Well I guess Rev Jackson isn't so perfect after all

[AKDejaVu]

 

Unless you've truly experienced racism, I don't think you can ever understand what it feels like to abused like that. A mate of mine is going out with a Pakistani girl (he is white), and I know for a fact that they have been racially abused because of it (usually by groups of nobheads passing in cars). It really got to him more than her (I assume she is used to that crap).

And if you think this is a classic example of racism you are sorely mistaken.  This is more towards the extreme.  It is a good example because it makes it easy to point at others as being real racists while you can sit back with your own idiosynchrisis and feign complete absence of racism.

Real racism is noticing that the woman is Pakistani, then taking time to note how people treat here differently.  I'm not saying this is bad, but you are able to attribute the mistreatment to race, then you recognize the racial difference.

As a result, racism will always exist since it is imposible to prevent it at even the most fundamental levels.  Since it exists at those levels (IN EVERYONE), it will exists at more amplified levels... lets say in the 3rd sigma of the group.  And.. it will exist at the extreme ends of the bell cure too.

AKDejaVu

[Jago]

He came through the FBO I work at last week in a Lear 55. Im just curious about where hes getting his money and where can I fill out an app. for that job

[Wotan]

Dowd....its not right that others should be held acountable for how someone else feels about things. Things are said in public that if taken oneway or another would offend most people. You talk about perception but im not responsible for your perception of the world. The fact that a certain group believes they are treated differently doesn't give them the right of final judgement on things they percieve as offensive. In order to come to these conclusion they themselves become guilty of the very thing they claim to be against. Whether there is a justification or a better yet a rationalization of racism doesn't make it so and giving all the credit to those claiming injury over those who intent has yet to be proven is wrong. Offense and malice are two different things and a society ought to seek out those who ACT maliciously over those who may give an opportunity to the victim class to claim offense.

[Dowding]

Wobble - the term 'nobhead' has nothing to do with race - it has everything to do with acting like a complete idiot. Now there's some irony for you.

 

...own idiosynchrisis and feign complete absence of racism.

Are you saying I'm racist, AKDejaVu? Is that 'feign complete absence of racism' referring to my character?

 

Real racism is noticing that the woman is Pakistani, then taking time to note how people treat here differently. I'm not saying this is bad, but you are able to attribute the mistreatment to race, then you recognize the racial difference.

Come on, DejaVu. You cite the example as being real racism, but seem to be implying that being racially abused (verbally) isn't bigotry. I'm describing racism that I have witnessed personally - overt, hateful abuse which has no place in the modern world. And there is still plenty of it to be sorted out.

 

...then taking time to note how people treat here differently.

I noticed alright. I was there. "Paki squeak", "Get the **** out of my country." Only a fool would need to 'take the time' to notice the comments were racist.

It seems to me most cases of descrimination in the work place involve overt racist or sexist language. Not this 'perfect' conspiracy you seem to be describing, where a person from an ethnic minority never is directly insulted, but just 'feels' intimidated.

Wotan,

 

The fact that a certain group believes they are treated differently doesn't give them the right of final judgement on things they percieve as offensive.

Really? Then who does make that decision? The majority? 'There is now no problem with using the words, gook, cupcake, rag-head, kike etc etc' If the majority decreed this, then the minority would have to accept that? Please tell me this is not the case.

[leonid]

Sorry, but racism exists in the USA.  I can't believe you guys would even question it.  Is it that you're just so tired of hearing about it that you wish it'd just go away?  Multiply that wish by a factor of at least 10, and you know how much many minorities wish it would too.

[leonid]

 

Real racism is noticing that the woman is Pakistani, then taking time to note how people treat here differently. I'm not saying this is bad, but you are able to attribute the mistreatment to race, then you recognize the racial difference.

Noticing the differences in a person is not racist.  It is being aware.  Determining that those differences are indicators of some broad behavioral pattern, or personality trait is racist.  A person can notice the differences between races without being racist, but a person that pre-judges an entire race based on perceived differences is racist.

[Udie]

 A story of my 1st hand account of "passive" racism just this past thursday....

 I took a train from Houston to New Orleans last thursday.  As I got on the train they told me to go to seat 41.  There was an African American sitting in seat 40. There were quite a few black people on the train and I could hear the conductor asking them for their tickets, "Tickets.............please".  Then he said those same words to the gentleman next to me.  Then he turned to me and said "Ticket please, Sir and he said Sir and Ma'am to all other whites in that car, but not the blacks.

 To be quite frank it pissed me off, it was the first time that I realized "passive" racism was going on in front of me.  Later I was talking with Patrick, the dude in seat 40.  I told him what I had noticed and he just laughed and said he's so used to it that he didn't even notice it. We then started talking politics and race.  He was a democrat and I told him I was republican.

 I politely pointed out that I was Republican and NOT a racist, he started laughing, realy hard, and told me that the biggest racist he knew were democrats and most were black.  He said he lived in the middle of River Oaks, which is about a 100% Republican, rich, subdivision in Houston.  I asked him if his neighbors were "mean" to him.  He said no and that even though they're rich and he's not that he is welcome in any of his neighbors homes.  He politely told me that he gets the best from both sides of the political spectrum.

 Anyway the whole conversation left me with an optimistic feeling that we can get over the race thing in this country.  We basicly agreed that everybody needs to just MIND THEIR OWN squealing BUSINESS and the rest will fall into place.

The Ud'ster