Run in with Law Enforcement
- Thread starter gunslingerdick
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Chick, I'm not taking sides but show me one instant where you or strum considered other options. Works both ways you know. Carry on....
After a little more thought I've figured out what our differences are @chick_bleeds_carolina_blue . While some of those things listed in the opinion piece that you referenced are true we disagree on the influence they have. You think those things give white people an advantage in life and I just don't see any advantage from those things. There is no scientific way to show that either one of us is correct, so we will just have to agree to disagree.
I made an assumption on that one. I couldn't tell if the spiritual being was wearing a skirt or kilt. Instead of pulling it up I inspected other visable body parts. I saw a beard and hairy arms, so I figured I was talking to a man.
Well growing up I was taught to think like that and most of my family still does. It wasn't until I removed my head out of my own ass and witnessed things that made me take a different look at things that I started recognizing how much our egos control us and how much we are conditioned to think a certain way, selfish ways. When we recognize God INSIDE of us, not separate from us, we begin to love in a different way. It in no way makes us do things right or wrong but we do things that bring a peace, an undeniable joy to our soul. I'm learning everyday and one thing I still am unable to do is have more tolerance for those who still resist and bully others for being what they consider to be too "liberal," when what I'm trying to do is find ways to bring people together and to a place of tolerance, understanding and respect for all.
That they can actually have a conversation with God and can actually gain something from it.
Strum, what is it with this white privilege thing? It's such an obnoxious term and in many cases, counter productive to a post racial society and healthy debate.
It's a buzzword. Don't like what someone has to say? You're "triggering me". Someone asks you where your from? "Microaggression." Inevitable fights or interactions occur on campus? Do what Cal State just did, offer separate dorms for black students only. Make a Harambe joke? You get prosecuted by Title IX.
Strum, can you not see that some of this left wing thinking on college campuses and academia is going too far?
Ab-so-fvcking-lutely, it does. Trigger words, safe spaces, etc., etc.. I think that is creating a culture of people who inherently feel like they've done people wrong, when they haven't. I'm not taking about "white guilt" either. I don't think anyone should be made to feel guilty about their ethnic heritage at all. Every ethnicity has been responsible for doing horrible things against others. It is helpful to be aware of your ancestry and their shortcomings, so as to not mimic them. But, to go further with the "liberal agenda" on college campuses: The idea of changing building's names because the original name was a guy who owned slaves is dumb. Don't name buildings after people at all, especially if people 250 years later are going to hold them to the social standards of THEIR time. Those people did great things, too.
White privilege is a reality, however. It's an encouragement for empathy. It's not enabling anyone. It's realizing that we still have further to go with our social racial equality. In fact, it is an ongoing effort. There will always be prejudices. Surely you must be aware just how much white males ruled-over this country for the better part of 2 1/2 centuries. That affects the culture in many subtle ways that we, as white males, never realize. Have we come a long way in our recognition of racial equality? Yes, indeed, we surely have. But, acknowledging "white privilege" helps me to realize that being born with my gender and ethnicity has given me some advantages that I have taken for granted. It's a simple truth. It's not obnoxious at all. I didn't ask to be born an Anglican-descent male. But, I know this- I would not change places with even the most wealthy black guy! Chris Rock made me aware of that years ago. "Ain't no white person wanna change places with me, and I'm RICH!" I'm not implying that white men need to apologize for being white men at all.
Now, I will also go a bit further with the racial issue. At some point, institutions like the NAACP, the United Negro College Fund, Miss Black America, Black History Month, or any other racial distinction, will become obsolete and wind-up perpetuating the thing it was supposed to alleviate and remove initially. If you keep reminding everyone that we are "different races" then we'll keep feeling like we're separate. At SOME POINT, it needs to evolve into a situation where the visual recognition by a "white person" of a "black person" no longer happens in our mind. We don't think "there's a black guy over there." It's just "there's someone over there." And, by the same token, it has to register in reverse, the same way. A black person doesn't think "Look at that white guy coming toward me." It's just "There's a guy coming toward me." It's almost as if we have to lose our sense of sight... in a way.
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I would hope they know that. I think 0910 was just being facetious.
I too am of Anglo-Saxon descent. I come from an old school New England family, we can trace our origins back to the days before the Revolution. Does that give me an advantage? Well maybe in some ways. But both my dad and mom came from humble origins, they certainly weren't privileged in the sense that they had it all.
I can accept that I don't have to deal with the same things that a black man might. However, I also don't want to be held up as some example of evil for circumstances I can't control. If skin color, gender, and sexual orientation shouldn't be held against minorities, it shouldn't be held against me either. I treat people (for the most part) how I'd like to be treated regardless of color. Now people are telling me that's a microaggression? I can't wrap my head around it.
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Your skin color is NOT "being held against you." That's the whole point. I agree that skin color shouldn't be... but, it is. And, it has for a very long time because of our heritage and our culture. And, just like you, I try to treat people as I would want to be treated. The concept of white privilege is something that exists in the culture and it's out of our control, as individuals, at this point and time.
But it is. I'm the epitome of "success" and "living without fear or judgement" therefore, to some people, I am public enemy number one. It's a complete contradiction of the tenants of Civil Rights to believe that I cannot rightfully earn whatever I have in life because I'm white, and because someone's skin color is darker than mine, they are automatically oppressed.
And you're right. This sort of concept is outside of our control. You can only legislate to a certain degree, you can only prevent discriminatory laws to an extent.
And in addition, if I have advantages, why give them up? There's no recorded even in history in which a dominate group deliberately gave up power for the sake of another.
Personally, I believe this kind of ideology being pushed at colleges will cause a radical backlash and the reemergence of white identity politics, never a good idea.
WOW! That was very interesting! Even women did not get as far as the men on that one.
I think a lot of the guys take the word privilege the wrong way. It is not that things are handed to you, given to you or that you are entitled to certain things that others are not, it is that as a white person, we DO have certain things that we can just do without thought that others have a disadvantage, albeit slight in some cases, that whites do not.
For the life of me, I do not know why they do not see it. It would probably take them having to live as another race for a month to actually get it but of course, that cannot happen. And these things occur from birth for all, not just a month randomly, although I think it would still be an eye opener.
Maybe there is a Morgan Spurlock 30-days program on this. I will have to look. I know the one he did on living on minimum wage was an eye opener for me.
You keep trying to put this in the context of you being the victim. It's also not just being pushed at colleges. I'm in my late 40's and I'm now aware of it. It's really more of a social encouragement for empathy.
You're taking it the wrong way. No one is expecting white people to give up anything or do anything, it is about recognizing something. We all do things subconsciously in regards to race issues and you know it. We don't always mean harm in any way but we DO recognize people different from us.
There are white people who live in ways that we refer to them as "trailer trash" and they live pretty much on the same level as people who are black that you might call "thugs" or "ghetto", whatever people say now, but my point is, while they all kind of live on a social level that is derived from poverty and they are the ones most on here refer to as the food stamp abusers, if you are standing in a line at say the DMV, you WILL look at the white man differently than you will the black man. You may have a conversation with both but there is an underlying "tone" in your mind and once you recognize it, that is when you can move forward and see this is not about white people being "bad" but more about recognizing we do see others in "less than" ways and do assume certain attitudes with some that we don't with others. It is not always a bad attitude but there IS a difference. We all have it and I have friends who are black who have grown up doing the same thing essentially. The changes will come when we all start recognizing it and realize God created all of us and love for all means respect for all.
I still have it in me at times but I do recognize it and I am able to get beyond it more and more.
I'm not sure I'll agree with that but that is probably one of your better poasts here so I'm willing to entertain it.
Let's say for arguments' sake that what you wrote above is true. Ok. I've recognized it. I have some sort of privilege based on the color of my skin and that I may look at people of another race differently. So what?. What now?
You haven't recognized it, so your question is invalid.
saying something with no meaning behind it is just saying words.... oh, forgot you don't get that either. Words without true intent, meaning or emotion are just words. Nevermind. I didn't expect you to get it anyway. You are not capable.
Translation: I have no response to your legitimate question so I'm just going to say "you don't get it".
Yeah, that's what I thought.
Had you meant what you said, we'd all know it. You were being sarcastic and condescending, so yep, that is the response you deserve from me.
What the hell is Harambe? Someone please educate me. I saw this on signs at the UNC game this past Saturday.
I acknowledged in my first poast to you that I don't necessarily agree with your assertion. However, after acknowledging it, I said "for argument's sake, let's say I agree". I then asked you what the next step was. As @UNC71-00 pointed out just minutes ago in another thread, it's classic you to avoid answering the question and just attack the person asking the question.
I'll give you another chance to redeem yourself - If white people all recognize that we have a built in privilege based on our skin color, what would be the next step?
Once you actually recognize it, you won't need an answer, you will just know. My money is on you NEVER recognizing it. Idiots won't. It is not that something will suddenly be DONE or magically happen that you physically see, dumb butt, you will just know what we are talking about... you'll have one of those "aha, I finally get it" moments.... something I am quite sure you are not familiar with because you believe you know everything already.
I am so thankful I am not you or anything like you. Thank you God, thank you, thank you, thank you!
See, chick, what are you trying to prove here? I understand you get obnoxious remarks thrown at you but is this really the way to go about trying to debate someone? Thanking God that you are not him or anything like him?
I believe that GSD here was actually trying to understand this concept, and instead you more or less shouted him down.
I never said I was a victim. But I do believe there is some sentiment out there that views me as an enemy for circumstances out of my control. I believe that to be a legitimate criticism.
There are times where I can acknowledge my advantages, which come from more than just my ethnic background. But by the same token, it doesn't necessarily apply everywhere.
So I'll recognize it, but nothing will change? I'm serious here...white people with the best intentions will recognize their privilege but they won't be able to do anything about it and so life will go on as it has been? Is that what you're saying? I'm just trying to understand. Please confirm whether what I have written is an accurate representation of your thoughts.
Ummmmm, no, he NEVER tries to understand anything. He truly believes he is the ruler of the roost here and knows everything already.
Dick, have you ever not understood something and when you FINALLY did, everything just changed for you in whatever it was? You saw the entire thing differently? Surely that has happened to you at some point in life.
