Perhaps its cultural. Perhaps it's because we've enslaved so many in the culture of welfare and low expectations. I personally know plenty of wealthy black people. Actually, MLK would be ashamed. You're judging Barack Obama by the color of his skin, rather than by the content of his character.
Obama didn't win the presidency because of his race. He is now president because he can relate to people. He isn't a disconnected tight ass who uses fear tactics. Truly a man of the people.
Seriously? How about minorities being denied from certain areas when buying or renting a house/apartment? Or having more difficulties getting loans? Being harassed at certain retail stores? Randomly pulled over by the police? All this stuff is real today and there's a lot more than that. Sure there aren't many lynchings or segregated drinking fountains around but its ignorant to think that racism isn't a factor in the U.S. today. You think its not a big deal that there's finally a dominating black figure in the media (I'll leave out Oprah since its mostly only middle aged women who identify with her)? IMO that's a big deal. Imagine growing up and nearly every cartoon, toy, TV show, video game, etc. etc. was dominated by whites. Most of everything you're taught in history is about whites. It seems trivial but IMO this will be a big deal in the future when young black kids can see a black person in the most powerful position on the planet. The divides are cultural and economic but it just happens to be blacks who are on the short end of the stick there. People born into those conditions are at a major disadvantage to get out compared to the majority of people. Its hard to get out of the ghetto when you have to go to a shitty public school and get a shitty education and you don't have strong parental guidance. Do you really blame the kids for not working their asses off on their own accord? Lord knows where I'd be if my parents never made me do well in school. Not to mention I went to pretty good public schools my whole life (relative to the other ones at least). Its hard to get a job good enough to move your ass out of the ghetto if all you have is a HS diploma (assuming you can't afford college). I mean at least dumbass kids with money can go to college and have some type of extra credentials even if they're complete fuckups and dumb as a post. As long as you have the damn paper that says you did X, Y and Z in college you're at an automatic advantage over anyone who doesn't. Lastly, I don't think anyone is saying America is a racist country but its absurd to say racism doesn't exist and has no effect on blacks' lives. Oh, and I'm white as fuck BTW.
i know this. it's a complicated thing to address. but this country isn't any less racist than it was one day ago, or one week ago, or one year ago because obama is going to be the next president. tonight is an amazing night if you previous thought the US was incapable of electing a black president. tonight is an amazing night for you if you strongly agree with obama's policies.
If achievment and merit is important to you and nothing else matters, you should be the one who is upset with the fact black people are getting the short end of the stick. Why isn't there a black american who is one of the richest people in America. You think white people work that much harder and achieve that much more than blacks to the point that no Blakc people (not one) make the top 25(or whatever it is)? Really maxie, don't you think that is naive thinking . . .
you notice how you didn't mention race anywhere there. the same is true whether you are white or black. the biggest part has nothing to do with race and entirely the economic situation you are born into. and while that economic situation does relate to how races were treated in the past, the problem now is mostly economic.
Notice how you cut the first sentence out of that paragraph which addresses that. Seriously dude, WTF? That was pathetic.
That's like saying it's time for quadriplegics to toss their wheelchairs and walk like men. Sure, a few weak people work the system and play on sympathies, but racism is rampant among the less-educated, and among the less-travelled, and among our most well-intentioned politicians in particular. I would offer to anyone who still feels discriminated against that perhaps they are. I would suggest maxiep take a solo stroll through Watts, or Harlem, and strike up a conversation with whomever he comes across. Discuss the economy, or your families, or share your hopes and dreams with each other. When I worked for the USACE in the old Multnomah Building in Portland (now it's an Embassy Suite Hotel) I would occasionally corral a street beggar and take him or her to lunch. You just cannot believe the amazing people that are buried under those rags and stench. To hear a tiny episode from their lives will change you forever. I'm not talking about excuses, because they rarely offered any. Just a story about their youth, their loved ones, the places they've been, the things they've done. Real people like yourself, but who faced adversities they could not overcome. It can bring you to tears. It can make you feel lucky. It can make you feel humble.
yeah. i did. doesn't change my point in any way. you said blacks were on the short end of the stick and then explained a scenario which would effect any person of any race equally. that is my point.
You ask us to give you examples of racism and then you discard the reasons as perhaps cultural or perhaps we've enslaved black people into low expectations . . . and then offer an off the wall antidote that you know plenty of wealthy black people????? I think I got suckered into this thread . . . you don't want to hear reason why you are out of touch . . . you baited us (wth the title) into debating whether racism exists in our society.
Ok you just supported my point assuming you do agree with me that most of those less fortunate people are black.
You're talking to me about outliers. I'm interested in mainstream, structural racism. In which areas are blacks consistently denied purchasing or renting a home? How many people have difficulty getting loans simply because they're black? At which retail stores are black people consistently harrassed? My point is that it doesn't matter that George Washington, Abraham Lincoln or Franklin Roosevelt were white. It matters that they were great leaders with big ideas. Why is identity so important? No one has been able to answer that for me. No one has been able to tell me that these incidents of racism keep people from reaching their potential. There are more white people living in poverty than black people. Yes, I do. I blame the parents, I blame the kids and I blame the teachers. There is a culture of low expectations that don't challenge people because they don't want to hurt their feelings. That's patently untrue. If you want to get into the best universities in this country, be a minority and be poor. Not only will they lower their standards, they'll pay for you to go. Besides, plenty of people without college degrees have managed to succeed. Education is no excuse. This is a false argument. First, people have been doing nothing but saying America is racist. I've never said that racism exists, but that it's an outlier. Furthermore, I believe that minorities use it as a crutch as to why they never succeeded. Bully for you. I admire your level of White Guilt.
to quote the last sentence of my post that you called pathetic: "while that economic situation does relate to how races were treated in the past, the problem now is mostly economic."
I'm glad you found the fact that bringing up my rich black friends was a dumb argument--it was meant as a counterpoint to all the silly outliers presented to me as an example as to why racism is rampant in our country. And I didn't ask for outliers, I asked for systemic and structural racism. The only one that came close to passing muster was cops pulling over people for DWB. However, getting pulled over a few times isn't an excuse as to why you can't succeed. I didn't sucker anybody. I asked why identity was important and I have yet to see a satisfactory answer. In my opinion, it's a veneer. It's window dressing. In the end, you rise and fall on your merits. The vast majority of people don't give a shit what color you are, whether you're male or female, who you go to bed with or to which God you pray (or whether you even do). The vast majority of people care whether or not you can do your job or whether or not you're a good person.
The big deal is that a great majority of the population judged him by his message, and didn't dismiss him solely due to his skin color. That the population at large could evaluate him on content signifies that, as a nation, we are starting to get away from the racism that has engulfed the nation for 150 years.
