Troy

89! I remember once describing you as an octogenarian and you corrected me, as you had not become one yet. Now here you are 🙂 It is amazing you are as technically fluent are you are @Cynique My mother, who is several years your junior. has never touched a computer and does not use a smart phone. Cynique when you were 10 years old, a Black person your age now, back then could have very well have been enslaved and old enough to have a memory of the experience. Have you even met someone who was formerly enslaved? if so I would love to read what know (please start another thread). Maybe you know someone who related a story...

@Mel Hopkins that was an interesting video. It is almost 4 years old (since it was posted). Since the pandemic things have only gotten worse. The worsening economy will only make things worse still. Existing social media platforms will not "fix" their platforms as the speaks suggests is necessary.

@Cynique a "troll" is indeed someone who spams posts with their political views and propaganda. Trolling can be executed with a bot, but generally the more sophisticated trolling is implemented with an actual human and increasingly AI. The goal of trolls vary from just being a nuisance by posting porn, advertisements, and other garbage to trying trying to influencing opinion and manipulating people. Trolls are always characterized by the fact that they can't be reasoned with for they are not interested in dialogue. They are interested in pushing a view point, which is why they sound like a "broken record." This is what gives Greg his troll-like characteristics the incessant repetition of BS. For example, according to Greg, a Black man who works hard and raises his children is called a sell-out. Who calls these Black men that? I'm one of those Black men. I've been called a lot of things, but sell-out was never one of them. A troll pushes absurd notions like this. Greg and I can agree on one thing perhaps; "There is something seriously wrong with the black community." Of course Greg would say it is the Black community itself that is the problem, and I'd assert it is the unaddressed problem of living under extremely hostile conditions for hundred of years in this country. @Greg for example sees George Floyd as the problem, the poster child of all the ills of the Black community he's been repeating here. That is shallow and narrow view. Greg will never pick up a book to understand context. They embrace the simplistic view point because it is easy. It is why many white folks were shocked by what happen to Floyd two years.

@Cynique you’ve dispensed a considerable amount of wisdom and your talent at doing so continues to impress me. Glutton for punishment or not, given the time you to took respond to Greg, I presume you do not believe they are a true troll. They remain incorrigible as ever. If they are not a troll, they are not too bright. While your words are wasted on them, fortunately, I and other readers have benefited from your words. Thank you.

This is not true, these men dislike those that actively harm Black people. They never assert a hatred of every individual in any group. In any group of people, of considerable size, you’ll find both wicked people, good ones, and everything in between. It has happened, but with most violence the victim and perpetrators are in the same group. Whites kill whites, blacks kill blacks, etc.

which is so often confused. say you have a position on a subject, learn more and change your position as a result. That is disparage today as, “flip-flopping.”

Honestly, @ProfD I'm curious too, not so much out of humor but understanding the behavior. I've encountered a couple of other trolls here who were much more sophisticated than Greg, but you learn from every experience. I usually do a good job identifying trolls at account signup. Usually the location of the IP address is a dead give-away, but if a VPN is used you have to look deeper. My biggest concern is banning an account of someone who is a legitimate poster. I wish more people would post under their true identities, but I understand why some people don't have that freedom.

American slavery was unique in that it's victims and their descendants -- even those fathered by the enslaver -- were enslaved in perpetuity. All people with brown skin were deemed as genetically subhuman, and needed to be enslaved for their own good. Those who sold other Africans to Europeans could not know what they were doing, as the European practice of enslavement was so alien to anything practiced in Africa before or since. America has make a great deal of progress, but has never reckoned with it's violent history. The murder of George Floyd was a seminal event because it helped many people really see America and it started an anti-racist movement, something the republicans party is pushing hard against.

Come on lets be perfectly clear. Black people never crossed an ocean, committed genocide. and built a country using enslaved labor! We did not create laws to systematical exclude American Black people from all forms of participation in this system. ProfD you don't have to defend our collective Black behavior in this country. If anything our survival needs to be honored and praised -- reparations are in order if you ask me. As long as people keep talking so called Black on Black crime, out of wedlock births, or being better off here that we would be in Africa. People will begin to believe this BS, -- primarily because they have no context. They will have no empathy because they don't know history -- least of all African history. This is my biggest problem with the republican party. The keep repeating the nonsense Greg is spewing. Of course this attracts a racist element to that party but well meaning, but ignorant, people lap it up too. Imagine a group of people who revere American traitors?! It is like an alternative universe.

This is racist trope that I hear all the time... The African continent exploited for centuries and America was a main beneficiary. To say that the descendants of the kidnapped Africans who live in America today are "better off" than the descendants of the ones who remained in the aftermath of centuries or rape pillage and plunder is a profoundly asinine statement. @Greg if you continue with the "black women need to stop having babies out of wedlock at a young age," I will ban your account. (I know you don't care; this notice is really for the other posters benefit).

@Mel Hopkins, thanks for listening to the WSJ Panel. Did you notice at the end how passionately the ladies described the books that they were reading. The is the thing that a good bookseller can do. If you find a bookstore where the sales people are actually book people you are very fortunate. While there are more Black-owned stores stores than ever -- there are probably fewer booksellers than ever. @Stefan, you mentioned that I called you a troll once, I'm actually drawing your attention to Greg, who has clearly demonstrated that they are a toll. Their post above is an example. You struck me like this initially, but over time my opinion changed. 😉 Now all Greg is doing is ranting about "black women need to stop having babies out of wedlock at a young age." he is not adding anything new to the conversation and appears to be solely interested, not in dialogue, but in advancing racist stereotypes. If it continues I will ban his account. In 25 years I have banned less than a handful of accounts. If anyone disagrees I'm open to hearing your thoughts.

I always felt Cynique could publish some essays through a traditional publisher. Her biting commentary, whether i agree with it or not, is always interesting. @Cynique on social do you get the same reaction? I mean do people express similar sentiment as Del?

Trolls avoid these like the plague. Sorry man ☹️

Here too you make wild unsupported accusations. ...trolls are relentless. While most Black children are born out of wedlock. That does not mean the father is not present. Nor does it mean the father is locked up for a violent crime (most Black men are not locked up for violent crimes, btw). Here too, as with welfare as @Cynique pointed out, there are numerically more white children born out of wedlock than Black children, Why aren't you lamenting the hordes of children born to unwed white mothers? I know you won't address that fact, for it will force you to look more closely and reject your wildly ignorant statements like "Who helps those black children with their homework? Who makes sure those kids aren’t roaming the streets on a school night? Who Is making sure those kids are respecting teachers and police ?" Who is helping the white children? Another benefit of whiteness in America, is no one goes around disparaging the white mothers and their children who are born out of wedlock -- despite the fact that the majority of children who are born out of wedlock are white. You are regurgitating right wing political racist rhetoric used to justify the margination of Black people. This is a tried and true tactic and it always works on people unable to think deeply or critically. Black babies born to unwed mother is not the problem. People like you Greg try really hard to make it a problem though. Even if you are not a troll, and actually believe the right-wing propaganda you are spewing, you should read more. The stuff you are parroting tells me how much you don't know. Isn't their anything positive about Black people that you can spread across the web?

@Greg making an even more more outrageous claim, 80%, does not support your argument. Lets say the out of wedlock birth weres 100%. What makes you so confident that out of wedlock births, in and of themselves, are a problem? Presumably being a problem is really the point of sharing an 80% stat, right? Are you suggesting that all, or most, out of wedlock births must be by Black women who are "young, low income, unskilled" as you described? You are saying that once we get out of wedlock birth down to the rate that it is for white folks, that this will go a long way to solving the ills in the Black community. Is that your argument? During the past the past two years a great deal of energy has been put into helping people understand how white racism has hobbled the Black community. Have your ever read about the prosperous Black community in Tulsa OK that was destroyed in a racists massacre. The Black people in Tulsa, did not make excuses and enjoyed great success despite all the obstacles until it was destroyed. Tulsa was not a one off. Policies and laws are specifically designed to hobble Black people and are deeply embedded into the fabric of this country. The very fact they we (Black people) are are still here and enjoy any modicum of success is testament to our resilience and fortitude. Constantly harping on a stupid stats out of context is counterproductive. Greg, consider spending your time celebrating Black success and achievement rather than spreading negativity about Black folks. You confuse "making excuses" with acknowledging, understanding, and addressing the wrongs that have been done to us.

Stop attributing statements to me that I never wrote and just denied writing; this is the behavior of a troll. So Trump was a poor President thanks Captain Obvious. You act like he was the first president not to care about Back people. You also act as if Trump represents all republicans…

... OK so are you saying you don't hate republicans? You statements sure sends a difference message. Yes, I remember that, your comments posts are troll like. You make unsubstantiated comments and when asked to provide some to support you assertions you fail to do so, saying things like, "I don't have to produce any stats just because you demand them." I did not demand them, I asked. Obviously you don't have to back up anything you write, but don't be annoyed it what you say is challenged. I did not write that. I probably said something like there is no genetic basic for the concept of race. Which means there is no genetic basis for a white or Black race. But white racism is obviously real. This website is a consequence of white racism. Speaking of troll's Stepan this statement is a classic. Tell me what do you think? Do you think there is anything that anyone could write to get Greg to see things differently? In another thread Greg wrote, "Almost 75% of our black children are born out of wedlock to young, low income, unskilled women." This statement is absurd on it's face, but nonetheless I asked him to substantiate it. I already know, like most trolls he'll react the way you did, or at best, cite a bullshit source. Trolls have different motivations. Some troll just for kicks others have more pernicious motives.

Where did you get this statistic?! -- please share the source.

Yes, yellow journalism, if it bleeds it leads, is nothing new. What is new however is the commercialization of the WWW. The WWW put all the problems of the past on steroids and the impact on people is far worse as a result. People are far more scared, depressed, and anxious than is warranted. They are relatively safe — safer than ever, but are more afraid than ever. Even white men are depressed, becoming addicted, committing suicide, stockpiling weapons, and voting for Trump. For money, Modern media is throwing gasoline and fanning the flames on all of society’s fears.

I hear you and this is symptomatic of the state we are in. Facts are argued. We know the employment stats do not count all not working people it was never asserted as such, but it is a metric. Again it is pointless to argue about the number being higher one period compared to the next, what you can debate hire it got that way and what it means. Really?! And how did you acquire that information? I suspect you made it up as it fits into your narrow world view. If you did not make it up, please share a source. Otherwise, I suggest you get out into the world and talk to a variety of different people. Republicans definitely do not hold a monopoly on causing harm to Black people. The fact I even have to say that tells me I’m wasting my time…. Your blind hatred of Republicans is clouding your reasoning.

Given how rare these situations occur I can virtually guarantee that you will not be. Again the way the media plays these events up it hard to believe the events are very rarely occur. You are far more likely to be gunned downed, or treated violently, by someone you actually know than you are to be victimized in a mass shooting.

The former president never got a majority of the popular vote, the the majority of the electors. So maybe a 1/3 of the country would need mental help 😉 You are operating on a false premise. The few here that have openly supported and voted republicans never said they did so because they "they prefer racist and soulless Republican legislators." They all did so because they felt that they would personally benefit. This is the calculus that most people use when deciding who to vote for. I voted for a republican president once. I was working for a defense contractor, back in the 1980s, and everyone voted republication because we knew who would sign the biggest contracts. I was young and relatively naïve back then. Since then I've voted for only democrats and independent candidates. In NYC, I only joined the democratic party because I wanted to vote in the primary and in NYC you have to be registered in the party whose primary you wanted to vote in. Today, I don't vote solely for my own self interest. I'm not above voting republican again if I thought it served the country's best interest. I don't believe all republicans are racist -- even the republican politicians. I also believe we do ourselves a disservice by thinking all democrats are not racist -- especially the politicians. That said, both parties, it can be strongly argued, serve the elites and as we know most of them in this country are white. De facto racism, perhaps, but definitely classism.

The article says New Yorkers are more optimistic that the rest of the country. The article did not make historical comparisons or explain what goes into the calculation.

For real. Jersey City should replace Staten Island as NYC 5th Borough 😉

Well a of of people are doing just that air BNB'ing spare bedrooms or entire apartments (which also puts upward pressure on rents). The are a lot of tiny (<900 sq ft) three bedroom apartments on the market where owners are $3,300/month or more. People are splitting the rent three ways or more with no amenities and you still have to pay utilities and deal with rodents... @Delano I don't know what goes into measuring consumer confidence, but I have to believe it is better now, for NYC, than in 1982. what has been the trend of "index of consumer confidence" for NYC over the past four decades (or even the past few years)?