Troy

I copied the offending quote Black voters are more likely to support him after his criminal indictments because they too have “been hurt so badly and discriminated against.” I don’t know man, there’s so many things to beat Donald Trump on. This is not one of them. It is not racist to try to find some common ground on being mistreated by the police. Everybody knows Black people have been disproportionately incarcerated, hyper policed, and treated with a heavy hand when it comes to the criminal justice system. Now, of course, Trump‘s analogy is profoundly flawed as any black man with his record would never have been elected president and would be under the jail right now.

oh to the contrary my brother. You are not familiar with AI’s abilities: In November's cool embrace we spoke, A dialogue on digital's cloak. My mind, on the web's vast expanse laid bare, Shared in a video, its length quite rare. One hour, twenty-four, a journey long, A test for YouTube's algorithm, strong. Will it embrace or cast aside, This lengthy quest in which we confide? I seek your thoughts, your time, your view, Does the message stir, resonate with you? The topic at hand, does it draw your care? Your interest, your passion, do you dare share? Compelling or dull, the case I make, Your feedback, your insight, what will it take? In the fabric of web, woven thoughts entwine, Your voice, your critique, forever divine. AI recasting my original post as a poem. One can debate whether the poem is any good, but you can’t discount the creativity. Perhaps you prefer the style if Shakespeare: In November's wane, 'twas then we did speak, Upon the world's web, vast, endless, and bleak. My thoughts, like a play upon a stage set, In video form, the longest yet met. One hour and four and twenty minutes, no less, A challenge to the algorithm's finesse. Will it favor us, or disregard our plea? A spectacle for YouTube's sea to decree. Pray, lend thine ear, and bestow upon me thy thought, Doth the information stir thee, or not? Is thy interest piqued, or dost thou disdain The subjects we broach, in joy or in pain? Hast thou found my discourse to provoke or bore? I seek thy counsel, thy critique, and more. In this digital expanse, where we all dwell, Thy feedback is the ink in my well. Here is an image that was created to go with my text.

where exactly do work man

Morpheus is wrong @Delano humans lose when pitted against machines. John Henry died with the hammer in his hand. Think Ex Machina. again, this is all largely driven by the algorithms and increasingly AI. The “beauty” of it is that people actually think they’re in control.

I agree @ProfD the current system is completely broken.

WTF?! @richardmurray I'm sorry man, but on it's face that is patently false. I know you are not a racist troll, so where did you get this bit of misinformation? I was in NYC during the 60's, 70's and 80's. The 70's in NYC, which I remember well, was a shit-show. Crime was terrible and basically everyone (at least everyone I knew) was personally impacted by crime. I could not wait to leave the city. Many people were happy the was a war on crime -- as crime was it was just so bad. Of course people were largely unaware of the forces which created this criminality.... The "white hand." Yes, there were crooked cops on the take it was part of cop culture. If you did not take your cut you were looked at sideways and put yourself at risk. Yeah, one can make an argument that drug dealers were traitors to the race, but again this ignores all the social economic forces that created the environment. Do we consider the Sackler family traitors to the white race? I'll answer, No. Why would we consider Black drug dealers traitors to the Black race?

@ProfD I guess you saw that I met adverse and not address. You have a lot more faith in humanity and our current systems than I do. History tells tell us that any new technological advantage is used to exploit others. I see no reason why the future will be different. AI is so much more powerful than anything that has come before it.. and don’t think for microsecond that the tools we have access to are as good as the tools they have developed Time will tell.

thank you. As you know, I have always argued that people are more effected by social media then they can know. And it is not just about falling for the Clickbait. It is about the feed. One anecdote has to do with me almost opting out of voting when it was Hillary versus Trump. I was exposed to so much negative Hillary content. I didn’t read any of it. Just the headlines that I had decided I wasn’t going to vote for her and as a result, I wasn’t going to vote at all. You may not recall this, but you were the one who actually brought me back to my senses and I voted for Clinton. As a result, of that and other factors, I simply essentially stopped using Facebook and social media in general. besides, the address impact of social media on young adults and teens is well documented. thanks again everyone. it’s difficult for me to judge how I come across, so your comments were helpful. in the long run, we have some serious challenges. AI has the ability to completely take over the web and in an ideal world that could be a very positive thing, but knowing how greedy people are and how our brand of capitalism works I can’t help but have some dread for our future. I think we live in the most interesting period in recorded history.

man, I am a young baby boomer, and this was true for my generation as it was for my parents. The outlook has not changed. Perhaps her reaction and outlook has changed. oh boy I hope this is more than just rumors. If the Democrats introduced two new fresh (younger) candidates with a powerful message, they would win handily. Whatever happens I’m still voting for the democrats, they are still better than the alternative in my book.

Anybody have any constructive criticisms?

This is why racial categories make little sense. Nationalities and ethnicities make sense and You can describe how people look, the way @tipsyturv did. But there is really one race.

@tipsyturv what is “black” to you? You’ve mixed nationalities with color. There are black Mongolians and black Brazilians. What are the other two grand parents? I’m any event, I doubt this guy knows anything about bid whist or jack and Jill. Still she/he/they shouldn’t feel too comfortable at a trump rally. @Pioneer1 no, I never said I was mixed, and do not consider myself mixed. However, as you wrote, like most Americans, do have white ancestry that I can point to. I also have native American ancestry that I can point to in the same line.

@aka Contrarian i dunno what your day to day life is like, but i find you inspirational. i think it is your sharpness of mind, wit, and intellect. You probably can’t see it, but I bet others do. I’m sure your husband did I’m @ing @Mel Hopkins and @Chevdove so that they see your message. if you have Netflix check out This is Us. I think it is an interesting series. It won’t be boring. I’ve been watching it, almost exclusively, for a couple of months now.

The NAACP, The Urban League, The Black Panthers, and more were around. I'm not sure we are more divided, but we are certainly less organized. It is incontrovertible that our ancestors deserved reparations. However, I doubt our descendants will get them. The more time that goes by the more difficult it will be to determine who qualifies for payment. Shoot, I suspect @Pioneer1 does not think I deserve a check given his unwillingness to confirm my Blackness. Unity is perhaps pur best hope.

@Pioneer1 interestingly many people pick up that I'm from New York, but few ever peg me to Harlem.

The conversation took place last in November and pretty much covers my thoughts on the state of the world wide web. At 1 hour and 24 minutes, this is probably the longest video I have even posted. It will be interesting to see how YouTube's algorithm treats this video. If you have time to watch I'm looking for feedback. Does the information resonate or not? Do you care about the subject, why or why not? Do I make a compelling case, or is it mostly boring

@richardmurray This type of advertising is not exactly what I had in mind for the particular forum.

Dr. Joe Louis Dudley, Sr. (May 9, 1937 – February 8, 2024) was a prominent entrepreneur Dudley Products, Inc., a prominent Black haircare brand.

Not if they don't have a position, or are looking to expand what they know. I'm not saying these people are in the majority, but they exist. I believe I'm one of these people.

I had zero interest in attending the MMM, but would have been down to do something constructive as a result. I started a Black book website. @Pioneer1 did you go to the MMM? Where did you get the 2 million number. I was not there, but 2 million is a BIG number, an order of magnitude more than the 250K who are estimated to have attended the March on Washington. If 2 million Black people decided to do something together that would be powerful and unprecedented, there would need to be an umbrella organization to coordinate all the other organizations. 2 Million Black people could seed the organization with an initial $500 contribution and easily raise a billion dollars. What would we do? Fight for reparations?

I believe anyone who posts here could be described this way. Those who seeks validation from social media definitely are not one who marches to their own drum. I would say it is impossible, for the reasons @ProfD mentioned and more, so one must choose their poison or live as a hermit. I avoid social media, but I watch streaming TV where I can exercise more control over what I consume, although YouTube and other platforms has made great strides in pushing videos to you to watch -- even going as far as to automatically paying them. @Delano people can benefit from being told what to consider. In the world of books, for example, there is just so many being published critics and help identify the ones worth reading. However, today the things that are advertised to us are rarely ever thing the thing we need the most or would best serve us. This is because feeds, advertising, algorithms are dominated by what generates the most revenue. Where it is an opiods, mentholated cigarettes, poorly made branded clothing, fast food, weight lost and beauty products, whatever... No one is immune. Fashion is probably the best example Del. In 2024 functional good looking clothing could be easily made to last decades, but there is no money in that. So we have trendy throw-away clothing that keeps us constantly spending. We are sold on this idea of keeping up with fashion trends. But this idea is a purely commercial construct. Indeed, the notion that anything we can purchase that makes us part of a group is simply a function of commerce. Younger people fall more prey to this, as they have a stronger need to belong. They are as more easily manipulated into buying into an identity defined by some marketer.

@Pioneer1 I grew up on 113th street and was 10 when the film was made. There were many films that were shot in my old 'hood during the Black exploitation era. While I enjoyed seeing familiar places on the big screen as a kid, it created a distorted perspective. "Hollywood Hype" as you called it. In the video I shot about 16 years ago, you'll see Mayme, Bumpy's widow. I walked by the building they used to live last week. Karen, the lady speaking in the video, wrote a book about Bumpy. Karen was Bumpy's Goddaughter and grew up a few blocks from me. She told me Bumpy used to pass out money to the kids to buy school supplies. Meeting Mayme long after Bumpy died as about as close as I got to the man myself. Mayme, passed less than a year after I shot this video. I saw Shaft a few times but never caught the "Bumpy Jonas" reference

Understanding that is key. Similalrly, Africans are not as dysfunctional as have led us to believe. Finally white folks are not superior as they have led us to believe. Whether we are working with Africans or African Americans any difficultly is a function of our greed fueled system.

Perhaps, but that is certainly not true today. That is like saying you have to pass the brown paper bag test to become an AKA. It may have been partially true in the past but that is no longer true today. And today is what I'm talking about. The Boule may still be an elite organization, but the organization is irrelevant from my perspective, as I haven't a clue what they are about or what they do today. @Pioneer1 it is curious you dodged my direct query about my Blackness from your perspective. Don't worry about offending me

WHAT??! Seriously ask a few of your Black friends about the game and let me know what you learn. Hey @Pioneer1 am I Black in your book {drum roll} Jack and Jill is a national organization dude it’s not just East Coast elites. If Jack and Jill was ever about colorism, which I doubt it no longer is it is more about networking with other black families. Any connection with the Boulé is lost on me. I don’t know anything about the Boulé other than when I’ve read from Lawrence Otis Graham’s our kind of people.