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Another Controversial Time Magazine or Can Black Women Catch a Break


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As far as the Million Man March, you hero worshipers do realize that the first march took place   22 years ago, so to say that nobody  knew who Julian Bond was back then is a statement that can be challenged. And 22 years ago, the NAACP still had some relevancy. Plus the fact, there was as broad cross section of a million men in the march, not just dumb, uninformed ones.   

And i beg to differ that all black kids today know who Farrahan is.   Especially since he's an 84 year-old sickly man who  keeps a low profile.Or do i think the black Muslims have a great impact on the black community any more in Chicago. . They're from another era like the Black Panthers and their hey day is over. Their 2015 million man anniversary march  was less well attended and, like the first one, just a vessel for Farrakhan's hot air. They supposedly had voter registration booths there, then their fearless leader ends up telling  his followers not to vote in the last election.  Chicago's inner city continues to be crime ridden with a high murder rates.  Jobs would help alleviate this situation but the black Muslims are invisible in this area. This doesn't bode well for their released prison converts.i remain unimpressed. Jesse Jackson and the corporate sponsors of his Operation Uplift organization have a visibly better record.  

BTW, Mel, Farrakhan also used to also be a calypso singer back in his young days when he lived in New York. 

And i have heard Farrakhan speak,plus he used to be a regular on the talk shows in Chicago back in the day when they were TV staples. 

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On 6/8/2017 at 7:34 AM, Troy said:

Del I'm talking about the most popular rappers like Little Wayne or Snoop, not the Q-Tips.  The rappers that the majority of the world know and regularly see.  I agree, rappers span the gamut and there are a great variety of them.  I was NOT indicting rappers, I was indicting the media images which depict grown men behaving as boys and the adverse stereotypes and they create and the resulting behavior the result when Black men mimic the images they see.

 

 

 

Little Wayne and Snoop are selling negativity. Although I don't know how relevant Snoop is. I mentioned the different types of Rap which one sells. That's my point.

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That's a good question, Del.  Playing the music of a white classical music  master is kind of out of character for a someone who rants about blue-eyed devils.  Just like i always thought it was kind of inconsistent that Muslims have their women wear all white, a color they apparently associate with goodness and purity - except when it comes to skin, i guess.   

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"Playing the music of a white classical music  master is kind of out of character for a someone who rants about blue-eyed devils.  Just like i always thought it was kind of inconsistent that Muslims have their women wear all white, a color they apparently associate with goodness and purity - except when it comes to skin, i guess."

Good point. I agree..... 

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9 hours ago, Cynique said:

That's a good question, Del.  Playing the music of a white classical music  master is kind of out of character for a someone who rants about blue-eyed devils.  Just like i always thought it was kind of inconsistent that Muslims have their women wear all white, a color they apparently associate with goodness and purity - except when it comes to skin, i guess.   

 @Pioneer1

Looking forward to your response.

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@Del Snoop is world famous and enjoys an active career.  He is a pop culture icon.  Not speaking for Pioneer but why call Farrakhan a sell-out because he plays classic music, that seems a bit silly.  Sort of like the way we used to tease kids who spoke proper English or tried to do well in school

Farrakhan does not hate all white people I heard him say that he greatly admires Jascha Heifetz and that guy is Jewish. Y'all gotta stop listening to white people and listen to the man.  Malcolm X called white people blue-eyed devils too, but even he was speaking about their behavior--which is, and has been, quite devilish.

@Cynique I thought though you were talking about who knows Jillian Bond today.  But even 22 years ago the disparity in recognition and respect for Farrakhan over Bond among Black people, men, in particular, would have been just as great.  Jullian Bond simply could not have spearheaded the masses in the way that Farrakhan did--assuming he even had the inclination to do such a thing, which I doubt.  But this is speculation on our parts and all we can really do is disagree about it...

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Well, Farrakhan is who instilled a hate of white people into the herd mentality of his following with his inflammatory rhetoric, which is aimed at the emotions instead of the aesthetic.  Trashing the white slave masters who stole black people's identity and robbed them of  their pride was an ongoing theme of his rants. The implication of this violin solo  is that the work of white composers is the epitome of classical music  and we must appreciate and play it in order to elevate our status. A reasonable motive but  not one consistent with him being a black cheer leader.  It's almost like him dying his hair blond and putting on blue contacts to pay tribute to the paragon that is white civilization.   I think he probably wanted to show off his skills in order to inspire the admiration and validation of white people. But this sends mixed messages, because the black masses are his  audience. It's like him saying "don't do as I do, do as I say do."

As for the million man march, I think it's presumptuous of anybody to assume they know the motivation of 100,000,000 black men.  If someone had gone among the crowd gathered for this event and taken a random survey asking if Julian Bond instead of Louis Farrakhan had organized the event would they have still participated in it, i tend to think that the answer would've been "yes", because it wasn't about the messenger, it was about the message    Obviously this march was an idea whose time had come.  Give Farrakhan the credit for seizing the time, but it was black men who mobilized themselves and made the march a success albeit a hollow one, neutralized by  the long, rambling, irrelevant speech Farrakhan ended up delivering,  a performance that apparently wasn't a motivating enough send-off for these brothers returning to the circumstances they were unable to make significantly better. 

So, yes, we have to agree to disagree.  

  

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“Well, Farrakhan is who instilled a hate of white people into the herd mentality of his following with his inflammatory rhetoric, which is aimed at the emotions instead of the aesthetic.  Trashing the white slave masters who stole black people's identity and robbed them of  their pride was an ongoing theme of his rants.”

Thank you! Farrakhan is a race arsonist. His entire career is steeped in inflammatory racism and anti-Semitism. Some of you may recall years ago, he had a bout with prostate cancer and was peering death in the eyes. He was badly shaken but he did recover. Upon his recovery, he stated “he would no longer indulge in anti-Semitic rhetoric “(his words –not mine!). Well, as you know, that did not last very long.  Attempting to defend him from his racism is like defending Donald Trump from being a lair(which is an impossible task…well…unless you’re Sean Hannity or Jeffery Lord).

The only person I can think of that was more bombastic and hysterical with his seething racism against Jews and whites was Khalid Muhammad (who Farrakhan dismissed from the NOI). I recall back in the 90’s there was a weekly TV show on Sunday that featured Farrakhan’s speeches. It was nothing less than an hour of ranting railing against white people, Jews, and blacks in interracial relationships (whom he considered race traitors). I still have a few VHS recorded shows of his speeches packed away in a box in my storage facility….

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@Troy you misread me. I am not saying he's a sellout because of the concerto. It just seems a bit inconsistent with his rhetoric. Pioneer was stating that black ballet performers wantes the approval pf whites. So i have been waiting to see what he has to say. 

Snoop lost his relevance whem he was raping inKaty Perry's candy land video.

 

To me sellouts are profiting from Black misery and psychopathology. I found ot interesting how when rappers went to court they put on suits .

A lot of rappers are sellouts. Because they are putting on an unconscious coon show for suburban white kids. Cats have twitter beef. Is that keeping it real.

 

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Delano & Cynique

Yes I knew he played the violin.
I believe there's an old video of him playing on some entertainment show way back in the 40s or 50s when he was in highschool.

I also knew he was a Calypso entertainer back in the day, thanks to the influence of his West Indian mother.
They used to call him "The Charmer" and I believe "Calypso Louie" because of his skills.


But you two ask is Farrakhan a sell out or irrelevant because he plays the violin...a.k.a. "white people's" music?????

I can't believe......

This is so ridiculous I wouldn't even give it time let alone the respect of answering it.

Is THIS where the conversation's going now?
Who can ask the silliest questions???

Straight up race to the bottom.

Why not ask me is he a sell out because he wears a suit and tie.....a.k.a..."white people's clothes"!!!!

Instead of wearing suits and speaking to millions under the Lincoln Monument, maybe you two would have more respect for him if he wore a dashiki and pounded on drums on the avenue.



Del

Stop trying to twist my words or change the subject.

No one called violins or classical music (and I LOVE me some BACH) being gay or detrimental to the Black community.

You said I was diminishing gay Black men because so many of them were into BALLET.
I said I wasn't.

I said ENCOURAGING and PROMOTING homosexuality in the Black community is just as detrimental as ENCOURAGING and PROMOTING violence in the Black community.

Again, BOTH lead to a reduction in our population but in different ways.

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 @Pioneer1LOL..  You won't answer my remarks about Farrakhan because can't answer them.  You're rendered so helpless by your hero worship and emotional involvement with this slippery vacillating man whose M/O is "don't do as i do, do as i say do" that you can't come up with a coherent rebuttal.  And the date that you assign  that video to, is questionable.

Can you imagine the head of the KKK playing  jazz piano and extolling the virtues of Duke Ellington.  No, because it would be a travesty for him to be an exponent of black music.  

Engaging in rational objective behavior is inconsistent with leaders of both black and white nationalism who preach contempt for the opposite race. 

Could it be that Farrakhan is really a rabble rouser full of hot air???

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Cynique

Are you slowly slipping into insanity or something?

I'm beginning to think the ROOM you're posting from is full of HOT AIR and it's affecting your reasoning.

You're gonna sit up there and SERIOUSLY entertain this foolish backward-ass logic (conjured up by Mr. Confusion himself...lol) that since Farrakhan plays the VIOLIN....that makes his Black nationalism and all the work he's done for the Black community over the past 60 years illegitimate and part of some big game?

All of his decades of getting Black men and women off drugs and alcohol, teaching them to eat right and reversing their diabetes and high blood pressure and other ailments, helping them organize and acquire their own businesses, securing Black entertainers....including Michael Jackson, launching "stop the killing" campaigns around the nation and working with rappers to get Black people to love eachother instead of seeing eachother as enemies, going inside the prisons to help GET Black men out of jail and KEEP them out.

.....but all of that is just a big smoke screen for an Uncle Tom who really loves White folks and can't wait to put on a tie and play the fiddle for them?


Honestly Cynique......
Stop it, you're scaring me....I don't wanna see you like this.

Delano...lol....I understand....but YOU???

Maybe you should get out of that hot ass room....lol.
Get out of the house and walk around the block a few more times, look down at your toes and RE-discover yourself.

Get some fresh air.

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@Pioneer1Well,.i'm not exactly impressed with your subtefuge and ad hominem arguments. It's ludicrous that you reprimand me for not validating your beliefs.  You seem totally incapable of processing anything that deflates what YOU consider sacrosanct.  You're losing your cool because i am not impressed with the leader who you continue to extol with words and not examples. it's breaking your heart  that i and a lot of other people put Farrakhan in perspective and shatter your icon. You're the one who needs to get a grip. How ironic that you are the epitome of the cognitive dissonance that you accuse others of.  SMH

 

 

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On 6/5/2017 at 9:42 PM, Pioneer1 said:




Cynique

I give you Minister Farrakhan who's helped countless Black women rise up like rods and stand before the world like shining jewels......but you reject HIM like spoiled milk and call him all types of names.

But 2 gay Black men who help women dance and sing for White folks?

Oh you LOOOOVE them don't you.

But I'm not angry, I understand....((smile))

I understand why so many Black women promote the feminine Black man over the masculine one.

And because I understand, I know everything's gonna be alright.....((smile))

So is Farakkan playing the Violin for White Folks or Black Folks. In your mind how can you not question Farrakan playing classical violin?!?

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Cynique

You're the one who needs to get a grip. How ironic that you are the epitome of the cognitive dissonance that you accuse others of. SMH

What I find ironic is that you trash Farrakhan even though both you AND him share the same views about America...lol.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xxVNQ_Ed5I


If anything, you should be championing the man for his steadfast critique of the United States.




Del


So is Farakkan playing the Violin for White Folks or Black Folks. In your mind how can you not question Farrakan playing classical violin?!?

Because in MY mind.....a mind that works PROPERLY....a man's personal hobbies and what he does for recreation is irrelevant compared with his life's purpose and the work he does in line with it.
 

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I don't think Farrakhan hates America.  He's in a position to leave and go to Africa if he so desires.  i just think he claims to hate  Americans because this resonates with his guilible followers.
 

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I don't think Farrakhan hates America. He's in a position to leave and go to Africa if he so desires. i just think he claims to hate Americans because this resonates with his guilible followers.

Minster Farrakhan believes his mission is a Divine one.
To stay here in America and help resurrect Black people and clean them up morally so that God can save us from the inevitable doom of Western civilization.

Now whether you or I AGREE with that belief is irrelevant......THAT is the reason he doesn't leave America despite his financial abilities and multitude of social connections all over Africa.

 

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Cynique

Eloquent rhetoric. Farrakhan and i are both the same age. He better hurry up and complete his mission before he croaks- or i do. Doesn't look like he's made a lot of progress. LOL

Again, neither you nor I have to AGREE with his beliefs or reasons for why he's doing what he's doing.

I'm well past religion and dogmatism.
I just got into a heated debate with a Jehovah's Witness a few days ago who was trying to take me all over the bible about how the world is on it's way to ending and what all of the signs are prophecies are coming true.

I've been waiting on the world to end since the 1980s.....lol.

My point is, we don't have to agree with the man or his doctrine to respect his work nor do you have to agree with it simply to understand why he's doing it.

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Cynique

My point is results speak louder than claims. Not all missions are accomplished.

Well Brother Farrakhan has atleast 2 million witnesses who can  prove that his mission to organize a million Black men to march on Washington in 1995 was ACCOMPLISHED.

And I'm ONE of those witnesses.
I was in "that number" when the saints went marching in....lol.

 



Del

Pioneer violin is cool because You like it.

A violin is only cool in the hands of one who can PLAY IT WELL...lol.

Stop talking foolishness that suggests people who play the violin are playing "White music".

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@Pioneer1  200,000,000??? I don't think so.You are quick to discount Obama's substantiated record but continue to rattle off a litany of all the vague miracles that Farrakhan has performed. Whatever.

The black community is in crises and the plight of young black inner city men is worse than it has ever been. Farrakhan's  influence has no longevity and he fiddles while the ghettos burn. His legacy doesn't seem to have legs. The black kids who are doing the best are the children of the middleclass where islam and its leader have  few in-roads. 

i am, however,  aware of that many people share your and Troy's great admiration for Farrakhan but,  truth-seeker that i am, i remain skeptical of slick, silver-tongued, charismatic cult leaders who live lives of luxury and rule their sheeple with an iron fist that is reinforced by a core of henchmen. They're a lot of these false prophets  out there in the religious community.  (right, harry brown? ;))  

  So, in keeping with my alienation from the country you revere, i really couldn't care less about the minister you you idolize. He just provides me with another chance to be an iconoclast. 

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8 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

Cynique

My point is results speak louder than claims. Not all missions are accomplished.

Well Brother Farrakhan has atleast 2 million witnesses who can  prove that his mission to organize a million Black men to march on Washington in 1995 was ACCOMPLISHED.

And I'm ONE of those witnesses.
I was in "that number" when the saints went marching in....lol.

 



Del

Pioneer violin is cool because You like it.

A violin is only cool in the hands of one who can PLAY IT WELL...lol.

Stop talking foolishness that suggests people who play the violin are playing "White music".

On 2017-6-9 at 1:43 PM, Troy said:

 

No Pioneer you stated that Ballet is dancing for Whites. However I am retiring from dual monologues. 

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Cynique

200,000,000??? I don't think so.You are quick to discount Obama's substantiated record but continue to rattle off a litany of all the vague miracles that Farrakhan has performed. Whatever.

Lol.....
Don't know where you're getting that 200 million figure.....I certainly didn't provide it.

Besides the ACA which was basically a give-a-way to the insurance companies, what did Obama accomplish?
Especially for Black people?

Black America is WORSE off economically and social today than they were BEFORE Obama was elected.

 

 

The black community is in crises and the plight of young black inner city men is worse than it has ever been

Thank you for making my point!

And as I thank YOU.....YOU can thank your beloved Obama for this condition young Black America finds itself in today.

And while you're at it, you can also thank him for Trump because HE'S the main reason Trump is in the Whitehouse today.




Delano



No Pioneer you stated that Ballet is dancing for Whites. However I am retiring from dual monologues.

That's odd.......
Most people tell bed time stories so that OTHERS can retire for the night.
You seem to like telling tales before YOU retire......lol.

Can you find me one post where I stated that ballet is dancing for WHITES?????

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I meant 2,000,000,  I, made a typo, you made an exaggeration with your figure.  The black innercity is in crises, we agree.  Where is your savior Farrakhan when we need him???  i repeat: he has no longevity. And you made no point. 

Obama is not my beloved, and your beloved country of bigots and bullshitters is the reason Trump is in office today.

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Whoa! :o

@Delano, I was reacting to your statement, "You are both assuming what Mel and Cynique think and instead of asking their opinion you speak on their behalf." The both could have only pertained to Pioneer and me.  But I'm glad to read if was not intended for me.

Sadly, much of the criticism of Farrakhan is cherry picked from white (often hostile) media coverage of the man. Sadly, much of the good Farrakhan has done, that @Pioneer1 described, was obviously unknown to you all and now is being completely ignored or marginalized. White media another job well done!

 

No one is saying you have to follow Farrakhan's brand of Islam (I don't). But to discount the man's accomplishments as a leader who has turned the lives around of so many that society has through away is just wrong.  Again, if you have not been to a service and seen the results, then you can't possibly know.  Again if you rely on mainstream media for an understanding of Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam you are being lied to.

@Delano, yes I'm aware of Wattstax; it was great. I saw the movie in the theater when it came out in the early 70's. But surely you realize that it was entertainment right.  I could fill an arena with people to see the top Black Talent performing today.  You are comparing apples to oranges; when comparing it to the MMM.

No one is suggesting that Farrakhan is capable of saving all the Black inner cities why go off the deep end and suggest that @Cynique. Malcolm X and Dr. King combined failed to do that.

We are talking about a mere mortal--far from perfect. No one here worships him.  Seemingly, Black workshop is only acceptable when it is Obama. It will be very interesting to see what Obama does over the next 20 years. If he has nearly the impact that Farrakhan has I would be quite pleased, but very surprised.

I'm sure you have seen this 60 Minute interview when Mike Wallace, a respected journalist, had to audacity to say that Nigeria could be the most corrupt Nation on Earth.  

@Cynique is Farrakhan wrong in the video below?  Do you think Obama would say something like this.  Do you see why Black folks in the so-called "inner city" very the two men differently?

 

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  @Troy I am not an apologist for Obama just like i wasn't an apologist for Hillary Clinton. They are who they are, but they had some visible credentials that i considered better than their opponents and they also had "documented" accomplishments.   

I am not that into Farrakhan because i am removed from his influence.  i don't know any Black Muslims in particular, or any of the alleged millions whose lives have been turned around by them.  Or have I seen any programs that they have put in place that have improved things for the inner city blacks. I do know that Farrakhan admittedly looked the other way when the decision was made to assassinate Malcolm, and he gives long rambling speeches and that he organized a Million Man march that was all style and no substance and he plays classical violin.  And i have heard  from other blacks that the FOI members intimidate rank-and-file followers who don't get with the program.. What is it you're saying that i got from the media?

Yes, everybody has their flaws and no leader is perfect, including the ambitious opportunist Barack Obama who was, indeed,  a president who was black man, not a black man who was president.  He, like Farrakhan, was glib and charismatic and had a large devoted following of black people. Martin Luther King and Malcolm X were also charismatic eloquent leaders who inspired huge, faithful followings. Then, there's the smooth articulate hustlers Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, .. And, of course, Black Panther firebrand .Fred Hampton.  Yet,  in the year 2017, the black underclasses are regressing, their own worst enemies, the ongoing victims of a system that remains broken.  Soooooo, in my quest to be a truth-seeker and a realist, i just look at the big picture and am no longer inspired to get excited about any famous black leader. (And living in the close proximity of Chicago and the daily  toll of blacks killing each other, really reinforces my nihilism.) 

Farrakhan's rant in that video resonated with me because i agree with what he said, as  anybody who respects the truth would, and this is why i'm detached from this country, unlike other blacks who doggedly continue to hope that they will win the love of America and are grateful for being allowed to live and make money and own property here. As has been said, America is a great country, not a good one. Farrakhan could be labeled  a  black leader, "resting on his laurels".    

Now you and Pioneer pull yourselves together and quit enabling my iconoclasm. :lol: 

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@Delano, oh I thought you were using Wattstax to demonstrate how Jessie Jackson could have rallied a million together the way Farrakhan did for the MMM.

@Cynique, I'm glad you agreed with this clip of Farrakhan 

As you said you are removed from his influence.  I am not.  I walked by Mosque #7 (Malcolm's mosque) every day a boy.  I patronized the businesses they operated and saw how they cleaned up ex-cons, people the rest of us threw away. But I'm not naive enough to think they are perfect.  I remember how the Brothers would try to recruit me as a little boy when my mother was not looking. 

Yes I do think your impression of the man is colored by the white-dominated mainstream media.who are often overtly hostile to the NOI.  Where did you learn about the statements the exit FOI members?  Did you know the Final Call the NOI's newspaper was recognized by the Association of Black newspapers as the best Black newspaper in the country?

I mean you site Farrakhan complicity in Malcolm X's killing, but that was over 50 years ago.  The reasons for all of that I won't pretend to understand or know, but the Farrakhan has publicly apologized for that and the families have attempted to make amends as far as I recall.

You also left out the involvement of the federal government's involvement.  You also did not mention the many NOI member who were slaughtered by the feds and local police. We all know the NOI was virtually crushed by our own government with the aid of media propaganda to diminish and marginalize the Nation of Islam.  Again the media did a great job demonizing the NOI and excusing the Feds.

Sure Black on Black crime in Chicago is bad, but to use that to diminish Farrakhan's effectiveness is totally unreasonable.  What the hell is Chicago PD doing?

Still Chicago's crime rate is relatively low (though I understand you may not appreciate that listening to the media).  Chicago's per capita rate is murder rate is much lower than Detroit, Baltimore, and St. Louis (which are some of the most dangerous cities in the world, based upon their per capita murder rates).  Washington DC's murder rate is pretty crappy too, but we never hear anyone laying the blame at Obama for the murder rate of DC, Chicago, or the United States.

What makes these anti-Black power campaigns so effective is that many of the victims reject the fact that they are indeed being victimized. So yes Farrakhan is elderly and his recent speeches are not nearly as powerful as they were when he was in his prime.

If we let mainstream media determine who is important to our communities we will be misled to our own detriment

 

.

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@TroyWell, i maintain that the only thing i learned from the media about Farrakhan was that he was very anti-semitic and this did not offend me.  The FOI thing was heard in passing from a black guy who heard it from another black guy. Because you and Pioneer continue to blitz me with all the "good things" this man has done, and then turn around and squelch and downplay anything that doesn't reinforce your grandiose claims is something that should be noted when it comes to  my tendency to blow you off. ( helping people lower their blood pressure and buy a house and organizing meetings with gangs that apparently produced no results. WOW! BTW, how many major black newspapers are left in this country?)    I'm sure Farrakhan has done a lot of good for his converts and followers. I question whether this has had a trickle down effect on the black community-at-large and i concede that this is not necessarily his responsibility.     

The manipulated  murder "rate" in Chicago may be down but the gun violence and crime commission is not, Carjacking and robbing people of their iPhones and credit cards are epidemic and young black teenagers are  the perpetrators.  Memorial Day 12 black people were shot at a gathering. Not a day goes by when a black person isn't shot and/or killed in the city. Children are frequently innocent victims of crossfire   You continue to make the media the scapegoat for everything but the black newspaper columnists in Chicago tell it like it is.  Black people are not that naive or misled.  They recognize  their enemies and what is not in their best interest.  They are not bamboozled by the politicians, and there is a growing consensus among them as to who, besides the cops, must share the blame for what's happening, and it is the poor parenting of these juvenile delinquents and FaceBook, which is an enabler for people up to no good.  There are a lot of small grassroots organizations and churches  trying to  take things in their own hands and provide alternatives to wayward boys. The leaders involved with this are who are relevant in these troubled times and, ironically, a Chicago Catholic priest who is white is among them.  

Was there any question in your mind that i wouldn't agree with Farrakhan's rant on the video you posted?  Isn't what he said what i've been giving as my reason for being disenchanted with America, the land of bigots and bullshit?  Farrakhah and i are the same age, so it is not surprising that we feel the way we do.

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I asked about your opinion of Farrakhan reaction to Wallace's question because I wanted to be sure I understood who I was talking to ;-) It was a reality check question of sorts.  You appreciate that there are people who disagree with the Minister, most notably esteemed journalists like Mike Wallace.

We can also agree, I'm sure, that the media has unfairly demonized Farrakhan which reduces his effectiveness because Black people buy into it. Can you really blame me if I'm a little biased towards a Black man? 

I remember that 60 minutes interview went it originally broadcast, because I was saddened that Wallace would portray the Black nation of Nigeria in such a way and there was nothing I could do about it. Farrakhan became a hero because of the way he promptly and properly put Mike Wallace in his place.

If Wallace had interviewed any of our current "leaders" I doubt any would have expressed the justified anger and outrage, while intelligently dismissing Mike's nonsense. 

Maybe one of Obama's weaknesses is his lack of passion.  People say the brother is "calm, cool, and collected," but if you don't display anger every once in a while, it can be perceived as a lack of caring.  If you can't get angry about the increase violence in the Black cities and your actions don't indicate that you are doing anything about it, then it is really hard to win the hearts and minds of people... do you see what I mean?

People got angry with Farrakhan for taking money from Qaddafi, I guess they want him to be beholden to Mcdonalds or Wells Fargo instead. This is one reason he is labeled an antisemite as if that is a thing, Black call each other. Given the number of Jewish people who profited from the enslavement of Black people being mistaken for an antisemite when advocating for Black people should not be much of a concern.

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I did not hear that about Obama. I'm not even going to bother looking it up. Let me know when he uses his celebrity, money, and remaining power to do something about it. 

So perhaps lack of passion was not the right description.  Maybe weakness is a better one.  Weakness not because he wept but weakness due to inability or unwillingness to react in a meaningful way to the slaughter of innocent Black youth.

I'm sure weeping and inaction would not be Farrakhan's response if NOI boys were getting shot.

 

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6 hours ago, Troy said:

I did not hear that about Obama. I'm not even going to bother looking it up. Let me know when he uses his celebrity, money, and remaining power to do something about it.

@Troy In  May 2017, the former president, Mr. Obama pledged and donated 2 MILLION  DOLLARS   "toward two Chicago programs that provide summer jobs and apprenticeships,"  

Mr. Obama "cited the city's violence and the need to "reach young people who might be at risk if they don't have something to do during the summers."

THAT IS PERSONAL CASH FROM THE OBAMAS !!! 

Maybe you should start researching and  "Stop talking"  when it relates to Barack Obama. Every time you refer to him you make it clear that you don't know of his accomplishments as president nor do you know of his activities now that he's left office. There's an obvious blind spot when it comes to him so maybe you should leave him out of your conversation.

Edited by Mel Hopkins
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Mel I was reacting to Del's statement.  He said Obama cried and he was called "weak" as a result.  When I responded to that specific statement I wrote, let me know when he actually does something.  You informed us he donated $2M to a summer jobs program--great. 

I'm not going to research your statement either. I'll also take you at your word.  

It is not clear to me why you feel I have to research every statement I make in reaction to Obama.  That is not a realistic expectation during the course of a normal conversation. For all I know Del could have made it all up, but I took him at his word too.

Were you aware of the Obama crying incident before Del mentioned it?

Mel, clearly you have a blind spot as too. Del wrote, "he was called weak."  Perhaps you should do a little research yourself and try to understand why people are calling the man weak.

Amerca is hurting and the Black community is in dire straights. If you can not see why a huge portion of the country is not as big a fan of Obama then there is probably nothing I can do to help you understand.

Del I agree, as a religious leader Farrakhan, is indeed constrained, as is Obama as President.  There are things we can do that they simply can not. Ongoing public scrutiny and critique go hand in hand with celebrity and idolization. 

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"Information?" Do you mean observations, conjecture, assumptions, intuition, beliefs?  They all inform opinions. But I fail to see what you are trying to communicate with that statement.

Christians for example would have the "informed opinion" that abortion is murder.  Others think abortions are great; the freedom from responsibility of their actions is more important that the life of the unborn, or maybe they profit from the abortion industry.

Either way, both have informed opinions but have arrived at completely different conclusions.  

Again I ask what is the difference?

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17 hours ago, Troy said:

Were you aware of the Obama crying incident before Del mentioned it?

Mel, clearly you have a blind spot as too. Del wrote, "he was called weak."  Perhaps you should do a little research yourself and try to understand why people are calling the man weak.

Amerca is hurting and the Black community is in dire straights. If you can not see why a huge portion of the country is not as big a fan of Obama then there is probably nothing I can do to help you understand.

@Troy , OMG I was literally out of the country for all Obama Administration - and it seems I've forgotten more of what you actually know about the Obama administration. of course I knew of President Obama, flicking away the tears over sandy hook massacre ...this is what I mean by blind spot.  How can you not watch the movement of a person who holds so much power.  As much as I hate 45* is president I don't miss anything he does... I pay attention to his cabinet picks what they hell they're involved in, bills that are up for vote in congress, budgets executives orders and sadly his dummass tweets, ... Where are you???? - I'm going to go out on a limb say I already know more about the Trump administration than you do.  


 Maybe it's because you are a championed of books  and shun broadcast  and social media but there's information that is presented in real time in print, that you can peruse to  make an INFORMED opinion.    hell sign up for government email - both houses send out email of what goes on in the day to do - every government department allows you to sign up for email of their day-to-day - we still live in an open government democracy it's hard not to have facts.    Thank goodness for@Cynique ! - now i understand why you wrote you weren't going to vote... you are not participating!!!!

None of this, including the "Weak" moniker many men have assigned to President Obama is lost on me... but I've already written here in this thread I don't waste my time "researching" opinions.  Opinions are irrelevant without facts or evidence.   

Obama is a self-proclaimed Feminist - get over it ...but it does not make him weak by definition.   AGAIN , where is your evidence regarding the black community being in dire straits.. I deal in facts, and the most impoverished ethnic group in america is still the white community by $10,000 per capita.  Obama Administration passed quite a few laws, enacted initiatives, propped up the stock market (I even made money) signed executive orders that would return the black community hit hard by the 2008 recession back to whole...during Obama Administration there were more black women employed than ever in history , more high school graduates and a robust admissions in colleges with pell grant money in the billions which cut down on student loans - or and I forgot under the obama administration  the us dept of education stopped pilling on the interest to money already borrowed. 45* s budget already took aim at reversing it. 

Yes, the black community got hit hard by the 2008 recession but it wasn't created by the Obama Administration however as I've linked to all over this conversation and other discussions here  how his administration helped the black community.


42 Million strong, the black community spends as much as the country of Australia; economically speaking we have the money to spend.  So, I'm unsure what you're referring to when you speak to "dire straits" .  Any think tank  report available today, has now taken the focus off of poverty and now focusing on wealth building in the black community. We're now out of the impoverished column to looking for ways to close in on the wealth gap.  

 

Edited by Mel Hopkins
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No Mel, I don't watch Obama's every move--especially now.  

I definitely have no interest is reading 45's tweets.

I'm too busy trying to eat.

I do however read the newspaper and rely on journalists to sift through the morass of nonsense 45's tweets about and to do some investigations and research on my behalf and tell me what is important for me to know.  I have neither the time, inclination or the resources to do this, so I rely upon the media.

As you've should already know I do not think the media are perfect, and often find them biased against Black people but we need the media--desperately.

For example, I believe man's activity is causing climate change.  Not because I did research.  I just read a couple of compelling articles and believe them.  These "facts" have been disputed elsewhere.  I have no way of proving which "facts" right or wrong, and neither do you.  You either trust what you read or you don't. It is a matter of faith, colored by experience, bias, and intuition--our lens so to speak.

Your opinion of Obama is no different. Other smart people just as informed as you are, even more so will disagree.

No everyone is invested in the stock market, in case you have not noticed.  The wealthy certainly benefited during the Obama years.  The increase in the wealth gap has been widely reported.

As far as opinions being "irrelevant without facts or evidence," I strongly disagree with the statement.  That comes across as elitist.  Everyone has an opinion, you may not agree with it, but if you dismiss them out of hand simply because you feel you are more informed you will never truly understand the motivations of people. You'll stop listening because you'll believe your opinion is better, the only one worth holding.  

That is my opinion.

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24 minutes ago, Troy said:

I have neither the time, inclination or the resources to do this, so I rely upon the media.

@Troy YOU CAN'T.  

You have to do your own research.   I understand not having the time but you have to make time to be informed. It really is that important.  Just like you take the time to  research social media and its effects on small business you have to make the time to research the legislative, executive and judicial activities going on in Washington, D.C. and the world... and then with this forum encourage others especially black people to do the same... 

28 minutes ago, Troy said:

Other smart people just as informed as you are, even more so will disagree.

Then they aren't informed... I have no opinion of President Obama, I have an evidence of his actions. 

Edited by Mel Hopkins
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I know.

But in my opinion, politicians lie.  45 for example, plainly lies.  Why would I subject myself to this?  I hope the media sorts this out and gives me some semblance fo the truth.

If the media out by saying, "Donald Trump tweeted today..." I stop listening.

I also know unless you get your information from 9 different sources you are being lied to.

So I research the thing I have time to research like the nature of the web and how it impacts my ability to eat.

For other things like climate change and the activities or 45 I'll reply most on journalist and the opinions of others, including yours.

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30 minutes ago, Troy said:

No everyone is invested in the stock market, in case you have not noticed.  The wealthy certainly benefited during the Obama years.  The increase in the wealth gap has been widely reported.

There is no bar of entry to the stock market... for the same amount of a mcdonald's big breakfast anyone can make a trade...in fact, black think tank are encouraging black people to diversify their investments - while home ownership is still the biggest asset to wealth building  it is not the only one.  President Obama's dodd-frank law  (Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act )made it safe for consumers to invest in the market while not getting taken advantage.. The House just voted to  repeal that law

3 minutes ago, Troy said:

I also know unless you get your information from 9 different sources you are being lied to.

That's why you go to the source... court records, government periodicals, legislative proposals, etc... all on-line and available

5 minutes ago, Troy said:

So I research the thing I have time to research like the nature of the web and how it impacts my ability to eat.

And we trying to build a business really appreciate this information... I use your information as almost gospel ... but I still continue to research it.  Your information is my starting point though.

7 minutes ago, Troy said:

For other things like climate change and the activities or 45 I'll reply most on journalist and the opinions of others, including yours.

Thank you, @Troy, I've been tempted to do a "side column" on government as it relates to black people.. It feels like no one cares though... they want opinions and I just want them to make their own decisions.  I think maybe sharing the possible benefits or harm might not be biased it - but rather a way for folks to use the laws, and executive orders... maybe then more of us see the benefits it might help us get interested in government

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Mel I understand that you know how the stock market works and are good at research.  But again most people are not. 

I think a side column about politics would be a great idea. Why should you be the only one who benefits from your knowledge?

The challenge as you've noted however is generating interest.  In order to raise people's awareness and prompt meaningful action, people have to both be aware and interested in what you have to say.  They also have to understand why it is important.

I've learned Google, for example, is a major road block keeping us from each other online.  I've also learned that social media controls the information we see which distorts and biases our perspectives.  So I research and try to understand this area, because it not only adversely impacts Black folks it impacts my livelihood.  

Google and social media will directly and adversely impact your ability to reach the people who most need to read your political information.  

I also realize the negative impact of social media and Google are happening without our knowledge, so people have not clue unless you tell them.  It is like climate change.  I would have no clue we were on the brink of making the planet inhospitable to human habitation unless the media informed me.  Similarly, I would have no idea that Obama dropped more bombs from drones than Bush unless someone the media informed me. 

But information and facts alone are not enough.  We need understanding and context.

Just because you understand the stock market does not mean you will make money.  We rely on research reports and the companies themselves to provide information.  If they lie what good are our facts and information.  If rating agencies and government regulators fail to do their jobs we are screwed--and we are.

Did Obama drop more bombs from drones because drone technology improved and the tool was more readily available to him than it was to Bush, or did he drop more bombs because he viewed the increase in collateral damage (like killing everyone in an innocent wedding party) was an acceptable risk if fewer American's dide as a result of drone strikes?

Knowlegde of facts does not automatically impact understanding.

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I don't believe in climate change because I did a statiscal analysis. But then ,  had to see what drives weather and the different ways of taking yempetature. That's an informed opinion. Adopting someone else's opinion without any critical thinking is not informed. Yet uninformed people will argue and ridicule me. Even after I make suggestions so they can see it is a fiction. Not one detractor made any effort to check any of said suggestions. So if  don't argue or discuss it. Mel and Cynique are reporters. They have a position then check the validity of that statement. Even when i disagree I feel as though we cunderstand each other's point. If I disagree with you and Pioneer I don't gey that same sense. The difference though is you seem more open to changing your mind. Information to me is data that is rationally critiqued. Or compared snd contrasted. The only rational religious opinion is agnostic. A little thinking or a lot will reveal the verity of the aforementioned statement. 

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