Mr Mario A. Brossard, Really Dude?

[AJJones1007]

 Mr. Brossard, Really Dude?

Dear Mr. Brossard:  

After reading your puff piece in USA Today, I decided that a response was in order.  First, it seemed apparent to me that you wrote this article for the people paying your salary at Global Strategy Group.  One thing for sure, attempting to guilt black men into voting won’t move the needle.  It’s amazing to me how you and so many others like you think that you can lecture grown black men.  Black men are men, not children, they do not need the likes of you or anyone else telling them about voting.  Since it seems if though you have forgotten about 2016, let me give you a refresher.  Black men did not vote in 2016 for Hillary Clinton, “Ms. bring the super predators to heel” because of her history.  Although, the majority of the black votes went to her.  On the other hand, a large portion of white women and those who wish to be white voted for Donald Trump.  From the pictures of the office staff, it appears that this is the group of ‘women’ you should have been lecturing on voting.  So, did you lecture them or remind them that they should be voting for Joe Biden since Trump love to grab them by the %#@@?  My guest is you didn’t.  Political shields like yourself gain their strength from punching down when white capital is the benefactor.  Black men, like other groups in this country are becoming politically educated where they are learning to vote for their own interested and that of their families, not party loyalty or the lesser of two evils or any other rationale you may use to continue on this treadmill of ‘yard control’ by the two group who have been fighting each other since they set up the farce of a democracy.  It has been less than 60 years since black people gained the right to vote and the white supremacy rule of society has been working overtime to erode away this basic right as a citizen.  Meanwhile, Jim Crow Joe Biden promised illegals a path way to citizenship before he got their relatives vote.  Perhaps you do you know the history of the black struggle in the divided states of America.  Negroes (Spanish for Blacks) have been navigating this evil system for basic citizenship rights since 1640.  The priority for them back then is the same for Black men now.  Freedom, Family and the pursuit of property, not to continue to be beholding to overseers or Employers.   The Ancestors navigated their journeys well over three centuries, so to suggest that Black men are not seizing the moment, I would like to counter your statement by asking seizing what moment?   What promises or promise did Biden make “specifically,” to Black people?  Not minorities, or brown people or any other weasel words to slip another group into our narrative.  I’ll wait?  Even if Jim Crow Joe Biden wins, he nor (Copmala) Kamala Harris have not made any promises about prosecuting killer cops.  Mr. Biden did make a pledge to the killer police unions for more than a quarter of a million dollars.  The saga of police killing unarmed black people continues as I write this response.  But, I guess the killing of black people for sport is not as urgent or important as casting a vote for people who have built their careers on writing laws to put black men in cages and/or allowing cops to walk free.  If Black men decide to vote, that’s their choice. By the same token, if they decide not to vote, that their choice also.  Donald Trump is misusing the laws that Joe Biden helped to write and pass and (Copmala) Kamala Harris served as a collaborator for the police in California for three decades.  Black people from the grassroots did not want Kamala Harris, point blank end of story.  This was the reason she was the first to drop out of the 2020 presidential race.  To suggest that Biden had the Black community’s attention when he picked Kamala Harris is a joke and the joke is on you.  Kamala Harris is a white (Elite) insulting the black community who are the descendants from the institution of slavery and Jim Crow.  The wealth of this country was built by our Ancestors, therefore the divided states is obligated to pay the debt that is owed to us.  Nowhere in your puff piece did you mention “Reparation.” My hunch is you will not saying anything about Reparation if you want to continue to get paid by Global Strategy Group.  Martin Luther King caught a bullet because he recognized that the United States owed us a check.  Perhaps you need to listen to the speech where King reminded the country that the divided states gave the peasants of Europe land and all kinds of goodies when they arrived after our Ancestors built this %$^&@.  Black men who are the descendants from the killing fields of slavery have taken up that mantle.  Regardless if the Orange Man gets back into office, or Jim Crow Joe Biden, the goal for the Black Community from the grassroots will be the same.  Black men and Black Women are learning to work in the interest of Black families, not parties rather Republicans or Democrats.  Your conjecture about ‘blame’ is misguided.  The majority of white people put the Orange man in office, not black men.  Get your facts straight.  I’m out.

An Indigenous American, aka A Black Person

Chaplain B. iad2bfree@outlook.com 10/28/2020

[Troy]

I never heard of Mario A. Brossard, and I'm not interested enough to look him or his article up.

 

19 hours ago, AJJones1007 said:

or the lesser of two evils

 

I see no problem of voting for the lesser if two evils. If you're determined one evil is indeed lesser you should vote for the lesser one.

 

19 hours ago, AJJones1007 said:

To suggest that Biden had the Black community’s attention when he picked Kamala Harris

 

Who is suggesting this, Mario? Who in the Black community wanted a Biden/Harris ticket?

 

19 hours ago, AJJones1007 said:

Black men and Black Women are learning to work in the interest of Black families, not parties rather Republicans or Democrats. 

 

I hope so.

[Pioneer1]

Troy

I never heard of Mario A. Brossard, and I'm not interested enough to look him or his article up.

 

Lol, man I had to LOL for real with that statement because I had the SAME reaction.

I said, who the f....???

Mario A. Brossard???

I started to look him up and then decided......who cares?
Another negro running his mouth.

Probably some Sambo "token negro" on USA Today's payroll being paid to promote more anti-Black male political propaganda.

But I agree with most of AJ Jones' response.
My only problem with it is the "really dude" remark in the response....lol.

I use it myself sometimes, but I wish we as a people would get out of a habit of saying "really" and "dude" so much.
These are Caucasian slang terms and we rarely copy Caucasians when it comes to street and slang terms, they usually copy US.

I'm hearing Black youth running around calling eachother "bro".
 

"Really, bro??"
"Serioiusly, bro????"

 

I have to step in and check some of these young bruthaz.

Come on man, we call eachother "brutha" or "bruh".
But "bro" is usually something a goofy white dude says to us when he's TRYING to be cool, lol.

 

"Come on, gimme some dap bro...
Don't leave me hangin' "

I knew something was wrong when I started seeing more and more Black young men running around town in "skinny jeans" and skateboarding.

I had to ask myself, since when did Black you start imitating White youth???????

[Guest FAS]

22 hours ago, AJJones1007 said:

It has been less than 60 years since black people gained the right to vote

 

African-American men got the right to vote 150 years ago in 1870. And, like the above posters, I have no idea, nor care, who Mario Broussard is. I do care that Aljones doesn't know black history.

[Troy]

I noticed that factual inaccuracy too  but assumed he meant after the voting rights act when Black people in the south could vote, in practice.

[Guest FAS]

 

4 hours ago, Troy said:

I noticed that factual inaccuracy too  but assumed he meant after the voting rights act when Black people in the south could vote, in practice.

 

I've been hearing this nonsense about The Voting Rights Act of 1964 from blacks for over 15 years. I took him at his word - that black people literally could not vote in the 1960's, both de facto and de jure.

 

But this (the below) is gold:

 

On 10/29/2020 at 11:50 AM, AJJones1007 said:

Perhaps you need to listen to the speech where King reminded the country that the divided states gave the peasants of Europe land and all kinds of goodies when they arrived after our Ancestors built this %$^&@.

 

The speech:

 

 

[Guest FAS]

All black people asked was for our PROMISED 40 acres and a mule...

[Troy]

12 hours ago, Pioneer1 said:

I had to ask myself, since when did Black you start imitating White youth???????

 

Skate boarding transcends race. 

 

We should could continue Dr. King's riff;

 

Not only that, they forcibly removed the people who were already on the land...

[Mel Hopkins]

On 10/29/2020 at 12:50 PM, AJJones1007 said:

super predators to heel”

Did Hillary Clinton call black men super predators?  

 

Also did the “crime bill” specifically state to put black men in jail - or did city and state law enforcement and courts execute the law that way?  

 

Also, one thing about a rant compared to a published op-ed is the latter requires a copy-editor to check facts and clarity. This way readers won’t dismiss the narrative outright.  

 

I really wanted to learn something from this rant - but I got stuck at 60 years of voting.

 

As a result of previously abolishing the property requirement to vote, Black men got to the right to vote in 1870.

 

Black women got the vote 100 years ago in 1920.

 

Also, the north didn’t have jim crow laws.  

 

Also the 14 amendment of the Bill of Rights also gives the Union (United States) a pass from paying anyone for financial loss including the former confederate states as a result of the Civil War.  If this is up for debate - we will see a reparation case before the supreme court in the future. Just ask Byron Allen how that worked for him.  

 

I agree lecturing adults is useless -  but we should always be willing to check and question alleged facts.  

 

This way we can arrive at a solution. 

[Pioneer1]

 

Troy

 

Skate boarding transcends race. 

While this is true to a CERTAIN extent,  20 years ago you almost never saw an AfroAmerican over 15 skateboarding.  
Then White guys started doing it more and more and building big skate parks around the nation and then AfroAmerican men "got into" it.
 

Is there something inherently wrong with that?
No.

But basketball was our "thing" for the longest time and people around the world loved the way bruthaz got down on the court.  
Why didn't WE build Hoop-courts all over the nation and hype THAT up?

You may think this is silly but.....
I think we should push OUR thing.

 

People around the world used to LOVE the way AfroAmericans talked, danced, and dressed. Many still do.  Because we promoted it and were PROUD of it.   We didn't copy White men....they copied us.  But since Integration too many Black boys have grown up trying to be like White boys in CERTAIN respects.  Not in most, but in certain behaviors like wearing skinny jeans, eating funny foods, and getting tatoos.

 

When you push YOUR thing, people respect you as cool.
When you go running behind what others do, it's not as cool.
 

But that's my opinion.

 

 

All
 

We can criticize bits and pieces of the letter to Mr. Brossard....but what about the SUBSTANCE of what AJ Jones said?

The funny thing about us as Black people is a lot of times we'll do to other Black people what we don't want done to us.
We don't want OUR views ignored or misinterpreted....but sometimes we'll do it to another Black person.
We want OUR views respected and we don't like it when OTHERS nit-pick what we say and ignore the substance of it and the intent behind it, but we'll do it to another Black person.

One of the things I liked about the Nation Of Islam is they taught Black people HOW to get along with eachother.
We are NOT like Caucasians, and ONE of the reasons we're having so many issues in our community is because we're trying to relate to eachother LIKE Caucasians relate to eachother or to us.

Recognizing that most of us have a lot of pride, big egos, and desire to be seen as smart and well informed you have to be  VERY CAREFUL at how you talk to and treat another Black man/woman so as not to irritate the wound.

With that said, let me APOLOGIZE to AJ Jones for doing this myself and dwelling more on what I found WRONG with the letter more so than what I found correct!

Perhaps AJ Jones,...like me....is tired of people (of any race) feeling that they can openly bash Black men.

When did that become cool?
When did we start allowing that?

The substance of the letter deals with Black men being tired of being TOLD/SCOLDED/TALKED DOWN TO and people trying to "bully" them into voting, and I agree.
Black men are tired of being forced to constantly chose between the so-called "lesser" of two devils....neither of whom give a damn about our community.

Where is OUR "Tea Party"?

Where is OUR "Libertarian Party"?

Why do White men get to carve out their own little special interest groups and have people cater to THEIR needs and pander to THEM while Black men are expected to shut up and "tow the line" and not expect anything in return?

I've had to tell so many people lately, don't blame BLACK MEN because Hillary Clinton lost 2016.  
Blame Hilary Clinton!

Hell, she WON the popular vote by millions!
So it wouldn't matter if all the Black men in the nation voted....she wasn't getting in office because she refused to fight the results and conceded.

 

Stop using brothers as a scapegoat because these Caucasian Democrats constantly sell you out.

And stop it with this gender and sex divide.
They are CLEARLY targeting Black men and trying to separate us and a lot of our people who are educated and in the media either are blind to this OR have capitulated and decided to go along with it for money and position.

There is no "Black community" without the Black woman AND the Black man.
 

[Guest AJJones1007]

I stand corrected, if the 13th, 14th and 15 amendments had advanced the collective Black families.  They didn’t.  These ‘loopholes’ amendmentswere/are like the rest of the constitution, full of undercurrents and double speak.  The 13th amendment with the ‘except for crimes’ paved the way for the state’s prison industrial complex, (slavery by another name). The 14thhelped the peasants that arrived from Europe…ie, naturalized or immigrants to become the ‘new’ cheap labor force, instead of the former slaves. The 15th another ‘loophole’ that slipped in the phrase, ‘previous servitude,’ referencing the underclass from Europe who initially were of less value than the slaves to the employers or masters.  And lastly, the Supreme Court stated the following in Dred Scott’s decision in 1857:  “The constitution was not meant to include citizenship to black people, slave or free.” So, if the Ancestors were never meant to be citizen, thenvoting on paper was a moot point. Yes, I am aware the decision was nullified in 1866. This is an example of ‘undercurrent and double speak.’  The legality of the Constitution was set up by White Supremacists to benefits themselves and anyone other than “legally Black people.” Biden’s website listed several Immigration concerns as top priorities for the 2020 election.  Imagine that; Illegals getting priority and promises of benefits without being citizens of the country.  Rather 1800s, 1900s, or 2000s, the Constitution/the legal guide of the divided states has a history of offering more to ‘newcomers’ or illegals than Black Men who vote.  10/31/2020

[AJJones1007]

The expression “Really Dude” is synonymous to phrases such “Bro...seriously” “Really Bruh” *“Nigga Really” “For real Dude” “Really Fam” 

*(I do NOT condone the use of it, but it does slip out every green or grey moon).

I have literally lived and traveled all over this country and all over the world. I have been around black folk my whole life from all backgrounds. I didn’t come from no rich background either. Me using that expression were my exact words at the exact time after reading Mario Brossard’s USA Today article.

Now, depending on what part of the country you are in black people’s expressions and slang will change and be different depending on locale. To just come out and that really dude is a white slang term is bad because there are thousands of black Army brats and kids that have been exposed to many different parts of the country and the world who speak using the same vernacular wherever they may be, you are essentially and culturally throwing these kids under the bus. I been saying the word dude since I was 4...I just turned 40...27 days ago. My cousin Jimmy is from the West Side of the Chi...he is a year older the me and I got it from “Big Cuz” and he still says it to this day. 

Moral of the Story...

We as black folk are too fly and too different to be put in a box by how we speak. That is what makes us trendsetter as a culture. Every expression that I mentioned in this reply are just samples of how I speak. To assume that me saying “Really Dude” is me copying white slang is a fallacy and very far from the truth. The next time you hear a brotha say “Really Dude” pay attention to the facial expressions and the body language. I can promise you a white person is either NOT going to be as expressive or they are going to be overly expressive and go “over the top” with it. 

[Pioneer1]

AJ

 

Yeeaaaah, I guess....but.........

 

I'm around a decade older than you and I too have lived around the nation from the Midwest to the South to the West Coast and I don't recalled AfroAmerians using the term "Really???" as a slang to express profound astonishment prior to about 5 years ago.

And I don't remember hearing Caucasians use it for that purpose prior to 10 years ago.

 

I distinctly remember FIRST hearing the expression used in that manner in a television commercial.  After a few views I realized that the guy was using it as another way of saying "come on". .
Then like clockwork people all over society started using it...like the "wait what" phrase.

 

Now maybe I was a little late.
I'm not the smartest guy in the world.
But I don't remember it going back further than 10 years.

 

 

 

 

The next time you hear a brotha say “Really Dude” pay attention to the facial expressions and the body language. I can promise you a white person is either NOT going to be as expressive or they are going to be overly expressive and go “over the top” with it. 

 

Well ofcourse whether we evented it or not we're going to put a little "respect" on it, lol.
 

The term "dude" I have heard since childhood!

I heard cats on my old block say "dude" so much that to this very day when I hear the word "dude" I picture a young Black man in an Adidas sweatsuit and black derby hat leaning against a car talking trash...lol.

 

But the "really?????" expression, that's a new one.
 

You're right.
We're diverse.

But still...........lol.    
 

 

 

                  "Really dude?"

 

 

VS
 

 

               "Come on bruh...."

[Guest FAS]

20 hours ago, Guest AJJones1007 said:

I stand corrected, if the 13th, 14th and 15 amendments had advanced the collective Black families.  

 

They were never meant to. Nothing in the language of the amendments even speaks to families, black or otherwise. 

 

20 hours ago, Guest AJJones1007 said:

The 14thhelped the peasants that arrived from Europe…ie, naturalized or immigrants to become the ‘new’ cheap labor force, instead of the former slaves. 

 

 

This is 'stretching' it. The 14th Amendment simply gives citizenship.... to freedmen and European peasants or aristocrats.

 

20 hours ago, Guest AJJones1007 said:

The 15th another ‘loophole’ that slipped in the phrase, ‘previous servitude,’ referencing the underclass from Europe who initially were of less value than the slaves to the employers or masters.  

 

The 15th Amendment is not a "loophole," It has nothing to do with any underclass of Europe. It gives black men the right to vote.

20 hours ago, Guest AJJones1007 said:

The legality of the Constitution was set up by White Supremacists to benefits themselves and anyone other than “legally Black people.”

 

 

Not true. The Constitution was set up by RICH, LANDHOLDING white males  to benefit themselves AND NO OTHERS. black, white, or otherwise.

 

20 hours ago, Guest AJJones1007 said:

the Constitution/the legal guide of the divided states has a history of offering more to ‘newcomers’ or illegals than Black Men who vote. 

 

 

Do YOU have a history of more concern for Black men who vote than Black PEOPLE who vote? Is the above an "example of undercurrent and doublespeak?"

[Guest FAS]

3 hours ago, Guest FAS said:

23 hours ago, Guest AJJones1007 said:

The legality of the Constitution was set up by White Supremacists to benefits themselves and anyone other than “legally Black people.”

 

 

Not true. The Constitution was set up by RICH, LANDHOLDING white males  to benefit themselves AND NO OTHERS. black, white, or otherwise.

 

 

My bad. Was working on something when it occurred to me that AlJ might have been referring to the U.S. Constitution rather than the right to vote. I was right - I was wrong, but then again, I was right (lol). The Constitution was indeed set up to benefit whites but NOT just "anyone other than black" people. It was set up to benefit "most" Europeans (Jews, Italians, Irish and German, though European, were not considered to be white) but never Asians.  And then, there was the exception that proved the rule:  Finns from Finland in Northern Europe who were at one time considered to be not white, but Mongolian, ie.,Asian, thus, unwelcome to immigrate to the U.S. and partake in the rights and benefits of the U.S. Constitution. 

 

Look, I know it's long - it could have gotten longer (lol) - but I'm a stickler on the Constitution. We have certain rights; we need to know what they are. No homie game-playing with the U.S. Constitution. It controls our life.