Black Culture Discussion Thread

[sooperhooper]

Entertainers don’t be giving a **** bout us
They perpetuate
And encourage the hood lifestyle
They glorify drugs and bunch of other things
Best thing to do imo
Is to try to make a change within the community urself
Or/and raise ur kids to do the same
And then they do the same
Only way we can over come
And honestly
We need to break away from everyone else
And start our own lil town
U know
Like black Wall Street
Exactly like it
Everyone who looks like u working together
To better each other

And that's why I don't understand why cats are so elated when a rapper gets out of jail. Like he's actually gonna do something.

And what kinda irritates me the most is that these rappers glorify this lifestyle, and these white folks fund it gladly and fully support the artist because they know his music isn't affecting the white community. Meanwhile young black kids emulate them and get locked up.

 

[hand2handking]

Revealed: Dream Democrat Agenda Includes Reparations
Behind closed doors, wealthy liberal donors plot universal healthcare, free college, and reparations

http://freebeacon.com/politics/revealed-dream-democrat-agenda-includes-reparations/

A wealthy Democratic donor club plotting the future of the liberal movement hopes to be fighting for reparations by 2022, according to a document obtained by the Washington Free Beacon from the Democracy Alliance's spring conference this week in Atlanta.

The desire was stated in the invitation for a Monday reception during the annual spring gathering, which was attended by top Democratic Party officials such as DNC chairman Tom Perez, former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe, and Reps. Raul Grijalva (Ariz.) and Mark Pocan (Wis.).

The reception, "Way to Win: 2022 Victory Party," was presented as a look forward at what's possible if Democrats can be effective in coming elections.

"It's 2022 and we are celebrating policy victories across the nation: Medicare for All and Free College, and next on the agenda is Reparations," the group projected, according to an invitation to the event.

"Take a ride in our time machine to hear from the true political geniuses who made this happen," it says.

The group further predicts that the successful implementation of universal health care and free college will lead to more sweeping election victories, including the governorship in Texas and its electoral votes in the 2024 presidential election.

"Because we’re governing with gusto, we’re seeing victories up and down the ballot—including winning a governorship in Texas and putting 38 electoral votes in grasp by 2024," it says. "Stop in 2020 and 2019 when local power builders turned Arizona and Florida solidly blue and established Virginia as a progressive governance juggernaut."

The event was headlined with a speech by Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams, who the group predicted would "set the course for a new wave of leaders." She was pictured on the night of the event with McAuliffe, who was also a featured speaker at the conference and is considering a run for president in 2020.

Abrams has not publicly backed plans for universal health care or free college tuition, both policy positions supported by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I., Vt.). She has also not come out in support of reparations, a policy proposal that even Sanders has come out against.

Representatives for the DNC, which had a substantial presence at this week’s conference, did not respond to a request for comment on whether it thinks a push for policies such as reparations would be politically wise for the party.

The Democracy Alliance is the left's biggest donor club and has been embraced in recent years by party leadership. Its donor conferences have featured appearances by Democratic minority leader Nancy Pelosi and prominent Democratic senators such as Elizabeth Warren (Mass.) and Kamala Harris (Calif.).

The "2022 Victory Party" event was cohosted by a number of prominent liberal groups such as Planned Parenthood Action Fund, the Collective PAC—a collection of entities with a mission to build "black political power"—and the Women Donors Action Network, which seeks to leverage the power of progressive women donors.

The Solidaire Network, a group of wealthy liberal donors who foster protest and direct action, was also involved with the event. The Solidaire Network joined forces with two other liberal groups to form a "resistance" fund that combats "immediate threats" to "immigrants, women, Muslim and Arab-American communities, black people, LGBTQ communities, and all people of color" and push back against Republicans.

The Center for Popular Democracy, a New York-based progressive advocacy group, was also a cohost. The Center for Popular Democracy's sister organization, the Center for Popular Democracy Action Fund, leads a massive $80 million anti-Trump network that spans across 32 states.

Rep. Keith Ellison, the deputy chair of the DNC, last year publicly threw his support behind the network.

"This national network, led by working class people of color and immigrants, will supply the power and the fight we need to resist the Trump administration's all-out assault on American values," Ellisonsaid. "I look forward to standing with CPD Action's leaders in the streets and in Congress to win real progressive change."

The Center for Popular Democracy, which has partnerships with more than 50 left-wing activist groups across the country, is also funded by the Democracy Alliance, whose members each vow to steer hundreds of thousands in funding to approved groups of the secretive donor network.

Neither the Democracy Alliance nor any of the event cohosts responded to requests for comment.

 

[AIR J XIII]

And that's why I don't understand why cats are so elated when a rapper gets out of jail. Like he's actually gonna do something.

And what kinda irritates me the most is that these rappers glorify this lifestyle, and these white folks fund it gladly and fully support the artist because they know his music isn't affecting the white community. Meanwhile young black kids emulate them and get locked up.

All apart of the plan b.

 

[sooperhooper]

All apart of the plan b.

One of the best vids I've seen on nt. Dude is hitting on all the good points and articulated his points perfectly.

I need to find more vids like that.

 

[AIR J XIII]

One of the best vids I've seen on nt. Dude is hitting on all the good points and articulated his points perfectly.

I need to find more vids like that.

Did it play from the start? I didn't mean to start it in the middle.

 

[sooperhooper]

No but I downloaded it listened to it all.

I'm not saying that athletes should just shutup and dribble but it's comical that they're held in such high regard, rappers too. A guy I know that's kinda known in his city was trying to get ti to speak to kids about anti violence lmao the irony might as well get trey songz to speak on abstinence.

 

[tokes99]

All apart of the plan b.

i don’t know if you’re referring to the whole meek mill saga, him now being out will likely take the spotlight off of what seems to be an overzealous parole system in philly that has a lot of dudes jammed up...i think meek’s judge did have something against the way he ways, as i understand it, he kinda openly disregarded some of the terms of his parole, so i didn’t get the whole ‘free meek’ wave...his circumstance at least as it pertains to this past violation seemed entirely avoidable...

One of the best vids I've seen on nt. Dude is hitting on all the good points and articulated his points perfectly.

I need to find more vids like that.

word? leaving aside his criticism of stephen a smith, what exactly did he articulate??

his point about entertainers is maybe valid until you think about demographics & socioeconomics, athletes & entertainers happen to be the most visible black people, this doesn’t mean there aren’t ‘black diplomats & dignitaries,’ they just aren’t as visible (which mostly is the case for ‘diplomats & dignitaries, whatever their ethnicity)

combine this with knowledge that there are many more ‘white’ people in this country (almost 4-5 times as many) and given the systematic advantages of white supremacy you might theorize that whites have a breadth of models of attainable success to look at, in close proximity, in comparison to blacks

his point about blacks being especially concerned with celebrity seems overly critical in the regard as america generally gives excessive amount of attention to importance the to voices of celebrities...

who are the ‘they’ that murked abe, garfield, jfk, & mckinley? are these the same ‘they’ dj khalid is always on about??

so because mlk did not wholly turn around centuries of disenfranchisement, inequality, & segregation f back people in his 30-something years of existence, he ain’t play a positive part in advancing civil rights for people of color?

 

[illwill8710]

i don’t know if you’re referring to the whole meek mill saga, him now being out will likely take the spotlight off of what seems to be an overzealous parole system in philly that has a lot of dudes jammed up...i think meek’s judge did have something against the way he ways, as i understand it, he kinda openly disregarded some of the terms of his parole, so i didn’t get the whole ‘free meek’ wave...his circumstance at least as it pertains to this past violation seemed entirely avoidable...

Preach!!!!

I really believe the Free Meek propaganda is nothing more than another minstrel show. Yeah meek got a raw deal, however that is literally no different from every black mans experience in Philly or America. One bad move can leave you in jail and meek was no different. He could've avoided jail but he wanted to move how he moved and got caught by the system. Alot of impressionable black boys and men in Philly think that arrogant lifestyle won't get you caught up. To be honest he got off easy compared to other men in the city. There are people doing years for less but meek gets clout and social justice backing as if he is some kind of martyr just because he makes music to turn up to. That's especially crazy considering the people that are actually trying to create social change do not get that kind of backing. People that protest in the city that for social change get locked up here and face serious charges and do not get the same social backing or support.

 

[sooperhooper]

i don’t know if you’re referring to the whole meek mill saga, him now being out will likely take the spotlight off of what seems to be an overzealous parole system in philly that has a lot of dudes jammed up...i think meek’s judge did have something against the way he ways, as i understand it, he kinda openly disregarded some of the terms of his parole, so i didn’t get the whole ‘free meek’ wave...his circumstance at least as it pertains to this past violation seemed entirely avoidable...



word? leaving aside his criticism of stephen a smith, what exactly did he articulate??

his point about entertainers is maybe valid until you think about demographics & socioeconomics, athletes & entertainers happen to be the most visible black people, this doesn’t mean there aren’t ‘black diplomats & dignitaries,’ they just aren’t as visible (which mostly is the case for ‘diplomats & dignitaries, whatever their ethnicity)

combine this with knowledge that there are many more ‘white’ people in this country (almost 4-5 times as many) and given the systematic advantages of white supremacy you might theorize that whites have a breadth of models of attainable success to look at, in close proximity, in comparison to blacks

his point about blacks being especially concerned with celebrity seems overly critical in the regard as america generally gives excessive amount of attention to importance the to voices of celebrities...

who are the ‘they’ that murked abe, garfield, jfk, & mckinley? are these the same ‘they’ dj khalid is always on about??

so because mlk did not wholly turn around centuries of disenfranchisement, inequality, & segregation f back people in his 30-something years of existence, he ain’t play a positive part in advancing civil rights for people of color?

I'm not about to go on about it, but what black leaders do we have? SAS's sentiments about sending athletes to speak with trump is the gist of my point. They are popular athletes. To me, he's speaking as if they are the most qualified individuals to to speak with the person of the most power. If the athletes want to do something, that's great, but there are other, lesser known black men that are more qualified and educated to address issues and present resolutions than athletes and rappers. Unfortunately, those men won't get that opportunity because they aren't rappers and athletes.

 

[tokes99]

Preach!!!!

I really believe the Free Meek propaganda is nothing more than another minstrel show. Yeah meek got a raw deal, however that is literally no different from every black mans experience in Philly or America. One bad move can leave you in jail and meek was no different. He could've avoided jail but he wanted to move how he moved and got caught by the system. Alot of impressionable black boys and men in Philly think that arrogant lifestyle won't get you caught up. To be honest he got off easy compared to other men in the city. There are people doing years for less but meek gets clout and social justice backing as if he is some kind of martyr just because he makes music to turn up to. That's especially crazy considering the people that are actually trying to create social change do not get that kind of backing. People that protest in the city that for social change get locked up here and face serious charges and do not get the same social backing or support.

i wouldn't go as far as calling it a 'minstrel show' but it does show how far attention, celebrity & being connected can work both against & in one's favor...

I'm not about to go on about it, but what black leaders do we have? SAS's sentiments about sending athletes to speak with trump is the gist of my point. They are popular athletes. To me, he's speaking as if they are the most qualified individuals to to speak with the person of the most power. If the athletes want to do something, that's great, but there are other, lesser known black men that are more qualified and educated to address issues and present resolutions than athletes and rappers. Unfortunately, those men won't get that opportunity because they aren't rappers and athletes.

if you believe that, then why not talk to the most influential/visible people? (as an aside: why do we need to be lead at all??) to be honest sas did maybe fumble the opportunity to put on for some important thoughtful black thinker but he is on a sport show on a sport network, that rarely delves into politics...and to his point these athletes (as well as celebrities, entertainers, etc.) do inform, however unfortunate folk believe that to be, part of the political worldview of many people through the attention they garner through all their various communications...

 

[d nice]

it is VERY true that black folk specifically, as well as generally women & people of color, have been & continue to be betrayed by those claiming to be aligned with ‘progress,’ so much so that i feel it has made black folk particularly skeptical of anyone that advocates or approaches blackness from the well worn paths...

the thing about being ‘fully informed’ is it isn’t always possible to grasp the full scope of things, so having an open analytical mind about the argument(s) seems just as worthy an endeavor, ...human history is literally filled with examples of knowledge being discovered, discarded, and rediscovered or emerging again independently through necessity. companies, institutions & organizations alike experience this as foundational people leave and/or shift focus, or are replaced; even as it relates to the things that have made them successful in the 1st place...

as an aside, to somewhat crudely illustrate the point, for the longest time part of the reason sneaker companies didn’t retro product was they didn’t always keep the blueprints, molds, and tech drawings of every product (storing physical molds & keeping copies can be expensive, space consuming, and there was no obvious reason to keep that stuff as they made seasonal product yearly)...so they had to remake many of the old designs from looking at pictures or from shoes from collectors, in some cases building some shoes differently because the people that built the originals had took the knowledge of how they were created with them or it was forgotten. you’d even have situations where product developers would say something wasn’t possible, only to find out it had been already been done decades ago...sometimes what was known becomes unknown

even though accepted knowledge is in the world that doesn't mean people won’t still argue against it or re-litigate it, for example women’s reproductive rights is still being argued despite pretty concrete evidence that it tends to directly lead to better outcomes for women...so while i can understand the lament of loss of info/knowledge/tradition in public discourse, i don’t think the phenomenon is new or necessarily an especially a black thing, even taking into account that black folks were denied thing so like equal education, rights, etc. and then there is just the, maybe understandably so, lack of nuance in public discourse generally

i don’t think that looking backwards is the way forward, which isn’t to say i’m for discarding tradition(s) rather maybe it is that tradition(s) need to be (continually) updated for the times...

It isn't possible to fully grasp everything within the lexicon of knowledge production, but it is possible to fully grasp and understand the ideological positions you claim to support. If we can't even do the simple work of studying the positions we believe in along with opposing ones, then we'll do nothing but go in circles and have bad faith arguments. And in circle jerks like those no one comes to any real understanding and they're left more confused then they were before. Ego and pride are major stumbling blocks in the way people engage each other. People are arguing just to win an argument and be right, moreso than they are to gain an understanding and grow. But that's what happens when we have a culture and discourse built on rhetoric minus the educational work it takes to form real political agendas that enact real change.

Political discourse around women's bodies is one of those bad faith arguments that I talk about because the conversation is never honest. It's often used with a political agenda in place that seeks to do harm. For instance, Black women and native women suffer more under medical care and pregnancies than any other group of women in this country, but the conversation is largely centered around white women. Often Black women's work in this area along with their activism is co-opted by white women to serve their agenda. So we have to recognize when people are truthfully trying to engage and when the conversation is unproductive. And usually black folks political concerns are swallowed up by the larger narrative of others. In order to have an effective political agenda, you have to have a firm understanding in your political position, have knowledge on the history and past actions of people and groups who have walked the same path, and also have an understanding of the conditions they faced and how they relate to yours presently. That's what we've always done in our community. We've always looked back into our culture and traditions to push us forward.

You probably already know this, but there is a concept called Sankofa. The concept is all about looking to the past while moving forward.
https://www.berea.edu/cgwc/the-power-of-sankofa/

 

[AIR J XIII]

so because mlk did not wholly turn around centuries of disenfranchisement, inequality, & segregation f back people in his 30-something years of existence, he ain’t play a positive part in advancing civil rights for people of color?

There was a video that brother did on MLK, but it was WILD long, this one still touches on MLK quite a bit as well, even though it's kinda focused on Jessy. Basically, there's MUCH MORE to MLK that doesn't get mentioned from the media/history books.

 

[sooperhooper]

My boy saw this on fb and sent me this. You can call it hating or w/e but it's troubling that this is who they choose to idolize. If you don't agree, oh well.

 

[Quincy McCall]

People give unnecessary attention to nonsense all the time, it's not about Meek, it's not about Philly imo

 

[Mark Antony]

Who says the world stops turning because Meek Mill is free? His whole situation is a much deeper dive than that ******** facebook screenshot and that I suspect you could understand.

 

[sooperhooper]

How do yall gel about this. Only thing is, white people go to church too. I still think it's just a form of mind control altogether. Smh

 

[AIR J XIII]

How do yall gel about this. Only thing is, white people go to church too. I still think it's just a form of mind control altogether. Smh

I just need to know who made up the lie that christianity is the "white man's" religion, because ALL of the major religions of the world come from people of color, ESPECIALLY "christianity". Should be "how to make a negro christian AGAIN", just with a white Jesus figurehead.

 

[Coromanti]

How do yall gel about this. Only thing is, white people go to church too. I still think it's just a form of mind control altogether. Smh

It is a common tactic throughout history. When subjugating your opponent destroy his language and culture. It makes the opponent believe his own culture is inferior and that the culture and religion of the subjugator is superior.

That being said, that doesn't dismiss religion as a concept in it's own right. People have theorized for millennia about the universe, proper ethics, morality, codes of conduct, etc etc. Weaponizing a religion doesn't necessarily make the religion any less "true."

 

[Coromanti]

I just need to know who made up the lie that christianity is the "white man's" religion, because ALL of the major religions of the world come from people of color, ESPECIALLY "christianity". Should be "how to make a negro christian AGAIN".

Certainly won't happen by becoming Protestant.

 

[sooperhooper]

I just feel like this country treats money as 'God'. If you have money, you won't be homeless, you won't starve, you can live a healthier life. Blacks were placed in impoverished communities and told to work and pray their way out of it, with no viable connections and little help.

 

[tokes99]

It isn't possible to fully grasp everything within the lexicon of knowledge production, but it is possible to fully grasp and understand the ideological positions you claim to support. If we can't even do the simple work of studying the positions we believe in along with opposing ones, then we'll do nothing but go in circles and have bad faith arguments. And in circle jerks like those no one comes to any real understanding and they're left more confused then they were before. Ego and pride are major stumbling blocks in the way people engage each other. People are arguing just to win an argument and be right, moreso than they are to gain an understanding and grow. But that's what happens when we have a culture and discourse built on rhetoric minus the educational work it takes to form real political agendas that enact real change.

Political discourse around women's bodies is one of those bad faith arguments that I talk about because the conversation is never honest. It's often used with a political agenda in place that seeks to do harm. For instance, Black women and native women suffer more under medical care and pregnancies than any other group of women in this country, but the conversation is largely centered around white women. Often Black women's work in this area along with their activism is co-opted by white women to serve their agenda. So we have to recognize when people are truthfully trying to engage and when the conversation is unproductive. And usually black folks political concerns are swallowed up by the larger narrative of others. In order to have an effective political agenda, you have to have a firm understanding in your political position, have knowledge on the history and past actions of people and groups who have walked the same path, and also have an understanding of the conditions they faced and how they relate to yours presently. That's what we've always done in our community. We've always looked back into our culture and traditions to push us forward.

You probably already know this, but there is a concept called Sankofa. The concept is all about looking to the past while moving forward.
https://www.berea.edu/cgwc/the-power-of-sankofa/

nah, actually hadn't ever heard of sankofa specifically, though i guess i am familiar with the general concept that it seems to be about...

like i previously stated, maybe vaguely, but i don't disagree that people should be, or that is in their best interest to be informed; just that 1) that it isn't a given 2) it isn't strictly necessary and 3) it isn't particularly a black problem. there are times, in fact, being informed can be a hindrance to new understanding...which is why i don't really feel looking backwards is the move

There was a video that brother did on MLK, but it was WILD long, this one still touches on MLK quite a bit as well, even though it's kinda focused on Jessy. Basically, there's MUCH MORE to MLK that doesn't get mentioned from the media/history books.

going to give that a look later, perhaps...i'll abstain from further comment but seeing as the following is basically accepted truth:

I just feel like this country treats money as 'God'. If you have money, you won't be homeless, you won't starve, you can live a healthier life. Blacks were placed in impoverished communities and told to work and pray their way out of it, with no viable connections and little help.

i don't understand the need to manufacture additional reasons, though that doesn't mean there aren't other things going on below/above the accepted/superficial understanding but often times these claims of some revealed truth are so convoluted...

 

[d nice]

nah, actually hadn't ever heard of sankofa specifically, though i guess i am familiar with the general concept that it seems to be about...

like i previously stated, maybe vaguely, but i don't disagree that people should be, or that is in their best interest to be informed; just that 1) that it isn't a given 2) it isn't strictly necessary and 3) it particularly a black problem. there are times, in fact, being informed can be a hindrance to new understanding...which is why i don't really feel looking backwards is the move

You should definitely check into it more in depth. I just gave a quick summary. I understand the concern of being closed off if you're informed. But is that really case? Or is that just a case of people being dogmatic? Either way you look at it, we aren't gonna get out of the situation were in without real education politically and on our history.

Our elders and leaders of the past saw the need for education as an important tool for liberation. That should be no different today.

 

[Quincy McCall]

A little off topic but man I love the Michael Baisden show, don't know if you guys have heard of it or listen to it but it's kind of a show talking about an array of topics but of course Michael Baisden leans more towards black topics

The Cosby verdict call-in guests just make you smh

 

[goledensilence]

 

[DCAllAfrican]

NRATV | John Legend's Ignorant Rhetoric Endangers Police Officers' Lives https://www.nratv.com/home/video/st...rs-police-officers-lives#.WuMTdQpCZjA.twitter