News Why It's So Hard To Talk To White People About Racism

[ms spock]

I kind of gave up @Simply Simon - it was really a tangent that should have been put into it's own thread.

Institutionalised racism and white privilege is implicit within law enforcement but it is not the only place in society that is implicit.

I was disappointed to see that it seemed like this thread turned in to a bit of a flame war. I would have appreciated that not being done in my thread. I guess a better way to deal with it, rather than be disappointed or giving up would have been to actually ask people not to do it or report the thread, but I didn't think about that until right now.

 

[Kintsugi]

Considering the OP's feelings, I hope everyone will steer this ship back to its original port. ;)

I'll even take the first go at that task. This is a piece of reporting that may prove highly fertile in this thread about racism as trauma, from NPR's All Things Considered, called "Coping While Black":
http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswi...-of-traumatic-news-takes-a-psychological-toll

 

[Ed Norton]

Just a note. I'm not the one who started the law enforcement conversation but I reacted badly to it and I couldn't any longer restrain myself.

Back to the topic. Well of course institutionalized racism exists I've experienced it first hand but also ( and please don't think that I'm applying this statement to the majority) Some blacks refuse to engage in anything 'White'. I can't count the number of times where I heard that this activity or that is for White people. Also, some of the most viscious racism that I've experienced was from Blacks because I was 'White'. I really don't know the answer. I personally got tired of people in my family always talking about slaves and ships when cleary they weren't slaves but I've been called a monkey, passed up for full-time promotion and had the job given to someone with way less credentials because they were White. Racism is everywhere and institutionalized or not, it's very damaging to an individual. It's not hard to talk to all White people about racism my friend can see it clearly even though he's had a far from privileged life.

 

[Bill Dickerson]

Institutionalised racism and white privilege is implicit within law enforcement but it is not the only place in society that is implicit.

I think the direction the thread is going is so typical as to why it's hard for white people to talk about race. Cops or white people are slammed as an entire group. How do you respond to that. It's based on emotion and nothing I can say will penetrate their belief
system.

Cops the world over seem to be drawn from a group of people who have the aim of using extreme violence to enforce conformity, whether to ocd behaviour, or to racial majority profile.

It's painting a whole group with one big brush. Are all priests pedophiles or all black people lazy of course not. I feel so sorry for folks who actually believe the above quote. It has to be a very sad world to live in.

 

[Ed Norton]

Strawman..But I won't address the Black people are lazy statement because it's a very wicked stereotype. But it is analogous to the priest being pedophiles, enough have been to assume that very many are. Same with cops, too many have defiled the institution and the reputation is deserved. Make your bed then lie in it. I mean if the police wanted to stop racism then they would but it's acceptable and leads to set ups and brutality. All of them? No, but enough. Same with priests if they don't want to be perceived as pedos then get rid of them!

 

[Bill Dickerson]

This story is on foxnews "Black customer forced to prepay for meals files 100k discrimination lawsuit". Often lawsuit are ridiculous but this one sounds right on the money. The system does work or at least it does where I live.

 

[Ed Norton]

It will be dismissed by summary judgment.

Edit: If it has no merit. Apparently it does though.

 

[ms spock]

I think the direction the thread is going is so typical as to why it's hard for white people to talk about race. Cops or white people are slammed as an entire group. How do you respond to that. It's based on emotion and nothing I can say will penetrate their belief
system.

If you reread your quoting of me - I said "within" - you are incorrectly ascribing to me that I am saying all law enforcement agencies personnel or all white people are one homogeneous whole. For the record I am not doing so.

One of the reasons that it is so hard to talk about racism - is people reacting from a perceived belief that bringing up the topic means all police or all white people are being called racist. This is not so.

 

[Ed Norton]

Honesty

Ignore the provocative title on the video. I can respect this guy

 

[Ed Norton]

But this is more typical

 

[Bill Dickerson]

Maybe I'm misunderstanding you but you used implicit.

Definition: of implicit

1. implied though not plainly expressed.
   "comments seen as implicit criticism of the policies"
   synonyms: Link Removed, hinted at, suggested, insinuated; More
2. with no qualification or question; absolute "an implicit faith in God"
3. synonyms: Link Removed, Link Removed, Link Removed, Link Removed, Link Removed, Link Removed; More

 

[Ed Norton]

Everyone in the US hates each other. Blacks hate Whites and Latinos Whites hate Latinos and Blacks, Indians Hate Pakistanis, Puerto Ricans hate Mexicans, Africans hate African Americans, West Indians Hate African American...I'm being purposely ridiculous here but there's an element of truth but I can think of many more examples where I recorded the exact opposite.

In reality, it's a very unpleasant and complex dynamic and it's hard to talk to ANYONE about racism