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Some of our prejudices are positive and somewhat accurate. Some of our prejudices are mean spirited and narrow minded. Sometimes we have to generalize in order to make some kinds of decisions. For instance if some kid came in showing four inches of underwear, had a skull tattoo and he had those big black discs in his ears, I wouldn't hire him. I don't care if he was valedictorian, summa cum laude, an Eagle scout and a pillar of his church. Sometimes we have to adapt, fit in, look the part and try harder. We all have prejudices. But all people are worthy to be listened to and respected until they do something that hurts others on purpose or fail to take care of themselves and their family if they are able to. Not all people are born with the same level of intelligence and you can call them stupid if you wish, but few people realize that most people are doing the best they can with the intelligence that they were born with and the experiences they have had. You can educate people and give the tools to help them, but you cannot make them innately smarter. I am the mother of a gifted child and a retarded one. I love them both exactly the same and feel they have the exact same value in this world. People are born within the spectrum of intelligence of my two children and education and good parenting can only modify that somewhat. Be kind and fair and help as much as you can and see all people as worthwhile unless and until the hurt others on purpose. MOST people are doing the best they can with what they were born with. I will never be the center for the Celtics. |
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Simple definition of racist is;
S h a r p t o n J a c k s o n |
I find it interesting to read all the different views on "racism" most of which I tend to code as "preferences". We all have preferences based on our personal history and some are more staunch in their holding of them and others are more open to looking at them and possibly expanding them or eliminating them.
It's like we are all looking out of different windows in this big house we all live in and some choose to stay in one room and others seek to explore the house and see what is in other rooms and out other windows. All the choices we make in life are based on our viewpoints and for many there is alot at stake if they change their perspective. In fact for some it would shake up their whole world and create too much confusion so they choose not to look out another window. There really is no reason to blame them, as they are the ones who have to live with the consequences of changing their viewpoint. I still have a challenge with extremists of any sort, and maybe that is where the term "racist" belongs. I remember that my husband (Irish descent, and I'm Chinese) once went into an ice cream store and was served by a young lad who had tattoos all over and green hair and an earring. My husband at the time was very conservative in his thinking but for some reason got engaged in conversation. When he told me about the experience, he said that it really gave him food for thought and made him realize how much he judged kids by their appearance and often dismissed those who weren't attired "properly". He still would prefer the other, but he no longer judges them by how they look. Like most people he is most comfortable with those who are similar in thought and action, though he does like a good debate! When I was young, I used to think that any "misfortunes" I suffered were because I was Chinese, but as I got older I began to realize that my "misfortunes" were consequences of my own actions or thoughts and in fact most of them turned out to have great silver linings and were really not misfortunes. When my husband and I were married over 30 yrs ago, heads would always turn as I have always lived in a predominantly white neighbourhood. Now, hardly anyone notices us as a couple, except chinese people that see us! And they always look twice, even if they are an interracial couple. Racism has always been a hot topic, so like all hot topics there will be many viewpoints. I think I better go into another room now. LW888 |
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On the other hand, your desire not to hire those who dress in a way to which you object may be based on some evidence or knowledge in which case you have discriminated, or made a choice based on knowledge. Or it may be prejudice depending on the thoughtfulness and completeness of your evidence gathering. We use the phrase "you have discriminating taste" as a compliment not an insult. So there is nothing wrong with discrimination, it only becomes wrong if you discriminate on the basis of ones prejudice. So if a person says to me " I don't believe blacks should be allowed to marry real humans " which is the substance of the denial of interracial marriage, that is an opinion that needs to be vigorously opposed and openly derided if our culture is to continue to make progress against bigotry. |
Despite a number of posts yesterday that attempted to diss the posters on here, and the fact they have differing opinions, the last number of posts in this thread prove otherwise.
Where are those folks who judge others by their opinions..... The last few posts on here were not just "nice", but real as I think it represents the norm. That is why if you take the politics out of race, the possibilities are amazing. |
Racists come in all colours.
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blueash -
you posted: 'All views are not due equal hearing and equal respect. The public forum is not equally open to those that claim the earth is round vs the earth is flat.' - i ask you, who made those decisions? 'It is the duty of citizens to shout down those who continue to deny that the earth is round and tell them their "belief" is wrong and not worthy of equal time and in fact worthy of derision.' - please clarify who it is that made shouting down anyone's opinion a duty of anyone else, telling anyone they are wrong and especially are not worthy of anything but derision? 'If I were to state that all disabled children should be killed I would hope you wouldn't comment that all views need to be respected until they are acted upon. I would hope you would scream about what an inherently evil thought that is and that a person who holds that view ought to keep it silent or be severely criticized by everyone in the room if such an evil thought is even spoken.' - seems to me that is the verbal equivalent of biblical stoning! |
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As I said before, it's nobody's business if somebody thinks something others consider "racist", as long as that person does not act on that thought to do harm to, for example, an inter-racial couple. Go to this book linked, by Caroline Kennedy who's certainly no "racist", written in the early 1990's, on the Bill of Rights illustrated by actual Supreme Court cases and their rulings. Read the first chapter shown, on a most instructive Supreme Court Case case: "Freedom of Speech: Missouri Knights of the Ku Klux Klan vs. Kansas City" In Our Defense - C Kennedy - Google Books |
mgjm -
you posted, 'So you believe that every point of view is equally valid?' please define valid. if a point of view is valid to the person who holds it - does someone or many people saying that it is not valid make it invalid or any less real to its owner? perhaps every point of view is not valid to everyone - but that would not make it invalid - would it? |
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Another thing I know is that they both help ALL people. I have worked with them (co partnering) and have seen what they've done for all races first hand... it got up close and personal when I almost lost my job in 2008. My very large corporation decided to hack the people who were close to retirement. I didn't ask Mr. Jackson to step in, but a friend of my husband's did. Thanks to him nine of us... All races kept our jobs until we were ready to retire! Trust me..... when he stepped in... it was a VERY big deal! He did it quietly and discreetly... but I was told he was involved and getting it done... by his group and my company! No one knows about that... it wasn't news worthy to put in the paper. A lot of what they do for us white people... isn't news worthy to put in the paper. It just doesn't make good news. But... haters gonna hate.... |
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First 1/2 correct thing you say is they are invited. Yes, I believe that to be true TODAY. My problem is that was not always the case for either of them. They both made their career INTERFERING.....you can check facts on Jackson and his disputed and proven lies about his early years with MLK..you can check lots of stuff on Sharpton and his escapades. THIS does not make them bad in itself......to support injustice is a good thing, but to USE injustice for personal gains with no regard to truth or ironically justice to accomplish your goals is not admirable. Since you know "first hand" what Sharpton, for example has down for white people I will have to accept your word, but there has been zero evidence shown publicly and in fact his comments on Jews, Mormons and whites are legion and disgusting. Where I think you are absolutely correct is that they are USED as tools at this stage of their lives, which does not make it right. If we are to judge people by their actions and WORDS (which you cannot erase) then I will still say they both fit the true definition of racist. |
Both Al and Jesse want equality for black Americans so if leaning in the direction of giving them the longer straw is in my opinion, a day late, and a dollar short. For that reason, I feel they deserve a lot of leeway when referring to being racist against whites. We have been evil to them for hundreds of years, so again, they should have a free pass on rasisum.
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I agree with...
What Indy dealmaker said in another thread, or was it this one?
We aren't going to change anyone's mind. I am pretty content with my philosophy of life. I think most of us are doing the right thing by trying to be respectful of others. |
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maybe the city of chicago should ask one or both of them to go in and help their city if they have not already. but i would think that if the rainbow coalition or any other group had a plan in that city - we would know about it. |
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1: having legal efficacy or force; especially : executed with the proper legal authority and formalities <a valid contract> 2 a : well-grounded or justifiable : being at once relevant and meaningful <a valid theory> b : logically correct <a valid argument> <valid inference> 3: appropriate to the end in view : EFFECTIVE <every craft has its own valid methods> 4: conforming to accepted principles of sound biological classification I have to acknowledge that whatever you believe is what you believe and there isn't anything I, or anyone else, can do about it. It's just that I don't personally believe that every thought holds equal weight in the grand scheme of things. For example, the other day, I thought it might be nice if all there weren't any mosquitos. While that might be a good thing for me, it would be a bad thing for other life forms (bats and birds). I concluded that it was a pretty unrealistic and, therefore, a fairly useless thought. Likewise, if you really believe that inter-racial marriage is a bad thing, you eventually have to come to the conclusion that it's not going to end no matter what you believe. At some point, you've got to stop being against it unless you are an unthinking individual. Does that answer your question? |
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i suppose it does...but i still cannot say that i agree with you...most of all re the concept that thoughts have to be assigned a weight - a thought is a thought - it means a lot to some and nothing to another - so what? do you survey people on how much they believe in their thought on a scale of 1 to 10? do you judge people on what you think the weight of their thought is? i see validity in a more philosophical way rather than a legalese way; and sort of like in debating where something is valid or has more validity if a conclusion cannot be contradicted. one never has to stop being against something or even in favor of something...they just need to accept the reality that regardless of how they feel about something, others will see it differently. |
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I don't think I nor anybody else needs to be punished for our nation's slave history, considering our ancestors came here after slavery was abolished and none of us even LIVED NEAR a slave or slave descendant, much less owned and mistreated one. |
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I don't think we're that far apart on this issue except for this - I was in an inter-racial marriage and whenever I believed that we were the victims of racism it held a lot of weight with me and my wife. We experienced this from both races, by the way. After my wife passed away, I experienced it less but my bi-racial kids still have to deal with racism on a daily basis. When it becomes a part of your life, it carries more weight. When you don't have to deal with it, it carries less weight. The problem is that people generally act on their thoughts whether they admit it or not. |
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