Troy

I listened to the first video (I'm coming to like the Breakfast club interviews as I listen to more of them) and many of Umar's statements reminded me of stuff I've been saying on these forums over the years. "You're dealing with a new Negro who has no obligation to the collective, no interest in the progress of his people, and is intentionally egotistical and individualist about his pursuits." That was one of the first and hardest lessons I learned as an entrepreneur whose mission is to serve Black people. Umar has an enthusiasm and intensity that I sure would engage people. When speaker begin to raise their voices that is a signal to me to listen more critically and try to not be emotionally influenced by an impassioned delivery. He also said Barack Obama did nothing for Black folks and that Black people did not hold him accountable. That is a bold statement, but I would not be inclined to argue with it because of Black people (save Cornel West and a few others), were never critical of Obama. Any benefit Black folks received were part of programs designed to benefit mostly white folks (like "Obamacare") nothing I'm aware of was designed to target Black folks specifically and our collective conditions have worsened over the last 8 years... and God help us over the next 4 to 8. @Pioneer1 , when you described Umar as one of "the greatest Black leaders in America today." I did not agree, but if I were to think about Black leadership today, I can see why you would make the statement. The bar is relatively low today isn't it? No Malcolm X, no Dr. King, no Kwame Toure, no Huey Newton. I would did not consider Umar a "great" leader because they ideally organizations and definitely followers. Does Umar have followers that he can rally the way that an Al Sharpton can with his National Action Network, or Louis Farrakhan wth his NOI can or even Jessie Jackson? While I might disagree with his current level of greatness, he definitely has potential, but men with his ideology are generally not allowed to obtain great influence among Black people--any and all you come close are assassinated. No Black leader has been assassinated in a long time... there has been no need.

@Delano, I'm not being coy, modest or fishing for compliments, but can you explain why you think my story needs to be told. What am I doing that you think needs to be shared. One reason I'm asking is that when I speak to groups maybe I can relate whatever that is and make my talks more compelling, thanks. Hey Del this is a Google Ad I see at the top of this page (you may not see this so I copied it below), Are you familiar with the site? What do you think of it? http://video.numerologist.com/

Hey man that is something I had not considered. I believe this to be true to a certain extent. It explains why we spend so much time trying to emulate them and strive for their validation. "The white man's ice is colder." This mentality holds us back, because white folks don't return the love unless you are a Black celebrity. This too is a result of white racism, and Black people who love white folks more than they do Black folks would never EVER see it that way.

Conversely, Black men do not earn the respect of Black women for women to behave in a traditional manner. They also realize that we are essentially powerless to protect them. This is saying the same thing you said but from a different perspective. When you say "traditional" do you mean where the man is the head of the household? Forget about that man; those days are gone, perhaps irretrievably so. Those traditional roles, especially in the Black community are essentially nonexistent with the exception of very Christain households when tend to be more socially conservative. I'll check out the Umar videos.

The two books were added to your profile.

Almost as big as Katrina... wow @treshelleb I'll check your local newspapers to read more about this. Please be sure to come to our Black Pack Party when you are in NYC for BEA. I won't be doing BEA this year. I'll be sure the book is added to the website. Can you provide an except, maybe one of the stories?

@Mel Hopkins, would you believe when the notification that you left this reply I was reprinting articles from Pew (which I thing you referenced). I'm considering incorporating information from these reports into a new lecture for the course I'm teaching this semester. http://www.journalism.org/2016/07/07/pathways-to-news/ http://www.journalism.org/2016/05/26/news-use-across-social-media-platforms-2016/ Of course, I'll be reading the report you've just referenced. Is that synchronicity or coincidence? Mel the only place I like anything not is on indie websites. This site, your blog and the like. At this stage, I give social media as little information as possible. Who knows my beliefs may weaken my web presence as social platform continue to increase their domination. Do social media sites now allow you to more easily revisit content that you previously liked? I don't recall that. I just assumed they used the information to more effective get you to buy things. It is depressing to read in the article Mel linked to; “…blacks got online news through social media 41% of the time, on average, and whites did so 33% of the time. While this is not statistically different by traditional standards, the higher percentage among black online news consumers is in line with previous research showing that blacks get news from social media at a higher rate than whites.”

Man, if homeboy does not come across well on Facebook, thats definitely not a good sign. It only goes down from there... I swore the religious due in the hotel was gonna accuse the man of pedophilia after seeing him walk her to his bedroom. Why introduce that character at all? Your reaction to my comment is more than adequate Mel and speaks for itself. I did not know there was a limit on likes, I can probably change that setting. Pioneer loves what I write, but he does not "like" anyone's posts. Sometimes I don't like something that I actually do like--I don't want to go around liking everything.

No @Delano, I have not considered writing an autobiography. My ability to tell my own story in a compelling fashion is limited. But after reading Cynique's memoirs posted little by little over the years, I do know, to do so would require me to tighten up my writing a great deal and not focus on accomplishments but to reveal how I felt about them including revealing weakness, insecurities, challenges, emotions all of that. Why do you ask? Have you ever considered writing an autobiography?

There is a difference between implicit or benign racism and explicit "hood wearing" racism. Often the racist does not know he is racist. Similarly, Black folks can experience racism without being aware of it, but that does not mean it is not present--it just means we did not perceive it for whatever reason. I just learned about a book, which I just purchased, that talks about this how racist we are based upon big data collected from google searches.

Everybody Lies: Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are is a new book by former Google employee by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz. Seth was interviewed on the radio this morning I decided to read the book based on the interview. He described our Google searches as digital truth Serum and how our searches reveal much more about us that we even know about ourselves. He also talked bout how disturbing some of our searched are suggesting that as a people we are much more sexually perverted (no the word he used), that we present ourselves He drew a stark contrast between they way people presented themselves on Facebook very what their google searches reveal. The observation struck a cord because I grew tired of the fiction presented on Facebook (including my own), which is I have not used Facebook for personal reasons for about two years ago and more than two months into a 6-month boycott of the platform for business purposes. The data also reveals that Americans are FAR more racist than is revealed in surveys. This comes as no surprise to me but is an interesting observation in a recent conversation about racism we are having about racism. I have not watched the video below yet, but I figured I'd share it here because it appears to dive deeply into the subject of the book.

Ahh the wisdom of age and hindsight. Mel you and Cynique could probably team up and write a very interesting book on relationships, marriage, and children. Not a preaching how to book but stories that relate your experiences in revealing way that would strike a cord with people because they understand how you felt. It is one thing to boast about being married for 50 years and quite another to explain why it was not perfect but that you still derived joy from it. You are not telling others how they can do it too, but you are helping them to see that their less than picture perfect marriage is perfectly normal because they can see themselves in your stories. Does that make sense? @Mel Hopkins, I watched that film I Origins over the weekend. {Spoiler Alert} Remeber the scene where the guy was masturbating to his ex-girlfriend's photos and perfume and his wife's reaction when she busted him? Her reaction was to say don't stop I want to see what turns you on. That was a great reaction. However the truth, when she learned it. hurt her deeply. Earlier in the film, she boasted about the one not being the jealous type. Sometimes I wonder if a spouse needs to know everything. The film could have progressed with the same resolution and the wife could have been spared that unnecessary pain. Indeed, though it was not raised in the film. Would she want to adopt the child? She'd have good reason to balk at the idea. @Cynique, I think most kids actually do have more than one adult in the home. They just don't happen to be the biological father. I don't have data, indeed I don't think anyone has good data on actual cohabitation rates, as people are not likely to reveal this information (as in the case of convicted felon living in the Projects, when they are not allowed to), or how fleeting the arrangements are. Are there any recent changes in our culture that you believe that have been detrimental to the family? For example, many people believe that a woman only can't raise a man (that includes two lesbians). However, there are others that say there is no difference, though these are usually women who believe this one.

Pioneer information is still "kept" from the masses... I think it is just easier today. There are so many "shiny objects" distracting us. Pioneer since you believe in ESP, can you describe someone that has demonstrated this ability to your satisfaction? Del it was Maya I'll see if I can get her to participate in this conversation maybe she'll be willing to relate her feedback--in exchange for you generously willing to do it gratis.

Thanks, Del apology accepted. Pioneer I think you have a point. I've been the victim a racist on more than one occasion recently. Another white guy came by and defused the situation, by quite cleverly giving me an out. You see I felt this white woman had mistreated me, she was crying bloody murder threatening to the call the cops and her husband, and I was like, bring them. The situation was so freaking stupid (I'm ashamed to describe it) and escalated unnecessarily, but she was what was I perceived to be a piece of poor white trash and I simply could not just walk away (poor judgment on my part). You see I was right, but I could have been "dead right" or "locked up right," in any event, it was not worth it. The problem with assuming all white people are racist Pioneer is that we cut ourselves from potentially great relationships. The guy who defused the situation could not have possibly been a racist otherwise he would have taken her side. One of the reasons I left corporate America was that I simply got tired of trying to figure out who was racist. I was tired of feeling like an outsider, someone that would never really fit in. Some of my peers fit in, married white women, lived in white communities, and did culturally white things. I just can not live that lifestyle. I'd rather struggle amongst my people than be "comfortable" in their world. But I sometimes tire of struggling... ...In a couple of weeks, I'm gonna spend some quality time with white folks and goo skiing :-)

Damn Cynique, you do know how to cut out all the superficiality and get right to the meat with ease. It makes your writing very compelling. @Cynique , do you think it was better for the culture when "There was no shacking up and having babies outside of marriage was frowned upon." I'm 55 and I remember those days--it was not that long ago. I also remember all of my childhood friends came from two parent homes. In fact, in order to get an apartment in "the projects," you had to be married. But this was before "da' PJs" became associated with urban decay and blight. The rule for marriage seen anachronistic by today's standards, and almost no one is married, thought different men do cycle through. Unlike your generation Cynique I think more people struggle financially as they get older money problem increase, crazy mortgages, student loan debt, taxes, uncovered medical expenses, pillaged pension funds, expensive divorces, etc. I hear you @Pioneer I have never seen Umar speak in person. I actually I have never been able to get through any of his videos. Can you direct me to a video that you like I'll listen to him with fresh ears. I seem to remember him being really hard on homosexuals. @Mel Hopkins, marriage is often different than friendship.you're more inclined to tell you friend how you'd like to bang the waitress who just served you, but you are less likely to tell your wife with the same enthusiasm.

@Delano, what confounds me is that you have summarily rejected my opinion and Pioneer's (which are not identical despite you lumping all those who disagree with you in the same bucket) and elevated yours above all other as if it is correct. You stated that Trump is not a racist as if it was fact. You can't possibly know that any more than I--unless of course, you are suggesting some extrasensory perception is in play here (which you have not). I give you evidence that of Trump's behavior that might suggest he is racist and rather than reflecting on it giving it a microsecond of consideration you stubbornly sought ways to reject it. It reminds me of your attempts to demonstrate to Pioneer your ability to tell the future, while he rejects your evidence as quickly as you serve it up. I think Pioneer is more justified than you are in this particular instance. But again, the fact of the matter is that neither of us can know Trump's true motivations. As far as your argument about the language in Trump's ad. If it were run after the boys were convicted I could see an argument that he was seeking justice. If this case was in the south, a few years earlier, those boys would have been lynched before there was a trial--indeed they were... @Pioneer1 , I could see the guys point it is the conservative party line. I actually wrote, in a perverse way, I would like to see what a Trump presidency would look like. I regret the sentiment.

It looks like I'll need to try to incorporate the best elements of each design. I really appreciate the feedback. You all raised issues I had not considered I just placed these seal on the bestselling fiction book for the current period, Provenance: A Novel by Donna Drew Sawyer. To get a better idea of how these seals look in use. Looking at the images this way. I'm leaning to #1 because the word "Bestseller" is legible and the logo can be made out if you are familiar with it. I don't think the logo should be more prominent than bestseller, but it is still recognizable if you are familiar with it. I liked #2's but the design, while it is unique, it looks less serious (ignore the bad crop), but that could just be my 50-year-old brain. I wonder what a millennial would think about it? Shaniqka were you born between 1980 and 200 (roughly) I liked #6 when it was large but at this size, it is completely illegible. I do like the idea of putting the year in the seal Mel. I'm beginning to wonder if having the words "Africam American Literature Book Club" on the seal is necessary. What do you y'all think about that? Maybe a variation of Number 6 where the word bestseller is more prominent, but I'm thinking the printed (peel and stick) version of number #6 would be more expensive that the others which are pure circles. I'll drop further consideration of any variation on #5. No one liked it.

I completely agree with everything written in the two posts I thought I was gonna have to go to crawling Facebook to find people who agreed with me without reservation, who did not disrupt my tender sensibilities, validated my world view No, Trump is not a Hitler or Charlie Manson magnitude racist, but he would have probably enjoyed abusing and raping any slaves were he alive 150 years ago Sure we all lie somewhere on the bigot and prejudice spectrums. These characteristics in some small degree are necessary for survival. Too much however and your world is a less happy place.

Thanks for sharing information about this book. I have to admit, I was completely unaware of such a severe flooding and destruction in Lousiana less than a year ago. I dunno but this could not have gotten much national media attention. Trump must not have tweeted about it, that seems to be all that gets there attention... It looks like an important book. I know Clarence Nero can relate to these stories. I know what he has gone through with violence and floods. Glad to see him continuing to help young people.

Time is just our way of experiencing the universe, that does not mean that is the nature of the universe, that is just how we are able to experience it. Time is relative; for electromagnetic radiation time, as we perceive it, does not exist. Pioneer what you are calling the future has already occurred in a manner of speaking. You are willing to accept, without proof, the existence of an omnipotent being, why are you so steadfast in rejecting the existence of extrasensory perceptions?

Yes, Trump absolutely uses racism as a tool and I assume must, therefore, behave in a racist manner in order to do so. Does it really matter to the victim if the victimizer is an actual racist or simply using racism as a tool? If there is a difference, I would say the person using racism as a tool is worse, because they can not claim ignorance or stupidity as an excuse for behaving in a racist manner. Mel, Del (anyone) even given the Central Park Five example I gave, do you really believe that race did not play a role in Trump's reaction? I can give more examples but if this one does not sway you in any way I'm sure there is nothing I can say will get you to consider the possibility that Trump is racist. Perhaps that is why so many Black people voted for Trump, they do not see him as a racist.

Del you are over analyzing what is a very simple question. Turn off your spidey sense and stop trying to divine what you think I mean. Let me demonstrate the principle by answering your simple question directly: I got my first sense of Trump's racism when he took a full page advertisement the NY Times calling for the death of the Central Park Five. These were children from my neighborhood, who I identifed with and saw myself is potentially being in the shoes. Trump exercised no compassion all. He did not wait for a trail. The boys were presumed guilty and he used his financial resources to call for their execution for a crime that did not involve a murder. This was a time when several Black men were being murdered several times a day in the same city. I'd grant you it is possible that Donald is not racist (as you believe), did not behave in a racist manner, and was only seeking justice for a young white woman. Again I'll willing to accept it is possible, but I think it is not very likely. But I'm not as enlightened as you are

@Mel Hopkins I guess I should have written "positive role model." I'd image most of have models but are they ones worth replicating. Still even if they were would they hold today in a world that is so very different. For example, my Mother says her father treated his wife like she was one of the other children. This, however, was not unusual behavior for the time in the south. However, my mom would never allow a man to treat her in the same manner in the midst of the women's lib era, even by a man who was raised with the same model--it would never work. I've demonstrated far more skill at maintaining a marriage than Umar, but I would never go around telling people how to do it. Obviously, all of his training has not helped him very much. How could he possibly help someone else? @Pioneer1 , maybe you are right. I don't know enough about him. Although I did also see some indications that he was ripping people off with the money he was raising for some school (I did not read the articles, as I was looking for his marriage status). I suggest that you assess Dr. Umar with the same critical lens that you use to assess Del's psychic ability

Pioneer, I gave you a personal example of my ability to know what my mom was cooking for dinner, because I sensed it in a manner that was extrasensory. For me, that is sufficient proof, but it is obviously insufficient proof for you. It would be insufficient proof for a scientist too because I doubt I could reproduce the results under controlled conditions. They would simply say that it was a coincidence or my imagination--even if it happened many times; brains are complex things. I'm sure the experiences claimed by some people are bogus--especially the charlatans who go around ripping people off. The same goes for charismatic people capable of brainwashing people to believe in comets coming for them. Of course, these bad people make it harder to the rest of us to believe in extra sensory perception. Cynqiue, I experience synchronicity as well, but I usually chalk it up to my ability to see something more easily because I've been exposed to it. Have you ever meet someone new and then you start to see them everywhere? Maybe it is like being exposed to racism and seeing it everywhere, even in photos of Viola Davis I also believe as with any human characteristic some people are "better" at ESP than others.

Wow Del you say I have a blind spot, but clearly, you are not understanding what I've written; which was clear. I've understood that you do not think Trump is racist. What I'm asking for the 3rd time is, do you think Trump, at least sometimes, behaves in a racist manner? While you do not think he is a racist, I'm trying to discern if you think any of his behavior could be confused with someone who is actually a racist. I find it interesting that you could so easily call me a sexist, but find it impossible to call Trump a racist. @Pioneer1, they simply believe; Institutionalized white male dominated racism is not part of the mix The photo is not unattractive The photo no less natural that of the other photos shown Any perception of undying racism is part our imaginations and can't possibly be real (not even a little) This whole thing is not open for debate, as they are objectively right and we are wrong We are simply less enlightened (at least on this issue) It is a religious argument man, and probably time to let it go... I'm not even sure if it is worth collecting the data on the photo. Perhaps a more fundamental question like; does the white racism adversely impact Black people today?