(ThyBlackMan.com) I have been blessed beyond measure to have been special enough that God allowed me to be loved, nurtured, and guided by not one, not two, but three grandmothers — my paternal grandfather, the original James Thomas Jones, was married twice.
Before I go forward, I feel compelled to state that each of these great women poured all that they had into me regarding “how to be” in some of the most difficult situations that one could imagine. I will tell you that I cannot remember a bad, difficult, or sad time during my time with any of these blessed women. If I was pressed to synthesize what Nona Burke, Loraine Young, or Fannie Jones taught me by even their mere presence, it would be to remain the upright, righteous, down to Earth person that you are; in time, I have learned that such a posture was the greatest tribute that I could ever make to them.
Having said that, I must tell you that there are specific moments that stand out above others, one of the most memorable was hearing Grandma Nona and Granny Fanny talk about what it was like when they grew up as children in that fabled place called “down South.” For some reason, the following statement still resonates in my mind, “We may have been poor, but one thing that we weren’t were thieves.” As I matured into a young adult, I eventually understood that this would be one of the most important lessons that I was 
gifted. I was shocked to learn that there were people who allowed poverty and the circumstances of life to determine what they would and would not do. I guess that they were not blessed to have three grandmothers or a host of family members who demanded they hold themselves to a higher principle that would not be compromised by even the most impoverished moments.
It appears that Cardi B is one of those who did not learn such a lesson; and she has much company.
According to an Instagram Live recording three years ago, Cardi B describes criminal exploits that included luring men to a location, drugging men, having them sexually assaulted by transvestites, and robbing them. The stripper turned rapper attributes her deplorable activities to limited life choices that follow women to this day.
It may be best to allow Cardi B to speak for herself.
I had to go strip, I had to go, ‘Oh yeah, you want to f–k me? Yeah, yeah, yeah, let’s go back to this hotel,’ and I drugged n—–s up, and I robbed them. That’s what I used to do.
In a recent post Cardi B expounds on this situation.
So I’m seeing on social media that [an Instagram] live I did 3 years ago has popped back up. A live where I talked about things I had to do in my past right or wrong that I felt I needed to do to make a living. I never claim (sic) to be perfect or come from a perfect world wit (sic) a perfect past I always speak my truth I always own my s–t.
I made the choices that I did at the time because I had very limited options. I was blessed to have been able to rise from that but so many women have not.
The most disconcerting aspect of Cardi B’s antics is how many men and women on social media have failed to denounce her behavior and unwittingly revealed their lack of a moral compass; a position that displays like no other sign the erosion of one’s humanity and the dwindling of the Soul. Of all the maladies that one could experience, there is none like the compromising or selling of one’s Soul. Although it may be a discomforting to consider, the failure to denounce those who have been convicted of evil actions compromises the Soul like nothing else.
At the present moment, there are droves of note worthy Americans who have been either accused or convicted of despicable sexual crimes. What follows is merely a partial list of such figures.
Cardi B, R. Kelly, Frankie Shaw, Michael Weatherly, Steven Wilder Striegel, Gerard Depardieu, Chase Finlay, Asia Argento, Rick Day,Chris Hardwick, Morgan Freeman, Luc Besson, Boyd Tinsley, Ameer Vann, Junot Díaz, Allison Mack, Nicholas Nixon, John Kricfalusi,Sherman Alexie, Jeff Franklin, Philip Berk, Daniel Handler, Patrick Demarchelier, Seth Sabal, Andre Passos, Greg Kadel, David Bellemere, Karl Templer, Vincent Cirrincione, Paul Marciano, Charlie Walk, Scott Baio, David Copperfield, Barry Lubin, Michael Douglas,Joel Kramer, Bruce Weber, Mario Testino, Aziz Ansari, James Franco,Stan Lee, Ben Vereen, Paul Haggis, Albert Schultz, Dan Harmon,Dustin Marshall, T.J. Miller, Morgan Spurlock, Jon Heely, Melanie Martinez, Bryan Singer, Peter Martins, Les Moonves, Kimberly Guilfoyle, Antonin Kratochvil, Christian Rodriguez, Tom Brokaw,Michael Ferro, Alex Jones, Ryan Seacrest, Daniel Zwerdling, Dayan Candappa, Robert Moore, Ross Levinsohn, James Rosen,Kevin Braun, Steve Butts, H. Brandt Ayers, Adrian Carrasquillo,Andrew Creighton, Mike Germano, Rhys James, Jason Mojica, Don Hazen, Leonard Lopate, Jonathan Schwartz, Tavis Smiley, Ryan Lizza,Marshall Faulk, Ike Taylor, Heath Evans, Eric Weinberger, Donovan McNabb, Tom Ashbrook, Dylan Howard, Lorin Stein, John Hockenberry, Matt Lauer, Garrison Keillor, Charlie Rose, Glenn Thrush, Matt Zimmerman, Kaj Larsen, Vince Ingenito, Jann Wenner,Michael Hafford, David Corn, Michael Oreskes, Hamilton Fish, Mark Halperin, Leon Wieseltier, Knight Landesman, Lockhart Steele…
Let me be absolutely clear on why the above list is so lengthy. It was an attempt to counter the foolishness that rises so frequently from unwise members of the Black community. The alluded to foolishness is best characterized as deflecting that boils down to a child-like accusatory game of “Well, what about White folk, they do it to.” Although the allegation that “White folk do it as well” is true, it in no way lessens the reality that so much of the damage in Black and Brown communities emanates from Black and Brown people. It is that populace that I am most concerned with.
I have no other lens to view the confessions of Cardi B and the nearly jubilant celebration of the crimes by Black men and women who apparently have no problem with the drugging and sexual assault of men by predatory women other than a disturbed one.
Maybe it is the cumulative effects of poverty, patriarchy, what many are calling toxic manhood, absent fathers, abusive boyfriends/husbands/brothers, whatever the catalyst or combination, the reaction to Cardi B’s confession reveals that there are men and women in our midst who are psychopaths incapable of displaying remorse for male victims of sexual assault. Many have postulated that Cardi B will most likely never be charged for her crimes as male victims of sexual assault and rape rarely come forward, nonetheless the old adage that “no one gets away” still rules the Universe. Maybe, just maybe, the words of noted Social Critic James Baldwin foreshadow the ultimate punishment that Cardi B and those who have laughed and supported her devious deeds. According to James Baldwin,
People pay for what they do, and still more so for what they have allowed themselves to become, and they pay for it very simply by the lives they lead.
In many ways, that may be too harsh of a punishment for Cardi B and those who think as she does.
Staff Writer; Dr. James Thomas Jones III
Official website; http://www.ManhoodRaceCulture.com
One may also connect with this brother via Twitter; DrJamestJones.
