Black Culture Discussion Thread

[julius wrek]

Son of Baldwin on America after Ferguson

Something that confounds me in conversations about racism is some white people's insistence that anti-Blackness and anti-Whiteness are comparable; that there is a moral or social equivalence between the two. They seem to be coming from the perspective that being white is just like being black. There is never any analyses about power dynamics or racial hierarchies or how Whiteness, itself, functions as an inherently oppressive state of existence defining itself as supreme and necessitating Blackness being defined as inherently inferior. None of that. Just your average, everyday, dictionary definition of racism (written by white people), devoid of context, nuance, and lived-reality.

Another thing that confounds me is black people who cling to Respectability Politics as a viable means to end anti-black racism.

They believe racism is black people's fault because some black people don't "live up" to a middle-class, European, Western, bourgeois standard.

They talk about "black-on-black crime" as though it's an exceptional, blacks-only pathology (when white-on-white crime is just as prevalent but because white supremacy rules the day, white crimes are never framed in that way).

They hold black people to an impossible moral standard that they wouldn't dare, and don't, hold white people to.

They believe that by being perfect, or as close to perfect as a human being can get--and by ignoring the historic and contemporary socioeconomic disparities that undergird this situation--white people will see the value of black lives and stop being racist.

It doesn't matter how many examples there are that prove that theory a complete and utter misunderstanding of how racism actually works. For example, President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama are likely the two most respectable Negroes in America right now. They also prescribe to respectability politics. Has that protected them from racism? No the **** it has not.

Respectable Negroes cling to this idea because they wish to avoid the notion that they are powerless. Blaming the victims of racism for racism is easier than confronting and dismantling white supremacy. Confronting white supremacy involves risks to life and property that black people who want to be White are unwilling to take. The blaming allows them a false sense of power and control while maintaining the collective delusion that the strategy will actually work.

White people love Respectable Negroes (even if they'd sooner shoot them down in the street at the drop of a dime, too) because they give Whiteness an alibi. Respectable Negroes indict Blackness and advocate for Whiteness to remain uncharged, unexamined, and inculpable. As long as black people are blaming other black people for anti-black racism, Whiteness is absolved and can remain invisible and empowered. So many white people ride shotgun (figuratively and literally) on the Respectable Negro wagon. Zip-a-dee-doo-da.

Thank goodness  Brittney C Cooper, Ph.D., Phillip Agnew of the  Dream Defenders, rapper  Tef Poe,  Anna Deveare Smith, Jelani Cobb  and others, participated in this town hall to disavow fools of their tomfoolery and gathered their pieces to put back in the correct order.

Link

 

[drones]

I've been looking at the news and there seems to be a concerted effort to tie black youth in America to ISIS and the Islamic State.  It's propaganda at work and they're trying to tie us with their own enemies* to justify destroying/subjugating us further.  Keep watch for these stories of black youth 'joining' ISIS and pay attention to how new propaganda branches are created.

*I put an asterisk next to enemies because 'ISIS' is almost certainly a CIA creation meant to serve as the newest Emmanuel Goldstein for America to rage against.  Every time we are faced with a new threat our liberties are stripped further and further; recall the PATRIOT Act in 2001.

 

[victor page]

I've been looking at the news and there seems to be a concerted effort to tie black youth in America to ISIS and the Islamic State.  It's propaganda at work and they're trying to tie us with their own enemies* to justify destroying/subjugating us further.  Keep watch for these stories of black youth 'joining' ISIS and pay attention to how new propaganda branches are created.



*I put an asterisk next to enemies because 'ISIS' is almost certainly a CIA creation meant to serve as the newest Emmanuel Goldstein for America to rage against.  Every time we are faced with a new threat our liberties are stripped further and further; recall the PATRIOT Act in 2001.

Its all part of the plan. This is the beginning of the police state.

All of this was exposed during Iran Contra when the Rex-84 plan was revealed.

Rex 84, short for Readiness Exercise 1984, was a classified "scenario and drill" developed by the United States federal government to suspend the United States Constitution, declare martial law, place military commanders in charge of state and local governments, and detain large numbers of American citizens who are deemed to be "national security threats", in the event that the President declares a "State of National Emergency". The plan states, events causing such a declaration would be widespread U.S. opposition to a U.S. military invasion abroad, such as if the United States were to directly invade Central America.[1][2][3][4][5] To combat what the government perceived as "subversive activities", the plan also authorized the military to direct ordered movements of civilian populations at state and regional levels.[6]

Rex 84 was written by Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North, who was both National Security Council White House Aide, and NSC liaison to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), and John Brinkerhoff, the deputy director of "national preparedness" programs for the FEMA. They patterned the plan on a 1970 report written by FEMA chief Louis Giuffrida, at the Army War College, which proposed the detention of up to 21 million "American Negroes", if there were a black militant uprising in the United States.[1][7] Existence of a master military contingency plan (of which REX-84 was a part), "Garden Plot" and a similar earlier exercise, "Lantern Spike", were originally revealed by journalist Ron Ridenhour, who summarized his findings in an article in CounterSpy.[8]

Transcripts from the Iran-Contra Hearings in 1987 record the following dialogue between Congressman Jack Brooks, Oliver North's attorney Brendan Sullivan and Senator Daniel Inouye, the Democratic Chair of the joint Senate-House Committee:[9]

[Congressman Jack] Brooks: Colonel North, in your work at the N.S.C. were you not assigned, at one time, to work on plans for the continuity of government in the event of a major disaster?

Brendan Sullivan [North's counsel, agitatedly]: Mr. Chairman?

[Senator Daniel] Inouye: I believe that question touches upon a highly sensitive and classified area so may I request that you not touch upon that?

Brooks: I was particularly concerned, Mr. Chairman, because I read in Miami papers, and several others, that there had been a plan developed, by that same agency, a contingency plan in the event of emergency, that would suspend the American constitution. And I was deeply concerned about it and wondered if that was an area in which he had worked. I believe that it was and I wanted to get his confirmation.

Inouye: May I most respectfully request that that matter not be touched upon at this stage. If we wish to get into this, I'm certain arrangements can be made for an executive session.

Exercises similar to Rex 84 have happened in the past.[1 For example, from 1967 to 1971, the FBI kept a list of over 100,000 persons to be rounded up as subversive, dubbed the "ADEX" list.[11]

 

[nawghtyhare]

Just sitting here thinkin.......
Continue moving forward my fellow black men and women
I'm proud to be a black man living my life and doing everything I can to take care of my family
Even with all that this country has thrown at us
I'm happy that we are all able to rise and prosper as a people
We are STRONG
No matter how hard they try and stop us
We persevere
Idk man I'm just happy to be black
Happy to have a family that I live and lives me unconditionally
And people who even if I don't know them I do know them(if u know what I mean)
I'm speaking about all u black folks reading this right now
I love y'all real talk



EDIT: my bad y'all I'm sittin here and just finished watching 12 years a slave again and got all in my feels

 

[C.Magneto]

@nawghtyhare

We're a righteous people brother. Long as we maintain this path of righteousness we'll all get where we're supposed to be.

View media item 1200651

 

[Quincy McCall]

Right there with you @nawghtyhare, such a great culture cannot be repressed

a great page this has been, opened me up a lil'

the blame and name game has been strong, and I just as bad as many

we all need to educate ourselves, lookin' down on other brothers is not the answer

the media has made us all scared to portray ourselves

unity and understanding is key, even though we must make them understand us.

 

[drones]

Everyone knows Charlemagne the God from hip hop radio, but who knew the real Charlemagne was a black king?

 

[mr marcus]

I wanna say I knew that but from awhile back. The entertainer cthagod is actually up on knowledge but I think his success is turning him into a ****. And no I'm not hating him because of it but his views on privilege rubs me the wrong way.

What yall think about that **** Steve Harvey having Paula Dean mentor young black males. It sickens me how blacks love lifting up these white folks who get exposed as racists. Paula is a deep born and raised racist

Jewish community would never uplift Mel Gibson if he tried making a comeback. Blacks love doing that **** ****...word to mike vick embracing Riley cooper

 

[krystyles26]

I wanna say I knew that but from awhile back. The entertainer cthagod is actually up on knowledge but I think his success is turning him into a ****. And no I'm not hating him because of it but his views on privilege rubs me the wrong way.

What yall think about that **** Steve Harvey having Paula Dean mentor young black males. It sickens me how blacks love lifting up these white folks who get exposed as racists. Paula is a deep born and raised racist

Jewish community would never uplift Mel Gibson if he tried making a comeback. Blacks love doing that **** ****...word to mike vick embracing Riley cooper

Agreed with your views on cthagod. Im assuming you saw the killer mike and childish gambino interview.

 

[C.Magneto]

 

 

[julius wrek]

 

[luckyluchiano]

http://www.slavevoyages.org/tast/resources/slaves.faces


You can look up Slaves by their name and see where they were picked up from and dropped off. Found a slave with my name but it looks like their slave ship was intercepted before getting able to leave. Saw a TON of people from the Liberia/Sierra Leone area sent to Cuba. Its kind of scary looking at this stuff.

 

[tay1]

 Interesting site

 

[truth-serum]

I'm sure y'all heard about the Ebola patient in Dallas. I knew they were gonna let him die cuz they were treating him like a leper.

You mean to tell me all the white people they flew here survived including that old white lady but somehow this young black man couldn't. SMH

 

[blazersfan]

I'm sure y'all heard about the Ebola patient in Dallas. I knew they were gonna let him die cuz they were treating him like a leper.

You mean to tell me all the white people they flew here survived including that old white lady but somehow this young black man couldn't. SMH

Yep, same thing I said. 

 

[mr marcus]

I was telling folks they were gonna let him die. So I'm guessing he finally did? Haven't watched the news today

 

[truth-serum]

Yea. This morning. Apparently they didn't even give him the same drug like the other people. They gave him a drug that wasn't approved for humans yet.

****** still getting treated like animals like we're not human. Damn

I was telling folks they were gonna let him die. So I'm guessing he finally did? Haven't watched the news today

 

[C.Magneto]

No surprise there. I know people feel a way about Minister Farrakhan, but for what he potentially represents could be a threat to white supremacy. Because of that, I believe he was done dirty with the medical treatment and given a colostomy bag to mitigate his image as a leader. 

While were on the NOI

"Only black men with high amounts of melanin in the brain are this athletically gifted, and higher dopamine due to higher melanin should mean less susceptibility to Parkinson’s because black men have more dopamine to lose. It is my belief that the only way a black man, especially a black athlete that is not genetically predisposed, could acquire Parkinson’s is if he was injected with a chemical that could kill a vast amount of dopamine relatively quickly. I’m going to quote the toxicity report for methyl phenyl tetrahydropyrinide: “Injection of MPTP causes rapid onset of Parkinsonism.” In 1976, a chemistry graduate from Maryland named Barry Kidston injected himself with MPTP and in three days started exhibiting symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. It is my belief that when Ali was examined by the Mayo Clinic in 1981 and it was discovered that he had dementia pugilistica, it was conspired that he be injected with MPTP to give him Parkinson’s because the world would assume that his condition was an extension of DP, a stealthy, yet perfect cover up. The government had already killed Kennedy, Malcolm, King, and abroad the father of black consciousness Steven Biko was killed and Nelson Mandela was in jail, and they had one more influential black man they had to silence."

 

[knowledgebones72]

Im sorry but that quote is based in no fact beside stating a chemical that can cause parkinsons. Nothing related to Ali or Black athletes in that quote has any factual basis whatsoever, and thats the kind of stuff that keeps me from rocking with Farrakhan like I want to. I feel like people who shape their arguments that way are being deceptive and counting on people not thinking critically about what they say. Once again, I keep wanting to rock with Farrakhan, but cmon bruh what about all the other high level Black athletes who have come and gone without anyone caribg who are suffering from Parkinson's? This frustrates me to no end, because I put the direction of my life into accessing information and research to share with my people so a Farrakhan could really say a fully factual statement, and hes out here being super irresponsible witha quote like above that focuses more on the idea that if throw around some jargon then people who dont fully follow will just agree out of wanting to be on the same team as you. I can't respect that.

 

[C.Magneto]

Farrakhan didn't say that my dude.

Was just posting it is as a discussion piece. I shoulda prefaced it better.

As far as farrakhan goes there's something about it him that doesn't sit well with me either and i really cant put it in to words. And also like you said I wanna be a supporter. I really appreciate what the hon. elijah muhammad did during his time. Any scholarly short comings he may have had I am willing to overlook for that of a man with a 4th graders education. 

As far as the Ali thing it's hard to say. I've read scientific journals before where they hypothesized Irish boxers were melanin deficient and that allowed them to take more hits because there was a less abundant amount of neuro relayers for pain. 

(not trying to make this a blacks are superior argument because of melanin debate)

From a historical perspective Ali was a powerful man who was involved in things that were unprecedented of an athlete. I don't think it's far fetched for someone to question a conspiracy that involved debilitating him and his abilities. Look at what they did with Mandela.

One thing the Honorable Elijah Muhammad said that I've held to be true is that when you have love for your people, you aint got time to love nothing else. So with that said, I'm sending love, positive vibes and light to everyone on behalf of the greatest entertainer of all time:

 

[knowledgebones72]

Repped, bruh. I agree 100% with everything you just said.

*pounds knuckles*

 

[C.Magneto]

 

[daytona 5000]

At the end of the day all our issues stem from the fact that we as black folks don't have an economic base to protect us. Black people need to start practicing group economics, and only then can we begin to see some kind of change.

This video is long but PLEASE view if you have a chance. This Brother is dropping nothing but gems.

 

[bradnsu]

At the end of the day all our issues stem from the fact that we as black folks don't have an economic base to protect us. Black people need to start practicing group economics, and only then can we begin to see some kind of change.

This video is long but PLEASE view if you have a chance. This Brother is dropping nothing but gems.

YEA DR.CLAUDE is the truth I always listen to his speeches...

 

[tay1]

We need people starting businesses. Seeing that we like to pump out money to all these designers who don't like us and are already spending $200 on shoes, I can't understand why we aren't more involved in clothing & shoes.