how could a black man not be racist?

Gates' remarks may not have been ractist, per se . . . .but he was the one who bought up race; he's the one who made this a racial issue.

They were racist, from the get go. He used the race card, as if he were a 'regular black man' and he isn't. He denigrated those he thinks he supports.
What is a "regular black man?"

I'm guessing one who isn't a Harvard Professor?
 
everyone asks..can a black man be a racist? how could he not be one? given the racial history of this country? we seem to have more racial tension now than in the last couple of decades? why? is it the white's man reaction to the election of a black president? is it the fear of the blacks taking over? just what is it?

You have a very low opinion of black people.

I have a very low opinion of some black people, Gates for one, Bass for another. Powell hit the list when he lied to the UN for Bush so we could go to war in Iraq.

I have an even bigger list of white people I have a low opinion of...
 
They were racist, from the get go. He used the race card, as if he were a 'regular black man' and he isn't. He denigrated those he thinks he supports.
What is a "regular black man?"

Oh! come on Ravi,, she meant Gates has a position of rank and privilege that not too many blacks or whites for that matter enjoy!

Yeah, Gates didn't just use the race card, he used the "do you know who I am?" card. The man obviously wasn't thinking clearly. He couldn't decide if he was a put upon black man or a put upon "somebody".
 
everyone asks..can a black man be a racist? how could he not be one? given the racial history of this country? we seem to have more racial tension now than in the last couple of decades? why? is it the white's man reaction to the election of a black president? is it the fear of the blacks taking over? just what is it?

For me personally its a "I'm getting sick of it" type of thing. I've lived my 30+ years being a normal person IE not judging people based on anything but their character. Not that it proves anything about me but I've dated outside my "ethnic" circle more than once.

I get very angry, frustrated, and upset when I see or hear of people of all races just assuming a white person is racist. The latest example, to me, was Obama and Patrick just assuming right away that Gates was right and Crowley was wrong.

It makes me feel discriminated against just because I'm white. Which, unfortunately for me, makes me also understand the hell black people have had to go through their entire lives in regards to prejudices based on race.


I'm the guy who almost got fired by a bunch of high nosed, chin up, little older MA women for hiring a few Asian ladies and a big uber dark black man to work in the warehouse at my last job. And I almost got fired because of my reaction to the reactions of the people I worked with. I got very angry at them for having a problem with the Asian ladies over their broken English and with their unreasonable fear of a big black guy in the workplace. I believe I may have yelled at them very loudly in front of all the employees at a store meeting.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

Now I'm upset again just remembering those bigoted old ladies :(

I think i shouldn't let myself talk about this subject anymore.
 
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strollingbones.

Billions of black people in the world and you tar them all with the same brush.Kinda like those people who believe the billions of white people are racist.

I know the racial climate in America is very different though.Here in England,and through most of Europe,people are usually against someone's nationality rather than race.Both attitudes obviouly historicaly influenced.

I can imagine it may feel to some that all blacks in America are racist,usually because those are the ones who get the media coverage.

Relations in America between blacks and whites will probably be strained for many more years to come,because it wasn't that long ago when Segregation was still in effect,and of course,before that there was the slave trade.Us Brits still face strained relations with many other nations because of our Empire.Only time can change that.
 
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strollingbones.

Billions of black people in the world and you tar them all with the same brush.Kinda like those people who believe the billions of white people are racist.

I know the racial climate in America is very different though.Here in England,and through most of Europe,people are usually against someone's nationality rather than race.Both attitudes obviouly historicaly influenced.

I can imagine it may feel to some that all blacks in America are racist,usually because those are the ones who get the media coverage.

Relations in America between blacks and whites will probably be strained for many more years to come,because it wasn't that long ago when Segregation was still in effect,and of course,before that there was the slave trade.Us Brits still face strained relations with many other nations because of our Empire.Only time can change that.

Have you ever lived in the U.S.?

You do realize that Britain was the worst transgressor, raccounting for almost 2.5 million African slaves. Don't you?
 
Define racist? I often see the term used but I wonder if we are clear exactly what we mean?

Thinking all people of one shade of skin are one way? If you say "All or most <insert race> are great dancers?" Insert anything but make it good versus bad dies that make one a racist? Nah it just means people tend to incorrectly generalize about many groups.

A true racist tries to impede the rights and freedoms of another race through his actions.

If you use a racial slur you are likely just an ignorant jerk.
 
A true racist tries to impede the rights and freedoms of another race through his actions.

If you use a racial slur you are likely just an ignorant jerk.
I think we are all racists, but most us are not active racists.

It's sort of like we are born with a potentiality for racism but something in our environment or mental illness is needed to make it active.
 
A true racist tries to impede the rights and freedoms of another race through his actions.

If you use a racial slur you are likely just an ignorant jerk.
I think we are all racists, but most us are not active racists.

It's sort of like we are born with a potentiality for racism but something in our environment or mental illness is needed to make it active.

I think many of us or most tend to stereotype others and not just based on race. That alone does not make us racist or sexist. It makes us just lazy.

No group is "all" of anything. The human race is far too diverse based on things like culture,intellect,experience and environment to use the word "all" to describe any group.

"Active racist"?


What would that be? Are inactive ones being watched by the ever ominous "thought police"?
 
A true racist tries to impede the rights and freedoms of another race through his actions.

If you use a racial slur you are likely just an ignorant jerk.
I think we are all racists, but most us are not active racists.

It's sort of like we are born with a potentiality for racism but something in our environment or mental illness is needed to make it active.

I think many of us or most tend to stereotype others and not just based on race. That alone does not make us racist or sexist. It makes us just lazy.

No group is "all" of anything. The human race is far too diverse based on things like culture,intellect,experience and environment to use the word "all" to describe any group.

"Active racist"?


What would that be? Are inactive ones being watched by the ever ominous "thought police"?
My idea of active racist is identical to what you call a true racist. I think we are genetically predisposed to fear to some degree people who look, act and/or speak differently that us. In hunter gatherer societies that was a useful trait. In civilized societies it's much less so.
In some people that fear turns into pathological hate.
 
I think we are all racists, but most us are not active racists.

It's sort of like we are born with a potentiality for racism but something in our environment or mental illness is needed to make it active.

I think many of us or most tend to stereotype others and not just based on race. That alone does not make us racist or sexist. It makes us just lazy.

No group is "all" of anything. The human race is far too diverse based on things like culture,intellect,experience and environment to use the word "all" to describe any group.

"Active racist"?


What would that be? Are inactive ones being watched by the ever ominous "thought police"?
My idea of active racist is identical to what you call a true racist. I think we are genetically predisposed to fear to some degree people who look, act and/or speak differently that us. In hunter gatherer societies that was a useful trait. In civilized societies it's much less so.
In some people that fear turns into pathological hate.


Perhaps. I am not a psychological expert. So we are genetically wired as such you believe?

What about societies and families where there are more than one race? What happens to the genetic aspect?

So you believe a baby looking at a person of a different race would show or experience fear? I do not agree.
 
I think many of us or most tend to stereotype others and not just based on race. That alone does not make us racist or sexist. It makes us just lazy.

No group is "all" of anything. The human race is far too diverse based on things like culture,intellect,experience and environment to use the word "all" to describe any group.

"Active racist"?


What would that be? Are inactive ones being watched by the ever ominous "thought police"?
My idea of active racist is identical to what you call a true racist. I think we are genetically predisposed to fear to some degree people who look, act and/or speak differently that us. In hunter gatherer societies that was a useful trait. In civilized societies it's much less so.
In some people that fear turns into pathological hate.


Perhaps. I am not a psychological expert. So we are genetically wired as such you believe?

What about societies and families where there are more than one race? What happens to the genetic aspect?

So you believe a baby looking at a person of a different race would show or experience fear? I do not agree.
I base my opinion on gut feelings and a scientific study I read which I linked to in another thread, I'll try to find it, in case you are interested in reading it.
 
My idea of active racist is identical to what you call a true racist. I think we are genetically predisposed to fear to some degree people who look, act and/or speak differently that us. In hunter gatherer societies that was a useful trait. In civilized societies it's much less so.
In some people that fear turns into pathological hate.


Perhaps. I am not a psychological expert. So we are genetically wired as such you believe?

What about societies and families where there are more than one race? What happens to the genetic aspect?

So you believe a baby looking at a person of a different race would show or experience fear? I do not agree.
I base my opinion on gut feelings and a scientific study I read which I linked to in another thread, I'll try to find it, in case you are interested in reading it.


Sure if it is not too much trouble. But I would be curious what you think about mixed race situations and the reactions of infants.

Very few people in this country live in a one race world I would think.
 
Perhaps. I am not a psychological expert. So we are genetically wired as such you believe?

What about societies and families where there are more than one race? What happens to the genetic aspect?

So you believe a baby looking at a person of a different race would show or experience fear? I do not agree.
I base my opinion on gut feelings and a scientific study I read which I linked to in another thread, I'll try to find it, in case you are interested in reading it.


Sure if it is not too much trouble. But I would be curious what you think about mixed race situations and the reactions of infants.

Very few people in this country live in a one race world I would think.

I really don't know enough about how well infants perceive faces to know what I would predict. It would also depend on the facial expressions. I think the level of fear would vary a lot depending also onhow shy or outgoing the infant is.

One thing I've noticed about young kids that I wonder about is why some are instantly attracted to dogs and others are terrified of them. Some of it has to do with picking up fear or good feelings from their parents but sometimes I notice parents who obviously love dogs with kids who are scared of them. And vice versa.
 
Giving it more thought, I would think infants would be less likely to show more fear of faces with different skin tones than they are accustomed to seeing than an older child who may have been exposed to a fear reaction on the part of a caretaker relating to the skin tone of a stranger .

I wonder if any studies have been done on that.
 
Giving it more thought, I would think infants would be less likely to show more fear of faces with different skin tones than they are accustomed to seeing than an older child who may have been exposed to a fear reaction on the part of a caretaker relating to the skin tone of a stranger .

I wonder if any studies have been done on that.



But did you not earlier state that there was a genetic component at play in all this?

So should not a black child fear a white face and a white child fear a black face?

See none of this makes sense to me because people look different for many reasons and not all are race based.

Do fat people fear thin people? Do blondes get nervous around brunettes?

How about people with different accents?
 
strollingbones.

Billions of black people in the world and you tar them all with the same brush.Kinda like those people who believe the billions of white people are racist.

I know the racial climate in America is very different though.Here in England,and through most of Europe,people are usually against someone's nationality rather than race.Both attitudes obviouly historicaly influenced.

I can imagine it may feel to some that all blacks in America are racist,usually because those are the ones who get the media coverage.

Relations in America between blacks and whites will probably be strained for many more years to come,because it wasn't that long ago when Segregation was still in effect,and of course,before that there was the slave trade.Us Brits still face strained relations with many other nations because of our Empire.Only time can change that.

Have you ever lived in the U.S.?

You do realize that Britain was the worst transgressor, raccounting for almost 2.5 million African slaves. Don't you?

And YOU do realize that it was the British Empire which used its influence and, when necessary, military might to eradicate slavery in every country on Earth it could, despite the fact that it cost them a fortune? I'd say between that and the War of Northern Aggression here in the United States, it's long past time to stop blathering and bloviating about slavery.
 
Giving it more thought, I would think infants would be less likely to show more fear of faces with different skin tones than they are accustomed to seeing than an older child who may have been exposed to a fear reaction on the part of a caretaker relating to the skin tone of a stranger .

I wonder if any studies have been done on that.



But did you not earlier state that there was a genetic component at play in all this?

So should not a black child fear a white face and a white child fear a black face?

See none of this makes sense to me because people look different for many reasons and not all are race based.

Do fat people fear thin people? Do blondes get nervous around brunettes?

How about people with different accents?
Of course, people look different and their skin tone is only part of what distinguishes them. Race is a social construct. As I said, I don't know anything about how infants perceive faces. But I think it's likely infants would have a different reaction to faces that resemble their caretaker than to those who are look different than their caretakers. I think that fear of strangers must be innate and that it gets reinforced or diffused when the child imitates the behavior of it's caretakers. Fear of people who look, act and/or speak differently that us can be taken to extremes and that's what pathological hatred of certain groups of people is about.

You seem like you want to get me to say something I have not said previously. Not sure what your issue is.
 
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Giving it more thought, I would think infants would be less likely to show more fear of faces with different skin tones than they are accustomed to seeing than an older child who may have been exposed to a fear reaction on the part of a caretaker relating to the skin tone of a stranger .

I wonder if any studies have been done on that.



But did you not earlier state that there was a genetic component at play in all this?

So should not a black child fear a white face and a white child fear a black face?

See none of this makes sense to me because people look different for many reasons and not all are race based.

Do fat people fear thin people? Do blondes get nervous around brunettes?

How about people with different accents?
Of course, people look different and their skin tone is only part of what distinguishes them. Race is a social construct. As I said, I don't know anything about how infants perceive faces. But I think it's likely infants would have a different reaction to faces that resemble their caretaker than to those who are look different than their caretakers. I think that fear of strangers must be innate and that it gets reinforced or diffused when the child imitates the behavior of it's caretakers. Fear of people who look, act and/or speak differently that us can be taken to extremes and that's what pathological hatred of certain groups of people is about.

You seem like you want to get me to say something I have not said previously. Not sure what your issue is.

lol Issue? I have none. We are discussing something on a message board. How can I get you to say something you have no said?

You offered a premise and I offered counter points to that premise that in my opinion place some doubt or at least question on yours.
 

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