Why Are White Americans So Racist?

a reply to: SuspiciousTom

I'm just curious - where do you hail from? It would help me to understand your point as well.

My immediate family grew up having to leave Detroit because they feared the riots that happened back then would move to the burbs. I grew up in a town so far away from all the drama that everyone (including black and white) were treated equally. I never once asked my parents why one of my friends was black - I just knew his ancestors came over as ours did (under bad circumstances I'm sure).

So, with that said: I think they appear to be violent because that's what the media wants to show us; Their line of thinking is "pfft, who wants to see a bunch of people holding hands and praying for peace? BOORING! Lets cut back to those two guys breaking windows, because everyone wants action". For some odd reason, people want to see violence (slight sarcasm), so that's what the media will show.

Let's say a long time ago, my great, great, great grandfather challenged yours to a duel (excluding age gaps). Your ancestor killed mine. Today, we both were told how my ancestor was killed - should I hate you and your family for it? The impression that is often passed around is that yes, I should be mad at you because it would have impacted my family (depression being a big one, which would lead to other things). Except, I wouldn't be mad at you: Humans can be horrible, and yes, the past shows this. I'd chose to make the best of what I had. That's the attitude that people should have: Instead of living in the past, one must focus on now, and make changes to help with the future.

Remember the past (yes, slavery happened; my ancestor was a slave; my family owned a slave), live in the present (okay, we don't have justice - let's do this reasonably), plan for the future (I will find some way to get more education; I will raise my kids to be more accepting than my parents; I will create peace by example).

-foss

And as always, my tone in this is meant to be non-aggressive. I imagine this being a healthy discussion over coffee (Can't speak for the other posters though).

originally posted by: BlackFlag66
a reply to: SuspiciousTom

Explain why blacks commit a disproportionate amount of crime in countries they recently immigrated to and/or never had slavery. Like pretty much everywhere in Europe.

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Also--
US population in 1868 (emancipation proclamation) was 37 million, of which, about 26 million were white.

US population today is about 320 million, of which, of which about 223 million are white.

That's a difference of ~200 million whites. Some of this is attributable to population growth, but mostly, this is the result of massive waves of immigrants (Irish, Italians, Germans, Poles, Jews, etc.)

Question -- Based on those numbers alone, what is the chance that any average white person you pick is the descendant of SOMEONE WHO WAS ALIVE AND LIVING IN AMERICA IN THE 1800'S???

My family tree in America only goes back to post WW I.


Maybe you think I indirectly benefited from slavery? No, i grew up POOR. I used to get pissed when kids in high school would talk about how poor they were walking around in their Air Jordan's and FUBU hoodies. I've gone to school in sneakers held together by duct tape. I wore ripped blue jeans before, during, and after the time when they were cool. I've eaten out of a dumpster. I've eaten at a soup kitchen. I've stood with mama in the government cheese line. I know things about cockroaches that most non-exterminators wouldn't know. I was the WELFARE KID. I grew up #ING POOR.

White privilege is a myth as far as I am concerned.

Who benefited from slavery? Not the southern slave owners. They were BARELY making ends meet. The uninformed might look at an old plantation house and think this is a sign of opulence. Not with 30 members of the extended family and a half dozen house slaves living inside. Those houses were built big because one big house is cheaper than 4 small houses.

So who did benefit? The commodity traders in New York got rich, but MOST ESPECIALLY the Dutch and English slave traders rounding Africans up and putting them on boats. And none of those people are related to me.


Bottom line on slavery: I didn't do it, my ancestors didn't do it, I didn't benefit from it, my ancestors didn't benefit from it, SO I DON'T WANT TO #ING HEAR ABOUT IT.


I think YOU need to take a look at YOURSELF. Ask yourself why black people glorify misogyny and crime in their art. Ask yourself why good (or even barely average) academic performance is equated with trying to be white. Ask yourself why black children have no fathers. Ask yourself why decades of blacks-only college funding (racist) has resulted in blacks being the most uneducated race in America.

Saved this for last, You seem pretty angry I don't see why. If you don't want to hear about it, get out of the thread it's pretty simple. Take control of yourself.

However, you made a few good points I have no clue why black people are violent every where they go. We've been appropriated to a culture I guess. The over time effects.

I refuse to argue with you of your ancestry however I can suggest that your bloodline didn't 'spontaneously' appear after WW1.

Rich doesn't mean privilege, it's a privilege to get a job over the black 'criminal', it's a privilege to have your natural hair accepted. www.nbcnews.com...

I'm sorry you couldn't wear fubu's and stuff, hopefully your people didn't have to move bricks because they are uneducated and unable to get jobs because of prior trait. A question to you though, why are you so offended? You didn't do it, your family didn't, you don't think you're a racist? So what are you doing commenting here? Because of a generalization? A stereotype?

a reply to: SuspiciousTom

I see what you're trying to do, but it doesn't excuse it, and trying to excuse it only enables it to continue and that's the cold hard facts. The only way forward is to forgive and move on.

At this point most of your struggle and the struggle of others in the "black" community is an internal one. Many of you have fought those demons and won. That's where your real fight is, to uplift each other, and help each other forgive, let go and move on.

I will always be here for any who ask for my hand as their sister regardless of color or creed.

a reply to: SuspiciousTom

Growing up dirt ass poor with parents too proud to claim welfare benefitted me by teaching me the importance of a degree and hard work... novel concepts to you, I'm sure.

Double posting: smell the privilege!

a reply to: SuspiciousTom

Why do you think black people are below whites?? Why do you think they can't do things without white people's help do you consider them a lower class?? Sad you want to call others racist but have yet to look at your own attitudes. My wife is black anf she's a lawyer worked her way through college. You know why she didn't believe she was inferior like you seem to think they are.

White Americans are much less racist than blacks in America right now. Blacks are even racist against themselves. Just listen to rap music and hear them call each other racial slurs almost every other word. Explain this to everyone m-kay?

originally posted by: Puppylove
a reply to: SuspiciousTom

I see what you're trying to do, but it doesn't excuse it, and trying to excuse it only enables it to continue and that's the cold hard facts. The only way forward is to forgive and move on.

At this point most of your struggle and the struggle of others in the "black" community is an internal one. Many of you have fought those demons and won. That's where your real fight is, to uplift each other, and help each other forgive, let go and move on.

I will always be here for any who ask for my hand as their sister regardless of color or creed.

I agree with this, we now have the ability to do it ourselves and we are attempting to do just that. A lot of what's posted is to pretty much tell those who deny the innocent black man dying or the movement of BLM. Let them be, stop trying to go at them and just let them do what they are doing. They aren't trying to speak to the white individual but rather ask for better policing.

originally posted by: burdman30ott6
a reply to: SuspiciousTom

Growing up dirt ass poor with parents too proud to claim welfare benefitted me by teaching me the importance of a degree and hard work... novel concepts to you, I'm sure.

I'm happy your parents understood the importance of a degree and could ensure you would go to school. Sounds a great experience and have made you into the man you are today.

originally posted by: NoCorruptionAllowed
White Americans are much less racist than blacks in America right now. Blacks are even racist against themselves. Just listen to rap music and hear them call each other racial slurs almost every other word. Explain this to everyone m-kay?

Good point, but why does everyone including blacks themselves hate blacks?

a reply to: SuspiciousTom

I haven't gone through the whole thread, but here is my answer to the question in the op.

Ats is an alternative news site. We constantly here how white people are evil, enslaved blacks, are rich, destroy the world, etc from academia and much of the media. People are fed up. So they come to a site to voice their frustration (myself included).

So it may come off as one sided. All I can say is that I try to be as fare as possible. But I think voices like yours are important on ats. Just as the ats community is important to challenges stream bias, other voices are important to challenge our bias on are.

a reply to: SuspiciousTom

This is bait, but WTH, I'll give a little. I notice you say nothing of Native Americans, whom I believe had it even worse than Black Americans. Rapes, murders, ripped from their homes. Entire tribes that no longer even exist. Treaties being broken to this day. They also suffered, and yes, crime exists, but nothing to the extent of inner city areas. Maybe it's because we have our own tribal police, I dunno. Guess we got casinos so it's all good. All I know is it's not just white people who are racist. Their an old adage my mother used to use. It's the pot calling the kettle black. Seems to fit in this instance.

I think that, as is the general rule of thumb, unhappy people express their displeasure. When its entire populations, you get stuff like riots.

No, it isn't right to riot. But when you are actually desperate.....

I can tell you this: were I to have no chance to improve my crappy economic situation, while being patronized with handouts (as if living forfree is a replacement to having a rewarding life), i may likely find myself frustrated and desperate enough to riot. Hell, im willing to put a brick through a window over bad customer service, truth be told.

Point being: if the nation is sick of hearing this BLM crap, the solution is to address the issue causing it. Kinda like my wife. Once I learned that taking a minute to listen to the "nagging" taught me that it was actually legitimate concerns that, once addressed, gave me the peace I wanted.

Just a thought.

Hmmmm, I dunno why but feel the need to share a story of race, myself and perception.

I was working at a place, I met a man who worked with me, picked him up, gave him a ride to work often, found out he was homeless. He was a black skinned man, and an ex-con. He'd always been nice to me and seemed to be appreciative of my help. So I decided that, well my wife just left me (also black skinned by the way) and I had room and could use someone to split the rent with, so offered him a chance to stay with me so he wasn't paying exorbitant amounts for his room at the hotel.

So he moved in. I was never anything but nice to him, I helped him whenever I could. It was fine for a little while. But he blamed everyone for everything, often completely unjustly. So I tried to reach him as a friend, who took him in, and for whom he was just another person who needed help. He took it poorly, and soon I who had been completely selfless with him started getting a lot of negative flak. Next thing I know, I find out from the security guard at work he's been stealing my car. Which he does not have a license to drive by the way. Now this is partly my fault. I did give him a spare key to be able to get in for various reasons I thought seemed reasonable at the time. I had caught him taking my car once before when he went to visit a girlfriend at night after I was asleep, but we talked about it and I thought he understood. Turns out I was wrong. I kept catching him and he started getting really angry, til I decided I was done, took the key and kicked him out. I still helped him move back into the hotel though.

Now the guy dressed in stereotypical thug fashion, the guy was an ex-con, the guy was black skinned, the guy talked like a thug, and in more ways than one he took advantage of me during all of this. This was years ago by the way. Despite this incident I continue to hold my beliefs, I've been hurt by a "black" woman who also used and abused me, I also was hurt by a "black" man who I tried to help despite their pas transgression, heck I've even been robbed by a "black" man who I decided to help along the road... well more like swindled, I'm often too nice for my own good. Lost three hundred dollars. All because I try to see the best in people, give them the benefit of the doubt.

If I think back, I've never had anything similar happen to me by a person of "white" skin. Yet I remain true to my beliefs. These were simply people and isolated incidences. I was a bad judge of character. But I could also share several incidences where I put myself out there and got nothing but appreciation and good things in return. This has been from people of all types. Still so far only been taken advantage of by people of black skin. I, however, think it's because of who they were and not their skin color.

I could have done what many do, and decide that since I've been used and abused and been taken advantage of by more people with black skin than any other skin color to hold all people with black skin with contempt and distrust, but I do not. Why? Because one of my best friends growing up was black skinned. We knew each other as babies, got separated and randomly found each other and became friends never knowing til our parents told us we used to play together as tykes. Was an awesome revelation for us. I've had many friends of all types, enough to know we're all people. Many of my friends have been black skinned not that I personally consider that relevant, but in context of this conversation it is.

I'm not sure why I shared all this, but it feels oddly relevant. In the case of both my ex-wife, and the man I took in, they spent most of their time blaming others for actions clearly of their own making. Everyone was at fault but themselves. On a few rare occasions in a moment of weakness both showed a glimmer of understanding, a bit of wanting help from themselves. I tried to be that help, but in the end, nothing I did or could have done, no matter how much I sacrificed help them. In the end I feel I enabled more than made a difference. I hope they found their way I really do. There was a glimmer of understanding, I hope it finally broke through and they held onto it. In the end I did what I could but it's ultimately up to them. I hope one with self reflection the one guy stops seeing me as that white person that accused him of stealing my car after being told not to, and realizes I was just a person trying to help that he wronged.

I went out of my way to make sure I had proof before I accused him. Even hinted when I had some proof that I knew and to stop. Gave him multiple chances. He dug his own grave and I hope he realizes that by now and learned something by it. I really do wish the best for them both. I may be a doormat, but I have my limits.

So there it is, why I shared this all I'm still not sure. But if I actually saw the world in context of race, I'd say the black race is more abhorrent by personal experience. Fortunately I do not do so as evidenced by my continuing to disregard race when judging people. I know that personal experience is a fickle thing defined by irregularities. I could easily have even worse things happen in a very short time that would trump all my previous bad experiences, all by others that share an entirely different physical trait than skin color or a skin color different from black.

I don't think I'm a racist, I just tend to like facts over false narratives..

90% of blacks killed every year are killed by other black people...( their lives don't matter ?)

61% of people killed by police every year are white

That means, that although blacks commit 50% of the crimes yearly in the US...they are 11% less likely to be killed by a cop than a white person

When you don't believe the False Narratives, you may seem racist to those that fall for them

a reply to: SuspiciousTom

Yea, you're in this thread most likely infuriated at the title because you were subject to generalization/"stereotype".

No because I laughed my ass off.

a reply to: SuspiciousTom

MAN you are SO right about that ,but it's more a matter of adversity rather than criminality really.

a reply to: SuspiciousTom

Problem I have with BLM is it's a false narrative, and attacking a symptom rather than the cause. But that's a whole different issue. I agree police corruption is a problem, I disagree that attacking the problem under the framing as a black rights issue is the way to go about fixing it.

That's neither here nor there though. BLM is simply distracting from solving the real problem. Which means it's actually helping it.

To answer your question OP: because the racist bar is REALLY low when one sided.

You know, it's no secret black people ar more violent and commit more crimes, are poorer, tip like # (I worked as server for many years), and more. But I find it strange so many people want to deny this is due to the legacy of slavery. What's the other explanation? Black people are just inherently violent and lazy? I refuse to believe that.