Hawkeyes Past, Present, Future Share Feelings on Racial Injustice

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The two sides are drawn up as to how much racism, unconscious bias and white privilege there is, not as to whether they exist or not, outside of perhaps a few white knuckleheads who think there are none of those things at all.

Personally, I think there is less of those things than what SJWs tell there is, but those things definitely exist. I also think that the use of those labels can be used as a crutch and can sometimes be condescending and detrimental to communities of color.

I don't think that makes me a bad person or clueless.
I couldn't agree more. Some people don't think there is any grey. I say white privilege is getting better and better over time. Because of that, people say I don't believe it exists.

I think we are about 90% to where we need to go regarding racism and going in the right direction. (The actual percentage and if we are moving fast enough can be debated, but the fact that we are moving in the right direction can not.) Its almost like people want to burn it all down and start from scratch when we are so close.
 
Clearly, you misunderstood. My comment was directed at too many posters on this thread who have not figured it out and can be easily identified by their own words. I was in college, as an under grad, from 1963-1967. If you don’ think that I became completely aware of inherent racism, you are well off the mark. They were still lynching and otherwise murdering black people in the south, primarily. They were burning black churches, they were fighting school integration violently, they “discouraged” black folk from voting, and still maintained segregated restaurants, hotels, drinking fountains, and bathrooms. They were murdering white people with license plates from northern states. Throw in the Vietnam “war” and two years as a grad student in Iowa City, with the national guard marching around threatening those of us who were legally protesting. Remember Kent State? Maybe not. I grew up in NW Iowa in a family whose mantra was, “Regardless of station we will respect all others as fellow human beings.” Heard enough? Maybe you even learned something.

Ok so for ignorant people like me who don't see or experience all of that stuff, what can I do? If I live an a world that doesn't experience racism, do I need to go out and find it? Or do I just need to recognize it exists? And by doing those things, how does that help? It won't make me treat people better because that's all but impossible. I'm seriously asking. What do I do and how does it help?
 
I saw a pretty cool graph on Jon Miller's twitter that showed the timeframe of slavery until now. 300 and some years of slavery. 80 some years of segregation. 60 some years since. That graph goes well with the video I see earlier about how white people have a head start. I've always hated how it was ok for things like the united negro college fund and other things that exclude white people. I thought it is hypocritical and counter productive to be able to exclude whites but not blacks. My opinion on that has softened over the years and the 2 things I saw today really reinforces why they have softened and why it makes sense why they should be in place. Black people will never catch up unless we give them temporary advantages until the do. That's the right thing to do. That is something that never used to make sense to me and now does. Yet another example of why discussion is good (discussion, not "believe everything I say or you are racist").

Also can people seriously try to read things with an open mind. I get how you can see the poster and see where you think something is going, then jump to conclusions and read something with a preconceived notion. But my god you all were ridiculous with how you treated my on my idea earlier. If you dont think it's a good idea say "that won't work because it's been so long, not enough people would take advantage of it". Or "that wont work because there is no way to introduce it without causing more damage than good due to people misinterpreting the meaning. But to just attack because your preconceived notions won't even let you comprehend the meaning was over the top and hateful. If you really have that much hatred, what you're saying is "it's not ok to hate your way, but it's ok to hate my way.
 
The only sides in this are for racism, and against racism. If you disagree with this statement, you're on the racist side.

I'm not sure it's as black and white as that I'm pretty sure folks on both sides are mixing grey into it. You have whites and blacks saying that if whites don't recognize their 'white privilege' to the degree that they think we should then no matter what we are racists and the problem.. Some go so far as to say they 'deserve' reparations. It's not enough to be a good person and just treat everyone the same. We have to scream from the mountain tops we are sorry and won't do it again and sacrifice our left pinky toes and lord knows what else. So as much as I'd like to say I wish it was that simple leave it to society to find a way to complicate it more
 
I saw a pretty cool graph on Jon Miller's twitter that showed the timeframe of slavery until now. 300 and some years of slavery. 80 some years of segregation. 60 some years since. That graph goes well with the video I see earlier about how white people have a head start. I've always hated how it was ok for things like the united negro college fund and other things that exclude white people. I thought it is hypocritical and counter productive to be able to exclude whites but not blacks. My opinion on that has softened over the years and the 2 things I saw today really reinforces why they have softened and why it makes sense why they should be in place. Black people will never catch up unless we give them temporary advantages until the do. That's the right thing to do. That is something that never used to make sense to me and now does. Yet another example of why discussion is good (discussion, not "believe everything I say or you are racist").

Also can people seriously try to read things with an open mind. I get how you can see the poster and see where you think something is going, then jump to conclusions and read something with a preconceived notion. But my god you all were ridiculous with how you treated my on my idea earlier. If you dont think it's a good idea say "that won't work because it's been so long, not enough people would take advantage of it". Or "that wont work because there is no way to introduce it without causing more damage than good due to people misinterpreting the meaning. But to just attack because your preconceived notions won't even let you comprehend the meaning was over the top and hateful. If you really have that much hatred, what you're saying is "it's not ok to hate your way, but it's ok to hate my way.
It was attacked because it was really, really ignorant.

The fact that you didn't or couldn't see how ignorant it was isn't the fault of others.

Tell ya what...

Post that idea online and see what black people's responses are. Actually don't We don't need to add fuel to the fire and your idea is definitely fuel.
 
It was attacked because it was really, really ignorant.

The fact that you didn't or couldn't see how ignorant it was isn't the fault of others.

Tell ya what...

Post that idea online and see what black people's responses are. Actually don't We don't need to add fuel to the fire and your idea is definitely fuel.

We already know what will happen because it's happening here. People read what they want to read. The responses people are giving in no way represent what I said. If the government ripped my ancestors away from their home and I wanted to go back today, it would be a good thing for there to be a program that allowed that to happen. Your unconscious bias on why you think I think anyone would want to go there is clouding your thoughts.

It's impossible to start the program without people flipping shit, but if the right words were said by the right person (probably Obama) then the program would be a good thing. Although you are right it would be seldom used.

And stop pretending all black people have the same thoughts. A large majority would say that sounds racist. But some might say sounds good to me. You sound like Joe Biden saying all black people have to be Democrats.
 
It is for me. But for a whole lot of folks not so much. Turn on CNN, MSNBC any news network just about...
The grey area is the definition of racist. The people screaming loudest about racism are the people who sound the most racist to me. For instance its extremely racist to pretend all black people think the same, but I see that all the time from people calling other people racist. "Ask a black man how he feels" is pretty damn racist. I've seen videos of black people calling that crap out. They have minds of their own people.

The fact that it gets dusty every time I see a video of police and black people embracing tells me all I need to know about who i am regarding racism.
 
You guys a nuts.
Your sitting around discussing that things might not be fair. News flash, life is not fair.
It never was and never will be. It wasn't even promised to be. Some people are smarter. Some people catch breaks. Some people get a better start in life.
All you can do is put on your big boy pants and take care of business. The best you can hope for is a helping hand but you have to be aware that there are far more people that will step on your head to get ahead.
It doesn't matter who you are. What color or even what your status. That's life.
So might as well get on with it.

This is so stupid on so many levels.

This isn't a discussion on socio-economic outcomes. This is a discussion on the systemic racism that exists in this country. There's nothing "putting on your big boy pants" about being constantly singled out by police. There's nothing "putting on your big boy pants" about being constantly followed within virtually any business establishment. There's nothing "putting on your big boy pants" about having people cross the street when you are coming up on them in order to avoid you because they're afraid of you.

This isn't about "fairness" at all, this is about common human decency.
 
Says the guy upset at black people for putting on their big boy pants and taking care of business to make sure they get a more fair existence in the USA.

Listen, the United States is a majority rule.
The end. You get what you get because that is how it is. Do I like it? No. But I am not dumb enough to think my voice or even a million voices are going to change things when 300 million say different. I'm free to give my opinion and that's it. It doesn't mean anyone is going to listen or that it's going to change anything.
My wife and I just went and voted in the primary, on the way she said it best. She said "this isn't about color, this is about good people vs bad people". The end.
Like I said you hope for a helping hand, but you are aware that far more will step all over you to get ahead.
That's what needs to change.
People need to get better at being people. However you start trying to tell people that if 80% (or whatever number) people suck and your sitting in a room of 10 people, do you think 8 people are going to admit that they suck? Absolutely not. Science has proven the human brain will go to great lengths to maintain that it is not wrong. What do you think it will do to justify itself?
It's absolutely stupid to want, expect anything better than the reflection of how society is as a whole. You want a perfect system in an imperfect society and that is a pipe dream.
Everyone thinks they deserve and are worth what they have and get and justify that in their heads.
You want to change something towards equality? Then flat tax shouldn't even be a question. Everyone pays 20%. No write offs and no loop holes. Isn't that fair?
Let's talk "fair" and equality.
 
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Listen, the United States is a majority rule.

Wrong. It is a constitutional republic. The constitution is there specifically to slow down and try to prevent a tyrannical majority. The number of people who want to throw the Constitution out and hang that cop is very troubling. That cop is no different from those Ohio State football players who got tossed off the team recently. Even though the allegations and video is detestable, the guy must be afforded an opportunity to present a defense and must be given due process.
 
Wrong. It is a constitutional republic. The constitution is there specifically to slow down and try to prevent a tyrannical majority. The number of people who want to throw the Constitution out and hang that cop is very troubling. That cop is no different from those Ohio State football players who got tossed off the team recently. Even though the allegations and video is detestable, the guy must be afforded an opportunity to present a defense and must be given due process.
Which sucks because the tape should be all that's needed. When you have a video of someone killing someone, having a trial to decide if he did it is redundant.
 
The grey area is the definition of racist. The people screaming loudest about racism are the people who sound the most racist to me. For instance its extremely racist to pretend all black people think the same, but I see that all the time from people calling other people racist. "Ask a black man how he feels" is pretty damn racist. I've seen videos of black people calling that crap out. They have minds of their own people.

The fact that it gets dusty every time I see a video of police and black people embracing tells me all I need to know about who i am regarding racism.
Which is how the political folks all look at them. From both sides. As hard a republicans try to pander they can't make any headway with them so many just stop trying after awhile and get criticized for that. And Liberals take their votes for granted. Becasue if you were getting 90ish % of their vote that'd be human nature to do. That has been quite the trend for awhile now and with Trump being Trump that won't change this cycle..
 
This is so stupid on so many levels.

This isn't a discussion on socio-economic outcomes. This is a discussion on the systemic racism that exists in this country. There's nothing "putting on your big boy pants" about being constantly singled out by police. There's nothing "putting on your big boy pants" about being constantly followed within virtually any business establishment. There's nothing "putting on your big boy pants" about having people cross the street when you are coming up on them in order to avoid you because they're afraid of you.

This isn't about "fairness" at all, this is about common human decency.
I think systematic racism is both the most important thing to completely get rid of and the part of racism that we are the closest to completely getting rid of.
 
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