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Owner59 -> RE: HATE CRIMES = thought policing? (7/9/2007 8:18:28 PM)
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quote:
ORIGINAL: caramelcutie
awww gee....someone stole my thunder revealing what domiguy really is on another thread. *sigh*
Shows that one needn`t be oppressed to know it`s wrong to do it,or support others doing it.
There are quite a few folks though, who don`t know what it`s like to be treated as a 2nd class citizen.Because it never comes up in their lives.And thank god for that.That`s really a good thing.It`s just not on their radar.Hopefully one day(I`m pessimistic),no one will have to put up with this shit,and people will get along.
But prejudice is still a problem today,and it`s not just racial,woman haven`t reached equal pay for equal merit,etc.
How many times do you need to see 60 minutes or another news show,do a story showing how black people don`t get the apartment.or the job,or an interview.They have things set up at 1st by phone,with "plain" accented black or Indian guys or girls,only to have the apartment rented when they show up in person.Follow up calls by the producer,to see if the apt. was actually taken,only to find the apt. available.They do this story at least once a year,and it never fuck`n changes.WTF`s w/ that!
Without actually having something like that done to you personally,you really can`t fathom the outrage or degradation that someone goes through.Multiply that by ten,a hundred fold.But just like a broken leg,you don`t need to have one to know it sucks.
I have a landlord who employs me to maintain his apartments and renovate old buildings to make new apartments.He`s black ,but you couldn`t tell by talking with him on the phone.I`ve worked with him since high school,and did most of his 25 units.Even though he`s successful by any measure, he`s told me that he must put up with slights and insults on a weekly basis.It`s like a slap in the face,that never get`s easier to take.
An army vet. and officer,collage educated and self made(no AA programs),elected to boards of trustees and township council posts,and involved w/ long term mentoring of young black fatherless men.Lovely home,and family and more friends then one could wish for.
Yet he gets a basket of crap, just because he`s black.Why?I `ve had other black friends and associates tell me it`s a real mind fuck.They`re normal,feel the same and want the same things as everyone else,but there`s this extra thing they gotta deal w/.There are some, who don`t experience any crap(or very little),but why should any black,gay,woman,asian or anyone else, have to deal w/ a "catch 22" type thing like this?
It must be a mother fucker to realize and know that you`re marked for life,regardless of who you are.It`s got to be stressful and sometimes,untenable.Some might think,"hey, slavery ended a long time ago",or "get over it",but to live it got`s to be a mother fucker.
I read a paperback as a youngster that gave me some insights.
The title is "Black Like Me".It`s about a writer who dresses and transforms himself into what looks like a normal black guy.He travels the south during the segrigtion/jim crow years.It`s like the students who blindfold themselves for a day,or carrying one of those robot babies,to experiance a taste of motherhood.The author was able to get insights and knowledge that no white man could get,at that time.I think almost every kid read that book in high school.
Of every white guy I`ve had this conversation with,not one was really willing to trade places with a black guy.Prejadice against gays,overwight folks,woman of every makeup,black brown and yellow folks,is real and has costs.
Peace
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