How sad.............. (2013, house, live)

[mr&mrssunshine]

in the week that sees 50 years since the 'I have a dream' speech.............

I coach an under 19 boys soccer team...I have boys that are white, of Mexican heritage (born here) an adopted kid from Haiti who is black, and others from various countries I don't have a clue where....without exception they are all polite, respectful good kids. Yesterday on the way back from a game in fort myers , in my car we were cut up, brake tested and given the finger by a 'gentleman' who proceeded to the stop light , wound down his window and advised us to 'get the f*** out of ma country, get out of America and F*** off back to your own countries'

Frankly I was appalled and embarrassed. I deplore racism but also know it works each and every way but this individual was a disgrace and made me ashamed..................I jokingly told the boys 'gee he obviously hates the English ' but I could see it affected them


50 years on and I don't think the dream has been realised , what a sad indictment

[Big House]

Originally Posted by mr&mrssunshine

in the week that sees 50 years since the 'I have a dream' speech.............

I coach an under 19 boys soccer team...I have boys that are white, of Mexican heritage (born here) an adopted kid from Haiti who is black, and others from various countries I don't have a clue where....without exception they are all polite, respectful good kids. Yesterday on the way back from a game in fort myers , in my car we were cut up, brake tested and given the finger by a 'gentleman' who proceeded to the stop light , wound down his window and advised us to 'get the f*** out of ma country, get out of America and F*** off back to your own countries'

Frankly I was appalled and embarrassed. I deplore racism but also know it works each and every way but this individual was a disgrace and made me ashamed..................I jokingly told the boys 'gee he obviously hates the English ' but I could see it affected them


50 years on and I don't think the dream has been realised , what a sad indictment

You should watch this inspirational speech!! Things that go on in life of so many young kids brings them down, and many people don't get it. They never will. But this young man holds the hope for so many!!

Here is the link:
Teach For America Intern Brings Down House With Amazing Speech (VIDEO)

You should send it to each of the kids that you coach. The more this video is spread, the better - I think!

[luvtobewarm]

That is appalling and downright scary. But no matter how far we progress, the nut jobs will always be with us. And now any hate group can find each other on the internet for reinforcement.
But remember - just the fact that you have a team that is mixed race shows how far we have come.
I wonder...in a case like this....if you had taken the license plate, would the police have been able to do something? Or at least document that this individual has created a disturbance in case there are further incidents.

[cfbs2691]

Sad and disgusting.

Breaks my heart.

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by luvtobewarm

That is appalling and downright scary. But no matter how far we progress, the nut jobs will always be with us. And now any hate group can find each other on the internet for reinforcement.
But remember - just the fact that you have a team that is mixed race shows how far we have come.
I wonder...in a case like this....if you had taken the license plate, would the police have been able to do something? Or at least document that this individual has created a disturbance in case there are further incidents.

Disgusting though such expression of such negative personal perspectives on race or ethnicity may be, it's even more distressing, IMO,to assume that the authorities should punish anyone for expressing his own views. Such language may be offensive, but it's not ( at least to this point) breaking any law.

Back in the day, there was an expression out there that went, "sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me. Referring, of course, to the wisdom that allows one to maintain a thick enough skin and enough character to ignore, and put in prospective useless and harmless negative comments from others where such comments are only the expression of a small-minded individual. I fear the mentality of eternal victimhood and and determination to punish those who speak in a manner not to one's liking more than I fear the occasional "nutjob" who yells offensive epithets at strangers, but will never be seen again, and certainly has no lasting impact on the lives of those he yelled at. The driver had a choice as to her reaction, and IMO, encouraging the "victimhood" of her charges resulting from this individuals comments does nothing to develop them as strong, contributive members of our society.

[cfbs2691]

Originally Posted by Travelassie

The driver had a choice as to her reaction, and IMO, encouraging the "victimhood" of her charges resulting from this individuals comments does nothing to develop them as strong, contributive members of our society.

You make an interesting point.
I didn't get the impression that the driver encouraged "victimhood" though.

[Podo944]

Originally Posted by mr&mrssunshine

in the week that sees 50 years since the 'I have a dream' speech.............

I coach an under 19 boys soccer team...I have boys that are white, of Mexican heritage (born here) an adopted kid from Haiti who is black, and others from various countries I don't have a clue where....without exception they are all polite, respectful good kids. Yesterday on the way back from a game in fort myers , in my car we were cut up, brake tested and given the finger by a 'gentleman' who proceeded to the stop light , wound down his window and advised us to 'get the f*** out of ma country, get out of America and F*** off back to your own countries'

Frankly I was appalled and embarrassed. I deplore racism but also know it works each and every way but this individual was a disgrace and made me ashamed..................I jokingly told the boys 'gee he obviously hates the English ' but I could see it affected them


50 years on and I don't think the dream has been realised , what a sad indictment

Teach them to be strong and to pity that poor excuse for a human being!
They only had to encounter him for a minute or two. That poor sod has to walk around inside his loathsome self 24/7! Happy people do not lash out at others! He's a miserable person who is probably making everyone in his life miserable at well! He will end up bitter and alone!
Make sure your students get that! Don't let them feel sorry for themselves!

[Travelassie]

Originally Posted by cfbs2691

You make an interesting point.
I didn't get the impression that the driver encouraged "victimhood" though.

Actually, it doesn't seem as though she did, and it would be awkward to know just how to respond to such a display of ignorance aimed at a bunch of innocent kids as happened in this incident. Perhaps considering the source, realizing that such behavior only shows the ignorance of the person who acted that way, and certainly is no reflection on the people targeted by this ignorance, and not a reflection of how people in general regard the people who were targeted either. I just think it's such a valuable lesson for children- any children, to learn, because unfortunately, we can't always fix nastiness and and they'll run into it many times during their lives, but it doesn't have to drag them down.

I was reacting more, I think,to the poster who suggested the driver who originally posted might have gotten the license number of the individual who acted this way, and reported it to the police. I can understand the frustration and anger at this type of behavior, but we can be bigger than that. We've all been attacked in such ways at one or other times in our lives.

[luvtobewarm]

I would like to think I have a right to be in my car or walk down the street without this type of verbal assault being directed against me.

But I was more concerned about the stability of the individual. We had an incident not too long ago where a person who started going off on tangents similar to this finally did harm someone. Sometimes these things can be headed off.

Reporting a possible problem is not resorting to victimhood. While the people in this car may never see the stranger again, somebody else may and the outcome may be different. But then, I work in a place where I am familiar with mentally unstable people so I probably have a different perspective. You never know when you are dealing with a hotheaded harmless jerk who just likes to blow off steam or something more.

I didn't mean to stir the pot. Let's just all agree it was an ugly scene and I'm sorry the poster and his team were subjected to it. All you can do at that point is ignore the person and get away asap. And then reflect on the good people in the world and be thankful they are in the majority!!

[HarborRat]

Originally Posted by mr&mrssunshine

in the week that sees 50 years since the 'I have a dream' speech.............

I coach an under 19 boys soccer team...I have boys that are white, of Mexican heritage (born here) an adopted kid from Haiti who is black, and others from various countries I don't have a clue where....without exception they are all polite, respectful good kids. Yesterday on the way back from a game in fort myers , in my car we were cut up, brake tested and given the finger by a 'gentleman' who proceeded to the stop light , wound down his window and advised us to 'get the f*** out of ma country, get out of America and F*** off back to your own countries'

Frankly I was appalled and embarrassed. I deplore racism but also know it works each and every way but this individual was a disgrace and made me ashamed..................I jokingly told the boys 'gee he obviously hates the English ' but I could see it affected them


50 years on and I don't think the dream has been realised , what a sad indictment

I think you're from England? Do you happen to have some sort of bumper sticker that would infer that? Did you possibly cut him off or something first without noticing? Maybe just road rage and and the kids' races had nothing to do with it?

I've never seen that sort of thing down here but realize there are crazy people, of all races here, and everywhere.