Troy

Sadly this is true. I'm thoroughly convinced the susceptibility to being brainwashed to join a cult, strap on a bomb, jump on the MAGA train, or exterminate Jews is genetic. When the culture reenforced these notions it is a dangerous combination.

This is all great! (sorry I got the year wrong). Yes they do, which is why I, at 5'7'' have never been challenged in the lady department

By definition. I had not though about it that way. But what people call "microaggressions" today would have been laughable when I was a young man. If I see a brother wringing his hands over a micro-aggression in the office... well that is good example of puss*fication of society. There was a program in NOR this week talking about how to educate boys (white ones). The education system was optimized for white boys! I did not listen closely to the program (honestly not very interested) but geesh what the heck has happened?! Wow! With this as your foundation there I clearly have nothing I can say that would absolve you of this outrageous notion. I know you are not alone in this belief. Still, it astonishes me that in world with access to more information than ever people can be informed to result in completely diametrically opposed understanding on such an important issue. Incarcerated people, and staff, contracted covid and died at a higher rate than the general population. "Decimated" is hyperbolic, but one might argue that prison populations, nursing homes, indigenous communities, people with co-morbities were "decimated" during the pandemic. The vaccine helped save a great many lives. Sure, many people would have survived without getting vaccinated but that would NOT have helped the more vulnerable people who could have contracted from someone presenting with no symptoms.

All Americans.

The quality isn’t great, but this is better than not recording the moment at all, because twenty years ago, given the media's coverage, you would have had no idea Black folks had such a large presence at BEA. C-SPAN published hours of coverage: https://www.c-span.org/program/book-tv/bookexpo-america/145533 and you barely see Black people. I always cringe when I see myself on video, that is probably why it took me 20 years to post the video

Sure, and despite that benefit they are still worse off. Sure, and this is out of necessity. Today if you are a 30-year-old man still living at home that is perfectly acceptable. When I was 30 you could not legitimately call yourself, a man still sulking at momma teat in your childhood bedroom. Of course. We/they have to.

...I can't LOL! I don't have the mental energy to follow this shit. I'm not saying it is not real. I'm just saying it is a tactic. He will use white racists, Black people, evangelicals, the entire Republican party, tech bros, woke liberals, whoever to achieve his means. If we deal with Trump as though he is purely a white nationalist, a republican, a Bible hawking evangelical, we will fail to stop him, for we have misunderstood his motivation.

Hey man, I went back and re-read the original statement we were debating. Of course information does not mean explanation. I think I got caught up on my comment symbols or sounds being information. My bad. Thanks for your patience with me.

I’ll DM you the questions but you can put the answer here. Does that work?

Sure, I'm game what do you need to know?

I'm late to the party. Happy belated birthday @aka Contrarian! Here are a few famous people who were also born in August of 1932: Melvin Van Peebles, V. S. Naipaul, Mel Tillis, Peter O’Toole, Meir Kahane, Edward Kennedy sadly not are still alive Kahane was assassinated in middle age and Van Peebles died during the pandemic and was the oldest of the bunch making it to 89. I hope you family appreciates the gem you are. They should be recording your every word you have so much history, family and societal, it should be recorded. Have you heard of story corps: https://storycorps.org/participate/

Name a right "granted by nature," that can't be taken away by a law.

Suicide bombers, Kamikaze Pilot, religious zealots who chose to be burned at the stake than renounce their religion, everything you turn around someone else is burning themselves alive for a cause... The first two engaged in a lot of planning... There is no shortage of people willing "...to give up their lives for a cause they feel is greater than themselves." Wait, am I agreeing with @Pioneer1

@frankster are you trying to suggest that the vaccine is an attempt to kill to sterilize people? If so, wouldn't it have been easier just to not administer a vaccine and let many millions more people die? It wasn't just the last generation folks have been saying that since Christianity started. I agree with you and Pioneer humanity is pretty resilient. I'm not saying humanity is ending anytime soon. All I'm saying is that we had it easier than young adults do today -- all things being equal. College, Housing, Insurance it is all just so much more expensive now -- even going to a restaurant and having a couple of cocktails is just so much more expensive than it was when I was a young adult.

@harry brown's post makes me thing about this book: Your Plantation Prom Is Not Okay by Kelly McWilliams

I dunno bruh, "knowledge" given your analogy can allow that scrambled-up book I described become information. Crackpots can find meaning in anything. Information is its own thing, independent of an observer. I would not fixate too much on the hyper-whte nationalism bit. I think it is just a tactic he uses to divide and concur. He is no more beholden to them as he is to you or I. Besides there are plenty of Black people who are Trump supporters. He had no problem hosting Jim Brown and Kayne West in the Oval Office. A true racist would not cavort with Black men. Agreed; for we have very little choice...

Exactly. Does a book contain information? From your perspective only if you can read it. From my perspective even if you can’t read it it’s still information. Now, if you took that same book and randomly scrambled all of the letters and characters in it to the person who is illiterate there is no difference, but the person who can read the information is gone. The people are going to change anything a third are too apathetic to even vote let alone revolt. Another third are behind the president. Off the remaining third most are scared or too concerned with their own welfare to do anything. This is where checks and balances are supposed to prevent shit from running off the rails. Time will tell.

@Delano it was for a customer. I’m not deep enough to be reading that kind of stuff I’ll refer him to the book you suggested. Even thrift books is charging $558.

Just because one doesn’t understand, it does not exclude it from being information, does it? Sure, but there’s always another Putin right behind Putin. He is not exactly a unicorn. If he did not maintain a strong presence someone else will come by and take control. The risk our country faces. Is that the guard rails in place to prevent a Putin from emerging here. Left unchecked Trump can become a Putin. Crossing Trump can be dangerous not just financially but physically. His supporters are attacking politicians!? If I were in a position to be a threat to him, I would be very careful what I say or do that might upset him— he is not playing around.

Please share a link to wear one may be purchased. That is what I was thinking I was judging by the cover it is.

Hey @Delano Have you heard of this book: The Magickian: A Study in Effective Magick by Phillip Cooper someone was trying to sell a used copy for $500 on Amazon. Someone was trying to buy one from me, but I can't find any wholesale copies.

Yes sir Ayana Gray

You are a very kind and sweet person @Mel Hopkins with the ability to find the beauty in everyone. Thank YOU!

Oh, he was sued, so he must’ve done something illegal or very bad. I gather it’s not just about banging some younger woman... I read the beginning of this conversation and see that he assaulted the woman that’s not cool. What is going on with Shannon Sharpe? It sounds like his troubles are self-inflicted.

Cool! There are definitely older women who would go after younger men, especially if they kept themselves together and are financially secure, I’m not talking about getting married or anything, but certainly hooking up. Male exotic dancers are in demand for a reason and of course, they stories of women going to Jamaica… Obviously, a higher percentage of men go after younger women. You don’t hear about wealthy older women setting up rings to procure young men as in the Jeffrey Epstein case. I’m not aware of the particulars of Shannon Sharpe situation. However, a man in his 50s, 60s, 70s or even 80s, hooking up with someone 30 years younger is not unusual or particularly noteworthy. If Shannon was Joe Nobody we wouldn’t be talking about him.