So I'm trying to explain Race/ Racism to one of my new English friends. He's convinced that Race isn't or shouldn't be a thing and doesn't really understand American white privilege.
This is a conversation over Xbox live so it's start is kind of weird. but i'm going to post where the discussion started on race.
I'm sorry that this is hard to read, but this literally the message string copy pasted when you don't see a name in front of a Text it's still me or him.
This is also my first thread so i'm sorry if it sucks a bit.
I know I've probably said some stupid shit in this but I wanted you all to have the full conversation to educate myself as well as him. How can I make my argument better and what am i saying wrong?
This is a conversation over Xbox live so it's start is kind of weird. but i'm going to post where the discussion started on race.
I'm sorry that this is hard to read, but this literally the message string copy pasted when you don't see a name in front of a Text it's still me or him.
This is also my first thread so i'm sorry if it sucks a bit.
ME
Actually African Americans and Native Americans are the only ones who didn't invade the country lol
9/13/2015
Lol who cares
HIM9/13/2015
Lol I find the term African American so fucking racist lol
9/13/2015
Don't get me wrong I don't give a shit about racism. Hell the whites are persecuted all the time.
9/13/2015
But the fact that Americans assume black people are from Africa is fucking awful lol
Me9/13/2015
You do know I'm black right lmfao
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Yeah I know
Me9/13/2015
I mean at one point we all were
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
But you are not "African American"
9/13/2015
You are an American who happens to be black
Me9/13/2015
true
9/13/2015
true
9/13/2015
ehh I don't mind it it's better than Afro American
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Look at the people from the West Indies, Jamaica, Dominican Republic,and every other black nation
Me9/13/2015
Their call some type of Islanders actually
9/13/2015
I forget the name
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Surely assuming something based on colour as in where someone is from is the definition of racism. So saying you are African American is assuming something your origin based on colour. To me that is racist lol
9/13/2015
Yeah but to be "politically correct" people in the USA say African American without finding out if that person is from the islands
Me9/13/2015
That's not really how its used. Lol don't' get me wrong my country is racist as fuck
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Because some people find being called "black" offensive. It's the same in the UK
Me9/13/2015
Several of them are running for President
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
And several of them are black lol
Me9/13/2015
Lol I can't bet bothered by that small shit
9/13/2015
People have said and done worse to me because of my skin
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Exactly. It's fucking stupid. It's so annoying when someone goes on about what their great great grandad went through. Black, white, Jew, whatever. Fuck that! All that matters is how we act now.
9/13/2015
Hey I have Been massively discriminated against for being white. It's not nice for anyone!
Me9/13/2015
I can't agree with that the sins of the past are still effecting people here.
9/13/2015
Being white in America is like winning a mini lottery
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
I used to go to an all Jamaican black church ( to be fair it was just for the chicken lol) and I grew up in a very Somalian run area. On top of that the police were too worried to hassle the blacks as it could look discriminating
Me9/13/2015
lol over here they kill black people for looking or speaking to them cross and they get off with it.
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
It depends how you look at it. I can't comment on America as I'm not from here but in the UK people are so focused on meeting quotas whether it be black, female, gay or anything else the white straight people are bottom of several lists lol
9/13/2015
In my opinion stereotypes always come from somewhere and are always in some way true
Me9/13/2015
Yeah that's very possible over there but over here hell no
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Look at the U.S. Police force. Yes I'm sure a huge amount are racist cunts. But also a huge amount of black people get involved in criminal activity. That's the problem with stereotypes. It may be true for a huge amount but it's never true for
9/13/2015
Everyone
9/13/2015
I really wish we lived in a time where people can be labeled a cunt not because of their skin, profession or history but because they are a cunt lol
Me9/13/2015
I'll have to link to some stories and data on why the numbers are skewed that way.
It's not that simple
9/13/2015
Our police have a problem due to subpar training in certain areas.
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Yeah but for every link you sent me someone else could send me another. It is true that in the USA and the UK the most gang activity is from black people. Does that make all black people bad? Hell no!
9/13/2015
The training I agree with 100%
Me9/13/2015
I can't say anything about the Uk but our police are pretty much trained to bully the poor and avoid the rich
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
In the UK the police don't have guns so it doesn't escalate like it does here.
Me9/13/2015
Meaning constantly horas blacks and hispanics
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Lol it's the same in the UK.
9/13/2015
But the poor are white
9/13/2015
But that's the point. It doesn't matter!
Me9/13/2015
Apparently we have superpowers too because they think we can spawn guns and that as teenagers we have superstrength
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Hahaha
9/13/2015
Yeah I heard
Me9/13/2015
Majority of poor people are minorities
9/13/2015
They also think we have Sharingans for some reasons
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Can I ask you question? First of all you have to understand I'm not racist. I hate everyone lol
Me9/13/2015
Go ahead
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
Where do you stand on the "N word" whether it be nigga, nigger or any other way of spelling/saying it?
9/13/2015
This is a question I like to ask as it shows the way people view race
They are very different
Him
Is there any version a white person shouldn't say?
Me
If someone says nigger it's meant to hurt and demean black people
3169/13/2015
What if it's a black person saying it?
Me
White people should NEVER ever ever say nigger. No one should black people don't even use it
Him
Ok good answer!
Me
Nigga was made as a filler word such as bro or bra or bruh. It's our word
Him
Our word?
9/13/2015
Who's word exactly?
Me
I won't be offended if a white person uses it but i'd look at them like they are stupid because I know their using it because they feel like their cool enough to say it around me. Some white guys say it so awkwardly because their scared of my reactio
Him
Lol ok. I was gunna say
Me
Black people coined that version of it
Him
That's the problem. Looking at it as black people and white people instead of just people
Me
I honestly don't' care if some of them use it, but in those cases they have a real respect and understanding of black people
9/13/2015
Colorblindness doesn't work for several reasons
9/13/2015
That can be a thing of the future but the problems of race need to be solved now
9/13/2015
Do you ever wonder why Blacks are statistically poor in America?
Him
Most civilised people agree that stopping black people from using certain words, using certain restaurants and transportation and stuff like that was wrong. Doing the same to whites is no better.
Me9/13/2015
And in such our crime rates spike because of it.
9/13/2015
It's about respect you don't here me calling every white person I meet a "Cracker"
9/13/2015
Don't call me a N. we have to accept that Yes, all humans are the same but our culture is different from each other and most cultures are of uniformed "race"
Him
No I don't. But I don't respect blacks
9/13/2015
Or whites
9/13/2015
Or Asians or anyone
9/13/2015
I respect people. The ones who deserve it
Me
So what do you consider yourself then
Him
Me? I'm a 30 year old English guy
9/13/2015
My colour is irrelevant.
Me
Who is White. I'm a 19 year old Black guy living in Racist ass Georgia
9/13/2015
Race has to be addressed and understood
9/13/2015
many whites in my country don't' even discuss race many of them go through childhood without seeing another race
Him
I'm not disputing that. But racism is like a 5 way street. It's all around us and effects every single race isn't seen as the country of origin but is seen as the colour of the skin which is sad but one of the most persecuted people today and
9/13/2015
In the past has been the whites. Not in the USA but on a global scale
9/13/2015
But when people have this attitude of " we commit crime because of this" and " we arrest blacks because of that" it doesn't help anyone. I'm not saying people should accept discrimination based on colour or anything like that
Me
I know the Turkish have Killed several Whites
9/13/2015
No one is disputing that
9/13/2015
Do you think I don't know people are racist to whites
9/13/2015
But I never said we commit crimes because of this and tried to excused this but crime is an eventuality of poverty
Him
But at the same time its never gunna get better when there is a lack of education, acceptance of different cultures (within reason) and also the ability to let shit go
9/13/2015
I'm not talking about you. I'm talking about people in general. These days there is loads of hugely successful black people which is great. Some shouldn't be successful. Not because they are black but because they suck lol.
Me
It happens, However, in America certain laws are made to punish poor minorities more so than whites. To the point that whites get soo much sympathy and passes through the arrest and the courts
9/13/2015
Yeah true but lets talk about equality.
HIm
If you look at the Jews. Who are without a doubt are the most persecuted people of all time ( quickly being caught up by the European sex traffic victims) none of them use it as a shield. I have never once heard you say blah blah blah
9/13/2015
Because I'm black. But loads of people do. That's what I'm saying. The work needs to happen to the ignorant on both sides
Me9/13/2015
Many rich whites in America think they are "Self made" or that they came from the ground up
HIm
Both races. Well all races. I honestly hope one day we aren't black, white, brown, red, yellow or whatever colour people are given
Me
However, none of them truly started form the bottom like we did many literally rose from slavery to try and gain money.
HIm
I did a lot of studying on slavery for an exam in school and I learnt some shit I never knew,
Me9/13/2015
We didn't have our ancestors success to help us build and the government never gave us our reparations. That were due to us
HIm
First slave owner was black, over 95 percent of slave merchant were black and so on...
Me
They even gave The native Americans Reparations and we still got nothing
Him
However I agree those born into money regardless of colour got a sweet fucking deal
Me
They even Gave the Japanese people we put in concentration camps something and we still got nothing
9/13/2015
Many people here honestly dispute why the civil war started to this day.
9/13/2015
Many black slave owners existed to buy up Slaves and keep them safe together.
Him
People who moved the the USA under the understanding it was part of the UK and who worked their arse off to later be stripped of everything and either killed or banished
Me
One of our political parties literally hates us and tries to steal away our voting rights constantly
Him
I don't think any of those people including the blacks should have got anything with the exception of the native Americans who got royally fucked!
9/13/2015
That's just wrong!
9/13/2015
But sadly racism is going no where. And I know it sounds horrible but you as a young black American are there possibly due to slavery. Slavery is never right however a lot of black people who live in the USA who yes still have a way to go for true
Me
Yes, that's true I'm not denying that. But, you were never enslaved, denied jobs, citizenship, Murdered in masses as naturalized Americans, denied the right to vote or so many other insane atrocities
Him
Equality and have to let a lot of shit go to achieve it
9/13/2015
To be fair nor where you
Me9/13/2015
Dude we got soo tucked too we were promised land and stocks by the gov't but then our racist southern president gave all the War criminals of the south pardons
Him
If we lived by our ancestors and what they went through the Africans would be one of the worst people of all time. But I can't judge you on your father let alone your great great great great grandad.
9/13/2015
We all got screwed! Trust me. It's just that the USA history is so short so is still so raw and people are scared or those who are different. And a lot of black people give the rest of you a bad name
9/13/2015
Just like a lot of white people give us a bad name
Me
But my ancestors were and since we couldn't' vote or work for fair wages policies were set in place to keep us down. We had racist making laws for decades and constantly making the rules, and some of them are still in effect to this day
9/13/2015
Our county was built in the 18 and 19th century by racist and it allowed their groups to thrive and succeed while we suffred and we have to deal with it
Him
Yeah same as the feminist issues. However it is the way people go about things. As I said the white, brith is are by far the most persecuted in the UK yet we still have blacks moaning about the same shit. Some people need to learn and others need tI
9/13/2015
Let shit go. Otherwise this will never end
9/13/2015
Did you know that black slavery is still huge business? Ok maybe not as big as European but still it's huge. And yes some of those involved are white but most are the corrupt black people in Africa etc. we need to stop blaming races and start blaming
9/13/2015
Complete cunts
Him
I know nothing about the UK so I can't argue with you about it. But I can't just write them off without researching it
The UK had black slaves, white slaves ( still does ) and every other colour
Me9/13/2015
UK has a huge problem with Sex slaves iirc
Him
N fact they say that in the UK you are never more than 6 miles from a slave "camp"
9/13/2015
I just wish shit would get better for everyone but sadly ignorance on both sides stops it 😭
Me9/13/2015
We all know slavery isn't' exclusive to America but they were some of the most brutal slavers in the world
HIM
HIM9/13/2015
All I know about you is you are an American, you are a gamer, you play sports, you're young, you're a nice guy and you eat great food.
9/13/2015
I don't think of you as black. Nor would I as it means fuck all to me.
9/13/2015
I don't think people should be proud of being black, white, Asian or even gay, lesbian or transgender. People should look at them selves and be proud of themselves as a human being, what they contribute. That's it
9/13/2015
Fuck your ancestors and fuck your future generations. The only thing that really matters is the difference you make and the way you live your life.
9/13/2015
Lots of people have ancestors who were nazis, slave owner etc. doesn't make them bad people.
Me
I'm not saying that about people or do I feel that people should suffer for the fucked up things people's ancestors have done but some actions have lasting effects and they need to be righted
Him
Or ignored and started again. There is very rarely a one sided issue. There is definitely race issues in the world including the USA. At the moment it's the Muslims who are the most effected. Not that all Muslims are bad people. I know I live in
9/13/2015
An ideal world in my head lol. Wanting racism to go away is stupid and unrealistic and sadly as a white male in the UK I will always be discriminated against but fuck it
Him
I mean you could always move to America
I don't want to know what colour my friends such as people like yourself are as I just don't give s shit. You are not entitled to anything and you shouldn't be held back from anything either. If I like you I don't give a shit lol
9/13/2015
That's the thing I can't!
9/13/2015
I'm a white British man. I have to pay half a million to get into the USA. Yet asylum seekers can get in lol
Me
I don't feel entitled trust me
9/13/2015
But there are wrongs that must be righted.
HIm
HIM9/13/2015
I don't doubt that for a second! However I'm sure that's true on all sides
9/13/2015
In the USA there is a long way to go. No one can deny that
9/13/2015
But honestly can you blame people for being scared, less likely to employ?
Me9/13/2015
Huh?
Him
The vast majority of black Americans are lovely, harmless people who just want a life for their family
9/13/2015
However the numbers suggest that there is a larger black gang community than white. Because they are poor some people do things that hold back others.
9/13/2015
It's the same with other minorities
Me
Hold on I;m playihbg gears
Him
Lol no worries. I should probably go sleep soon anyway.
12:01:12 AM
I do have to say though that I personally believe you should go far. Not because you or "your people" deserve it but because you seem like a smart, athletic guy.
Me 12:01:32 AM
.
12:01:41 AM
Lol ik you have to be tired
HIM
HIM12:03:01 AM
Try not to give into the racist twats. Don't think of yourself as a "black man" and instead measure yourself by your true worth. You're a man. Your colour in this day and age really shouldn't matter
12:03:32 AM
Yeah I have tried staying up as long as possible but the longer I'm up the more I drink lol
Me12:04:14 AM
It's late as hell at home I'm sure
HIM
HIM12:06:42 AM
In the UK it would be after 5am
12:07:24 AM
Right it's bedtime.
Me 12:07:31 AM
Night man
HIM
I'm gunna end our chat with one final thought. If one day we end up meeting under any circumstances I'm gunna slap anyone who treats me differently for being white or you differently for being black. And not just coz I like slapping people lol
12:08:56 AM
Night dude
I know I've probably said some stupid shit in this but I wanted you all to have the full conversation to educate myself as well as him. How can I make my argument better and what am i saying wrong?