Racism: glorified hyperbole in America

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We've spent so much time over the past 50 years discussing why and how racism is wrong and not so much time discussing what racism actually is.

Racism is not just people being mean to someone on account of their race, like in simple movies like The Help. Racism is (among many things) a prism through which everyone filters the world and their understanding of spoken and unspoken societal structures. We have to acknowledge that race does matter before we get to a point where race doesn't matter -- or that it doesn't matter any more than anything else.

I have to say that living in what's known as a "transitional" neighborhood deep in the inner city of a minority-majority city has opened my eyes in ways that are deeply uncomfortable. You see how pernicious racism actually is, while at the same time your good-hearted liberal platitudes are crushed by ugly realities. It's about race and it isn't. It's impossible to fully explain. It gives me equal parts hope and despair. At the end of the day, it really is more class and culture than race, but said class and culture were created because of race and institutional racism.

I should shut up. Too much to get into.
 
Irvine511 said:
We've spent so much time over the past 50 years discussing why and how racism is wrong and not so much time discussing what racism actually is.
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I think this is a spot on assessment of why this issue is so complicated. I think a lot of people still imagine a racist to be someone who burns crosses on a black person's lawn, or the KKK, or someone calling a black person the "n" word. And most people would say, "Well, I don't talk like that to black people, I think the KKK and segregation were horrible, so I couldn't possibly be a racist!"

But like you said, it's often a hell of a lot more subtle than that. It's people questioning President Obama's birthplace, and actually debating whether or not he's a "true American". It's black people getting shot by police for crimes that I've seen white people merely getting arrested for. It's Trayvon Martin being targeted by some hyped up neighborhood vigilante simply because he's walking around a neighborhood at night with a hoodie on and "looks suspicious", despite the fact he was not doing anything wrong or criminal. And so on and so forth. I honestly don't think a lot of people understand the impact situations like that can have on society, and on the race issue.

There's also the fact that so often we boil racial issues down to white versus black, and we forget that other races struggle in their own ways, too. I've lived in towns that are almost entirely white, and any minorities who have lived there didn't always get treated well, or get the most welcome reception. It wasn't blatant, the racism, but it was definitely there.
 
the iron horse said:
I keep hearing the words "institutional and structural" racism and I just don't see it.
Click to expand...

To paraphrase Upton Sinclair, it's difficult for you to see something when your entire world philosophy depends on not seeing it.
 
About 17 years ago, I did a one week internship in a small city 2 hours outside my hometown.

After the week was over, I just couldn't wait to get back home. Without really thinking about it, I was driving really fast on the highway. I was pulled over by the provincial police.

Based on the conversation with the officer, I assumed I was going to be let off with a warning. But when he came back he told me he had to go out on another call and I'd be getting a very expensive ticket in the mail. So I lost it. I started yelling at him, telling him I'm a student, it was almost Christmas, and he had no heart. He was taken aback, then laughed, and told me to leave.

I am fully aware of the fact that if I was black and yelled at an officer like that, the scenario likely would have played out differently.

In fact, I bet that many of us, whether we know it or not, have probably been in situations where if we were of a different colour, it might have ended badly.

That's white privilege. And many are blindly unaware of it. But it most definitely exists. And the sooner we acknowledge its existence, the sooner we will be able to stamp out racism.
 
BoMac said:
I am fully aware of the fact that if I was black and yelled at an officer like that, the scenario likely would have played out differently..
Click to expand...

for the longest time i always thought you looked just like georges laraque.

it just occurred to me that i probably saw a photo years ago and made a really dumb mistake.
 
BoMac said:
I am fully aware of the fact that if I was black and yelled at an officer like that, the scenario likely would have played out differently.
Click to expand...

If you were black, you very likely would have been instructed by your parents at a very early age on how to act if you are pulled over by the police and would never have even thought about yelling at him.
 
The story only tells us something about one person,
He was a whiney crybaby who deserved a traffic ticket, the cop may have stopped a black kid and just asked him to slow down, no one knows.
 
trojanchick99 said:
Police in Baton Rouge murdered Alton Sterling, a black man they had restrained on the ground. There's video but I won't link to it because it's horrific.
Click to expand...


I watched that video. It's one of the most horrible things I've ever seen. Black men are 25% of Baton Rouge's population, but make up 100% of those shot by police.


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.

Elie Wiesel
Click to expand...
Look at the text in the "star" they keep saying but but but the Star of David has a triangle inside a triangle. It is there. Look at where the text is placed. Star of Trump.

This is like the 34th time Trump did this.

So yeah buy into crooked Hillary all you want because you have been taught

whitewater
and it goes on and on...it makes money,

trump media sycophants
 
nbelcik said:
I watched that video. It's one of the most horrible things I've ever seen. Black men are 25% of Baton Rouge's population, but make up 100% of those shot by police.
Click to expand...

And probably 90% of the crimes. People need to consider that police are going to be reckless regardless (although there often is a racial undercurrent at play in these shootings). A greater percentage of white deaths than black deaths occur at the hands of police, for example, which is probably a good reason why the community should be focused a wee bit more on the problems among themselves.

But, just out of necessity, black deaths by police happening at about double the expected rate (13% of the population being black) really isn't that surprising when you look at the crime statistics where blacks are way over-represented for every single crime nationwide with the exceptions of gambling and some driving related issues. Of course the police are going to be involved more often in those communities and of course the number of police shootings are going to be above what would be expected. There's more crime period.

I mean, do you want a personal experience? I work part-time security in San Francisco. It's a great gig, frankly. Black men make up about 6% of the population there, but literally make up at least 80% of the people walking the streets downtown at night around 3AM, most of them not even homeless. And it's not conjecture, it's an observation that's stayed true over the half decade I've worked there. You can't tell me there's not a culture issue at play there. Otherwise, you'd just be making a racist assumption that black men are genetically predisposed to walking around urban areas for no reason. Likewise, most of the major crimes I've had to report from seeing men and women assaulted to major property damage, etc. have been done by black males.

Changes need to be made. Even one unnecessary death at the hands of the police is too many, and the ones that reek of downright murder are completely abhorrent. But this is something where the spotlight is often shining a little too bright and people are quick to jump to conclusions, such as having protest rallies immediately when a black guy is shot at a gas station and then, the next day, the Mayor and the videotape come out showing him literally pulling out a gun and firing at an officer. Let's work together with like minds to resolve this problem that's running rampant across police localities across the country without being quick to play the race card.
 
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BigMacPhisto said:
And probably 90% of the crimes. People need to consider that police are going to be reckless regardless (although there often is a racial undercurrent at play in these shootings). A greater percentage of white deaths than black deaths occur at the hands of police, for example, which is probably a good reason why the community should be focused a wee bit more on the problems among themselves.

But, just out of necessity, black deaths by police happening at about double the expected rate (13% of the population being black) really isn't that surprising when you look at the crime statistics where blacks are way over-represented for every single crime nationwide with the exceptions of gambling and some driving related issues. Of course the police are going to be involved more often in those communities and of course the number of police shootings are going to be above what would be expected. There's more crime period.

I mean, do you want a personal experience? I work part-time security in San Francisco. It's a great gig, frankly. Black men make up about 6% of the population there, but literally make up at least 80% of the people walking the streets downtown at night around 3AM, most of them not even homeless. And it's not conjecture, it's an observation that's stayed true over the half decade I've worked there. You can't tell me there's not a culture issue at play there. Otherwise, you'd just be making a racist assumption that black men are genetically predisposed to walking around urban areas for no reason. Likewise, most of the major crimes I've had to report from seeing men and women assaulted to major property damage, etc. have been done by black males.

Changes need to be made. Even one unnecessary death at the hands of the police is too many, and the ones that reek of downright murder are completely abhorrent. But this is something where the spotlight is often shining a little too bright and people are quick to jump to conclusions, such as having protest rallies immediately when a black guy is shot at a gas station and then, the next day, the Mayor and the videotape come out showing him literally pulling out a gun and firing at an officer. Let's work together with like minds to resolve this problem that's running rampant across police localities across the country without being quick to play the race card.
Click to expand...
How you are a mod here I do not know. You just pulled "and probably 90%" outta well a donkey is to kind. Are you serious or are you just stupid?
 
CORZ said:
How you are a mod here I do not know. You just pulled "and probably 90%" outta well a donkey is to kind. Are you serious or are you just stupid?
Click to expand...


What gave you the impression this troll is a mod?

CORZ said:
Look at the text in the "star" they keep saying but but but the Star of David has a triangle inside a triangle. It is there. Look at where the text is placed. Star of Trump.

This is like the 34th time Trump did this.

So yeah buy into crooked Hillary all you want because you have been taught

whitewater
and it goes on and on...it makes money,

trump media sycophants
Click to expand...


What?!


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference
 
CORZ said:
Look at the text in the "star" they keep saying but but but the Star of David has a triangle inside a triangle. It is there. Look at where the text is placed. Star of Trump.

This is like the 34th time Trump did this.

So yeah buy into crooked Hillary all you want because you have been taught

whitewater
and it goes on and on...it makes money,

trump media sycophants
Click to expand...
... what?
 
BigMacPhisto said:
And probably 90% of the crimes. People need to consider that police are going to be reckless regardless (although there often is a racial undercurrent at play in these shootings). A greater percentage of white deaths than black deaths occur at the hands of police, for example, which is probably a good reason why the community should be focused a wee bit more on the problems among themselves.

But, just out of necessity, black deaths by police happening at about double the expected rate (13% of the population being black) really isn't that surprising when you look at the crime statistics where blacks are way over-represented for every single crime nationwide with the exceptions of gambling and some driving related issues. Of course the police are going to be involved more often in those communities and of course the number of police shootings are going to be above what would be expected. There's more crime period.

I mean, do you want a personal experience? I work part-time security in San Francisco. It's a great gig, frankly. Black men make up about 6% of the population there, but literally make up at least 80% of the people walking the streets downtown at night around 3AM, most of them not even homeless. And it's not conjecture, it's an observation that's stayed true over the half decade I've worked there. You can't tell me there's not a culture issue at play there. Otherwise, you'd just be making a racist assumption that black men are genetically predisposed to walking around urban areas for no reason. Likewise, most of the major crimes I've had to report from seeing men and women assaulted to major property damage, etc. have been done by black males.

Changes need to be made. Even one unnecessary death at the hands of the police is too many, and the ones that reek of downright murder are completely abhorrent. But this is something where the spotlight is often shining a little too bright and people are quick to jump to conclusions, such as having protest rallies immediately when a black guy is shot at a gas station and then, the next day, the Mayor and the videotape come out showing him literally pulling out a gun and firing at an officer. Let's work together with like minds to resolve this problem that's running rampant across police localities across the country without being quick to play the race card.
Click to expand...
How very progressive of you
 
BigMacPhisto said:
And probably 90% of the crimes. People need to consider that police are going to be reckless regardless (although there often is a racial undercurrent at play in these shootings). A greater percentage of white deaths than black deaths occur at the hands of police, for example, which is probably a good reason why the community should be focused a wee bit more on the problems among themselves.

But, just out of necessity, black deaths by police happening at about double the expected rate (13% of the population being black) really isn't that surprising when you look at the crime statistics where blacks are way over-represented for every single crime nationwide with the exceptions of gambling and some driving related issues. Of course the police are going to be involved more often in those communities and of course the number of police shootings are going to be above what would be expected. There's more crime period.

I mean, do you want a personal experience? I work part-time security in San Francisco. It's a great gig, frankly. Black men make up about 6% of the population there, but literally make up at least 80% of the people walking the streets downtown at night around 3AM, most of them not even homeless. And it's not conjecture, it's an observation that's stayed true over the half decade I've worked there. You can't tell me there's not a culture issue at play there. Otherwise, you'd just be making a racist assumption that black men are genetically predisposed to walking around urban areas for no reason. Likewise, most of the major crimes I've had to report from seeing men and women assaulted to major property damage, etc. have been done by black males.

Changes need to be made. Even one unnecessary death at the hands of the police is too many, and the ones that reek of downright murder are completely abhorrent. But this is something where the spotlight is often shining a little too bright and people are quick to jump to conclusions, such as having protest rallies immediately when a black guy is shot at a gas station and then, the next day, the Mayor and the videotape come out showing him literally pulling out a gun and firing at an officer. Let's work together with like minds to resolve this problem that's running rampant across police localities across the country without being quick to play the race card.
Click to expand...
Certainly it had nothing to do with decades of ramping up penalties for crimes that occur in black communities (marijuana possession)! It's just black people commit a lot of crimes, you got it.

Go vote for Trump, asshole.
 
Crime statistics of nearly every category show blacks committing more crimes. I don't see why it's considered racist to point that out. It's reality. Face it.

For example, homicides:

"According to the US Department of Justice, blacks accounted for 52.5% of homicide offenders from 1980 to 2008, with whites 45.3% and "Other" 2.2%. The offending rate for blacks was almost 8 times higher than whites, and the victim rate 6 times higher. Most homicides were intraracial, with 84% of white victims killed by whites, and 93% of black victims killed by blacks"


You were saying Baton Rouge's population is 25% black male. Most crimes are committed by men and Baton Rouge's black male population alone would make up half of men in that city and therefore at least half the crime. Throw in the expected increase in crime among the black community due to factors like poverty and what we see nationwide from city-to-city and you're going to get at least 70% of crimes ranging from murder, etc. being caused by black males in Baton Rouge. I would contend that the very high black population in the area would get you to 90% as most cities don't have half of their males being black (San Francisco, as I mentioned, is 6% black yet the vast majority of murders are black-on-black).


Baton Rouge Advocate newspaper did an article about city murders in 2012. There was a PDF with the police information that others have written about although the PDF itself now seems to be gone. 87 percent of murder victims were black males. 96 percent of the perpetrators of murder, were, drumroll...black.

So yes, my 90% isn't bullshit.
 
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PhilsFan said:
Certainly it had nothing to do with decades of ramping up penalties for crimes that occur in black communities (marijuana possession)!
Click to expand...

So, longer sentences for marijuana mean more murders...even though the murder rates were higher in those sort of high black population cities before marijuana penalties were ramped up.

Stop making stretches. If a group commits a crime at a given rate, they've committed it at that given rate. We can have an honest discussion about underlying issues involved, etc. But at least use reality as a starting point rather than ignoring it because it doesn't conveniently fit your narrative.
 
Headache in a Suitcase said:
How very progressive of you
Click to expand...

Indeed. I want police reform just like the rest of the left.

Or did you not actually read my post and instead put on your Social Justice Warrior hat because the fact that blacks commit crimes at a far higher rate than everyone else is too inconvenient?
 
BVS said:
Fuzzy math...
Click to expand...

No, obvious math that would work for any major American city with a black male population that is 50% or more.

Or did you just ignore the fact that 96% of Baton Rouge murders in 2012 were by black perpetrators?
 
BVS said:
Think about this for a little bit...
Click to expand...

So, you're saying they locked up more would-be murderers?

And of course, that's just stupid as we all know there's been a general decline in violent crime for the last 25 years across all racial groups, so marijuana sentences has nothing to do with it.
 
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