Pioneer1

Thank you for taking time to offer that detailed perspective. I like honesty and always encourage it because it's the only way we're going to solve problems. I'll be honest...... I don't think you can "teach" away White supremacy or try to educate people against racism. Nor do I think you can convince most people that everyone is equal AS LONG AS we're in a society where so many Black and Brown people still occupy the majority of those on the bottom rungs of the social and economic ladder. Even the most liberal open minded White person will find it hard to view all races as equal when all he sees on his way to work downtown are rows and rows of Black men rocking back and forth talking to themselves and begging for money. It's hard for the most open minded White woman to constantly see Black men being portrayed as criminals, rapists, and sexual deviants on the daily and nightly news and NOT feel a little uncomfortable setting inside an elevator alone with a strong looking Black man. This society seems to perpetuate racism and White supremacy in it's very structure. The only solution is for people...generation after generation....to actually SEE Black and Brown people produce as much for themselves as Whites have been able to on an economic and social levle. Only this will erase all doubts of equality from the minds of most Whites. They have to actually SEE Black and Brown people independent, successful in medicine, arts, economics, and other endeavors as actual PROOF that we're equal. Unless they see that, no amount of "shaming" them on their racist beliefs will work. And let us not forget..... White supremacy isn't a problem only Whites must deal with, ALL races have been indoctrinated with White Supremacy today and in most nations and societies on this Earth you'll find the lighest skinned people on top and the darkest on the bottom as evidence of this.

As the old folks down South used to say: ...Well I declare! I thought I would get more responses to my commentary than this.

Bernie Sanders says some good things but too many of his supporters are pushing Socialism...or what many of his supports call "Democratic Socialism"....which will not work for Black America because too much socialism will make our people lazy. I've seen too many talented Black men and women who grew up thinking they could "slick" their way through life by hustling and pimping the system until they could somehow get a social security or disablity check for a few hundred dolllars....then they're satisified. But in a properly managed economy, if they were pushed to use just HALF of the good sense God gave them many of them would be millionaires by now. On the other hand we don't need unbridled Capitalism either because it will lead to the type of exploitation and despotism you see brewing in the United State today that locks so many poor AfroAmericans out of the economy and creates a "permanent underclass". SOME things that people depend on for their very livelihood like healthcare and education should be socialized. Other things should not. I'm not hating on Bernie. I think he'd probably be a better President from a domestic policy point of view than Hillary and I KNOW he'd be better than Trump. But we have to learn that what works for OTHERS will not necessarily work for us. What we need as AfroAmericans is a system uniquely designed BY us...FOR us; and if not implimented by a Black politician in an executive position such as President or Governor....atleast whoever does get in office while respect our agenda and integrate it into his/her Administration.

I'm not voting for ANY of those currently running because none of them are saying what i want to hear as far as universal healthcare, good paying blue-collar jobs millions of unemployed men and women, and totally rebuilding America's infrastructure. None of them have an actual VISION for building a new America. They just want to patch up the same old shit and keep it running. Besides, who really thinks electing a President will really change things in today's political climate anyway? Obama is a Black Democrat and America's foreign and domestic policies are pretty much the same as they were when a White Republican was in office. Chicago is Obama's hometown, Michelle is from the South Side....what what is he doing about the violence and poverty? Hell, atleast Republicans kind of halfway look out for and toss a few dimes to it's constituents. Democrats just completely FORGOT about the poor and Black issues and are now focusing on the "middle class" and Latino and women voters. No matter who gets in office, it appears that the agenda stays the same. Bust up the unions, destroy decent blue collar jobs, raise the price of healthcare and tuition, and figure out ways to reduce Black economic and political power while keeping the inner cities of America chaos. Until we get another president with the balls to implement REAL change....like Franklin Roosevelt......if change does comes, it will have to start at the LOCAL level. Sincere Democrats and Republicans in the cities of America should take off their political labels and sit down to a table and talk about how to improve things locally because Washington ain't caring.

Troy But also the concept of White supremacy is keeping Trump ahead. Poor White men value their status of being White more than they value healthcare, education, jobs, or anything else of substance. Black, white, red, yellow, unless you have some serious paper in this country, the system is rigged against you and you're simply ass out. And as Senior Love Daddy the Do The Right Thing DJ would say, "And that's the TRUTH....RUTH!" Cynique But the class system will still perpetuate discrimination. This is true. All one has to do is go to Europe....especially eastern Europe to see millions of White people living in urban slums and suffering from the same social problems Blacks and Latinos in America suffered from like crime, high unemployment, poverty, broken families, ect... Marxism sprung from poor Whites in Europe who couldn't figure out why "White Supremacy" wasn't working for them.

I'm not for anyone stealing from children. But how can I trust any news coming from people who have a history or targeting Black politicians with the intent to destroy their political career and Black economic power in Detroit and other urban communities? It's like some known Nazi sympathizer giving me news about the behavior of certain Jews in the neighborhood. Why would anyone with common sense trust anything HE has to say on the matter? These people don't give a damn about the children Again, we have a clear example of criminal neglegence on the part of the Governor's office in Lansing making decisions that lead to the poisoning of an entire city; so if these prosecutors were SINCERE about going after criminals or looking out for the children....as they claim...they'd be focusing their resource in the state's Capital. We shouldn't let these people shift our focus from one criminal to the next. No...my focus is on Lansing and what they did to the people of Flint. We can work on the Detroit public school principles later. Charter schools are nothing more than just another indirect way to RE-segregate the public educational system. Like Troy said, parents with money will send their children to private schools which usually offers and all around better education. The only exception I've observed would be these PAROCHIAL Catholic schools that can be found in many inner cities around America. They charge parents way too much money and offer the students very little except for perhaps more safety than they would get in the local public schools. But from what I've seen most Catholic schools are actually inferior to public schools academic wise.

　 Cynique Yea, but there is a vast menu of delicious food that you don't have to acquire a taste for. After eating it once, you keep eating it because it tastes good to you. A dog will do tricks for dog treats. Babies will nibble and smile when you give them a cookie. Absolutely, like fruits, honey, nectar, and sugar cane...... There isn't one animal that can be snatched up or hunted down and eating raw that one immediately finds delicious as soon as they bite in. All meat from animals must be PREPARED first before they become edible....which means it probably wasn't intended for you to eat on a regular basis in the first place. Troy Pioneer, where are all these plums and bananas growing where you can just walk up a pick it off a tree? What world are you envisioning the Garden of Eden? In the real worl, before industrialization and certainly agriculture, the vast majority of our time was spent looking for food. These things grew wild and they grew in ABUNDANCE in the warm climates that most human beings dwelt in BEFORE Western Civilization came through DISplacing and MISplacing entire populations to colder harsher climates and chopping down the forests as well as other destructive acts against the natural environment. So ofcourse it's going to be hard to find a banana tree in the ghetto today. Because the city itself is an artificial man made construct that erased nature's original one. Sure the infant mortality rate may have been higher in certain groups, but like homosexuality and people naturally born born infertile....perhaps it was natures way of population control to make sure those who DID survive had enough food and other resources. As opposed to today where people are saved from birth to live a long healthy life which in some cases leads to over population, war, begging and homelessness, and other social ills before they eventually succumb to some unnatural disease they acquired from eating too much of the wrong foods (cancer, diabetes, asthma, ect....) To make it clear, I don't believe in the "over population" crap they're putting out. I believe many of our problems with food and housing in this socity comes from a lack of proper urban planning. However if I were FORCED to and had to decide how my society's population was to be controled and balanced I'd rather it be done from the front end by a high infant mortality rate than to be done on the other end by war, homicide, and disease. But again Coke is cheaper than water and tastes better. They sell it schools directly to children. You can go to a movie theater or 7-eleven and buy a cup of coke the size of a bucket--with free refills. Yet another example of this so-called "civlization" marketing death and destruction to our children. Artificial products like pop and kool-aid loaded with sugars and artificial sweeteners that not only jack up the teeth and make the dentists rich, but also produce diabetese, cancers, and cause psychological problems that aren't found among so-called "primitive" populations who practice a simpler diet. These modern conveniences aren't making life "better" for a lot of people, it's producing more DEATH and disease. Sara All I have to do is to say "hi" to anyone on this board and here you come, fingers tapping, leathery old titties flying with every gasp under that nasty raggedy slip and swinging away with that big spoon Come on Sara.......... Now why would you sit up there and talk about that woman's titties like that? You KNOW there is no such thing as titties turning "leathery".....lol. Same thing with my grandparents who lived well into their 80's when the actuarial table for life expectancy for U.S. citizens in the years they were born was less than 50. Oh, and they weren't remarkable. One aunt lived to be 102 - and she wasn't remarkable, either. Down south, black people lived long lives.... eating pig. BUT! They were eating freshly slaughtered pig, not pre-packaged meats. I've heard of many blacks, fresh from the farm, who refused to eat ANY type of meat bought in a store. They said it's wasn't REAL meat! Our people can live a looooong loooong time when they are practicing their own culture in thier own environment. I don't know about the accuracy of the reports, but just recently I came across a story about a 191 year old Nigerian woman: http://www.trendingnewsportal.com/2016/03/191-years-old-woman-who-lives-in-Nigeria-said-to-be-the-oldest.html http://thegedsection.com/blogs/191-year-old-woman-discovered-in-nigeria-oldest-living-woman-alive Although rural villages aren't known for the most accurate of record keeping, I've heard similar stories about Black people living well past 150 in various parts of Africa. I'm not sure why we should be suprised at how long so many of our people can live under a more natural setting fitting for THEIR chemistry and biology. Not only isn't the meat fresh, most meat you buy in the stores is a little rotten to "soften" it up and make it more palatable.....which leads to weaker teeth. Another problem with the meat in America is the way it's killed. Muslims and Jews know to kill thier animals in as peaceful setting as possible and then drain all the blood out of it so that the "fear" of the animal doesn't get ingested into the human. When I first heard this it didn't make a lot of sense until I thought....perhaps the "adrenaline" in improperly slaughtered meat may be what's driving a lot of societies criminal and psychological issues. I used to think we were omnivores as well. But guess what? SWINE are omnivores BEAR are omnivores They have the natural equipment and strength to kill animals without weapons and rip the hide off of them and eat them and digest them unassisted. If human beings were naturally meant to eat meat as a regular part of our diet we would have the fangs and claws to catch and kill animals and eat them raw. We'd also have the digestive system with enough acid....like bears...to digest raw meats. Now, we are just smart enough to find ways to properly prepare normally inedible foods for TEMPORARY consumption until we can get back to our normal diet. We can't confuse having the INTELLIGENCE to prepare foods that aren't naturally edible for us and make them palitable for a short period of time....with being omnivorous. Remember, just because you can eat it and it doesn't have adverse effects on you immediately....perhaps in the long run it will. Not only aren't we designed to eat meat on a regular basis, I don't think we're even designed to eat most VEGETABLES and ROOTS that we tend to eat. The more I study it the more I'm convinced that humans are for the most part FRUTARIANS.

Jaz Well first of all, if you're an AfroAmerican........ Stop worring about ALL people. Because ALL people ain't worried about YOU. Various groups both inside and outside of America are concerned about thier own plights and the future of their own progeny. Our problems as AfroAmericans are unique and trying to beg everyone to join in with us to help solve some "universal" problem of injustice will just add to the confusion that already exists. AfroAmericans need to work on getting more economic and political POWER and the justice will come. The quicker we learn and accept this, the less time will be wasted. You can sit around "brain storming" solutions all day long, but at the end of the day if you don't have the POWER to enforce any of those solutions and make them work....what good is it? All that arm-chair philosiphying is worth little more than hyper-active day dreaming unless you have POWER.

I'm sure most people found bloody RAW meat distasteful and stinking, especially as compared to the sweet fruits they were eating. Even if you could tolerate the taste of organs mixed with feces and blood by cooking it.......to chase a zebra down and viciously kill it and cook it took considerable more energy than picking bananas off trees all day. I'm convinced that humans started eating meat out of some sort of necessity that continued to develop and like many things...we adapt and eventually often times develop a craving. I know the first time I tried alcohol, cigarettes, and coffee....I found them VERY distasteful and bitter. It was nature's way of telling you it's not the best thing in the world for you. But because of peer pressure I kept on consuming and eventually acquired a bit of a taste for coffee and certain alcoholic beverages. But I know very few people who started off loving the bitter taste of alcohol or nicotine. The need for exercise is almost as imporant as the need for nutrition. Once again, WESTERN civilization seems to take much of that away from us by increasingly coming up with better modes of transporation the prevent man from using his legs....and now even his mind and sense of direction, with self driving and self parking cars. We almost instinctually know that this type of civilization isn't necessarily good for us which is why so many people feel much better when they live the city and spend time in nature.

Troy I don't want it to seem as if I'm the biggest fan of Ms Jackson. I just mentioned her and Omar because they seem to be among the most popular names I've heard from some of the younger women in my family who enjoy much of her work. I'm not much on Romance novels. I'd rather use my "imagination" for more constructive purposes like designing and urban planning, not fantasizing about making love to my best friend's bi-sexual wife while he's in prison or some other theme many of these novels base themselves on....lol. Thanks for the info though. Perhaps I can direct some of the women I know who love this type of literature in this direction.

I don't believe ANY of this. It's nothing more than racial politics as usual. Conservative White politicians around the state of Michigan have been targetting Detroit and trying to destroy the Black political and economic structure of that city for decades. They tried it with Coleman Young, they did it with Kwame Kilpatrick, they targeted various Black Police Chiefs, School Superintendants, and other prominent Blackfigures. If they were serious about going after criminals, there are plenty of crooked White principles and politicians all over the state they could be going after....but they like focusing on Black Detroit. There's a Governor sitting up in Lansing right now who is directly responsible for the poisoning of over 100,000 citizens of a city.....why don't they go after HIM and charge HIM instead of targetting professional Black women in positions of authority? BTW....the teachers AND the principles deserve FAR more money than they're getting paid ANY damn way, so what if they decide to treat themselves to a perk or two? They DESERVE more than they're accused of stealing!

How do we remove the concept from society and begin to treat all people equally? These are actually 2 separate questions so let me offer 2 responses from my perspective...... 1. How do we remove the concept of White Supremacy from society? The answer is pretty simple, BLACK ACHIEVEMENT destroys White Supremacy. Black people (or any group of color) who achieve consistant success in academics, economics, morality, physical fitness, ect...counters the concept of White supremacy. Infact, Asians are doing a pretty good job of this currently. 2. How do we begin to treat all people equally? You're not. Don't even waste your time trying. You CAN'T treat all people equally because everyone doesn't deserve to be treated equally. I think a more realistic goal would be to try and treat others more FAIRLY. BTW Jazzy, if yall still on speaking terms....lol....tell Will and Jada I said 'sup.

Troy Whenever someone starts a sentence with, "I believe God...." I stop listening, because what man knows the mind of God? Who would presume to know what God knows. That is like an amoeba presuming to know what Einstein knows. Oh??? Is me admitting it's only a belief too humble for you? Would you be more receptive if people started off boldly declaring, "And Gaaawwdd told ME to tell YOU......." LOL I didn't say I KNEW I said I BELIEVED, for the reasons you just gave. Your counter response would be better aimed at one silly enough to come through boldly claiming absolute knowledge of God and His intentions. Pioneer, you know all the examples and symptoms you described, eyeglasses, clothing, and cars, none of those things are diseases. I seriously doubt anyone who needs eye-glasses would agree with or care about your assertion that they cause weakness , nor would any one who needs clothing to protect them from the weather or a car to transport them. I for one can speak from experience that wearing glasses can make your eyes weaker because I was diagnosed with having to wear prescription glasses years ago. I wore them until they got stolen and found out that they were making my eye muscles weaker so decided to try not wearing them for a while....10 years later I don't need them. I've heard similar stories from others. SOME people need glasses...but certainly not everyone being prescribed them by the optomotrist. As far as clothes and cars not causing diseases, I beg to differ.... We know that gasoline contains carcinogens, carbon monoxide is poisonous, a lot of the chemicals used to make and maintain clothes are toxic and quite a few people have allergies to wool and silk. The chemicals used in detergents and dry cleaning have been known to give people skin problems as well. I won't get into the amount of deaths and permanent disabilities automobiles are responsible for. I'm not anti-Civilization. I'm more specific about WESTERN Civilization because of all the civilizations I've studied Western civilization seem to be more inimical to nature than any. Much of what is considered normal in this society goes against the very nature of humanity. When you talk about life expectancy......WHO'S life? My father was born and raised in the rural South and he as well as many others who grew up during his time said that Black folks used to live MUCH longer and healthier when he was a kid. They said it was nothing to see a 90 or 100 year old man or woman walking up and down an old dirt road unassisted with maybe an old stick. Many of them still had most of their teeth....and some men were still making babies in their 70s and 80s! I don't know if it's true or not but I've heard there were people in many parts of continental Africa who live well over 150 years of age living a traditional lifestyle. They used to say cancer and diabetes were "White folks" diseases because Black people rarely got them. Now after following a European diet packed with meats and starch and following a Westernized culture many are dying of all types of previously unknown diseases...and at an increasingly younger age. Again, this civilization and diet isn't necessarily the best for US. 　 There are scientists who argue that modem man evolved because we cook food, not the other way around. Cooking food actually reduces greatly the amount of energy we need to exert in order to consume it. Man can consume meat just fine, we are adapted to do it. The whole notion that homo sapiens evolved to eat only vegetables flies in the face off all the available science, despite what some vegetarians might have you believe. Those vegans have the luxury of being vegetarians because they can go down to the Whole Foods and buy this stuff with relatively little effort. If these "nuts" were in the wild they would die from starvation or malnutrition come the first winter. Of course man was meant to eat meat. We are omnivorous Perhaps the reason it took so much energy to consume meats and vegetables was because we didn't have any business eating it in the FIRST place. It ain't hard to pick a plumb off the tree. It ain't hard to peel a banana or scoop up a cup full of fresh crystal clear water from a river. And these fruits are easily digestable. Along with some nuts (also considered fruit scientifically) this would provide all the vitamins, carbohydrates, and proteins one would need for a healthy and happy life. .....as long as you didn't have to wear yourself out working at a factory, or on a farm, or in a coal mine. Which is completely unnatural, as most "jobs" are....which is why so many people HATE their jobs. Again, this so-called "civilization" and the stressful demands both physical and psychological it makes on the human being just to survive in it REQUIRES a lot of excess energy. The very luxuries and conveniences that we praise so much are often the biggest culprit in causing disease and stress. It's like a soldier who happily joins the military and marches off to war so that he can get full medical insurance coverage and guaranteed trips to the VA hospital. Uh.....if you didn't go in the first place you wouldn't NEED those benefits! One of humanity's biggest assets over the animal kingdom...high intelligence...has also been one of it's biggest liablities by constantly inventing better ways to poison itself. I would argue that perhaps human beings were designed to digest cooked meat and cooked vegetables for only TEMPORARY emergencies like impending famines and other lack of resources.....giving us enough energy to survive and make other arrangements or find greener forests to forage so that we could quickly get back to the more simple diet we were intended.

Cynique Come on, Pioneer. Meat supplies iron and protein. Bread and vegetables supply fiber.The body needs a certain amount of salt and sugar. Moderation is the key. Ever known anyone who could consume RAT POISON in moderation? I believe God put everything on this planet for a purpose, however some things simply weren't meant for human consumption. Now, I'm eating a couple slices (blocks actually) of Sicilian style deep dish pizza full of cheeses and meats and a lot of greasy bread. So I'm not going to sit up here and preach too hard to people about something I'm not even doing. But atleast I do recognize that many if not most of the health problems human being face are from eating foods nature didn't intend for us to eat in the first place. Dairy products are the main contributors to asthma, colds, and the flu....some have even linked it to prostate cancer. Red meat...especially the way it's slaughtered and processed in the West....has been linked to colon cancer, obesity, aggressive behavior, high blood pressure, ect.. Bread is made of very complex carbohydrates that the body must break down. However , you do make a good point on the protein requirements that only the flesh of animals can fulfill. I rarely eat red meat, but if I do eat it I make sure I or whoever is preparing it almost BURNS it to a crisp before consumption. I used to eat at an Indian resturant and they got to know me because I was the only American who insisted that the meat I ate not only be served well done but BURNT until it's crispy. They found it interesting (many of them found ME interesting) because that's the way they liked their meat back home but they figured all "Westerners" liked their meat rare with the blood dripping out of it. I believe a diet that includes fish can supply all the protein we as human beings need and it's much easier on the digestive system than the coarse bloody red meat. Well ripend fruits the fall from the tree can supply enough fiber when eaten with the peeling and more than enough carbohydrates for energy.

Maybe you should polish your bedroom skills, do a better job of whispering sweet nothings, and rub yourself down with some cocoa butter ....I used to do all of that! Then I found out THAT'S what was sending half of them to the couch to sip hot chocolate and read books, so I stopped. I don't know why AALBC doesn't have a section for Black Romance Novels....hundred of thousands if not millions of Black women seem to love it. Black authors like Brenda Jackson and Omar Tyree have made fortunes off of it. I can't go into a Barnes and Noble without seeing a gang of Black girls spead out all over the damn floor twiddling their legs, reading romance books and giggling over some sillinesses.

Nearly all diseases afflicting humanity are man-made either directly or indirectly from not living by attempting to defy and go against nature. Infact, what we called "Western Civilization" has been a major contributor to the suffering of mankind as people no longer live in harmony with nature. -Glasses are good for correcting your sight...but they also make the eyes weaker. -Cars are good for for fast transportation....but it makes the legs weaker and is responsible for thousands of people being killed and disabled every year. -Clothes and shoes are good for protecting us from the environment but they also make the feet weaker and the skin more delicate and vulnerable. Every holiday the most religious of people can be found stuffing themselves with all types of meats, breads, and alcoholic beverages.....and afterwards farting and talking nostalgically about the time when people ran around naked in a garden with only food that grew on trees as being the ideal way to live. Were human's made to eat meat? Where are the fangs and why must it be cooked first? Where humans made to eat bread? Who even thought up the relatively complicated process by which bread is made? Many people believe that the only food human beings were designed to eat are fruits and water, not even vegetables that must be cut and boiled to be edible.

Cynique Hummm. Well, when it came to intimacy with my lover, I wasn't big on foreplay. I preferred getting down to the bare essentials quickly... OOOOOOOH WEEEEEEEE YES! ... Basking in the afterglow supplied the romance...a leisurely-shared cigarette...a goblet of wine between us, and lotsa provocative pillow talk...Baby, baby, baby...Yes, Love, yes Love, yes, Love.... Then a short nap, our bodies entwined...... Slowly aroused, dreams would fade...seconds came next and so would we...time would stand still...the earth would move......and all was right with the world...... LOL Well hell........ If THAT'S the best you got.....you can go back to fighting Sara. Sheeeeyid, I'm GLAD I went on to bed instead of waiting up for that.....lol. To keep it real though, I don't think there's anything I could actually READ to get me hot anyway. Even Playboy magazines lost their effect on me after 14. Sara said I'm clueless about women....lol. Perhaps she's right. For over 30 years I've been triyng to figure out why a good day for so many women consist of curling up on the couch sipping hot chocolate and reading romance novels.

I'm not trying to bash Christianity by the way..... I'm bringing up a basic principle of Protestantism to help explain the dichotomy of America's moral beliefs vrs it's social acceptance.

Sara -So in your world, Assata Shakur hates homosexuals.... Uh, I don't know the woman, but I would never defame another so spuriously. Scheesh..... Uhh...Sara...I was being facetious with my previous response. Go back and re-read it CAREFULLY. Thank you for telling me that..... nonsense. I agree... It DOESN'T make a lot of sense to me that people are allowed to commit nearly every heinous criminal act known to man (except for the one "unpardonable sin"), but as long as they profess who their lord and saviour is....they will be absolved of their sins. But that's the basic foundation of Protestant theology. When the majority of people in a society believe they can do what they want as long as they proclaim their faith in Christ, for them to accept homosexuality while at the same time believing it is a wicked abomination isn't TOO far fetched of an idea.

Sara　 However, I have to say this FOR you - whateva you come up with, there's isn't the slightest bit of JEALOUSY, ENVY, or childish comparisons of your lot in life with others. Like your opinion or lump it, you don't attempt to tear others down in order to elevate yourself (like that works! ). You seem to be secure within yourself.... and that's to your credit. You can deal with ideas rather than feeling the nasty little need to assuage your lack of accomplishment by attacking others. Thanks.....I think..... Lol.....actually...I am quite envious and occassionally quite angry and jealous too. But rather than trying to suppress these powerful emotions, I've learned it was best to just use their energy to drive me toward achieving goals. I can also be quite scandalous....but I need a good reason. Trying to impress people who don't have the power to make me rich isn't a good enough reason, lol. Cynique But don't be shy, sara. Join in! Share with the board the first time you got turned out by another homosexual. I'm sure Pioneer would love that! Perhaps...... But not as much as I'd enjoy hearing one of YOUR stories from back in the day (before you got married) to send me off to sleep! I know this thread is titled "This or That".... But I'd like you to give us "This AND That"....and don't leave NUSSIN' out!

Troy ....so it looks like neither Cynique or Sara will allow the other to have the last word. As long as either was dissed, made fun of or in any way slighted. Neither are willing to simply let it go. Come on man ! You know how women tend to carry grudges....lol. I know women who were good friends until something happened at a party 15 or 20 years back where one didn't like how the other said "hello" to her man at the time and they STILL can't stand to be in the same room together. I know atleast 5 sistaz right off the bat who won't eat at certain resturants no matter how good the food may be because of some silly dispute they may have had with one of the waitresses or the cashier there....lol. On the other hand, some of my best friends from childhood were boys I got into fist fights with. I remember being hired for a job and paid good money by the same guy I got into an argument with and broke the antennae off of his car a couple days earlier...lol. As far as Sara's anonymity...... You know everybody ain't like you or CD who don't mind sharing some of your lives with the public. Or Cynique....who seems to enjoy ADVERTIZING herself in a flood of pictures from time to time....lol. Some of us like to keep aspects of our identity private.

　 Sara So anyone who has ever QUOTED the bible in discussions about Africa and the so-called Middle East AUTOMATICALLY "condemns homosexuality?" Yes! That's correct! That's exactly what I was TRYING to say but for some reason the words didn't come out....lol. I'll tell you what I've discovered Sara.... If someone discusses Africa...no big deal. If someone quotes the Bible...so what. But if EVER the situation arises where I'm somewhere eating lunch and happen to catch someone at another table discussing Africa AND quoting the Bible during the same discussion little bells go off and the alarm is sounded: THIS PERSON HATES THE HELL OUT OF HOMOSEXUALS! 　 It just occurred to me - your "assumption" that all Christians are homophobic: The overwhelming majority of Americans are Christian. If your "assumption" is correct, how did LBGT rights and gay marriage (in some states) get passed? Actually I don't believe all or even most Christians are homophobic because society today has forced people of all faiths to work and socialize with open homosexuals which usually helps to break down prejudices and social barriers. But I do believe that most sincere Christians anti-homosexuality. How can they not be when homosexuality is clearly condemned in the Bible both Old and New Testament? As far as "Christian America" promoting LBGT rights..... Americans tend to be Christian NOMINALLY (in name only) ....but not practically. Most don't observe all of the scriptures they claim to believe in. The Bible quotes Jesus as saying to turn the other cheek and blesses are the peace-makers, yet "Christian America" has the world largest military and the right to bare weapons of death are guranteed in the very Constitution....lol. Unlike Catholicism....the Protestant Christianity that dominates the American demographic allows you to believe in and engage in just about anything you want as long as you claim Jesus as your Lord and Savior. BTW, in that same thread I mentioned, as I look back at it you also talked about the findings of paleontologists and aspects of evolution. I must admit I didn't follow things too closely.

When I was younger I used to wonder why so many women found "bad boys" attractive myself. Especially not being a "bad boy" myself. My father was "badder" and that kept me out of a lot of trouble....lol. The good thing about getting older is if you keep your brain healthy and observe your surroundings you'll eventually get a better understanding of what makes people tick.....why they (and you) do what they do. I discovered it wasn't so much them being "bad" as it was their willingness to display their strength and courage that so many younger women find attractive. It makes them feel secure knowing they have a man who can protect them. I know quite a few women who only hook up with cops and soldiers in uniform based on that same principle. Also, in the Black community there's a history of Black women admiring the "bad nigga" who defied "massa" and wasn't afraid to challenge the system. That same attitude of desiring the "rebellious negro" is still alive and kcking among many of our women who seem to only date ex-convicts and career criminals.

　 The more controversial my columns were, the better they liked it because, as we all know, the media loves controversy. and the response to my columns was piles of hate-mail. I've also noticed that most White people tend to like Black people who can effectively articulate themselves and their frustration without being too emotional. One of the problems I've seen on jobs and even in community matters is that too often Black people will get frustrated with something going on but when they get before those in charge they are often completely unprepared as to what to say or even WANT. They just start shouting and cussing. You're angry because there's no traffic light or stop sign at a particular intersection and 2 kids have already been hit by cars this year. So you go up to City Hall cussing and shouting and talking about the FBI's files on Martin Luther King and Black men being locked up in jail..... everything except what the actual problem is. And when you are marked a nut and ignored...or actually escorted out of the building....now you have a problem with the "system". I've found that many if not most Whites in authority tend to be cereberal and wish to "understand" why people do and say what they do and say so those who can best help them understand why are often the ones who have their ear on matters even if what they have to say is quite controversial. Malcolm X used to call White people devils out in the open, but he did it so articulately that most educated White people couldn't get enough of him because he helped them understand the frustrations of Black America at that time.

This thread is prompted by an observation by Cynique on another thread but it goes into the response by Black men in general society when it comes to conflict in the community and especially between Black women. Why do so many Black men allow people and especially women to fight without doing the "manly" thing of stepping in to resolve it? I can't speak for other male posters, I can only speak from my personal experiences and observations as to why this often happens....... First of all, a lot of Black men actually DO step in Especially when things get physical....as I have on several occasions when women started fighting eachother in my presence. But as long as it doesn't get physical I step back and either observe or go about my own business as I believe people both male and female (and hermaphrodite) should have the right to express themselves as they wish. Maybe they needed that release to keep from really exploding. But I have noticed among the generation of younger men under me, fewer of them seem willing to step in and put an end to conflicts they may witness between women and indeed too many seem to actually CHEER on the girls as they fight eachother. You see it on facebook and youtube videos where girls are banging eachother around as the boys surround them seemingly enjoying it. This is going to sound like a sexist comment....and it probably is. But MOST men don't take women's fights seriously. Ofcourse the women do but most men don't and they don't see women as being capable of inflicting serious harm on eachother without weapons....so many see it as "cute" in a way and entertaining. Perhaps one step aboves school children fighting eachother. Also, there seems to be a cultural component to it because if there's a White man around, chances are HE will try to break up the fight. Most White men are taught to take charge of their community and they believe that they are the masters of the women and children in the community so even on a site like this if there was just one White male poster he'd probably be the first one to step in an try to settle things....because that's how they are. It's that chauvinism that is inherent in many of them. But many women come to rely on that male chauvinism and often miss it when it's not present. Most Black men on the other hand....perhaps from so many experiences of powerlessness in the home where their wife earns more money and commands more respect in the home than him - or in the community where all it takes to shut him up is a threat to call the police. Many brothers feel it's useless to try to stop adults be they male OR female from fighting eachother. Most Black men have grown up in a home with women in charge, they tend to respect the authority and power of women more so than White men so they are more hesitant to put the women "in their place" by stepping in and trying to quiet them. I saw 2 White women fight eachother in a pool hall one time and one of the White men tried to stop it and BOTH of the women turn on him and took turns whipping his ass with pool sticks. It took 4 or 5 other men and women to stop it and settle the place down....lol. White women are WAAAAAY more vulgar and violent than Black women when they are drunk! Finally, it doesn't seem that chivalry or being " a man" pays as much as it used to. Back in the past when people lived in a sexually repressed society a man had to EARN a woman's respect and love and if he was fortunate enough...MAYBE he'd be able to get sex from her. Men did a lot of nice things for women because it got thier attention and often lead to courtship and marriage or just plain sex. Now, it doesn't seem to matter whether a man acts like a gentleman or not. Hell, he doesn't even have to be a responsible human being. Most men can manage to get a girlriend or someone to have sex with him there's no pressure for him to be "extra nice" or even be extra protective to the women in society. I remember when I was a teenager and used to take the city bus, if I saw a woman struggling with her bags or a baby stroller to get on the bus I'd help her and if she was attractive I'd use it as an opportunity to get her number or strike up a conversation to get close to her. As we got into the late 90s I started noticing fewer women would say thank you or even smile. And then I started noticing more and more than many of these women had BOYFRIENDS either with them or waiting on them and these men wouldn't lift a finger to help them with their belongings...yet they would hug and kiss all over these men. Seeing that got me a little angry so I stopped doing it for the most part unless the woman was elderly or disabled, the same as I'd do for an elderly or disabled man. Now was it shiity of me to be nice to these women "expecting" some opportunity from them? Perhaps....although I did it for a lot of women expecting NOTHING in return. However the fact is most men desire sex or atleast admiration (ego sex) from women and most of what they do for women is to either directly or indirectly to get this. Once a man feels that no amount of chivalry and being a gentleman will improve his situation with a particular woman, nothing he does matters... then he sees no need to be a "nice guy" or step up and be a "man". I don't like the fact that so many young brothers in our community have such a selfish attitude. I personally would like to live in a society knowing that if I'm being assaulted and for some reason couldn't defend myself there are others willing to step in and come to my assisance and put an end to the assault. But then again, in a society where Black men have been made to feel so powerless and marginalized even in the home where they often aren't listened to or respected.....is their any wonder things have gotten to this point?