Troy

This is sourced from the National Endowment for the Arts 2022 Survey of Public Participation in the Arts. Viewed through a Lense of negativity one can say that 62.4% of Americans -- two out of three have not read a book (print or ebook). in the past year. Reading of novels or short stories, and of books in general, has declined sharply over the last five- and 10-year periods (This is not depicted in the chat below but if you look at the study you will also discover this as well). However, on a positive note one can say that most Americans (52%) have read at least one book (print, ebook, or audiobook) including plays, poetry and fiction. That is 129 million readers! If we included readers of nonfiction (many men) and school aged children (reading is required), the numbers would be much higher at least 200 million (in my estimation) 🙂 The NEA does not report on this, but I know that African American women over index in read rates. If I have not shared this data I will. Given all the pressured on our attention, I'm rather encouraged by the reported reading rates. My only concern for the youngins coming up (Gen Z and Alphas) who only know a world dominated by social media. Many of my Boomer peers and older Gen Xers never got involved with social or have tired of it. If the generations after mine get sucked deeper into AI driven social reading rates will drop dramatically as the boomers and gen xers die off.

Well, he is a big dude sitting in that high chair blocking the view of people behind him. If it was one of those stairs where you select your seats and I was sitting behind him, I would’ve been pissed. I could definitely see them asking him to move. maybe sit in the back. The minimum wage employees probably were not sophisticated enough to try to understand why somebody will bring a big ass chair to the theater like that deal with any “accommodations.” I’m sure they had no idea who he was. calling the police seems to be an overreaction but what you expect. I don’t think his prominence, or lack there of, should’ve been a factor how they treated him. As with most things on the web the entire situation, is more nuanced than the title exclaims. I’d argue it’s not even news worthy at this point. it is just sensationalism praying on peoples emotions.

My sentiments exactly. who wants to be surrounded by “yes men” and brown nosing sycophants. still puffy with Jakes is hilarious. I’m not suggesting it true and I honestly don’t really care, but the whole notion of being the subject of gossip is just funny to me

@Mel Hopkins as you can appreciate I’m not the typical Book buyer as I get free books all the time and when I do buy and I can buy them wholesale. I visit independent bookstores all the time, and I always buy books from them. most recently I’ve visited liberation station bookstore in Raleigh, North Carolina, and purchased the book by a local author. It’s not just black owned independents that I visit. I find White owned stores to be super engaging. Once they find out I’m a bookseller they will give me a discount which is considered standard practice between Booksellers 44th and 3rd in ATL was kind enough to extend the courtesy. I have not purchased an e-book in a very long time. I’ve had several e-book readers over the years, but never used them very much. It just seemed like extra baggage when I had a tablet laptop or cell phone with me. I’ve purchased audiobooks most recently. But in the last several months actually find my time, mostly consumed, listening to podcasts. I’ve been working a lot of hours, and when I do take a break, I travel to see friends and family so when I do have downtime I’m actually too tired to read the next book I’ll read is The Savion Sequence but that is work related as I’ll be helping to proof read it.

Thank you for addressing this @frankster @Jeromex I’m curious about your backstory and who your reverend is. It might help me understand how you’ve come to your worldview . you say “I love my black brothers and sisters” but then you proceeded to go on to show how much you hate us. It is not clear to me why you don’t see the inconsistency. it is also not clear me how you hold our level of crime at a completely different level than you hold Europeans. Even if we completely ignored the genocide of the indigenous populations here in America and the enslavement and extreme violence against Africans and their descendants. The Civil War over 600,000 dead World war one over 20 million dead World War II over 50 million dead the most violent conflict in human history! And that’s just the last 160 years or so, not even counting the Spanish, American war, the Vietnam war, the Korean war, the wars of the Middle East, etc. Of course, they are the lynchings Frankster mentioned. Think about it, there are white people, alive today, who attended actual lynching celebrations with picture postcards and everything! Were Black people behind any of this violence? You’re blaming Black people but we live in a culture of violence look at how many guns people own in this country. look at how many mass shootings there are. we lead the Western world in executing people — too often innocent black people. there were more than 40,000 gun deaths in the United States last year half of these are suicides, mostly white men people killing themselves. Black people are arguably the most docile group in this country. Historically, whenever we stand up for ourselves, we are brutally crushed and our leaders assassinated. Any effective leadership today is just bought off or marginalized, in some other most sophisticated way. You’re proclaiming, Black people in this country the most violent in the world?! You sound woefully uninformed at best, or rabid hater of Black people at worst.

What?! ROTFLMBAO! Sometimes I wish the WWW was never invented...

Yes, thank you for deferring to someone you actually lived through the emergence and rise of hip-hop. 🙂 Tariq can only relate what he has read or learned from others, as he was not there and is too young to really know what was going on even if he was. I don't know who Dr Colon, but be appears to be older and says he is from the Bronx, so I'm sure he knows a lot more Tariq and I would probably defer to him. I did not listen to the whole review because Tariq kept saying no one knows these dudes and calling Dr. Colon a liar. Know there is A LOT I don't know or remember from back in the day. I have not studied the history of hip-hop, so Tariq will know more about what has been published or what the hip artists he has spoken to. But I know things they don't know because I have witnessed things neither have. I also do not like the way Tariq talks about Puerto Ricans in the context of hip=hop. Anyone was actually there I would not question Puerto Ricans contributions to hip-hop.

You must be joking LOL! Sometimes folks with credentials like here will do this after they have "retired." Black folks have no credentials white folks are bound to respect. 😉 I'm not so sure about that, Gay remains a tenured professor. West never gained tenure at Harvard, he was only offered it after public outcry for Harvard refusing the consider him for it. Harvard is not a "normal" school and it is irrational to expect them to behave as such.

There are so many things to consider running a website. This discussion forum has always been just one of my many challenges. Over the course of 25 years, I have only used 3 different platforms; it may be time for a change. There is the concept of the Fediverse it addresses most of the problems I have with social media and the limitations of isolated indie websites. My thinking is that the Fediverse with reduce our collective dependence on the massive social websites and increase engagement across the internet as the federation of platforms will be connected (think: the original concept of the world wide web). The text that follows was generated by Chat GPT and is helpful if the idea of the Fediverse is new to you: The Fediverse, short for "federated universe," is a collection of interconnected servers used for web publishing (like blogs and microblogs) and social networking. It is unique because of its decentralized and federated nature. Here are some key aspects of the Fediverse: Decentralization: Unlike traditional social networks which are typically hosted on a single set of servers owned and operated by one organization (like Facebook or Twitter), the Fediverse consists of numerous independent servers. Each server can host one or more services and is managed by different organizations or individuals. Federation: The servers in the Fediverse can communicate with each other through a process known as federation. This means that users on one server can follow, interact with, and share content with users on another server seamlessly, as if they were on the same platform. Diverse Platforms: The Fediverse includes a variety of different platforms, each with its unique features. Some popular ones include Mastodon (for microblogging, similar to Twitter), PeerTube (a video sharing service), Pixelfed (an image sharing platform), and Friendica (a social networking service). Despite their differences, these platforms can interact with each other because they use standardized communication protocols. Open Standards and Protocols: The Fediverse relies on open web protocols like ActivityPub and OStatus. These protocols are what enable the different services and platforms within the Fediverse to communicate with each other. Community Governance and Self-Hosting: Many instances (servers) in the Fediverse are community-run and often have their own set of rules and moderation policies. Additionally, because the software used is typically open-source, individuals and organizations can self-host their services, giving them full control over their data and platform. Privacy and Control: Users in the Fediverse tend to have more control over their privacy and data compared to traditional social media platforms. This is partly because of the decentralized nature of the network, which reduces reliance on a single entity for data storage and management. The Fediverse represents an alternative approach to social media and online interaction, emphasizing decentralization, user control, and interoperability across different platforms and services. These are some of the best Fediverse-compatible discussion forum software options that I will be considering: Pleroma: A lightweight, Fediverse-compatible social networking software that can be configured for forum-like discussions. It is compatible with various other Fediverse platforms. Official website: pleroma.social. Friendica: Known for its decentralized architecture, Friendica supports extensive discussions and can interact with many other social networking platforms in the Fediverse. Official website: friendi.ca. Mastodon: A popular free and open-source software for social networking. Mastodon servers are independent but can communicate across the Fediverse, and the platform supports various forms of content sharing. Official website: joinmastodon.org. Lemmy: A newer addition to the Fediverse, Lemmy is designed as a link aggregator and discussion platform, similar to Reddit. It supports community groups and threaded comments. Official website: join-lemmy.org. Hubzilla: Offers a range of features including social networking, forums, and file sharing. It operates on a special kind of web server called a "hub," which connects to other hubs in a decentralized network. Official website: hubzilla.org. Misskey: A decentralized social networking software, Misskey is another option for creating a discussion forum within the Fediverse. Official website: misskey-hub.net. Prismo: As a federated link-sharing platform, Prismo can be used for discussions and is akin to a federated version of Reddit. However, the official website for Prismo was not readily available in the search results. These platforms vary in terms of features and focus, so you may want to explore each to determine which best suits your needs for a discussion forum. The original forums were lost the 2nd version was started in 2003 and ran until 2010 (through right now I can only find 2009's archive). This forum's is actually the one I've used the longest--14 years!

You don't have to leave America to see slavery in action @Jeromex I'm not surprised Blacks are not idolizing Ramaswamy, indeed I'd be surprised if we were, but no more surprised by the support Trump is enjoying from the Black community.

Books and this forum are forms of both emotion/entertainment and intellect, so i think it is more than that.

Didn't the actors union go on strike; what was that all about, if it can't ensure pay equity for people like Henson? I have not listened to the interview, but it hard for me to understand why a critically acclaimed actor like Henson is brought to tears over the prospect of having to leave the profession over money. Does she wield any power at all? Does she have no support within the industry?

Hey @ShaynaHo welcome to the forums. @richardmurray, the last video game I played was Guitar Hero (does that count). I was a Xmas present to the kids and I only playd with then. When they left home, neither one took it with them. I tossed it a few years ago.

Both of my parents permanently left he south in the late 50's. Neither ever had an interest in going back. My dad grew up impoverished and my mother was raised on a farm -- life styles they were both happy to leave behind. Combined they left 19 siblings, none of whom ever moved north of the Mason Dixon line. They most left rural southern location and closer to southen cities, Raliegh, Shreveport, Atlanta, Charlotte. Ultimately, the majority of my parents siblings fared much better in life. My parents never owned a home, car, took vacations, or had luxuries of any kind, but my sister and I always had a roof over our head, never went hungry, and we both graduated from college. It is not likely I will ever move north again. I would need some serious paper to even consider it.

The African continent is the most genetically diverse location on Earth. This cannot make sense to you because believe in multiple, phenotypically based, races. I wrote "lighter" skinned not "white" skinned no one has "white" skin. The photos you shared illustrate was I was talking about. There are genetic adaptations that are biologically advantageous and that are selected for over a great many generations. In 2023 you will have dark skinned Brother in Detroit, but their genetics were optimized for a different climate many millennia ago. Another is adult lactose tolerance of cultures that domesticated cattle over many thousands of years. Today you have some Black people that can tolerate ice cream and other who cannot -- it has nothing to do with the current environment and everything to do with their genetics.

I agree. But you've watched this video and shared it with others, so it is having the desired effect. I wish I could get more folks to share AALBC content like this 😉

Sure it is: In the northern climates, where there is less opportunity to be in the sun, lighter skinned people with straighter hair are able to absorb more vitamin D it is one reason we (Black folk) are more prone to vitamin D deficiency, living in Chicago, NY and Detroit. 😉

Nope, but the primary reason for that is it is simply bad for business.

I mean was there ever an attempt on his life? They were still Lynching people for just look at whiet women the wrong way back then -- an Johnson was seemingly flaunting his relationships. I also wonder why he wanted to even be bother with White women... when he probably could have had almost any Black woman he desired.

I always wondered how he got away with that. Oh, I did not know that Jonathan Majors victim was a white woman.

Drug dealing isn’t really frowned upon, is it?

@Pioneer1 and I would agree with you, and I suspect the vast majority of people would too. Given that all of us have mothers... one is role clearly better than the other. Of course, people can choose to do what they want.

Has anyone considered that Majors may actually be a predator who needs an incentive to stop? I have not followed the story other than what I've read here, but why is his actual behavior not a consideration? Maybe the Black judge was trying to protect Black women?

I'm sure he did not. Noticed how the white girl from South African just dismissed the Brother's questions while continuing to grill him. I walked past Vernon once. He was on the board of Bankers Trust a company I worked for back in the early 90's. He was one of the "largest" Black men in the country.

True, New Yorkers are the center of the media landscape so that impression is create and people here believe it. Almost 3% of the country lives in NYC and probably 10% of the country has lived in NYC at one point in their lives. Most of the country's wealth in concentrated is also concentrated in the hands of these people, so they are a strong minority. But keep in mind, that control is wielded by a fraction of the New Yorkers -- not all of us. @richardmurray "bettered" compared to what? When I look at Manhattan driving on over the Triborough I really cannot believe my eyes. It looks like the Borg have taken over. Every single inch of the landsacpe has been paved over -- even the central park is man-made. You can't see the horizon, the stars, a descent sunrise or sunset. Fresh air is an impossibility and dark brown water is considered normal. I also hear crime is on the rise... I walked in an underground from 42ns st from and the 8th to 6th ave subway line and I through I was in a scene from Mad Max. Bums laying around, performers, refugee kids selling all kind of things, the mentally ill screaming obscenities -- it was surreal. But keep in mind rich New Yorkers do not ride the subway and are not subjected to the Mad-Maxian hellscape that wage earners must navigate. In fact, NYC was approved to imposed at $23 toll just to drive in into Manhattan (south of 60th street)! The place the lenape knew no longer exists. Is it "bettered?" I don't think so, but a reasonable person can disagree.