Originally Posted By: THE Bastard
 Originally Posted By: Wonder Boy
 Originally Posted By: THE Bastard
 Originally Posted By: britneyspearsatemyshorts
my grandma was 1/2 shawneee indian, my nephew is half mexican, i dont define them by race,my family doesnt define them by race, we dont define ourselves by race. i think that there is an over self conscientiousness by some people that america in general gives a crap what color your skin is...


Perhaps you don't define them by race simply because they are members of your family. You think of them as people before anything else. I've 'known' you for a very long time, bsams...since 2000. I think that you accept certain members of racial groups if you feel like you know them and they fit into your definition of cool...the whole "some of my best friends are..." deal.

I also think that if a black guy that you didn't know...let's say me f'r instance...walked down your street minding his own, you'd be on the porch with a rifle making sure that I didn't rape no white wimmens.



Okay, now that's just making wild assumptions about whites, based on nothing. I fail to see that you have any basis to make such a statement.


No...that's me making wild assumptions about bsams based on my perceptions of his personality based on the thousands of posts that I've read by him over the years. bsams has been mostly cool with me since I met him way back at The Manor. He even allowed me to be a junior NB. I think he's a pretty cool person even though I just don't get his obsession with The Big Lebowski...it just ain't that funny to me.

However, seems to me that bsams ins't the most tolerant of cultures or people that he's not familiar with. He could prolly have a beer with me...THE Bastard...cuz he's familiar with me. But I just don't think he would hang out with me if I were just some random black guy.

I could be wrong but, that's my opinion and I'm entitled to it



 Quote:
BSAMS, G-Man, and I have all just given an outline of our own mixed-race heritages.
But based on nothing, you assume us to be racist.


I haven't called any of you racist. I may have inferred that one or more of you are bigots but there's a difference. I think most people are bigots...including me. Just be real with it and don't play the prick when called on it.



 Quote:
You might ask yourself why you're prone to such prejudicial stereotyping of whites. Could it possibly be... your OWN prejudices, projected on a racial group that YOU have hostility toward?


I have prejudices. We all do. But I harbor no hostility towards whites (or any one else) as a group. There are specific white people that I don't like...as well as black and others. There's this little chinese lady in this restaurant that I go to that is a raging bitch. She's never said anything to me personally but I've seen her say stuiff to other people. Based on that, I don't like the twat. I don't have time to hate whole groups of people. There's more than enough individual assholes to despise for reasons other than their color, religion or ethnicity.


 Quote:
I don't dispute that SOME whites have this notion of "purity", as do other racial groups. I've met blacks, whites, asians, hispanics, etc., who have made it clear they only date or socialize within their own perceived ethnic group. I met an amazing looking girl who was more "white" by my own perception than I am, who identified herself as Cherokee, and lived on a reservation. Racial identity doesn't always have to do with racial appearance.


Agreed.

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But I'd be careful making snap assumptions about "white racism".

I've observed there's plenty of race-consciousness in every ethnic group I've ever encountered.


I don't make snap judgements. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt until and unless they show me otherwise.


Let me say up front that I've always had tremendous respect for your part in these discussions T.B., and we've literally been having them periodically since 2000, where as you said, we first met on the Authority boards. You show exceptional patience despite your obvious disagreement, and I blushingly say considerably more patience than I've often shown.
But WB tries!

From our past discussions, you have a whole glossary of terms, and while you have a well-thought out perspective, it is a perspective concentric to the fact that you are black (or African American) and while I largely understand your argument I simply (but respectfully) do not agree with the presuppositions of thast perspective. Terms like institutionalized racism, the notion that whites can never experience racism because they are a majority and not a minority.
And (an argument I've not heard from you before) that there is some clear distinction between a racist and a bigot. I'm sure there's a clarification of terms that would make that understandable and well defined. But to me they are ultimately both just sweeping labels. I know you well enough that you mean these statements without malice. But in complete honesty, I would find them much more inflammatory from virtually anyone else.

I've felt similar frustration in debates with Jason/Wednesday. We butted heads for years, but I've come to understand his posting style is more playful sarcasm and not as confontational as I initially read into it.

I think you're both nice guys, and certainly intelligent guys as well. I wish we could all (blacks and whites in general) come to a mutual understanding on the issue of race, and heal the national rift. Oddly, we seem to get along better, most of us, when we just don't discuss it.

We grew up in the same nation, and share much of the same schools, lifestyles, music, media, and culture. But somehow, we remain worlds apart on our perspectives of race. As I've said often, my greatest frustration is that we can't even seem to agree what the causes are, let alone the solution.