Troy

Yep Classic Cynique. Thanks for sharing your perspectives here again! I dont think I've witnessed a movie more controversial than "The Help". This was even more controversial than Tyler Perry's For Colored Grils and Lee Daniels Precious combined. Perhaps because it is a film based upon a book written by a white person. If the book's authors and film maker were Black and the movie exacty the same the major media would not have covered the issue nearly as much. I posted a link on my social media to a statement issued by Association of Black Women Historians (ABWH), which provided a "...historical context to address widespread stereotyping presented in both the film and novel version of The Help." This link was clicked more than any other link, in a 24 hour period I've ever posted: Here is the statement: http://aalbc.it/therealhelp There you will fin a link to a CNN video of Martha Southgate.

Carey! Oh Shit! Whats up Brother! If it were not for the sake of Cynique, Kola and a few others this board would have flatlined. Did you ring a defribulator are are you just sopping by to say hello. I just got off Facebook talking about "The Help" or rather the racist captialist society that created the environment to produce the help. I was also lamenting the fact the we used to have similiar debates here, but now facebook is getting at the great content, associated traffic and honestly revenue. Facebook is killing independent sites... But I don't want to get off topic from Kola's post. I to will read her article and respond here.

I rememeber meeting you when you were first getting off the ground Hickson -- keep up the good work!

Hey Cynique, I mostly agree but would edit the your stament as follows: "...that the noble experiment of a black president has failed because Corporate America, within the context of capitalism, will never cater to anything but the selfish interests of the rich white men who are in cahoots with the Republican party and its tea party faction the democratic and republican parties" It does not matter who the president is -- we will just find a different reason for blaming that person for the country's woes, while the real enenies are the rich and powerful. Obama is not willing to risk his position or get people mad at him by making real change and improve this country for anyone else other the wealth and powerful -- this is his (any president's) true consitiuency. I predicted years ago than Obama would not win a second term. I still believe that.

Well boitumelo I could say this is the result of a white racist society, gun manufacturers, etc, etc. But this is impossible to justify... I presume they did not know they were being filmed.

Weiner's Weener -- for those who were curious. I'd not seen this before decideing to link this post in the lastest newsletter.

Congratulations Kola. While I may have provided one platform; your noterity and the quality of your writing are due to your own effort and hard work. The shout out and acknowlegment are very much appreicated. See you at the Harlem Book Fair: http://aalbc.com/events/harlem_book_fair_2011.htm Peace, Troy

Yeah seems he was very popular. He apparently got a PhD too! There are a lot of videos of him on-line. Here is one from 2007.

Cynique, about 30 years ago an old guy told me that his father told him, "Don't believe anything you read and only half of what you see". Later I discovered that was not an original line, but that did not make it any less true. The problem today is hyper-exaggerrated. I literarly don't believe anything I read online unless it has been verified by multiple independent sources. The Internet is simply rife with lies and distortions posing as truth -- anyone can write anything. Truth is mixed with fiction and the result is a complete mess. People even treat Wikipedia as if it is a real encyclopedia. Everything most be verified -- even then it is tough to get it right. But since there are fewer good journalists and business models to support them, the problem will just get worse. BTW that was a cute kid -- whoever he was :-)

A very humorous read John. However I doubt the cure of voting will have any impact on these afflication. The whole political process is flawed by candidates primarily interested in increasing their personal power and wealth or too beholden to those with power and wealth to be effective.

"We are in deep shit for many reasons." Tru dat! I am not suggesting the media attention is solely to blame. I'm saying the media’s obsessive attention helps send the message that everyone -- even the rich and famous are doing it too. Entertaining the idea that the media would stop its coverage is an exercise in futility. It is simply too lucrative. We are indeed witnessing a culture in decline.

I've only caught pieces of this series on Youtube. I find tis stuff facinating. In some sense if seems like quantum theory is being poistioned as a new relgion. What do you think?

As Cornel would say our country is run by oligrachs and plutocrats. Obama seemingly is just one of their tools. The midterm elections showed you just how much Black folks care or even understand the process as virtually no one showed up. Even I am pretty feed up with the political system. The candidates say whatever is necessary to win, they need far too much money to a viable candidate.

The media is certainly exacerbating the problem. People see folks like Weiner and think, “Wow I thought I was bad, but I’m not as bad a THAT guy!” The constant parade of sex scandals not only numbs us to the illicit activity. It indirectly tells us the behavior must be normal, as it appears that so many powerful people are doing it. If Bill Clinton can get head in the oval office what is so bad about me getting a hand job in a Korean massage parlor. The examples are endless. We lost count of how many women Tiger was banging on the side. Married, high profile politicians having babies out of wedlock seem to be the norm. Add this to the fact that the ghetto culture more and more of us are being raised in teaches us that the more women you can get pregnant, the more of a man you are. Again I assert the media tends to promote this activity by sharing it as if it was “newsworthy”. Perhaps if we had more stories about happy, monogamous marries people would give that a shot or at least believe it is a viable goal.

Hey Cynique I have a reviewer who will do a review of Marable’s book. I have not read the book myself but I hear Marable related a story of Malcolm having sex with a white man for money. As a consequence, Marable has been hit, understandably, with some criticism. I suspect you did not get this far into the bio – unless you heard that story previously.

There is no stigma attached to any negative behavior. People can pretty much do anything without consequences unless it involves an animal or a discharged weapon.

Hence Palin's appearance on the Republicain ticket the last go around.

Recently a white man was taken off a plane for swearing? Why was he swearing? Why do white guys think it is OK to swear in public?

Hi Cynique is what we seeing today any different that what was going on 50 years ago? Is the behavior of men any different that even 100 years ago, 500 years – ever? I think the only reason it seems like more of an issue today is that we HAVE to know about it. I could not open a paper, turn or a TV, radio, computer or even my cell phone without learning about Weiner’s stupid tweets. The far bigger problem is not Weiner’s behavior (adolescent to be sure); but the money and time our media spent covering the issue. The media, not Weiner, is the most pathetic reflection of our culture. If this issue never hit the airwaves no one else would have known. The wife would have had their baby, Weiner would eventually calm down and it all may have worked itself out. But even if the wife found out it would have been a private personal matter for them to work out. The pubic airing of everyone’s dirty laundry is perhaps the biggest assault on marriage not the behavior of guys like Weiner. A middle class man, in a major urban center, has far more options to indulge his freaky predilections than any human before him. He lives in an environment with a large population density and easy transportation giving him greater access to a large number of women willing to do his bidding. Websites and social media make connecting with potential partners a very efficient process. Clearly a man like Weiner did not even consider getting caught. He was more concerned with showing off his body to other freaky 17 years olds. Boys will be boys.

Lurkers, friends and fans to help spread the word about, http://aalbc.com African American Literature Book Club). It is very easy to do it; anytime you find content on AALBC.com valuableor interesting, please take a second to share the page with your friends. There are widgets at the top of everyAALBC.com page (see arrows above) to help you do this quickly and easily viaFacebook, Google, Twitter and almost all of the popular social mediaplatforms. As always thanks for yoursupport!

Where do you go to read book reviews? Are they needed? What do you think about the reviews Amazon posts with thier books? Do you miss Black Issues Book Review magazine or more extensive book coverage from Essence Mag? I was just thinking about book reviews recently and shared some of my thoughts in a recent blog post: http://aalbc.it/blackbookreviews

Rarely do I receive something via email that is worth sharing. I used to get some off color jokes that were pretty funny, but nowadays I mostly get the religous tracks asking you to forward the email to 15 of your friends.

I'm often asked about book recommendations for young children and young adults. You really can't go wrong with the The Coretta Scott King Award winning book which are are presented annually by the American Library Association to honor African-American authors and illustrators who create outstanding books for children and young adults. Initially, the award was established in 1969 to recognize authors and then was expanded to include a separate award for illustrators in 1979. These awards are given to commemorate the life and work of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and to honor Mrs. Coretta Scott King (April 27, 1927 to January 30, 2006) for her continuing efforts in working for peace and civil rights issues. Follow this link: http://aalbc.it/cskawards and you'll find a list of all of Coretta Scott King's Author and Illustrator Awards from 1970 to Present -- an excellent start on your quest for the best in African-American literature for children.

John H, the choice (or lack thereof) was clear in 2008 Obama-Biden Breathebooks, I'm unaware of any serious contenders ot Obama in 2012, though that guy (whats his name) with the white hair and the contract for America might give Obama a run.

The was very good. Cynique who is this Jon Hammond fellow -- I thought it was your handy work until I got to the end.