neil

Of course there are black racists, there will always be racists in all races. This is not the point and I would think you were intelligent enough to get it. It's easy for a black person in America given such recent history of anti-black sentiment to become anti-white; different people react in different ways and some rise above it. At least it is possible to perceive a link between what the white people may have done (in very recent history in the US) and the sentiments it can evoke; there is no equivalent reason for whites to hate blacks, so it is much more difficult to explain racial hatred of blacks in the US.

frrussre

"I would think you were intelligent enough to get it."

Thanks for the insult.

Lets stop making excuses, as to why Black people often, insult whites. Lets stop making excuses, as to why I have seen Black kids, yelling anti Semitic comments at orthodox jews. lets stop making excuses and admit There are racist whites & there are equally racist blacks.
Lets try and cure both sides, not excuses.
Frank R.

neil

Not trying to make excuses, but realistically due to the history of the US (very, very recent history) it would be extremely difficult to tackle both sides at once. Racism against blacks is still an institutional issue in some parts of the US, not an individual issue, and that's what needs to be sorted first.

basementwaj

couldnt agree more... pisses me off reading some of these ridiculous comments.
Some people should go and stick their heads back in the sand

tamms_1965

I agree with you (as a former inner-city high school teacher).

basementwaj

So, do you think that Rev Al Sharpton is doing the AA community good?

neil

Absolutely not, he's very divisive. Sharpton is a product of a time when equality had to be fought for tooth and nail, and to some extent this still exists in some areas - hence he is still around. However, he is still fighting in a way that was relevant in the past, just not any more; unfortunately he either hasn't seen that, or has to be the way he is to maintain his sense of popularity and purpose.

I'm not arguing against the fact that there are proportionally as many racists in all sections of the community; there quite obviously are and some of the most racist people I've met have been black. Racism does have to be tackled as a whole, but when there is still such a divide between black and white in the US it seems there is a particular place it needs to be sorted out first - and the obvious starting point would probably have to be education. I remember hearing on the news about poorly performing schools having their budget cut for not reaching targets; if you're going to be sensible about it those are the ones that would need more funding. The poorest areas are still predominantly black - quite possibly because of the denial of a decent standard of education until as recently as the 1960's (i.e. people in my parent's generation not getting a decent education, therefore finding it harder to get better jobs, and keeping them and their children in poor areas where the education is not as good, thus perpetuating the system).

It's a complex issue in the US, and is probably unique in the world in this day and age.

surly

There is the racism of the oppressed and the racism of the oppressor.

tamms_1965

I find that hard to believe that is how it works ....the part about cutting funding if you do not reach targets. Each state funds its schools differently. Less than 10% comes from the federal government. Instead of cutting funding what happens is that the school get "taken over" by the state temporarily and given bad "report cards" which are public record. People with children do not want to buy real estate in these areas. Inner city schools usually spend more per pupil than high performing suburban schools because they provide more services (day care, free breakfast, more special needs services, etc.). And all inner city schools do not perform poorly.

basementwaj

Either way, racism is bad. I personally dont see the difference as the end result is still the same and one doesnt excuse the other.

i think the thread started by suggesting that 20% of WHITES in WV are racist and how terrible that is... i personally think that this, along with many other posts in this thread are very naive.

I have worked in some of the most deprived and diverse parts of the UK, and have seen racisim directed at and coming from every single race you can imagine. i know that the US has a unique history but times and attitudes have changed and there are no excuses for racism on any front.

The thread was about whites not voting for Obama, and although obama is of mixed race, the images of him in traditional African clothing did him no favours. People will always fear what they do not understand, and in this dirty race to the white house, some mud is sticking and is falling into the race category.
Now go back and ask that same 20% who would not have voted for Mitt Romney due to his religion, then we can start a thread about religious persecution

neil

I tried to do a search for info on what I remember seeing on the news. All I can find is reference to the way NY school funding changed and some of the low performing schools were losing money under the new system whereas some better schools were gaining, although that wasn't always the case. It may be my poor memory or just poor reporting that I saw initially.

neil

20% admitted to it; and this is in a state which is also known as being pretty racist anyway. My wife has a (black) friend who has family there (white family), when they visit they have to be careful about where they go and make sure they are with a local member of the family. (I've only been to WV once and I felt it was a very strange place, but obviously I didn't face any racism there - I just felt it was a little hostile to anyone who wasn't local).

surly

One could replace the word racism with tribalism or even nationalism which is much the same thing. Something that seems to exist in the human character and appears to be more prevalent in certain parts of the country. Contrast the vote in WV and Kentucky with that in Oregon and Washington State.

lapin_windstar

Yeah, but this is disingenuous bollocks, because it suggests that both "problems" need equal magnitude and need equal "curing". But that's complete bullshit - you're only whining about having some black kid call you a nasty name because that's the full extent of your experience of "racism", and you don't see (or comprehend) the other aspects of how real racism has affected black people.

There is nothing more embarrassing than listening to some self-pitying white man trying to suggest he's just as much a victim of racism as black people.

basementwaj

so sad