"No, only racists look out for their own race first. People who aren't racists look out for people. But nice try."
THis was quoted to me in resonse to a quote in which I said pretty much all people are at least slightly racist deep inside. That it is a basic anamlistic/survivalist instinct, when put into a truly hard situation, that a human is more naturally pre-conditioned to gravitate towards what he/she most closely can relate too or see themselves in. This isn't to say that white or blacks have to hate each other or always side with their own race. I'm talking in the most base and paltry conditions ... take for instance prison. Many men go into prison and come out with very racially charged tattoos and must stick with their own race because the other prisoners won't allow it any other way. It seems very possible that if the country were to go into anarchy, a good number of people could band together, based a lot on race or religion, for survival purposes. I didn't mean to say that in normal "civilized" society that people are constantly looking at race. That's what a bunch of people on this site would like to make it look like I'm saying and I guess they can go right ahead. I should have read the blog in the first place, to be honest. I feel like I payed for this site not under the premiss that I would be subjected to a lot of policial rhetoric ... and horrbily bias rheotric, at that. No one has to have a problem with Rev. Wright's comments. I wouldn't even care if he came straight out and admitted that he hates white people EXCEPT for the double standards. The people on this site would appalled if a white man said these things about blacks and they wouldn't be wrong for it. Reading all these young white kids defending such hate speach just sickens me. They shouldn't say "it's not a big deal" unless they are going to say that about all racist comments. I'd be fine with that too. I know that Rev. Wrights church is a minority when it comes to what is said in a typical church made predominately of black members. It doesn't change that fact that, to me and MANY others, his words are hurtful and not all in line with the teaching of love that was Jesus' true message. I personally believe a lot of the Bible has been tampered with to negate the importance of women, other religions, and races also but that's a WHOLE other subject.
It's difficult to property convey my feelings thru an internet and while trying to type and keep thoughts straight to get them posted in a timely manner so I'm sure the point is easily lost, not only with me, but many others. I had to stop posting cause I was getting heated and that makes communication THAT much harder.
My last post was political too and not wholly removed from what I'm typing here.
I posted this mostly so that when others are reading the board and someone picks one line of my post to highlight which is taken totally out of context, they have a better understanding. I know there are a lot of you on here that would never admit to a racist thought. Well, I have had them before. Now someone's going to think their really witty and say "well, that's a surprise" because they think I'm quote "racist" well, maybe I'm sexist too because when I get nervous passing someone walking down the street it isn't just if they are black, it depends on the area and how the person looks in general. I get scared of white men, too, who look like they've just smoked a hefty bowl of crack and if the man is black, I'm equally nervous. Yet, when I pass women crackheads or bums, I don't get nearly the same anxiety. Fucking crucify me. There are going to be people who get more pissed about me saying what I've said here more than they are of Rev. Wright's comments, or Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton's multitude of racist remarks and that is sad. I have no political clout and I'm young and still molding my opinions on all sorts of issues so nothing that's being said here is necessarily how I will feel a year, 5, or 10 from now.
I am defensive when people talk about whites as though they are all powerful, rich, crooks, and liars and that is what Rev. Wright alluded too. So just the same as a black man would get pissed if a white man was saying all black men are lazy, thiefs, drug addicts, and womanizers I get mad when generalizations are made about my race. There's the point to be made that even if that is said about me that I've never experienced real descrimination and I guess, aside from not being able to get funding for college when I make 7.50 an hour but I'm white, no I haven't. But if no one gets aggravated over it then people will just assume they can run around bashing whites and that's okay because we somehow owe them. I don't owe anyone. I was born of a poor mother who was addicted to drugs and rasied by grandparents. My father isn't involved in my life and I work a regular job so I'm not privildged so don't lump me in that category with "the rich white people".
It's a class divide more than race divide. I will say that again and again because, in my experience, it is true.
Until the words nigger is eradicated from common speech and until what applies to one man, applies to another; then there is going to be a lot of racial tension because to eliminate prejudice against one race does not mean to turn it back on the other.
THis was quoted to me in resonse to a quote in which I said pretty much all people are at least slightly racist deep inside. That it is a basic anamlistic/survivalist instinct, when put into a truly hard situation, that a human is more naturally pre-conditioned to gravitate towards what he/she most closely can relate too or see themselves in. This isn't to say that white or blacks have to hate each other or always side with their own race. I'm talking in the most base and paltry conditions ... take for instance prison. Many men go into prison and come out with very racially charged tattoos and must stick with their own race because the other prisoners won't allow it any other way. It seems very possible that if the country were to go into anarchy, a good number of people could band together, based a lot on race or religion, for survival purposes. I didn't mean to say that in normal "civilized" society that people are constantly looking at race. That's what a bunch of people on this site would like to make it look like I'm saying and I guess they can go right ahead. I should have read the blog in the first place, to be honest. I feel like I payed for this site not under the premiss that I would be subjected to a lot of policial rhetoric ... and horrbily bias rheotric, at that. No one has to have a problem with Rev. Wright's comments. I wouldn't even care if he came straight out and admitted that he hates white people EXCEPT for the double standards. The people on this site would appalled if a white man said these things about blacks and they wouldn't be wrong for it. Reading all these young white kids defending such hate speach just sickens me. They shouldn't say "it's not a big deal" unless they are going to say that about all racist comments. I'd be fine with that too. I know that Rev. Wrights church is a minority when it comes to what is said in a typical church made predominately of black members. It doesn't change that fact that, to me and MANY others, his words are hurtful and not all in line with the teaching of love that was Jesus' true message. I personally believe a lot of the Bible has been tampered with to negate the importance of women, other religions, and races also but that's a WHOLE other subject.
It's difficult to property convey my feelings thru an internet and while trying to type and keep thoughts straight to get them posted in a timely manner so I'm sure the point is easily lost, not only with me, but many others. I had to stop posting cause I was getting heated and that makes communication THAT much harder.
My last post was political too and not wholly removed from what I'm typing here.
I posted this mostly so that when others are reading the board and someone picks one line of my post to highlight which is taken totally out of context, they have a better understanding. I know there are a lot of you on here that would never admit to a racist thought. Well, I have had them before. Now someone's going to think their really witty and say "well, that's a surprise" because they think I'm quote "racist" well, maybe I'm sexist too because when I get nervous passing someone walking down the street it isn't just if they are black, it depends on the area and how the person looks in general. I get scared of white men, too, who look like they've just smoked a hefty bowl of crack and if the man is black, I'm equally nervous. Yet, when I pass women crackheads or bums, I don't get nearly the same anxiety. Fucking crucify me. There are going to be people who get more pissed about me saying what I've said here more than they are of Rev. Wright's comments, or Jesse Jackson or Al Sharpton's multitude of racist remarks and that is sad. I have no political clout and I'm young and still molding my opinions on all sorts of issues so nothing that's being said here is necessarily how I will feel a year, 5, or 10 from now.
I am defensive when people talk about whites as though they are all powerful, rich, crooks, and liars and that is what Rev. Wright alluded too. So just the same as a black man would get pissed if a white man was saying all black men are lazy, thiefs, drug addicts, and womanizers I get mad when generalizations are made about my race. There's the point to be made that even if that is said about me that I've never experienced real descrimination and I guess, aside from not being able to get funding for college when I make 7.50 an hour but I'm white, no I haven't. But if no one gets aggravated over it then people will just assume they can run around bashing whites and that's okay because we somehow owe them. I don't owe anyone. I was born of a poor mother who was addicted to drugs and rasied by grandparents. My father isn't involved in my life and I work a regular job so I'm not privildged so don't lump me in that category with "the rich white people".
It's a class divide more than race divide. I will say that again and again because, in my experience, it is true.
Until the words nigger is eradicated from common speech and until what applies to one man, applies to another; then there is going to be a lot of racial tension because to eliminate prejudice against one race does not mean to turn it back on the other.
mrstitches:
Yes, prison is a very good place to look to see what is acceptable behavior.