As a critical thinker, I constantly look for ways to spark creative and thought provoking dialog, and I often find myself attempting to do so on facebook. Below are some of my most memorable and provocative posts on Facebook, and also the posts in which most of my facebook followers have fled away from responding to.
1) Please share a link of an effective and active grassroots organization, which you have personally witnessed do productive things in your community. Please do not list one that you have only read about, or one that you have seen on TV. Please feel free to elaborate on what they are currently doing in your community and how they are structured as an organization. It would really make my day if I get a few responses on this post. If you don't know of any, feel free to tell me why you think this is the case.
2) The original Black Panther Party use to issue out what is known as, "The Little Red Book", to its members. Obviously, they were fighting against an oppressive government, and the American Government considered them the greatest threat to America. Obviously, there was some power in the methods they were applying against the government. How many of you have ever read the book written by the communist, Mao Tse Tung? For those of you who want to blindly pretend that socialist and communist perspectives were not shared within the civil rights movement, you are sadly mistaken. Even MLK was labeled a communist by the government, because many of the people who supported him and helped in with his strategies, were linked to communist organizations. Many have been trained to abandon the communist influence on Blacks fight for liberation in America. W.E.B Dubois, the founder of the NAACP became an open closet communist. A. Philip Randolph's, one of Martin Luther kings main advisors, and the individual who played a key role in organizing the "March on Washington", where King did his, I have a dream speech, was affiliated with a communist organization and had some open communist views. I've already spoken on the Original black panthers membership, which deals with the members having knowledge that was in "The Little Red Book". I also wanted to add that their "Ten Point Program" of demands from the US government was also heavy in socialist and communist perspectives. Why have so many people abandoned these communist and socialist perspectives, and take it as a badge of shame? Obviously the far right calls people on the left socialist or communist based on historical facts. Many, who supported communist and socialist values, introduced America’s current liberal agenda. I say more people define and wear their socialist and communist perspectives on their sleeves. Eliminate the theories that have failed and promote the ones that work.
3) Let me get this right. Every four years, individuals select a leader out of a two party system. The ideals and principals of these two party systems’ are already set in stone. After the term of each leader, members of the opposite party complain about the achievements or ineffectiveness of the leader and his party's affiliation, and then the country votes for a new face to promote the same principals and ideals. To make it simple, people complained about Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, Bush I, Clinton Bush II, and now President Obama. Each time, we heard how evil these individuals were and how destructive the presidents’ party affiliation was to the country. Meanwhile, the cost of living continues to go up each year no matter which party has power in the main office. The gas prices have gone up each year since Carter, news organizations claiming to be fair and balance promote and defend specific political party's, and factcheck bipartisan organizations are ignored by the general public, or are only given credit when the other party is being vetted. No one pays attention to the lies and misinformation that comes from both party's. For the last few years, I've researched to see who follows the success and failures of bills passed and to find out if there was even a measurable definition of failure and success concerning passing of legislation, objective of legislations, and effectiveness of legislation passed. I've come to the conclusion that the current capitalist 2 parties American system is horrible and it does not work. It is an ineffective form of government, and 8 years from now, the same arguments that the forefathers had since day one will continue between your children. Americans are still divided just like their original forefathers were divided on simple issue like (the role of the federal government). Every-time I hear people debating about which party is right or wrong, or if Obama is good or bad, I always ask them, what were the views of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson concerning the role of the federal government? They either have no clue or can't comprehend what role that plays in current American politics. It is clear to me that the current form of American capitalism is a ball of confusion and is not the answer for the majority, despite the fact the majority might disagree. Sad to say, I don’t expect my rant to stop you from continuing with your division and your hate. More than likely, you will continue ignoring the manipulation and ineffectiveness of America’s political two party systems.
4) This post goes out to the people who dislike the job President Obama has done thus far. It also goes out to the ones who hate President Obama. Can you name one or two specific bills, which were passed during presidents Obama first term, which you have vetted for yourself and come to a conclusion that the bill was bad? Name the bill and post a link. What is the counter argument for the bill and tell me why the counter argument for the bill is weak. Make sure to tell me how much of the bill you have read. If you can, give me the pro's and con's of the bill and why the cons out weigh the pros. One more thing, if there were any other bill proposals that would have been better, if you have any suggestions of how a much better bill could have been passed, feel free to break that down as well. If you would prefer to do this in a private setting, send me a response to my email Staryor@gmail.com There were a lot of little questions in this post so I understand it may take some time for an intelligent and full response, so please do not rush. I think this will give me a good idea on your views.
On another note that everyone can rush to answer, what criteria do you all use to decide if a president has done a good job, and have you ever used that criteria on multiple presidents? What were some of the results?
5) Words can be very tricky, especially for those with limited knowledge on a subject matter. Words can influence your perception and also influence your opinions and values. In turn, it can influence your behavior. So there is nothing wrong with reading one view or perspective, but to be well rounded, you need to examine many different views and perspectives on each subject. When I say tricky, here is an example. What if you have no idea who Harriett Tubman was, and you read, "Harriet Tubman threatened to kill runaway slaves" Man, that sounds really bad. If that is all you learn about her, you will come to a conclusion she is a bad person who did not like slaves. But what if there is more to the story? What if it says, " Harriet Tubman risked her life many times to free runaway slaves and was a runaway slave herself. In many cases, Harriet Tubman threatened to kill run away slaves, if they endangered the safety of the rest of the group by claiming they were too tired to carry on, or had wanted to go back to the plantation." now that gives an entirely different perspective for you to make an opinion on Harriet Tubman. You see how that little part was taken out at first. As an advocate for critical thinking, this is my perspective on how I look at the world around me. The world is like a book, and I'm constantly looking for more words, more paragraphs, and more chapters. The only problem is, people all around me spend most of their energy fighting over the same words, sentences, and paragraphs, instead of spending that energy in search of finding new ones.
6) Next time you hear a "facebook black activist" talking about what Obama is not doing, or what the 'white man" is doing.... Find out what organizations and grass roots movements they are currently active with or a part of to cultivate the minds of our young, and to educate and rescue our young from the current culture of ignorance, violence, and sexual exploitation, which takes place in all cultures. Find out what are these "facebook black activist" are doing in the hood and for the hood". The only thing worse than a person who's all talk is a person who spends his energy talking about others all the time. On that note I will continue to shamelessly promote the 1up movement and the idea of teaching young men and women the importance of social entrepreneurship and critical thinking education. The "facebook black activist" calls it self-promotion; I call it the promotion of real ideas good programs. http://www.pwsialumni.yolasite.com/ Make sure to check out the high school seniors tab. There is a scholarship for black students whom have been accepted to attend a four-year college. The grant is $2000 each year. It's not a lot, but it will help. The name of the scholarship is called Herbert Lehman Education Scholarship Fund. Everyone, stay 1up, and don't be a "facebook black activist"
7) If you don't like Django or if it inspired you, learn how to write your own screenplay. I use to criticize movies and screenplays, now I just write my own and share it with others. It's all about taking action and making moves. Just posting complaints is useless, if that is the only objective of the day. http://1upblog.yolasite.com/a-fathers-burden.php Study the actions of Garvey and the original Panthers.
8) It's obvious. If groups of people don’t agree on who God is, and if God exist, they will not really have the same ideas for selecting leaders and for having the same values and morals. That in turn makes the topic of leadership in the black community a divided topic to begin with. W.E.B vs Marcus.... King vs Malcolm X ... and so on. Come to think of it, when have a group or race of people not been divided on issues? When were blacks most united in any time of history? The question leads to the model that needs to be examined. The root of the discussion has to start with a morals and values evaluation. I love when people try to give examples of black culture. It's good to look at the morals and values of what we describe as the culture, being that people surely will not give you the same explanation of the culture to begin with. I've also noticed how blacks get real silent when asked, what is black culture, and is it different in NY, LA, Chi, ATL, and so on? What's the difference between black culture and American culture? When you ask them to list successful black owned businesses whom are currently training and hiring young blacks, most will never give you a name, and out of frustrations, will tell you to go google it for yourself, as if it's some easy task to begin with.
9) Many people in the south say the confederate flag is part of their culture. So here is my question to intelligent and conscious minds. What is black culture, and what is the difference between black culture and American culture? Feel free to elaborate on the common Phrase, "Know Thyself" as well.
10) Let's get this right. Education is the most important thing in our society and for our children, but we pay the people responsible for administrating the education and molding our children $40,000 annually, while Lil Wayne (who's claim is mastering the art of saying words that rhyme while he promotes the use of drugs and sex) and my favorite NBA player, Kobe (who's claim is mastering the art of dribbling a round ball and finding many forms and ways to throw it in a circle round bar, laced with a cotton net), make millions of dollars annually. Questioning the intelligence of the human race and its reference to priority of importance has to come into play eventually. The illusion of educational system and the organized system known as, the corporate workforce, is a joke and a con job. http://www.examiner.com/article/currency-the-exploitation-and-slavery-of...
11) I've come to a conclusion why NFL and NBA players get paid so much. We are told the Roman Empire elite used mass forms of entertainment to control the population of the common man, (slaves) from turning against them. These spectacles often took place in huge coliseums and were forms of bribery towards the mass population, means in which to keep them occupied. All forms of subjugation and control. Sad to say the least, today, the league, the association, and reality television, serves its purpose in our current social system. What is done today is just a replica of ancient history.
12) Which congressman is responsible for passing a bill which most effect how you thrive in your life (in a positive way? List the name of the bill and the congressmen who sponsored the legislation. Explain the legislation and how you have benefited from it. This legislation needs to be something that was passed after your birth, and not before it. I am a great listener, and I would love to hear intelligent responses. Please do not send any hate responses about whom you don't like. I just want to know what bill has affected you in a positive way and who was responsible for it. Now go.
If you found the questions and the comments above interesting, you can find more interesting post on my facebook page.
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