Just Pixels on a Screen

I've been watching the discussions of race in this forum from a safe distance. Seen it result in member bannings, thread closures, edited posts, division among members, and all because of racial issues.

There are some who speak from one point of view, and others from another, and those that just simply agree with one or the other. In reality, there are three types of people involved in racial issues, those who have experienced it first hand, and those who have witnessed it, and perhaps the worst, those who have inflicted any form of racism on another human being. Look around you and within yourselves, you'll see which "type" you are.

Racism is the purest form of ignorance existing in our modern society.

Irony; debating and discussing racial issues here in this forum when there is no race here in this cyber world, we have no racial identity here, unless we make it known, and even then do we really know? Here you are just pixels on a screen...

To me racism, both online, and in the real world is just that silly.

What color are you today?

I am purple today!!!

No really, I completely agree, and this has actually been my argument..

Some claimed that there was racial slurs thrown around on ATS.. I know I have never seen it..

Some have said they are treated different..

Well on ATS no one should know what race you are! The internet makes us equal in that.. WE ALL should embrace the fact that online we CANNOT tell what race another is unless they tell us, that we can engage in conversations and respond as equal.

We then get the opposing views as fellow humans, with out pre-classing someones views based on race and ethnicity.

Just my opinion.

I was inspired to write the opening post when in chat I was asked if a member was black. My answer was, I don't know, we don't have any race here, does it really matter?

This is a good podcast by the way: LINK (Explicit Language)

What no other comments?

Am I not controversial enough? Not white enough? Not Black enough?

If a change my font colors and decide I am blue, will you attack me? Lynch me? Deny me the right to post in this forum?

If I change to a pink font, will you call me gay?

Again, I ask... what color are you today?

I'm gonna be green, for the rest of the week.

Then, I'm considering. switching to blue.
After my income taxes are due.

A slightly off topic story, but related to colors.
We were babysitting the next door neighbor's baby.
It was diaper time.
upon opening the package, we noticed the "gift" was a bright kelly green.
I mean, you had to squint! it was so bright.
But I noticed something. It perfectly matched the kid's shirt.
Same hue, same brightness.
My immediate thought?
"quick, put a striped shirt on the kid, let's see what happens!"

The moral?

No matter what the color, a turd, is a turd. (and vice versa)

That...

Was by far the most unusual story I have yet heard in ... a while.

Thanks Space lol... I think I get the point..

I could be a 14-year-old Native American boy. Because I'm just pixels. But I have a heart, a mind and a soul.

I've been watching the race discussions from a not-so-safe distance. In fact, I've been immersed in them up to my eyeballs. Race is an interest of mine and I really appreciate having a place to explore it more and talk about stuff that's happening in the world and in our minds and hearts about race. I believe education and discussion are the most effective tools against racism.

As an aside, I'd like to thank the mods for the hard work they do in this area, It's REALLY appreciated!

What's pretty amazing and sad to me is that I can disagree with other members about ANY subject and come out the other side as respectful friends. We can shake hands and agree to disagree. But I've lost friends over the race discussions. People have actually been hurt. How can this happen from pixels? How can words on a page make enemies? The older pixels reflect the friendships.

How can saying, "This is what I think. What do you think"? cause so many hard feelings, anger, hatred, pain and completely blot out compassion and understanding? Where is the ground where we all come together and accept that we are different people with different opinions, but all the same in the larger picture?

The only answer in my mind is that we must keep working toward it.

I know there are older pixels that reflect enemies that have since become friends. So I know there's hope that relationships can change from bad to good, from misinterpretation to understanding, from rejection to acceptance, from enemy to friend. Regardless of the colors.

What color is Don Imus?

Nice post BH, thank you.

My concern isn't for Imus here. He's kind of a pasty white, I think perhaps tinged with the pink of embarrassment... My concern is for the women whose color should be proud, bold, red, but is instead sort of a pale, sickly gray of defeatism...

In another thread, I said this:

Can anyone explain to me how such strong, beautiful, talented, intelligent woman could let the stupid remarks of a bigoted person "steal their glory"??? Can anyone explain to me WHY these women totally gave their entire power away to a few seconds of ignorance spewed on a radio show? Can anyone explain to me why these women didn't come out and say... "Well, you know, Don Imus must have pretty low ratings to have to resort to saying something so stupid to get attention... GO RUTGERS!!!!! Woo-Hoo"! with her fist pumping in the air??????

Sadly, I think I know the answer to my questions. Society's Victim Mindset encourages these women to give up the pride. power and strength in everything they've achieved and everything they are in exchange for the sympathy of the public.

I was SO hoping these women wouldn't let Imus have the power that they'd worked so hard for. But they just flopped over and handed it to him.

I am DEEPLY disappointed. They should have stood up strong and proud instead of hanging their heads and looking downward as if defeated by a scrawny little white punk (irony intended)...

I know I sound cold and heartless to some. But that's ok. These girls deserve to feel proud IN THE FACE of ignorance. They shouldn't give into it, in my opinion. They shouldn't give their personal power away so easily.

I haven't yet received an answer to my questions...

[edit on 10-4-2007 by Benevolent Heretic]

Well I'd make a comment about your head dress, but then I'd be labeled a sexist, which in some context could be as bad as being a racist. So I'll just close with saying... You look marvelous.

PS, leave Wilson out of this.

Originally posted by djohnsto77

[align=center][size=10]Deny ignorance![/align]

Be the best pixels you can be, stand proud in your online racial anonymity.

What are you today?

I understand the aversion people of color have to the white tendency to call oneself by primary colors in regards to race. Although well intended, it's a superficial diversion from the terrible history of racial division and oppression. It minimizes the reality that they continue to live with, for instance being called minorities, when in fact whites are the global minority. To me it implies internalized racism that has not been faced squarely. Never mind the economic issues involved.

I am white. Although my ancestry traces to Mongolian, Finnish, Swedish, Native American, Scottish, French and Italian roots - and that's only the ones that I know about. Hienz 57 Caucasian.

One day I was in the parking lot of a shopping center without my glasses and I thought I spotted my auntie Stasia. I yelled magnanimously across the lot and hurried to chat. As I got closer, I realized the woman was black. I laughed and said "I thought you were my Auntie Stasia" She laughed too and said that she'd be my aunt.

I think a lot of people are surprised when and interracial couple has a white child, but it happens.

Amen, UMGazz. It's all too easy to get drawn into the fire. For the remainder of this week I think I'll be lime green.

Benevolent Heretic. Your comments about the Rutgers womens basketball team were spot on. Don Imus lost what little respect I'd afforded him when he let his true colors shine through. Scrawny little man who couldn't do what those girls can do, jelousey is a horrid thing.

[edit on 11-4-2007 by seagull]

Originally posted by seagull
Amen, UMGazz. It's all too easy to get drawn into the fire. For the remainder of this week I think I'll be lime green.

OK, but be prepared, Lime Greens are not allowed to use public bathrooms, reserved only for the Blues here. And like the purples you must ride in the rear of all community buses. There is no federal funding for Lime Greens education. You will have an extremely hard time getting a job. It's not a great world for the Lime Greens here.

Are you sure you don't want to change your color?

Nope. If I must I'll just start a movement in support of protecting the god given rights of lime greens. Or...I'll just take my lime popsicles elsewhere, so you sure you wanna go there?

Originally posted by UM_Gazz
Irony; debating and discussing racial issues here in this forum when there is no race here in this cyber world, we have no racial identity here, unless we make it known, and even then do we really know?

Well, in that case, why do we talk about anything? I mean, why have a forum devoted to US politics, if we're all pixels and have no (national) identity here?

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Some claimed that there was racial slurs thrown around on ATS.. I know I have never seen it..

Some have said they are treated different..

Well on ATS no one should know what race you are! The internet makes us equal in that.. WE ALL should embrace the fact that online we CANNOT tell what race another is unless they tell us, that we can engage in conversations and respond as equal.

No offense to you Rockpuck, but this is total crap. I love ATS as much as the next member, but let's be honest. As a microcosm of the world, ATS attracts its fair share of racists. I have been called ghetto, lazy, uneducated, and a "harlot" based on nothing but my politics, and nobody said a freaking word! I could pull up the posts if you want, but, really, it's water under the bridge. I just wanted to make the point that, although you may not have seen it, it definitely happens here.

Originally posted by clearwater
I understand the aversion people of color have to the white tendency to call oneself by primary colors in regards to race. Although well intended, it's a superficial diversion from the terrible history of racial division and oppression. It minimizes the reality that they continue to live with, for instance being called minorities, when in fact whites are the global minority. To me it implies internalized racism that has not been faced squarely. Never mind the economic issues involved.

This is so true, clearwater. It is superficial, but that's where America is right now. Most Americans have a superficial view of history, so, while they may be aware that slavery occurred, they really don't care to look into it further. For example, I've been told, here at ATS, that the slaves were happy. Like slavery wasn't bad enough; now we have to denigrate their memory by implying that they were too dumb to figure it out.

Harlem Hottie. You and I disagree on many things, and you may or may not believe me, but had I seen those comments made toward you, I would have said something. You are none of those things.