How is Chicago one of the most segregated cities in the country? (low crime, unemployment)

[Mr. Opinionated]

Originally Posted by treemoni

I am definitely enthnocentric. Combative? No. It's just ludicrous how people with no history of institutionalized racism attempt to minimize its effects on those who have been dealing with it for at least a century. Please stop.

You're absolutely right. But if racists came to terms with what you say, it would mean that they have been wrong about black people for all that time. It would also mean respecting that black people are not out to villify white people with the dastardly 'race card', but to the contrary, to attempt to discourage them from doing the same to us based on our skin and the unwillingness to regard us as decent moral human beings, no matter how ill-informed they may choose to remain about who we really are. The struggle continues on both sides, not because black and white people maybe culturally different. But because bigots on both sides insist on perpetuating their hateful imagined supremacy agendas.

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by treemoni

I am definitely enthnocentric.

You're definitely not the only one on here, but the first to admit it, so you should at least be commended on your honesty.

But it logically follows that an attitude like that also serves to perpetuate racial divisions, as much as the attitude that NearWestSider has.

There's always plentiful talk about the problems, but precious little talk about solutions. I think that's because it requires an attitude adjustment that many are not prepared to make, across the racial spectrum.

[treemoni]

Originally Posted by Bluefox

But it logically follows that an attitude like that also serves to perpetuate racial divisions, as much as the attitude that NearWestSider has.

No it doesn't, because I can be ethnocentric for the rest of my life and it will have absolutely NO adverse affects on a white person's life besides anger. NONE. That is the difference between white "ethnocentrism" and black "ethnocentrism", which quite frankly is pride. A nice percentage of white people have problems when black people express pride in their culture, because for whatever silly reason they see it as a threat. But when we uphold white supremacy (which many black people do), everything is a-ok.

It is not the same, and it will never be the same until black people have the power to oppress white people. We don't, plain and simple. And I'd venture to say the day we do, the lord is coming back lmao.

[Bluefox]

Originally Posted by treemoni

No it doesn't, because I can be ethnocentric for the rest of my life and it will have absolutely NO adverse affects on a white person's life besides anger. NONE. That is the difference between white "ethnocentrism" and black "ethnocentrism", which quite frankly is pride. A nice percentage of white people have problems when black people express pride in their culture, because for whatever silly reason they see it as a threat. But when we uphold white supremacy (which many black people do), everything is a-ok.

It is not the same, and it will never be the same until black people have the power to oppress white people. We don't, plain and simple. And I'd venture to say the day we do, the lord is coming back lmao.

I wasn't referring to NearWestSider's comments, as distasteful as they were, regarding the pepper spray, etc. But more his underlying attitude that permeated his remarks which were quite obviously ethnocentric. There's nothing wrong with having pride in your culture, but many of us would like to live in a country where people can really, truly coexist without regard to race, among other immutable characteristics. And your attitude does nothing to forward that.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by treemoni

No it doesn't, because I can be ethnocentric for the rest of my life and it will have absolutely NO adverse affects on a white person's life besides anger. NONE. That is the difference between white "ethnocentrism" and black "ethnocentrism", which quite frankly is pride. A nice percentage of white people have problems when black people express pride in their culture, because for whatever silly reason they see it as a threat. But when we uphold white supremacy (which many black people do), everything is a-ok.

It is not the same, and it will never be the same until black people have the power to oppress white people. We don't, plain and simple. And I'd venture to say the day we do, the lord is coming back lmao.

Well, when you work in a predominately black workplace and live in a predominately black neighborhood, it can. How wouldn't it?

What did Reppin_the_847 say that you thought was racist?

[treemoni]

Racism is here to stay people, sorry. The utopian "we can all live together in peaceful harmony" is not going to happen because some people are not going to let go of the power privilege affords them.

Living in a predominantly black neighborhood or working in a predominantly black workplace means nothing. Who owns the businesses in the neighborhood? Who owns the building? Who is the alderman, and who does he report to? Who makes the hiring decisions in the workplace? My workplace is racially diverse but the managers aren't. So we could have an office full of black people; it's only symbolic. The people who make the decisions are not black, or any ethnic minority. And the only way a white person could claim discrimination is if the people who made the hiring decisions were black, and even then it would be difficult because white people (well, men) are not in a protected class. Why aren't they in a protected class? BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALL THE PRIVILEGE. LOLOLOLOL

[urza216]

Originally Posted by treemoni

Racism is here to stay people, sorry. The utopian "we can all live together in peaceful harmony" is not going to happen because some people are not going to let go of the power privilege affords them.

Living in a predominantly black neighborhood or working in a predominantly black workplace means nothing. Who owns the businesses in the neighborhood? Who owns the building? Who is the alderman, and who does he report to? Who makes the hiring decisions in the workplace? My workplace is racially diverse but the managers aren't. So we could have an office full of black people; it's only symbolic. The people who make the decisions are not black, or any ethnic minority. And the only way a white person could claim discrimination is if the people who made the hiring decisions were black, and even then it would be difficult because white people (well, men) are not in a protected class. Why aren't they in a protected class? BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALL THE PRIVILEGE. LOLOLOLOL

Legally, if a workplace is over 80 percent black and it always seems to be only white people getting promoted, you can sue. The 80 percent rule is important if you want to win the case though. A law school friend of mine was telling me about that..

My point here is that you aren't powerless and you actually do have rights. You just have to be willing to fight for them. You don't sound like a guy who actually cares about fighting for your rights though. If you got them, you wouldn't be able to be as angry anymore.

[treemoni]

I live well, and I don't have the energy or interest in fighting a useless battle. I shouldn't have to fight to be treated like a human being. "Angry"? LOL, for questioning the validity of comments from non-black people telling black people how they should feel...about racism, of all subjects?! LOLOLOLOL. Okay.

[gibbsnm]

Originally Posted by urza216

What did Reppin_the_847 say that the tree guy thought was racist? I've been skimming the thread and I'm still confused..

I'm not "the tree guy," but I would say that some people took umbrage at the post below, in which Reppin refers to black people's so-called lack of intelligence as a possible reason for "why predominantly black areas continue to be so horrible." Do you seriously not see how some black people could view that comment as racist?

Originally Posted by reppin_the_847

Maybe we should get you enrolled in Hooked On Phonics idiot. It's "prey", not "pray". What a closed-minded bigot that you are. I even understand that African-Americans commit a disproportionate amount of crime in Chicago and perhaps USA, but I'm never one to judge a book by its cover or dismiss an innocent black guy on a forum that was simply describing a factual observation (and then joking about crossing the street without doing anything). The guy you called trash doesn't sound like a criminal to me and he's also a veteran poster on this forum.

In essence, there are guilty parties on both sides of the fence. Minorities and particularly African-Americans that have continued to create generations of broken families & embraced the gangster lifestyle. To this day I don't know why predominantly black areas continue to be so horrible. Is it their lack of resources or lack of intelligence to maintain a civil & productive society? Take the hood areas of Chicago, Detroit, Gary (IN), East Saint Louis (IL), Camden (NJ), or many parts of Africa, and nations like Haiti & Jamaica, etc. These areas are predominantly black, but they're also suffering from poverty. But is the a problem stemming from "nature" (ie. genetics) or a problem stemming from improper "nurture" (how people were raised, 2-parent home vs. single parent home, etc.)?

But then on the FLIPSIDE, we got complete morons like you that seem to hate all black people and perhaps all minorities. Bigots that teach their children to hate pretty much everyone but their own kind.

We got two extremes that aren't really helping society in any bit IMO. Then you got all of us in the middle who have to put up with all of this BS.

[urza216]

Originally Posted by gibbsnm

I'm not "the tree guy," but I would say that some people took umbrage at the post below, in which Reppin refers to black people's so-called lack of intelligence as a possible reason for "why predominantly black areas continue to be so horrible." Do you seriously not see how some black people could view that comment as racist?

I don't know about black people but I definitely think that people are idiots when they can't tell the difference between speculation and declaration.