Racism or Reality?

[K0rN_b4LL]

Before I start I just wanna say that I know this is probably gonna go off the rails pretty darn fast, especially given the controversial nature of this topic and how emotional the country is about it right now. This is one reason why I'm putting it in this section instead of General Discussion. That being said when I read this I thought it too interesting (for lack of a better word) to not share.
http://news.yahoo.com/black-americas-real-problem-isnt-white-racism-070000529.html

So which do you think this is? The opinion in this article seems to reflect the feelings of a growing number of Americans towards minorities and why racial tensions seem to be getting worse instead of getting better in out country. That people like Sharpton and the NAACP seem to believe that black's rights are more important than the rights of other Americans and whatever crimes they may commit are not as important as protecting the perpetrator's civil rights. That the main problem with the black community is a lack of proper education and children being raised in poor and unsupporting settings, and a lot of them without parents.

On the other hand it almost seems like the article is saying that it is ok to profile people based on race. That you can look at a black or Hispanic man or woman and just assume that they commit crimes. That the thought of "Oh look out for that black guy, he might try to rob or kill you" is ok.


I'm really torn with this. I believe each person is responsible for their own destiny and you can't judge one person because of something that another person did. On the other hand the growing amount of problems coming out of minority communities has me getting worried and when I walk down the street I find myself looking at the people around me and judging them just on how they look in my head. It's getting harder and harder for me to tell what is right these days.



What are your thoughts on this? I wanna add the whole "let's keep it civil" bit in but.......yeah. I know how folks can get. Lets at least try to get maybe one page of real discussion before the trolls get this thing locked, okay?

 

[South Of Heaven]

I believe that America as a country has gotten so caught-up in protecting 'minorities' that we've ended up, well, sort of oppressing whites.

There are quotas that companies have for the amount of black/hispanic/etc. people they MUST hire. I realise this is supposed to prevent discrimination but to me it seems like it does exactly the opposite - Caucasian people do not get jobs because those companies MUST hire black/hispanic/etc. people. Another thing I've noticed is that in general nobody gives two shits if a black guy is speaking anti-white statements or saying things like "I hate white people" or anything of that sort. However, if a white person was to speak out about that sort of thing they're viewed as a racist.
Something that comes to mind is the entire Trayvon Martin case - A LOT of people are angry that George Zimmerman got acquitted - My personal opinion is yeah, he should've, self-defense, but I'm sure if the situation was reversed it wouldn't be so much a race issue as just a murder, and probably would've never grown this big.

I feel like America is so caught-up in trying not to be racist that we've actually become racist.

 

[K0rN_b4LL]

I thought affirmative action was banned a long time ago?

 

[South Of Heaven]

I don't believe so, if I remember correctly.
You can wear a black pride, mexican bride, asian pride, brown pride shirt, tattoos, whatever, and that's perfectly acceptable in America, but the moment you put on a White Pride shirt you are viewed as a racist or a bigot.

Basically, America is trying to make white people feel guilty for being white.. which is exactly what was happening to other minorities.

 

[Norik]

I feel like America is so caught-up in trying not to be racist that we've actually become racist.

This is absolutely something we all can agree on. But more importantly, the issue of racism will continue to drag on to newer generations unless the media stops whoring it every time they get a chance, but that will never happen because hatred sells. I mean, just look at Fox News, an entire network based exclusively on hatred and sensationalism. Perhaps in 20-30 years racism will have decreased in scope because all the people born before the civil rights movement will be dead, but no social movement happens overnight.

You can wear a black pride, mexican bride, asian pride, brown pride shirt, tattoos, whatever, and that's perfectly acceptable in America, but the moment you put on a White Pride shirt you are viewed as a racist or a bigot.

All racial pride is stupid, be it "black pride" or "white pride" or whatever the hell they come up with next. Real diversity isn't about what you look like or where you're from, but about how you think, what you do, and what your experiences are. What's most ironic is that often the people who believe in this pride bullshit have more in common with the minorities they oppose than with the aristocrats they vote for or the leaders of their religious affiliations.

I thought affirmative action was banned a long time ago?

You've obviously never been to a top-tier or Ivy League school.