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[Phoenician_Viking]

To tell you the truth I don't understand it either. But if you are with a group of black males, that group will be watched. Or if they are out hanging out in front of a house and cop drives by, the cop will stop and ask them a few questions.

How the hell is this happening in this day and age? Is that not racial profiling and therefor illegal?

 

[Karsticles]

Sounds like your mother has a problem. You should have a talk with her before she gets someone in trouble for no reason.

You must be new to changing the ideologies of racist individuals. Do you have any idea how difficult it is to change the mind of a 60 year old woman through purely theoretical discussion? Particularly one who is your own mother, which alone invalidates most forms of mentoring you can perform for her?

Dress like a GQ shoot and people won't discriminate.

It's impressive how people can actively choose to misread posts. It never gets old.

 

[DonasaurusRex]

I was actually never taught any of that, but that's probably because I grew up in a rich white suburb and they must have assumed that I was also rich and thus had no reason to cause trouble.

Spoiler

Or because I never went outside.

I do think I've been stared out in a store before, though.

lol

 

[SonnyBoy]

I dress "GQ" everyday for my job as a intrusion analyst, and I still get treated oddly... Dress has little to do with it.

 

[Slayven]

How the hell is this happening in this day and age? Is that not racial profiling and therefor illegal?

Nah, it ain't racial profiling, they will just be investigating suspicious activity.

 

[commedieu]

This has happened to me literally every single time i've been stopped.

I haven't even bothered to look up if its legal or not. Its just one of those wow moments. lol.. ah... fun times. Its friday though, enough of this stuff. I've had my fill...

stay safe everyone!

How the hell is this happening in this day and age? Is that not racial profiling and therefor illegal?

edit:

someone separate dev & shady! chill guys

im outttttttttt

 

[shadyspace]

Actually I was asking since a lot of them professed to being told they act white, if they've been called oreos or Urkels. What's your real problem?

Why don't you tell me what my "real problem" is since I wasn't aware I had one until you told me I did.

 

[DY_nasty]

I was taught most of this as a white child of hippies

Not to say it doesn't make a lot more sad sense for black kids to learn it

Were you taught where to not take a white woman? Or how to deal with her parents?

 

[Phoenician_Viking]

Nah, it ain't racial profiling, they will just be investigating suspicious activity.

It is when the suspicion is happening because of skin color.

 

[Rubbish King]

Errm I've heard most of these things and I'm white. I think this has more to do with age, teenagers because teens love to cause trouble, than race.

exactly

 

[Devolution]

Why don't you tell me what my "real problem" is since I wasn't aware I had one until you told me I did.

I'm not dictating any experiences, I'm asking them about their own. So again, what are you even saying?

The point I was making earlier is that one can comprehend and understand racism but never feel its full effects if they're of the privileged group. Is that so hard to fucking grasp?

 

[Bay Maximus]

Because despite how educated you may or may not be, you completely lack the experience that you continually name as being key to understanding this issue. I would never say "Hey, transsexuals, don't you hate when people question your gender, amirite?!" It's incredibly tacky.

What exactly are you arguing against here? She asked if black people have ever been called a pair of offensive words. She didn't say, "Man I hate how The Man calls us Oreos, don't you Black GAF?" Given some of your posts in this thread, I find it ironic for you to call someone tacky.

as a black man i cant relate

Then you are an incredibly lucky minority within a minority.

 

[Karsticles]

I dress "GQ" everyday for my job as a intrusion analyst, and I still get treated oddly... Dress has little to do with it.

Tell me your experiences. I think it would do every black man well to know that white people often treat black people "oddly" out of fear of seeming racist. The number of white people who are apathetic about a person's race is extremely small, and those who are not racist tend to overcompensate to ensure they don't "seem racist", or are constantly worried that they will offend a person's presumption that they are treating them in a certain way because that person may take it as a racial issue.

I've had a lot of experiences where personal conflict exists between a white person and a black person, and there's a huge amount of discomfort because the black person is obsessed with taking any issue as being a racial one. I am not saying this is you, but I am saying that those experiences build, and a lot of white people are afraid of engaging with black people not because they're racist, but because they're scared of being thought of as racist.

Kind of like this:
http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showpost.php?p=36297788&postcount=17003

 

[kame-sennin]

What is so bad about curiosity and interest in those different from you exactly? What is so insidious about being innocently fascinated with the process of an individual going from one gender to another?

This is an act of the ignorant, not the hateful. I don't see why anyone should get so worked about something like, "Ooooh! Your hair is so exotic!" Yes, it's uncultured and unworldly. But, you know what, so are a lot of Americans. Who, by the way, can do much worse as we both know too well.

I see where you are coming from. The person who's expressing curiosity isn't being malicious. The problem is for the minority on the other side, who has to deal with this kind of stuff on a regular basis. Eventually, you feel as if you are stuck with two choices; either become a poster child for a marginalized and not well-represented group, which is frustrating and exhausting, or risk coming across as the "angry" or "righteous" minority who dismisses the naive curiosity of privileged persons. The problem is that being privileged means not having to make that choice. A white man doesn't represent white men. A straight man doesn't represent straight men. But this burden of representation does exist, and it is needlessly taxing for minorities.

Ah right, that makes sense. So it's more the doubt in your mind that's more painful than any of the actual actions, the thought that you're being targeted because of your colour even if it's not the case.

I know this is devaluing the subject and correct me if I'm wrong, but is it sort of like having a spot on your face and whenever someone looks away from you, you think to yourself that it's because of the spot? Basically being self conscience about yourself 24/7 and on a 'deeper' level.

In a way. The problem is that these fears and anxieties get confirmed all the time. Every time a Trayvon Martin shows up in the news, it confirms the fear of racial bias. If you're the guy from this article, you're never going to feel comfortable going anywhere. But even if you're a black guy who just read the article, it's going to wear on you a bit.

WHEN I was 14, my mother told me not to panic if a police officer stopped me. And she cautioned me to carry ID and never run away from the police or I could be shot. In the nine years since my mother gave me this advice, I have had numerous occasions to consider her wisdom.

One evening in August of 2006, I was celebrating my 18th birthday with my cousin and a friend. We were staying at my sister’s house on 96th Street and Amsterdam Avenue in Manhattan and decided to walk to a nearby place and get some burgers. It was closed so we sat on benches in the median strip that runs down the middle of Broadway. We were talking, watching the night go by, enjoying the evening when suddenly, and out of nowhere, squad cars surrounded us. A policeman yelled from the window, “Get on the ground!”

I was stunned. And I was scared. Then I was on the ground — with a gun pointed at me. I couldn’t see what was happening but I could feel a policeman’s hand reach into my pocket and remove my wallet. Apparently he looked through and found the ID I kept there. “Happy Birthday,” he said sarcastically. The officers questioned my cousin and friend, asked what they were doing in town, and then said goodnight and left us on the sidewalk.

Less than two years later, in the spring of 2008, N.Y.P.D. officers stopped and frisked me, again. And for no apparent reason. This time I was leaving my grandmother’s home in Flatbush, Brooklyn; a squad car passed me as I walked down East 49th Street to the bus stop. The car backed up. Three officers jumped out. Not again. The officers ordered me to stand, hands against a garage door, fished my wallet out of my pocket and looked at my ID. Then they let me go.

I was stopped again in September of 2010. This time I was just walking home from the gym. It was the same routine: I was stopped, frisked, searched, ID’d and let go.

These experiences changed the way I felt about the police. After the third incident I worried when police cars drove by; I was afraid I would be stopped and searched or that something worse would happen. I dress better if I go downtown. I don’t hang out with friends outside my neighborhood in Harlem as much as I used to. Essentially, I incorporated into my daily life the sense that I might find myself up against a wall or on the ground with an officer’s gun at my head. For a black man in his 20s like me, it’s just a fact of life in New York.

Here are a few other facts: last year, the N.Y.P.D. recorded more than 600,000 stops; 84 percent of those stopped were blacks or Latinos. Police are far more likely to use force when stopping blacks or Latinos than whites. In half the stops police cite the vague “furtive movements” as the reason for the stop. Maybe black and brown people just look more furtive, whatever that means. These stops are part of a larger, more widespread problem — a racially discriminatory system of stop-and-frisk in the N.Y.P.D. The police use the excuse that they’re fighting crime to continue the practice, but no one has ever actually proved that it reduces crime or makes the city safer. Those of us who live in the neighborhoods where stop-and-frisks are a basic fact of daily life don’t feel safer as a result.

We need change. When I was young I thought cops were cool. They had a respectable and honorable job to keep people safe and fight crime. Now, I think their tactics are unfair and they abuse their authority. The police should consider the consequences of a generation of young people who want nothing to do with them — distrust, alienation and more crime.

Last May, I was outside my apartment building on my way to the store when two police officers jumped out of an unmarked car and told me to stop and put my hands up against the wall. I complied. Without my permission, they removed my cellphone from my hand, and one of the officers reached into my pockets, and removed my wallet and keys. He looked through my wallet, then handcuffed me. The officers wanted to know if I had just come out of a particular building. No, I told them, I lived next door.

One of the officers asked which of the keys they had removed from my pocket opened my apartment door. Then he entered my building and tried to get into my apartment with my key. My 18-year-old sister was inside with two of our younger siblings; later she told me she had no idea why the police were trying to get into our apartment and was terrified. She tried to call me, but because they had confiscated my phone, I couldn’t answer.

Meanwhile, a white officer put me in the back of the police car. I was still handcuffed. The officer asked if I had any marijuana, and I said no. He removed and searched my shoes and patted down my socks. I asked why they were searching me, and he told me someone in my building complained that a person they believed fit my description had been ringing their bell. After the other officer returned from inside my apartment building, they opened the door to the police car, told me to get out, removed the handcuffs and simply drove off. I was deeply shaken.

For young people in my neighborhood, getting stopped and frisked is a rite of passage. We expect the police to jump us at any moment. We know the rules: don’t run and don’t try to explain, because speaking up for yourself might get you arrested or worse. And we all feel the same way — degraded, harassed, violated and criminalized because we’re black or Latino. Have I been stopped more than the average young black person? I don’t know, but I look like a zillion other people on the street. And we’re all just trying to live our lives.

As a teenager, I was quiet and kept to myself. I’m about to graduate from the Borough of Manhattan Community College, and I have a stronger sense of myself after getting involved with the Brotherhood/Sister Sol, a neighborhood organization in Harlem. We educate young people about their rights when they’re stopped by the police and how to stay safe in those interactions. I have talked to dozens of young people who have had experiences like mine. And I know firsthand how much it messes with you. Because of them, I’m doing what I can to help change things and am acting as a witness in a lawsuit brought by the Center for Constitutional Rights to stop the police from racially profiling and harassing black and brown people in New York.

It feels like an important thing to be part of a community of hundreds of thousands of people who are wrongfully stopped on their way to work, school, church or shopping, and are patted down or worse by the police though they carry no weapon; and searched for no reason other than the color of their skin. I hope police practices will change and that when I have children I won’t need to pass along my mother’s advice.

 

[fuzzyreactor]

So you've never been considered suspicious because of your race despite nothing to indicate otherwise?

purely based on being black? no. In combination with other factors such as age, location, clothing, company, time, etc yea sure.

 

[Bay Maximus]

heh

So gangsta.

 

[shadyspace]

What exactly are you arguing against here? She asked if black people have ever been called a pair of offensive words. She didn't say, "Man I hate how The Man calls us Oreos, don't you Black GAF?" Given some of your posts in this thread, I find it ironic for you to call someone tacky.

My point is that inferring about the black experience in such a way that just screams African American Studies 101 is just as disingenuous as anyone arguing against the OP might be.

 

[Onemic]

So gangsta.

Ah, 50. How I will forever hate your music. I will say though, the dude is/was the best marketer in the game.

 

[Mumei]

The way I see it is that the racist person just uses their racism to hurt others and get attention. Kind of like when a girl in school is loud and screaming at someone even if what she is saying is fucking stupid and doesn't make sense. If you ignore them, yeah, it pisses them off even more, but if everyone collectively ignored the ignorant people, society would be a lot better off.

You made me think of this from the moment you started on this tangent:

I really recommend it for you, if for no other reason than that it presents a theorization of racism that is structural rather than individual (though "after we make students aware of how inequality is structured in society, they become individually responsible for how their actions and behavior help perpetuate inequality"), as in your example.

And it would hopefully explain at length why a "nonracist" (as opposed to "antiracist" ("Being an antiracist begins with understanding the institutional nature of racial matters and accepting that all actors within a racialized society are affected materially (receive benefits or disadvantages) and ideologically by the racial structure.")) perspective actually is less helpful than you seem to suppose.

 

[oxrock]

Yeah, but that's blatantly incongruous. White skinheads are a tiny subculture with obvious signals that are clearly distinguishable. Black kids wearing hoodies isn't even close to being similar from an objective stance, yet the cultural expectation upon seeing that person is almost completely negative.

technical difficulties, fixing

 

[The Chosen One]

Obviously no one should be shot simply for wearing a hoodie or endure unjust treatment because of it.

But my mom told me at a young age that life isn't fair and that as a black man I'll need to actively try to break stereotypes otherwise risk becoming a victim of them.

This means for example:
- When I go into a convenience store have a pleasant demeanor on my face even if I'm having a bad day. Know where my money is, so I'm not fumbling in my pockets for too long.
- When in an elevator or walking past a white woman (who is by herself), have a pleasant expression and politely say, "Good Morning/Afternoon"
- If going to nice restaurants or stores, dress nicely and speak in a moderate tone.
- In any situation where it is expected or advantageous to be clean-cut, then do so. Job interviews for example aren't the venues for self-expression.

Most of those things are pretty general and it's primarily just about being a gentleman at all times. Being a gentleman doesn't guarantee you won't encounter any prejudicial actions toward you, but it does reduce them and it slowly breaks down people's stereo-typical view of black men.

Also you'll find that some people will come to your aid when they see you're being mistreated over an unfounded stereo-type. I once had this retail store clerk stalking me around the store. This other white woman shopping in the store noticed it too and asked the clerk, "I know he's a dashing young man, but perhaps you could spare some attention to the rest of the people in the store." The clerk sheepishly returned to the front of the store and the white woman winked at me and I mouthed "thank you" to her. So yeah it sucked basically being racially profiled by the clerk, but it was encouraging to have someone step-up and say something. I also think it helped that I was dressed nicely and had a pleasant demeanor so it made it plainly obvious to the white woman shopper I was being mistreated by the clerk because of the color of my skin and no other reason.

Anyway, yeah some of us black men have to take on an extra burden on these type of things. It sucks, but honestly a certain component of it is self-inflicted. Let's be a blunt, the hiphop image we've exported over the past 15-20 years hasn't helped matters. The gangsta/thug-culture glorification basically reinforced the very same stereo-types, we were trying to breakdown. We can't have it both ways. We can't constantly complain about the black stereotypes and then have our music and entertainment figures exploiting those caricatures for their own personal gain. And if you try to call them out on it, you get Bill Cosby'ed.

 

[CrushDance]

.

 

[Jangocube]

You made me think of this from the moment you started on this tangent:

I really recommend it for you, if for no other reason than that it presents a theorization of racism that is structural rather than individual (though "after we make students aware of how inequality is structured in society, they become individually responsible for how their actions and behavior help perpetuate inequality"), as in your example.

And it would hopefully explain at length why a "nonracist" (as opposed to "antiracist" ("Being an antiracist begins with understanding the institutional nature of racial matters and accepting that all actors within a racialized society are affected materially (receive benefits or disadvantages) and ideologically by the racial structure.")) perspective actually is less helpful than you seem to suppose.

Wasn't really a tangent =P

I think it is better then the current method that some people seem to be using. I'm always open to other theories though! I'll check out a summary of the book and see if it peaks my interest.

And I'll read your post in a bit Crush, gotta eat.

 

[Veezy]

So, I live in Tennessee, currently. I was outside, around 1am, talking to a black guy about work out shit. Help him with some deadlifts, he spotted me on my bench. Just bein some brahs. Drinking protein shakes.

Knoxville PD pulls up, flashes his lights, steps out of the car, hand on his gun, and says, looking at me, "everything all right tonight, sir?" I've never felt more embarrassed or out of place in my life. I mean, I apologized, but he said it's not a problem cause that shit just kinda happens in his part of town a lot.

So, yeah. We still have a long fucking way to go. Especially in the South.

 

[Imm0rt4l]

My parents didn't like me even playing with plastic toy guns as a kid, explaining to me that black kids have been shot by police for just as much.

 

[Mumei]

Wasn't really a tangent =P

I think it is better then the current method that some people seem to be using. I'm always open to other theories though! I'll check out a summary of the book and see if it peaks my interest.

Piques*

 

[Kinyou]

Walk around campus.

"Don't you play for the team?"
"No."
"....."
"....?"
"Soo.... do you work here?"

Ouch

 

[Black Republican]

My parents didn't like me even playing with plastic toy guns as a kid, explaining to me that black kids have been shot by police for just as much.

one step at a time

 

[Bay Maximus]

My point is that inferring about the black experience in such a way that just screams African American Studies 101 is just as disingenuous as anyone arguing against the OP might be.

And you know she's disingenuous from a few posts? I am tempted to call that Psychology 101 BS but that would be an affront to higher education. In any case it's an unnecessary derail to the topic.

So, I live in Tennessee, currently. I was outside, around 1am, talking to a black guy about work out shit. Help him with some deadlifts, he spotted me on my bench. Just bein some brahs. Drinking protein shakes.

Knoxville PD pulls up, flashes his lights, steps out of the car, hand on his gun, and says, looking at me, "everything all right tonight, sir?" I've never felt more embarrassed or out of place in my life. I mean, I apologized, but he said it's not a problem cause that shit just kinda happens in his part of town a lot.

So, yeah. We still have a long fucking way to go. Especially in the South.

Crazy.

It's cool though. According to Jango, if your friend had just ignored the cops they would have left him alone. And what the hell at working out at 1AM. You guys are dedicated man.

 

[Devolution]

one step at a time

Kid obviously stole that from one of the white children on the playground.

 

[The M.O.B]

I was taught a bunch of that stuff in the OP.

I've caught my fair share of suspicious looks/ watchful eyes in stores too.

 

[Onemic]

My parents didn't like me even playing with plastic toy guns as a kid, explaining to me that black kids have been shot by police for just as much.

This.

My parents never bought me one and when I borrowed my toy laser gun from my friend they went out of their goddamn mind. I had to be lectured how I could be shot or perceived as a threat to police just because I have something that resembles a gun.

 

[Slayven]

This.

My parents never bought me one and when I borrowed my toy laser gun from my friend they went out of their goddamn mind.

Yeah, I am old enough to remember when toy guns look just like real guns.

 

[waxer]

Im not black or american but as a random story.
I used to get searched going out of a chain store as a teenager by the same person every time. Usually holding the receipt and item I bought. I got asked to turn out my pockets.
After having it happen both visits one week I decided the only option was to fill my pockets with tacks.
Sure enough at the entrance I was asked to turn out my pockets for the third time. I warned her it wasnt a good idea and went ahead and did it and scattered them across the entrance way.

They were forced to stop everything for safety reasons and no one could enter or leave until the pins were all removed.
When the manager came along i just explained that i was asked to empty my pockets despite warnings. Complained about the harassment and pointed out how I was a paying customer.

Never had a problem there again. But the security guard lady was gone after that so she probably lost her job once they checked out the surveillance based off my receipt times. It was an asshole move when I could have just laid a complaint rather than make a mess but much more entertaining.

 

[Devolution]

Im not black or american but as a random story.
I used to get searched going out of a chain store as a teenager by the same person every time. Usually holding the receipt and item I bought. I got asked to turn out my pockets.
After having it happen both visits one week I decided the only option was to fill my pockets with tacks.
Sure enough at the entrance I was asked to turn out my pockets for the third time. I warned her it wasnt a good idea and went ahead and did it and scattered them across the entrance way.

They were forced to stop everything for safety reasons and no one could enter or leave until the pins were all removed.
When the manager came along i just explained that i was asked to empty my pockets despite warnings. Complained about the harassment and pointed out how I was a paying customer.

Never had a problem there again. But the security guard lady was gone after that so she probably lost her job once they checked out the surveillance based off my receipt times. It was an asshole move when I could have just laid a complaint rather than make a mess but much more entertaining.

Asshole move? Genius move.

 

[Alligatorjandro]

Im not black or american but as a random story.
I used to get searched going out of a chain store as a teenager by the same person every time. Usually holding the receipt and item I bought. I got asked to turn out my pockets.
After having it happen both visits one week I decided the only option was to fill my pockets with tacks.
Sure enough at the entrance I was asked to turn out my pockets for the third time. I warned her it wasnt a good idea and went ahead and did it and scattered them across the entrance way.

They were forced to stop everything for safety reasons and no one could enter or leave until the pins were all removed.
When the manager came along i just explained that i was asked to empty my pockets despite warnings. Complained about the harassment and pointed out how I was a paying customer.

Never had a problem there again. But the security guard lady was gone after that so she probably lost her job once they checked out the surveillance based off my receipt times. It was an asshole move when I could have just laid a complaint rather than make a mess but much more entertaining.

Holy shit lol.

 

[DY_nasty]

How did you get that job anyway?

 

[BeesEight]

-When buying something from the store always get it in a bag.

I don't understand this. Why would you need everything in a bag? Is it because if it's in your hands they'll assume you stole it? Wouldn't you just need to hold onto the receipt?

I can't quite put my finger on why, but some of the responses to this topic have brought this to mind:

I don't mean this to be antagonistic or anything, but why are fat people considered in the same situation as the others?

 

[shadyspace]

Yeah, I am old enough to remember when toy guns look just like real guns.

A cop drew a gun on me when I was 11 years old. I was playing with my friends in the woods.

 

[Satch]

Im not black or american but as a random story.
I used to get searched going out of a chain store as a teenager by the same person every time. Usually holding the receipt and item I bought. I got asked to turn out my pockets.
After having it happen both visits one week I decided the only option was to fill my pockets with tacks.
Sure enough at the entrance I was asked to turn out my pockets for the third time. I warned her it wasnt a good idea and went ahead and did it and scattered them across the entrance way.

They were forced to stop everything for safety reasons and no one could enter or leave until the pins were all removed.
When the manager came along i just explained that i was asked to empty my pockets despite warnings. Complained about the harassment and pointed out how I was a paying customer.

Never had a problem there again. But the security guard lady was gone after that so she probably lost her job once they checked out the surveillance based off my receipt times. It was an asshole move when I could have just laid a complaint rather than make a mess but much more entertaining.

this is both terrible and hilarious all at once

 

[kame-sennin]

The way I see it is that the racist person just uses their racism to hurt others and get attention. Kind of like when a girl in school is loud and screaming at someone even if what she is saying is fucking stupid and doesn't make sense. If you ignore them, yeah, it pisses them off even more, but if everyone collectively ignored the ignorant people, society would be a lot better off.

What social or political problems have ever been resolved by not talking about them?

 

[Dubbedinenglish]

From about 8-16 I played hockey. Through those years hockey was a major part of my life. Always though when I was at another rinks looks of surprise and intrusive as some of color was skating in the warm up. My favorite was a few mothers who said , " Is basketball season over?" "How do you like hockey?"

Even off the ice each time adults would ask "Do you play sports?" (I was 6' during that time). My response was "Yes" . The the immediate follow up was if I payed basketball, I would say "No." The immediate question was "Football" then I would say no. The response ".... Basketball?"

When I would say Hockey it was amazement "Like actual hockey like the NHL?"

 

[TheOMan]

I can attest to this.
We all get that talkin' to.

Hell, I still get nervous leaving a store and walking through anti-theft detectors.
Why?
You never want to be 'that' guy.
More specifically, you never want to be 'that' black guy.

Man - this is terrible. I've never even had to think about this where I am. Don't they just check your receipt if the alarm goes off?

Edit: I have to say that my time in North Carolina was great and everybody there was super nice. I was in Chapel Hill. Of course, at my business meeting I was told not to go 20 miles either way from where we were. We all laughed, I thought it was a joke. I'm beginning to realize that it probably wasn't...or a half joke at best. :/

 

[el retorno]

This event has really shaken me. Its really show how much farther we have to go.

I mean I grew up with all kinds of friends but stuff like this reminds me of the times when I've had to deal with my friends getting singled out because they were black, hispanic or whatever. I guess I kind of forgot and though since me and my friends were progressive in this repect other people where. I never really knew how hard this crap was for them. It just makes me depressed but at the same time movitivated to not put up with crap if they face this stuff when I'm around.

 

[kame-sennin]

So what's the solution? How are these problems fixed?

I thought your first post in this thread was pretty great. Learning about these issues - which means admitting that you don't know what it's like for others - is a key step. Institutional racism also has to be addressed legally, but raising awareness and challenging misconceptions is really important. You can't fix problems of racial discrimination if you're not willing to admit that the problem exists, which is why racism denial is so pernicious.

 

[06nbarnhill]

Wasn't really a tangent =P

I think it is better then the current method that some people seem to be using. I'm always open to other theories though! I'll check out a summary of the book and see if it peaks my interest.

And I'll read your post in a bit Crush, gotta eat.

One of the better posts in this thread.



Only other thing I am going to say in this thread is that it annoys me when anyone tries to portray what minorities (whether it be racial, gender based, or sexuality based) go through in a way that insists that experience X, Y, and Z that they have seen or heard are standard for the experience of that minority group.......... when they may or may not be................. and they attempt to drown out anyone who claims that it may not be that severe or a certain experience really isn't common.

Also going to say that bigotry is a human trait in a lot of ways. We like being us vs them and sometimes the "them" is based on something like race or sexuality. I also think its universal and no group can really claim a moral high ground on the issue.


I also think that threads like this are not healthy for anyone. Premise was flawed to begin with and only got worse with discussion.

 

[MIMIC]

Walk around campus.

"Don't you play for the team?"
"No."
"....."
"....?"
"Soo.... do you work here?"

LOL, can't tell you how often I've been asked for that question. I'm on the Ohio St. football team? OK?

Spoiler

Who am I kidding, I was flattered, lol

 

[Imm0rt4l]

Im not black or american but as a random story.
I used to get searched going out of a chain store as a teenager by the same person every time. Usually holding the receipt and item I bought. I got asked to turn out my pockets.
After having it happen both visits one week I decided the only option was to fill my pockets with tacks.
Sure enough at the entrance I was asked to turn out my pockets for the third time. I warned her it wasnt a good idea and went ahead and did it and scattered them across the entrance way.

They were forced to stop everything for safety reasons and no one could enter or leave until the pins were all removed.
When the manager came along i just explained that i was asked to empty my pockets despite warnings. Complained about the harassment and pointed out how I was a paying customer.

Never had a problem there again. But the security guard lady was gone after that so she probably lost her job once they checked out the surveillance based off my receipt times. It was an asshole move when I could have just laid a complaint rather than make a mess but much more entertaining.

Gotta give you props for that one.

 

[Black Republican]

From about 8-16 I played hockey. Through those years hockey was a major part of my life. Always though when I was at another rinks looks of surprise and intrusive as some of color was skating in the warm up. My favorite was a few mothers who said , " Is basketball season over?" "How do you like hockey?"

Even off the ice each time adults would ask "Do you play sports?" (I was 6' during that time). My response was "Yes" . The the immediate follow up was if I payed basketball, I would say "No." The immediate question was "Football" then I would say no. The response ".... Basketball?"

When I would say Hockey it was amazement "Like actual hockey like the NHL?"

shoulda said you shoot dice as a hobby or maybe badminton

 

[bengraven]

ABC news had a great video on tonight(trying to find online) that talked about the conversation every black male in America has had by the time they are 15.

-When in a store don't have your hands in your pockets.

-When buying something from the store always get it in a bag.

-Don't stand too close to women.

-If you are with a group(of black guys) don't look like you are up to something.

-Always have you hands visible and open when talking to police.


I was like damn, this is stuff I still hear from my mom when I 30 years old. And I look at my 5 year old nephew and think I going to have to teach him this stuff too.

Man, if I were black I'd do all but the last one.

Shit, I'd be a bitter ass black man.