Originally posted by Kinneary
I'm pretty sure I never said we were all treated equally. I believe what I said was that if we all stopped focusing on it so much, things would be a lot better. I'm not sure though. Would you care to check for me?
You said...
"White people are no longer privileged. We are no longer special. We get no benefits."
... sounds like you're saying everyone is treated equally.
Really? Because I'm pretty sure that whites aren't the richest race in America. Perhaps you'd like to do some of your own research and them tell me about how whites are the haves in this country.I'll give you a hint, though. The richest race in this country is the one that doesn't complain about the evils of the white man all the time. It's the one that understands that in the past things were pretty crappy for them, but now through hard work and education they can have any life for themselves they want. The same formula the white man uses for his success.
Once you've actually delved further into this topic than just listening to Malcom X speeches and Jesse Jackson rhetoric, we can perhaps have a more informed conversation.
I have been looking for these statistics for about a week now. If you have this information, it would be more productive to enlighten me instead of posting riddles and condescending.
My views are my own and have little to do with Malcom X and hardly anything to do with Jesse jackson. You are assuming alot about me. If you want to have an informed, intelligent conversation it would help to leave out ego and bravado.
So wait, reperations have? And why? The white slave-owning families were the minority in the south. Many of the whites alive today weren't even here when slavery was going on. And many of the white families alive today, I'd say probably most of them, were on the side of the north and gave their blood so that blacks COULD be free. Why should I have to pay reparations when I didn't have anything to do with slavery? When my family didn't even get to this country until 1908? When, even when they got here, they were Irish Catholics and were also discriminated against and hounded by organizations such as the Ku Klux Klan?And let me ask you, what is your plan to 'fix blacks'?
Once again, I'm going to say this. Blacks being unequal is a CLASS issue, not a racial one. Coming out of slavery, many blacks were not given the same opportunities and have felt those effects even to today. But then, many poor whites have also felt the same effects of discrimination early in the nation's history. They've also been caught in the same lower class spiral that some blacks have. So, my question again, why are poor blacks better than poor whites? Why do poor blacks deserve more opportunities to advance than poor whites? Isn't this discrimination?
Red: Not the same...
First of all, it seems you have something against black people. Or something against black people who speak their mind. Or something against this particular black person. In this thread I've been addressing issues of all people of color and only identified myself as black when asked if I was proud of who I am.
Second, it's not like black people were sitting on the side lines during the civil war. They were always on the front lines and the first to die for their freedom. Poor blacks are not better than poor whites. I feel poor blacks should be presented with more opportunity because (you guessed it) I feel poor whites are automatically presented with more opportunity because of their color.
Third, my almighty plan to "fix blacks" is : better education, community development, an open dialogue with all races, hard work, black people rising up, being heard, and not allowing the government (and society) to push them aside and forget about them.
I have a better question. When have we ever focused on it at all? I believe we just straight to Affirmitive Action. We skipped the sensible answer and went straight for the one that sounded better - the one that was more appealing to minorities and the guilty white consiounce.I was born into an upper middle class family. My parents brought home around 150k a year, and that was in South Carolina, one of the cheapest states to live in, so you can imagine how well off we were. Why, might I ask you, is that? Why was my family well off? Because we were white? No. My grandfathers and mothers on both sides were dirt poor. They lived in Queens and Philly in a small house with 4 brothers (both of my parents) and my dad even dropped out of high school at 16. So how did they pull themselves up from this and turn their lives around? They joined the military, went back to school, got their Bach degrees, shopped around for the best jobs, and spent their money wisely. They didn't do well because they were white. They did well because they weren't waiting for reparations. They didn't blame anyone for their being poor. They just recognized their situation, dealt with it, and moved on with their lives.
Which is what poor blacks should do.
Blue: Exactly my point. Affirmative action may not be the answer, but it's one of the only realistic solutions presented. I have a problem with this lack of focus.
Red: Congratulations...
And congratulations again on your family's success and kudos on their hard work. This is exactly what people of color should do.
I'm simply saying (whether you admit or realize it) they would have an easier time achieving this success than people of color would.
Why? Because you see jokes about race on TV? Because sometimes white people talk down to you? Because sometimes you get excluded? What makes you think that I don't feel the same thing? And even if I didn't, you're still just making excuses. Be your own person.
Again, you are making alot of assumptions on the way I've come to my reasoning. My way of looking at things have come from many years of experience. I don't think I've made one excuse for anything in this thread. I am my own person. And by the way that you're speaking to me, I'll ask you not to tell me what to do.
No, things would not stay the same. I think you'll find that many of the successful blacks in your community have that attitude. I suggest speaking with them.
I suggest you stop assuming things about me. I have spoken with many successful black people and they all have said the same thing...
"It will always be harder for you to be successful than white people. So (as a black man) you have to work that much harder to succeed. "
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