Troy

Wow you knew that song! That is really something, from my perspective. Your generation really does have a lot of knowledge and wisdom to impart. I wish we lived in a culture where age was more respected than youth. I'm not just talking about recalling an old tune, I'm talking about everything else that goes with that memory. b.t.w. I dont know where I got "Richard" from.

Elitists who restrict their awareness of what's going on in the world at large can be bores who take themselves too seriously. Cynique, again you are probably right. However I find that if the celebrity in question is someone I have no interest in, like a Kardasian, or the kids on The Jersey Shore (anyone on reality TV really), I find that boring. Keeping up with their antics would be a chore for me. If I risk coming across as elitist then... But the fact that I know Snookie had a child is troublesome to me. This "information" is hard to avoid. My sharing of Dee's comments on social media got a lot of attention. It seemed to hit a nerve for the reasons you suggested Cynique. I would suggest however that fame does make you immune to criticism. Well maybe not the critique but certainly the repercussions in many cases--especially if you are white. Bill Clinton can get busted getting head in the Oval Office and he is still well respected. Can you consider how Barack would be treated under similar conditions especially-if Bill had not set the precedent?

Dee, I'm not sure if you are stilling around reading these board but I had occasion to re-read this conversation while thinking about another conversation that turned to ideas about truth in non-fiction. After reading your words about Pearl's book Mad about Miles, I decided to add your quote to the book's description.

Hi Richard WC I just had an opportunity to read all of you posts on this conversation. You contributions are long and I have to make time to read them when I can think about what you've written. This was always a benefit of discussion forums they cater much better long form contributions and they hae a permanence that fleeting social media does not offer. So even if a months goes by I can still very easily catch up. It is interesting to think about truth in film or in books. I have not expectation of truth in any fictional work. But many people will say you will find more truth in fiction that non-fiction. Fiction seems to allow the writer to explore truth under the cloak of a made up story, when non-fiction works increasingly read like propaganda, or are heavily biased. In modern documentaries you can almost guarantee you are being lied to simply of because of facts that are omitted. In the biography the late Manning Marable wrote about Malcolm X's life, Marable apparently concluded that Malcolm was gay. I'd never heard that before and on it's face it was a startling revelation. Marable, who I met once, introducing him, as the moderator of a panel discussion, struck me as an serious academic, not someone inclined to lie or make up a story for profit. True or untrue was the revelation necessary in the content of the biography? I don't know; I did not read the book. I have it and will probably read that section to see how the issue is broached. A few years ago I saw a documentary film on Bill Withers. WHo came across a very likeable family oriented man. Later I read about how he physically abused his wife, actress Denise Nicolas. Denise was not even mention in the film I felt as thought I was lied to and that the documentary was just propaganda. I hate propaganda disguised as documentary. Now I don't mind Michael Moore's documentary, but I know going in they are propaganda. I'm not expecting PBS or Frontline when I see Michael Moore. I expect to be entertained more than I'm informed. It is sort of like watching Bill Maher or John Oliver. Cynique, two of my favorite characters got whacked last Sunday Finally, HBO will allow you to watch their programing without have to bend over and pay our cable providers for an over priced packages.

Classic Cynique. I enjoyed reading that. Playing devil's advocate for a moment ('cause while what you've written resonates with me but I am of two minds on many of the issues you've raised). Don't you think that your feelings are reflection being exposed to decades of our media's negative bias--especially when it comes to Black people? We know if it "bleeds it leads". Consider how much energy and effort has been put into covering the 2 or 3 cases on Ebola contracted here in the US. A recent poll I read in Forbes said, essentially,1/2 the American population believes the United States is at risk of an epidemic. If you listen to right wing radio, they are fanning the flames of panic and they want the government to behave as if we are in an epidemic. We all know that the news rarely prints, outside the month of February, anything positive about what Black folks are doing. Even in February the same ole folks are trotted out, MLK, Frederick Douglas, etc. How often to we read about a Black person who is not a TV or film personality, or athlete? Still, when we read about these folks it is often related to something scandalous. Having run AALBC.com for 17 years I completely understand why this is the case, the masses simply prefer to read negative content about celebrities, rather than something positive about another Black person who is not a celebrity. The fact that Karrin Stephans' book Confessions of a Video Vixen, is the all-time, #1 bestselling book on AALBC.com, illustrates this fact. I spend a great deal of time and effort trying to share positive information from the book world, but I also know I do this at a great sacrifice, because very few people are interested in this type of content. If you are reading this you are probably not one of those people, but I'm sure you understand what I mean. This fact is also the reason their is a bias toward scandalous, negative content across all platforms. Have you taken a look at the top Black top websites, or the websites of Black owned newspapers or magazines (that remain) and the content they produce? And please don't get me started on the white owned websites who produce content for Black readers. As a result, of the media's revenue driven, negative bias toward Black people, it is perfectly logical to draw the conclusion that, "black race has been cursed." Nothing else makes sense.

At least he did not have Ebola....

The couple's behavior demonstrates their dissatisfaction with the child. Clearly they wanted a pure white baby, they did not get it and they are suing as a result. Do I not have these fact straight? What am I missing? I too believe the average person would be happier with money than without it. But there are studies which say once you have certain needs met, extra money brings incrementally less happiness. Someone impoverished getting enough money to make them middle class will gain much more happiness than, a multimillionaire who gains another million in wealth. I don't think these women will obtain a life changing increase in wealth as a result of the case, and any increase in family happiness will likely be small and temporary. I did not know that Williams feared being poor, all I heard was that he was a drug abuser and had mental problems. Then again, how do we know anything that we hear about celebrities is true? What I know about people covered in the media is often spin, speculation or outright lies. I also remember reading that people who are better off financially kill themselves at a higher rate than poorer people.

Maybe I'm glossed over the biological connection because it does not seem be to enough to make them happy with this child. This situation reminds me of the proverbial read-headed step child. Back in the day everybody knew the deal and may not have liked it, but they kept their mouths shut because the knew what was best for the child, the family. These ladies should have just dealt with the situation without making a spectacle of their kid. OK, maybe they did not want a blue-eyed, blood-haired kid (I wrote that to emphasize my point), but they clearly did not want the one kid they got. Cynique, do you agree with me on that point? Basically, if sounds like you are saying that they will love the kid no matter what and that the sperm bank needs to pay them cash for making the mistake and that the extra money will make that family's life better, happier. As far as money bringing happiness I've been rich and poor myself. My level of happiness depends on so many factors, of which money is just one. Financially secure and even wealthy people kill themselves everyday. Would a few extra million have saved Robin Williams? I've seen people leave prison with nothing, who are very happy.

PRESS RELEASE Contact: Diane Taylor (252) 558-4722 diane@taylormadenc.com ECU COACH PREPARES TO LAUNCH CHILDREN’S BOOK GREENVILLE, NC – From playbooks to children’s books, he’s the Coach we all love and adore and now in true Ruffin McNeill fashion he’s added author to his repertoire. McNeill, ECU’s head football coach believes in mentorship and giving back. He also believes that education and sportsmanship are keys to success. East Carolina University transitioned to the American Athletic League this year. Initially unranked, they quickly moved up and look forward to their match with USF this weekend. McNeill is one of the few African American head coaches in the country. His decision to launch his authorship with a children’s book affords him the opportunity to mix numerous passions into one. A Little Pirate’s ABCs is a short story about the importance of people making good decisions, starting with their friends. “I tell kids all the time to Avoid Bad Company. Success starts with the courage to surround themselves with people who are ambitious and hard workers. This book reiterates that on an elementary level; and that’s exciting.” A Little Pirate’s ABCs is a short children’s book with a powerful message. Football player Tuffie has the smarts to succeed on the playing field. But when old friends try to teach him a few bad things, Coach Ruffin steps in. Coach helps Tuffie win by learning the other ABCs of following the right plays in life. A Little Pirate’s ABCs is available for presale online at www.coachruff.com for $12.99. A portion of the proceeds will benefit Coach McNeill’s Foundation, which includes football camps and other local initiatives. Books will ship no later than December 1,2014 and pre-sale orders will be filled first. “This book is sure to sell out. We encourage people to pre-order and have a once in a lifetime gift for the holidays,” said Diane Taylor, Owner of Taylor Made Publishing LLC. “It’s truly an extraordinary story for little pirates everywhere and as Coach would say “you want some, come get some.” Coach McNeill’s first official book signing will be Saturday Dec. 6, 2014 at On The Waterfront Restaurant located at 1 Harding Sq, Washington, NC 27889.

Cynique, two things; (1) I don't think money will solve the problems this family will face. Money rarely solves problems dealing with personalities, indeed money tends to make those types of problems worse; (2) I doubt a loving atmosphere begins with the premise, "this is not the baby I brought." I have not followed this story at all. What little I know about it is second hand, hearing others talk about it. I have no incentive to research the story to obtain a better context, so this may be one reason I'm not very sympathetic to the couple plight--I don't know the whole story. Again you get no argument from me regarding the bank screwing up the sperm. I know of at least two lesbian couples who purchased the sperm of a blond, tall Dr. The children of one couple are doing very well both (twin boys) are very smart, in ivy league schools and are over 6 ft tall You see Cynique part of what is not being said (or what I'm not hearing) is that the couple is gonna end up with a human that is far less desirable than the smart, tall, blond-haired-blue-eye, white male, the gold standard of humanity, they purchased. Also, has anyone considered that some people are simply not meant to have children, or Is too politically incorrect? What is wrong with adoption?

Chris please post links to the articles you wrote. Also, I did not mean to imply the home loan crisis had anything to do with social media. Cynique, if we lost electricity we'd be in deep do-do in a hurry. Chris the teachers are only dumber because everyone is dumber. It is a vicious circle. There structure of our system make this so. The best and brightest usually do not peruse the teaching profession. In many places you have to get an advanced degree, which today is very expensive, only to start out making very little money. In less affluent environments the profession is very stressful and often inefficiently run. Only amazing people achieve under these conditions and there are very few amazing people. Our preoccupation with social media, and texting, in particular, is fascinating. Of course there are bright spots. With people who have garnered some success, but I'm concerned about us all. Collectively we are in a heap of shit. I agree with Chris; we do have to figure out ways to support each other. While we are not big on doing this today, we do however have a history of doing it--even here, in the United States. Up until end of the Civil Rights era, it was the only way we survived. I did not witness this, but I've read about it....and not on a social media website.

Wow, that was a fascinating post.

This child's life was complicated from jump street. She is the offspring of some anonymous sperm donor and being raised by two mothers. Now the child is the focus of a media circus initiated by her parents. Sure the parents have every right to sue; this is still America. But even if they got the sperm of the blond-haired, blue-eyed, donor they wanted, there are still no guarantees Recall the case of the white South African couple who gave birth to a Black daughter (immortalized in the film Skin). Yeah the sperm bank f'ed, but mistakes happen, and unfortunately, for the child, this is one they all have to live with. This child will go her entire life knowing, with certainty, that her parents did not really want her, but actually wanted the pure white child they purchased. No amount of money will ever change that fact.

Yes, Chris I do believe we are dumber. But don't take my word for it look at the data. I don't take my success, or yours as evidence that people are not getting dumber. I also don't use it as proof that the web, social media or kicker starter has empowered our people. The success of a few is not reflective of us collectively. Again, don't take my word for it look at the data. Most kickstarter campaigns, for example, are simply not successful. Most people do not profit (or even attempt) from using social media. Obviously, sneakers are one thing books are completely different (you know this better than most). Do you think the average Black male buys more hardback novels or sneakers? I don't know the answer but, I'd be willing to bet they buy more $100 sneakers than $25 novels. I make this point because sneakers don't make people smarter, books do. This really is the crux of my concern. We are buying more pairs of sneakers, and paying more for them, and buying fewer books. Please don't think I'm trying to disparage your business--I'm not. I wear sneakers, I just don't buy them very often and I only wear then when engaged in a sports related activity; I don't wear them casually. Yes, there has always been suckers, and yes we have the ability to see this much more easily today. Again I believe more of us are suckers than in the past. Believing that Bruce Lee can actually play ping-pong at an amazingly high level, swinging a stick, is just the tip of the iceberg. There were millions of people who were easily dupped into taking out loans they could not afford to repay during the home loan crisis. There are millions pf people who believe the world is 6,000 years old, etc. These are not people who do not have access to information these are people who believe these things despite information. I'm glad you found a Black Business Facebook page that benefited your business. My Facebook page benefits my business, but I have yet to find anything on Facebook, that I could not do before Facebook. That fact is a point I've been trying to help people understand. Before Facebook that Black Business Group you discussed would have existed on it's own platform and that Chris is a very profound and important difference. I'm not saying social media is the cause of our increasing stupidity, but helps it along and certainly makes it more apparent.

I think Boardwalk Empire is a great show. Still I think there is too much violence. But I really like the character development and pacing of the show. It is almost like reading a book. They take the time to develop, in subtle and nuanced ways, each character and it is very intriguing. Nookie's reunion with his wife was well done. But if you did not watch the previous seasons, you simply would not have gotten any it. Much more was communicated than what was in the dialog. As with all fiction I do not expect an accurate historical representation of the events. I do however expect the language, scenery, costumes, music etc. to rung true to the period. Boardwalk get A's in all of these categories in my book, not a historian may have a different opinion but it work for me. I don't care if Al Capone had a ex federal agent named Van Alden working for him or even if there was a mobster in Atlantic City named Nookie Thompson. It is fascinating that the Boardwalk era seems familiar to you. It seems alien to me. Often I wish I was reared in an era before technology, and lived a life without all this "stuff." I seem to remember an Chris' post about hallucinations, but the last post of hist that I can find is from the 14th or September: http://aalbc.com/tc/index.php/topic/2803-re-posted-for-input-from-black-men/?p=11651 I too miss his contributions, but

No Harry you are not the only one who does not believe that Ebola "just popped up" out of nowhere. It would be very hard to overestimate the evil that humanity is capable of. As far as the lesbian couple not getting the type of child they wanted. Honestly it is hard for me to be sympathetic to their situation on so many levels. At the end of day what you get when you have a child is always a crap shoot. They should be happy the child is healthy--that is what actual loving parents hope for during the miracle bringing forth a child. Would they have sued the sperm bank if the child came out retarded (mentally challenged in today's lingo) or missing a limb or two? Then again, the hate of racists knows no bounds. They probably would have preferred a mentally retarded, deformed kid, as long as it was white.

Richard I agree the internet is a reflection of our society, but everything is exaggerated, distorted to the extent that it is no longer true or useful for anything other than entertainment. We seemingly don't have the ability to tell the different between truth and lies. This has always been true as Cynique suggests with that old PT Barnum quote, but it seems to be much worse now. Maybe the Internet is just exaggerating this issue too. Who knows. Still it really is painful to watch the net become one giant marketing tool for a handful of companies, while new and meaningful contributions from Black folks are marginalized across the board. I'm sure the same has happened in all forms of media, but being actively involved with the net and watching this happen so quickly is really tragic and a real shame.

On a daily basis I see things on my Facebook wall that demonstrates how easily we can be manipulated into believing that something is true, when it should be obvious that it is not. Facebook, for example, has been putting a lot more video on my newsfeed lately. I've started to notice a lot of videos that are clearly fake. However, based upon the comments posted, people believe these fake videos to be true. It is very scary how easily we can be fooled. For example, I saw a video posted by someone I thought was pretty sharp. They used this video to prove how skilled the martial artist Bruce Lee was with nunchucks, which is a weapon made of two, foot-long sticks, connected by a short chain. Here we see Lee playing ping pong using these sticks This is not to say Bruce Lee was not a skilled martial artist, but the very idea that some people would actually believe this feat to be humanly possible is, itself, unbelievable. the same day I saw a video of an elephant painting a picture of a scene with an elephant holding a flower. It was alarming how many people simply took this video at face value, concluding that elephants are as smart as humans because this video proved they are capable of independent, creative, artistic expression. Here is another I saw sometime ago. I was impressed by the video trickery, but others believed it was physically possible to suspend water in the shape of a glass?! Actually, I think all of these video are pretty cool, but the comments are disturbing. When we see a magician saw a woman in half, noone actually believes the woman is cut in half, but we are still amused and impressed by what is clearly a trick. Why in the age of social media do we lose our ability to reason and simply believe everything we are told? Is our expectation that everything online is true? Why? Sadly we are all susceptible to manipulation on things that are much more important than painting elephants. Because we don't read* and are unable to think critically; we are such easy marks. In social media we operate, unknowingly to most, in what are called "filter bubbles" where we are generally exposed to information that already conforms to our world view. This, I believe, is why people in our society can have strongly opposed views on the same issue. We are presented with completely different information. We are not all on the same page on issues like climate change, Obama Care, ISIS, corporate control of the government, or anything that is important, because we are all being lied to (presented with information biased to our preexisting beliefs). We believe those lies because the support what we already believe. Sure there are people who consume information critically and seek out the truth, but these folks are rare. We used to rely on journalist to do this on our behalf. But those days are gone. We are left with entertainment posed as information. *Reading is not a requirement for critical thinking. Illiterate people have been some of our best critical thinkers. In our 21st century culture, literacy and the ability to think critically (I suspect) are highly correlated.

Del the market has indeed spoken. But lets be clear, the market does not speak for us--it rarely does. Young Black readers do not read newspapers (or books for that matter), because they simply can't. They get nothing out of newspapers because they are unable to understand the content. Did you see the article I posted recently: where it points out that in New York City only 8% of Black 8th grade boys are proficient at reading? Why would an efficient market create a create a product no one can consume? Markets exist to make money, not to create an environment where we have competent, caring, knowledgeable, loving, and happy adults. Lately I've started to notice a lot of video on Facebook that are clearly fake, or not what they appear to be, but people believe them to be true, based upon the comments. I don't know if the people are stupid or what. But it is very scary how easily we can be manipulated. Again I think if we read more we would not be such easy prey. The disappearance of newspapers is not helping.

I think a public person, a celebrity, is entitled to the same level of privacy as you and I. As far as my willingness to watch a team fielded by Klansmen, what makes you think we don;t do this today? OK, so that may not be card carrying members of the KKK, but they could have the same sensibilities, we know many owners of teams fell that way. Again why should I care what the personal opinion is of some athlete is? I there to be entertained. People still love and go still go see R. Kelly and Chris Brown. And if Ray Rice was not canned, the stadiums would still be filled. I completely agree we expect our warrior class both in athletics, and in the military, to turn all that off and become politically correct metrosexuals.

We recently lost the bookstore Azizi Books, in Matteson, Il and their website BlackBooksDirect.com. Like so many other stores and websites there was no fanfare, no gnashing of teeth, just the loss of another platform dedicated to promoting our books. As the number of platforms available to showcase our work continues to dwindle, the opportunities available to authors to reach readers becomes more difficult. This creates an environment that fosters a competitive spirit which does not serve us, or our readers, very well. I will share short recommendations to authors and publishers here. Even the most conscious authors may want to improve the situation, but simply does not know how. If you have a suggestion post it here in response (if you are new to this discussion forum you'll need to create an account). Here is my first recommendation: Add a link on your website to an independent website If you are an author with a profile page on AALBC.com and don't have a link to that page on your website--you really should provide a reciprocal link back to AALBC.com. You may run this query (copy & paste the code below into your browser) to find your AALBC.com page (just be sure to replace the first+lastname with your own name) : https://www.google.com/#q=site%3Aaalbc.com+firstname+lastname This suggestion is not just about linking to AALBC.com, it really is about providing support to your online community. Fifteen years ago, before search, this is how we shared information about each other online. Book sites linked to other book sites, authors linked to other author websites, etc. Many, if not most, authors had some form of a "websites I like page," where they provided links to website they liked. Today, despite sophisticated search engines, it is simply much harder for indie sites to be found. Linking with each other is more important than ever. Today everyone links to a social media platform. Authors should link to an independent online bookseller, your favorite bookstore, your local newspaper, a magazine, an event you’ve participated in, or even the website of a service provider you’d recommend. Again, these links help those independent websites be discovered. As they are strengthened, their ability help authors and the Black book eccosystem improves. We all benefit from that especially readers. It has always been my practice to link to other websites. In fact, on virtually every AALBC page I have a "related Links section, just for that purpose. People often suggested linking to other websites is a bad idea, why link to a “competitor?” I always felt if there was another website, which provided a great service, it benefits my visitors to share that information with them. Next month will be the start of my 18 year running AALBC.com and my opinion has not changed. Indeed it is probably one reason I've survived for so long.

After an certain age comic strips failed to hold my interest. As a kid we used to get the Sunday paper delivered by a newsboy. Do they still have newsboys any more? At any rate the first thing, and probably the only thing I would read were the comics. There were so many comic strips in our local Sunday newspaper. I'm not even sure if a Sunday editon of the paper, The NY Daily News is even printed. Of course none of the comic strips featured Black characters, save the rare occasion when Franklin appeared in the Schultz strip. Even as late as the early 2000's there were very few nationally syndicated cartoonists (less than 10). I kept track of them for years here: http://aalbc.com/authors/comics.htm One day Aaron McGruder emailed to complain (literally) that he was not on the list. I added him to the website. After that I always got his books in the mail. My youngest was a fan. She was also a fan of Jerry Craft who I got to know personally. Jerry was always kind enough to do a really nice autograph of his books to my kid. Charles Boyce was always supportive of the site. Now as a look back at that page I really should update it. While our cartoonist have fewer platforms there a lot of good ones that we all should know. Recently I discovered Charles Siler. He is a conscious artist whose drawing often depict a controversial subject. He allowed me to use one of his strips on my blog we both were concerned about the fact that Essence stopped using the Black owned Community Book Center, after more than a decade of service, in favor a a white owned store. As I think more about it, the benefits of Black owned newspapers go beyond words on a page. They were one of many institutions , like a good bookstore, that tie communities together. My kid's photo was in the Amsterdam News (local Black owned Newspaper) when she won a spelling bee held at a Black owned book store (Harlem's Hueman Bookstore), which was sponsored by the Harlem Book Fair. This type of thing possible 10 years ago could not happen today. It is actually quite sad for me to see all these newspapers, bookstores, and even websites whiter away and die. These institutions served real people. The worse part is that we aren't even the beneficiaries of these changes. The trade-off means more profits from some corporation.

Once all the senior citizens who are reading newspapers kick off, that will be the end of the Black owned newspapers. When i used to commute to work, most people could be seen reading a folded newsppaper. Now most people have those ubiquitous white ear buds connected to their heads. I too read a newspaper most days, I used to go to the newsstand and buy my local Black-owned paper, the Amsterdam News every Thursday. But since they don't have newsstands anymore I have not read one in a while. I did subscribe, but I really should resubscribe--just because. I was planning, for the longest to subscribe to the Chicago Defender, it was widely considered as the best Black newspaper in the country. Interestingly, at the last National Newspaper Publishers Association Awards (previously known as the Negro Newspaper Publishers Association), named The St. Louis American the Best Black Newspaper in the nation. The Final Call came in second. [Read the entire article at The Skanner.com]. The Final Call coming in second was a surprise to me, as it has an obvious bias. I pick up the Final Call from time-to-time as they are hand sold, old school style, on the street. I went to the Defenders site recently and saw all the News One web properties at the top of the page. I clicked an article and was actually sent to the New One site. Between that and the news widgets, automatically pulling news stories from feeds, It is not clear there is much local writing being done on the website. When viewed on the web, there does not seem to be very much to distinguish any of the nation's Black owned newspapers. Cynique you may not know this but I used to publish a crossword puzzle here on AALBC.com: http://aalbc.com/fun/crosswords.htm -- I used to enjoy a good crossword puzzle, but have not done one in years Peace

... and a Brother decapitated some poor soul in Oklahoma on Friday. Harry, Black and white people can go back and forth all day pointing fingers at each other over who kills more of the other group. I'm not sure how productive this activity is--other than getting people riled up. I'm not saying that people have no reason to be riled up--we absolutely do, but generally it is at that point which are are most easily misdirected and confused. You and I have are much more likely to be killed by another Black person. The question really is, why is that happening and what can we do about it? I don't think blaming the Klan will help us identify our most pressing problems. We have structural problems in this country that have disproportionately hurt Black people, over hundreds or years. In the past, we were able to deal with these problems, in 2014 we seemly, completely helpless--despite our first multiracial President.

Actually as far as I know there are no daily newspapers left in the United States. But in a post-racial American this matters very little. I'm quite confident Ruppert Murdock's, Wall Street Journal and Jeff Bezos' Washington Post has us covered in the print dailies. Plus, with the gift of the World Wide Web, we have up to the second coverage of all that is important to us as Black people. Our most significant sources of news of importance to Black people is amply covered by the Huffington Post. What else could we possibly need? Surely the few remaining Black owned newspaper must realize they are no longer needed or wanted--subscriber rates should tell them that. Besides who has the time to read a newspaper? Turning all those pages is down right barbaric. Besides, modern people consume news in bytes sized chucks of 140 characters, on a hand-held device running software optimized to deliver advertisements and facilitate consumption.