Ethnic relations in the US.

originally posted by: fiverx313

originally posted by: randomtangentsrme
I disagree with your assessment. But thank you for sharing.

no prob. my assessment is no doubt influenced by where i grew up, where i've lived as an adult, friends i've had, and internet communities i've been a part of and/or observed. as are we all so influenced

We can all choose to be part of the solution.

i will make two comments on this. One is that I have had both good and bad experiences in every day life just trying to get by like everyone else. It really isn't necessary to go in to great detail, but there have events, good and bad, involving black people in my life. My experiences have taught me to be cautious. I do not hate anyone and I am not afraid of anyone. But I am cautious because of my experiences. Does that make me a racist or a neo-nazi?

The other comment is on a much more pointed experience. I was in Alabama and we happened to be in a dry county. We, three of us, were making a liquor run to the next county and took the back roads because it took nearly half an hour off the overall trip time. Well, about half way there the road was blocked off by guys in camo with AR-15's. They looked in our car and told us where to park. We had no choice in the matter. In that situation you do two things:1 - keep your mouth shut, 2 - whatever they tell you to do. They had the giant burning cross and all and there were hundreds of people there. But here is the thing - not once did I hear anything, not even a word, about black people or minorities. Not once. Granted, I didn't hear everything that was being said, we were fairly near to the back of the crowd. But I did hear people talking about protecting their way of life and their families and property. Now I know people can hear that and assign any of a variety of dastardly things under the heading of "our way of life", depending on what they feel like fighting about. But I don't know exactly what they meant and since they had all the guns, I wasn't going to ask either.

Besides the two guys I was with, obviously, I am the only person I know who went to an actual clan rally. And it was not at all what I thought it would be. I know about the reputation, the rumors, and the truths. But I also know what I heard and saw for myself, in real life first hand. My belief prior to that event was very very different than the reality of it. Now, I don't doubt that many of the people there were caught just like the three of us were. We didn't head out that night planning on going to a clan rally. But I am fairly certain that there were not hundreds of people out on that back road making a liquor run either. The end result of that experience is that I had to conclude that at least some of those guys are just people who want to live their lives without interference. I am sure there were more hateful people there than what I saw. But I can say that about the grocery store too. My point is that a snap shot of that night would have painted us all as neo-nazi racist bigot hater home grown terrorists when in fact a great many of us were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That broad stoke brush really doesn't do anything good for any one.

a reply to: randomtangentsrme

very true. i know i am.

a reply to: randomtangentsrme

Kudos to you for Civility.

I too am a Door Person. I love holding doors open for people as an act of kindness, courtesy and an informal daily pleasantry to an otherwise disinterested and eyes forward world.

I also live in a diverse neighborhood.

Most of the time the gesture is met with a smile and polite thank you, other times the person is too busy in their routine to notice, but it doesn't stop me from extending a kindness.

We have all races, creeds and classes at our corner gas station, and it's wonderful to see so many people coming together for the daily assortment of consumer goods in a peaceful and polite manner.

I really hope more people take a time out from the media hype that seems to be casting a hesitant view of one another.

Eye contact, smile, and offer a unsolicited gesture of Humanity.

It may not work every time, but it's worth the effort and does make a positive difference.

a reply to: randomtangentsrme

The Media wants us to fail . If it doesn't fit the progressive template it is wrong and has to go .

a reply to: fiverx313

Are you?

it's not a new hot topic for people who aren't white...

right-wing militias and hate groups have been on the rise since obama was elected. my personal theory is that before having to deal with a black president, most white people felt like the races were in their places well enough (the ones who care about that, anyway), and those who didn't were definitely seen as fringe by most. however, you add having a black man in the highest office at the same time the economy has done a slide into some not-so-neat conditions, you have the perfect condition that leads discontented young men into these fringe groups, because someone is selling them on the idea that they deserve more than they're getting. kinda like ISIS, but white. now you add in a president who dogwhistled to nazis and racists throughout their campaign and selected a chief white nationalist as a close adviser... they feel bold now.

I ask the question with love and respect.

a reply to: GENERAL EYES

For the first time I wish I could give more than one star, although it seems you have many.

originally posted by: randomtangentsrme
a reply to: fiverx313

Are you?

yes. pretending there isn't a problem is not improving anything.

i also responded because you asked. would you rather i had not responded, and that would help fix this? or i had responded and just agreed with you that we all just need to be polite to each other? what should be, is not what IS, sadly.

please don't ask for the insights of others if you just want to pretend the ones that don't agree are arguing in bad faith. i assure you i'm not.

a reply to: fiverx313

I appreciate your response.
But to me everyone being polite, might solve the issue. Not just in debate, but in real life.

I am not arguing in bad faith, but if you think I am do tell me. We can all learn from one another, that was kind of my point for making the thread.

You and I seem to have very different experiences in life, and I would like to learn from yours, as I hope you would like to learn from mine.

For me I see a harmonious living with a multi ethnic society. You however seem not to.
Perhaps it is because we are of different ethnicity?
Perhaps it is because we live in different areas.

What I see from your responses is accusation, and deflection.
That is what I hope to solve in this simple thread. How do we move forward?

Forgive me if I have misrepresented you, I look forward to your response.

originally posted by: JinMI
a reply to: BubbaJoe

Agreed. I recently made a thread on it actually. Day to day Americans walk, talk, engage in commerce as well as discussion and debate, settle difference and ultimately compromise in some fashion. Why are we not represented in the same fashion?

I will assume you lean right, I lean left, but within our first set of messages exchanged, we found common ground. Congress can't do this, McConnell is a weasel, I actually think Ryan is decent guy, this needs to be fixed.

a reply to: BubbaJoe

I'm a broad middle if anything, and that changes with experience and perspective.

No, supposed representatives can not do this and to that I'm all for congressional term limits.

originally posted by: fiverx313
it's not a new hot topic for people who aren't white... i'm just sayin. what you're just now being 'forced' to think about, others are obligated to think about for their own safety.

Load of crap. In my 20s I worked at a group home for boys and would take some home on the weekends. We had to get there before the sun set and I had to follow very specific directions because being a white man meant there was a good chance I would get robbed or killed because of the color of my skin alone.