In the Black urban culture, it’s cool to be a fool.

But the fact is, there are a lot of factors in our society that influence many different cultural behaviors.

It’s only human nature to attempt to devalue something that is perceived as a weakness to us.

If we’re not good at sports, we tend to devalue the importance of athletic accomplishments.

If we have a hard time getting good grades in school, we tend to devalue the importance of educational accomplishments.

If we have a hard time fitting into the definition of being successful in our society, then we tend to gravitate towards an oppositional stance to that culture, or a counter-culture.

Josie Harvey, of The HuffPost website, reports that, during an appearance on ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight,’ conservative commentator Heather Mac Donald blamed ‘Black culture’ for the academic achievement gap, and says race and gender diversity goals are blunting the nation’s ‘competitive edge.’”

Okay…, Black culture may be responsible for an academic achievement gap…, but what factors are responsible for this “Black culture” to begin with?

In my opinion, the root of the problem is that the Black family structure was attacked by liberal policies which began in the 1960’s, which rewarded fatherless families, thus redefining the societal role of Black males.

Black fathers, in this urban, socioeconomic environment, were devalued, making them unaccountable and irresponsible.

We also have to consider the downward spiral of educational adeptness as generation after generation suffered incrementally from their own lack of education.

In other words, how can these families be expected to support a student at something they have had no success at themselves?

Take a moment to consider and compare the support and expectations of the typical urban, Asian-American family to those of a typical urban, African-American family.

The cultural values here are at different ends of the spectrum…, regarding the acceptance of government dependence, family structure, the importance of education, the ability to support the children, and their visions of a desirable society and goals towards being successful.

The generalizations I refer to here, of course, do not apply to EVERY family of any race or culture…, only a majority of them.

“’The College Board’ (An American not-for-profit organization, representing over 6,000 leading colleges, schools, and other educational organizations, that was formed as the ‘College Entrance Examination Board’ to expand access to higher education.) announced on Tuesday that it was withdrawing plans to introduce an ‘adversity score’ on test results, a measure intended to address inequality in college admissions for those from varying socioeconomic backgrounds.”

Antonia Blumberg, also of The HuffPost website, reports that, “The College Board said Tuesday it would not move forward with a planned ‘adversity score’ intended to help level the playing field for students of diverse social and economic backgrounds who take the SAT admissions test.”

Is that really the intent of an SAT score?

What good is an SAT score that can’t stand on its own?

I mean, either you answer the questions correctly, or you don’t, right?

The College Board also stated that “The ‘Adversity Score’ reflected the ‘privilege’ of other students.”

I’m not sure if I would refer to the situation here as the “privilege” of others, but I suppose that’s another way of looking at it, if you’re looking at the situation from a victim’s standpoint.

And I’m not inferring any negative connotation on the term “victim” here. In many cases, many of these students are victims of their circumstances.

“The company, which administers the admissions exam, said its attempt to address inequality in college admissions through a single score was a mistake.”

‘“The idea of a single score was wrong,’ David Coleman, College Board’s chief executive, told The Associated Press. ‘It was confusing and created the misperception that the indicators are specific to an individual student.’”

I’m not exactly sure what he is trying to say here, but I’m glad he at least acknowledged the whole concept was a bad idea.

‘“An updated [software] tool will include detailed high school and neighborhood information to admissions officers as separate data points so they can fairly evaluate each student,’ The Board said.

“In 2017, white students scored an average of 177 points [11%] higher than Black students and 128 points [8%] higher than Hispanic students, according to the National Center for Education Statistics.”

The highest possible composite score for the redesigned SAT is 1600. The average score is 1000. The “section scores” are the individual scores for the two main sections of the SAT: reading/writing and math. Each of these sections is scored out of 800, and they are added together to get your overall score.

‘“There are a number of amazing students who may have scored less [on the SAT] but have accomplished more,’ Coleman told The Wall Street Journal in May.’”

Really, Mr. Coleman?

You mean we just can’t start issuing paychecks based on our SAT scores?

Thank you for that bit of insight, Mr. Coleman.

‘“All of this tinkering with meritocratic admissions in colleges and throughout the economy, frankly, is all driven by one fact, which is the persistent academic achievement gap,’ Heather Mac Donald went on to say during an appearance on ‘Lou Dobbs Tonight.’”

‘“If Black culture or the rest of culture could close that gap, we would be back to a colorblind meritocratic system, but the College Board is trying to give colleges an excuse to continue to give preferences to under-prepared Black students, to catapult them into academic environments for which they are not prepared,’ she added.”

If we REALLY wanted a “colorblind” system, we wouldn’t ask the students what race they are when they take the test.

Just sayin’.

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August 29, 2019 0

Has Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “dream” come true?

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, “I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

I sincerely believe that time has arrived.

You’re always going to have exceptions to everything, but for the most part, I think Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “dream” has become reality.

I believe today, for the most part, people are judged by their actions and by what they say rather than the color of their skin.

A problem we face today, however, is that some really don’t want to be judged by their character. They prefer to use the color of their skin as an excuse or as a ticket to special considerations and allowances.

They prefer to use the color of their skin as a wedge between people of their skin color and people of other colors, either for fame, power, money or a combination of the three.

They say, “The meaning of King’s monumental quote is more complex today than in 1963 because ‘the unconscious signals have changed,’ according to the historian Taylor Branch, author of the acclaimed trilogy “America in the King Years.”

What does that mean?

It sounds to me like the people who would prefer to use the color of their skin for their own purposes are trying to tell us that Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words mean something other than what anyone who understands English understands them to mean.

It’s a form of racial “spin” or racial propaganda.

Bernice King doubts that her father would really seek to ignore differences.

“When he talked about the ‘beloved community,’ he talked about everyone bringing their gifts, their talents, their cultural experiences,” she says. “We live in a society where we may have differences, of course, but we learn to celebrate these differences.”

Yes we do celebrate cultural differences, Bernice, but excuse me if I reiterate that your father’s words, in this case, were words of inclusion and racial “blindness,” just like the “blindness” of justice.

It’s obvious that Bernice King makes her living off of her daddy’s coattails. It’s definitely not in her best interests to acknowledge any level of racial progress.

“Unfortunately race in American history has been one area in which Americans kid themselves and pretend to be fair-minded when they really are not,” says Taylor Branch, whose new book is “The King Years: Historic Moments in the Civil Rights Movement.”

Well, I suppose we all can’t be as enlightened as you Mr. Branch. But how do portend to know what “Americans” are supposedly kidding themselves about? You’re obviously making quite a nice living off of your books about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Like I mentioned before, money is one of the reasons people keep preferring to drive wedges between the races.

The quote is like the Declaration of Independence, says Roger Clegg, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity, a conservative think tank that studies race and ethnicity. In years past, he says, America may have needed to grow into the words, but today they must be obeyed to the letter.

“The Declaration of Independence says all men are created equal,” says Roger Clegg, president of the Center for Equal Opportunity. “Nobody thinks it doesn’t really mean what it says…” “King gave a brilliant and moving quotation, and I think it says we should not be treating people differently on the basis of skin color.”

Many others agree. King’s quote has become a staple of conservative belief that “judged by the color of their skin” includes things such as unique appeals to certain voter groups, reserving government contracts for Hispanic-owned businesses, seeking more non-white corporate executives, or admitting black students to college with lower test scores.

In the latest issue of the Weekly Standard magazine, the quote appears in the lead of a book review titled “The Price Was High: Affirmative Action and the Betrayal of a Colorblind Society.”

“Considering race as a factor in affirmative action keeps the wounds of slavery and Jim Crow ‘sore and festering.’ It encourages beneficiaries to rely on ethnicity rather than self-improvement to get ahead,” wrote the author, George Leef.

The RightWingNews.com blog added, “The idea that everyone should be judged by the content of their character, not the color of their skin” in their list of “25 People, Places and Things Liberals Love to Hate.”

“Conservatives feel they have embraced that quote completely. They are the embodiment of that quote but get no credit for doing it,” says the author of the article, John Hawkins. “Liberals like the idea of the quote because it’s the most famous thing Martin Luther King said, but they left the principles behind the quote behind a long time ago.”

Thank you to CBS News for contributing to this article.

NOTE: If you’re not already “following” me and you liked my blog(s) today, please scroll down to the bottom of this site and click the “Follow” button. That’ll keep you up to date on all of my latest posts.

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February 11, 2019 1

Louis Farrakhan is suffering from delusions of grandeur.

Louis Farrakhan, the “leader of The Nation of Islam,” is calling for a “separate state” for Black Americans. He says this is, “what God wants,” while any blacks that oppose his calling he describes as “slaves.”

According to Lukas Mikelionis of Fox News, “Farrakhan, who in recent months has made numerous anti-Semitic comments, made his call for a nation-state separate from white America in response to the question whether it’s still his and the group’s goal.”

“That’s not just my goal. That’s what God wants. Most of our people don’t want it here,” Farrakhan has said. “You love your enemy. You want to stay with your enemy. You’re in love with his wealth. I understand the fascination, slaves. I understand that. But God has something else for us.”

“The preacher went on to reiterate that neither he nor his group has changed its goal of a separate state since its creation in the 1960s.”

‘“Let me tell you what’s gonna happen. Yes I’m after a separate state. A separate nation. In the 60s what was our cry? We weren’t saying we want to integrate, we were saying ‘It’s nation time!’ he said.”

‘“Black Power. Black Power to do what? To integrate a lunch counter? Black Power to build a nation for 40 million, now near 50 million, black people,’ he added.”

‘“Yes I’m after a separate state. A separate nation. In the 60s what was our cry? We weren’t saying we want to integrate, we were saying It’s nation time!’”

Well…, let’s step back a moment Mr. Farrakhan, and take a look at what exactly we have here.

There are 325.7 million people in The United States.

“Blacks” make up only 12.6% of the population. Does that surprise you? The way “Blacks” act you would think they make up close to 50% of the population. The truth is they truly are a minority…, and a small minority at that.

And how many of those “Blacks” are only half “Black?” How many of those “Blacks” are half White, or half Asian, or half Latino? The actual percent of true “Blacks” is really under 10% probably.

You say you want to build a nation for, “40 million, now near 50 million, black people.”

The truth is that “Black” people account for about 41 million people in The United States. Nowhere near even approaching 50 million.

Now let’s take a look your “The Nation of Islam.”

“The Nation of Islam” is estimated (and why they don’t have a more exact count is confusing to me) to have 20,000-50,000 members.

I personally question that low figure of 20,000. I believe it is even much less than that.

But, be that as it may, using their numbers, that’s still less than 1% of African Americans, and less than .01% of the total U.S. population.

So in reality, Louis Farrakhan is in no position to think he is representing African Americans, in general, at all.

You say you want a “separate state.” What state exactly would that be? Montana, Idaho…, Arizona?

And how exactly would that work?

And you frame your desire as if there is someone out here who could grant your wish.

Why would anyone establish a “black state” for you?

Perhaps you should buy an island and move your measly group of followers there and see how you would do.

Lukas Mikelionis added, “In November, Farrakhan and his groupies went on a solidarity trip to Iran and led “Death to America” chants.”

“During the trip, Farrakhan told Iranian students that ‘America has never been a democracy,’ and also led a ‘Death to Israel’ chant at the end of his talk, Iranian news agencies reported.”

I know! Perhaps Iran would give you a portion of their country to establish your “Black State?”

Or maybe some country in Africa would welcome you back and grant you some land to “homestead” on?

Somehow, I’m guessing that’s not really what you want.

In reality, I don’t think you really know what you want. In reality, I don’t think you’ve really thought this whole thing through…, which would be par for the course in your case.

You’re all hot air and no action Mr. Farrakhan. If you want your own state, do something about it instead of just talking about it. Go establish a town somewhere. 15,000-20,000 people is a small town in America.

Why don’t you start there and work up to a “nation” at a later date?

Conservatives actually have no problem with anyone creating their own destiny. It’s your friends, the liberals, who would prefer you don’t leave “the plantation,” however.

Minister Farrakhan has actually endorsed and praised President Trump in the past, but he has been critical of him as well. Farrakhan’s message of independence and taking responsibility for your own destiny is one most conservatives would support. It’s too bad he has to “lob those racism bombs” out there every so often.

Farrakhan is in a politically peculiar spot. Conservatives can’t support him because of his racist tendencies, and liberals can’t disavow him because…, well…, because he’s Black, and he’s not technically a conservative.

Isn’t it a funny world that we live in?

Thank you, MrEricksonRules.

February 6, 2019 0

“All hail ‘Creepy Uncle’ Joe Biden! America’s racial compass!”

“The bottom line is we have a lot to root out, but most of all the ‘systematic racism’ that most of us whites don’t like to acknowledge even exists,” Biden said at an event hosted by the Rev. Al Sharpton (another individual who portends to be a representative of our national racial conscience) and the National Action Network. “We don’t even consciously acknowledge it. But it’s been built into every aspect of our system.”

He continued, “Because when your schools are substandard, when your houses are undervalued, when your car insurance costs more for no apparent reason, when poverty rates for black Americans is still twice that of white Americans…, there’s something we have to admit. Not you, we, White America, has to admit there’s a still a systematic racism. And it goes almost unnoticed by so many of us.”

So here we apparently have our newest “buzzword” to be included in the racial inequality narrative.

“Systematic racism.”

According to Jenée Desmond-Harris of “Vox” media, ‘“Systemic racism’ is used to talk about all of the policies and practices entrenched in established institutions that harm certain racial groups and help other racial groups. ‘Systemic’ distinguishes what’s happening here from individual racism or overt discrimination, and refers to the way this operates in major parts of US society: the economy, politics, education, and more.”

So basically, “systematic racism” is a comprehensive excuse to explain away any kind of failure or any kind of negative situation being experienced by anyone other than white people…, that puts the blame on White people.

John Verhovek of Good Morning America added that, “Biden also expressed optimism that positive change is on its way, referencing the historic nature of the presidential inauguration he attended 10 years ago this weekend, when Barack Obama became the nation’s first African-American president.”

Yes, “Creepy Uncle” Joe, but it’s a damn shame that Barack Obama didn’t do much more than just become the nation’s first African-American president. He categorically failed to positively move the needle for African-Americans in any regard, while alienating many of the Whites who helped get him elected. .

‘“There I was, it just hit me, standing, waiting for a black man to come 28 miles from Philadelphia to pick me up and take me on a 128-mile ride to be sworn in as president and vice president United States. Don’t tell me, don’t tell me things can’t change!’ Biden said to applause.”

What this last quote means exactly I’m not sure. But I can safely say that if Blacks were the majority race in this country, at the percentage that Whites have been, and are now, we would have never seen, and would never see, a White president.

If anyone feels they have an argument to be made against my claim, please email me and make your case. I promise to publish all of your responses in a future blog.

Oh…, and “Creepy Uncle” Joe…, speak for yourself please. None of us other “whiteys” have been in a position to do anything about your supposed “systematic racism…,” but you have!

You’ve been in politics since 1969 “Uncle Joe! That’s 50 years!

No one should be in politics for 50 years.

You were in the U.S. Senate from 1972-2009. That’s 37 years!

No one should be in in the U.S. Senate for 37 years.

You were the Vice President of the United States from 2009-2017. That’s 8 years!

What exactly did YOU do to deal with YOUR perceived “systematic racism?”

I mean besides using it to help get you re-elected?

Just sayin’.

P.S. – Did you know that Joe Biden’s middle name is “Robinette?” No comment…, just throwing that out there for what it’s worth.

Thank you, MrEricksonRules.

January 29, 2019 0

This CNN analyst’s level of confusion is quite impressive!

CNN legal “analyst,” Areva Martin, called out a Fox News contributor for his “white privilege” while talking to him recently on his SiriusXM radio show.

The only problem with that is he’s a black man!

David Webb, a radio host on SiriusXM and a frequent Fox News contributor, is black.

When Webb, who is a Fox Nation host and frequent Fox News contributor, said he considered his qualifications more important than his skin color when applying to media jobs, Ms. Martin (who is a black woman) accused him of exercising white privilege.

“Areva, I hate to break it to you, but you should’ve been better prepped,” he responded. “I’m black.”

In the actual interview, David Webb says, “I’ve chosen to cross different parts of the media world, done the work so that I’m qualified to be in each one; I never considered my color the issue; I considered my qualifications the issue.”

Areva Martin then responds: “Well, David, that’s a whole other long conversation about white privilege, the things that you have the privilege of doing, that people of color don’t have the privilege of.”

“How do I have the privilege of white privilege?” Webb asks.

“David, by virtue of being a white male you have white privilege. This whole long conversation, I don’t have time to get into …”

Webb then interrupts her to let her know he’s a black man, causing Martin to take a pause.

“You see, you went to white privilege; this is the falsehood in this,” Webb replies. “You went immediately with an assumption. Your people, obviously, or you didn’t look.”

Ms. Martin the proceeds to apologize repeatedly for her false accusation, adding that “her people” gave her the wrong information.

So Ms. Martin is saying that she just blindly regurgitates whatever “her people” feed her?

Is this what we are referring to when we talk about “talking heads?”

Ms. Martin should be woman enough to accept the criticism here and not throw “her people” “under the bus,” but in typical liberal fashion, nothing is ever her fault it’s always the fault of someone else.

“You’re talking to a black man . . . who started out in rock radio in Boston, who crossed the paths into hip-hop, rebuilding one of the greatest black stations in America and went on to work at Fox News where I’m told apparently blacks aren’t supposed to work, but yet, you come with this assumption, and you go to white privilege,” Webb says. “That’s actually insulting.”

According to Michael Brice-Saddler for the Washington Post, “Martin has not publicly acknowledged the incident, and a spokeswoman for Areva Martin declined to comment.”

“After the interview, Webb made light of Martin’s gaffe by posting photos of himself with white men, writing on Twitter: ‘Just two guys showing their #WhitePrivelege.’ pic.twitter.com/mXWv47dTTX

— David Webb (@davidwebbshow) January 15, 2019”

Brice-Saddler continues by saying, “The exchange became a popular topic on Fox News, where Tucker Carlson discussed it Tuesday night, shortly before Webb appeared on “The Ingraham Angle.” The following morning, he was back on Fox to discuss the incident with “Fox and Friends,” telling the hosts that white privilege is a “false narrative.”

“‘There is no such thing as white privilege,’ Webb said. ‘There’s earned privilege in life that you work for. There are those who may have a form of privilege that they exert . . . in the form of influence.’”

“If a conservative analyst had made the same mistake as Martin, there would be calls for that person to be fired, Webb said.”

“He said he has invited Martin back to his show to ‘have a longer conversation about white privilege.’”

“‘Our skin’s an organ, it doesn’t think or formulate ideas, it just says: This is a result of your parentage,’ he said.”

“‘She got caught,’ he said of Martin, but added: ‘I have no reason to “diss” her.’”

You may not want to “diss” her Mr. Webb, but I will!

For your information Ms. Areva Martin, racism can cut both ways. Just because you are black and/or a liberal does not mean you get a free pass to say ignorant things or racist things and get away with them. I know you’re used to getting away with stuff like this on CNN or MSNBC, but you better be prepared and on your game when talking to conservative talk show hosts or when appearing on Fox News.

Thank you, MrEricksonRules.

January 17, 2019 0

Category: black men

In the Black urban culture, it’s cool to be a fool.

Has Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “dream” come true?

Louis Farrakhan is suffering from delusions of grandeur.

“All hail ‘Creepy Uncle’ Joe Biden! America’s racial compass!”

This CNN analyst’s level of confusion is quite impressive!

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