Personal Experiences with Racism?

[Dr. Dilznick]

Do you have any or witnessed any first- or second-hand? I'd like to hear your stories/complaints/overreacting.

 

[prepstudinsc]

We've all witnessed Chimera's Klannish rants

 

[Dr Rock]

sure, but I doubt descriptions of my experiences would contain anything you haven't heard before.

 

[Lex]

I have witnessed to happen to others and have had things happen to myself. It's not some theoretical happenstance for me (as some have suggested) but it's my Life.
I don't know that I feel like getting into it right now. Maybe later.

 

[jonb]

I grew up in South Dakota and I'm an Indian. You do the math.

 

[KinkGuy]

I'm gay. Which makes you a target regarless of color. Worse now than it was 30 years ago. Worse now than it was even 4 years ago. Yes, it IS political.

 

[prepstudinsc]

Originally posted by ChimeraTX+Sep 2 2005, 06:01 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ChimeraTX &#064; Sep 2 2005, 06:01 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-prepstudinsc@Sep 2 2005, 09:43 AM
We&#39;ve all witnessed Chimera&#39;s Klannish rants

[post=340115]Quoted post[/post]​

I&#39;ve been threatened, excluded, cursed, and attacked. Unsurprisingly, all of this occured in my "antiracist" stage.

[post=340251]Quoted post[/post]​

[/b][/quote]

Oh, please...you&#39;re a 15 year old white guy. You&#39;ve never experienced racism like a black person has, or a native American, or an Asian. When you have experienced something of that magnitude, then I&#39;ll listen to you.

 

[Lex]

The most amazing thing is--if you are white and choose to live with and among people of color (as prepstud has) you are accepted--they treat you like family and kin. There have been studies that support this---but no one wants to hear that to shout it all over the country. It&#39;s much easier to paint a broad-stroke picture with a "Us versus Them" framework. These issues are really class issues that have been carefully and more strategically desinged as racial issues. The uber-elite don&#39;t give 2 fucks about ANY poor people of any color and they&#39;d much rather have the middle-lower class stratified by racial tensions than to have people uniifed by class because, well, then, change might happen.

 

[Dr Rock]

Originally posted by ChimeraTX+Sep 3 2005, 02:46 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ChimeraTX &#064; Sep 3 2005, 02:46 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-prepstudinsc@Sep 3 2005, 06:51 AM
You&#39;ve never experienced racism like a black person has, or a native American, or an Asian. When you have experienced something of that magnitude, then I&#39;ll listen to you.

[post=340431]Quoted post[/post]​

You could claim that I never have, or will, though. I think that a lot of people feel it isn&#39;t "racism" when it is against Whites; if you feel that way, there is no reason to argue. :shrug:

[post=340446]Quoted post[/post]​

[/b][/quote]
given that the term "racism" was coined as a purely political buzzword by trotsky, maybe you should define what you think it actually means before making any claims either way.

 

[prepstudinsc]

Originally posted by Lex@Sep 3 2005, 09:36 AM
The most amazing thing is--if you are white and choose to live with and among people of color (as prepstud has) you are accepted--they treat you like family and kin. There have been studies that support this---but no one wants to hear that to shout it all over the country. It&#39;s much easier to paint a broad-stroke picture with a "Us versus Them" framework. These issues are really class issues that have been carefully and more strategically desinged as racial issues. The uber-elite don&#39;t give 2 fucks about ANY poor people of any color and they&#39;d much rather have the middle-lower class stratified by racial tensions than to have people uniifed by class because, well, then, change might happen.

[post=340436]Quoted post[/post]​

Yes, I have been more warmly accepted at my church than I have at any predominantly white church. I am treated as just part of the family there. While the black circles I am part of are, for the most part middle class and upper-middle class, "bougie" as we say, I still have seen racism toward my fellow brothers and sisters from my white people. There is still an underlying attitude toward black people, even of the higher socio-economic strata. I&#39;ve had friends come and visit my church and afterward make comments that they were surprised that my congregation didn&#39;t "talk black" or "act black", whatever that means.

After being in black culture for a while, I&#39;ve seen that it&#39;s not so much a color thing, but as Lex pointed out, the socio-economic level is actually more related. Poor whites and poor blacks have more in common than middle class whites and poor whites do. The oppression that is heaped upon them is amazing. People who can make a buck off of poor people will do it in a heartbeat. Slumlords, business people, etc. that can prosper off of someone else&#39;s misfortune will always do it. I don&#39;t know why they don&#39;t ever try to reach out and try to help them better themselves...give them some education and tools to try to uplift them out of their situation.

Another interesting thing is that in the lower classes, the color lines are very blurry. It&#39;s not uncommon at all to see white girls dating black guys and having mixed babies. I think it&#39;s probably because in many cities, the poorer areas are all close together--black, white, whatever...

What I do know, however, is that at least at my church, the people are very active in inner city programs to help people get jobs, to fight illiteracy, to help mothers get off welfare and get jobs, to teach mothers how to parent, etc. They are actively fighting against proverty, crime, joblessness, and not just in the black community...but in the lower socio-economic income bracket.

 

[Lex]

Here is an example:
Two photos of hurricane survivors. The darm skinned person is said to have "looted a nearby store" while the light skinned person is said to have "found items at a nearby grocery store." Both people are walking through deep water.
The photos have been removed per the suppliers requests.

http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2005/09/...ersy/index.html

 

[smallman]

my example of racism

eh, someone beat me too it.

worth pointing out that they are from different news sources. that may not mean much, but it would be a stronger example if they were both from AP or both from AFP.

 

[smallman]

Originally posted by KinkGuy@Sep 2 2005, 08:06 PM
I&#39;m gay. Which makes you a target regarless of color. Worse now than it was 30 years ago. Worse now than it was even 4 years ago. Yes, it IS political.

[post=340302]Quoted post[/post]​

is it really worse now than it was 30 years ago?

 

[prepstudinsc]

I think that the media is really portraying black people negatively when they are out trying to find food and water or other necessities. That picture where it&#39;s called "looting" and the white people is called "finding" makes me sick. I, however, would call taking things such as TV&#39;s and booze (obvious non-essentials) looting, regardless of skin color. Going into a grocery store or convenice store and taking food and drinks, that&#39;s just sheer survival.

 

[Dr Rock]

actually, "sheer survival" would be catching rats and drinking your own piss. stealing food and drink from convenience stores, on the other hand, is just making the best of a shitty situation. the stuff&#39;s there and nobody is gonna make you pay for it; you&#39;d have to be pretty stupid not to help yourself.

 

[smallman]

Originally posted by Dr Rock@Sep 3 2005, 10:46 PM
actually, "sheer survival" would be catching rats and drinking your own piss. stealing food and drink from convenience stores, on the other hand, is just making the best of a shitty situation. the stuff&#39;s there and nobody is gonna make you pay for it; you&#39;d have to be pretty stupid not to help yourself.

[post=340545]Quoted post[/post]​

all that inventory will be written off as loss by the stores anyway, why not steal a dvd?

 

[dcwrestlefan]

i worked at a department store a long time ago when i was 20 or so, and remember a day when a black lady came up to the counter for me to ring up some merchandise. i was already waiting on a white woman. both were dressed very well. i&#39;d describe both of them as classy looking. the white woman looked at her, grabbed her purse, and pulled it in close, like she thought it would be stolen otherwise. there was zero reason for this.

the incident bothered me quite a bit. it made no sense.

on the flip side, i had a baseball tossed at the window of my car once by a black kid who then yelled "anti white" comments while we drove by. to this day, i don&#39;t know how it didn&#39;t shatter - as hard as those things are and as hard as he threw it.
the passenger in the front seat could have been really hurt if the glass had shattered.

wouldnt it be nice if everyone could get along?

 

[KinkGuy]

With our current administration in place, it is only going to get worse.

 

[smallman]

Originally posted by KinkGuy@Sep 4 2005, 01:47 AM
With our current administration in place, it is only going to get worse.

[post=340572]Quoted post[/post]​

agreed, but as bad as thirty years ago?

 

[KinkGuy]

Originally posted by smallman+Sep 3 2005, 11:50 PM--><div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(smallman &#064; Sep 3 2005, 11:50 PM)</div><div class='quotemain'><!--QuoteBegin-KinkGuy@Sep 4 2005, 01:47 AM
With our current administration in place, it is only going to get worse.

[post=340572]Quoted post[/post]​

agreed, but as bad as thirty years ago?

[post=340574]Quoted post[/post]​

[/b][/quote]

It&#39;s a possibility, especially given this administrations attitude and obvious hostile treatment towards the citizenry. Removing and limiting civil liberties, aid and opportunity certainly WON&#39;T serve to make us "minorities" more malleable.