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Quote:

Originally posted by Honeykiss1974
Bill Cosby has done a his fair share for the black community so I think he is qualified to comment on its state. Who do you think should be commenting on it? Only people that live in a poor urban area? Or those that do not make over a certain median income?

Sorry, but I think if you are a person that is trying to better our community and society in general you can comment on it.

And seriously, at what point will we stop waiting on a person to get things started? I think the black church should be at the heart of fixing a lot of the ails of our community instead of waiting for someone else to do it. We should be the one's running after school programs (to keep kids productive and off the street), mini-health clinics in our church basements, drug/alcohol abuse support groups, etc. We need to be the ones to show the love of Christ in action everday by helping those around us.

I agree with this wholeheartedly.

Quote:

I think the church, and others community institutions, ARE working to make things better on small and large scales, depending on their size/resources. The church's PRIMARY mission, IMO, is showing people the realization of Jesus Christ as Savior, and secondarily showing people how to live more vibrant and impactful lives while we await Christ's return. My church has a community center which houses a K-3 school, an elder day care, and periodically has housed a small business incubator. On top of traditional support ministries for congregants and frankly anybody who comes in the door. That doesn't make us special; as a lot of churches do similar things, which is what we should be doing.

But this constant criticism that everything is a perpetual downward spiral is tired. Poor people making poor socio-economic choices live in every American city. But so do people working to make bad situations better. BOTH these groups existed before Cosby's current world tour. Maybe Cosby's folks should devise a metric so we can chart successes and replicate successful delivery models in other communities.

I respect and love Bill Cosby for his accomplishments and his example of Black success in America. His words are not without some merit. But it's time for this blanket castigation of all things Black lower socio-economic class to stop.

And this.

I too feel Cosby has done so much for the black community, he has so much wisdom and is a worthy candidate for speaking about what's really going on, and he gives generously from his pockets, he's not just talk. but the reality is that most people christian or not are afraid to take a stand, sometimes satan's greatest weapon is our own fear.

Re: Re: Re: Martin and Malcolm

Quote:

Originally posted by Gods Ivy
I just hope that there is a positive outcome. Will this change us as a race is the question?

I think it will. But only marginally.

I agree with much that has been posted to I wont rehash.

The last time blacks unified on any issue and was propelled into movement was to vote for Reuben on AI.

Re: Re: Re: Re: Martin and Malcolm

Quote:

Originally posted by teena
I think it will. But only marginally.

I agree with much that has been posted to I wont rehash.

The last time blacks unified on any issue and was propelled into movement was to vote for Reuben on AI.

I can agree with that. I am ready for change, am a part of change, and would love others to adopt it. I really hope this will at make them begin to seek change and advocated for change in their lives.

Re: Coby's comments

Quote:

Originally posted by PositivelyAKA
I too feel Cosby has done so much for the black community, he has so much wisdom and is a worthy candidate for speaking about what's really going on, and he gives generously from his pockets, he's not just talk. but the reality is that most people christian or not are afraid to take a stand, sometimes satan's greatest weapon is our own fear.

Hijack...where have you been?
:)

Maybe its no longer possible for black americans or black people in general to "change as a race". Things have changed so much both globally and here in America. We were so grouped together during the days of segregation (in its first form) and jim crow that there truly was a sense of togetherness in the struggle. But things have changed a lot in countless ways, both good and bad. People are, in general, more individualized in their thinking. Many black people are conservative (with a small C) and feel that they have and will make it in life because of their own merit, not because of anything someone gave them. I just don't really feel that there is A or ONE black America any more and that is actually why people feel like change in and among ourselves as a group in never going to happen. It probably won't. People have to live for themselves and I don't mean that in a selfish way. What I mean is that people already look out for themselves and their own families and thats about all one can expect another to do. So, why not just accept that? There is absolutely nothing wrong with reaching out and lending a helping hand. We are all supposed to do that. But doing so with a "I have to do this because I am black and so are you" attitude isn't the crux of the issue anymore.

Rather than people waiting for some miraculous grand awakening of black people to occur, we need to just live our own lives to the best of our abilities and try to encourage one another as Christians are supposed to do, or what ever your religion calls for in terms of helping our fellow man. This goes for Bill Cosby and anyone else. When he talks, everyone nods their heads because everyone does feel and can relate to what he is saying. No one is fighting with him over his views. The problem is that the motivation for change is going to always have to come from within each individual person, not from some external force.

Quote:

Originally posted by Phasad1913
Maybe its no longer possible for black americans or black people in general to "change as a race". Things have changed so much both globally and here in America. We were so grouped together during the days of segregation (in its first form) and jim crow that there truly was a sense of togetherness in the struggle. But things have changed a lot in countless ways, both good and bad. I just don't really feel that there is A or ONE black America any more and that is actually where people feel like change in and among ourselves in never going to happen. It probably won't. People have to live for themselves and I don't mean that in a selfish way. What I mean is that people already look out for themselves and their own families and thats about all one can expect another to do. So, why not just accept that? There is absolutely nothing wrong with reaching out and lending a helping hand. We are all supposed to do that. But doing so with a I have to do this because I am black and so are you isn't the crux of the issue anymore. Rather than people waiting for some miracuous grand awakening of black people to occur, we need to just live our own lives to the best of our abilities and try to encourage one another as Christians are supposed to do, or what ever your religion calls for in terms of helping our fellow man. This goes for Bill Cosby and anyone else. When he talks, everyone nods their heads because everyone does feel and can relate to what he is saying. No one is fighting with him over his views. The problem is that the motivation for change is going to always have to come from within each individual person, not from some external force.

Interesting point of view

Quote:

Originally posted by Phasad1913
Maybe its no longer possible for black americans or black people in general to "change as a race". Things have changed so much both globally and here in America. We were so grouped together during the days of segregation (in its first form) and jim crow that there truly was a sense of togetherness in the struggle. But things have changed a lot in countless ways, both good and bad. People are, in general, more individualized in their thinking. Many black people are conservative (with a small C) and feel that they have and will make it in life because of their own merit, not because of anything someone gave them. I just don't really feel that there is A or ONE black America any more and that is actually why people feel like change in and among ourselves as a group in never going to happen. It probably won't. People have to live for themselves and I don't mean that in a selfish way. What I mean is that people already look out for themselves and their own families and thats about all one can expect another to do. So, why not just accept that? There is absolutely nothing wrong with reaching out and lending a helping hand. We are all supposed to do that. But doing so with a "I have to do this because I am black and so are you" attitude isn't the crux of the issue anymore.

Rather than people waiting for some miraculous grand awakening of black people to occur, we need to just live our own lives to the best of our abilities and try to encourage one another as Christians are supposed to do, or what ever your religion calls for in terms of helping our fellow man. This goes for Bill Cosby and anyone else. When he talks, everyone nods their heads because everyone does feel and can relate to what he is saying. No one is fighting with him over his views. The problem is that the motivation for change is going to always have to come from within each individual person, not from some external force.

Phasad1913,
I feel you on this post. We're too diverse to realistically ever again expect one person to lead us. As one of those small "c" conservatives you mentioned, I think a significant portion of the successful AfAm community is rightly concerned about helping those trying to help to help themselves. Most of us are making it, or at least on our way, and remember the obstacle/s we had to conquer. Knowing that, our greater sense of collective good, IMO, leads us to reach back. Hopefully, our diversity won't kill that.

True, there are knuckleheads who squandered their talent and didn't prepare. Bad choices usually yield bad results. But my social service peeps (and my own observations) suggest that the majority of lower-economic class are not shiftless, anti-social, negative-headline generating gangbangers. The majority are the ones hitting the Urban Leagues and the Life Skills centers, and other programs, trying, as best they can, to come up.

When the prodigal son came to himself and made his way back home, he didn't get a lecture. He got restoration. And even if the poor have to find full restoration on their own, they at least deserve to make the trip back home without full-throated criticism ringing in their ears.

Then the question still remains, can we be marginalized when there are so many differences among us?

Also, we beat each other down so hard, "crabs in the barrel mentality" rather than lift folks up that it is nature of our society. Can we ever have that communal, altruistic upliftment to the "promised land"??? Can we all just get along???

We even do it here on GC... At the beginning of GC, we did not terrorize folks for voicing their thoughts and opinions, but now it is an all out "bash and headbangers" ball that we even avoid listening to hear what folks are really trying to say...

If one were read through, there some interesting statements made...

Yes its been a minute

Hijack...where have you been?

hey soror, i have been on the grind, so busy working and back in school. i am doing well no complaints. do you get to la often anymore?

__________________

>Their struggle was against everyone else-the government, society and its constructs.

With MLK, to some extent that's true. With Malcolm X, I think he saw changing black people's choices and behavior as way more important than trying to convince white people to act right. My best understanding of his central message is: "Are we going to stand around and wait for what is ours to be given to us by white people? No. We've been waiting 300 years. We need to take pride in ourselves and build our OWN society today: we need to patronize our own businesses, stop poisoning ourselves with drugs and gambling, and our men need to stand by their families and protect them."

So I see a great deal of Malcolm X in Cosby's message.