I'm 28 and have never seen the country so racially divided. (March, crime)

[dude1984]

Race relations are the best they have ever been in this country. The problem is media over exaggeration and sensationalism. The media should be providing facts, not opinions. It is disgusting because they incited all of this. I also believe there is a political component to all of this.

[saltine]

Originally Posted by Feltdesigner

I live in the South and there are no riot, no race wars, no racial divide...

The news, especially Fox News and MSNBC, has done a great job selling this story.

Why would you guess there is a level of tension in schools? Where are the stories? The reports on race riots in high schools all over the country?

Walk outside and see the REAL WORLD instead of listening to a few news stations tell you how bad things are.

the media, All of them.. sold this story..They closed school in St Louis, could be some tension there?/ I live in the midwest and there are no... oh wait a minute The real world?? Reading comprehension? I dont buy anything the "few news stations tell me" Do you?

[elan]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

Before Obama was elected, Limbaugh stated that race relations would deteriorate under Obama. Have you ever seen the country so racially divided?

I wasn't alive in the 60s and don't remember the Rodney King riots, but I've never seen the country this torn apart by race, and I think Ferguson finally blew the lid off the pressure cooker.

It's been a steady drumbeat of racial issues the last few years. The Skip Gates arrest outside his home a couple years back, Trayvon Martin, and now Ferguson. In each one of those cases, the media and the "advocates" seem to want to drum things up and get people upset. It's certainly worked.

Do you think race relations are going to continue to deteriorate? I'd say this is the worst it's been since the 60s.

You are 28, that's great, enjoy it. I'm pushing 60. I've always said the 60's ruined my childhood, lol. Naw, race relations are not getting worse. I have more diverse friends, family and co-workers than I've ever had. We are always going to have bad apples in every bunch. Turn off your television and concentrate on the good.

[desertdetroiter]

Originally Posted by denverian

It's only racially divided if you're a racist who's mad that a black man is President, or if you watch Fox "News" and believe that President Obama is racist against white people.

In my real world, the races mix freely and without issue.

Same here. I'm sitting in a hole in the wall cafe with my father and his old college pal...a white guy. The patrons of this place are 90% white with a few Hispanics mixed up in there. I haven't felt a lick of hostility. Nothing but smiles and polite gestures from everyone.

The reality is that the folks who complain about racial divisiveness have their own problems with other races, but wanna try to make it seem as if the rest of us are experiencing the same thing.

Ferguson is a thousand miles from here...literally and figuratively. Their racial hostilities have NOTHING to do with people here.

If this country is more divided, I ain't seeing it.

[pollyrobin]

Originally Posted by Emigrations

Before Obama was elected, Limbaugh stated that race relations would deteriorate under Obama. Have you ever seen the country so racially divided?

I wasn't alive in the 60s and don't remember the Rodney King riots, but I've never seen the country this torn apart by race, and I think Ferguson finally blew the lid off the pressure cooker.

It's been a steady drumbeat of racial issues the last few years. The Skip Gates arrest outside his home a couple years back, Trayvon Martin, and now Ferguson. In each one of those cases, the media and the "advocates" seem to want to drum things up and get people upset. It's certainly worked.

Do you think race relations are going to continue to deteriorate? I'd say this is the worst it's been since the 60s.

I never thought of Rodney King or Martin or Ferguson in a racial divide as in the scope of the '60's, 50's and earlier. More like a police overstep/brutality issue. All cases you mentioned, with the exception of Trayvon
Marton (okay p/t wanna be cop) involved police, not average folks.

So I am going to have to disagree with you.

[Cathy4017]

Originally Posted by blacknwhiterose

And the Ferguson riots has exactly what to do with Obama? Directly, not much. Indirectly, it's the subtle theme that Obama has been putting forth sometime now with his comments and actions over the years. However, Obama did use Al Sharpton has a liason for the Ferguson situation. That right there doesn't really send a message that smacks of justice and waiting until the facts are laid out. More on that below....

It saddens me to say it, but the President has, either inadvertently or on purpose, fostered a bit of an underlying theme of division in this country for some time now.

His comments on the Trayvon Martin case PRE TRIAL....before the facts had even been sifted through were completely irresponsible for any government leader....much less the President of the United States.

His de facto liason to the Ferguson situation pre grand jury was non other than Al Sharpton, one of the biggest race hustlers this side of the Atlantic Ocean if you know anything at all about his past. Al Sharpton??? That'd be like George Bush using David Duke's advice to quell a dispute between White Nationalists and African-Americans living in some rural community. I wonder what the press would do with that.

Regarding the Officer Gates issue, again before the facts were out...only the most powerful man in the world who you think would have a bit more self control on sensitive racial matters came out and criticized the police department and Officer Gates for the arrest he made on Henry Louis. It's Obama's knee jerk reaction to do these things before the facts have been laid out. Obama later came out and apologized for these comments realizing they were wrong to make.

Let's not forget he attended Rev. Wright's church for years. Wright is very "pro black movement" and makes many racist comments in his sermons. Many of which can be seen on video on the internet. Even if Obama wasn't overtly influenced by Wright or didn't always agree with him.....why attend a church with this kind of racially-charged vitriol being spewed from the altar??

Let's not forget Eric Holder, the attorney general who Obama appointed to be the chief law enforcement officer of the country. Research some of his past and the things he has said. A good argument for him being a race hustler could easily be made.

Obama had lent his comments to many issues regarding race in this country where he should have just kept his mouth shut. A President needs to be magnanimous in issues regarding civil rest and national unity in a country and not drop racially tinged opinions or quips....especially before....but even after all the facts are released for that matter.

As the first black president of the USA, he had such a great opportunity to be a true uniter. To be magnanimous and rise above the emotional fire that underlies racial issues in the USA. Instead, he has used his bully pulpit to often fuel that fire with ill advised comments.

At the very least, I think Pres. Obama has been irresponsible with his comments regarding race throughout the years and his appointments of various highly biased individuals like Holder and Sharpton. At the worst, it is a calculated attempt by the administration to introduce disharmony and division in this country for more illicit reasons that I wish to get into now.

Great post. Rep points for you.

[DCforever]

For those of us who lived through the 60s the country seems to be at peace. What is surprising is how segregated institutions in the south remain. How do we have a police department that is 93% white in a majority black city?

[Finn_Jarber]

Originally Posted by elan

You are 28, that's great, enjoy it. I'm pushing 60. I've always said the 60's ruined my childhood, lol. Naw, race relations are not getting worse. I have more diverse friends, family and co-workers than I've ever had. We are always going to have bad apples in every bunch. Turn off your television and concentrate on the good.

I agree. The media spin makes everything look far worse than it is (and not just thing Ferguson thing, but everything).

[desertdetroiter]

Originally Posted by blktoptrvl

You named the problem and the cause all in one post.

The people who beat the drum of racism are the same ones who complain how bad race relations have become. Turn off Limbaugh and the other pot stirrers, and go talk to real people in the street and you will find that things are not as bad as you think or they want.

Baaaaaaaaam! Best post yet.

That's the thing...folks want "boutique" news and information outlets that confirm already held beliefs.

I've asked white people this question a million times: "why don't you get off your duff and go talk to some REAL everyday black people instead of bothering yourself with talk radio and boutique news bombthrowers?"

And to be fair, black folks are often no better...except that we can't avoid contact with white people.

Americans are too lazy and self absorbed to get to know people a little bit. If it's not the internet or TV, they wouldn't even have contact with other humans except to go to work.

This country isn't that damn divided. Certainly no more than it ever was.

[Oldglory]

I don't think it is about racial divisiveness but cultural divide. People are coming there that have no respect for our laws, our customs, traditions, language and in fact are trying to replace ours with theirs.