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Well, a few progressive types on here have put it out there that openly supporting the GOP/Trump, and being beaten with a crowbar, is to be expected. I guess writing an article could get a guy shot. Not so much of a leap. The way the political climate is right now, nothing would surprise me. Lot of really irrational people out there. And no, Im not confining that to just progressive leftist types. And, of this guy we're go be attacked, I would expect it go come from a white person, not another black person.
Myriad reasons for that theory, and it's just that. A mere hypothesis.
MountainRose, I still disagree with you....but I like your style.
Thanks -- And I respect your disagreement!
It wasn't you I was referring to -- it was the tone of some posters attacking each other that had become too hotheaded and personal over this.
I just finished reading Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. He grew up in a very dysfunctional Appalacian hillbilly family and community trying to better themselves. He made it out and became a Yale-educated lawyer. He experiences and documents the same cycles of poverty, fatherless homes, teenage pregnancies, drugs, poor education, violence, low self esteem and bigotry from outsiders found in many black communities, and searches for answers on why he, yet so few others, made it out of that trap.
His answers end up being similar to this author's, with a few added twists and details.
Last edited by mountainrose; 08-11-2016 at 06:13 AM..
Let's discuss this as mature adults and stop the personal attacks.
Some good points on both sides were brought up here.
I admit "heroic" was probably too strong, but I stay with "courageous" because I've seen first
hand the outrageous abuse that black conservatives have to deal with. Not courageous for just registering as a republican, but for speaking out publicly.
The "getting shot or losing his job" was sarcasm -- apparently, badly done.
I am a senior and have a long history of being an Independent. Currently, I lean conservative on some issues. This is one of them. Many of us see black communities suffering more and more each year under democratic policies, and the lack of any black leadership offering a different approach. So it is uplifting to see conservative black leaders have the courage to try to make changes in a dysfunctional social and economic culture many blacks are trapped in.
If you like the old ways, fine. Just don't attack people who have different opinions or are searching for new and different ideas and viewpoints.
on the red. What "abuse" do black conservatives deal with??
And FWIW, I am not a member of any political party. Many of my super Democrat friends (I know quite a few DNC delegates and some who are elected officials who are Democrats in state and local government). They jokingly, due to my conservative views, call me a "black Republican." I have never been "abused" for having conservative views at all.
On the blue, do you live in any "black community?" I do and know that we are not "suffering more." We actually have grown in socio-economically in many ways since the 1970s in particular. I feel that today is much better than it was in my own neighborhood in the 1990s in particular. - I recently moved back to my hometown and live in my old neighborhood. It is especially better in regards to crime in black neighborhoods, which has decreased substantially and there is a huge effort on increasing public schools in my area, something that has had very good positive change.
Also on the blue, what policies/issues do you actually think that "black leaders" are offering? I doubt you even know. Also there is not one particular "black community." Black people live all over the country and a majority of us don't even live in inner cities anymore.
Will end with the fact that there has always been black conservatives. They do not get shot by black people or lose jobs. Nothing negative happens to them. So your sarcasm is ridiculous considering reality. In reality black conservatives, especially those who align themselves with white conservatives who do no believe that racism exist anymore and especially those who want to denigrate black people as a whole, usually are embraced by white conservatives and put in some sort of leadership position by them or given a radio show where they spout off at the mouth with everything you want to hear. They become popular and well paid, not in danger.
In this thread Larry Elder was mentioned. He makes a ton of money off of spouting off conservatives ideas. Look at Herman Cain. He got his own talk radio show after his failed campaign. I actually know people who are close to him and he has always been conservative and no one cared, not even when he started saying ridiculous things to get people to support him (funniest one for me was that he said the reason black people didn't come out to his speech when he started his run for president was because we couldn't "afford" to come lol. He gave the speech in Atlanta, when I lived there at the time. It was during the middle of the day and there are tens of thousands of black people in the area where he gave the speech during that time of day lol, so that was just said to get racially focused conservatives to like him because he denigrate black people). Ben Carson has suffered no bullets for his run and honestly most black people I know think he ruined his reputation with his run based mostly on the silly things he said. He has always been conservative as well and hasn't been threatened of his life over him being a black conservative.
So IMO you shouldn't speak on things you know nothing about. There are many black people who hold conservative views. We don't threaten each other over political views and IMO this guy wrote this piece not to reach out to black conservatives and bring them in the fold, but to show you he is a "special negro" and that you should give him a platform so he can tell you what you want to hear. He will make millions of dollars if that happens. So it was not courageous. It is self serving.
So with that in mind..... what can a black man who doesn't subscribe to the black condition (as some have labeled it) have to say to not be labeled as anything other than a successful black man? It really does seem that any effort on a black man's part to speak out about how he views the world differently than many blacks is shunned by the black community immediately when it is brought to light. I don't know that heroic was the correct term for the OP to use, but I get the point they are trying to make. He went against the grain. Residinghere, you seem to be doing well also and don't appear to believe that you are in a tough place so out of curiosity why try to denounce his article?
Political party aside (I don't see where he needed to claim any sort of affiliation) he made a lot of interesting points that are worth stopping to think about. I know Mpowering said that he has held some higher paying jobs that may have gained him access to some wealthy individuals but his article also said he came from a family where his parents couldn't even afford shoes for themselves. To me it appears that his family worked their butts of to try and get away from that type of poverty. I think most of us would strive to make sure our children have a better life than we did, right?
I really wish African Americans would wake up and join the conservatives. They are smart, they ARE conservative people...no matter how they have been warped. They look at things with common sense. They just have to make the jump.
So with that in mind..... what can a black man who doesn't subscribe to the black condition (as some have labeled it) have to say to not be labeled as anything other than a successful black man? It really does seem that any effort on a black man's part to speak out about how he views the world differently than many blacks is shunned by the black community immediately when it is brought to light. I don't know that heroic was the correct term for the OP to use, but I get the point they are trying to make. He went against the grain. Residinghere, you seem to be doing well also and don't appear to believe that you are in a tough place so out of curiosity why try to denounce his article?
Political party aside (I don't see where he needed to claim any sort of affiliation) he made a lot of interesting points that are worth stopping to think about. I know Mpowering said that he has held some higher paying jobs that may have gained him access to some wealthy individuals but his article also said he came from a family where his parents couldn't even afford shoes for themselves. To me it appears that his family worked their butts of to try and get away from that type of poverty. I think most of us would strive to make sure our children have a better life than we did, right?
What am I missing?
I did not denounce the article. I stated that he is not in any danger for being a black conservative. He also won't lose his job. He will probably be noticed by more white conservatives and offered some sort of leadership position with the GOP or given a job based on him being a black conservative. He wrote this piece in order to get recognized and known by white conservatives.
On the red, what evidence do you have that on the whole black men who speak out about wanting to be seen "differently" makes them be shunned.
I am black and I have not seen that in my everyday life, which involves way too much involvement in the past in community and political meetings. Also you and others I'm sure do not follow black media. There are many black media outlets, especially talk radio where black people of various backgrounds discuss issues and current events and political hot topics of the day. The red in particular is constantly discussed and black people by and large feel that we, as a demographic should shun what non-black people view of us and the media depictions of us. There has always been a vocal segment of the black population that seeks to define our own experience and not to take on society's view of us as the truth.
However, I do feel that many black people are conditioned to believe that we are inferior by our society. They buy into this idea and believe it to be true. People like me and a large amount of black people, we work to combat that view. And we combat it, unlike the man who wrote the OP, from an historical perspective. We recognize that we have increased in stature not because of capitalism but because systematic racism decreased by 90% by 1980. Once we were allowed to participate fully in society, we have done well on socio-economic factors.
So I do agree with the OP article author in that we have improved, but I disagree that we improved due to capitalism. I can disagree with him without wanting to shoot him and he won't lose his job just because of his beliefs, that is silly to assume. As I stated above, I feel his article was directed to people like you, to make you believe common stereotypes of black Americans. Those of us who read it as a black person who knows even a basic history of our last 100 years in regards to systematic racism, we can see that immediately in this article. Black conservatives who want to reach a wide audience of white subscribers/viewers/listeners, this is a common tactic of theirs in order to get you, as a white person to take them more seriously as a black conservative.
Please note that almost every time a black conservative actually does mention racism and institutionalized/systematic racism in particular that it is the white corporations/audience that throws them under the bus. Not black people.
This makes me think of Michael Steele the former RNC chairperson who is a black man and former Lt. Governor of Maryland. He actually was a frequent guest on a black radio program that I listen to and he was well received by the program host even though that host is a staunch liberal Democrat (who is black).
Former Republican National Committee (RNC) Chair Michael Steele has offered some candid views on race and politics. In a recent interview, he said that you can’t run for political office if “you’re too black.”
“You can’t be black when you’re a candidate,” said Steele. “We’ve seen this play out with Barack Obama. I think he’s taken the short way out, which is not to deal with the issue of race at all effectively, except for when he really has to. He can’t be seen talking about black issues because all of the sudden, now it’s ‘Oh my God, then all you care about are black people.’ …. But then again, if you don’t say enough, then you have black folks pissed off at you.”
On the labeling of "Uncle tom" and of being "too black" leveled by both liberals and conservatives:
Quote:
Steele said he often received flak from both Democrats and Republicans. He was criticized by the Black community for being a Republican and accused of being an “Uncle Tom.” But he also was criticized by Republicans when he appointed a Black chief of staff. Steele said the criticism was unwarranted.
“I had a black chief of staff and everyone threw a hissy fit, didn’t know how to deal with the brother,” Steele said.
“When I was at the RNC,” Steele said, “I actually had a member say to me ‘you know what your problem is?’ I was like ‘What? I have many, but tell me.’ [He said,] ‘You sound too black.’”
On recruiting more blacks into the GOP:
Quote:
“What the party has to do is have it’s own, sort of internal come to Jesus [moment]. Do we really want black folks to vote for us? Do we really see them as a viable constituency as they once were within our party?,” he said on MSNBC. “It’s hard to go to a black audience and say legitimately we want you when everything we do says we don’t.”
He has stated before as well that in both political parties, including being in the GOP that black candidates cannot speak of their blackness for the most part or for advocating for black people and unique issues we face, especially with racism, because they will be disregarded by the majority, white population and especially so in the GOP. This was an experience had had to deal with and continues to speak about.
So it is not black people who threaten or fire black conservatives, speaking specifically on the conservative side. It is white conservatives who don't want to see a black person speak of being black. Many white GOP conservatives especially do not really want to go out and interest black people to support their ideology. I agree with Steele in regards to the bold above. If the GOP wanted to attract more black people, they would and they could. As stated, there are a lot of black people with conservative leanings. Blacks are actually the most conservative group of the Democratic party. But the GOP doesn't want to acknowledge that black people have specific issues that we are passionate about and why we are passionate about those issues. Due to that they are disregarded. But on the whole even if black people call a black conservative an Uncle Tom, it does not make that person lose their job and they definately are not being shot for it. So I denounce the OPs title of this thread and his/her continued belief that it will be black people making something negative occur to a black conservative. It is white conservatives who will make something negative happen to the black conservative who doesn't fall in line with the belief that there is no such thing as racial discrimination or that systematic racism decreasing is the reason why black people are able to fully participate today in our society.
I did not denounce the article. I stated that he is not in any danger for being a black conservative. He also won't lose his job. He will probably be noticed by more white conservatives and offered some sort of leadership position with the GOP or given a job based on him being a black conservative. He wrote this piece in order to get recognized and known by white conservatives.
So you don't believe that he wanted to spread the message that not all black people view their situation as dire and that some actually do have it better off than one might be led to believe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by residinghere2007
On the red, what evidence do you have that on the whole black men who speak out about wanting to be seen "differently" makes them be shunned.
Not on the whole..... but there are plenty of evidence in these threads by people like Shabbazz, deserteddetroiter, and others who consistently shun anyone who say anything that does not support their position that everything is centered around racism and that they are being oppressed.
Quote:
Originally Posted by residinghere2007
I am black and I have not seen that in my everyday life, which involves way too much involvement in the past in community and political meetings. Also you and others I'm sure do not follow black media. There are many black media outlets, especially talk radio where black people of various backgrounds discuss issues and current events and political hot topics of the day. The red in particular is constantly discussed and black people by and large feel that we, as a demographic should shun what non-black people view of us and the media depictions of us. There has always been a vocal segment of the black population that seeks to define our own experience and not to take on society's view of us as the truth.
This is why I asked the question to you specifically. You seem to have a great handle on your life and are able to look at things from a more un-biased perspective. I do listen to Steve Harvey fairly frequently and I do try to listen and make my own determination after hearing both sides of an issue. It appears that this author was able to find his way in life despite any setbacks and obstacles that he may have had to overcome. To me it seems that these types of people should speak up more as evidence that the media depictions of black people are not true. It seems like more articles and more people like this would help influence others to help change the perspective. I don't think the perspective that the media portrays of black people as a whole is fair, nor true.
Quote:
Originally Posted by residinghere2007
However, I do feel that many black people are conditioned to believe that we are inferior by our society. They buy into this idea and believe it to be true. People like me and a large amount of black people, we work to combat that view. And we combat it, unlike the man who wrote the OP, from an historical perspective. We recognize that we have increased in stature not because of capitalism but because systematic racism decreased by 90% by 1980. Once we were allowed to participate fully in society, we have done well on socio-economic factors.
I agree with you 100% that there is conditioning coming into play. I would hope that it could be recognized that this conditioning isn't coming from one central place. I think that some in the black community have (possibly unintentionally) conditioned their children to feel that they are inferior as well. What can we do as a whole to change that conditioning?
Quote:
Originally Posted by residinghere2007
So I do agree with the OP article author in that we have improved, but I disagree that we improved due to capitalism. I can disagree with him without wanting to shoot him and he won't lose his job just because of his beliefs, that is silly to assume. As I stated above, I feel his article was directed to people like you, to make you believe common stereotypes of black Americans. Those of us who read it as a black person who knows even a basic history of our last 100 years in regards to systematic racism, we can see that immediately in this article. Black conservatives who want to reach a wide audience of white subscribers/viewers/listeners, this is a common tactic of theirs in order to get you, as a white person to take them more seriously as a black conservative.
Capitalism is available for everyone who wishes to subscribe to it. That's obvious by the number of successful black business owners who have taken advantage of it. It may not be the main reason for improvement in the black community but it does play a part in it. I don't believe stereotypes from one article. But folks like I mentioned above, and the news media do a very good job of making the stereotype seem to be true (I recognize that it is not, just throwing that out there). To me.... the author's article seemed like it was attempting to prove the stereotype to be a myth. He can be any color and I would read the article the same way. Why does it have to be a tactic to get me to listen? Many of us would listen if the message and the intent is clear and is spoken to us in such a way as we can relate to it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by residinghere2007
Please note that almost every time a black conservative actually does mention racism and institutionalized/systematic racism in particular that it is the white corporations/audience that throws them under the bus. Not black people.
This makes me think of Michael Steele the former RNC chairperson who is a black man and former Lt. Governor of Maryland. He actually was a frequent guest on a black radio program that I listen to and he was well received by the program host even though that host is a staunch liberal Democrat (who is black).
On the labeling of "Uncle tom" and of being "too black" leveled by both liberals and conservatives:
On recruiting more blacks into the GOP:
He has stated before as well that in both political parties, including being in the GOP that black candidates cannot speak of their blackness for the most part or for advocating for black people and unique issues we face, especially with racism, because they will be disregarded by the majority, white population and especially so in the GOP. This was an experience had had to deal with and continues to speak about.
So it is not black people who threaten or fire black conservatives, speaking specifically on the conservative side. It is white conservatives who don't want to see a black person speak of being black. Many white GOP conservatives especially do not really want to go out and interest black people to support their ideology. I agree with Steele in regards to the bold above. If the GOP wanted to attract more black people, they would and they could. As stated, there are a lot of black people with conservative leanings. Blacks are actually the most conservative group of the Democratic party. But the GOP doesn't want to acknowledge that black people have specific issues that we are passionate about and why we are passionate about those issues. Due to that they are disregarded. But on the whole even if black people call a black conservative an Uncle Tom, it does not make that person lose their job and they definately are not being shot for it. So I denounce the OPs title of this thread and his/her continued belief that it will be black people making something negative occur to a black conservative. It is white conservatives who will make something negative happen to the black conservative who doesn't fall in line with the belief that there is no such thing as racial discrimination or that systematic racism decreasing is the reason why black people are able to fully participate today in our society.
I agree that the OP's thread title was a little out of place and really didn't need to go there.
So is your position one that no black person is threatened by a black conservative? As a white conservative, I have no issue with a black person (on any side of the political aisle) speaking of being black. Where I take issue is if a black person has a platform on which to speak from and they use it to constantly discuss history and the perils in which blacks in history have endured. Why continue to remind people of the obvious? Why not use that platform to talk strictly about the success and achievements of the black community? That would be the perfect opportunity to do so and further get away from the negative stereotype.
I know... I know.... you may say that whites don't want blacks to talk about their history. That's not it. Many whites do not want to continuously be reminded of something that we had nothing to do with. It feels like we backtrack on any progress made when this happens. I would prefer to discuss what we can do together for the future than constantly discuss the past. As I told another poster before in another thread, there are no solutions to be found in the past.....
Will also note that Michael Steele is not viewed very negatively by black people who know him. He actually does "go there" on black issues from a respectful, conservative position for the most part.
It seems to me, as an independent that whenever there is a rational black republican who doesn't cow-tow to ignoring racism or who doesn't shun being black (and especially shun being a black man in America) that the white conservative media doesn't give him/her the time of day.
Steele was considered "outspoken" by many conservatives and by the end of his tenure with the RNC was accused of trying to help Obama just because both are black. This was by members of his own party. IMO he shows a unique perspective of a black conservative and one that the GOP should embrace more often. They would get more black members if they did. I had never heard Steele speak myself until he showed up on the radio program I listened to. His main goals during his time on that program, which was regular, was to reach out to black Americans and attempt to recruit them to be members of the GOP. He many times went over the benefits of conservatism but never from a disrespectful or negative rhetoric perspective. He also got into "trouble" with the RNC due to speaking his mind, something that republicans act like they like but didn't like from him. He called Rush Limbaugh out on his divisive rhetoric and got into "trouble" for that. If the GOP really wants to court black voters, calling out the racists of the paty is the main way to do it.
I really wish African Americans would wake up and join the conservatives. They are smart, they ARE conservative people...no matter how they have been warped. They look at things with common sense. They just have to make the jump.
What are conservatives saying to black people to get them to join them? Voting Republican would likely help with the amount of taxes we (my family) pay and not much else. Republicans take about how bad black folks have it under the Democrats but rarely articulate how Republican policies will be better. More jobs! How? Less poverty!! How? Most conservatives have a hard time even admitting that the history of this country contributes to racial disparities in wealth and poverty in any way.
I don't experience much overt racism in my day to day life but I do know that it exists. If I say that conservatives will shout me down and tell me I'm playing the victim or pulling the race card. I have read plenty of threads here where the "conservatives" can't believe that a black person did anything of their own merit and all achievements are due to some sort of affirmative action. Even in this thread is like "look at all the poor little black folks who don't know any better." And while Democrats/liberals can display similar tendencies towards "poor little black folks" on a large scale they will at least acknowledge that there are issues and are open to dialogue about how to fix it.
So you don't believe that he wanted to spread the message that not all black people view their situation as dire and that some actually do have it better off than one might be led to believe.
No, I believe it was written for white conservatives.
Quote:
Not on the whole..... but there are plenty of evidence in these threads by people like Shabbazz, deserteddetroiter, and others who consistently shun anyone who say anything that does not support their position that everything is centered around racism and that they are being oppressed.
They do not "shun" those people IMO. Actually both of the posters you mentioned aren't even overly disrespectful to conservatives in particular on this forum IMO. They see the issue for what it is, just like I do and they voice their opinion on the matter. That is not "shunning." Just because you or I disagree (as I have disagreed with both plenty of times) doesn't mean that they "shun" you.
Quote:
This is why I asked the question to you specifically. You seem to have a great handle on your life and are able to look at things from a more un-biased perspective. I do listen to Steve Harvey fairly frequently and I do try to listen and make my own determination after hearing both sides of an issue. It appears that this author was able to find his way in life despite any setbacks and obstacles that he may have had to overcome. To me it seems that these types of people should speak up more as evidence that the media depictions of black people are not true. It seems like more articles and more people like this would help influence others to help change the perspective. I don't think the perspective that the media portrays of black people as a whole is fair, nor true.
FWIW, I really don't like Steve Harvey lol!! Only think I like him on Family Feud and I despise his radio show other than Nephew Tommy's phone calls.
And as stated, I have no issue with this author except that he did not mention that systematic racism is the primary reason why he has had the opportunity to succeed in his life. Without the fall of systematic racism, he would not have been able to participate fully in our society nor be in a better position to overcome any obstacles or set backs. Ignoring that fact doesn't sit well with me on a personal level and I have a feeling wouldn't sit well with many other black people in this country. IMO it reeks of wanting to cow-tow a false reality of race in America.
Quote:
I agree with you 100% that there is conditioning coming into play. I would hope that it could be recognized that this conditioning isn't coming from one central place. I think that some in the black community have (possibly unintentionally) conditioned their children to feel that they are inferior as well. What can we do as a whole to change that conditioning?
IMO the main thing to do is highlight true black culture and history in America. And honestly I personally get a lot of flack both online and in real life for my view on this from whites along with a minority of black people.
Quote:
Capitalism is available for everyone who wishes to subscribe to it. That's obvious by the number of successful black business owners who have taken advantage of it. It may not be the main reason for improvement in the black community but it does play a part in it. I don't believe stereotypes from one article. But folks like I mentioned above, and the news media do a very good job of making the stereotype seem to be true (I recognize that it is not, just throwing that out there). To me.... the author's article seemed like it was attempting to prove the stereotype to be a myth. He can be any color and I would read the article the same way. Why does it have to be a tactic to get me to listen? Many of us would listen if the message and the intent is clear and is spoken to us in such a way as we can relate to it.
I have no huge issues with capitalism. I just felt his explanation for his "success" is false considering he is a black man and he would not have been able to participate in our capitalistic system if not for the fall of institutional racism.
Quote:
So is your position one that no black person is threatened by a black conservative? As a white conservative, I have no issue with a black person (on any side of the political aisle) speaking of being black. Where I take issue is if a black person has a platform on which to speak from and they use it to constantly discuss history and the perils in which blacks in history have endured. Why continue to remind people of the obvious? Why not use that platform to talk strictly about the success and achievements of the black community? That would be the perfect opportunity to do so and further get away from the negative stereotype.
I know... I know.... you may say that whites don't want blacks to talk about their history. That's not it. Many whites do not want to continuously be reminded of something that we had nothing to do with. It feels like we backtrack on any progress made when this happens. I would prefer to discuss what we can do together for the future than constantly discuss the past. As I told another poster before in another thread, there are no solutions to be found in the past.....
On the bold, no. I do not believe any black person is threatened by a black conservative. I think most black people who are shown cow-towing black conservatives just comment they are idiotic puppets and we ignore them for the most part. Or we laugh at them on social media and media programs (see Stacey Dash).
And FWIW on the rest of your comment about history, as stated above, I fully believe that black American history and culture in particular is the key to inspiring black youth and adults to better themselves so IMO it must be constantly talked about and IMO I do believe that many white conservatives are similar to you in your view that you do not want us talking about our history, what we have endured, and what we have overcome. For black people this is important. It is a reason why you don't have more black conservatives solidly aligning themselves with conservative ideology and the GOP in particular. The original black conservatives were prolific historians and staunch "race men" who constantly called out racism in America and described what they called "the system of white supremacy." Men like Carter G Woodson and WEB DuBois. Both men were seen as "threats" as was Martin L. King Jr. Our conservativism is similar but different from yours in that we have had the "race issue" to contend with and we know that in the past especially that was a factor for our demographics educational and economic condition. And due to that being the recent past, we know for a fact that the remnants of systematic racism have left a legacy on our demographic that we have to contend with. So it will always be a part of the conversation and IMO it is a reason why black conservatives do not join the GOP. You all want to ignore that legacy and not address it. We do. White liberals actually do discuss it and the Democratic Party is welcoming of these sorts of discussions. This is a major reason why many conservative leaning black people align themselves with the Democratic Party. They do not "shun" our history like conservatives do or act like the fall of racism has not had a hand in our success. As I've stated on the forums, I actually do have many issues with liberals in regards to what I call the "savior complex" and them also buying into the idea that we are dysfunctional and poverty stricken to a wide degree, but they appreciate the history of black Americans for the most part instead of not wanting to hear about it.
On stereotypes, I am of the belief that they are not based on truth for black people in particular and this is one of the things I personally educate many people about. A majority of the current stereotypes have their roots in the 17th century for black Americans and they weren't true back then and they aren't true today either. IMO it is not up to black people to get rid of our negative stereotypes. It is up to white people to realize that those stereotypes are not true. It is up to me as a black person to educate my children and my neighbors/associates on why they are not true, from an historical perspective. So again, it will always go back to that discussion. And again, I am aware that many white conservatives don't want us to speak of these things.
In this regard, I am actually similar to both desertdetroiter and SHABAZZ in that, I personally don't care what you don't want me to not talk about or if it bothers you for me to talk about it. I will still educate and I will still discuss and share my history and either you can ignore me or you can confront me about it and get upset in the process or you can choose to admire the past of black Americans and how our struggles as a demographic have influenced our demographic's present condition. For me it is vital to look to our past for inspiration and explanation for current circumstances and to fulfill the excellence we are born into based on our ancestor's legacy.
And I also mean no disrespect to you in my comments.
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on the red. What "abuse" do black conservatives deal with?? 
(Respectfully, of course)
