Troy

I can hear someone close to me saying right now, "This is the work of the devil" 😮 Seriously, I'd also question the statement that Black women are the least educated group in the country. The Ebony Exodus Project: Why Some Black Women Are Walking Out on Religion―and Others Should Too September 1, 2013 Black women are the single most religious demographic in the United States, yet they are among the poorest, least educated, and least healthy groups in the nation. Drawing on the author's own past experience as an evangelical minister and her present work as a secular counselor and researcher, The Ebony Exodus Project makes a direct connection between the church and the plight of black women. Through interviews with African American women who have left the church, the author reveals the shame and suffering often caused by the church—and the resulting happiness, freedom, and sense of purpose these women have felt upon walking away from it. This book calls on other black women to honestly reflect on their relationship with religion and challenges them to consider that perhaps the answers to their problems rest not inside a church, but in themselves.

LOL she lost me at get up at 2:30 a.m.! Shoot I was not in bed at that time the last couple of nights.

@Delano I was into hip-hop, but not really that much into kung-fu movies. If I grew up in DC I would have probably been more into go-go --just because of the experience of being exposed to it. If i grew up in a white neighborhood I probably would have been into rock. I was first exposed to it in high school, but since it was considered "white music" I did not start to enjoy it until I was an adult. Now my peers in the south, western New York, philly were much more into fuck which I really enjoyed -- even more than rap which at the time was mixed funk music. So the music I enjoyed was as a youth was based up a decision between choices presented to me, but I did not exercise my "freedom" and "choose" the music I enjoyed until I was an adult. I no longer allowed peer pressure to decide my musical tastes. I know many other people, including my homies, are like this as well. The key give away is when they say "I listen to all types of music," it is almost an warning that the music they will be listening to like, when you get into their car, will not conform to the stereotypes of "group similarities."

@Delano the same dynamic that explains the similarities explains the differences. For example, you and I, despite some disagreements expressed on these forums, have a lot more in common than I have with my sister. Some of it could be our gender, our shared educational experience, or just our genetic predisposition. I know there are many far left wing people who believe (or wish) for this, this seems highly unlikely at least in the short term (our life times).

@Kalexander2, if 45 is impeached, as you are Del are predicting, who do you think will replace him as president? @Delano, again I agree with your overall assessment of 45, we only disagree on the timing of his removal from office. I'm not trying to be an instigator, but I don't recall K2 flip-flopping on this issue. He volunteered to give me $50 the same time you did.

The discussion of “freedom” should be spawned as a separate conversation. The allegations against Kavanaugh would probably make an interesting conversation. It looks to me at this point Kavanaugh will make the supreme court. If he does not it will be a sign of real Republican weakness. They control the Senate. The Democrats seem to have taken a page from the republican playbook, our political process is a mess... @Delano Language does indeed impact the way we communicate and think this has been demonstrated in a variety of studies. NY's see white fluffy stuff dropping from the sky in the winter as snow where other cultures have up to 20 different words for the stuff. I use the phrase "packing snow" for snow that is good for making snowmen. For people who have never made snowmen have not need to be able to understand or think about the difference. It should be pretty obvious for the conversation on these forums that language is insufficient for explaining the similarities or differences between people. Experiences, including education, are stronger factors. As @Mel Hopkins people indicated sharing the same genetics, reared in the same household, and obviously speaking the same language can have completely different world views

LOL! Man oh man I know you've been making overtures to @Delano lately but he is is likely to take this as an insult since the implication is that his "analytical skills" were previously deficient or that agreement with you on the 45 issue is an indication of analytical growth. That said, a move to impeach 45 will not be initiated by the republicans -- regardless of the outcome of the Kavanaugh nomination. Man it is amazing an allegation from HS can derail a career in ones 50's I'm not even sure impreaching 45 is a great idea. This will put Pence into office and give him an opportunity to look great (easy in comparison to 45) and make it harder for the Dems to beat him in 2020.

This is true @Cynique, the the gender roles @Pioneer1 speaks of are still strongly embedded in the culture. This is probably more true for men than women. Here is a personal anecdote. When I was married I prepared all of the meals for my family. Other women universally praised me for this (something I don't think my wife appreciated). Men however would either view this indifferently or would deride me indirectly me for it. They would boast about how their wives could demonstrate their love for them by having a great meal ready for them when they got home or how their wives would prepare the food when they had their buddies over. I would internalize sometimes feel my wife's love was less because she did not do these things. To be clear she would prepare meals when I could not, but this was not some she liked doing. The reality was that I was better suited to do the cooking, but the culture still puts pressure on people to conform to gender rules. Now I completely understood the cultural dynamics at the the time, but that does not mean it still does not have an adverse impact when you don;t conform For people, less aware of the psychocultural dynamics (did I just coin a term) they will fight for gender role conformity which makes a working, real world, 21st century relationship virtually impossible. Again this is a situation where I understand Pioneer's statements concerning gender roles/behavior/nature but disagree with them.

Yes @Kalexander2 people are indeed free here in America. This should not be up for discussion. Now, of course, many people, perhaps most, don't exercise their freedom. Freedom as they say is not free. In fact, exercising one's freedom can often be quite difficult. @Delano you mention who else has a forum? Very few do, because it is hard. I could go to Facebook like everyone else and talk there. My life would be much easier. I would not have to worry about the maintenance, cost, or even promotion of this forum. But I would be a slave to Facebook, a true slave as I'd be subjecting myself to their (and their advertisers) behavior modification algorithms. (I thank y'all lately for, exercising your freedom, by helping to make this forum possible.) Most Americans don't have passports and very few have been to more than a few states. I've been to all the states and all the major cities that I wanted to visit. Last month I visited Birmingham AL and Jackson, MS for the first time. This takes time and money. People in many other countries simply don't have the freedom to travel the world they way we can. Freedom is also the freedom not to exercise it, so if people want to spend their time on Facebook and never leave their back yard -- they are free do so. We are slaves only if we choose to be. This has always been case, except when you dont know you are a slave. I feel many authors are slaves to Amazon. Most dont see it and the ones that do are unwilling to take the simple steps to free themselves from the big A's yoke -- mostly because they are afraid of losing money. The desire for money enslaves many of us.

IRS? That is silly. How else do you propose we find the government? Or are things like infrastructure not important to you? Besides given my income and expenses I dont pay very much federal tax and Florida has no state tax. And I'm happy to pay my municipality for folks to come get My trash and ensure I get water and my sewage is carried away -- it is a bargin! I don't have a mortgage. I'm self- employed. I have no clue what you mean by self interests, but presumably they are an expression of free will not slavery. Sure, keep going but try to come up with better examples. It boggles the mind that you would today us worse off today than back then. SMH....

@Kalexander2, if I'm a slave who is my master?

...oh Brother. K2, if preferring my life to one of toiling, from sun up to sun down, in some tobacco farm or cotton field makes me "narrow minded" then I'll be narrow minded. If you wanna believe we've made no progress that is up to you. What intellectual con game Have I, Troy Johnson, fallen prey to?

...says the man who was never enslaved. @Kalexander2, come on man, are you really trying to tell me things are worses today... really? We can't possibly have a serious conversation if that is your position. Our perceptions of reality are too different. Drop the hyperbole if you wanna have a serious conversation. @Delano if you read anything I've written on these forums you know that I do not think this country is perfect. Nor do I think our rules are perfect, but they are better today than they have been. Today slavery is outlawed and wealth disparity is at it's highest level. I'll choose freedom first, dealing with wealthy disparity is a secondary consideration, as I'm sure it would be for you, Here too, I'm sure where you are getting your information. Why do you say that the US dollar has been "removed" as a global currency? The premise is factually inaccurate (on its face), so the question makes no sense.

@Chevdove, red tide is indeed a serious problem -- devastating to those financially impacted. I'm just pointinging out, as with all bad news, the media exaggerates these things, making it hard to gain perspective.

...no not by a long shot. But our laws keep these guys in check far better than anytime since the European set foot on this land

@Delano yes relocating to FL always makes me think differently about NYC. I lived here in the early 90's before B-school. Everytime I come back I need to brace myself. NYC is filthy, noisy, expensive, crowded, and people are understandably ruded. As a native I can quickly get used to it but I have to brace myself. It is not a healthy environment -- especially if you are poor, as many here are. Perspective is a function of location. @Kalexander2 I dont have an issue with what you wrote, indeed it seems to imply the likes of 45 will become more popular....

Yeah it is about to hit the fan in more way than one. Hold your loved ones close...

Sure, but don't you think that for the powerful, like 45, the wheels of justice will turn even more slowly -- if at all? Isn't this the way it always goes? Again, I'm not sure why you think the law well be both swift and just when it comes to 45. I can only assume that living aboard has dulled your senses regarding American justice. This is plausible since Del appears to be the only one to agree with you, and he too lives outside the United States.

@Kalexander2, but why ignore due process and the amount of time it takes to execute it?

Congrats! Try Afrika World Books out of MD. I don't have contact info handy. I use Ingram.

ROTFLMBAO!! You know that's right -- sheeeeeeit, they'd be straight the next morning drinking Bloody marys talking about the "hair of the dog." Coming from the 'hood and going to college I thought I was "bad" being able to knock out two 40's before hanging out -- those boys took drinking, and drugs to a 'hole 'nother level! Multi keg parties, beer pong, shit I never heard of and these where the smart kids. To this day I remember at party with the girls basketball team. I remember going but not leaving. Yeah some people can tolerate alcohol better that others just the same way some people can tolerate milk better than others...

You know @Pioneer1 the world MUST be coming to an end when we start agreeing so much 😮

Man @Pioneer1 this is an interesting point. Would it be more accurate to say start with those with nothing to lose? Is there a difference? Too bad they don't let you eat bacon and drink a cold beer every once in a while....

@Pioneer1 I've been preached to about the end of times since i was a child. I have to admit, 45, climate change, and other factors do make you wanna go hmmm. Still the areal photo and caption from the Times I posted above is VERY misleading. This is just the thing that people who believe in Revelations latch on to, despite the fact that every generation finds reasons to believe the end is near... here too reason, facts, logic, and history have no place.