Racism - An illness or a Way of life? - Page 7 - Jamaica Talk

LadySizzla · #91 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 11:35 AM

maybe its less about seeing it but more about how important it is to you as an individual. in the case of obama if i was american i would care more about his policies and if hes gonna fix the mess bush has made of the world in terms of war and economy. personally i think it would have been nice to have both the first black man or the first woman as president. but more importantly bushes administration had to get out.

margaret thatcher is a perfect example of how voting for someone on the basis other than their policies is a recipe for disaster.

Jomo's girl · #92 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 11:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamCan

Ahhh race and politics....my 2 favorite subjects.

Should we talk about their religious affiliations too, just to round out the top 3?

LadySizzla · #93 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 11:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jomo's girl

Should we talk about their religious affiliations too, just to round out the top 3?

LOL then I WILL need a 'i hate ladysizzla thread' to deal with all my hatemail

JamCan · #94 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 11:54 AM

DWRCL.......this is too much.

Jomo's girl · #95 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 11:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LadySizzla

LOL then I WILL need a 'i hate ladysizzla thread' to deal with all my hatemail

Hee hee................

Jomo's girl · #96 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JamCan

DWRCL.......this is too much.

I feel like I am drunk with slap happiness today!

MissB · #97 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jomo's girl

I gotta tell you, I am a little tired of people telling me what I see and what I must see and all the inuendo crap that goes with it.

I see him as a man............the best political candidate at this point in time.....End of MY story on him.

You are entitled to see and think whatever you like. I will not harrass you on that. Just remember to return the favor.

I'm not trying to harass you, promise!

But I do think that the point that you make, and many like you, doesn't help to further the discussion on race when you say you don't see it. Just my opinion... and you know very well that when you (or anyone) posts in these threads about race that things get "passionate"...

But I have no intention of harassing you. And I'm not trying to tell you what to see... I just really don't understand the concept of not "seeing" someone's race...

Lady Rasta · #98 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 11:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissB

How can you NOT SEE IT? He is the first presidential candidate in the history of presidential campaigns who had to make a (30 minute) speech about the state of race relations in the United States? He is the first presidential candidate who had to have Secret Service protection from the moment he announced his candidacy... He is the first presidential candidate who has had his religious affiliations with a controversial BLACK preacher scrutinized relentlessly...

Even HE sees it. I agree with the points you raised above. But to say that you don't SEE a person's skin color and all of the social and political connections to it is just the equivalent of burying your head in the sand, JG.

I have always respected your honesty and realism on this subject!

Jomo's girl · #99 (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 11:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissB

I'm not trying to harass you, promise!

But I do think that the point that you make, and many like you, doesn't help to further the discussion on race when you say you don't see it. Just my opinion... and you know very well that when you (or anyone) posts in these threads about race that things get "passionate"...

But I have no intention of harassing you. And I'm not trying to tell you what to see... I just really don't understand the concept of not "seeing" someone's race...

Now you get my point EXACTLY.....I do not understand the concept of "seeing" someone's race.

MissB · #**100** (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 12:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jomo's girl

Now you get my point EXACTLY.....I do not understand the concept of "seeing" someone's race.

Okay... then we can agree to disagree.

MissB · #**101** (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lady Rasta

I have always respected your honesty and realism on this subject!

Thank you. I appreciate this and feel the same about you.

For the record... I don't want people to think that I have reduced Barack to his race. I, of course, support him because I think he is the best MAN for the job... But in the context of a discussion about race... the issue of his presidency came up...

Jomo's girl · #**102** (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MissB

Okay... then we can agree to disagree.

(high fives and moves along)

GhettoGurl · #**103** (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex4Ja

This morning while getting dressed for work, my attention was drawn to a talk show program on TV.
I dont know what the moderator's name was but he was a Psychologist (Not Dr. Phil) and he was featuring two young ladies (both adults and married) who brought their Mom on the program because she was a racist.

At first I wasn't interested but after a while I was intrigued...
They said that their (White) Mom while they were kids would not allow them to have any Black Friends; even though their community and the school they attended were predominantly Black.

One daughter spoke of a time when she made the mistake of having one of her Black Classmates give her a ride home and the Mother, right there on the front lawn, immediately after her daughter alighted from the vehicl egave her a whooping. She said that the mom then went down to the local store, bought a "Cat-O-Nine (leather whip with metal strips on the ends), call the boy up and told him that if he ever came near to her daughter again she would skin him alive.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the Mother when asked, said that she WAS in fact a racist and when asked why, said that she was born that way.

She then told the audience that as a child she was was given a Black dog whom she would torture every minute of the day. She said that she would stick things in every single orifice of the dog just to see him suffer. She said that her father (who encouraged the behavior)was a racist and would often brag about the number of N*** that he had personally killed.

Anyway...The thing that stuck with me was when she said that she was BORN a racist.
The psychologist tried convinced her that she was not Born a racist but infact learned racism.
He even lamented that racism is a sickness.

What do you believe...?

1. Can someone be born a racist?
2. If you were not before, can you "learn" racism?
3. Do you think that racism is an illness?

I say no on all questions

Lady Rasta · #**104** (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 12:08 PM

[quote=MissB;467916]I have to agree with ladyR on this one. I know what you mean JG that you personally believe that all people are the "same"... you mean that you don't see yourself as "superior" to others because you are white...

HOWEVER...

The world is a very different place for people of color (and I am not speaking solely of black people)... If you are a person of color you face prejudice and discrimination and racism everyday. And LadyR is right... when it comes to the REALITY of white privilege and both individualized and institutionalized racism... we are LIGHT YEARS away from healing long standing wounds. So in that regard... with many of my friends (including my boyfriend) who are black, it is insulting to say that "we are all the same" because we really are not in terms of our daily experiences with race and racism.

I'd like to pose another question that arose as a result of my having a discussion about race (sp. in the US) now that we have our very first black man as a real contender for the presidency (YES!!!!!!!!).

We were discussing race and the racial divide in the US and I said that I believe that in some ways Barack's presidency could pose both a positive and a negative in terms of race in our country...

On the one hand we would have undeniable positive role modeling for young people of color who could now see themselves reflected in the most powerful man in the country and arguably the free world...

But on the otherhand, we could potentially have people (esp. white people) using him as an "example" of the fact that "see-- we don't have a problem with racism in the US-- we have a black president"... which we all KNOW is not the case...

So... he does present a fascinating dichotomy in that regard! What are your thoughts?[/quote]

this is a very powerfull statement

i thought of this as well...it would do much to improve the US in reputation (in this regard) abroad....also, i had mixed feeligs when it came to Obama becoming President....

First, he must suvivees the medias masecre of him. Every and any way to discredit this man has been done from calling his Harvard grad wife "Obama baby mama" to "Fist pound terrorist"...its all put in to disrepect and discredit that man.....ANYBODY that dont see that is a LIAR

I also have a fear, (not that he cant do the job) but that at the end of his short 4 year term, if he cant fix the GIGILLIONS of DOLLARS of dept we are in or do something to jump start this wrecked economy,...then he will be looked at (not as a bad, failed pres) but "see u cant let a Black president man lead a nation".....shoot, lets hope he get inauguarated and some milita group wont assianate him first.

i think he does represents change. i think he can do a great job. (not just bcause he is black) but cuz he represent all of what american needs

Jomo's girl · #**105** (**permalink**) 06-23-2008, 12:13 PM

The media, other politicians, and whomever else jumps on the bandwagon work very hard to disrespect and discredit every single candidate every single time some sort of election or appointment comes up. There is nothing new there.