[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by Floridabound09

I am literally sick of a 1 way street, whites are not allowed to mention they prefer white areas to live but yet a non white can state they do not want to live near a bunch of white people.

This is wrong and I am sick of it.

Racism is exacty what each person sees it, it is NOT always or only white v non white, it in my eyes and from experience is MORE quite the opposite.

Racism is brought on by people who want to either start trouble or is used as a tool to get something someone wants.

I for one have been raised and lived amoung both white and non white and found that those who stop crying racism and do something to better themselves have done quite well.

I am so sick of hearing this. Even on this board several posters have been blasted by non whites for asking a simple darn question, but yet ask the same question the opposite way themselves in another post.

Its my preferences to move to an area where there is at least 95% whites or I will keep looking until I do. It's my preference and my right to do so. Does not mean I am racist in any way AT ALL.

We may not agree much but I'm with you on this.... The way I see it, as I stated earlier, that EVERYone has a racial preference, but when people start to confuse that for "racism" is when we tend to have problems.

Much of what minorities view as "racism" these days IMO is a reactionary vibe from whites who have been discriminated against or accused of racism or are just fed up of the excuses. At least this is the category I fall into.... Let me paint the picture a bit more clearly how this happens:

-There ARE some very racist white people out there. I/we acknowledge that fact and as far as I know no one denies it.

-There are also some very reactionary minorities that for some odd reason target the WRONG WHITE PEOPLE with thier tirades and anger.

-This arouses a reactionary sentiment from whites who never had a racist bone in thier body because, quite honestly, they are now being accused of racism for nothing. Once upon a time these people would just laugh it off as absurd, but it's gotten to a point with Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton, Farrakan (msp?) and many bleeding heart laws like Affirmative Action (legislated racism), and unspoken rules that whites can't say descriminatory things toward blacks, BUT it seem perfectly fine for any minority to say derrogatory or descriminatory things toward whites.

-Consequently there is now a pretty ticked off white middle America that, while still not racist, are VERY ticked off by what appears to be a blatant "taking advantage of" by blacks pulling the race card at every stop to play on liberal injected societal guilt over persecution of ancestors BY ancestors and in MANY cased trying to make people who have no ties to this country's past attrocities at all.... IOW we have people who were NOT the wronged party somehow extracting guilt from SOME whites who did not personally committ the wrong...... How much sense does that make??? And government keeps catering to it because this majority of fed up middle-America whites are, for the most part, silent about thier anger. Thus NO politician has the sack to call some of these rules and laws out for what they are or the spine to tell Jesse or Al to go 'F' themselves for fear of losing out on the black vote......

Anyway, enough of the rant..... But here's a test..... How many whites here can deny this when shopping for houses or simply driving around....

1) If you see a group of four white kids of varying age standing on the street corner with thier bicycles the neighborhood is "family oriented" and "good for kids".

2) If you see a group of four black kids of varying age standing on the street corner with their bicycles the neighborhood is "suspect" or appears "ghetto-ish"

3) If you see a group of four hispanic kids of varying age standing on the street corner with thier bicycles the neighborhood is the "barrio"...

This is the type of thing that, IMO, white america needs to work on correcting and most realize it.

[vicshabcottage]

Originally Posted by VAFury

1) If you see a group of four white kids of varying age standing on the street corner with thier bicycles the neighborhood is "family oriented" and "good for kids".

2) If you see a group of four black kids of varying age standing on the street corner with their bicycles the neighborhood is "suspect" or appears "ghetto-ish"

3) If you see a group of four hispanic kids of varying age standing on the street corner with thier bicycles the neighborhood is the "barrio"...

This is the type of thing that, IMO, white america needs to work on correcting and most realize it.

All I see in any of those examples is a bunch of kids with their bicycles.
Maybe the problem is if I approach you as a person, simply a person, and you approach me assuming I simply see a person...not color, not religion, not accent, not job....problem solved.

[Rhett_Butler]

Originally Posted by vicshabcottage

All I see in any of those examples is a bunch of kids with their bicycles.
.

Look, I'm not going to attempt to refute what you say, but it's a very 'PC' response and one that I would expect anyone to make publicly.... I think the truth with most Americans is quite different black AND white.....

I agree that approaching a single person on the street that one should, and most usually do, just see a person. My example has more to do with groups and how they are perceived.

[vpcats]

You know when I think many if not all these biases are shoved aside? When you're sick and have to depend on someone else to do right by you.

[Nirvana-Guy]

Originally Posted by AZ_singlemother

You would think life is too short to be so racist. I have heard too many racist comments from white people posting in AZ - trying to move from Florida. My mother lived in Florida as a kid and told me if I were to move there, I would be in a world of racism.

Moderator cut: personal

The only "racism" you see in Florida is racial wars in Miami between Puerto Rican, Cuban, Hatian, and Jamaican street gangs. That is not racism... that is lawlessness thanks to out of control illegal immigration for years.

Other than that, I have never experienced any such thing or heard any racist comments in school or anything like that. And I grew up in Orlando, in the heart of Florida.

Moderator cut: off topic

[kwflconch]

that's only in the miami area, the other areas are okay.

[Bassethoundplace]

When I first came to the center of Florida in 1977, the impression I got was that the older generation hadn't quite finished fighting the civil war. Only later did it dawn on me that it was more a case of resisting change at any cost rather than out and out racism.

Now, when I see all the orange groves being cut down and new subdivisions replacing them - I understand what was bothering that generation. Water (of the lack thereof) is the only real limitation to Florida's growth. When are the politicians going to address that problem?

[Floridabound09]

I have been reading and thinking.... uhm

We all have choices, we all have rights and we all are in this century, not the last century. We all need to live for now, right now, we all need to take responsibility for ourselves and our kids, meaning we need to teach them that positive attitude, hard work and effort rewards you back many times over.

I grew up poor at heck, barely had enough to eat, so I have been there, I was destined for doom. Those who blame others for there own failures as adults are the problem themselves. Blaming others is a complete cop out.

If you are poor, uneducated, unskilled, unfortunate etc, then it is your fault.
Not everyone needs a college degree, many people have skills that is even better then a college degree.

What I am saying is people need to stop pointing fingers at others for things and take responsibility for there own lives, I just do not see the things people like Shapron preach at all, everyone has a chance, if the cahnce isnt there stop crying foul, do something different or change something, go elsewhere or something.

If anything I myself have had to work extra hard to get anywhere, I got no breaks, I got no extra shove, I got no extra anything. My test scores limits were purosely lowered because I am suppose to be opressed. I gave no excuses, took on huge debts for college and knew that I could do something if I put out the effort.

Yes, even a poor white kid with a single mother raising a bunch of kids can do better then my parents, but I never one time looked to blame others or looked to find someone or something to blame.

So, if I chose to live in an area I want to, then its my choice and my right. We are lucky to be American so we can have those rights.

I can honestly say... without any doubt that we are all equal, all I ever see is the rich/well to do kids having it so much better or easier I should say, but what I do see is people of all colors, races etc who want to make a difference in there own lives can by putting out the effort to do so.

I had roadblocks growing up as much as anyone else but I found a way to go around or over those roadblocks. Now it is my job to show my kids how they can tear down those roadblocks so they can have it better then I did and do.

[maggie20]

this is the south of course you will still find racism here ppl have not all forgotten theres all kinds of racists tho black ppl can be very racist with there white names crackers ****** white trash etc... me being caucasion myself dont even get bothered by those words...but you dont call too many black ppl racists at least i havent heard it...yes there are culture clashes im not too fond of mexicans bringing mexican flags to america this is america we have our own flag and its red white and blue no other colors.......theres a difference tho u can see a southern white person and think they are racist cuz usually they dont like ppl mixing that usually means they r rebels esp down in the south im a rebel that means we are all for heritage not hate

Originally Posted by cmj_fla
Here is a quote from Theodore Roosevelt on his ideas on Immigrants and being an AMERICAN in 1907.

"In the first place, we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, or birthplace, or origin. But this is predicated upon the person's becoming in every facet an American, and nothing but an American...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag... We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language... and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."

Is this mentality still valid? Is the country so politically correct that it has lost it patriotism?


very good point there!they dont understand it! i always see other flags here its just wrong in my heart we only have room for the american flag!they r trying to turn america into mexico......plz lets save our country from this...they try to make us feel bad like we are wrong for loving our country and its american people...wheres our country going? everywhre i go its mexican stores mexicans by the truckloads..black ppl speaking haitian..even white ppl learning spanish..its breaking my heart and i dont care if they dont like my opinion im an american rebel from florida im where i should be....if you dont like it Dont live in florida im allowed my opinion.

[Chromedome]

as a 20 year old dark-skinned hispanic male living in the ft myers area racism is something i am no stranger to.

just the other day i was in a convenience store with my friends, all of which are either degree holding porfessionals or college students, and a middle aged woman walks in and yells "hold your purse girls, its the homeboy convention!"

i was disgusted, but i chose to be the bigger person and walk away. not to mention that the similar way some of the local police are known to treat minorities would probably automatically place me in jail had she called them.

all in all, most of the racism youll encounter is from the people who were here before the large influx of people from other areas. theyre still very much living in "old dixie" and expect the world to remain the same as it was in the 60s.
when you didnt have any rights unless you were a white male.