Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences
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I am a middle-class Jewish guy with strong Progressive/Liberal political ideas. I admit that I lead a pretty sheltered life. I was wondering if minorities see people like myself, with ideas like mine as pompous?
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Name : Adam N., Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 36, City : Encino, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : Computer Technician, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,My perception is one of intellectual acuit and a desire to enter into discourse. No pomposity there.
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Name : Thomas24783, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 49, City : Toronto, State : NA, Country : Canada, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I don’t think your ideas are pompous. I’m not from a racial minority but I am from a sexual minority and I think the more accepting people are, in general, the better society will be.
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Name : Madeleine22300, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Lesbian, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Agnostic, Age : 23, City : Sydney, State : NA, Country : Australia, Occupation : Accountant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I wouldn’t say pompous so much as potentially naive and paternalistic, an “I know what’s best for ‘you people'” attitude. When I meet someone from a background such as yours, I appreciate their sympathy while at the same time wonder if they really understand as much about me as they think they do. Sometimes sheltered liberals harbor hidden prejudices (more often class than racial/ethnic) or are acting out of guilt rather than more healthy motives. So I usually am very cautious around them until I find out what is behind their surface. What I would suggest to you is to put your beliefs to the test. Get involved with a political or charitable group that deals with the needs of us ‘others’ you don’t have much contact with. It may shatter some or all of your illusions about what you think we need, but it will definitely be better for you and us in the long run.
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Name : ACC24013, City : W Lafayette, State : IN, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower class,You are a minority – you are Jewish. I am also Jewish, but my life is no longer so sheltered. I think many bleeding-heart liberals (as I am) tend to have a rather simplistic view of things. But you would have to be more specific about what your ideas are in order for us to tell you if they are pompous or not.
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Name : Beth23175, Gender : F, Religion : Jewish, City : Anchorage, State : AK, Country : United States,Minorities in general have political opinions and orientations that are as equally diverse, if not moreso, as those of whites. In some of the circles of Chicano activists I’ve participated in, you’d be astounded by the variety of views and opinions, and we all come from pretty much the same, if not similar, backgrounds. As for how a working- or lower-class minority would view a person of sheltered background who holds progressive/liberal ideals, they’d probably have similar views as that of many white working-class people. To speak frankly, some folks might see you as naive or unaware of the issues we face daily, but others would not. Speaking on behalf of Latinos, we’ve had it a lot better when rich liberals controlled California than rich conservatives (Pete Wilson, etc.).
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Name : Dan27279, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal Christian, Age : 21, City : Los Angeles area, State : CA, Country : United States, Occupation : student/dishwasher, Social class : Lower middle class,Adam, let me answer your question with a question – how can anyone know what your views are? You didn’t express any. The next question I would ask of you is why is this so important to you? Beliefs, positions and opinions are basically things we espouse based upon personal knowledge, religious teaching, parental influences, environmental influences and peer group influences to name a few. Typically, our beliefs change over time as we mature and add to our list of experiences. What you may feel about an issue today may well be completely different from the way you feel about the same issue in 5 years. If you feel that you may be perceived as pompous by those around you, perhaps it is because you are approaching a time in your life when your belief systems are about to change and you are questioning whether or not this is normal? It is. In my lifetime, I have observed my own opinions changing as I added to my list of experiences and knowledge. Here, in America, regardless of whether you are pompous, naive, inexperienced or immature, your beliefs are what they are. The perception of them rests with the listener. If you believe that your opinions are based upon demonstrable fact, it is unimportant whether or not others agree with you. You may be pompous and I may not agree with you, but you have the right to your own opinion. Likewise, I have the right to ignore them.
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Name : Pete S., Gender : M, Age : 51, City : Orlando, State : FL, Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College,I can’t speak for what are commonly referred to as “minorities” (I am Jewish, but from a working class background). I don’t consider you pompous, just naive and therefore dangerous. Your views address problems with which you have no experience, and your solutions are theoretical and condescending, not to mention the fact that they usually do more harm than good. There is also an element of elitism because the typical “progressive” thinks he/she knows better than the people they presume to help. By the way, as a Jew I resent the perception that Jews are all leftists and liberals. Not one Jew I’ve ever known (and I’ve known many) was a stereotypical liberal. Go out and work for a year with average people and then see what your political perspective is like.
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Name : Gregory, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Disability : Crohn's Disease, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Jewish, Age : 44, City : Boston, State : MA, Country : United States, Education level : Over 4 Years of College,
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