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Location: Everybody is going to hurt you, you just gotta find the ones worth suffering for-B Marley
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kharing
Taboo? Think the issue has been beaten to the ground - even more so after the election results.
Still unclear why this topic is so close to your heart right now. Did something happen?
It's always been a topic close to my heart. I just put talking about it on hold until now because I've never found a message board where people can talk about it without all but threatening to kill each other. This message board has got to be the best I've seen as far as people being able to talk like adults. I know things get heated here but the people who can carry on a civil conversation here overshadow them by far. I'm impressed.
My natural hesitancy when it comes to politicians and politics is still firmly in place but that wouldn't be any different if your new President was purple with pink polka dots. (it wouldn't be any different if we were talking about Australian politics. ) So far I have more confidence in Obama than his predesessor but it's easy to say that with hindsight.
Agreed, and I share your skepticism of politicians, as well as your cautious optimism.
Quote:
Personally I think we're all going to be having such a difficult time with the current world economic crisis that we'll all be far too busy dealing with how that personally impacts our lives to be worrying about who is black and who is white and who is purple etc.
That is definitely how we will ALL be getting our WE back. Nothing like a bit of economic adversity to bring about unity.
Agreed again.
Quote:
Originally Posted by HillScoggin
Can you imagine the furor over WET instead of BET? United Caucasian College Fund and United Negro College Fund,the many all Black colleges and trying to have even a private all White college?
These type issues has done more to propagate racism than anything else.
We already *have* WET. Until not so long ago, all TV was by default White Television--and what few black characters there were in TV and movies were stereotypes such as Mammy in Gone With the Wind.
Segregation brought about black colleges. If you want to be all upset about black colleges, think about the reason they came about.
Have you ever heard of James Meredith (http://www.jfklibrary.org/meredith/jm.html - broken link)?
When the opportunity structure favors one group, it makes sense for the in-with-the-out-crowd group to band together and help each other.
But just as white schools finally began admitting qualified black students, the reverse is true as well. I don't know if whites are actively recruited at colleges, let alone fraternities or sororities, but I sure don't think anyone would riot if a white applied to a traditionally black college, and the white student would not have to hire any lawyers.
When minorities post on the board saying that they want to relocate and would like to find a neighborhood with their culture, nobody says a word about racism.
If a white person makes that same post, people will come out of the woodwork to call them a racist.
Why aren't white people allowed to criticize other cultures for the same things they're criticized for?
I think you're being disingenuous here. Allow me to interject:
Minorities are typically underrepresented more often than not in most places in America. So, it would make sense for a minority to wonder whether or not there was any of 'their culture'(and I use such terms loosely) in any given area. However, it would not make sense for a White person to wonder this as White culture is pretty ubiquitous in all but an extremely few places in such a White dominated nation.
I live in an area that is predominantly Latino. Due to this the work crews generally speak Spanish among themselves and to most of their customers. This isn't a problem unless you don't speak Spanish. I have a 16 year old son who wouldn't have much of a chance even getting a job at Burger King. As a matter of fact, there are few lower level jobs available for anyone who doesn't speak Spanish. Latino's hire Latino's.
I don't personally care, but I do realize if I want my kid to work, I need to move to another part of town which I plan to do within the next couple of months. It will cost me quite a bit of money at a time when I really don't want to have to spend it.
However, I have to accept this as the reality of a white family who mistakenly moved into a Latino area. If it were the other way around....it would be considered racism. As it is...it is reverse racism but no one cares.
Thanks Public_Newsense for being bold enough to address the issue!
Everyone knows racism--White against Black--is alive and well, and most agree, it's wrong and we've had our say against it at every opportunity, publicly and in private conversation. But it's also very true that things have changed significantly for the better and continue to do so. Case in point, the countless Black public figures who have made their own way whom even Whites line up to see, movies, concerts, tv, politicians, etc. But for decades I've witnessed more reverse racism than I ever have 'racism', and a far more aggressive form of racism than in recent years, yet, little to nothing is spoken of it. Why is that?
There appears to be a growing attitude toward all Whites that they're the cause of all failures of Blacks who are unhappy with their lives. What happened to taking responsibility for ourselves, our actions, our failures? That's how we learn from them and keep ourselves from repeating them. Passing the blame to others does nothing but set us up for further failure.
In my perspective, most of the current 'racism' isn't 'racism' as such, but that many are tired of being blamed for the racisms and slavery of the past and tired of Blacks feeling the need to bring up the color of their skin in every conversation on tv as if Whites care about that. Most don't. It's more about being fed up with excuses and blame than racism.
Although I will admit that I get tired of the topic of racism, I think the OP has made a valid point. We can't preach about equal rights for everyone then studiously ignore blatent reverse-racism. I don't think the OP was trying to bash anyone or get a verbal war started, just point out that racism exists on BOTH sides of the fence. A white person will recieve a backlash for any comment perceived as racist, yet many black folks engage in racism themselves and often without a murmer of dissent from anyone. Let me share a few things that I see as reverse-racism.
Black Entertainment Television-------Is there a White Entertainment TV? Miss Black America-----------Do we have a Miss White America? Last time I watched The Miss America Pageant, there were black contestants along with white contestants. Blackflix.com----------There is no Whiteflix Afro-American Colleges---------Is there was a White-American College? Ebony----------Is there a magazine called Whitey or Cracker? Never seen a white model in Ebony but have seen plenty of black models in "other" mags.
While scrolling through the web, I also noticed ads to meet Black Singles yet I didn't see any for White singles.
I have often wondered how a black person can rant against racism on one hand while practicing racism on the other. You just can't have it both ways, folks.
Can't we all just get along??? Grown-ups are often worst than the little kids on the playground.
Thank you so much for posting the issue, I am so glad there are other people that think it's nonsensical. To me hating some one for what they are is bigotry...there is no double standard or "reverse".
I am a white male. Although nothing has prevented me from doing what I desire I have had people come up to me on the street (a good handful) and call me a pig, a racist, a sexist...and when I ask them where in gods name would make a stranger think that each one has said "it's because you're a white male".
2 additional times I have had people take race into things that was inappropriate because of my own race. Once was a lady who was screaming at me that I was a racist against Muslims because we very firmly insisted she stay at the scene of an accident while we called the cops...just because her bumper was embedded in my wife's car didn't seem to register with her.
The other is when we were looking at apartments and came to one from an ad, the photo was very idealized. There was flooding damage in a number of apartments (being cleaned up when we were there), the foundation was so badly off kilter the walls and ceiling were cracked, and a lady came into the apartment while we were touring to beg for money. We declined and got out of there, and as a parting shot the manager yelled to us "I'm sorry brown faces offend you white folk".
Hating anybody for what they are in no way helps anyone. Equality means treating everyone equally, what applies to one group of people must apply to the other or it's injustice.
How can we be ready to move on when it isn't even being addressed? If I were, I wouldn't be discussing it now.
Not alot to adress.
Racism as it exists to day in the US is virtually nonexistant beyond personal feelings. Best way to lessen those feelings is to go about your buisness without yelling about racism where it doesn't exist. Peoples feelings are their own & no legislation or anything much else will change it except when it becomes obvious that race is irrelevant. As long as theres Sharptons, Jacksons, Malcom X's & others that thrive on perpetuating hatred peoples feelings wont change.
Reverse racism is simply racism.
Anyway, its my opinion that racism exists more in the minds of activists than in reality & left alone in a couple more generation will be a thing of the past even in the mostly meaningless ways it exists today.
"Racism as it exists to day in the US is virtually nonexistant beyond personal feelings. Best way to lessen those feelings is to go about your buisness without yelling about racism where it doesn't exist... Anyway, its my opinion that racism exists more in the minds of activists than in reality... "
Great point, TK. I would just add to this... you will find whatever you are looking for. If you think someone is going to be racist, anything they say or do will be construed that way. If we stop looking for racism, maybe we'll stop finding it as often.
As long as people can see a difference (skin color, sex, religion, hair color, eye color, etc.) they will work on it to separate themselves. There will always be differences, and (unfortunately) there will always be those that seek out those differences to their own gains or beliefs.
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