tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post115560391713910382..comments2023-11-02T06:36:15.996-04:00Comments on The Thinking Black Man: I Blame it on the Dryer!The Thinking Black Manhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1156367250872968712006-08-23T17:07:00.000-04:002006-08-23T17:07:00.000-04:00Wonderful post. Brings back memories for me and th...Wonderful post. Brings back memories for me and the neighborhood I grew up in too. Man I miss those days.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1155951329433973122006-08-18T21:35:00.000-04:002006-08-18T21:35:00.000-04:00It is funny the things that our parents actually e...It is funny the things that our parents actually end up finding out about. I grew up in pretty small town south of Boston with a relatively small black community, but we pretty much all knew each other. There is still a network even now and news travels fast, even when people are out of state.Lisa Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08096947438461486505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1155911204618800602006-08-18T10:26:00.000-04:002006-08-18T10:26:00.000-04:00I've got one for you, when it comes to not getting...I've got one for you, when it comes to not getting away with ANYTHING...<BR/><BR/>When I was 13 and on summer break between middle school and high school, I spent weekdays alone at home [my younger siblings were with my Grandma]. I was chillin' one morning watching TV or whatever, and suddenly, my Dad, who should have been at work came strolling through the door. He had a strange look on his face and he proceeded to give me one of those, "We need to talk..." talkings. <BR/><BR/>As it turned out, the week before, I had foolishly tried to sneak my girlfriend into my house while my parents were at work. {Yeah, I was a little stupid and sneaky at that time).<BR/><BR/>Basically, my next door neighbor saw me and dimed me out to my Dad, who proceeded to give me a long drawn out lecture into the dangers (from HIM and fate) of trying to be sneaky with the "little girls". That was my first and last time getting busted like that!<BR/><BR/>It seemed that the neighbor network was up and running at peak efficency!!!The Thinking Black Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1155904542585457912006-08-18T08:35:00.000-04:002006-08-18T08:35:00.000-04:00So many things in life are interconnectedSo true. ...<I>So many things in life are interconnected</I><BR/><BR/>So true. Actually, I think that if we but see it, everything in life is connected. <BR/>We've just lost sight of all the threads that connect.<BR/><BR/>Anyway, when I was a child, I was the most stubborn and hardheaded child, but I couldn't get away with ANYTHING! News travelled like a wild fire in my community, and I knew that. That is what stopped me from doing a bunch of stuff because I KNEW that once my family heard of it, I wouldn't be able to lie my way out of it and I would be done!! <BR/><BR/>The adults were wise enough to see that some children need more watching than others and I was one of the children that got more of their attention because I was strong-headed and considered a wilful child, lol, but there were adult relatives around who were more wilful than me!! They were determined that their will would prevail. They were ALWAYS consistent, so I knew that there would ALWAYS be negative consequences for any negative behavior. <BR/><BR/>I was intelligent and got tired of those negative consequences. LOL!!<BR/><BR/>Even after I left home, I didn't want my family to hear about any negative stuff I was doing because I didn't want to disappoint them, so I didn't do what some of my peers were doing or I was EXTRA EXTRA careful. LOL!! Even now, I wouldn't want some of my relatives to hear about me or my children doing anything bad, so that teaching that I received as a child apparently sunk in to the bone! LOL!Eviahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06606364424958560351noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1155879218376164262006-08-18T01:33:00.000-04:002006-08-18T01:33:00.000-04:00Very interesting about the a/c. It makes sense. So...Very interesting about the a/c. It makes sense. So many things in life are interconnected and we never know what repercussions will follow from life's "improvements."Lisa Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08096947438461486505noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1155865145806705282006-08-17T21:39:00.000-04:002006-08-17T21:39:00.000-04:00Hey JJ-I never even thought about A/C and the demi...Hey JJ-<BR/><BR/>I never even thought about A/C and the demise of the front porch. <BR/><BR/>Hmm, Driers / Clotheslines and A/C Porches, I'm going to have to sit back and think about what else changed things like that!<BR/><BR/>Stay tuned...The Thinking Black Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1155863917871836282006-08-17T21:18:00.000-04:002006-08-17T21:18:00.000-04:00U can think central air for the demise of the porc...U can think central air for the demise of the porch. Porches existed as a way to keep cool. On really hot summers you could sit on your covered porch, shaded by big trees and cool off b/c it was a lot better than sitting in a stuffy house. With the advent of AC then there was no need for the porch.Brown Sugarhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16376827318735981302noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1155842288425739772006-08-17T15:18:00.000-04:002006-08-17T15:18:00.000-04:00That was supposed to be "hamburger" and "community...That was supposed to be "hamburger" and "community."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1155841959673231362006-08-17T15:12:00.000-04:002006-08-17T15:12:00.000-04:00You can't just blame it all on clothes dryers.Othe...You can't just blame it all on clothes dryers.<BR/><BR/>Other factors to take into consideration:<BR/><BR/>-Work. Many black women have always had to work. It is in our history. Not all black women were able to stay home and raise their children so they had to take jobs to help make ends meet in supplementing their husband's income. Even now, in 2006 America the majority of black women still have to work. Unlike most white women, we have never had the luxury of being able to stay home in large numbers and not have to go out and work. With black women, we have always worked because we HAD to, not because we WANTED to. And if it wasn't for those ladies who looked out for us for our mothers, those ladies many of whom were able to stay at home either because they were retired or through some stroke of economic blessings on their husband's part in being gainfully employed, if they weren't able to stay at home and watch the streets for us, God help us in where we older blacks would be if not for these ladies.<BR/>-INTEGRATION. Yes, that horrible monster integration. With the legal (on written paper at least) end of Jim Crow/segregation, many black families moved away, got better jobs, and broke ties with the black community that stood the test of time against the ravages of segregation. Gone were the days of your lady neighbor down the street keeping an eye on you. With many people of other races (Latino, Arabic, etc.) moving into our neighborhoods, the "village" communication went the way of the dinosaur. Take a look at the present multi-racial/black neighborhoods of today: Latino, some white, some Asian, etc. They do not look out for black kids the way our black elders did for us. That is an important factor that cannot be dismissed when speaking of neighborhoods of today. Black people looked out for each other. In the black/multi-racial neighborhood that I live in, I do not see much of any body trying to look out for the black children, especialy not the other races. And yes, if you ask them why they (the black children) are not at home helping Mom or Dad or at least at home doing their homework, then they look at you like you are crazy. The demise of many black businesses (cafes, humburger stands, etc.) where a young black person could hang out have practically disappeared. Many black neighborhoods have no decent place for young blacks to congregate between school and 6:00PM, so many black children go outside of their neighborhood for entertainment and other forms of diversion, causing them to get back home at late hours of the night, especially if they catch the bus.<BR/>-I agree with Anali on the porches. Houses of today, epecially unlike the "brownstones" of Striver's Row, etc., of New York, do not have the front porch/stoops that allowed people to sit, watch passersby, speak to each other, catch up on the latest news, sit a spell and visit. <BR/>-Add to the fact that everyone is now "into" him and herself. Gone are the days when the "ladies of the neighborhood" looked out for everyone in the community. Now it is pretty much "I've got mine, now you get yours" mentality.<BR/><BR/>Much has changed in the black communit.<BR/><BR/>And not all of this change has been good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1155786724082991142006-08-16T23:52:00.000-04:002006-08-16T23:52:00.000-04:00WOW!Anali, I never thought about that!I do see few...WOW!<BR/><BR/>Anali, I never thought about that!<BR/><BR/>I do see fewer porches! I've NEVER thought about that. Now you've REALLY got me thinking!<BR/><BR/>Thanks-<BR/>TTBMThe Thinking Black Manhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04618989261377257387noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17150866.post-1155780245198128002006-08-16T22:04:00.000-04:002006-08-16T22:04:00.000-04:00Very interesting theory. I think there is definit...Very interesting theory. I think there is definitely something to it. I've been reading articles on the NPR website about how homes don't have front porches like they used to and that has added to a decline in people talking to their neighbors and the weakening of communities.Lisa Johnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08096947438461486505noreply@blogger.com