Thursday Open Thread | Music That Makes You Think Week

Posted on August 20, 2015 by rikyrah

thanks yahtzeebutterfly for the reminder about the power of this song.

“Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” is a funk song performed by James Brown and written with his bandleader Alfred “Pee Wee” Ellis in 1968. It was released as a two-part single which held the number-one spot on the R&B singles chart for six weeks, and peaked at number ten on the Billboard Hot 100.[1][2] Both parts of the single were later included on James Brown’s 1968 album A Soulful Christmas and on his 1969 album sharing the title of the song. The song became an unofficial anthem of the Black Power movement.

“Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud” was Brown’s first recording to feature trombonist Fred Wesley.

Lyrics[edit]
In the song, Brown addresses the prejudice towards blacks in America, and the need for black empowerment. He proclaims that “we demands a chance to do things for ourself/we’re tired of beating our head against the wall/and workin’ for someone else”. The song’s call-and-response chorus is performed by a group of young children, who respond to Brown’s command of “Say it loud” with “I’m black and I’m proud!”[3] The song was recorded in a Los Angeles area suburb with about 30 young people from the Watts and Compton areas.[4]

The lyrics “We’ve been ‘buked and we’ve been scorned/We’ve been treated bad, talked about as sure as you’re born” in the first verse of the song paraphrases the spiritual “I’ve Been ‘Buked”.

Several other Brown singles from the same era as “Say It Loud – I’m Black and I’m Proud”, notably “I Don’t Want Nobody to Give Me Nothing (Open Up the Door, I’ll Get It Myself)”, explored similar themes of black empowerment and self-reliance.

The song’s opening exhortation, “With your bad self”, is an example of linguistic reappropriation, and added a new entry to Brown’s long list of nicknames: “His Bad Self.”

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56 Responses to Thursday Open Thread | Music That Makes You Think Week

  2. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 9:45 pm

    YoC @OneSkiingDiva
    @PragObots Any black person that fell for this bs WANTED to fall for this bs. They don’t like Shaun for whatever reason and this was fodder.

    Reply
    • rikyrah says:
      August 20, 2015 at 9:46 pm

      PragmaticObotsUnite @PragObots
      No Black person should’ve fell for Breitbart’s bs becuz 1) We ALL know Shaun Kings exist in our community & 2) Shirley Sherrod.

      Reply
  12. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 7:38 pm

    The Best Man is on Centric right now!!

    Reply
  13. eliihass says:
    August 20, 2015 at 7:37 pm

    So I read Charles Blow’s write-up which I think was pretty spot on..

    http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/20/opinion/charles-blow-black-lives-matter-activists-confront-hillary-clinton.html?smid=tw-nytopinion&smtyp=cur&_r=0

    And then I read the comments and it all captures and crystallizes everything we discuss here about white privilege, white supremacy, entitlement and its various manifestations: condescension, disdain, resentment, rage, vindictiveness…etc. and all from people supposedly on the same ideological side as us – our supposed liberal/progressive allies…

    The funniest comments were the ones that kept threatening us and reminding us that if we cause Hillary to lose, that we’d be catapulted back to the dark ages by those evil republicans who so ironically happen to share the same sentiments about us as those threatening us hold…

    It was quite something…

    Reply
  14. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 6:31 pm

    Ed O’Keefe ✔ @edatpost
    Is the term anchor babies offensive? “No,” @jebbush says

    Reply
  16. SouthernGirl2 says:
    August 20, 2015 at 5:15 pm

    //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js

    Reply
  18. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 3:36 pm

    Right-wingers deny constitutional reality

    By Jennifer Rubin August 20 at 11:30 AM

    Why do politicians and pundits who back repealing birthright citizenship want to insist it would not take a constitutional amendment to alter the 14th Amendment? (“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States.”) I can think of a few reasons.

    For starters, it would reveal their idea to be unattainable. Amending the Constitution is very difficult; amending it for something this controversial would be impossible. In addition, conservatives are supposed to be careful, reasoned and take measured steps that respect law and tradition. Ripping up the Constitution when there are far more workable ways to defend against illegal immigration is radical, not conservative. Moreover, it reminds us what a morass this would be figuring out whose parents were illegal, how we handle non-citizens born in the states (they can’t vote? can they serve in the military?), and a myriad of other complications that would require an intrusive and large bureaucracy. (What’s next — demanding paternity tests to prevent citizenship “fraud”?)

    Unfortunately, the law — the text of the Constitution, the legislative history, the legislative history of the civil rights statue that preceded it and over a hundred years of precedent — strongly weighs in favor of the argument that only an amendment to the 14th Amendment could change the law. Having plowed through multiple scholarly works, including those by originalists, I can say the case, if not airtight, is overwhelming, thanks to examination of the debates, drafting and votes on the amendment. And even if you’re not entirely convinced by all that, can anyone imagine this Supreme Court, which determined a constitutional right for gays to marry, would strip citizenship from millions of people? And a warning to the GOP debate participants is in order: radio host and moderator of the 2nd GOP debate Hugh Hewitt knows this stuff cold.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2015/08/20/fourteenth-amendment-deniers/?hpid=z2

    Reply
  19. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 2:42 pm

    OMG….

    BWA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA

    http://youtu.be/5FjWe31S_0g

    Reply
  21. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    Where are the GOP’s foreign policy ‘grown-ups’?
    08/19/15 12:55 PM—UPDATED 08/20/15 08:07 AM
    By Steve Benen
    Rep. Steve Cohen (D-Tenn.), seen as an on-the-fence Democrat on the international nuclear agreement with Iran, announced his support for the diplomatic deal this morning. His endorsement came on the heels of three Democratic senators announcing yesterday that they’re backing the agreement, too.

    Republican leaders seem resigned to the fact that they’re probably going to lose this fight and the deal will likely be implemented, but the number of GOP lawmakers willing to support the deal still stands at zero.

    But away from Capitol Hill, the picture changes. We talked this week about some notable Republican figures who may not have a vote, but who nevertheless back the Iran agreement, including former Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.), who served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Brent Scowcroft, a veteran National Security Advisor to several Republican presidents, who also served as the chairman of George W. Bush’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board. A reader reminded me that I neglected to mention former Sen. John Warner (R-Va.), a former chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who’s also offered support for the deal.

    Commenting on my piece, Vox’s Max Fisher raised an under-appreciated point:
    “What we’re really seeing here are the last vestiges of a Reagan/HWBush-era Republican Party that took foreign policy seriously on its merits.”
    He added that Republicans like Scowcroft and Lugar are better labeled the GOP’s “grown-ups.”

    That’s true. It also raises a broader point about the slow disappearance of these “grown-ups” and their declining influence over Republican policymaking, especially in the area of international affairs.

    http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/where-are-the-gops-foreign-policy-grown-ups

    Reply
  24. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 12:23 pm

    Frank Conniff @FrankConniff

    Trump is a breath of fresh air, say people who use racism and misogyny as oxygen.

    Reply
    • eliihass says:
      August 20, 2015 at 7:24 pm

      And those who kept quiet and weren’t offended all these years as he and their ilk targeted and even actively participated in said racism and misogyny at the Obamas..

      Reply
  26. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 11:23 am

    Allan Brauer ‏@allanbrauer 11h11 hours ago
    So today @AP published a leak meant to destroy the #IranDeal that they had to completely rewrite within hours.
    ===
    Allan Brauer ‏@allanbrauer 11h11 hours ago
    At some point these news outlets owe it to the public to name the people giving them bad info & making them look stupid. cc @nytimes @AP

    Reply
  27. eliihass says:
    August 20, 2015 at 10:32 am

    Maybe I’m missing something, or maybe the residual resentment I have towards her as one of those who did foul, underhanded things to our black First Lady, but how on earth is this incredibly unimpressive Jennifer Palmieri still highly-touted as an effective Communications Director..?

    When Omarosa does a better off the cuff job and is more convincing winging it in her unofficial role as spokeswoman for Donald Trump, I find myself completely confused…

    Reply
  28. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 9:44 am

    White House mentee heads to Morehouse College
    By Hamil R. Harris August 19 at 5:23 PM

    Noah McQueen used to spend more time fighting and getting arrested than getting good grades and listening to advice. He changed households and public schools 10 times before he landed at the Maryland Juvenile Justice Cheltenham Youth Center.

    But times have changed.

    “Do you need a ride back to the White House?” a presidential aide asked McQueen, 19, as he stood inside Eddie’s Hair Design in Adams Morgan on a recent day.

    “No, I have my own car now,” he responded.

    McQueen didn’t need a barber; he had a fresh haircut. He was there to work. McQueen was there with Broderick Johnson, head of the White House’s My Brother’s Keeper initiative, to be a role model to students from Marie Reed Elementary School. The initiative was launched last year to improve educational and job opportunities for young men of color.

    White House officials, including President Obama, have worked hard to help McQueen. His life changed three years ago, when, as a student at Dr. Henry A. Wise Jr. High School in Upper Marlboro, he began mentoring children at nearby Barack Obama Elementary.

    “I get choked up . . . when I think about where I was,” McQueen said as he reflected on a troubled childhood that included several suspensions, arrests and other run-ins with the law.

    Now McQueen is a freshman at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He graduated in May from Wise, where he finished with a 3.25 grade-point average even though his freshman and sophomore years were academic disasters.

    McQueen came to the attention of the White House because he was part of several mentoring groups. He was selected to participate in My Brother’s Keeper and, in February, the president interviewed McQueen about his life.

    http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/white-house-mentee-heads-to-morehouse-college/2015/08/18/4439435e-3ac9-11e5-b3ac-8a79bc44e5e2_story.html?postshare=2131440074701528

    Reply
  31. eliihass says:
    August 20, 2015 at 9:35 am

    Watching President Carter. Very sad. I’ve always greatly admired his bond and partnership with Mrs Carter and how his post-presidency work has been a full and equal partnership. Not just ‘his’ but ‘theirs’.

    He starts his speech this morning with, “…Rosalyn and I will be cutting back on our time at our foundation…we’d first talked about it when I turned 80, and again when I turned 85…”

    This would have been their 33rd year traveling to Nepal together he says…

    The best thing he ever did was marrying Rosalyn, the ‘pinnacle’ of his life he says…69 years…

    I’m a sucker for committed love and marriage and listening to President Carter talk about his wife – placing her and not their kids or grandkids at the top of his love list, warms my heart…It’s great to hear especially in these times when so many men tout the kids as evidence of being good family men..

    I pray for some more good healthy years ahead for him so that he and Rosalyn can have some more time together…

    Reply
  32. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 9:30 am

    uh huh
    uh huh
    crooks…every last one of them!!

    they talk all that bullshyt about ‘fiscal accountability’ when it comes to public schools, but when it comes to charters, they just raise their hands and go ‘ I dunno’.

    time and time again, the THIERVERY is shown, and they just shrug the shoulders.

    ………………………………………..

    PA Cyber Charter founder Nick Trombetta indicted on fraud and tax charges

    The founder and former CEO of a cyber-charter school that educates
    more than 11,000 Pennsylvania students has been indicted by a federal grand jury.

    Fifty-eight-year-old Nicholas Trombetta of East Liverpool, Ohio, is accused of siphoning more than $8 million from the school through a network of profit and non-profit companies he controlled.

    Trombetta surrendered to authorities Thursday night on the charges announced Friday by federal authorities.

    Trombetta allegedly bought a $1 million Florida condominium and houses for his girlfriend and mother, along with nearly $1 million on personal expenses, including groceries.

    http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2013/08/pa_cyber_charter_founder_nick.html

    Reply
  34. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 7:58 am

    I love him. Have ever since he was on 24. His voice….sigh…

    …………..

    Dennis Haysbert Will Play Part Detective and Part Grand Inquisitor in Syfy Pilot ‘Incorporated’

    By Tambay A. Obenson | Shadow and Act

    August 19, 2015 at 2:57PM

    Syfy today announced that Dennis Haysbert has joined the cast of the channel’s new futuristic espionage thriller pilot “Incorporated” from Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s Pearl Street Films, CBS Television Studios and Universal Cable Productions.

    Set in a world where companies have unlimited power, executive Ben Larson (played by Sean Teale) is forced to change his identity in order to infiltrate a cut-throat corporate world at SPIGA and save the woman he loves. In the process, he will take on the entire system — with deadly consequences.

    Dennis Haysbert has signed up to play series regular Julian, Head of Security and probably the most feared person at SPIGA headquarters. Part detective and part grand inquisitor, Julian is a tenacious investigator with an uncanny ability to sniff out moles and traitors in the company.

    The pilot will also star David Hewlett, Ian Tracey, Georgina Haig, Eddie Ramos and Julia Ormond.

    http://blogs.indiewire.com/shadowandact/dennis-haysbert-will-play-part-detective-and-part-grand-inquisitor-in-syfy-pilot-incorporated-20150819

    Reply
  35. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 7:56 am

    because most parents want their children to eat healthy

    https://twitter.com/thinkprogress/status/634053476994056192

    Reply
  37. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 7:54 am

    Harry Connick Jr.’s Daughter Arrested After Allegedly Providing Alcohol to Minors at Party She Hosted at Family Home

    Harry Connick Jr.’s daughter, Georgia Connick, was arrested over the weekend after allegedly hosting a party at her family’s New Canaan, Conn., home, where alcohol was served to minors.

    Georgia, 19, faces charges of permitting minors to possess alcohol and procuring alcohol for minors, NBC News reports. Someone called police after 1 a.m. Saturday morning to report that there was underage drinking taking place at the Connick residence. When police arrived, they discovered many people trying to flee the scene by escaping through the nearby woods, law enforcement told NBC News.

    Police also discovered empty beer cans and partially empty beer cans on the property.

    Harry and wife Jill Goodacre were not at home during the party.

    “This is a private matter which we are dealing with as a family,” the American Idol judge told People in a statement Tuesday. “We have no further comments. Thank you for understanding.”

    http://www.msn.com/en-us/music/celebrity/harry-connick-jrs-daughter-arrested-after-allegedly-providing-alcohol-to-minors-at-party-she-hosted-at-family-home/ar-BBlSk7e?ocid=ansmsnent11

    Reply
  40. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 7:52 am

    Does Skin Color Affect How You Rate Intelligence of Others?

    Study Finds Evidence of Colorism Among White People
    By Nicki Lisa Cole

    White people rate the intelligence of lighter-skinned blacks and Latinos higher than they do that of their darker-skinned counterparts, all else being equal.

    This disturbing finding comes from a study by Villanova sociologist Lance Hannon, published in March 2015 in Social Currents. Hannon conducted this research using pre-existing data collected during the 2012 American National Election Study. Data for this ongoing study is collected via face-to-face interviews with people around the country.

    Interviewers ask respondents about their backgrounds, political views and values, perceptions of parties and candidates, and views on public policy, among other things. As part of the study, interviewers are required to rate respondents’ skin color on a scale of light to dark, and also, to rate their intelligence on a scale of “very low” to “very high.”

    Hannon’s research focused on cases in which interviewers were white and respondents were black and Latino–223 cases in total. After running ordinal logistic regression analyses on this data, Hannon found conclusively that “African American and Latino respondents with the lightest skin are several times more likely to be seen by whites as intelligent compared with those with the darkest skin” [emphasis added].

    By accounting for things like educational background, income, level of political knowledge, and score on a vocabulary test that is part of the study, Hannon was able to conclude that skin tone trumps other factors as an influencer of perceptions of intelligence.

    Hannon’s findings provide solid evidence of, and thus legitimacy for, the previously unproven racial bias related to skin tone. As Hannon writes in his article, sociologists ourselves are in part to blame for this. Most research on racism has focused on racial categories rather than variations in skin tone. Further, there is a widespread popular belief that “colorism,” a bias toward lightness, is a problem within minority racial populations, but not necessarily among whites. Now, we know indisputably that it is.

    Hannon’s research backs up previous studies that have found correlations between skin tone and perceptions of intelligence, but that have lacked conclusive evidence of causation. One study published in 2006 found that employers prefer light-skinned black men with bachelor’s degrees over dark-skinned black men who have MBAs. A 2010 study conducted in North Carolina found that skin tone of black women seemed to affect length of prison sentence, with sentence length increasing along the light-to-dark scale. While another, published in 2014, found that people remember educated black men as being lighter-skinned than they actually are, presumably because they correlate intelligence with whiteness.

    http://sociology.about.com/od/Sound-Bites-Research-In-the-News/fl/Does-Race-Affect-How-You-Rate-Intelligence-of-Others.htm

    Reply
  42. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 7:45 am

    a link that will make your ovaries ache and say,

    ” I want one”

    LOL

    https://twitter.com/Lilblackbabies

    Reply
  43. rikyrah says:
    August 20, 2015 at 7:42 am

    Good Morning, Everyone :)

    Reply
  44. Ametia says:
    August 20, 2015 at 7:35 am

    TGIT Everyone.

    Reply

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