Racism is Dead and Gone!!!

I was reading a response from Obama regarding the alleged racism of the Cambridge Police in response to the well-known black professor that was arrested while attempting to break into his own home. He refused to provide identification when first approached, but later did provide it, but was arrested anyway!

There was certainly some odd behaviour on both sides of the incident, but what really struck me were two paragraphs in this story.

renowned black scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr.

"I think it's fair to say, number one, any of us would be pretty angry," Obama said.

Gov. Deval Patrick, who is black, said he was troubled and upset over the incident. Cambridge Mayor Denise Simmons, who also is black, has said she spoke with Gates and apologized on behalf of the city, and a statement from the city called the July 16 incident "regrettable and unfortunate."

Emphasis Mine.

www.msnbc.msn.com...

In case you didn't catch it, they had quotes from Black President of the U.S., the Black Governor of the State, the Black Mayor of the Town, and the Black Reknowned Scholar from the University!!

I am white, and I have been approached by police when breaking into my own house, because I locked myself out. I was not angry at all! Quite opposite, I would have been angry if a policeman watched me break into a home WITHOUT intervening!

I am no racist, and all of my black friends agree that this is outstanding proof that Affirmative Action has worked!! In this incident the White Officer is the minority, and the presumed offender! Talk about REVERSE profiling! We have talked in the past about the difficulty a white cop has in approaching a black suspect, but never has his concern gone up to so many levels!! I am not sure if this is good or bad, but it is certainly a new development for the year 2009.

I am sure that there has never been a time in history, that we had black leadership at every level in the chain from the President to the Mayor! I can't think of a time in history where any major country in the world had this amount of diversity in leadership!

I beg all readers of this article to not shout that I am a racist. I do not think this development is necessarily a bad thing, but I do think it is worth taking notice of and discussing openly! And, I think it proves that Equal Opportunity exists in the country on the highest scale!!

Here's to a good discussion, keep it clean, and come out swinging!

[edit on 23-7-2009 by getreadyalready]

I work for the Ohio Civil Rights Commission and I can absolutely certify for you that looking at a backlog of hundreds of cases that racism is anything but dead.

I think it's better than the last 50 years but it is not buried. For instance we recently had a case where the owner and operator of a temporary service was taking one day a week and making it "No Nig" day. All employees were ordered to place no blacks on that day. On their applications if they were black the employees would circle the b in the name of the company.

Oh believe me racism and hate are very much alive.

reply to post by damwel

All employees were ordered to place no blacks on that day. On their applications if they were black the employees would circle the b in the name of the company.

WOW! That is pretty scary. I know it still happens, but I think the fact that we have Governors, Mayors, Scholars, and the POTUS makes a huge statement.

The incident you state happens in reverse as well. I know of a local lawsuit here because the Wal-Mart would not hire white people for stockers or night shift. They had all black managers. They hired a few white people for daytime cashiers, but that was it. A well-qualified applicant with previous Wal Mart experience was not interviewed, but his black friend that applied at the same time, with no experience and several "terminations" on his application was interviewed and hired within days!!

These incidents are sad and frustrating, but the article from the OP was very enlightening to me. It illuminates how far we have come in diversity, and how things that were impossible just a few years ago are commonplace today!

Your racist. / sarcasm

As long as there a Racist screaming out Racist, Racism will never be dead and gone.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Racism won't die until we want it to. To me its simple. As long as we classify ourselves as the first black president, or the black mayor, or the first hispanic in space, or whatever. We wouldn't say things like the first red haired president, or the first green eyed man in space. So why do we do it with race? When we start labeling ourselves based on race, and start looking at people for their actions and their character alone, then racism will die. As long as we have groups that are for the whites, or for the blacks, or for the latinos, or for the whatever it won't end. Why doesn't NAACP change to the National Association for the Advancement of People. When we start getting groups like this, then we will see a change. But as long as we draw lines, and fit ourselves into groups that are all about promoting one race vs. the others there will always be racism.

reply to post by getreadyalready
Race? I'm a product of a father with a high melanin content and a mother with a low melanin content.

I just wish people would get over it.
(rant)
When everyone is sufficiently "mixed" and no-one stands out then there will be no racism. If we were all born blind, people would discriminate on the timbre of voices.

There will always be racism. Or sexism. Or blue/green/brown eye -ism. Or red/blond/brown/black/grey hair-ism. It is the nature of the beast. Once we accept that though, it diminishes the impact that racism may have.
(rant over)

Interesting thread, sir. Will keep an eye.

beez

Originally posted by beezzer
reply to post by getreadyalready

 

Race? I'm a product of a father with a high melanin content and a mother with a low melanin content.

I just wish people would get over it.
(rant)
When everyone is sufficiently "mixed" and no-one stands out then there will be no racism. If we were all born blind, people would discriminate on the timbre of voices.

There will always be racism. Or sexism. Or blue/green/brown eye -ism. Or red/blond/brown/black/grey hair-ism. It is the nature of the beast. Once we accept that though, it diminishes the impact that racism may have.
(rant over)

Interesting thread, sir. Will keep an eye.

beez

Ahh I see it will always be around, because it always has. I love how we look to the past to say, see It won't happen, because it never has. Too bad we went to the moon, they never did that in the past, and all the sudden we went there. Wonder how they managed to do that, with all the people like you saying "we can never do it, just look at our past".

Originally posted by andersensrm

Originally posted by beezzer
reply to post by getreadyalready

 

Race? I'm a product of a father with a high melanin content and a mother with a low melanin content.

I just wish people would get over it.
(rant)
When everyone is sufficiently "mixed" and no-one stands out then there will be no racism. If we were all born blind, people would discriminate on the timbre of voices.

There will always be racism. Or sexism. Or blue/green/brown eye -ism. Or red/blond/brown/black/grey hair-ism. It is the nature of the beast. Once we accept that though, it diminishes the impact that racism may have.
(rant over)

Interesting thread, sir. Will keep an eye.

beez

Ahh I see it will always be around, because it always has. I love how we look to the past to say, see It won't happen, because it never has. Too bad we went to the moon, they never did that in the past, and all the sudden we went there. Wonder how they managed to do that, with all the people like you saying "we can never do it, just look at our past".

Huh? Look, you may be one of the enlightened Bully for you! But there will always be idiots. Unless your world view has a solution?

reply to post by beezzer


Theres always a solution. But you ain't gunna find it in the past. And if you stop looking after that, then yes you are a moron.

Racism is alive and well. I was thinking about this yesterday when I read about a white grandfather being accosted by police for walking his black granddaughter. I though, "What would have happened if it had been a black adult and a white child?" I really don't want the answer to that question.

Originally posted by andersensrm
reply to post by beezzer

 

Theres always a solution. But you ain't gunna find it in the past. And if you stop looking after that, then yes you are a moron.

Those wo neglect the past. . . yadda yadda yadda.

Fine, I'm a moron for taking a realistic view other than an idealistic view.

Um, . . . . who's the moron agin?

Interesting post indeed. On the flip side, I think it is arguable that while there are many prominent black people, the vast majority are not. Now is that due to racism? Probably in part. I think there are also some cultural things that come into play. I do think that blacks would find themselves in a far better place had they not been forced into slavery and after that poverty for so long. I think it's a vicious circle that is slowly but surely being broken. I have some real issues with affirmative action etc. but I do think that as a society we need to do our best to bring each other up.

Originally posted by beezzer

Originally posted by andersensrm
reply to post by beezzer

 

Theres always a solution. But you ain't gunna find it in the past. And if you stop looking after that, then yes you are a moron.

Those wo neglect the past. . . yadda yadda yadda.

Fine, I'm a moron for taking a realistic view other than an idealistic view.

Um, . . . . who's the moron agin?

edit on 17-2-2012 by beezzer because: (no reason given)

A realistic view based on what?? Past civilizations???

Quite frankly, I like your ideas, OP.
I think racism is still alive, but not so much with blacks/whites. Nope. We've moved on. Now it's Mexicans and Middle Easterners.

Present company excepted.

A thought from the beez. . . . . . .

We all (regardless of political stance) have to thank Obama. Because we can now view Col. West with a clearer lens, we can criticize without sounding racist, we can comment on Cain without bringing up colour. We can provide our opinions based on policy instead of policy/excuse for race.

Obama broke a glass ceiling.

Just wish it was Condie.

Originally posted by andersensrm

Originally posted by beezzer

Originally posted by andersensrm
reply to post by beezzer

 

Theres always a solution. But you ain't gunna find it in the past. And if you stop looking after that, then yes you are a moron.

Those wo neglect the past. . . yadda yadda yadda.

Fine, I'm a moron for taking a realistic view other than an idealistic view.

Um, . . . . who's the moron agin?

edit on 17-2-2012 by beezzer because: (no reason given)

A realistic view based on what?? Past civilizations???

Current life. Not on-line, Twitter, or PSIII.

Real world, scooter.

Originally posted by beezzer
A thought from the beez. . . . . . .

We all (regardless of political stance) have to thank Obama. Because we can now view Col. West with a clearer lens, we can criticize without sounding racist, we can comment on Cain without bringing up colour. We can provide our opinions based on policy instead of policy/excuse for race.

Obama broke a glass ceiling.

Just wish it was Condie.

Yes, but many still like to bring it up. People who didn't like Cain, were accused of being racist. Same with people who didn't agree with Obama's policy. We also think, if a black man can do it anyone can. But racism isn't just against blacks. During reconstruction, when blacks were gradually accepted into society by whites, there was still massive racism against asians and native americans. Infact the racism still exists against native americans, just look at all the indian sports teams with mascots that sterotype indians as big headed red skinned idiots. The only reason no one talks about that, is because we american wiped them out of existence.

Originally posted by andersensrm

Originally posted by beezzer
A thought from the beez. . . . . . .

We all (regardless of political stance) have to thank Obama. Because we can now view Col. West with a clearer lens, we can criticize without sounding racist, we can comment on Cain without bringing up colour. We can provide our opinions based on policy instead of policy/excuse for race.

Obama broke a glass ceiling.

Just wish it was Condie.

Yes, but many still like to bring it up. People who didn't like Cain, were accused of being racist. Same with people who didn't agree with Obama's policy. We also think, if a black man can do it anyone can. But racism isn't just against blacks. During reconstruction, when blacks were gradually accepted into society by whites, there was still massive racism against asians and native americans. Infact the racism still exists against native americans, just look at all the indian sports teams with mascots that sterotype indians as big headed red skinned idiots. The only reason no one talks about that, is because we american wiped them out of existence.

Puddin' I don't get you. Is racism still prevalent or not?

I state yes, but lessen it's impact with understanding.

You came off as there was no racism anymore, yet your last post proved the opposite.
Have I missed something?

reply to post by beezzer


You misunderstood, I said that there can be a world without racism. You say it will never happen, I argued. I never said that racism was gone, and I have no idea where you got that from.

Originally posted by andersensrm
reply to post by beezzer

 

You misunderstood, I said that there can be a world without racism. You say it will never happen, I argued. I never said that racism was gone, and I have no idea where you got that from.

Kay. Then my counter would be that there will always be a bias.

Height.
Hair colour?
Eye colour?
Nose shape?
Ear lobe length?

People will always find something to differentiate. It's not necessarily bad, just the way we're wired.