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  #1 (permalink)  
Old 04-26-2008, 08:40 PM
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Obama's preacher

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright, in a new interview with PBS newsman Bill Moyers was broadcasted a couple of days ago.
Fox news has released the videos with the full sermon delivered by Wright on April. 13, 2003,

FOXNews.com - Sermon Video Presents Obama's Former Pastor in His Own Words - Politics | Republican Party | Democratic Party | Political Spectrum

Click on the link above to hear the full sermon (not just a small soundbite).
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Old 04-28-2008, 08:43 AM
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Here's a link to Bill Moyer's interview with Rev Wright: Bill Moyers Journal . Watch & Listen | PBS
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Old 04-29-2008, 11:57 AM
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Is Jeremiah Wright a colossal disaster for Barack Obama or a press trick?

The Rev. Jeremiah Wright couldn't have done more damage to Barack Obama's campaign if he had tried. And you have to wonder if that's just what one friend of Wright wanted.

Shortly before he rose to deliver his rambling, angry, sarcastic remarks at the National Press Club Monday, Wright sat next to, and chatted with, Barbara Reynolds.

A former editorial board member at USA Today, she runs something called Reynolds News Services and teaches ministry at the Howard University School of Divinity. (She is an ordained minister).

It also turns out that Reynolds - introduced Monday as a member of the National Press Club "who organized" the event - is an enthusiastic Hillary Clinton supporter.

On a blog linked to her Web site- www.reynoldsnews.com- Reynolds said in a February post: "My vote for Hillary in the Maryland primary was my way of saying thank you" to Clinton and her husband for the successes of Bill Clinton's presidency.
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Old 04-29-2008, 02:10 PM
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Originally Posted by ana21 View Post
The Rev. Jeremiah Wright couldn't have done more damage to Barack Obama's campaign if he had tried.
I do believe that Wright is a loose cannon who is intentionally trying to sabatoge Obama's campaign.
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Old 04-29-2008, 03:48 PM
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Today at a press conference Obama has denounced his preacher comments from yesterday.

Video: Obama

Video - Breaking News Videos from CNN.com

Obama: I Am ‘Outraged’ and ‘Angered’ By Wright’s Comments - America’s Election HQ

"“Yesterday we saw a very different vision of America,” Obama said. “I am outraged by the comments that were made, and saddened over the spectacle that we saw yesterday.”

“The person I saw yesterday was not the person that I met 20 years ago. His comments were not only divisive and destructive but I believe they ended up giving comfort to those who prey on hate,” he said."

Political Radar: Obama Condemns Wright's Defense

"But it also raises additional questions for Obama -- including why he maintained a 20-year spiritual relationship with Wright, and why he chose not to denounce Wright when the story first spread six weeks ago."
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Old 04-29-2008, 05:35 PM
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It only raises questions for those who don't intend to vote for him anyway.
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Old 04-29-2008, 05:46 PM
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I do believe that Wright is a loose cannon who is intentionally trying to sabatoge Obama's campaign.
I agree. I think that Obama tried to be decent and not rebuke the man for as long as he could, but Wright's actions this weekend made it clear that he thinks this is all about him. What an ego!
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Old 04-29-2008, 06:55 PM
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wheels on the bus go 'round and 'round, 'round and 'round, wheels on the bus goes 'round and round, all through the town....

Wonder what it is like UNDER the bus!?
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Old 04-29-2008, 07:39 PM
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It only raises questions for those who don't intend to vote for him anyway.

Seems to me it would be the people who intend to vote for him that would be questioning why Obama chose to stay with Rev. Wright for as long as he did. Now that Rev. Wright has come public with what Obama has been sitting and listening to for 20 years, Obama now denounces him. You can't sit and listen to a preacher preaching that type of hate and discord for 20 years without some of it rubbing off on you!
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Old 04-29-2008, 08:16 PM
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The people who support Obama read and don't put much credence in mudslinging. I don't think that Rev. Wright's sermons constitute hate speech. I think that we can conclude that an awful lot of whites do not care understand black churches nor the difference in the black experience in America.
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Old 04-29-2008, 08:56 PM
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The people who support Obama read and don't put much credence in mudslinging. I don't think that Rev. Wright's sermons constitute hate speech. I think that we can conclude that an awful lot of whites do not care understand black churches nor the difference in the black experience in America.
let us remember that all "black churches" don't believe the same as Rev. Wright (I've been in far too many Black Baptist Churches, ACOG Churches that don't believe that...)

I think all races need to learn from the past--not continue to dwell on it.
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Old 04-29-2008, 09:15 PM
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Seems to me it would be the people who intend to vote for him that would be questioning why Obama chose to stay with Rev. Wright for as long as he did. Now that Rev. Wright has come public with what Obama has been sitting and listening to for 20 years, Obama now denounces him. You can't sit and listen to a preacher preaching that type of hate and discord for 20 years without some of it rubbing off on you!
Actually, most of us have more important things to worry about than some preacher who isn't his mouthpiece. Like the economy, gas prices, feeding our family, ending the war. Little things like that.
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Old 04-29-2008, 09:46 PM
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SO what I'm hearing from Obama supporters.....if I'm understanding correctly is...

Regardless of the possibility that he is not what he appears/claims to be, you will vote for him.

Regardless if he indeed did sit under a preacher who believes the things Wright does and believed right along with him, but now back peddles b/c he knows it will hurt his chances for the Presidency, you will vote for him.

And those of us who do care to know the truth, no matter who we intend to vote for, well, we are just nosey and should care about things that matter, or the things that someone else decides should matter to us.

UGH

I don't want to vote for any of them....but he is certainly not looking like "the least of three evils"

Melissa
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Old 04-29-2008, 10:07 PM
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I looked back and can't find any posts that say that. Can you link for me?
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Old 04-29-2008, 10:17 PM
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SO what I'm hearing from Obama supporters.....if I'm understanding correctly is...

Regardless of the possibility that he is not what he appears/claims to be, you will vote for him.

Regardless if he indeed did sit under a preacher who believes the things Wright does and believed right along with him, but now back peddles b/c he knows it will hurt his chances for the Presidency, you will vote for him.

And those of us who do care to know the truth, no matter who we intend to vote for, well, we are just nosey and should care about things that matter, or the things that someone else decides should matter to us.

UGH

I don't want to vote for any of them....but he is certainly not looking like "the least of three evils"

Melissa
You've made a number of curious assumptions about Senator Obama's supporters but regardless, since I'm willing to bet there is no way you would vote for him even if he parted water, I'll just wish you luck choosing between the evil twins.
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Old 04-29-2008, 11:15 PM
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The people who support Obama read and don't put much credence in mudslinging. I don't think that Rev. Wright's sermons constitute hate speech. I think that we can conclude that an awful lot of whites do not care understand black churches nor the difference in the black experience in America.
What is a "black church"?? Also, what is the "black experience in America"??
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Old 04-29-2008, 11:18 PM
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I thought I was clear in saying that that is what I was getting from the supporter's responses. I think that sometimes we only see what we want to see in ppl we like/support. Whether it be a candidate or a friend. The truth can be staring us in the face and we will choose to only see the good.

And as far as black churches and not understanding the black experience. Your right, I can't understand, because I'm white. I strive for more understanding, but it simply isn't my experience. There is nothing I can do about that. But it goes both ways....that seems to be forgotten.

And as far as me not ever voting for Obama.....I had seriously considered it...but you're right to assume that will not happen now. My first assumptions about him are turning out to be true and I just don't think he's ready to be president.

Melissa
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Old 04-29-2008, 11:43 PM
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I thought I was clear in saying that that is what I was getting from the supporter's responses. I think that sometimes we only see what we want to see in ppl we like/support. Whether it be a candidate or a friend. The truth can be staring us in the face and we will choose to only see the good.

And as far as black churches and not understanding the black experience. Your right, I can't understand, because I'm white. I strive for more understanding, but it simply isn't my experience. There is nothing I can do about that. But it goes both ways....that seems to be forgotten.

And as far as me not ever voting for Obama.....I had seriously considered it...but you're right to assume that will not happen now. My first assumptions about him are turning out to be true and I just don't think he's ready to be president.

Melissa
I completely agree...
And sometimes it's a whole lot easier to see what we want and not necessarily is there.

And while the "Black Experience" was not good (I have to assume we're talking segregation, active KKK, lynchings, etc.) you don't hear the Native Americans hollering about their HORRORS and continuing to be a bitter and angry race over the genocide of complete tribes!
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Old 04-30-2008, 01:19 AM
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let us remember that all "black churches" don't believe the same as Rev. Wright (I've been in far too many Black Baptist Churches, ACOG Churches that don't believe that...)

I think all races need to learn from the past--not continue to dwell on it.
Please advise what ACOG is? And when you put that statement in parenthesis, are you telling us you are black / or a member of a black church that you regularly attend and thus have the accurate, time honored knowedge of the beliefs of that particular congregation?

Last edited by IrishBlonde; 04-30-2008 at 07:23 PM.
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Old 04-30-2008, 04:47 AM
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I thought I was clear in saying that that is what I was getting from the supporter's responses. I think that sometimes we only see what we want to see in ppl we like/support. Whether it be a candidate or a friend.

I think your last sentence explains your first. You see what you want to see. You've chosen to see certain things about Obama supporters, regardless of whether it's true or not.
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Old 04-30-2008, 08:04 AM
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What is a "black church"?? Also, what is the "black experience in America"??
you can't POSSIBLY be serious. You really cannot.
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Old 04-30-2008, 08:12 AM
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I completely agree...
And sometimes it's a whole lot easier to see what we want and not necessarily is there.
Like all the Hilary supporters who see nothing wrong w/ her lying about her experiences, her not being able to even manage her campaign money correctly (who knows what would happen to the economy), her negative campaign tactics, etc?

Quote:
And while the "Black Experience" was not good (I have to assume we're talking segregation, active KKK, lynchings, etc.) you don't hear the Native Americans hollering about their HORRORS and continuing to be a bitter and angry race over the genocide of complete tribes!
So? We are two separate races of people. I get so tired of hearing that lame ass standard reply every time we mention how freaking pissed off we are. "oh but Indians aren't mad. Mexicans aren't mad, blah blah blah". Sad that so many freaking groups have reason to be mad isn't it? Do you say the same thing about Jewish people still being mad about how they've been treated over the centuries I wonder?
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Old 04-30-2008, 08:48 AM
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Like all the Hilary supporters who see nothing wrong w/ her lying about her experiences, her not being able to even manage her campaign money correctly (who knows what would happen to the economy), her negative campaign tactics, etc?



So? We are two separate races of people. I get so tired of hearing that lame ass standard reply every time we mention how freaking pissed off we are. "oh but Indians aren't mad. Mexicans aren't mad, blah blah blah". Sad that so many freaking groups have reason to be mad isn't it? Do you say the same thing about Jewish people still being mad about how they've been treated over the centuries I wonder?
Well.I am sick and tired of alot of blacks blaming the system. It is time to move beyond this stuff. Being told (apparently by some, not just Rev. Wright) black preachers that everything is the fault of rich, white people is not HELPING the problem. It is only encouraging the "victim" mindset.

What do blacks want the US (as a nation) to do? Apologize ..then what?
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Old 04-30-2008, 08:53 AM
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Well.I am sick and tired of alot of blacks blaming the system. It is time to move beyond this stuff. Being told (apparently by some, not just Rev. Wright) black preachers that everything is the fault of rich, white people is not HELPING the problem. It is only encouraging the "victim" mindset.

What do blacks want the US (as a nation) to do? Apologize ..then what?
AMEN, and people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton don't help things either.

No, for some, nothing will ever be enough, EVER!!! I feel very bad about slavery (and other things) but, I personally had nothing to do with it, so don't feel a need to apologize.

This thread is headed way off topic, so I'll stop there.
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Old 04-30-2008, 08:54 AM
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Like all the Hilary supporters who see nothing wrong w/ her lying about her experiences, her not being able to even manage her campaign money correctly (who knows what would happen to the economy), her negative campaign tactics, etc?



So? We are two separate races of people. I get so tired of hearing that lame ass standard reply every time we mention how freaking pissed off we are. "oh but Indians aren't mad. Mexicans aren't mad, blah blah blah". Sad that so many freaking groups have reason to be mad isn't it? Do you say the same thing about Jewish people still being mad about how they've been treated over the centuries I wonder?
1) yes, my statement applies across the board and doesn't matter who you support.

2) ummmm...you can be pissed off all you want. My point about the Native Americans is they were treated far worse, far far far worse, and yet you still don't see them whining and crying about how badly their ancestors were treated. You know why? They are far too busy trying to live their lives and preserve their heritage. The Jewish People have more than a little reason to be angry--but for the most part, they aren't! Well, at least they don't whine and complain and blame everything bad that has ever happened to them on the Holocaust!

Why doesn't the Black Community as a whole quit complaining and being pissed and work together to make things different. You can't change the past, you can only learn from it. And with what you learn you can make changes---Being pissed off only makes you angry and generally makes you ineffective because you're running on emotion and not working on a plan!
So, while you get tired of the lame ass standard reply, I get tired of hearing about how pissed off you are and how it's someone else's fault that you are pissed off!
And finally--how can we all be united and work together if one group holds a grudge!?? And that's exactly how it appears to me....
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Old 04-30-2008, 08:55 AM
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you can't POSSIBLY be serious. You really cannot.
I most certainly CAN and I AM. What IS a Black Church??? and the Black Experience?? I want to make sure I am clear on the OP's meaning of these things, and not make assumptions.
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Old 04-30-2008, 08:59 AM
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1)
Why doesn't the Black Community as a whole quit complaining and being pissed and work together to make things different. You can't change the past, you can only learn from it. And with what you learn you can make changes---Being pissed off only makes you angry and generally makes you ineffective because you're running on emotion and not working on a plan!
So, while you get tired of the lame ass standard reply, I get tired of hearing about how pissed off you are and how it's someone else's fault that you are pissed off!
And finally--how can we all be united and work together if one group holds a grudge!?? And that's exactly how it appears to me....

I think Bill Cosby has some wonderful things to say about this, and he is himself a black man. I think this can apply to any situation where someone has been "wronged"....you either move on, or you stay stuck in the "victim" spot, it's your choice.
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Old 04-30-2008, 09:33 AM
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I think Bill Cosby has some wonderful things to say about this, and he is himself a black man. I think this can apply to any situation where someone has been "wronged"....you either move on, or you stay stuck in the "victim" spot, it's your choice.
"... "Parents if you don't parent, we can't improve our schools," he said. "You've got to parent. You've got to turn off the television set in your house once in a while, you've got to put the video game away once in a while."

Obama, who aspires to be the first black president, dwells a little longer on the subject with predominantly black audiences, as he did Thursday in this economically struggling city in the south shore of Lake Michigan.

"You should have a curfew in your house so your children aren't out in the streets all night. You should meet with the teacher and find out what the homework is and help that child with the homework. And if you don't know how to do the homework, don't be embarrassed, find someone to help you."

"Fathers, be fathers," he added. "Be a part of your child's life. Be a part of your child's life and try to make them proud.

"And the last thing is, if your child is misbehaving at school don't curse out the teacher. You know who you are. It's not the teacher's fault that your child is misbehaving. That's some home training."

The crowd reacted raucously and Obama laughed. "You know what I say is true, though. Don't blame the teachers, and the government and the schools if you're not doing your job."

11Alive.com - Obama: Parents Should Help Students
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Old 04-30-2008, 10:07 AM
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forget it. I don't know why I let myself get drawn into these racial discussions w/ people like yall on this board. Continue to think your little thoughts about race. Carry on w/ it.
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Last edited by jaded; 04-30-2008 at 10:13 AM. Reason: through w/ this crap
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Old 04-30-2008, 11:06 AM
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forget it. I don't know why I let myself get drawn into these racial discussions w/ people like yall on this board. Continue to think your little thoughts about race. Carry on w/ it.
what exactly do you mean "people like ya'll"?
"Little thoughts" about race?

OH PUHLEASE! All the majority is saying is--move on. You can dwell on the past and have anger and resentment, OR you can learn from the past and work to make a better world.

Black Americans aren't the only people on the planet that have been treated horribly in the past--but yet, they are the ones who seem to hold the most anger and resentment. WHY??? I don't know, and if you could explain it to me I'd like to understand! I truly would...

I'm surrounded by Native Americans (my lord we have 5 or 6 large reservations in this state), I've worked w/ Native Americans--they don't hold the anger and resentment. They are constantly striving to better their communities and but yet continuing to preserve their culture. I have yet to hear the Jewish People blame everything on the past atrocities visited upon their race. Do they strive to educate and inform? OH YES!

I don't understand the anger and resentment that so many Blacks have today! I truly don't. Why do so many continue to blame the govt. for their situation NOW??? Slavery has been abolished for a couple of hundred years, Segregration is pretty much non-existent (with the exception of some rural areas of the South). Blacks have just as much opportunity and chance to succeed and excel in life as any other nationality/race--yet, all I hear is about how badly they are treated.
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Old 04-30-2008, 12:18 PM
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what exactly do you mean "people like ya'll"?
"Little thoughts" about race?

OH PUHLEASE! All the majority is saying is--move on. You can dwell on the past and have anger and resentment, OR you can learn from the past and work to make a better world.

Black Americans aren't the only people on the planet that have been treated horribly in the past--but yet, they are the ones who seem to hold the most anger and resentment. WHY??? I don't know, and if you could explain it to me I'd like to understand! I truly would...

I'm surrounded by Native Americans (my lord we have 5 or 6 large reservations in this state), I've worked w/ Native Americans--they don't hold the anger and resentment. They are constantly striving to better their communities and but yet continuing to preserve their culture. I have yet to hear the Jewish People blame everything on the past atrocities visited upon their race. Do they strive to educate and inform? OH YES!

I don't understand the anger and resentment that so many Blacks have today! I truly don't. Why do so many continue to blame the govt. for their situation NOW??? Slavery has been abolished for a couple of hundred years, Segregration is pretty much non-existent (with the exception of some rural areas of the South). Blacks have just as much opportunity and chance to succeed and excel in life as any other nationality/race--yet, all I hear is about how badly they are treated.
I've worked for many years with Native American tribes in the Northwest recruiting health care professionals to work in tribal clinics. I agree that there are many tribal member who are striving to do better but there are many who bring up the past and are not above accusing doctors of genocide and worse.

I don't think any of us can make assumptions about another without "walking in their moccasins". The statement that "blacks have just as much opportunity ... " is "our" dream but far from a reality at this point in time. JMHO
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Old 04-30-2008, 12:43 PM
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I've worked for many years with Native American tribes in the Northwest recruiting health care professionals to work in tribal clinics. I agree that there are many tribal member who are striving to do better but there are many who bring up the past and are not above accusing doctors of genocide and worse.

I don't think any of us can make assumptions about another without "walking in their moccasins". The statement that "blacks have just as much opportunity ... " is "our" dream but far from a reality at this point in time. JMHO

Please provide specifics as to how any one race does not have as much opportunity as another.
I'm striving to understand this particular viewpoint.

And FWIW--if a white person had used the phrase "people like ya'll" in response to Jaded, it would have automatically been construed as racist.
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Old 04-30-2008, 12:55 PM
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The statement that "blacks have just as much opportunity ... " is "our" dream but far from a reality at this point in time. JMHO
IMHO, they have MORE opportunity than some, due to "Equal Opportunity"....it's a well known fact that if you are black female in the military, you advance much faster than a white male. Yes, I speak from experience on this, too.
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Old 04-30-2008, 01:07 PM
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Originally Posted by marilynk View Post
Please provide specifics as to how any one race does not have as much opportunity as another.
I'm striving to understand this particular viewpoint.

And FWIW--if a white person had used the phrase "people like ya'll" in response to Jaded, it would have automatically been construed as racist.
I'm not going to argue that by law we all have the same opportunities. I can't believe, however, that someone with your life experience can say that in reality we all really do have the same opportunities. It would be silly of me, a white woman, to try to list those day to day instances where a member of a race other then white is discriminated against in subtle and not so subtle ways. I can only speak to what I have seen and heard which is what we all have seen and heard in our day to day activities and if you (the general you) haven't seen and heard the same things then you are living in a diffierent country then me.

I can't answer for Jaded. I didn't take offense to her "people like ya'll" because I knew it wasn't directed at me.
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Old 04-30-2008, 01:15 PM
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At some point in everyone's life they are discriminated against be it because of skin color, age, weight, gender, sexual preference, ethnic background, etc. It is not limited to just non-whites!

Good God! I was discriminated against because I spoke w/ a Southern Accent (they assumed that I was just a dumb Southern Hick! I almost didn't get a job because they didn't think, based on my accent alone, that I would be smart enough to pick up how to perform the basic job functions!).

Yes, there are dyed in the blood white racists, but by the same token there are racist people of all skin color!
So, when discrimination is directed solely at one race--then that race has reason to be angry and resentful!! Until such time, wouldn't it be better if we all got over ourselves and worked together to form a more caring society??
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Old 04-30-2008, 05:05 PM
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When you come to this country as a race as slaves, are then written into the constitution as not a man, but a considered a possession, have to fight to be able to drink from the same drinking fountain, sit in the front of the bus, hold a job, marry who you want to no matter what color they are, have to fight for years for the rights to be considered "equal", I think then you might be able to understand what the "Black Experience" is.

The problem with those who say they have been discriminated because they are fat, women, stupid, old, too young, whatever have never had the laws say that they cannot hold a job, drink from a fountain, ride in the front of the bus, live in a neighborhood, go to certain schools because they are fat, a woman, stupid (okay, I might give on that one),too old or young etc.....

Try that on for size. In America, I am not sure how many but I know there are still laws on the books in some states that say interracial marraige between a black/white person is punishable by law.......

To speak in generalization is wrong on both sides, so I won't do that. Sure there are problems with some people who will use the victimization but seriously, someone doesn't get why Black people would have problems? Why they might be angry? The Indians have issues and are not sitting on reservations clapping their hands in glee happy with the way things have happened for them as a people, but the government put them on the reservation and encourages them to stay there, a place of poverty, abuses and when they leave the reservation many have problems assimulating (look it up), the Jewish people have been freed from slavery and suffer injustice however, they have a few years and monetary means to kick some ass. (Go, them) However, in 2008, it is actually illegal in some states for my marraige to be legal. WTF???

When Obama says we need to talk about Race in America, we do. There are too many people who want to say "Well, it doesn't affect me because I am white and I think you guys should get over it". And there are many Black people who say "Well, I am angry because I don't think I am being heard that things are not coming along as far as we think they are".....

We need to come to some understanding that Racism still exists and there are still people who judge on color, there are people who will not listen, do not want dialogue, throw red herrings, and I believe that the fact that there might be a Black president is what is bringing all these feelings and thoughts to the forefront

I don't read much about Obama's viewpoints on foreign relations (except from PUM who is sure he is going to be president of Africa) but everything that could be either racial or make him out not to be a "True Blue American" is quickly posted and talked about ad nauseum.

If everyone thinks we have no problems with race in America, then why is it such a hot button? We are not debating about Hilary and her "truth" problems. But race is something that obviously needs to be understood from all sides. And not just "get over it" nor "It was in the past " because race issues are not in the past.......Not if you are of a race that had to fight to not be a possesion traded and bought in America within the last 150 years.

JMO....flame away and pick apart this post if you want, but you can't deny what is truth.
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Old 04-30-2008, 07:00 PM
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Originally Posted by marilynk View Post
let us remember that all "black churches" don't believe the same as Rev. Wright (I've been in far too many Black Baptist Churches, ACOG Churches that don't believe that...)

I think all races need to learn from the past--not continue to dwell on it.
Please advise what ACOG is? And when you put that statement in parenthesis, are you telling us you are black / or a member of a black church that you regularly attend and thus have the accurate, time honored knowedge of the beliefs of that particular congregation?

Last edited by IrishBlonde; 04-30-2008 at 07:24 PM.
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Old 04-30-2008, 07:11 PM
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I think your last sentence explains your first. You see what you want to see. You've chosen to see certain things about Obama supporters, regardless of whether it's true or not.


What I am thinking about Obama supporters is based on what I read here. So I totally disagree with you. I'm not choosing to see or not see anything.

BUT........there are certain facts about Obama that cannot be changed and it seems they are being ignored. Now, you can choose to think it's just fine that he sat under Wright's preaching. No problem. but when it is known that is the case and that he sat there, listening to Wright's type of preaching, DISAGREED WITH it, but continued his friendship and support of that ministry, I think you are believing something highly improbable. IOW to say that what is obviously the truth is not is sticking your head in the sand. If you want to think Wright is fine and it's ok that Obama thought he was the best thing since sliced bread...cool, no problem, but don't try to tell me he stayed and disagreed with him.

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Old 04-30-2008, 09:13 PM
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What about the Mormon candidate that was running??? People picked at his religion. Is this any different??? I don't think so.
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Old 04-30-2008, 09:32 PM
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When you come to this country as a race as slaves, are then written into the constitution as not a man, but a considered a possession, have to fight to be able to drink from the same drinking fountain, sit in the front of the bus, hold a job, marry who you want to no matter what color they are, have to fight for years for the rights to be considered "equal", I think then you might be able to understand what the "Black Experience" is.
This does not even pertain to many of the people, tho.

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Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
The problem with those who say they have been discriminated because they are fat, women, stupid, old, too young, whatever have never had the laws say that they cannot hold a job, drink from a fountain, ride in the front of the bus, live in a neighborhood, go to certain schools because they are fat, a woman, stupid (okay, I might give on that one),too old or young etc.....

Try that on for size. In America, I am not sure how many but I know there are still laws on the books in some states that say interracial marraige between a black/white person is punishable by law.......
Women weren't allowed to vote until 1920. That was the law. I don't see too many women yelling about that and demanding special treatment or monetary payments, or the rewriting of history.

Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
To speak in generalization is wrong on both sides, so I won't do that. Sure there are problems with some people who will use the victimization but seriously, someone doesn't get why Black people would have problems? Why they might be angry? The Indians have issues and are not sitting on reservations clapping their hands in glee happy with the way things have happened for them as a people, but the government put them on the reservation and encourages them to stay there, a place of poverty, abuses and when they leave the reservation many have problems assimulating (look it up), the Jewish people have been freed from slavery and suffer injustice however, they have a few years and monetary means to kick some ass. (Go, them) However, in 2008, it is actually illegal in some states for my marraige to be legal. WTF???
I don't see where the black race is being held back. Maybe it just isn't going on in my area, I don't know??? It just seems to me from your post that you would expect them to harbor resentment for past transgressions. Is that what you are saying? I can understand saying "hey, that was wrong", and I agree, but, again, it is IN the past what has HAPPENED. Anything that happens TODAY is just that TODAY. As a whole, I believe we as a nation have moved WAY ahead of all of this. Is there racism still??? Sure....just like there is discrimination and grouping of other people as well.

Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
When Obama says we need to talk about Race in America, we do. There are too many people who want to say "Well, it doesn't affect me because I am white and I think you guys should get over it". And there are many Black people who say "Well, I am angry because I don't think I am being heard that things are not coming along as far as we think they are".....

We need to come to some understanding that Racism still exists and there are still people who judge on color, there are people who will not listen, do not want dialogue, throw red herrings, and I believe that the fact that there might be a Black president is what is bringing all these feelings and thoughts to the forefront

I don't read much about Obama's viewpoints on foreign relations (except from PUM who is sure he is going to be president of Africa) but everything that could be either racial or make him out not to be a "True Blue American" is quickly posted and talked about ad nauseum.

If everyone thinks we have no problems with race in America, then why is it such a hot button? We are not debating about Hilary and her "truth" problems. But race is something that obviously needs to be understood from all sides. And not just "get over it" nor "It was in the past " because race issues are not in the past.......Not if you are of a race that had to fight to not be a possesion traded and bought in America within the last 150 years.

JMO....flame away and pick apart this post if you want, but you can't deny what is truth.
I do agree that there are people who do not want a black president (even tho he is also white). But, can't the same be said for Hillary Clinton?? Personally, I don't think we're ready for a woman President, for many reasons. I won't vote for him or her and it's not based on race or sex.

Why is there a Miss Black America pagent and not a Miss White America pagent?? Black Entertainment TV?? I think whites are suffering from reverse discrimination in many ways. Why can't we address that??? (I don't mean in this thread, just in general). It's a complicated issue, that's for sure.
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Old 04-30-2008, 11:21 PM
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Originally Posted by allinaugust View Post
This does not even pertain to many of the people, tho.



Women weren't allowed to vote until 1920. That was the law. I don't see too many women yelling about that and demanding special treatment or monetary payments, or the rewriting of history.



I don't see where the black race is being held back. Maybe it just isn't going on in my area, I don't know??? It just seems to me from your post that you would expect them to harbor resentment for past transgressions. Is that what you are saying? I can understand saying "hey, that was wrong", and I agree, but, again, it is IN the past what has HAPPENED. Anything that happens TODAY is just that TODAY. As a whole, I believe we as a nation have moved WAY ahead of all of this. Is there racism still??? Sure....just like there is discrimination and grouping of other people as well.



I do agree that there are people who do not want a black president (even tho he is also white). But, can't the same be said for Hillary Clinton?? Personally, I don't think we're ready for a woman President, for many reasons. I won't vote for him or her and it's not based on race or sex.

Why is there a Miss Black America pagent and not a Miss White America pagent?? Black Entertainment TV?? I think whites are suffering from reverse discrimination in many ways. Why can't we address that??? (I don't mean in this thread, just in general). It's a complicated issue, that's for sure.
To say that you don't know anyone who isn't a slave any more, I had to laugh. There is still a mentality on both sides that slavery is alive and well, here in the South!

Women couldn't vote, yes, but women were never slaves, not in the literal sense. And now when a woman goes for a job, because of EO, she has a better chance to have a job that makes as much as a man doing the same job.....or does she? (there is also LMN, the Women's Channel) (Scandalous!)

Do you see that there has always been a White Miss America? White Entertainment Channel? (all of them). I am not sure how old you are but I remember when the program Julia debuted. It was all the talk because it was about a Professional Black Single Woman who was a nurse who was also a single mother. It didn't last, but later the programming with black families were about The Jeffersons and such and it became very popular to have programming about black people....then it wasn't. There were no jobs for black actors again. Trust me, I know this to be a fact. I have a brother who was an actor. So, one thing that black people learned, I believe, is that the best way to always have a job is to own your job so you can create jobs....thus was born BET and UPN. BET and UPN are not specifically Black only programming but it is like Nickelodeon or Lifetime Network or HGtV - geared to a certain group of people.

I think that some Black people in America are getting hip to the fact that you have to start taking care of yourselves. To be able to own, produce and show programming to ensure that AA people have acting jobs is smart. The record label Motwon was started for the exact same reason....no one would produce or represent AA artists so they had to start their own label and company.

Hispanics have the same thing called "Telemundo" for some of the same reasons. I suppose that you must be upset at that as well?????

The major networks are owned by white people, run by mostly white people, and of course they will put white programming on...it makes sense to me, doesn't it to you? Look carefully and count how many people of color you see tommorrow on the telly compared to the amount of white people you see.

Now, I live in a very southern state and I see the subtle ways Black people are put down....the fast food restaurants are all black employees with a white manager. Not one place but so many places that my husband, who barely ever notices anything noticed. Why is that? Education.??? My son goes to a school that is very mixed in races and when I registered him, I checked three of the race spots....the counselor slid the paper back to me and asked me if I was SURE I wanted to check AA. What do you make of that? The lady at the Drivers License Agency would not let Alex check AA on his paper because "He doesn't look AA and if the police are looking for AA Alex they wouldn't be looking for someone looking like him, so he better check Hispanic or White only. ?????

Racism is worse now in some ways than before the 60s, I think. Back then, it was out in the open. You knew who hated you for the color of your skin. Now, it is supposed to be against the law for them to discriminate, but they do....undercover. Silently. Because they aren't supposed to be doing it. It is the slight at the grocery store when they don't bag your groceries but do everyone before you and after you. It is the looks we get when we go out as a family and don't get served right away....not once but every time....it is almost a joke now. I worked at an office where everyone in the front was white and all the warehouse was black....every one.....every one. I don't look AA, so I guess they thought it was okay for me to work there out front. Of course, when I asked about it, I was told about the one AA trainee from three years ago who moved to Kansas. I guess that in the past few years, nno other AA has been qualified to learn to sell plumbing merchandise but they have been able to work in the warehouse. Subtle things like that. Not separate drinking fountains, but you get my drift.

But this is a long post and I have so much else to say.....LOL.....

FYI, If you think that the education dollars are spent evenly without thought to color and poverty lines, please read Jonathan Kozol's Savage Inequalities and then tell me that we all start on the same level playing field. It is a shame how the tax dollars are spent to educate each little one and then we expect them to compete for the same slots at college and they can't on most occasions. I can hear, "it is the parent's faults if the kids don't have an education but from where I sit, I see AA families holding three or four jobs to just stay afloat and eat each week and there isn't much time for homework or good home cooked meals. (not to say that there aren't white parents doing the same thing)

We may have come a way from where we were a few decades ago, however, it seems to me that all this dialogue is consisting of white people saying "Well, that is enough, isn't it? Haven't we come a long way? You can eat at the same restaurants as me now and we can serve together in the Navy together so there must not be racism any more". But obviously, there needs to be more dialogue which is what should be happening but instead we are putting our heads in the sand, covering ears and singing Lalalalala, and hoping that by pointing fingers it will all be hidden again because it is too uncomfortable to think that we don't have it all together and we haven't gotten far enough along in some places.

To understand where someone is coming from. first you have to hear them speaking. There are people I know in my son's school who teach that the civil war was not about slavery but about money and that the slaves were happy to be taken care of. OOOOOOOkay.


But, I am sorry for the length of this post and it is late in the low country. Time for bed. Hope this made some sense. There is need for dialogue......good dialogue, not finger pointing so everyone can understand as much as they will. I will never be able to know what it was like to lose your entire family during the Holocaust, however, when I read or meet someone or I hear about the atrocities of that I don't ever think to myself, get over it....it is in the past....get on with your life. We all know what happened, can empathize, sympathize and should want to do something better. There are all kinds of Holocaust museums, statues, programs, sadness, when you see someone on Oprah who has a number tatooed on their wrists, we feel sick.....Every church has apologized to the Jewish Race for not doing more. We teach our children how awful that was and how it can never happen again.

Can we say the same thing about the worst atrocity on American soil? No, because I am not sure that the majority believes it was the worst atrocity to happen on American soil. I live where you would think there would be some statue to commemorate the end of slavery but there isn't. We have working plantations where people dress up like slaves and work all day to give Americans the real feel of history. can you imagine what would happen if we asked some Jewish people to reenact the Holocaust?

enough.....good night people. Sorry for the long rambling post. In advance, sorry for the typos and remember, this is just my opinion.
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  #42 (permalink)  
Old 05-01-2008, 10:52 AM
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Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
To say that you don't know anyone who isn't a slave any more, I had to laugh. There is still a mentality on both sides that slavery is alive and well, here in the South!
First off, let me thank you for taking the time and energy to have this dialogue, and not bail out. Nothing gets accomplished when there is no dialogue, I agree with you.

Ok, I see your location is Charleston, and assume that is correct. I've got a lot of family in Charleston and have visited several times. I have to say I have never seen nor heard anything resembling slavery. Are you referring to the people who just can't seem to let go of the past and learn from it (there's some everywhere you go) or do you mean actual slavery?

Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
Women couldn't vote, yes, but women were never slaves, not in the literal sense. And now when a woman goes for a job, because of EO, she has a better chance to have a job that makes as much as a man doing the same job.....or does she? (there is also LMN, the Women's Channel) (Scandalous!)
Women were considered property, yes indeed. No, they were not shackled in the literal sense, but, they were repressed none-the-less. I disagree with your statement about a woman having a better chance than a man at getting a job making as much as a man. In fact, there was just a segment on the national news about women being less likely to get a job since they are typically the "moms" and the ones who will take time off from work when the kids are sick or something needs to be done, etc. I find that to be true in our household, that's for sure. If the kids are sick or need to go somewhere or forgot their lunch money at home.....Mom to the rescue. I'm not saying I mind,I'm just showing you how it usually goes, and business owners are hip to this, and take it into consideration when hiring.

Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
Do you see that there has always been a White Miss America? White Entertainment Channel? (all of them). I am not sure how old you are but I remember when the program Julia debuted. It was all the talk because it was about a Professional Black Single Woman who was a nurse who was also a single mother. It didn't last, but later the programming with black families were about The Jeffersons and such and it became very popular to have programming about black people....then it wasn't. There were no jobs for black actors again. Trust me, I know this to be a fact. I have a brother who was an actor. So, one thing that black people learned, I believe, is that the best way to always have a job is to own your job so you can create jobs....thus was born BET and UPN. BET and UPN are not specifically Black only programming but it is like Nickelodeon or Lifetime Network or HGtV - geared to a certain group of people.
No, there has not always been a White Miss America. One that comes to mind is Vanessa Williams, and when she had to give up her title, the runner up that then became Miss America was also black. This was over 20 years ago. Again, something in the past. While I agree there aren't as many black entertainers on TV as white, I would not say it is "White Entertainment TV". Bill Cosby had a great show, my kids and I still enjoy watching it. It shows a great family, great home life, and how you can work thru problems. Good life lessons, and not just for black people, for everyone. Another good show we like is "That's so Raven". "Corey in the House" is another good one. I'm sure there are people who would still take offense to that show, since the father is the "cook". Yes, the cook for the President....a rather prestigious job, not some lowly peasant job. Sydney Poirtiere (sp??? I know I messed that name up) was on GMA just this morning....a wonderful example of a black man who didn't let the past hold him down. Maybe he doesn't count, tho, because he's Bahamian???

Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
I think that some Black people in America are getting hip to the fact that you have to start taking care of yourselves. To be able to own, produce and show programming to ensure that AA people have acting jobs is smart. The record label Motwon was started for the exact same reason....no one would produce or represent AA artists so they had to start their own label and company.

Hispanics have the same thing called "Telemundo" for some of the same reasons. I suppose that you must be upset at that as well?????
I don't think I said I was upset about BET. If I did, that was not my intent. If something is labeled "Black" whatever (Entertainment Television, or Miss America, etc) it's fine, but, if something is labeled "White" whatever, it's racism Why is this???

Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
The major networks are owned by white people, run by mostly white people, and of course they will put white programming on...it makes sense to me, doesn't it to you? Look carefully and count how many people of color you see tommorrow on the telly compared to the amount of white people you see.
It's still early here, but, I've seen Robin Roberts on GMA, Sydney Portierre (sp?)....they're there.



Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
Now, I live in a very southern state and I see the subtle ways Black people are put down....the fast food restaurants are all black employees with a white manager. Not one place but so many places that my husband, who barely ever notices anything noticed. Why is that? Education.??? My son goes to a school that is very mixed in races and when I registered him, I checked three of the race spots....the counselor slid the paper back to me and asked me if I was SURE I wanted to check AA. What do you make of that? The lady at the Drivers License Agency would not let Alex check AA on his paper because "He doesn't look AA and if the police are looking for AA Alex they wouldn't be looking for someone looking like him, so he better check Hispanic or White only. ?????

Racism is worse now in some ways than before the 60s, I think. Back then, it was out in the open. You knew who hated you for the color of your skin. Now, it is supposed to be against the law for them to discriminate, but they do....undercover. Silently. Because they aren't supposed to be doing it. It is the slight at the grocery store when they don't bag your groceries but do everyone before you and after you. It is the looks we get when we go out as a family and don't get served right away....not once but every time....it is almost a joke now. I worked at an office where everyone in the front was white and all the warehouse was black....every one.....every one. I don't look AA, so I guess they thought it was okay for me to work there out front. Of course, when I asked about it, I was told about the one AA trainee from three years ago who moved to Kansas. I guess that in the past few years, nno other AA has been qualified to learn to sell plumbing merchandise but they have been able to work in the warehouse. Subtle things like that. Not separate drinking fountains, but you get my drift.
Playing devil's advocate here.....are you sure they aren't bagging your groceries because of the color of your skin?? You say you don't look AA, so, maybe it was they got busy or someting else? Did you address this with the management?? As I said, I've been to Charleston, and have relatives that live there, as well as other parts of SC, and have not seen this type of behavior. Not to say you haven't experienced it. We're headed that way in a few weeks, in fact, and I'm going to make it a point to pay attention to such things. Like I said, you'll always have some yahoo who can't act properly in civilation, basically.

*** LOL, this post got TOOOOOOO Long, so I had to put the other half in it's own post.
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  #43 (permalink)  
Old 05-01-2008, 10:55 AM
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Part II of the above post:


Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
But this is a long post and I have so much else to say.....LOL.....

FYI, If you think that the education dollars are spent evenly without thought to color and poverty lines, please read Jonathan Kozol's Savage Inequalities and then tell me that we all start on the same level playing field. It is a shame how the tax dollars are spent to educate each little one and then we expect them to compete for the same slots at college and they can't on most occasions. I can hear, "it is the parent's faults if the kids don't have an education but from where I sit, I see AA families holding three or four jobs to just stay afloat and eat each week and there isn't much time for homework or good home cooked meals. (not to say that there aren't white parents doing the same thing)

We may have come a way from where we were a few decades ago, however, it seems to me that all this dialogue is consisting of white people saying "Well, that is enough, isn't it? Haven't we come a long way? You can eat at the same restaurants as me now and we can serve together in the Navy together so there must not be racism any more". But obviously, there needs to be more dialogue which is what should be happening but instead we are putting our heads in the sand, covering ears and singing Lalalalala, and hoping that by pointing fingers it will all be hidden again because it is too uncomfortable to think that we don't have it all together and we haven't gotten far enough along in some places.

To understand where someone is coming from. first you have to hear them speaking. There are people I know in my son's school who teach that the civil war was not about slavery but about money and that the slaves were happy to be taken care of. OOOOOOOkay.


But, I am sorry for the length of this post and it is late in the low country. Time for bed. Hope this made some sense. There is need for dialogue......good dialogue, not finger pointing so everyone can understand as much as they will. I will never be able to know what it was like to lose your entire family during the Holocaust, however, when I read or meet someone or I hear about the atrocities of that I don't ever think to myself, get over it....it is in the past....get on with your life. We all know what happened, can empathize, sympathize and should want to do something better. There are all kinds of Holocaust museums, statues, programs, sadness, when you see someone on Oprah who has a number tatooed on their wrists, we feel sick.....Every church has apologized to the Jewish Race for not doing more. We teach our children how awful that was and how it can never happen again.

Can we say the same thing about the worst atrocity on American soil? No, because I am not sure that the majority believes it was the worst atrocity to happen on American soil. I live where you would think there would be some statue to commemorate the end of slavery but there isn't. We have working plantations where people dress up like slaves and work all day to give Americans the real feel of history. can you imagine what would happen if we asked some Jewish people to reenact the Holocaust?

enough.....good night people. Sorry for the long rambling post. In advance, sorry for the typos and remember, this is just my opinion.
I believe the Jewish people have put the Holocaust in the past, not forgotten it, oh no. We can never forget things, just learn from them, and better the future. I don't see many Jewish people demanding special rights for their atrocities, or keep throwing it up. I know not ALL black people do this, but, the ones that do (Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton....) paint a bad picture for the others. I have seen "working plantations" in Louisiana, and Jacksonville, FL. These are paid employees. It wouldn't look too realistic if we had white people doing that. That was not history. There WERE slaves, and they are trying to convey what it was like. That has been my experience, anyway.

AVERY RESEARCH CENTER FOR AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY AND CULTURE:
Located at 125 Bull Street, Avery was established to collect, preserve, and make public the unique historical and cultural heritage of African Americans in South Carolina and the Lowcountry. Contact: Alada Shinault-Small at 843.953.7609.

You may want to go to this museum, could prove quite interesting. Here is a link to some other things that look quite interesting:
Black History Month-- February 2007: Charleston’s African-American Heritage Honored | Charleston Area Convention & Visitor Bureau - Charleston, SC
Gullah Tours - Charleston, SC

There is always going to be someone who doesn't like someone else, for whatever reason. If it isn't their skin color, it will be their height, weight, sex, sexual preference, the list goes on. I'm not saying it's right, I'm just saying how it is. The way to combat this is to set the example. I don't teach my children to expect any special privelages for being the way they are, who they are, or things that happened in their past. We learn from things in our past and use them to better our future.
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Old 05-01-2008, 03:07 PM
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excellent posts ladies...thank you.

As a white US citizen who lives in a part of the country that is predominantly white, my experiences are limited. I did have one black friend that I would shop with occasionally and did see some discrimination. It made me very sad to say the least because I really thought it didn't happen very often. It was not bold, but definately there nonetheless.

I do have the baby now, and that can be very interesting. Noone around here thinks a thing about it, but if I go to Detroit or other areas that are more diverse, ppl give me very curious looks. White ppl just smile and pay little attention to how different we look, but some black ppl give what I consider a rather judgemental look. Disapproving at any rate. And I had one person say....."come here so and so, you are going to like this one, she's mixed" It was at an airport counter and all the women appeared to be mixed as well.

All this to say that I am learning and having different experiences everyday. THAT is why I get so tired of hearing I just don't understand. No, I really don't, nor can I. I strive to though. Help me learn, don't be condescending and judgemental. I HATE the condescending "you can't understand because you're white and have never had anybody treat you badly" (not a direct quote, just trying to convey and idea)

This was not directed at any one person, but an attitude.

Thanks for the dalogue.....and btw......I don't care what color Obama is...he is creepy to me.......AND.......WHY do we say he is black , when he is just as white as he is black???? just wondering...

Melissa
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Old 05-01-2008, 04:27 PM
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Melissa, the reason that we say that Obama is black is because laws say we have to. Google one drop rule which means if someone in America has one drop of black blood then they are to be classified by census as Black or of Black descent. It doesn't matter if you were mixed with Chinese, Hispanic etc. during the last census, there were other options presented I think, hispanic descent etc but it has always been on the books known as the "one drop rule".

Therefore, people identify themselves as being Black when they don't look black. It was against the law and unless somebody has changed the laws in some states, it is punishable to "pass" as white if you had that one drop. The other way to be black was by going what color your mother was......(if there were still a question).

Now, if Obama came walking up to your front door to date your daughter, would you say "Oh, honey a nice looking white man came to pick up our daughter tonight?" or would you be more likely to say "Oh honey, a nice looking black man came to pick up our daughter tonight?"

I don't mean to sound like I am talking down to anyone and if so, I apologize right now. I will never understand what it means to be white or adopted or a man or a brother or a rock star because I will never be one of those things. But, if I believe that I can hear what someone who is white, or adopted or a man or a brother or a rock star has to say about what their life is like without judgement and putting things from my own experience into theirs "I have never had that experience, so how could you?", then I think we could come a long way towards peace here in this country.

I have been to the Museum here in Charleston. Interesting, but not quite the Holocaust museum.

As for the white Miss America.....a black woman was not allowed to even be in the pageant until the late 60s much less win, I believe. Bill Cosby and Sidney Potier would be honored and are honored to be mentioned whenever anyone says "We have black people who are on TV" but for the most part, if we are honest with ourselves, there was a dearth of quality parts for black people on TV, right? There were very few black leading men roles unless you want Sanford and Son or Rerun. Successful programming of
a black family show had to look like a white family only black which is for the most part, okay but in the rest of the shows, you had the black people as the ones who were locked up in jail, being chased, a pimp, a prostitute, etc......I am thinking of some of the most popular shows in the last few years....Friends, Sex and the City, I have friends who I love like that and they are all different colors....but to look at ABC, CBS, NBC, one would have to conclude that only white people have relaitonships like that because the rest of the world of color is being chased down on Cops! LOLOLOL.

Anyway, I appreciate the discourse. This has been polite and I think we need to all think about what it is we believe and know to be true. Not what we wish was true. I wish for my boys that it won't matter who they marry and for me it truly doesn't. But I know that it may for their mates family as it was for my husband's family. That makes me afraid for their feelings. And when we have people say "No, there isn't any racism, we all have come such a long way, you must be imagining it or I don't get it, I say you are right, you don't"

This has been fun!
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Old 05-01-2008, 05:51 PM
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Melissa, the reason that we say that Obama is black is because laws say we have to. Google one drop rule which means if someone in America has one drop of black blood then they are to be classified by census as Black or of Black descent. It doesn't matter if you were mixed with Chinese, Hispanic etc. during the last census, there were other options presented I think, hispanic descent etc but it has always been on the books known as the "one drop rule".

Therefore, people identify themselves as being Black when they don't look black. It was against the law and unless somebody has changed the laws in some states, it is punishable to "pass" as white if you had that one drop. The other way to be black was by going what color your mother was......(if there were still a question).

Now, if Obama came walking up to your front door to date your daughter, would you say "Oh, honey a nice looking white man came to pick up our daughter tonight?" or would you be more likely to say "Oh honey, a nice looking black man came to pick up our daughter tonight?"

I don't mean to sound like I am talking down to anyone and if so, I apologize right now. I will never understand what it means to be white or adopted or a man or a brother or a rock star because I will never be one of those things. But, if I believe that I can hear what someone who is white, or adopted or a man or a brother or a rock star has to say about what their life is like without judgement and putting things from my own experience into theirs "I have never had that experience, so how could you?", then I think we could come a long way towards peace here in this country.

I have been to the Museum here in Charleston. Interesting, but not quite the Holocaust museum.

As for the white Miss America.....a black woman was not allowed to even be in the pageant until the late 60s much less win, I believe. Bill Cosby and Sidney Potier would be honored and are honored to be mentioned whenever anyone says "We have black people who are on TV" but for the most part, if we are honest with ourselves, there was a dearth of quality parts for black people on TV, right? There were very few black leading men roles unless you want Sanford and Son or Rerun. Successful programming of
a black family show had to look like a white family only black which is for the most part, okay but in the rest of the shows, you had the black people as the ones who were locked up in jail, being chased, a pimp, a prostitute, etc......I am thinking of some of the most popular shows in the last few years....Friends, Sex and the City, I have friends who I love like that and they are all different colors....but to look at ABC, CBS, NBC, one would have to conclude that only white people have relaitonships like that because the rest of the world of color is being chased down on Cops! LOLOLOL.

Anyway, I appreciate the discourse. This has been polite and I think we need to all think about what it is we believe and know to be true. Not what we wish was true. I wish for my boys that it won't matter who they marry and for me it truly doesn't. But I know that it may for their mates family as it was for my husband's family. That makes me afraid for their feelings. And when we have people say "No, there isn't any racism, we all have come such a long way, you must be imagining it or I don't get it, I say you are right, you don't"

This has been fun!
I just wanted to add that while a lot of emphasis has been placed on the black race being discriminated against, I want to set the record straight by saying that the white race has, as well, and I'm sure others. What I don't understand is why there can be an NAACP and not a NAAWP without a big to-do and people crying foul? NO, I will never know what it is like to "be black", but, I have seen plenty of discrimination to know what it feels like. We lived in Hawaii for a while and believe me, I know all about it, and how subtle it can be. By all??? No, of course not, but, again, not ALL white people treat people of other races poorly, either. It wasn't just them, either. I remember many times going to the mall with my kids, who are blonde and blue eyed, and the Japanese tourists were all over them....."can we take picture???" and calling people over like we're a freak show. I took the high road and politely thanked them for their compliments, declined their photo op and wished them well.

We all have our view on it, and all we can do is the best we can and move forward with our knowledge of the past.

I hope the people who are or are not voting for Obama are not doing so based on his race.
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  #47 (permalink)  
Old 05-01-2008, 06:14 PM
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I just wanted to add that while a lot of emphasis has been placed on the black race being discriminated against, I want to set the record straight by saying that the white race has, as well, and I'm sure others. What I don't understand is why there can be an NAACP and not a NAAWP without a big to-do and people crying foul? NO, I will never know what it is like to "be black", but, I have seen plenty of discrimination to know what it feels like. We lived in Hawaii for a while and believe me, I know all about it, and how subtle it can be. By all??? No, of course not, but, again, not ALL white people treat people of other races poorly, either. It wasn't just them, either. I remember many times going to the mall with my kids, who are blonde and blue eyed, and the Japanese tourists were all over them....."can we take picture???" and calling people over like we're a freak show. I took the high road and politely thanked them for their compliments, declined their photo op and wished them well.

We all have our view on it, and all we can do is the best we can and move forward with our knowledge of the past.

I hope the people who are or are not voting for Obama are not doing so based on his race.
I don't want to argue with you but the difference between going to the mall and having your picture taken by tourists because of your blond haired children is a bit different that being called "N----R Lover" out the car window while walking to school. I know that you think that you have been discriminated because of your whiteness in Hawaii but I think AA have you trumped on the predjudice cards here. If tourist wanted to take pictures of my children because they are darling and looked differently, I would be proud and don't think I would call it subtle discrimination. Do you have any other experiences in hawaii that could help me understand how you felt discriminated against because you were white while you lived there?

I imagine that the same reason there is a NAACP for the same reason that there was a Black Miss America....because every organization was a NAAWP, perhaps. Once we can all agree that this is the way it was, we can then come to the same answer as to why there was such a need for separate organiations for Black people....why is there the Jewish Anti Defamation League? The National Organization of Women? Why not the National Organization of Men? Because men did not need their rights protected or watched.....I am just guessing.
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Old 05-01-2008, 06:58 PM
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Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
I don't want to argue with you but the difference between going to the mall and having your picture taken by tourists because of your blond haired children is a bit different that being called "N----R Lover" out the car window while walking to school. I know that you think that you have been discriminated because of your whiteness in Hawaii but I think AA have you trumped on the predjudice cards here. If tourist wanted to take pictures of my children because they are darling and looked differently, I would be proud and don't think I would call it subtle discrimination. Do you have any other experiences in hawaii that could help me understand how you felt discriminated against because you were white while you lived there?

I imagine that the same reason there is a NAACP for the same reason that there was a Black Miss America....because every organization was a NAAWP, perhaps. Once we can all agree that this is the way it was, we can then come to the same answer as to why there was such a need for separate organiations for Black people....why is there the Jewish Anti Defamation League? The National Organization of Women? Why not the National Organization of Men? Because men did not need their rights protected or watched.....I am just guessing.
Some people might be surprised to find out that American and else where in this world has had white
slavery.
Google: "did America have white slaves" "chinese people as slaves in America"..the list goes on and on.
Slavery is just not about the black race. It has been a horrible thing for centuries that all races have done to others.
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Old 05-01-2008, 07:10 PM
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I don't want to argue with you but the difference between going to the mall and having your picture taken by tourists because of your blond haired children is a bit different that being called "N----R Lover" out the car window while walking to school. I know that you think that you have been discriminated because of your whiteness in Hawaii but I think AA have you trumped on the predjudice cards here. If tourist wanted to take pictures of my children because they are darling and looked differently, I would be proud and don't think I would call it subtle discrimination. Do you have any other experiences in hawaii that could help me understand how you felt discriminated against because you were white while you lived there?

I imagine that the same reason there is a NAACP for the same reason that there was a Black Miss America....because every organization was a NAAWP, perhaps. Once we can all agree that this is the way it was, we can then come to the same answer as to why there was such a need for separate organiations for Black people....why is there the Jewish Anti Defamation League? The National Organization of Women? Why not the National Organization of Men? Because men did not need their rights protected or watched.....I am just guessing.
I don't think being called names as you walk down the street is discrimination, it's someone being picked on, much like calling someone a b*t*h, whore, or any other number of derogatory things. On one occassion while in HI we were ordering french fries at a park.....the people in front of us, and behind us, got a HUGE pile of fries.....us, not so much. I didn't make a big deal out of it and the kids didn't really notice, but, DH did. I chalk up that type of behavior as people showing their arse.

I get a feeling that what you are trying to convey is that the black race has been the most wronged. Every race has been wronged in some way. We have to move forward. I do understand what you're saying about the NAACP and such, I really do get that. I don't think there would be such a problem with these organizations if the race card weren't pulled almost every time.

Also, back to the name calling.....it doesn't help any race when people of the color being wronged and called names is calling THEMSELVES that. Have you ever seen the Dave Chappell show?? He does a skit on just what you said you were called. When you have rappers singing about whores and hoes that doesn't help anything. We (general we) have acknowledged that things have happened in the past to the black race that were not right. I just don't think it should be constantly used as an excuse for something that is NOW. If someone experiences racism there are avenues to combat this, just like sexual discrimination. I've experienced my share of that, too...being asked about my reproductive choices, etc, to get hired for a job. Do I hold that against anyone now? No. Sexual harassment, too......I've had my share of that, too, and still do. The spectrum of Sexual harassment is so broad, just about anything could be called sexual harassment these days. If I feel wronged, there are avenues to persue to stop the wrongful behavior.

I stand by my assertion that we, as a nation, have come a VERY long way, and I do not accept any of the blame for slavery or past wrongs that occured over 100+ years ago.

Oh, also, wanted to add, there was a poster on this very board, a black woman, who said white women were jealous of black men's "thing" or something to that effect. This, coming from a black woman. It goes both ways.
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Old 05-01-2008, 07:29 PM
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I don't think being called names as you walk down the street is discrimination, it's someone being picked on, much like calling someone a b*t*h, whore, or any other number of derogatory things. On one occassion while in HI we were ordering french fries at a park.....the people in front of us, and behind us, got a HUGE pile of fries.....us, not so much. I didn't make a big deal out of it and the kids didn't really notice, but, DH did. I chalk up that type of behavior as people showing their arse.

I get a feeling that what you are trying to convey is that the black race has been the most wronged. Every race has been wronged in some way. We have to move forward. I do understand what you're saying about the NAACP and such, I really do get that. I don't think there would be such a problem with these organizations if the race card weren't pulled almost every time.

Also, back to the name calling.....it doesn't help any race when people of the color being wronged and called names is calling THEMSELVES that. Have you ever seen the Dave Chappell show?? He does a skit on just what you said you were called. When you have rappers singing about whores and hoes that doesn't help anything. We (general we) have acknowledged that things have happened in the past to the black race that were not right. I just don't think it should be constantly used as an excuse for something that is NOW. If someone experiences racism there are avenues to combat this, just like sexual discrimination. I've experienced my share of that, too...being asked about my reproductive choices, etc, to get hired for a job. Do I hold that against anyone now? No. Sexual harassment, too......I've had my share of that, too, and still do. The spectrum of Sexual harassment is so broad, just about anything could be called sexual harassment these days. If I feel wronged, there are avenues to persue to stop the wrongful behavior.

I stand by my assertion that we, as a nation, have come a VERY long way, and I do not accept any of the blame for slavery or past wrongs that occured over 100+ years ago.

Oh, also, wanted to add, there was a poster on this very board, a black woman, who said white women were jealous of black men's "thing" or something to that effect. This, coming from a black woman. It goes both ways.

Won't even begin to ask why you added the last line.....can't imagine what that brings to the conversation.

If you don't see that your feeling discriminated because some tourists want to take pictures of your babies because of their blond hair and a black person being spit on or not served or treated in the same way as a white person are NOT the same thing then I guess you just won't ever begin to hear what needs to be done.

By a long long way you mean do we have slaves in the back house, then I could agree with you but the fact that we have an opportunity to discuss why race still matters in the Presidential race and why instead of talking about what the candidates platforms are, we are spending a great deal of time talking about their race and why Obama won't say he is white and why he belongs to a black church. Those are NOT the issues that a presidential race should be about and that is why race is still a topic that needs to be dialogued in America.

There are no easy answers and maybe there isn't a solution but as long as half of America keeps saying there isn't/shouldn't be a problem and the other half says there is a problem, there is a problem.

But I believe that I can't make it any clearer to you. When you say that I think that the black race has been the most wronged, I don't get you.......it isn't a game to be won. Or at least I don't want to win it.

Race card???? I don't believe that Obama is asking for the race card.....he is asking for us to look at the problems we have in America with race and lets have some dialogue. I don'tthink I have brought up the race card here either. It is about race, isn't it?

Sexual harrassment......there have been laws passed to stop that in the workplace, haven't there? But it still goes on, doesn't it? Why don't you believe that racism still exists then even though we have laws to prevent it.

No one asked you to take the blame for slavery or something that happened years ago....just be willing to admit that it happened, it was awful and to listen to how it still permeates todays' society and how we can address it so it won't affect our kids futures.
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  #51 (permalink)  
Old 05-01-2008, 07:44 PM
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Originally Posted by forrestlayne View Post
Some people might be surprised to find out that American and else where in this world has had white
slavery.
Google: "did America have white slaves" "chinese people as slaves in America"..the list goes on and on.
Slavery is just not about the black race. It has been a horrible thing for centuries that all races have done to others.
No doubt, slavery in any form is terrible, but we aren't in a contest to see who had it worst or is that what this conversation had evolved into...I thought it was about why the black race felt less than even though they now have everything they asked for or something along those lines.

I believe that the Chinese people who were brought here as slaves sold themselves as slave as passage to come to America and when they were paid up, they were able to be free. They didn't need a civil war to get the freedom that their owners had by birthright. If you could point to me where a ship went to an European country and rounded up 300 or so white people and brought them to Annapolis, MD and sold them on the docks to people FOREVER and left them to their relatives as part of their wills, I would appreciate it. I would love to read it.

This shouldn't be about who had it worst or even about slavery......it is about why a group of people in America do not feel part of the American Dream (whether it is their own fault or someone else's, it doesn't matter, it needs to be talked about). and why it has come up now that we might end up with a black president and why that scares the Bejesus out of so many people. Of course, if I went around saying what some of these people are saying about black people, I might be afraid of what would happen when someone of color is in power. (just kidding)
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Old 05-01-2008, 08:04 PM
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Won't even begin to ask why you added the last line.....can't imagine what that brings to the conversation.
I just threw that in there as an example of how it goes both ways.

Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
If you don't see that your feeling discriminated because some tourists want to take pictures of your babies because of their blond hair and a black person being spit on or not served or treated in the same way as a white person are NOT the same thing then I guess you just won't ever begin to hear what needs to be done.
No, it's not the same thing, of course, and actually this was meant more in response to Momrajum's post about what she has been thru with her DD, and people looking and saying things.

Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
By a long long way you mean do we have slaves in the back house, then I could agree with you but the fact that we have an opportunity to discuss why race still matters in the Presidential race and why instead of talking about what the candidates platforms are, we are spending a great deal of time talking about their race and why Obama won't say he is white and why he belongs to a black church. Those are NOT the issues that a presidential race should be about and that is why race is still a topic that needs to be dialogued in America.
I think the original topic has gotten a bit derailed. The way this all came about is from Obama's preacher and the things he was saying, and the fact that Obama was at that church for 20 years. I, for one, don't care where he goes to church. I do care what his beliefs are, tho. Not in regards to his religion, but his beliefs on things like race. You can't (shouldn't???) attend a church for 20 years and not believe what they are preaching in that church.

Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
There are no easy answers and maybe there isn't a solution but as long as half of America keeps saying there isn't/shouldn't be a problem and the other half says there is a problem, there is a problem.

But I believe that I can't make it any clearer to you. When you say that I think that the black race has been the most wronged, I don't get you.......it isn't a game to be won. Or at least I don't want to win it.
The point I am trying to make is that it goes both ways. There are whites and blacks discriminated against. In regards to "winning the game" I got that from your statement about the museum in Charleston. You said you'd been to it but it was not Holocaust Memorial. Please, tell me, WHAT exactly would make the black race happy? Most every city has a Martin Luther King Jr. drive or highway. Yes, he was a civil rights activist for EVERYONE, but, the black community claims him as "their own". We can not get past all of this until we can come to some sort of understanding of what it would take to finally not have the slavery issue and the "I'm black" that's why that happened, issue thrown up all the time. Again, NOT ALL people do this, I know!!

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Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
Race card???? I don't believe that Obama is asking for the race card.....he is asking for us to look at the problems we have in America with race and lets have some dialogue. I don'tthink I have brought up the race card here either. It is about race, isn't it?

Sexual harrassment......there have been laws passed to stop that in the workplace, haven't there? But it still goes on, doesn't it? Why don't you believe that racism still exists then even though we have laws to prevent it.

No one asked you to take the blame for slavery or something that happened years ago....just be willing to admit that it happened, it was awful and to listen to how it still permeates todays' society and how we can address it so it won't affect our kids futures.
I don't think I said Obama was using the race card. I said when something happens to a black person, they (not all, of course) use the race issue. I do believe racism still exists, I'm just saying don't use the slavery issue for every ill that befalls you. If you are descriminated against based on race, file a law suit.

I think we have all admitted slavery happened. That is the PAST, it CAN NOT be changed. What good does it do to keep throwing it up? Really, I am trying to understand where you are coming from? If I were raped, what good would it do me to keep saying "I was raped" and get mad about it. Please explain to me how something that did not even happen to ANYONE alive today, is effecting them? I really do want to get your perspective on it. I do not look at a black person and think "there ancestors were enslaved". Maybe that is a burden that modern day blacks don't need to bear?
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Old 05-01-2008, 08:04 PM
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From the poster above quote: "and why it has come up now that we might end up with a black president and why that scares the Bejesus out of so many people"

It does not scare me because he is black, I disagree with him on his stand of the different ISSUES..such as foreign policy, more solicalist views, etc.
It has nothing to do with the color of his skin!

I feel very sorry for anyone that is ONLY voting based on his skin color. You should only base you vote on the issues ..which I do not think people even look at.
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Old 05-01-2008, 08:06 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post

This shouldn't be about who had it worst or even about slavery......it is about why a group of people in America do not feel part of the American Dream (whether it is their own fault or someone else's, it doesn't matter, it needs to be talked about). and why it has come up now that we might end up with a black president and why that scares the Bejesus out of so many people. Of course, if I went around saying what some of these people are saying about black people, I might be afraid of what would happen when someone of color is in power. (just kidding)
I agree, and hope you, as a black woman, can give us perspective on this. How exactly don't you feel part of the American Dream? And what would help you to feel like part of the dream??
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Old 05-01-2008, 08:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by usnamom View Post
No doubt, slavery in any form is terrible, but we aren't in a contest to see who had it worst or is that what this conversation had evolved into...I thought it was about why the black race felt less than even though they now have everything they asked for or something along those lines.

I believe that the Chinese people who were brought here as slaves sold themselves as slave as passage to come to America and when they were paid up, they were able to be free. They didn't need a civil war to get the freedom that their owners had by birthright. If you could point to me where a ship went to an European country and rounded up 300 or so white people and brought them to Annapolis, MD and sold them on the docks to people FOREVER and left them to their relatives as part of their wills, I would appreciate it. I would love to read it.

This shouldn't be about who had it worst or even about slavery......it is about why a group of people in America do not feel part of the American Dream (whether it is their own fault or someone else's, it doesn't matter, it needs to be talked about). and why it has come up now that we might end up with a black president and why that scares the Bejesus out of so many people. Of course, if I went around saying what some of these people are saying about black people, I might be afraid of what would happen when someone of color is in power. (just kidding)
Here is a site you might like to read ..but you can google yourself and find lots of history articles

Yes Virginia, White Slavery Existed ELLIOT LAKE NEWS & VIEWS

"Up to one-half of all the arrivals in the American colonies were White slaves and they were America’s first slaves. These Whites were slaves for life, long before Blacks ever were. This slavery was even hereditary. White children born to White slaves were enslaved too.

Whites were auctioned on the block with children sold and separated from their parents and wives sold and separated from their husbands."
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Old 05-01-2008, 09:02 PM
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Originally Posted by allinaugust View Post
I agree, and hope you, as a black woman, can give us perspective on this. How exactly don't you feel part of the American Dream? And what would help you to feel like part of the dream??
I didn't say that I didn't feel a part of the American Dream. I said from the beginning that there were problems obviously in America regarding race and we should start a dialogue to see if there were places we could fix it. But that turned into "Well, I wasn't part of slavery (for the record, neither was I), so I don't know why anyone would still have a problem with it."

The colonies may have had slaves but as I talk to my son, the history major, he tells me that pretty much by the time of the Revolutionary War ended, the entire reason the plantation owners went to Africa to get black slaves was because the constitution stated that all men were free but black people were not considered men so it was okay to have them as slaves......Now that is according to what he remembers from college. One day we can discuss how this nation was founded under God and the constitution written and thought to be inspired by God, who is no respector of color yet that paper was interpreted as not meaning people of color as free men or men at all, to say nothing of women. But that is another day when I have more time and energy.

For the record, I am hispanic, AA, and white ( but I check AA) married to a lovely white person who has wonderfully smart, boys who have done wonderful in this world. Young men who are educated by one of the greatest educational institutions in America, the US Naval Academy. One of my sons has been to Iraq two times, decorated with medals, promoted to LT and is on track to be promoted to Capt faster than normal and has done very well for himself. Yet, here at Christmas, when he went into a coffee shop with his fiancee and brothers, they were called names and someone (a neanderthal) pushed a chair in their way at Starbucks. WHY? Because of the fact my son drives a minivan? He wore a blue shirt? My other son was holding a bag from Dillards? His fiancee was called "N-lover". I will agree that these could be isolated events but they shouldn't happen at all.

By American Dream, I think that there is a certain part of the population in america who just does not feel that they have been given the respect nor the opportunity. I may not agree with alll of their thoughts but that does not make it their experience and because this is america we shouldn't dismiss them by saying "Well, get over it". That does not work (obviously) and this is a great opportunity to talk why black people don't trust the police...etc.....you know the drill. I see racism every day happening to someone here in Charleston. Maybe not to me but to someone I see.

I feel like I am beating a dead horse. It appears that you can't see where I am coming from and I hope you are trying to and I am trying to be as concise as I can be but.......
I believe that we have a long way to go before we can say that the race relation problems are behind us in America....not only for Black people, but for all people of color.
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Old 05-01-2008, 10:24 PM
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I understand that there is racism. I've seen it myself, and to some degree, experienced it. I think the point that is trying to be made is that everyone is discriminated against at some point for something. Discrimination exists, it always will. I understand that blacks in the US face more than most, I hate that it happens, but it is the way it is. I understand the pain as a mother that you must feel when things happen to your kids. But there are SO many ppl like myself that think of it is a non issue. When I see another person of any other color I feel nothing different than if they were white. There are MANY ppl like that. The jerks in Starbucks are NOT the majority.

The ONLY time I REALLY feel discriminated against, or feel uncomfortable for being white...or however you want to put it, is when I am in the Detroit area. The attitude I get from black ppl there is not cool.

I can't help what other ppl do, I can only affect my surroundings. I try to create the world I want to live in.

We will not see a day when the race relation problems are behind us in America, or anywhere else for that matter, because it is human nature. You see it throughout history.

So I guess it's not that we don't understand....it's that we want to move on. I don't feel the way the Starbucks jerk does, so I get tired of hearing about it. I can't control him.....only me.

I know that sounds harsh. I'm just trying to get you to see that as frustrated as you are about us not undestanding, which cannot completely.....part o fthe reason we don't understand is that we don't feel discriminatory.

Is this making any sense??? lol


Melissa
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Old 05-02-2008, 12:19 AM
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USNAMOM, thank you for speaking so open and honestly. I cannot, of course, understand completely the hurdles faced by people unlike myself but my heart breaks for you, as a mom, having to accept what happened to your sons and their friends. I so much want an end to such mindless hurt caused by ignorance. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to raise a darling son or daughter who you know will be treated badly some day simply because their skin is not white. How do you prepare a child for such a situation, how do you explain why it happened.

We do need a dialogue about race in our country and maybe it will happen if there are more people like you, on all sides, who will speak from their hearts, listen, and try to understand.
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Old 05-02-2008, 12:45 AM
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I guess I don't understand what a 'dialogue' is supposed to do. Anyone who is closed-minded and bigoted enough to let a racial attitude dictate their behavior isn't going to change because of a philosophical discussion. Anyone not bigoted isn't a problem, anyway.

One thing to keep in mind regarding the entertainment business... The 2000 census (the last one taken) shows that the US had a 12%% AA population and a 75% Caucasian population. In other words, there are six times as many white people as black people in the United States.

I just watched LOST. They have a pretty multi-cultural cast. There's a Chinese guy. A black lady. Walt and his dad are black. Sun and Jin are Korean. 75% of Americans are white, but that cast has far more other races represented than in just 25% of the characters.

I don't watch much Disney, but That's So Raven seems to be on a lot.

Used to watch Prison Break. Oddly, dspite the fact that there is supposedly a high population of black men in jail, there were actually only two AA men who were in prison, and if I recall correctly, one was innocent and the other took the fall for a crime that was actually bigger than the one he committed. The real bad guys were white guys.

Just something to ponder...
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Old 05-02-2008, 06:03 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by momrajum View Post
I understand that there is racism. I've seen it myself, and to some degree, experienced it. I think the point that is trying to be made is that everyone is discriminated against at some point for something. Discrimination exists, it always will. I understand that blacks in the US face more than most, I hate that it happens, but it is the way it is. I understand the pain as a mother that you must feel when things happen to your kids. But there are SO many ppl like myself that think of it is a non issue. When I see another person of any other color I feel nothing different than if they were white. There are MANY ppl like that. The jerks in Starbucks are NOT the majority.

The ONLY time I REALLY feel discriminated against, or feel uncomfortable for being white...or however you want to put it, is when I am in the Detroit area. The attitude I get from black ppl there is not cool.

I can't help what other ppl do, I can only affect my surroundings. I try to create the world I want to live in.

We will not see a day when the race relation problems are behind us in America, or anywhere else for that matter, because it is human nature. You see it throughout history.

So I guess it's not that we don't understand....it's that we want to move on. I don't feel the way the Starbucks jerk does, so I get tired of hearing about it. I can't control him.....only me.

I know that sounds harsh. I'm just trying to get you to see that as frustrated as you are about us not undestanding, which cannot completely.....part o fthe reason we don't understand is that we don't feel discriminatory.

Is this making any sense??? lol


Melissa
In your words, you feel uncomfortable in Detroit.....imagine feeling like that always, everywhere you go. I believe that in some places it is like that for people of color. I know there is a town in Florida (?) that still doesn't have black people living there. There are still segregated proms here in some of the smaller schools. What is that about?

Dialogue is what you talk about when you don't understand something and you try to get it....honestly with your heart.

We will all live with ignorance. But by definition, ignorance is not knowing and when you know there is still a problem and yet you continue to say to yourself "No, there isn't a problem because I don't do that," then you might still be ignorant. I don't know what to say any more. It is obvious that while I will say there are problems, you (collective you) will say that you don't see a problem or a need for dialogue or change.

The reason the subject is out in the open is because of Obama's pastor who has a Black Church and people wondered why there needed to be a black church and then when they heard what he had to say they can't or won't hear that there is a faction of AMERICANS who may not believe that they are treated fairly. I live in the South now, I live with the people who distrust......that cannot be something they dreamed up on their own......

Anyway, I have a class to teach today. Mostly kids of color. All colors.

I will ask some questions of them today and see what their answers are for the future.

Meanwhile, all you people who don't see a problem, think about what would happen if your daughter brought home someone who was black and said she was in love. Be honest with yourself, really honest..not politically correct but honest.

My MIL would tell you how open she is and loving and all other kinds of things about her feelings on race and how she doesn't get it, living in the PNW but when her son and I were dating she was quite upset and said "I just never thought I would have to have brown grandchildren". Go figure.
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  #61 (permalink)  
Old 05-02-2008, 06:29 AM
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Whites, Minorities Differ in Views of Economic Opportunities in U.S.

If you are always looking to find the bad in something you will find it.
Each side has to accept responsibity. The style of preaching done by Rev. White and some others are not helping. It is only keeping the divide going. (preaching that everything is the fault of the rich, white man)
We as a country have made great steps, but it does not happen over night.
Life is not fair to anyone..no matter what color you are you will have problems to deal with.
Discrimination comes in all forms... all of it is an ugly side of humans.
 

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