Racism in the U.S.

Mike Wilson wrote:

beemerboy wrote:If this was Obama, how long would it take for this to be repeated 24 hours a day on all of the TV stations?

Funny how the "liberal media" is ignoring this while Rev. Wright was the news and is still brought up.

Ahhh, yes, I see your point... Because likening the United States of America to an international terrorist organization, is completely akin to calling for righteousness in this nation... yeah, I get it now, thanks.

-- MW

Did you ever hear the whole sermon? Or did you just hear just what they played on Faux news?
If you take the time to listen to this clip you will find out the true context. It was not about calling the USA a terrorist organization, it was about the government treatment of African-Americans as slaves. And he is calling for rightness in this nation.


Although I'm not black, I do have a couple of cousins (by marriage) that are, and I agree with Rev. Wright that the treatment of blacks by our government has been shameful.

beemerboy wrote:I agree with Rev. Wright that the treatment of blacks by our government has been shameful.

So why did BO throw the good rev. under the bus?

beemerboy wrote:
Although I'm not black, I do have a couple of cousins (by marriage) that are, and I agree with Rev. Wright that the treatment of blacks by our government has been shameful.

I would be interested in hearing your first hand account as to bad gov treatment
(Ithink the Palin church thing has been wrung out anyway)

coalmeister wrote:I would be interested in hearing your first hand account as to bad gov treatment

While we are wandering off topic here & that question was not directed to me, let me jump in here & give you 2 true real U.S. Government instances of "bad gov. treatment." (One first hand & one from an FBI friend):

1. While J. Edgar Hoover was Director of the FBI (through 1972), he listed only 2 blacks as Special Agents....but......In reality.....these 2 men were chauffeurs for him & Clyde Tolson (asst FBI Director) that he listed as Special Agents for Congressional "Manpower Reporting" purposes. In reality.............There were none.....Not one black FBI Agent in the whole USA.

2. When I went through DEA Basic Agent training (Washington DC-1975) we had a number of black instructors teaching classes & in the Headquarters office. When I got back to the Boston, Field office........There was not one, & had never been one black Special Agent. (this later changed, but this was 1975...not 1875)

No doubt there are many bad examples of such treatment. Those were over 30 years ago however. This country has made remarkable progress in such matters. A black man (almost) is running for president. The secretary of state is a black women. This country has bent over backwards to right those wrongs and frankly I'm sick of the whining about stuff that happened 30, 40, & 100 years ago. Get over it. I have a business aquaintance from Nigeria. He says blacks in this country who think they have it bad or had it bad, should go to Africa. He's embarrassed by the attitude of blacks in this country. Rightly so IMO.

coalkirk wrote:This country has made remarkable progress in such matters.

Agreed Terry, but to bring it back on topic, we are talking about candidate's clergy here & in regards to Rev. Wright, a black man of his age has very legitimate reasons to occasionally remind us all that it was not so long ago that these terrible injustices were happening in this country. That was the point I was replying too & if anyone thinks bigotry is dead in this country, even today, they are mistaken.

That was the point I was replying too & if anyone thinks bigotry is dead in this country, even today, they are mistaken.

I would like to hear specific example of it today. No country is perfect but I feel affirmative action has more than balanced for any that is left

There are all kinds of bigotry Devil, don't get carried away with this lecture. We see enough in this section of the Forum daily.

coaledsweat wrote:There are all kinds of bigotry Devil, don't get carried away with this lecture. We see enough in this section of the Forum daily.

We are definitely off topic here & this will be my last comment on bigotry: I was not "lecturing" anyone but simply pointing out that there still exists bigotry in this country, even today.

Devil505 wrote:We are definitely off topic here & this will be my last comment on bigotry: I was not "lecturing" anyone but simply pointing out that there still exists bigotry in this country, even today.

Racism as well such as white people that can't get jobs or are denied admission to college's and universities based on their skin color instead of their abilities.

Frankly I'm tired of hearing the black's complaining about this and that. If they'd just shut the *censored* up already are we put this country on truly equal system such as eliminating affirmative action we would all be in a better place.

I realize my post above may sound racist but let me explain where I'm coming from.

I live in mostly white area, I don't know what the exact figures are but in the Wyoming Valley I'd peg the black population at less than 10%. When I open the paper in the morning if there was violent crime committed the chances that it was committed by black person is probably 50% if not more. If it's one of these truly senseless crimes such as some guy getting shot in bar which just recently happened less than 1/4 of mle from my Grandmothers house in Plymouth, drug related or gang related the chances of it being a black rises dramatically.

For 15 years I had to drive by the projects in the area nearly everyday, these projects primarily housed black people in the last decade. As I drive by what do see all these years? Brand new cars I can't afford and bunch of loafers sitting on their asses.

This is my reality, what reaction do you expect from someone like me who hears some black complaining about the white man putting him down?

As I said above they need to shut their mouths, what happened in the past is the past. If anything there is more opportunity for any black man who wants to take it. There are millions of successful black people and I wouldn't doubt most of them hold the same views I have.

Richard S. wrote:what happened in the past is the past. If anything there is more opportunity for any black man who wants to take it.

While it is comforting for us whites to believe that racism is a thing of the past, it just isn't true. No argument that "there is more opportunity for any black man who wants to take it", but "more opportunity'" does no equate to the death of racism. You admit to living in a predominantly white area Richard, so you have just not been exposed to it as much & are relying on "hearsay" evidence or what you see on TV or read in the media. As usual, this country rushes from one extreme to the other & much of the "Affirmative Action" is just racism in reverse & tends to exacerbate the problem more than solve it.
I believe that "FEAR" is the key to this problem & that as long as there exist "different" types of people, we will fear them & they will fear us. We all tend to want to live in little tribal communities & stick to "Our own kind.".........To deny this basic fact of human nature is just so much BS, imo. (Just like "feminists" who try to pretend there is no difference...male vs female. Of course there is a difference & thank god there is! )
I think the only realistic answer to the racism problem is the continued mixing of the races which will eventually wipe out all racial differences. Until then, the best we can try to do is admit the basic human emotions that cause racism & try to end it on a case by case approach without heaving ourselves to the other extreme, which only causes worse feelings to arise.

Let me clarify Devil, I know there are racists in this country. there has been racism from the dawn of time and I doubt it will ever go away.

My point is racism as it was up until the 60's and even into the 70's does not exist in that context anymore. When I see a black man I don't think I'm somehow superior to him and anyone that thinks they are superior to someone because of the color of their skin quite frankly is a fool.

They have just as much opportunity as me and plenty people are very successful. My issue is the ones that somehow feel that I owe them something and/or use the color of there skin as an excuse for their failure.

You admit to living in a predominantly white area Richard, so you have just not been exposed to it as much & are relying on "hearsay" evidence or what you see on TV or read in the media.

I'm not sure what you mean by this but when you have constant shootings and 7 out of 10 times it's a black guy involved I don't understand where the hearsay comes from.

Richard S. wrote:I'm not sure what you mean by this but when you have constant shootings and 7 out of 10 times it's a black guy involved I don't understand where the hearsay comes from.

"Hearsay" is simply evidence you didn't experience yourself (Direct evidence) but something that came from sources other than your direct experience. (While there is no doubt that we sent astronauts to the moon (except for a fringe group of nuts who deny it) You & I could not testify that we know this to be true from our own experience. To us it's merely Hearsay.)
Similarly, what you say above is undoubtedly true, but is based exclusively on Hearsay evidence.
Just as in a court of law, Hearsay evidence is inherently less reliable than direct evidence, which is not to say it cant be true....just a less reliable source. (it goes back to the game of "telephone" we played as kids.....The more times information is repeated, the less accurate it is)
Getting back to the main point of racism, I think most of us would be liars if we didn't admit that ......if we were walking down the street & approached a group of men of a different race than us, that we would have more fear than if they were from our "tribe." Why we have to pretend that this isn't so any more is just ridiculous, imo.
Admit it & try to solve the problem is a much more realistic approach.

Come live in the Baltimore area for awhile and then you'd be qualified to have an opinion on racsim and black violent crime.