Troy

Man y'all turning me on to a bunch of interesting books.

Well I'm disappointed to see anyone leave the forum. But im glad you'll continue to participate in #readingblack @Mel Hopkins. My severing of ties with Amazon has led to some interesting comments which has prompted me to do more with #readingblack myself. After 20+ years of hosting this forum. I know things are cyclical. Personalities come and go. Even trolls get bored and move on. The problem today is that trolls have fewer sites with enough traffic to make their shenanigans worthwhile and with social media cracking down, sites like AALBC are more of a target now.

You know the answer to that question @Pioneer1. Most people need to be validated by those in power. I guess the main reason is validation by those in power brings money and other benefits. I stepped out on my own and the cost has been high. I'd do it again, but you are never free of oppression. The police can stop you at anytime, the government can jam you up with a keystroke.

I recently changed the site, by removing links to Amazon, so the buy button points directly to your site.

Perhaps. I still think it is to get as many eyeballs as possible by appealing to our baser natures. Any adverse impact on our mortality is incidental... they just don't care, either way, as long as they are making money.

She live through 3 centuries and must have known people who were formerly enslaved. It must have been really special to know to her. @Kareem your reparations package might be a good idea for a speculative fiction novel, but Earth is more likely to leave the solar system before any of those things take place -- let alone all three. If the U.S. government gave Black people 150K, which is really not much money and quite doable. Shoot Jeff Bezos could do it all by himself and still be a multimillionaire when it is over. But struggling white people would lose their shit -- completely. You think there are mass shootings now... Every location on the gulf coast of Florida's panhandle, Alabama, and Mississippi are prone to hurricane. If not, racists would just use their hurricane control device and destroy New Nubia, right @Pioneer1 🙂

You keeping me busy @Maurice -- thanks!

I'd imagine teenaged boys.

Oh but no-- This is NOT a coincedence!!! Then what is it @Chevdove? If you don't buy into @Pioneer1's white racist controlled technology guiding storms into Black counties. What do you believe is?

No. Of course not, but what period in the past century since moving pictures was invented are you referring to?

I did not know this until just now. I thought about looking it up but never got around to it... I agree with you all regarding Cardi B and En Vogue, TLC etc. from the lyrics, to their music videos, and the way they are packaged and delivered to our youth for consumption. Now I maybe a 50+ year-old guy talking who is out of touch with "what happenin'" today. I freely admit that I am. However, whenever I'm look I'm concerned. Some older people probably felt En Vogue's videos were hyper-sexualized likening it to the devils music. They would probably argue the videos of today are a natural progression from En Vogue. I'd disagree what we see today is a perversion of En Vogue and the other artists from a generation before. Again I was actually surprised to see topless women on a music video of a mainstream artist on youtube. This is obviously acceptable now. So the boundaries will continue to be pushed. As corporation appeal to our baser natures for money. People will defend this because it generates revenue and they like to be aroused. My problem is that this type of content is pushed to us by Google 24/7 (the video has over 85 million views in less than a year). That is 85 times the number of view all of AALBC videos have obtained over a 10 years period. While YouTube is not AALBC's focus, that is still a staggering difference. We know sex sells, we know Google pushes this type of content, and we know corporations invested a tremendous amount to produce and distribute this stuff to us. I know at the end of the day most people don't really care, but we need to at least acknowledge what is being done and consider the implication on our culture. "All A Bad Bitch Needs is the Money" The really crazy thing is that Google has banned an earlier version of this discussion forum (Thumper's corner) from showing google advertisements because of nudity, but Google themselves earn ad revenue showing nudity on their own platforms! This is what happens when monopolies rule. They control our narrative and are the only ones who can profit from it. All the rest of us can do is hope they will share some of their profits with us -- provided we do what they say. This makes us slaves.

I missed this quote @Chevdove thanks for pointing it out. 45 is a lot better than most of the previous presidents. But the bar is pretty low. 45 has not stared any wars yet. He has not impregnated or held slaves, he has not committed genocide or taken land from other nations. Shoot, 45 even let a bunch of Black folks out of prison. He is easily in top quartile of U.S. presidents. I still think Hillary would have been a better choice. Something tells me she would have risen above expectations.

Yeah this was the first time i watched a cardi b video myself. I have not really watched music video since Yo MTV Raps! and boy have they come a looong way. The topless women surprised me. I guess soon they will just have intercourse in music videos. @Pioneer1 of course will say that is beautiful and our nature 😉

@Kareem Obama was a warmonger too. "Surely" He (and hillary) superior to 45. Right? @Maurice the reason also has to do with a reluctance to refer to him as POTUS or even mention his name.

Another book I have to add to the site.

Homo Sapien Sapien. But in more colliquial parlance, the most powerful people in the world now are "white." This was not always true, nor will be true for much longer. Racism was used to justify the perpetual enslavement of Black people. Race was used to explain that we were subhuman. Religion, science, and history were perverted to support racism. The most uneducated of us hold onto these distorted views today. This was done to benefit the slave holder. Most white people did not benefit from this, one could argue most white folks were made worse off due to the practice of slavery. At least half a million of them died fighting on behalf of wealthy slaveholders, during the civil war. Hummm what history are you reading? Does it include 400 years of kidnap, rape, and enslavement? Was monsters ball an example of this respect?

@Kareem, sure Bill was a disastrous president, but Hillary is not Bill and you've used Bill's record, unfairly, against Hillary. Well that is because the so called "Afroamerican" is not, nor has it ever been a monolith. No sufficiently large geographically dispersed people are. I agree however politically we need an agenda, things most of us are willing to fight for. @Pioneer1 (anyone) what are the top three things we should have on our agenda?

Well if one is at the point were they believe white racists have secretly used a fantastic technology to create and maneuver hurricanes to kill Bkack people, then there is no logic or reason im aware of that cab change that belief. It is like trying to convince an ignirant white racist that Mexicans have not stolen all the jobs. Honestly, I don't know the best thing to do with the modern warrior class. Their use in combat sports or the marines, supprting Americas protracted wars and providing entertainment is a waste too...

I almost opted out of the last presidential election fir similiar reasons. I'd advise you to vote for the lessor of two evils. This how we endded up with 45. Surely you have to believe Hillary would have been a little better than 45, right?

I dunno man maybe I should watch the film (again). It just seems to me movies, made by white men that show Black women's bodies, are always suspect -- ala Hallie Berry in monster's ball, or the rump-shaking rap video. It is how they get their kicks. "First you get money, then you get the mother fuckin' power..." "C.R.E.A.M." Acquisition of money is all about power. Broke people exert very little power. Even millionaire's can be powerless if they are waiting around for an employer to cut them a check. The truly powerful, in 2019, are not racist, but they will use racism to increase their wealth/power as quickly as they will start a war, sell cancer sticks, sell other humans -- including their own children.

I hear you Pioneer the tragedy those Bahamians endured was unbelievable. The storm was originally forecast to cut across FL, near me, and into the gulf. It didn't rain a drop the entire time. However, man does not yet possess the intelligence or technology to control cat 5 hurricane's. Lets not go completely off the rails with these consiracy theories. The fact that hurricanes cut through where Black people live is coincidence. Like how forest fires and tornadoes impact white folks more. When was the last time yiu heard about a Brother being struck by lightning. Yes white folks have done some devilish shit to Black folks and the indigenous populations all over the world, fortunately the use of hurricanes is not an arrow in their quiver. @Kareem, I hope you never have go out in that blaze of glory. I see you are part of the warrior class of Brothers. The men who would participate in, if not lead a slave revolt. Your nature must be put to better use in the 21st century...

Im reading Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

Oh Ok, that big Washington Times graphic leading the article put me off. Do yiu believe "pizzagate" was a hoax.