The Soul Patrol is made up of internet heavies who have adopted a personal mission to expose and publicly punish anyone whose remarks may be interpreted as a put-down of black folk. Put-downs may be real or imagined, typed or only dreamed of in the minds of Patrol members. Soul Patrol work is strictly voluntary. The only compensation is brownie points accumulated on their next visit to their favorite black or afro-centric discussion list. The Soul Patrol is believed to exist primarily to defend the diminished self-esteem of (1) black folks who have witnessed too much racial discrimination and are now over-sensitized to any discussion of race, or (2) mixed-race folks who desperately seek to remain in the good graces of black folks.* The Soul Patrol is always there to yank someone's chain when there is too much lively discussion of good hair/bad hair, skin tone, lips&hips, or hereditary IQ scores. The Soul Patrol is always there when we least expect it, always there to make a way out of "No Way!"

*Call 1-800-Get-A-Life to talk to your local Soul Patrol recruiter.

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