Troy

Robin Walker is a pioneering scholar, author, and educator residing in London, England. His primary work focuses on African history and culture. Since 1991, Walker has taught university short courses, and chaired and presented conferences in African World Studies, Egyptology, and Black History. His seminal publication,When We Ruled (Black Classic Press, 2011, $39.95) documents more than 90,000 years of African achievement. The 700+ page text surveys African civilization in the Nile Valley, analyzing the key historical phases of Ancient Egypt-but goes much further, Read more FREE SHIPPING for all online orders greater than $35. Enter the word walker2014 at checkout Black Classic Press www.blackclassicbooks.com 410.242.6954

Cynique, I think our problems, not just Black folks, but across the culture is more greed based. I don't think folks are born racist or afraid of people who are different. I do however believe we are socialized to be that way. I was raised to be prejudiced and a bit racist because I was raised in a segregated environment. The environment was segregated not just by class, but by race. I'm even afraid to say the environment was segregated by intellect as well. Essentially anyone with a brain in their head left the environment as soon as possible. I also don't think Black people are united. I did not come to this conclusion until I left the corporate environment and went into business for myself full time. Sure there are many Black folks who are supportive of each other, but I don't believe there are enough of us. The reasons are plentiful, but they essentially boil down to a distorted view of how protect one's self interest. You see, Black folks typically tend to embrace the majority and all that it holds dear, from their educational institutions, corporations, communities and even their physical appearance. This too is understandable, and it is a force that is too powerful to contend with. It is like trying to hold a family together where half the people in the family desperately want to be in another family. When the family is strong it can embrace the world in such a way that everyone benefits. Today we have a weak family, as a result, we operate from a position of dependency and weakness. If you define unity by wanting the same things. We are indeed unified. Indeed all of humanity is unified, as there are universal desires and needs. But our pursuit of those needs serve a few exceedingly well while the majority of us, of all colors, struggle unnecessarily.

After posting the review above. I discovered, quite abruptly that Bill has been accused of 13 rapes. Once case wa settled out of court. It is hard to determine what is true or false. most of the accusationsa re coming from people expreessing outrage over rumors already circulating. Aparently The Cos, or his naive social media manager, wanted people to create memes and they went crazy with the rape subject.

Chris really I'll have to check that book out. http://aalbc.it/chrisburns Chris when you get a chance check out the video on fake facebook fans. I think you will find it enlightening.

The Cos has a new biography out: Cosby: His Life and Times by Mark Whitaker

Thanks again Milton. I'll have to include information about Saunders' new book in our next eNewsletter. Do you have a preferred book seller?

I forgot to mention I discovered the video, I shared above, in another blogger's article: Why Copyblogger Is Killing Its Facebook Page By the way, I'm not killing my Facebook page. I'm simply not investing a lot of time engaging with the platform. I'm content with what little traffic and business I go generate from the platform.

Talib was in Ferguson and he is a relatively well known rap artist. That is why he was interviewed, not because he was the best person to assess the situation from a political stand point. I know Talib's mom she is an English professor at Medgar Evers college and runs the Center for Black Literature, who host the National Black Writers Conference each year. Talib's brother is a professor at Columbia. Talib is conscious for a reason but that still does not make him the best person to speak on the subject. There are many activists on the ground, from the community, who we should be hearing from more. This, for example, is why CNN's Don Lemon's Interview with Talib degenerated so easily Talib was the the right spokesperson and Don was too busy being defensive. True journalism does not happen in the mainstream media. As a result we are left with an altercation instead of more insight about Ferguson. Cynique did you all really believe the struggle had been won? Did you ever envision that we would be talking about racism in 2015 a half a century after the civil rights movement? From my perspective, things were always bad and they are getting progressively worse as time goes on.

Veritasium produces videos that I look at regularly, because I'm interested in science. This one however was an unexpected surprise as it digressed from their usual subject matter This video fills in the gaps in what I've observed but could not come up with a satisfactory explanation. Over the years my Facebook fans has increased while engagement has gone down. I assumed this was simply a strategy by Facebook to encourage you to buy more ads, but it runs much deeper than that. Last year the Washington Post reported that The US Department of State spent $630,000 (of OUR money) to acquire 2 million page likes and then realized only 2% were engaged. If you run a Facebook fan page you really should invest 9 minutes and watch this video. It will explain a lot. Again the remedy would appear to be to simply get rid of fake fans, but Facebook makes this seemingly simple task so tedious that it is not worth the effort. The same thing appears to be happening on Twitter to, but there is 3rd party software that help you identify and remove fake followers which I do every 6 months or so.

Talib reflects the feelings of many. Not a single individual in my young adult class voted. So complete and profound was the lack of interest I did not bother to even go into it. But I didn't vote myself. Harlem is so liberal my vote would not have mattered one way or the other. In the last midterm I voted for all 3rd party candidates. But those candidates got so few votes that my votes were literally meaningless. Maybe not casting a vote sends a stronger message, as it makes a larger majority of people who could not be bothered. Again despite being a bastion of liberalism, and home to Al Sharpton, Black folks are still not educated well, are still stopped, frisked, and killed by police officers. I have been stopped by the police more times than I can count. Would one more vote for a democratic politician changed anything? ---------- Why a so called journalists seeks the opinion of rap artists on anything other that rapping is a travesty. Again, I know it generates traffic and sales, but it does nothing to further the conversation or advance or collective knowledge. Despite the fact that Talib reflects the attitudes of many, who cares what he thinks about the power of the vote? Indeed, in Ferguson, given the demographics and historical voting rates, voting should have ABSOLUTELY been part of ANY strategy. Any journalist worth a damn would reported on this and explained why this is true. Rather than exposing the opinion of a rap artist who models the complete opposite behavior.

Man Jean Toomer's Cane was the first book our online discussion forum read back in July of 1998. It is one of my favorite books. I'd never read anything like it before. Indeed, I never knew anyone could write a book in that fashion. In 1998 I was 36 years old, with two masters degrees and never heard of Jean toomer or anything like Cane. I was blown away. Again I assert the net, today, gives you what is profitable, not what one wants or what one needs. It is much more profitable for a Black website to talk about Jay_Z and Beyonnce at a Nets game than it is to discuss the masterwork Cane. How in the world could I know, for example, I wanted to read Cane if no one ever speaks about about it? I was introduced to Cane through this website and I in turn introduced countless others. Chris it really is not a chicken or an egg conversation. The net crowds out conversations about Cane, and shove the Jay-Z garbage down our thoughts. It is much easier and profitable to post of video of Jay being attacked in an elevator than it is to carry on a conversation about Cane. There are many people who'd rather discuss Cane than Jay-Z. But they'll never have the opportunity because of many of the reason I discussed. Also John Keene wrote a similarly styled novel called Annotations that is worth checking out if you liked Cane.

Here is the video you were referencing. I try to catch all of frontline documentaries and I probably saw this one. Since this is 90 minutes on I will watch it this evening on a regular TV. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9uIiWCS3N4

"...the net is giving people what they want." Del I disagree with that statement. I would have agreed with your before I became more cognizant of how and why material is produced on the web. Here is a more accurate statement: "The net is giving people what is most profitable" Now I know you are saying, "What's the difference?" The thing that is most profitable IS what people want." In reaction I would say not necessarily. You see, what people get is what they want AND what is least costly to produce. This is why we get more reality TV than well written scripted programming. This is why you get news in sound bytes rather the result of true journalism. This coupled with the fact that so many of us have never been exposed to anything better, so we take what we get. You, and everyone else, can name more celebrities than politicians because the names of celebrities are constantly shoved down out throats. Also, there may indeed be more bars than bookstores, but if you actually considered all of the paces than books are consumed and included libraries you may still find that many communities have the capacity to serve more readers than drinkers. ------------ Chris I'll check out the video now and get back to you. I would never every try that drawing of the naked woman with my young adult students who never finished high school, but I could see where that would work well with a different group. You sound like a creative teacher. Besides in high school, there is a much greater attention on nonfiction literature, and less focus on poetry, because of the adoption of Common Core Standards in New York State, but that is another conversation....

Richard perhaps in the larger scheme of things that is true. But have you ever wondered why Asians run all the Dunkin Donut franchises in the Black community? Have you ever wondered why more chinese takeout is consumed than soul food in the Black community? Have you ever wondered why we buy all of our fake hair and other hair "care" products from other groups? The vast majority of Black children are educated by white women... Black folks used to dominate the numbers racket in Harlem, now New York State robs us. One of the most profitable casinos in the US is here in NYC. It is owned by a Malaysian corporation that is sucking the community, of mostly poor people, dry in exchange for tax revenue. When I was a kid you could go into a store and buy marijuana. All the profit from those business was illegal and the Black folks selling it went to jail. Soon the state will be mandating and controlling who profits from marijuana sales; meanwhile people doing the exact same thing are still locked up. Cynique this statement, "If everybody was healthy and no body smoke or drank or if nobody committed crimes or needed welfare, the economy would totally collapse." is probably the most cynical thing you written in a long time :-) But I could see why you would say this. I think it a lot myself. The problem is that we as a society have never really tried the alternative. I grew up in a world where everyone smoked. Both of my parents, most adults, and all the cool kids, I knew. In between puffs my mom always told me to never start smoking. Today when I see someone smoking, especially a young person, it seems anachronistic. Being able to compare the two worlds I know the non-smoking world is better. I also know a world where everyone has the opportunity to have a good education would be better than what we have now. Having such a large portion of our population being ignorant drags us all down. The idea that we would allow this to happen confounds me, but this is perhaps a consequence of a population of uneducated people... We are so accustomed to the way things and are, and are so afraid of change that we fight change it even if it is an improvement. Racism is a manifestation of ignorance, a lack of good education. It is one of the reasons I run this website and teach. But both activities will put me in the poor house. This is how our country rewards these efforts.

Unfortunately, we never lived in a democracy. Some more accurately call it an oligarchy/plutocracy. The system never really for us. Funny as I read this I'm listening to Francis Cress Welsing. If you wanna talk about the impact of racism. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fyCnSE0G04

Yes. Yes. No. Failing to exercise ones's right to vote has never stopped anyone from complaining--including our friends in Ferguson, where just 4 out of 10 people turned out to vote in the most recent election. Speaking of republicans, last night I watched a documentary on James Brown. I did not know that James actively campaigned for Richard Nixon. James was the prototypical Black Republican, "I don't want nobody giving me nothing, just open the door I'll get it myself." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYNJK5sHHeo

No Mel, though that would be a good idea. My thinking with disqus many of the content providers from newspapers to individual bloggers could, in theory create a virtual social network with our own websites. Many websites already now allow visitors comment on their content using Disqus. I have been using it on AALBC.com for a couple for a few years. The software allows regular people to keep track of where they comment and if anyone replies. The benefit is that writers are no longer bound to an individual social media network--the web itself becomes the social media network and individuals control their own space. It is the ownership versus sharecropping model. So no you can use disqus to comment here, but you can use the software to comment elsewhere on the website.

Mel I agree with you about sugar in our diet, and I appreciate that if I was being consistent I would not have a problem with Bloomberg's sugar law any more than I do with his smoking law. You pointed out that sugar consumption doesn't interfere with another's personal space the way smoking does, and that is part of the reason I have stronger personal opinions about smoking. The problem I have with Bloomberg's law is not what he is trying to accomplish, but who his targets are. The real culprits are the corporations that our government is beholden to. Why is a small business owner put on the hook for selling a product that really should not have been manufactured in the first place? People who want a lot of soda, can simply buy two servings. or stores can offer infinite refills. Again, the law is silly because it is too easy to subvert and it does not address the underlying problem. At least the smoking law allows me to enjoy a meal in a restaurant without being poisoned by 2nd hand smoke. There are numerous documentaries describing how corporations put tons of sugar, salt, and fat into our food to sell more of it. They target children, get government subsidies and contracts to sell this junk in schools. Many colleges have fast food franchises ON CAMPUS! Soda costs less than water in the stores. Fresh produce cost more than junk food. It does not have to be that way. Meanwhile this has wrecked havoc on the nation's health. But corporations are here to save us (profit even more) with surgical procedures, pills, health clubs, and the like. Of course the Black population is disproportionately impacted with obese, diabetes, hypertension, and all the challenges associated with these illnesses, My father passed at 44 from these illnesses; his brother was in his 30's. Originally Michelle Obama went after corporation's products. Under corporate pressure she, then focused on getting people to exercise more! Of course Let's Move sounds great, but if you are drinking 700 to 1,000 cans of soda a year, as many of us are, there is simply enough moving in the world to make a difference. We tend to blame the victim in this nation, and too often those victims are Black folks.

I went back and edited a bit of what I wrote yesterday but the spirit of my message stands. Chris why do you say the research report I linked to is skewed? Here is the link to the actual report. Good research should not be skewed, outside it is useless. Man I really do believe Disqus is blowing an opportunity by not promoting their software as a tool to connect websites and blogs without having to go through a social media platform and having the majority of their readers syphoned off. I hope I don't sound like I'm begrudging the lurkers, indeed they are as almost as important as the writers. All internet properties need readers. Also, readers are probably more likely to share something they have read here as any writer would, and lurkers always far out numbered readers. Even frequent contributors lurk on occasion. Yes, everything does run its course, but what is left it its place should be superior. I just think across the board, for Black folks, we are losing more than we are gaining. Amazon is not an alternative for a Black owned independent books store or website (even though this is where we buy most of our books) Twitter is not a substitute news source for an Black news paper or website (even though Black folks use Twiiter at a higher rate than any demographic) Khan Academy is not a substitute for a school (even though it is promoted as such to poor folks who are provided with failing schools) and so on...

Not only were social media sites not an alternative forum for discussion, social media users were less willing to share their opinions in face-to-face settings. So says a study conducted by the Pew Research Center and fielded August 7-September 16, 2013 by Princeton Research Associates International. Over the last few years as activity on these discussion forums has decreased (quite substaintially), I often contemplated why. I recognize that social media takes up more of people time, including my own, but I also recgnize that social media is not a perfect subtitue for a forum like this. In a forum like this one has the opportunity to see everything that is written. On social media, unless you actively look, the platform decides what you see. In a forum like this a conversation can span many months, years even. On social media the conversations are much more fleeting. On social media you can't share rich media. You can't even make text bold or italicize it. Of course there are many deficiencies, but there are some benefits too. Social media is very easy use and access. But perhaps the biggest benefit is actually the reason I derive far less pleasure from social media; you can't have a vigorous, debate on social media. Debate just does not happen, really. Social media understands this is not what people really want to do. People are not likely to express an opinions if they believe other will disagree; it is human nature. The report I linked to above goes into more detail. Traditional forums, like this, are less desirable to most people because you are more likely to encounter someone who may know more about a subject than you do, may feel more strongly about that subject, and may strongly disagree with you. Most people avoid these situations. Which is why we always had more readers (lurkers) of these forums than writers who contributed to the conversation. Social media has exploited a person's natural desire to be agreed with and liked. There are people, like me, however, who like to have their opinions tested and like to debate. But I know, from my personal interactions that I fall into the minority. This discussion forum, and other like it, provided a platform for me to express myself the way I could not in public. I miss the days when I could debate with other more frequently on subjects that I care about. Sure sometimes the debate devolved in arguments and some folks would not play nice could become abusive, but that happens in the real world too. Social media does not provide a platform to debate, that would attract far less people, and not be nearly as profitable. So I find myself biting my tongue as I would in the real world, and the opportunities to express a more complex side of myself ideas and explore those of other is becoming rarer--despite all this technology.

That was a great summary Cynique. But you glossed over the other side of the equation. What happened to the democrats who failed to come out, yet again, and vote in another midterm election? It is not hard to tell if they care; they don't. The absolute best way to judge what someone cares about is to observe their actions. We did not vote because we simply do not care. The question really is, why don't we care? I think we have completely loss faith in our government's ability to do anything positive for us. Sadly, the Brother in the whitehouse bears the brunt of this dissatisfaction--on both sides; whether folks are willing to say so in public or not. A young man in Ferguson summed the sentiment up plainly; We have a black president, but I still got teargassed yesterday. At the end of the day, if we really gave a crap about all the things you mentioned, we would have elected people who support Obama's agenda, rather than having it taken away in a landslide. We have no faith in the US government's political system, the Obama Presidency, and this midterm election, just made that fact clear.

Mike Bloomberg (NYC's former major) gave crimializing oversized sugary beverages a shot here in NYC, by making it illegal to sell them. I thought it was a dumb law, and still do. But I also thought his law restricting cigarette smoking in most public places, including city parks, was a dumb too. In hindight, however, I think it was a great idea. Restaurants are much more confortable places now and fewer people are smoking and dying as a result. A pack of cigarettes costs damn near $15 in NYC, and poorer people continue to smoke them. Most, I image, buy them on the black market. People have been arrested for selling cigarettes illegally. I recall one case of someone being killed for selling smokes on someone else's turf! The idea that a coporation can grow wealthy manufacturing and selling the cancer sticks, while poor people are going to jail for buying then in Virginia and reselling them in NYC is the height of absurdity, and just one more example of unfair treatment of the poor folks. (I guess it was not enough that we had to pick it for a couple hundred years without benefit). Watch who profits from legalization of marijuana.

Hi Mel, sure I get the fact she used that tactic to draw attention to herself. I also understand why doing something like that is quite lucrative. But I would not put her behavior in the same category as having integrity. I think what she did was low class and just plain rude. As a journalist she would be relating facts, not sharing her personal opinion. That is not frontin' that is called reporting. True, most people doing good deeds go under or unrecognized, but those types of folks are not motivated by recognition, they are motivated by simply doing good things. Sure some notoriety, and the money it brings, can make it easier to do good things. Often the people most motivated to do good things are not the same type of people who are interested in bringing attention to themselves by any means necessary. Speaking of pot you could see the legalization of it coming a mile away. Head shops and hooka lounges are opening all over the place. Charlo did not drive this change, she is however, apparently, profiting from it.... and perhaps abusing the products as well

Del, I agree there are GREAT things on youtube and the net in general. However, this great stuff (especially the Black stuff) is increasingly crowded out by things that are largely irrelevant, but very profitable for corporations. Porn for example, dominates the internet, but it does so without stomping out other things. This is because people don't let it happen. Meanwhile, we (Black folks) still idly by while Black platforms are dropping like flies, along with the important content they produced. No Del, I'm not optimistic, because I know what we have lost and what continue to lose. However, I continue to fight as I do not think all is lost. ----------- Chris I also teach, and have been for the past two years. I teach a web design class at one of the City's colleges and I also prepare folks to pass the test to obtain their High School Equivalency diploma. Often I have to tell the younger adults to put their smart phones away. They find it very hard to disengage from the social net. I remember a time before cell phone and pagers, and we seemed to get along fairly well without the constant updates. Even the poorest of the poor has a smart phone, so the impact is quite pervasive. The impact seems, from my anecdotal observations, results in a decrease in the ability to focus for a sustained period of time, which is required for immersive reading. There is also a lack of depth of knowledge. But this I completely understandable as the way the mainstream media works is provide information in sensational sound bites. A complete picture of an issue is never presented, so people rely on what they think and feel without actually knowing very much. This is why few will vote today. They have no clue who to vote for or what that person stands for nor to they have much faith their vote will matter--both are completely understandable (that statement was based upon a survey of students). If they do drag themselves out they will vote for democrats or the most popular candidate.

Del you know now that I think about it I've seen Cornel in many different situations. I saw him jammi' with George Clinton at the Apollo. I had dinner with him and about 5 other people, he has a very big personality, life ot the party type. So I think he would be fun at a party. Probably more fun than Sharpton :-) I spoke at an event once, a few years ago, Cornel came up to me and complimented me on my words telling me what I said was powerful. He did not have to do that, and no one else with the kind of celebrity has ever done that to me Cornel he was being very nice. Still Cornel is an actual activist. He is still getting arrested. I've never interacted with Sharpton, but I've seen him numerous times he used to hold his National Action Network Meetings on my block, just a few houses down. My wife signed for him a few times. But Sharpton is much more guarded (there was an attempt on his life). But honestly the Sharpton I remember is the fat guy in the jogging suit from back in the day. I would never imaged that one day he would have the ear of the President of the United States. I would have thought that less likely than their being a mixed race president. I think Cornel, at least right now, is more of an actual activist, and Shaprton is definitely not an intellectual. Sharpton is more of a media personality. Honestly I'm not sure why Sharpton is Obama's go to guy rather than Cornel. If I had to guess I would say Cornel would probably be a lot tougher on Obama than Sharpton who clearly exposues the Obama-can-do-no-wrong position. West would never play that role... Here is the another thing; I remember Sharpton pushing Clinton, while Cornel was actively campaigning for Obama (another situation I've seen Cornel in). Virtually all of the NY Black politicians were behind Hillary. There is more to the story. -------- Del I was trying to be clever, with my Power is ignorance, but knowledge is Bliss. My thinking really was the pursuit of power is ignorance and you have to be truly knowledgeable to have real Bliss.