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Chris Hayden
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 12:18 pm: | 
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Chocolate Flava, an anthology of erotic short stories edited by Zane, has dropped.
http://www.simonsays.com/subs/book.cfm?isbn=0743482387&areaid=655
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Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Thursday, January 08, 2004 - 08:35 pm: |
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Chris, of course, there is no end in sight. This is the first of a series. <sigh> |
Chris Hayden
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2004 - 10:51 am: |
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Hey, I have done a cursory reading of it--some of it is outstanding, some good, some so so-none of it is terrible. Of course it is geared to the general reader--but that is Zane's market.
Where I find it refreshing is in that it is black writers--it is almost evenly divided between men and women--writing in a uninhibited way about sexuality. There is something for almost every erotic taste.
I would say that it is not particularly daring--the sex is mostly straight, hetero--but such writing for a general audience is a fairly new black phenomenon it has always amazed me that black people--who are supposed to be so daring, innovative, avant garde are actually, in the mass, quite conservative and stuffy. Behind the times even. I know you are going to point to black comedians and musicians but that is not literature and the black middle class has had problems with them, too. Maybe this is just when it comes to the black reading public.
Almost all the characters were middle class--college students, office workers, entrepreneurs, photographers--this is what a lot of people have wanted--I wonder--does this indicate that the black middle class has been very inhibited, conservative and uptight about sex? Does the appearance of Zane and her public indicate that this conservatism is passing? |
Crystal
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2004 - 12:22 pm: |
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I think the black middle class is very conservative when it comes to sex, among other things. Maybe a combination of our strong church ties, a history of having to hide our sexuality during slavery and post-slavery times to avoid rape and murder and black men not having as many arenas to show their masculine pride [that male dominated missionary position thing]. Things are changing though. Oral sex was not much discussed in the 60’s & 70’s and now it’s the act-of-the-day. |
ABM
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2004 - 02:25 pm: |
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Chris,
Well, I certainly can't speak for ALL middle-class Black foks (though I bet a can 'cop' for few). But of course we know the reasons for our (pre-Hip/Hop) public facade of sexual conservatism is slavery/racism. There has been so much havoc, anathema and innuendo associated with African American sex (e.g., slave rape, massah's chillren, fear and resentment of the 'legendary' Black phallus, fear and resentment of Black men & White woman coupling, etc.) Therefore, Black people have rightly felt compelled to strictly regulate/restrict any/all public displays of our sexuality for fear of being abused/castigated/disparaged.
We are now just getting to a stage of being comfortable enuff with our own personal security to express ourselves without be rudely treated both by both outsiders and our own selves.
I don't know whether Black people have been any less or more sexually inhibited than Whites.
See, sex is an exciting thing (Gee! At least he’s only ‘slightly’ overstating the obvious.). Sex is the kind of thing that is so enthralling that when it gets down to it, that most foks - Black/White/Others, no matter what era/culture they're from - usually get around to doing in their boudoir what they damn well please.
The only thing new/fresh about what Zane and others are doing is they are among the first Blacks to aggressively (& profitably) "tellin' it". And GOD Bless 'em for it!
Sexual experimentation began for Black people (pardon me, Crystal) WAAAAAYYYY before the later 1/2 of the 20th Century. Just because Black foks weren't necessarily 'advertising' their participation in cunnilingus in 1915 doesn't mean there weren't plenty of them who secretly enjoyed 'doing' it.
And I have been around enuff people, places and things to know that you don't really know whether and how somebody's REALLY getting their swerve on. I have seen women who look like dime store hooker who are actually virgins and discovered the local church deacon and usher boards were conducting orgies and swappin' wives. |
Anonymous
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, January 09, 2004 - 07:56 pm: |
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Chris, just one of the standard elements for comtemporary fiction. Nearly all the characters have similar, middle-class occupations. They behaved as though they are dumb as doorknobs but nonetheless they're gainfully employed. |
Cynique
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 02:07 pm: |
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The University of Chicago, which is renowned for its school of sociology, just completed a study on the sexual habits of Chicagoans. This test was administered to 2000+ people, with the assurance of anonymity. All that was necessary for respondents to reveal was their sex, race, and income bracket. A few of the more interesting things found out was that black men cheat on their mates more than anyone else, Hispanics don't like birth-control and single women of all classes and races are quite sexually active and have no great qualms about casual encounters. ( No surprises here, huh?) |
ABM
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 03:28 pm: |
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Cynique,
Dang! Well by the looks of the result of the UC study, maybe HBO should move "Sex In The City" to Chi-town and have the show feature 'Lemar', 'DeWayne', 'Tyree' and 'Luscious'. Though, with all the 'plumbing' those brothahs would be 'installing', they would have to change the name slightly to "Sex In Out All Up Down Around and Through The City"
Of course Black men are BIGTIME cheaters. Who else has got the 'goods' to service all of those non-prophylactic using latinas and skeezer single chicks? HEHEHE! |
Cynnara
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Saturday, January 10, 2004 - 11:54 pm: |
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WOW
They actually had a study on black men sex that told the truth without being called "racist"??
Now that's funny.
I'm not a skeezer, DOH and I'm young and single. My mama didn't raise us to get down like that.
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Cynique
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Sunday, January 11, 2004 - 12:51 am: |
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tsk-tsk ABM. A single gal doesn't have to be a skeezer to allow herself to be seduced by a stud. Just frustrated. (Or maybe lonely.) |
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