Troy

The comparison between Gangsta rap music industry and these two movies is a flawed analogy on several levels. First the the presumption that both are a deliberate schemes to undermine black peoples is flawed especially when applied to the marvel film and the woman king. i don’t think gangsta rap was good for the black community outside of the black people who were enriched by it. Any harm done to the black community was incidental. The only goal was to make money regardless of color. One could argue the white community was adversely effected by gangsta rap. One would have a great deal of difficulty reasonably arguing that the woman king and black Panther is harming the black community for showcasing women warriors. They also in real life there are female marines, professional mixed martial artists. Boxers, etc. there have aureus be female warriors. i think @Pioneer1 you have unconsciously assimilated the old short lived Victorian sensibility of the fair frail weak woman who must be protected by a man.

The comparison between Gangsta rap music industry and these two movies is a flawed analogy on several levels. First the the presumption that both are a deliberate schemes to undermine black peoples is flawed especially when applied to the marvel film and the woman king. i don’t think gangsta rap was good for the black community outside of the black people who were enriched by it. Any harm done to the black community was incidental. The only goal was to make money regardless of color. One could argue the white community was adversely effected by gangsta rap. One would have a great deal of difficulty reasonably arguing that the woman king and black Panther is harming the black community for showcasing women warriors. They also in real life there are female marines, professional mixed martial artists. Boxers, etc. there have aureus be female warriors. i think @Pioneer1 you have unconsciously assimilated the old short lived Victorian sensibility of the fair frail weak woman who must be protected by a man.

@Pioneer1 If I had the time I would welcome all new members: Hi @Don, @Michaelallen, @emilyhkeough, @Timothy Watson, @FedUp, @bbracks2, @bays, and @mat welcome to the forums! Please share your thoughts 🙂 There are 8,500 accounts of those 6,000 were banned as spammers -- most before they even posted. Still that leaves 2,500 valid and active accounts. Many added profile images but never posted or posted very little like; @A.L. Gibson , @B.L. Brown, @C.L.Swayzer, @D. Haynes The Author, @Eclectuals, @Fatima Shaik, @Gail Diamond, @Hassahn, @Icomeinpeace1, @J. Wells, @Kahlil Crawford, @ladiechat, @M. Ann Machen Pritchard, @nadivyah hargrove, @ocartman1, @P. Allen Jones, @Queen melanin, @Rae, @S. Denice Newton, @TableFables, @Uniquelymade7, @Valorena, @Walkman93, @Xavier Rudduck, @Yao, @Zig Zag

People are here reading, and I approve new accounts every day, folks don't post. 😞

No, I'm not kidding. Now I freely admit I have not read everything posted on these forums. But I don't recall reading a number of posts that would justify your statement: "Many Black men, and I suspect this of some in this forum, remain insanely jealous of Barack Obama." Please share a single post from this forum that you think would characterize the poster as "insanely jealous" of Obama. I've posted quite a few things critical of Obama on these forums, but I would not characterize myself as jealous of Obama. Were you aware that a full two years into his presidency Obama would not give a Black-owned newspaper an interview? Why do you think Obama chose not to speak with the Black press? George E. Curry editor of the NNPA News Service, complained last week that President Obama was disrespecting the black media, too. “There is a disrespect for the black press that we have not seen in recent years. For example, we have requested — every year — an interview with the president. He can ignore 200 black newspapers and 19 million viewers but he can give one to every stupid white comedian there is on TV, the black ones and the white ones, and has time for all types of buffoonery but they will not respect the black press enough to give us an interview,” Curry said on TVOne’s NewsOneNow with Roland Martin. —from Richard Prince’s Journal-isms™ I think Obama avoided the Black press because they would have attempted to hold him accountable to Black people. White media is not inclined, or even able, to do this. They harped on him being the first Black President and being "so articulate." We HAVE to support our own platforms to be unified. If the first so-called Black president refuses to grant the Black press an interview, that is a SERIOUS problem for Black unity. Am I wrong about this?

"Insanely Jealous" I'm not sure which Black men said what to prompt this conclusion. When people point out that Obama, who has a white mother, is not a descendant of enslaved Africans, was raised quite differently than most Black people and simply is very different than most Black Americans. Acknowledging that difference is not jealousy. Similarly, when people point out that Obama bailed out the crooks in the banking industry, his financial backers, while millions lost homes without getting any relief; that is not jealousy it is calling out inequity that has contributed to accelerating the wealth gap in the country. @frankster The New York Times has a paywall so I read this article regarding the achievement gap Obama closed after his inauguration. To me to give Obama that much credit seems extreme. The study admittedly used a small sample set and has not been peer-reviewed. What are the long-term effects since the study was conducted? Presumably, Black people do not get immediately smarter after Obama was sworn into office. Are we to believe that Obama's election had the immediate effect of reducing test-taking anxiety because of Black people's increased sense of competence among African-Americans after Obama was sworn in -- immediately and completely eliminated differences in test scores? As far as Obama's impact on reducing violence in the Black community, to attribute any declines to one man, even President Obama, is a stretch -- on it's face. Violent crime was on a decline nationwide before Obama was elected. It is like Giuliani taking credit for a decline in crime in NYC because of his "broken windows" policy. Changes in crime are complex and usually not attributable solely to one person. That is like blaming the increase in violent crime, in Chicago, on Lightfoot. Obama is clearly a person who can "think rationally," is great "at public speaking" and, can galvanize "others to be inspired by him." These are fine qualities but there are many Black people with these characteristics, Obama will always be great as he was the first Black president. Now some might be a little jealous of the privilege, riches, and other benefits that come from this 😉 In fact that is probably normal... But "Insane" jealousy against Obama, as demonstrated by what anyone has written here, is hyperbolic.

For all the reasons Deion Sanders took a role at Jackson State then left for Colorado pretty much sums our unification predicament up.

“Black films which make an impact on our minds and hearts are also making a sizable impact at the box office. Our top film, The Woman King, bridges the gap between telling important, heartfelt stories, and providing an entertaining experience for movie-going audiences.” —AAFCA president and co-founder Gil Robertson As previously expressed on these forums I would agree with the African American Film Critics Association's (AAFCA) assessment of The Woman King. Now I have only seen three of the films on the list, but The Woman King was one of the best films I've seen in a long time. If Davis does not earn an Academy Award nomination it will be a travesty. Interestingly, but not really surprising, is Nope's failure to make the AAFCA's top 10. Now if you look at the way white folks rank The Woman King and Nope you get a completely different picture. I heard an interview on NPR which discussed the top films of 2022 The Woman King was completely overlooked and Nope was touted as one of the best films of the year. One white film critic solidified Peele's place as a great filmmaker -- wow! Nope's critical acclaim relative to The Woman King in white circles is fascinating. This demonstrates why it is important for Black platforms to exist and for them to celebrate Black art. Here are the rest of the African American Film Critics Association's top 10 films: 1. “The Woman King” 2. “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” 3. “Till” 4. “Sidney” 5. “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” & “Emancipation” 6. “Inspection” 7. “Causeway” 8. “Everything Everywhere All at Once” 9. “Wendell & Wild” 10. “Devotion”

Perhaps @richardmurray, or it could just be a weak film starting an actor who assaulted a brother, in public, for no good reason. 😉

This is why I stopped watching the "news" I don't need knowledge of senseless murders in my life... Tell me about it after it has been adjudicated. I don't know how you prevent this? Savages will always be amongst us. They are not always raised, they are born that way.

No, I wasn't. But they are probably getting the arms from guys like the one we just sent back to Russia...

Well, thanks for the feedback. Since your opinions are the only ones that matter (those expressed right here). I plan on keeping this forum exactly the way it is. But people can also engage on all the content pages on this site. For example, on the review of Kamala Harris's memoir we have these comments. I would like there to be more comments, but right now they are mostly troll-like or self-promotion; no real attempt to dialog... but this is not unique to AALBC.

The summary of a review of Emancipation from The Atlantic: “Some viewers may be inclined to avoid Emancipation because of Smith’s and McFarland’s actions. But the mediocre film offers plenty of its own reasons for people to not watch.”

Yes, I’m sure Octavia would have loved to see her work on TV. I always thought Kindred would make a good film. I’m looking forward to seeing the series.

I'm looking around for some software that will make comments on this site's web pages and maybe even replace the discussion forum software. The account creation really discourages people from participating. The video was on one of those vendors' websites. I liked the spirit of the video.

Such a terrible situation... Where are these gangs getting all of these weapons and ammunition? We just gave Russia back an arms dealer in exchange for a sister they jammed to use as a bargaining chip (or so it seems). Interestingly, the media pay so much attention to Kyrie's tweet that the situation in Haiti isn't even part of the daily discourse. Thanks for bringing this to the fore @Chevdove.

Also check out “The Visions of Octavia Butler” article in the New York Times.

Speaking of Octavia Butler check out this free (no paywall) article in the New York Times: https://nyti.ms/3AZxzL3 This is one of the most visually compelling articles I have ever read online. The Visions of Octavia Butler As a science fiction writer, Butler forged a new path and envisioned bold possibilities. On the eve of a major revival of her work, this is the story of how she came to see a future that is now our present. Text by Lynell George with Visuals by Ainslee Alem Robson ___________ Also check out the new drama series premiering on Tuesday, December 13, based on Octavia E. Butler's novel Kindred.

Octavia Butler's book Kindred was one of my favorite novels. It is true sci-fi without reliance on high tech. Just an interesting what-if story of teleportation across space/time. Well technically not teleportation, I don't know what the word for it would be ... it was just an excellent book! FX’s Kindred New Drama Series Premieres Tuesday, December 13 Exclusively on Hulu All Eight Episodes Will Be Available at Premiere Based on the Profoundly Influential Novel by Octavia E. Butler LOS ANGELES, October 10, 2022 – FX’s Kindred, the new drama series based on Octavia E. Butler’s profoundly influential novel, will premiere Tuesday, December 13 exclusively on Hulu. The premiere will include all eight episodes. The series will soon be available on Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ under the Star banner in all other territories. The announcement was made yesterday, at New York Comic Con during a Kindred panel presentation featuring showrunner and executive producer Branden Jacobs-Jenkins and cast members Mallori Johnson, Micah Stock, Gayle Rankin, Austin Smith, David Alexander Kaplan, Sophina Brown and Sheria Irving. Adapted from the celebrated novel Kindred, by Hugo Award-winner Octavia E. Butler, the FX series centers on “Dana James” (Mallori Johnson), a young Black woman and aspiring writer who has uprooted her life of familial obligation and relocated to Los Angeles, ready to claim a future that, for once, feels all her own. But, before she can settle into her new home, she finds herself being violently pulled back and forth in time. She emerges at a nineteenth-century plantation, a place remarkably and intimately linked with Dana and her family. An interracial romance threads through Dana’s past and present, and the clock is ticking as she struggles to confront secrets she never knew ran through her blood, in this genre-breaking exploration of the ties that bind. Kindred stars Mallori Johnson as “Dana James,” Micah Stock as “Kevin Franklin,” Ryan Kwanten as “Thomas Weylin,” Gayle Rankin as “Margaret Weylin,” Austin Smith as “Luke,” David Alexander Kaplan as “Rufus Weylin,” Sophina Brown as “Sarah” and Sheria Irving as “Olivia.” Kindred, Octavia E. Butler’s celebrated and critically acclaimed novel, has been adapted for television by writer and showrunner Branden Jacobs-Jenkins who executive produces the series with Joe Weisberg, Joel Fields, Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel of Protozoa Pictures, Courtney Lee-Mitchell, Jules Jackson and Ernestine Walker. Janicza Bravo directed and served as an executive producer on the pilot. The eight-episode season is produced by FX Productions. About FX FX, a division of Disney General Entertainment, is a global multiplatform brand that develops, produces, commissions and markets original programming for Hulu and the FX and FXX linear channels in the U.S., and Star+ in Latin America and Disney+ in all other international territories. The FX brand mark appears above the title across its entire slate of originals. Over the past two decades, FX has been responsible for some the most-critically acclaimed and award-winning shows on television. Some of the brand’s current and legacy titles include the dramas American Horror Story, American Crime Story, The Americans, The Bear, Damages, Fargo, Justified, Nip/Tuck, The Old Man, The Patient, Pose, Rescue Me, The Shield and Sons of Anarchy; the comedies Archer, Atlanta, Better Things, DAVE, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Little Demon, Reservation Dogs and What We Do in the Shadows; and a growing slate of docuseries and documentary films. ###

I'm not sure why you mention this (I did not watch the video), but "Nuyorican" has been around a lot longer than 20 years -- I can recall the term for most of my life. @Delano you may be familiar with the Nuyorican Poets Cafe -- that goes back ... what 50 years? Hummm I thought Aretha Franklin sang all those songs from Sparkle. I also remember Irene from the TV series Fame (she was in that right?). Sorry to hear she was Blacklisted I just assumed that she aged out, failing to stay relevant in a rapidly changing industry... Did she have any hit records?

Since you have not seen either film it is difficult to understand why you would take such opposing views. Perhaps because The Woman King celebrated powerful Black women and find that less threatening that a film that focuses on Black men? Both are works of fiction whose main goals are to generate profit -- not to educate. As far as Will Smith continuing to make money after assaulting Rock. We see the industry does not care. I guess it is up to the individual to decide if they will decide to continue to support him. I will watch the film once I can stream it without having to pay extra.

your uncertainty about the stats is evident. have you considered that the reporting on violent crime has increased? It is one of the reasons i consumer less so called news. i do. I just keep them to myself. And of course there are some white people plotting against us. Who is denying that? It is when you go off the rails with roundabouts where i take issue.

@Cynique probably wrote that because "Classical" liberals, do not call for less laws and rules, that a libertarian and conservative position. Words have meaning. That is not true, I believe in conspiracies, as many are documented. I just don't believe in most of the "conspiracy theories" you tout, as they are generally baseless fiction you created in your mind. Now you say violent crime has "skyrocketed across the nation." I'm not sure what you mean by "sky rocketed." Perhaps you can share an example of a national statistic that warrants such a claim.

I have not played any video games since Guitar Hero first came out (purchased for my kids). I have never played any games where you could see the faces of the characters... Like the good professor wrote, as an artist you have the license to do what you want within the bounds of your talent. That said, why not a Shaolin monk? Maybe he was down with Wu-Tang 😉

Preach!