Racial tension - increasing?

Most of the problems we have with race are because of the focus we place on race in our culture. People seem to have more opinion about race than almost any other issue, as we can see from the success of a few threads in this arena.

That strikes me as a bad thing. I see it much like I see alcohol. Considering we have an intense focus on alcohol (unlike many european nations) we have created a culture where young people almost covet it and it has become abused in college like it is, as I've heard numerous times, "what we are supposed to do".

This is rediculous, and until we stop focusing on it so heavily nothing will really change.

Although the outward appearance of racism has gone down, I think that the racial tensions have gone up since the early 1990's.

Our culture trains racial issues into the children, and although there is less real reason for any divide, the divide seems to be growing.

I can't discount the media in all of this though. Watch any news program. The words "black male 18-40" are on almost any (metropolitan) news program at least once a night. This in addition to the terrorist "scare".


[Edited on 4-4-2004 by KrazyJethro]

I havent noticed a change in racial tensions. I think that its the same. Many people are still racist. Some people are just ignorant and will never accept people of other colors.

So when someone says that Muslims are the next "'n-word's" (used in quotes) you disagree?

If anything, the war and Bush have furthered the steaming pot of racial tension across the country.

Our racial divide has been hulking just below the surface and has never gone away.

It wasnt the war that made people racist against Muslims. Not at all. It was the fact that people of Middle-Eastern descent attacked the world trade. If you see someone on an airplane of middle-eastern descent, you automatically might get suspicious or nervous simply because of that day. You cant blame Bush or the war for that.

I can not speak for everywhere but for my small town I dont see much at all, beyond a few haters of ALL four of the groups here most of us get along real well. Other than a handful of rich people almost all of us work in the same places making the same wages and our children are dating each other and getting married. We have Barbeques and parties togather, hell between us all we have about a holiday a week....LOL In my own family we have spanish and blacks married into the family and my son is dating a asian.


But you can drive just a few miles away to Fort Smith and you have racial shootings and gangs. What is the difference?

I aint got a clue. Other than this is a small town and everyone can see that we are all about the same, same schools, same jobs, etc.


And its not just a bunch of whites and a couple of token miniorties. I dont have solid numbers but I would say its about

40% white
30% spanish
15% asian
15% black


Just roughly.

The black and whites in my county are pretty evenly matched, and there is the small but growing hispanic group and the small Korean group. Not much in the way of attention to one another, one way or the other. Everyone is just too busy doing whatever it is they're doing. Oh, there is the chance meeting at the carwashes, where we'll hand a vacuum with more time on it to the other and the like.

The workforce where I am employed is a tad bit more white, but not by overwhelming numbers. Each side has its token idiots, but not many. For the most part, it seems to be a non-issue.

Possibly, if we all ignore the instigators and pot-stirrers that make a living by keeping the problem alive so that they can be the "solution", we'll all forget about our ethnicity, as Jethro has so wishfully mentioned.

LOL, you know, for years I've said that race should never be on an application, whether it be for school or employment.

I'm not even sure that black kids now have a reason to be angsty, but they seem to be.

They are angry without cause.

Same goes for a number of white kids. Notice all the venom about AA (not that either side is bad but the steam behind each arguement seems unwarrentedly strong).

I think a lot of the problem is that some (white and black) dont want a solution and will fight tooth and nail to keep the wounds open.

Scapegoating is a part of human nature, and being that race is such a fundamental part of this society I can see the perpetuation of this.

Originally posted by KrazyJethro
Most of the problems we have with race are because of
Our culture trains racial issues into the children, and although there is less real reason for any divide, the divide seems to be growing.

This is so true it's scary. I have learned that nursery rhymes that we thought to be so innocent were originally used to spread racial prejudice. In order to rid ourselves of this ugly blight we must teach the children first. Most adults are past being helped. Even our major religious institutions in this country are segregated!!!!! How can we expect to get past race in this country when our religious intuitions are separated? We can�t even put race aside while we worship God!!!

I agree with you though whole heartily KrazyJethro but racism is so deeply seeded in this country that it will not go away over night. A lot of people make racist comments but I don�t consider them �racist�. Just about every person in this country has made a racial comment and stood back and laughed when racial jokes are made. Most of us are just in denial. You can�t turn around 500 of hate in 50 years. It�s just going to have to take time.

Racial tensions have been getting worse since the early 1990's. I'd imagine it was ever since the Rodney King incident. The OJ Trial pushed it along.

I'm seeing alot more hate, especially from the white side. (see threads titled Reparations and Good Racist Mud-Slinging)

[Edited on 4/4/2004 by Flinx]

Originally posted by KrazyJethro
I'm not even sure that black kids now have a reason to be angsty, but they seem to be.

They are angry without cause.

Same goes for a number of white kids. Notice all the venom about AA (not that either side is bad but the steam behind each arguement seems unwarrentedly strong).

they're kids. thats why. they're young dumb and emotionally charged. they're going through hormonal changes and as a result you see teenagers (even relatively well adjusted ones) who seem angry and for no reason. i was like that but outgrew it as i got older. this isnt unusual, maybe their level of hostility and anger is but this "problem" is about as old as human kind.

as for the topic...i cant say i notice it, i'm too busy living my life and doing my thing to pay any attention to a bunch of knuckle draggers who seem intent on hating others for little or no justifiable reason(s). i am torn on the mere posting of this, on one hand i prefer to ignore such tomfoolery and let them do as they please (as is their right as human beings, even if we think its wrong and disagree with what they say) and on the other hand i think an open dialogue is helpful but does little to correct the problem as those who could benefit the most from this dialogue arehose who will die and go to hell before they listen to it. so for us to discuss it among ourselves is rather moot IMO. a rehash of the same ole crap we've said to eachother.


i do have a good question though.

if we are intolerant of the intolerant, are we no better than they are even though our intolerance is different from theirs? isnt intolerance unacceptable in all its forms? if not why are some ok and others not? if not i think its downright hypocritical to say others cant hate other people for whatever reason but to hate them for hating others is perfectly ok.

Intolerance is not a bad thing per se. It really depends on the usage. For instance a healthy intolerance for murdering starving, subjugating, or beating children is not something one would be called a bigot for by our societies standards.

But that's the point. The standards we live by are skewed badly.

Personally, I wonder if enough people are truely working through the racism in themselves rather than just saying "I'm not racist, I take people for who they are."

I find that most times that is total crap and everyone is innundated with racism because of the social climate respective of their environment early in life.


Question: Does it seem worse for blacks to be racist or hateful towards whites, or is it justified today?

Originally posted by Flinx
Racial tensions have been getting worse since the early 1990's. I'd imagine it was ever since the Rodney King incident. The OJ Trial pushed it along.

[Edited on 4/4/2004 by Flinx]

Honestly I see these as indicators. They are the true test of where the anger has gone.

Obviously we've all failed.

Never doubt the fear of a person to make them do insane or illogical things.

Originally posted by JustAnIllusion
It wasnt the war that made people racist against Muslims. Not at all. It was the fact that people of Middle-Eastern descent attacked the world trade. If you see someone on an airplane of middle-eastern descent, you automatically might get suspicious or nervous simply because of that day. You cant blame Bush or the war for that.

This is very true. I haven't read the whole thread yet, but let me tell a story. Last year....March 2002, I was on my way back to the states from Switzerland. Well, it just happened to be the end of (I forget the name at the moment) the thing where they all go to Mecca and throw the stones at the wall....you know the big pilgramage they have at that time of year. Anyway, on the way home, my plane was filled, and I mean filled with Middle-Easterns (Muslims). Do you know how long it took to board the plane because of the security involved to get them all through? Also, I was trying not to be "rascist" in any way but I was a little nervous. I actually got to talking to some of them and the plane ride was on the most part enjoyable (I'm a smoker and not having a cig for 12 hours was killing me). Just an example of our fears, even when we try not to let them surface. Hope I wasn't just blabbering.

IMHO, racial tensions gote worse since this moronof pa president got inoffice and the WAY he got into office. That's when things got bad and it ain't gonna get bettertil he's gone.

Originally posted by Colonel
IMHO, racial tensions gote worse since this moronof pa president got inoffice and the WAY he got into office. That's when things got bad and it ain't gonna get bettertil he's gone.

First of all, great spelling/typing ablity you've got there. You should become a teacher.

Second of all, racial tensions, IMHFO, have and always will be about the same. You will always have the ignorant idiots who refuse to beileve the truth and look at logic, and then you will always have the hopless people who try to change them from their course.

Originally posted by joehayner

Originally posted by Colonel
IMHO, racial tensions gote worse since this moronof pa president got inoffice and the WAY he got into office. That's when things got bad and it ain't gonna get bettertil he's gone.

First of all, great spelling/typing ablity you've got there. You should become a teacher.

Second of all, racial tensions, IMHFO, have and always will be about the same. You will always have the ignorant idiots who refuse to beileve the truth and look at logic, and then you will always have the hopless people who try to change them from their course.

First of all, I didn't go to secretarial school like you. I went to a real university. I'm not dainty like that. So forgive me.

Secondly, what does your opinion say? Nothing. What is the truth? What "logic" are we supposed to be looking at? Exactly, what are you talking about? DOes anyone know?

Originally posted by Colonel
First of all, I didn't go to secretarial school like you. I went to a real university. I'm not dainty like that. So forgive me.

Secondly, what does your opinion say? Nothing. What is the truth? What "logic" are we supposed to be looking at? Exactly, what are you talking about? DOes anyone know?

Lol, you're forgiven. I just thought a smart person like you would check your spelling a grammar before you hit the submit button. It's not a race, and it's curtious to other members.

The truth is that in general, physically and metally, we are all equals. No one race is better than the others. I thought you could see that.

I'm doing stuff at work so I just fire off a comment before the Boss comes around.