Wake up, buddy. Virginia may have been home to the capital of the CSA, but it's changed quite a bit in 100+ years (funny thing, that). It was the first (and I think still only) state to elect a black governor, and went for Obama in '08. Like any state, there are small pockets of racism, especially in poor, rural sections, but overall the population is open-minded and it's certainly no worse than any other state in the union.
Wake up, buddy. Virginia may have been home to the capital of the CSA, but it's changed quite a bit in 100+ years (funny thing, that). It was the first (and I think still only) state to elect a black governor, and went for Obama in '08. Like any state, there are small pockets of racism, especially in poor, rural sections, but overall the population is open-minded and it's certainly no worse than any other state in the union.
- Nov 18, 2005
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racism too touchy of a subject for you to discuss? then get a thicker skull or don't bother ever waking up. Life's a bitch, humans generally aren't nice, deal with it.
Are you a thug? Like thugs?
Thugs come in all colors, including white. I hate all of them equally, and completely disconnected from the skin color.
woah. This just proves that all colors are equal in their ability to be whatever. A black redneck would definitely be a sight to see.
Well duh. Most of the states themselves have 'modernized', but its the sub pockets that are still strong.
Myrtle Beach, SC is pretty friendly, but many of the locals of the areas nearby as racist as hell.
Virginia Beach and Newport News, VA are fairly good places, but the pockets of racists that exist are quite evident once you get into the smaller areas. It doesn't help that some of the communities in such cities, and especially in Myrtle Beach, are such slums that the ghettos in a city like Toledo or Columbus (areas I'm readily familiar with) look more like paradise in comparison (exaggerated, but the point stands).
I'm not claiming the majority of the southern states are racist as all hell, or else we'd be seeing a lot more trouble. But the pockets of racists that exist, it's hard to ignore.
And its daily that in the city you run into people from that pockets, and its easy to see.
Linflas
Lifer
- Jan 30, 2001
- 15,395
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Originally posted by: destrekor
racism too touchy of a subject for you to discuss? then get a thicker skull or don't bother ever waking up. Life's a bitch, humans generally aren't nice, deal with it.
Are you a thug? Like thugs?
Thugs come in all colors, including white. I hate all of them equally, and completely disconnected from the skin color.
woah. This just proves that all colors are equal in their ability to be whatever. A black redneck would definitely be a sight to see.
Well duh. Most of the states themselves have 'modernized', but its the sub pockets that are still strong.
Myrtle Beach, SC is pretty friendly, but many of the locals of the areas nearby as racist as hell.
Virginia Beach and Newport News, VA are fairly good places, but the pockets of racists that exist are quite evident once you get into the smaller areas. It doesn't help that some of the communities in such cities, and especially in Myrtle Beach, are such slums that the ghettos in a city like Toledo or Columbus (areas I'm readily familiar with) look more like paradise in comparison (exaggerated, but the point stands).
I'm not claiming the majority of the southern states are racist as all hell, or else we'd be seeing a lot more trouble. But the pockets of racists that exist, it's hard to ignore.
And its daily that in the city you run into people from that pockets, and its easy to see.
I guarantee that those "pockets of racism" are just as numerous in Ohio as they are in Virginia or any other state in the US.
posted by destrekor -- Topic: Racism Doesn't Exist Anymore Except In The Eyes of Those Being 'Targeted'
Too bad we can't take their shovels away ... :shocked:
Too bad we can't take their shovels away ... :shocked:
halik
Lifer
- Oct 10, 2000
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He does have a valid point, think hard before you bust out the morality/pc police.
As a matter of fact, if you decide the ban him, you're only proving o/p's point. The 'white trash' label in it self is as offensive as 'nlgger' since they describe the same people, just of different race. Both are labels for poor, uneducated people of the respective races. Making one of the words a bannable offense is a demonstration of racism.
Actually, come to think of it, making any word regardless of context a bannable offense is a demonstration in ignorance.
And we do treat "white trash" as a racial slur here.
esquared
Anandtech Senior Moderator
LOL - some of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard begin with "I'm not a racist but..."
Not it isn't.
Not it isn't.
halik
Lifer
- Oct 10, 2000
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It isn't because the recipients of 'white trash' don't make it as offensive to them. That doesn't change the reality of the topic - both of the words are labels for poor, uneducated people.
If some idiot calls me 'white trash' I'd be confused. That should be the same case for all the other labels. Instead of having a 'burial of the n-word' and making it the magical taboo, just realize it's a label. A well-off educated black person should be confused when an idiot calls them a 'nlgger'
You are being discussed also. Your circumvention of the filter is the same as if your used the N-bomb. Twice.
esquared
Anandtech Senior Moderator
MovingTarget
Diamond Member
- Jun 22, 2003
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For the most part, I agree with what has been said here. Color is an issue, but I think the only color that matters for the most part is green (as in money, which translates into opportunity, resources, power, etc.). These issues aren't so much about some blacks being "thugs", but about the lower socioeconomic classes being more and more immobile with each generation. Cycles of poverty are not easily broken.
I am a Southerner, but I have travelled quite a bit to other sections of the country. Racism is alive everywhere, and the perception that the South is more racist than other regions is more and more baloney with each passing year, as a new generation rises. Just look at how often the races mix everyday in resteraunts, etc. and you will find that things can even be better down here aside from a few pockets. Every village has its idiots, but some simply draw more attention to themselves.
Also, Blacks can be just as racist as whites. Due to historical/cultural factors, the fact that racism is a 2-way street is often overlooked. I see no difference anymore of when a white man says something ignorant about blacks or when blacks trash whitey for reasons just as dumb. It is time we looked past race...
I am a Southerner, but I have travelled quite a bit to other sections of the country. Racism is alive everywhere, and the perception that the South is more racist than other regions is more and more baloney with each passing year, as a new generation rises. Just look at how often the races mix everyday in resteraunts, etc. and you will find that things can even be better down here aside from a few pockets. Every village has its idiots, but some simply draw more attention to themselves.
Also, Blacks can be just as racist as whites. Due to historical/cultural factors, the fact that racism is a 2-way street is often overlooked. I see no difference anymore of when a white man says something ignorant about blacks or when blacks trash whitey for reasons just as dumb. It is time we looked past race...
BoberFett
Lifer
- Oct 9, 1999
- 37,562
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It's silly to think it doesn't exist. Of course it does, there are plenty of racist morons around. What racism is not anymore is a crutch. The fact that Obama is president means that the majority of people in the country are not racists. People need to stop blaming their problems on racism, because while individuals may still hate you because of your color, the system as a whole does not. Institutionalized racism is largely a thing of the past.
Truth. Now good luck getting them to believe it....
The only racism that exists anymore is when the public transit bus driver drives right by me because I'm white (I'm standing 1 foot from the bus stop sign) with a half full bus. Occasionally they do this if there is another bus coming up right behind him and the bus is full. But I was able to see right into the front of the bus (has huge windows) and it was half empty. No second bus came. So I had to walk to work.
The only racism that exists anymore is when the public transit bus driver drives right by me because I'm white (I'm standing 1 foot from the bus stop sign) with a half full bus. Occasionally they do this if there is another bus coming up right behind him and the bus is full. But I was able to see right into the front of the bus (has huge windows) and it was half empty. No second bus came. So I had to walk to work.
- Oct 8, 2000
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halik uses the term as if it's still OK. He circumvents the filter to make the post. He also says this below They can make the point without the use of the word. His posting is completely wrong.
This is a ridiculous statement:
This is a ridiculous statement:
halik
Lifer
- Oct 10, 2000
- 25,696
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No,
I'm making an argument why it should be OK to use it, as it just a label.
This is EXACTLY why racial tensions continue to exist - arbitrary taboos and emotional responses to a WORD. I'm trying to make an intellectual argument why it's irrational and all you see in those 3 paragraphs is a 6 letter word. Think long and hard about the idea I'm trying to convey.
Also note the great irony of me making an argument for dissolution of racial taboos while not being able to actually type out the word I'm talking about.
When there is a perceived outside threat, things that cause internal strife such as racism always decreases in every civilization temporarily. But humans are rather predictable in their need for tribal conflict (social, cultural, or otherwise) You could take two best friends, put them on a planet by themselves where every need they have is fulfilled and there are no other people to hate or dislike and eventually they will turn on each other.
That's factually incorrect. The slur was targeted at all black people. That was the point. No matter who you were and what you were capable of, it didn't matter since you're just a n---- anyway. And as a n---- you were less than human.
Black people make other people racist? Hmm, is it worth arguing that nonsense? I do deny that most black people have the "victim mentality". What most black have is a realistic sense of how the majority sees them.
The majority of the problem, huh? More of this "you made me be racist" crap. Funny how someone can say black people taking personal responsibility is the cure for everything, but not believe that the racists don't have to take personal responsibility for being small-minded idiots that are too lazy to judge an individual on his own merits. Instead they were made stupid and lazy by the black thugs. That's the heart of your argument.
Why is it that only minorities need to be perfect in order to escape racism? As a black man, why can't I be judged on my own merits, instead of by the actions of the worst of people that have a similar skin shade. White people are not judged by the actions of the "rednecks", why should Latinos or Blacks be judged by the worst. All minorities want is the same luxury that White people have. That is, to be given the benefit of the doubt. If I turn out to be a bad person, then call a spade a spade. However, there is no link between melanin and your worth as a human, and any assumptions based on that are asinine and the sole fault of the person holding that opinion.
Edit: It is a ridiculous thread title. You've pretty much admitted that you put a misleading title up there, that you didn't believe, in order to inflame people. They have a word for that, and it's usually against forum rules. What's the weakness in your argument, that makes it unable to attract attention or create discussion on it's own merits?
halik
Lifer
- Oct 10, 2000
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You mean kind of like calling a white person "white trash" ? That's the idea behind slurs - it's an undesirable label for a group of people.
Also I think the connotation of the word meaning sub-human has died out - I really don't think there's that many true racists left anymore that actually believe that whole white supremacy crap. From what I can tell (I've been in the U.S. for ~10 years, so kind of a limited sample size) nowadays it's used to describe poor, uneducated black people and thus my 'trailed trash' argument.
MovingTarget
Diamond Member
- Jun 22, 2003
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This is an interesting way of stating the issue. For the most part I see this as valid, however, whites these days aren't always given this same benefit wrt racism. They are by default assumed to be racist based solely on skin color.
Racism is a two-way street.
The reason why the word is so touchy is that it has and can be applied to all black people. The true unrepentant racists are more than willing to call any black person a n---- and they mean it with it's original connotation. I don't think that the definition has successfully been changed, and neither do most black people, which is why they'll still get offended if they hear a white person using that word.
halik
Lifer
- Oct 10, 2000
- 25,696
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I think the more interesting part is how come certain minorities are more in the focus than others (aka blacks, latinos versus asians, jews, indians etc.) in terms of that. Being judged based on the actions of others and having the benefit of doubt and so on - is it a matter of average income?
You've overstating quite a bit. All white people are not assumed to be racist. What you probably mean is that a white person that says something racially insensitive is assumed to be a racist, and you might have a valid complaint there. Telling an insensitive joke doesn't mean that you believe black people are subhuman.
It actually took me a long time to write the above paragraph, you actually helped me to see where some of the frustration from white people comes from, by using my own words. I can understand why it's frustrating that you can't even tell an "innocent" off-color joke without looking over your shoulder, but what's the solution? Should everyone go around telling n---- jokes? There are too many real racists for society to be ready for that.
In a word, yes. There are still many people that believe that. There are still a lot of white people that have almost no contact with black people that are on their level.
What I mean by that is that they live outside of cities, or in a segregated part of the city. The only black people they see are the ones on tv who committed crimes, the ones on the street wearing "thug" clothing who scared them, the uneducated music and sports stars, and maybe a cashier or something. They really do think that that's what it means to be black.... to be a scary, stupid, criminal, than can only succeed through athletics or rap music.
Segregation is still the biggest cause of racism. I'm Black, well-educated, travel a lot, change jobs frequently, and have a white girlfriend who lives in the far suburbs. What this means is that I often find myself in situations where I'm the only black person in the room. I often find myself having conversations with adult white people that have almost never had a real conversation with another Black person. I have people confess all kind of things to me, that they probably shouldn't, and I do my best not to hold it against them. Because of my experiences I am sure there are many people who hold racist views, but I tend to attribute it to ignorance and lack of experience, than I do to outright stupidity or malice.
ZzZGuy
Golden Member
- Nov 15, 2006
- 1,855
- 0
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My friend has a uncle who is a prison guard in the USA. His only contact with black people is prisoners, as you can imagine this does not lead to healthy views on his part.
That aside, there have been times where people I work with, black and white, both exchange racist jobs to each other. I don't take part because the only good one I know is the chain saw one (it's not gory), and the black guys could turn around and get us fired if they so wished.
Seems to me when black and whites are part of the same community without any artificial barriers (gang culture anyone?) everyone gets along.
That aside, there have been times where people I work with, black and white, both exchange racist jobs to each other. I don't take part because the only good one I know is the chain saw one (it's not gory), and the black guys could turn around and get us fired if they so wished.
Seems to me when black and whites are part of the same community without any artificial barriers (gang culture anyone?) everyone gets along.
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