Troy

Black people build pyramids, white films say it was them, when that was disproven, then they claim it must have been aliens. i believe in extraterrestrial life, but I despite being on the history channel i could never bring myself to watch that show. Maybe I’ll revisit it (is it a new show, or if it the one that have been out at least a decade?)

Hmm… I wouldn’t describe myself as “sober no nonsense,” i need to think about that — even relative to you. @Delano what do you think about that? Life itself can provide interaction and loneliness. Life like the phone, it all depends on what you do with it. My phone does not have social media on it. @Cynique i am curious whether or not you believe social media had any impact on getting Trump into office.

I agree 100%. Despite The history of Black success being destroyed in places like Black Wall Street we are our own worse enemy. On one hand I believe in Pan Africanism on the other i believe in the unity of all people, but all people will never unify with all of these divisions class, race, and religion being just a few. Here at home, our culture is firmly rooted in the individual. The culture is simply not set up for us to optimize working for the benefit of the group rather than the self. This is why we are so easily explored exploited and the rich get richer. most people i believe are just trying to get through life with a modicum of comfort. They are not thinking about working to benefit the lives of other Black people or even the next generation. We, Anericans, can’t even hold our families together. How can we possible hold a community together. Personally, I would be down to try to do something, but organizing people is not my thing. In fact I’m not even really a participant in organizations. Ignoring this website, maybe just one of the masses just trying eek out a half way decent life for myself and my kids and don’t have much energy for anything else… but it something came along that i believed in i would be down.

It is an old story @Chevdove our media has always been biased on one level or another. It has just getting progressively worse in my opinion. The bias in the educational system is even more worrisome and is one of the motivations for me running the this site. Having a global perspective can help.

@richardmurray I don't understand why you won't share your take on the poem. These buildings are so tall now that they literary cast a shadow across Central Park. Two of these buildings are taller than the Empire State building really is unbelievable. It is wasted real estate as housing is still overpriced -- unaffordable for too many (including me). Pretty soon to even drive to these buildings you have to pay a toll. From a distance, it looks like the Borg (star trek reference) took over the island of Manhattan. @Delano If you visited NY you would probably be overwhelmed. The worse part is the homeless people everywhere. in my old housing project there are junkies all over the place1 it reminds me of the 70's.

Chev why would you apply the concept of race, something made up by racists a few hundred years ago, to non-homo sapiens sapiens? There is no scientific basis for applyinhg these terms to humans and I can guarantee you the Smithsonian did not do this in a single exhibit. Gorillas are dark-skinned does that make them Black? Some people believe this, then it becomes reasonable for them to assume that Black people are a more direct descendent of the Gorilla and therefore less evolved than the so-called white man. Of course, none of this is true, but our unwillingness to relinquish the concept of race makes it harder to ditch the flawed conclusions that flow from it. The blackout goes beyond the African presence in America prior to the European. The Greeks, for example, are considered the source, of western culture Herodotus the father of medicine, etc. However, it is commonly known that the Greeks learned from Africans. This has been known all along but never taught in American schools. Black kids are taught that Black history begins with our enslavement in America. Of course, when white folks are presented with the truth they reject it outright or disparage the scholar who presents the information.

Oh OK, I did not see the image of the poem on your page. The poem did nothing for me, so I did not comment on it. It probably went over my head. I think a better prompt would be for you to tell us what you think. What do you think? You were moved enough to share it; why?

This thread was the most popular page on the website this week, viewed thousands of times. I watched the most recent season of Star Trek Discovery since this post was made. Throughout the whole season, I kept thinking these guys are trying awfully hard to tick all the boxes. Seemingly every race, gender, and sexual orientation was represented. The was only one white male and he was gay with a Black partner (of course) The season culminated with the president of the Planet Earth being a Black woman (Played by Stacey Abrams), the leader of the earth defenses was a Black woman, and the commander of the starship enterprise another Black woman. The commander is already a character I did not care for very much, as we could not go a single episode without her crying which really got on my nerves... I had to ask myself why the creators of star trek going for so much diversity bothered me. I mean Star Trek was always diverse, but Discovery is different they are trying too hard and it showed. It is not like I feel bad for the lack of heterosexual white males on the show... Maybe it is the lack of heterosexual Black male characters. Actually, there is one straight Black Male (but he was not human, so I guess that is good enough). The "Brother" was killed in one episode, but brought back to life in the next one -- I guess they figured you can't kill off the only straight Black man. This has been going on for some time now. We have a Black spider man (thanks to the multiverse). On Broadway, I saw Black versions of The Wizard of Oz, Cat on a hot Tim Roof, and a Street Car Named Desire. Black faces have been absent from mainstream media for so long I'm not gonna complain about a period of over-representation (assuming that is what the data says).

Interesting video and dovetails nicely with my comments against social media's power. The quote from the video "whoever controls the flow of information controls the world." pretty much sums it up. I'm sure most Americans feel, as long as we are in control, who cares right?

Cynique, you and I both know you don't have to immerse yourself in something to know about it. I was never enslaved but I know it was horrible. Still I've been a user of Facebook since it was invented and I've read a great deal about it and social media in general. So while I won't say I'm an "authority." I know enough to recognize that it is not good for you. But if you like facebook enjoy yourself; I won't think less of you. I'm just glad you have the spare time to comment here from time to time. 🙂 Again NO! Twitter is absolutely NOT a microcosm of modern society. You can't possibly believe that. As far as delivering the world to your fingertips, whose world are you talking about? My world is woefully underrepresented on Twitter -- it is the reason very little on the platform engages me (same for facebook). I think the difference between you and I regarding social media @Cynique is that you dismiss all of social media media's negatives and extol only it's positives. I use social media, so I see some benefits. I just believe, net-net, the world would be better off without it. I firmly believe Trump's presidency would not have been possible without social media -- Twitter in particular. What do you think about the @Cynique (anybody) There is nothing that modern social media platforms provide that could not be provided without the powerful algorithms used to manipulate people. Yeah, I know you think the algorithm is just an over-hyped boogey man, but I take it seriously. I agree with this, but social media is FAR more powerful than TV could ever be. Social media pushes content to you 24/7. Social media is with you all the time. reading our social media feed is something many of us do with every spare moment; before we get out of bed and before we go to sleep. I can't tell you how many guys I see standing at a urinal scrolling through their phones. People seeming don't even take the time to reflect anymore, to be alone with their thoughts.

LOL!

I clearly remember the twin towers being built. The sears tower (Willis Tower) was completed around the same time early 70's. Remember, I'm older than you 😉

Google is probably the best search engine, you just have to ignore all the ads and be willing to dig many pages deep. My default is Bing, because they pay you to use them. If you are concerned about privacy (and you should be), DuckDuckGo is best. @frankster give up on Pioneer when it comes to the race thing. He firmly believes so-called Black people and so-called white are different races. The science does not matter.

Me too @Delano it will be after I add some more books to the site and read a few more emaiis

OK so when you wrote, "we" who were you talking about Chevdove? I already said my tactic of informing the person would be ineffective and emotional tantrums are a short-term tactic used by babies. In any case, the question stands; what is a better tactic since informing the person and an emotional tantrum are ineffective?

Emotional tantrum?! Come on, my calling out his comments as racist can't possibly be described as throwing a tantrum. Drop the hyperbole and describe a better tactic.

I thought this conversation was about the poem. @richardmurray did you every reveal what you thought? unless you have very cosmopolitan or well-off parents you would have grown up in a segregated neighborhood and did what the people in your neighborhood did. We had "Chinese" or "Spanish" food. I did not begin to enjoy the diversity of NYC until I was an adult. New York is too dense (too many people) for my taste. I was in central park last week and the super tall buildings cast shadows across the park now... There are now 5 or 6 apartment buildings taller than the empire state building in NYC -- when I was a kid that was the tallest building on the planet.

@Pioneer1 as @Cynique would say STFU! 😉 You know there is virtually nothing you have written about genetics that I (or the science) agrees with. If I was Michel I should take your validation as cause for concern. Phuleese! Oh great white savior who says they need or want your help? Not before the colonizers arrived! Come on man you are being intellectually dishonest. That said, produce ANY evidence that "many" Africans -- even those who are mixed with Europeans neanderthal DNA, or just admit this is something conjured from your imagination. You keep mentioning a supposed BLM scandal -- why? Who cares? It is like you are trying to create descent. There are a great number of people and organizations working to liberate Black people; find another one that suits you. White folks anointed BLM and now y'all are apparently, trying to tear it down. Yeah because you are all talk, articulate, but ill-informed. Again, who are the dudes in the video that you give more credence to than Dr. Ivan Van Sertima. Is it because they are white and Van Sertima is Black? Surely, you are not that unsophisticated... but you still have not justified your reasoning. White folks have a long history in this country of tearing down and marginalizing Black people when they are engaged in activities to uplift Black people. These white people are racist whether they know it or not. Did I say STFU yet? Nobody (well I'm not) is mad. I'm just making an observation. I think Michel (assuming He, Him) made some comments that come across as racist. Based on what I have read so far, and despite what Pioneer wrote, I tend to agree with your assessment. This is what will happen (speaking from experience now): Michel will escalate to the point where I have no choice but to boot him, or he will take his marbles and go somewhere else. Here is what will not happen: Michel will not seriously consider what you and I have written and reflect on it. He will not apologize or acknowledge what he is writing comes across as racist. Again, racists usually don't see themselves as such.

@Chevdove if I got rid of everyone who disagreed with me, or you, there would be absolutely no one left. 🙂 I admit, I liked a lot of what Michel has previously posted, he came across as sincere, articulate, and well-meaning. I thought he added something to the conversation given that he is (or presented himself as) an older white guy with a great deal of experience in the Black community. That said he seems to have flipped. It doesn't seem like the same guy. @Michel Montvert yeah you are coming across as very racist right now. You posted a video by a couple of nobodies, but reject Van Sertima?! Who is the guy in the photo below, from the video you shared? What are his credentials? You obviously have not read as much as you say you have on the subject of Africans in the Americas before the era of Columbus. Columbus did not discover America he never set foot here -- despite what we were taught in school. I'm not going to try to convince you otherwise. You obviously have your own opinion and I'm confident there is nothing I can write, or share with you, that will change your mind. Your belief system was forged by a system of white supremacy. (i.e. Chevdove don't waste your time) Racists can't see their own racism and this makes it exceedingly difficult for them to change. @Michel Montvert where did you get the following? Can you cite a reputable source that says "many Africans" have neandertal DNA? It has been some time since I read on the subject, but I never read that. I wonder where you got it from.... probably the guy below, huh?

@Michel Montvert, are you familiar with the work of Ivan Van Sertima? Start with him. Clearly, there is a lot you don't know about that subject. As far as DNA it was hard to understand where the point of contention is, a percentage of so-called white people have some Neanderthal DNA.

@Cynique No, I don't consider YouTube "social media," but like social media I have problems with YouTube as well. Still, I think you miss my main point. I use many of the platforms I have serious issues with from Amazon to Google to Facebook. You and I may be less effected by these platforms, but we are not typical, We were adults when all of these platforms were introduced, so relate to them in different ways as we know how to move in a world were these powerful companies did not exist. However, this is not the case for most people--they, I agure are more easily manipulated. I actively avoid consuming information that is pushed to me. I ignore my social media feed because I refuse to subject myself to the algorithm, as I know I'm not above being manipulated by it myself.

We will always disagree on this point. Today most people get their "news" from social media. Their feed is curated by a sophisticated and powerful algorithm. whose power is not taken seriously enough. Wow, they beat this guy like he was a run-away slave. I had not seen this video until you posted it. Where did you first see it? It is interesting to consider that if the victim were Black it would probably have initiated riots, as in the case of Rodney King. How would Americans react if white folks took to the streets in reaction of a brutal beating like this?

I have not, but I am definitely looking forward to checking it out.

Me too. @ProfD not only are folks ready to kill they are ready to die over their beliefs. A significant portion of people killed have been killed over seemingly minor religious differences. Sadly this is true and has created a great deal of confusion. Plus not every damn thing can be found on Google — even if it is on the web! 90% of the sites on the web are undiscoverable on Google. 66% of people who perform a search on Google never click through to an underlying site, and, believe it or not, everything is not on the web. all of these super powerful sites make me sick… …. What were y’all talking about 😉

most of us, Black and white, are unconscious participants in racism. This is necessary to perpetuate the system, as we must remain easily manipulated into doing things that are not in our best interests. Social media I’ve always asserted has become a tool in helping us to perpetuate our own oppression. That seems alarmist by some but they are many arguments one can make to support the idea.