = no Stud = not any more...LOL I ask where you autistic because you seemed to take my comment about "half" quite literally.

Sara You're talking about LEGAL immigration. I'm talking about immigration in general, both legal and illegal. By and large, most of the Mexicans who come to the United States are the smaller darker ones of Indian/Meztizo heritage seeking the economic prosperity they can't find in Mexico. The White Spanish Mexicans have most of the wealth and good government positions on lock. As far as how Europeans judge eachother's purity...... Italians, Spaniards, and Greeks continue to catch hell from the rest of Europe because of their African and Arab ancestry and cultural attributes. During the recent Greek monetary crisis, Germans and other Norther Europeans constantly used the same stereotypes against the Greeks and Italians as they typically used on Blacks. Calling them lazy, less hard working, undisciplined, reckless, care-free, ect...... They never let them forget that Black and Arab influence that separates them from their more "pure" European brethern.

Sara 　 What about your English teacher? Math teacher? Extra curricular activities teacher? Did all the other horny black teenaged boys complain about teachers hitting on them for sex? My homeroom teacher in highschool did. She was married, and even back in highschool I knew not to mess around with married women. Another one in middle school also was very found of me and dropped hint after hint but I was too young and a little scared to take her up on her offer. I was in a college prep program and was hit on by one of the Administrators in it. I won't tell you what happened with that....lol. Please. Pedophiles are everywhere. Still, only a small percentage (no where near HALF) of teachers target black OR ANY RACE boys for sex. Never underestimate the power of Black male sexual attraction. A lot of these teachers specifically target BLACK BOYS. They already find Black people attractive and the authority they have as teachers gives them an opportunity to take advantage of the Black children under their control. Look at the headlines featuring teachers who have sex with students. Most of the cases feature White women having sex with Black or Hispanic students...is this a coincidence? You may have a point when it comes to elementary and middle school, but I don't consider teachers who hit on student in highschool are pedophiles. By law in many cases it is indeed statutory rape, but as a matter of fact most of the students are in or past puberty and are considered young adults so it's not so unnatural or sick for teachers to find them attractive.....or vice versa. There are quite a few teachers I found attractive in highschool and would have JUMPED at any opportunity they gave me. Are you autistic by the way....?

Yes... I hope our dear brother Prince went peacefully. He was a true artist. Lol, on a lighter note.... What the hell were you doing laying up "dreaming" about Prince anyway !?!

....and many of the MALE teachers and staff also target Black boys for sex. I still remember being approached by one of the guidance counselors at our middle school. Something told me not to trust him so I just kept nodding my head but never took him up on his offer for more counselling and mentoring. But he was so smooth with it, there's no telling how many boys he probably trapped.

Sara I pretty much agree on the "revisionist history," P. Although I've never seen any blond, blue-eyed Indians. They tend simply to have paler skin. Pretty much everyone in the highest caste, the Brahmins, are pale-faced They are few, but they're there. Usually in the mountainous Northwest parts of the nation where the first Aryans settled. You find them in Pakistan and Afghanistan too. Most of them don't come to the West as often as the darker Indians because they already enjoy a very prestigious social and economic life in India being of the higher castes. It's similar to how most of the Mexicans who come to the U.S. tend to be the darker Indian and Meztizos while the ligher Spaniard Mexicans rarely see a need to come here as they already enjoy a high standard of living in Mexico.

Troy Pioneer, you know that story about an Aryan invasion of India has been largely discredited as myth or perhaps British propaganda. At any rate there is not evidence that this occurred. There however is ample evidence to show that America's "peculiar institution" was indeed peculiar because enslavement was based upon one's phenotype (one's so called "race"), in perpetuity. This was an American invention. Yes, I've heard from a few who have fell victim to skilled revisionists that the "Aryan Invasion" was no longer valid history. But historians have been known to lie and distort history depending on the political atmosphere of the day. So how can we allow people WHO'S OWN credibility is often called into question..."discredit" anything of history? It would be best to look at the evidence and decide the truth for ourselves. Most of the evidence points to the fact that there was INDEED an invasion by Aryans from the Northwest who came in and conquered the darker skinned natives of that region: 1. The languages that dominate northern India are Indo-European and vastly different than the Tamil and other Dravidian laguages of the South and Eastern part of India. 2. The PEOPLE of Northern India tend to be lighter (with more Caucasian features like blonde hair and blue eyes that can't be blamed on less sunlight) than the darker skinned Indians of the South. 3. The caste system of social heirarchy that still exists and is being practiced in many parts of India today is actually called the "Varna" or COLOR system and it was originally based directly on the amount of Aryan/White blood a person had in determinine their social status. Pure Aryans were at the top, pure Dravidians (Black Indians) were on the bottom. The Black Untouchables (lowest caste) had the most oppressive and dangerous jobs and this system was strictly enforced for thousands of years. The evidence of the Aryan invasion is crystal clear, the British just exploited a system that already existed. Again, race and skin color being attached to slavery and oppression isn't unique just to the United States. The same racist codes of oppression were practiced in Mexico, Cuba, Brazil and through out Central and South America. If Blacks weren't being persecuted for their skin color then Native Americans were. On the flip side....... Muslim Arabs and Muslim Africans enslaved millions of Whites from eastern Europe specifically. So much so that that word "slavery" actually comes from the ethnic term "Slavic" from all the Slavs/Eastern Europeans who were captured and enslaved. They were taken to Arabia and North Africa to be used as slaves, concubines, and gladiators and were known as "Mamlukes". So my basic point is while most slavery was based on warfare and the enemy being captured and bonded, there are cases of history before America where race was a determinine factor in enslavement and oppression.