Look, all of us are lumped into one helluva hole and the only way is to die out of it...

"Who made this world like this??? I'm the wrong color and the wrong sex!"
--June Jordon


Anyhow, the best we can do is to be of service... Help out... Git in where you fit in... Everybody can use some kind of help, whether they ask for it or not...

I am tired of the low self-esteems and the horrendous "sadistics" that plague my community... There are so many negatives... I guess when you multiply them, you get positives??? :confused:

But, I know I have been there and I've done that... I have worked "spirit filled" and "joyously" to uplift those of African descent, and have met resistance amongst those I had considered for the best support. But, "life for me, ain't been no crystal stair..."

Besides, angels do not come in colors that we can see nor comprehend...

Bush attended the National Urban League convention. A "Bougie" convention--or a "buppie" convention. I was suppose to go, but I could not for prior commitments... Bush attended that convention because he know he can get a few folks to vote for him there, whereas, he voting numbers would have been zero if he attended the NAACP. So he recused himself from going, quite lamely might I add--saying he was not going to put himself in harms way... In some ways, I can understand it... In many ways, I'm thinking, don't be a punk... But the National Urban League has Fortune 500 $$$ and can pay for Bush speaking fees...

NAACP has what???

Do any of you all pay for membership in the NAACP???

I know I use to. I do not now. I have not had the need or the money to lay out those kinds of dollars yet. Besides, who runs the local NAACP chapters are still stuck in the "we shall overcome" days of civil rights... The question to ask is, "is it working?"

The National Urban League fits into my lifestyle now. It has newer and fresher ideas to maintain civil rights for all people. Maybe Bush sees it, maybe he doesn't? I dunno...

As far as Black Families declining...

I have my own Black Family... My husband and I are our own family and we do things that are culturally relevant on a daily basis... Things simply as hair care...

Families are declining in general. It is hard to stay married when it is easier to be single, get paid more, pay less taxes. It is lonely being single, but you are in waaay more debt when folks have legal arrangements signed by the court... In fact, there is the marriage penalty...

If our Government does not condone support folks marriages--or legal unions--from a pure economic standpoint, then why be with anybody for any length of time unless you love that person???

Just asking...

i liked obama's speech.....he sounded like a republican. :)

Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: Is Barak Obama speaking Bill Cosby's words?
 

Thanks for the FACTS, I heard that 50 percent nonsense fall out of Cosby's mouth during his FIRST rant in DC. It turn my stomach to listen to a educated man spit such nonsense. It was just as bad, f not worse, as frat (Paige) calling the teacher's union a terriost organization. It's sad when we take "made up" stats and pass them off as truth only to belittle our respective races.

Been saying this for the longest. It isn't just a black problem. Women being abuse isn't just a black problem. Kids dropping out of school isn't just a black problem. We got to look at society as a whole when you talk about things like this.

Well if there are no specific black problems then really there is no need for anyone to talk about the black community and how politicians don't address their problems.

-Rudey

I totally agree with you on this. I'm learning to stay out of these types of discussions on GC, but I had to jump in here. It's not just the black family that is on the decline, it's the human race.

Yes, there are some in the black community not holding up their end of the bargain. Yes, some need better parenting skills, more education and a more innate spirit of determination. I can't deny that. But that's not MY reality. I was raised by two parents, as were most of my friends. I've gone to some of the best schools, I work my ass off every day, I don't plan to have children out of wedlock and I'd like to think I contribute to society on a daily basis. Most of the people in my circle live similar lives. So, why I am supposed to defend the actions of those who decided, consciously or due to circumstance, not to better themselves? I don't ask white people to speak up for their Uncle Bubba living in the backwoods of Kentucky, having relations with his daughter every night. Or Aunt Sally from the trailer park who spends her entire welfare check on Vicodin or at "the Walmart". All I can do is make sure my house is in order and be an example to those coming after me.

The fact is, we live in a classist society. There is always going to be a lower class in every race. Why is it front page news because Cosby/Obama acknowledges this?:confused: I really think this a case of some non-black people (and some black people) taking this opportunity to look down on "those lazy, ignorant blacks" because it makes them think their own shit don't stink. Guess what? Roses really smell like boo boo. I read the paper, I watch the news, and I know from personal experiences that there are lots and lots of degenerate white people (and every other race) out there. The black people on here shucking and jiving and agreeing with this nonsense seem to think, or at least hope, that looking down on other blacks separates them from the pack. I just don't get how some of you on here sit around agreeing with the masses, posting slanted statistics, saying, "yeah, my race is in an awful state, isn't it?" Well, where does that place you? And better yet, what are YOU doing about it?

What I don't get is why this is being discussed ad nauseam over here. Why discuss it if 1) it is not relevant to you and/or 2) you have no desire to help remedy the situation? For those of you that have said this type of stuff "needs to be said" (Honeykiss, I got this from your post), my question is, why? What good does it do? The audience who needs to hear it isn't listening and probably wouldn't give a damn if they were.

When has anyone on here said that we want politicians to address the "problems" being discussed in this thread?:confused: I don't expect politicians to take the crack pipe out of someones hand, make someone speak "proper" English or take better care of their children. What I do expect politicians to do is ensure that there is equal opportunity to education, housing, employment, etc... The only reason those tend to be "black problems" is because those basic rights are often not afforded to us.

I guess its ok to reply to countless thread on GC about how tacky some of OUR people can be (when it comes to behaviors, clothing, etc.) or even the countless threads about a certain problem disproportionately affecting the black community (AIDS, incarceration rates, etcs.) , but NOW - its taboo according to some because its not in an NPHC thread? Now having dialogue about the problems of the black community and what to do about them has someone been turned into "I'm better than those negros" attitude?? Ok, I am officially SMH now. All this because of WHERE this thread is? I guess this is the same thing as Bill making his comments in front of a non-black audience as he did with his first speach.

As I said in same post that Bamboozled has referenced, maybe these types of discussions will motivate people (who currently aren't doing a thing) to do something – ANYTHING. The actions of one person does make a difference.

I've been SMH for a while now too, so that makes two of us. I usually don't have much input in the threads you're referencing, so I really can't speak on that. But yes, I guess I do appoint different levels of importance to tacky clothes and stereotyping an entire race of people. And, if you noticed, I said that I think some white people take this as an opportunity to think they're better and that some black people use it as an opportunity to separate themselves from the pack. I wasn't specifically talking about you.

And I guess, in a small way, I do have a problem with WHERE this is being discussed. Would you go to an Atheist message board to figure out how to be a better Christian? I just don't think a lot of people over here are interested in DOING anything about our "problems". They'd rather just discuss them.

VERY VERY good point Rudey. Some people want it both ways...they want to say there are no problems in the black community (any different from other communities) but at the same time they want to know how a candidate plans on reaching out to specific problems that face the african american community...:confused: I think some people get caught up in the debating that they don't realize what they're saying doesn't make sense.

^5!
Dang girl, you're the only person I can quote and don't have much to add! :p

And again, I say to you what I said to Rudey:
When has anyone on here said that we want politicians to address the "problems" being discussed in this thread? I don't expect politicians to take the crack pipe out of someones hand, make someone speak "proper" English or take better care of their children. What I do expect politicians to do is ensure that there is equal opportunity to education, housing, employment, etc... The only reason those tend to be "black problems" is because those basic rights are often not afforded to us. What other "black problems" does the black community ask politicians to address?

As far as Bill making his comments in front of a white audience, that's really not an issue for me. I guess I'm just wondering what the point is? To let us all know there is a bad element among us? Check... I think we all get that. So now what?

And I reiterate:
I just don't get how some of you on here sit around agreeing with the masses, posting slanted statistics, saying, "yeah, my race is in an awful state, isn't it?" Well, where does that place you? And better yet, what are YOU doing about it?

And I just don't understand how some of YOU sit around here disagreeing just to be disagreeing based on your emotions and not facts, are in denial about the urgency of the situation in the black community, and call anyone that addresses these issues head on without shielding the truth a sell out...uncle Tom or a more trendy phrase asking them "are they comfortable in their own skin" :rolleyes:

I'm not really taking sides, because you both have a point...but I think it is unfair how certain people can say certain things and get away with it...

Why is it that Oprah can have a show about black men living on the downlow and she is praised? Correct me if I'm wrong, her target audience is WHITE women in their 30's. Bill Cosby is both praised and criticized, but mostly praised. Buuuuut if any common black person shares their opinion about situations in the black community (that aren't positive) they are condemned. :confused:

This isn't my fight and I really am not concerned much between who your community sees as its leaders and how you want to help your community. Aside from saying that I will say that on here, and in my experience, I have experienced what I said about remarks about leaders. But whatever no skin off my back since I have my own community to take care of.

-Rudey

This never ceases to amaze me. Rudey, the only black leaders I'll ever need in my life are my dad and someday my husband.