Originally posted by genius/idoit
what if they are the ones perpetuating racism?

Then they need to be the ones to decide to stop it when they are ready. Each person is responsible for their own actions. I have decided to stop being racist regardless what anyone else does. That's all I can do. It's all I can control. Read my signature.

Can you honestly tell me there is no black to white racism?

No. I'm not saying that at all. Racism knows no color boundaries. But I can only control how I think and what I do about it. I cannot control other people. And other people being racist is NOT a reason or an excuse for me to be racist.

To remove racism from the world or to expect people to "get over" racism, the first step is for me to remove it from my life and my thoughts. If you took the effort that you expend in trying to make out Barack and Michelle Obama as racists and spent it instead, on ridding racism from your thoughts and your life, you would actually be making a big difference in your own life and taking one more step to rid the world of racism.

Originally posted by genius/idoit
I spend no more time trying to prove they're racist than you do trying to prove I am.

I don't HAVE to prove that you are. People will read your posts and decide for themselves.

And here I thought you were asking me a genuine question out of curiosity... Oh, well, that's OK. Good luck and have a good life.

BH out.

I hate to break it to people but if you have a mirror in your home it frames an identity for you. Whether it's I look as good as Brad Pitt or hey I am Brad Pitt it doesn't much matter.

People seek peer groups and validation and absolution on a whole host of criteria from skin color, to religion, to political leanings, to arts and sciences, economics etc., etc.

What is most disturbing to me is how disturbed people become when someone speaks to the underlying truth of these things.

It is as if we all just pretend enough, often enough, and appear outraged enough that these very real things that inflict and effect all of humanity for the above mentioned reason won't inflict it and will just go away.

I agree with one thing, being honest about it is the first step.

When you assail people simply for being honest, you encourage people to be dishonest.

You don't do anything to educate or elevate people to a higher standard in the process, you are in essence simply arguing that such standards should not exist especially when they might be a detriment to you.

We need to learn to begin to embarce other people as they embrace and share their own self evident truths and then react by responding responsibly towards them to add things that might cause their truths to evolve rather than attack them to try to subtract things simply on the basis that others find it offensive which in and of itself makes it no less true to the person honestly sharing.

People who take the time to share their personal truths are giving everyone an opportunity to help them add and expand on it in positive ways.

I don't like the Obama Administration and how it's running the country but that's not the topic.

The topic is how a black woman poured her own heart and mind out to reveal her own heart and mind for others to know.

She spoke her truth, not your truth, or my truth.

It's up to all of us through our own behavior to change each other's truths for the better or worse.

I can't help but feel we change individual truths for the better by taking a positive approach towards them and the people who share them.

Not negative ones.