Quote:
Originally Posted by Nanny32162
The excuse our family member was given is that he was "driving a nice car similar to one that had been reported stolen." As soon as he produced his identification, there was much backpedaling by the officers. He is not the only upper middle class Black person I know who has been pulled over for no obvious reason. The response is almost always "driving a car similar to one that was reported stolen." I guess they don't bother checking license plates.
You also have to remember that other ethnic groups, who have had struggles but been assimilated, came here of their own volition and are white. After the accent disappears, usually with the first generation, there is nothing to denote that the children of immigrants are different from other white Americans.
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Sorry. Not trying to argue with you, but just trying to share perspective from an obviously different background.
I grew up on the west coast in an ethnically diverse community. As kids, we played together, went to school together, etc. In the service I served with a racially and religiously diverse group. In civilian life I, again, worked with a diverse group of folks and many of those were my superiors. I never experienced or observed "systemic racism". I have known people that got into trouble and claimed it was because "they pick on me because" ...(insert reason/excuse here: ie, I'm gay, I'm Jewish, I'm a woman, etc). As far as the backpedaling, anyone who ever did, said something to a superior only to realize the other individual was their superior just might try to come up with an excuse for their mistake. "No, boss. I wasn't calling you an idiot. I was just talking to myself."
As to your statement that all other immigrants came of their own volition, that is not totally true. The English routinely banished "undesirables" to the colonies to serve "their betters here. Chinese were robbed and Shanghai and sent here as servants or to work on the railroads. There are many more tales of woe. And, not all Black Americans were brought here as slaves. Many came of their own volition to escape injustice from their own people in Africa, or more recently, to make a better life as other groups have done.
As you can see, " all came here of their own volition and are white" is not quite correct. Asians, Hispanics, Middle Eastern people, Pacific Islanders, and others might be offended at being called "white". And even the accent is dependent on the language spoken in the home.
In conclusion, I simply wanted to share a perspective from a different part of the American experience. What I keep hoping for is an America that is like my experience as a child, with everyone working together, playing together, treating one another with fairness, equality and mutual respect and love. What I don't want is a country divided by anger and hatred, violence and destruction. As the man once said, "United we stand, divided we fall." No one is perfect, but we can try to be better.
Stay well. Stay safe. Peace!