Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences 
Forum Replies Created
- Posts
I think the real question you should be asking, Mike, is whether white people can empathize with the plight of black people in this country. It is one thing to understand (or to say you understand); it’s a whole other issue to feel what another might feel. Especially if that other person has had experiences in this society that are different from yours. As a young black female in this country, I know that I see the world in a different way than say, an 80-year-old white man sees it. This is something I have come to accept. The only way to get empathy from someone is if they go through what you go through.
It’s possible for a white person to understand what has happened to black people. But he or she could never feel the same degree of anger that you and others like you feel, because as a people, they haven’t lived your life or seen the world through your eyes. That is why it is hard for different cultures to agree on things sometimes. You always have to combat over-defensiveness.
User Detail :
Name : K.R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I too saw ‘The Green Mile’ and found racist overtones (or undertones, if there is such a term) in the film. But unfortunately this kind of thing is seen all too commonly in the media today. This brand of racism may seem harmless because it depicts blacks or other nonwhites as being guileless and gentle, instead of wicked and depraved. But actually, because it is more subtle, harder to spot, and less likely to provoke outrage, it may be worse than more explicit and harsher racist protrayals. This, I think, could be due to the fact that not only does it convey all the negative ideologies inherent to racism (e.g. racial superiority), but it is also expressed in a condesending way.
User Detail :
Name : K.R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I don’t remember ever having my parents sit me down and explain slavery. I probably learned about it much like kids learn about anything else that is important to their ancestry or culture, like the significance of holidays or even Santa Claus.
Kids pick things up from their environment that prompt them to pose questions to their parents. Often that leads to discussions of history. The issue isn’t treated like the birds and the bees. There is no “Big Talk.” The truth comes out in bits and pieces through the years, as the child matures and learns things in school.
User Detail :
Name : K.R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I hope the parenthetical statement you made in reference to snorting coke was done in jest. If not, I hope you use more caution in the future when making assumptions about people who are different from you. I never knew of a correlation between drug abuse and fingernail length (not to mention race and fingernail length), but that’s not to say there is no association there. All I’m saying is that you should use reason when making any kind of judgement, and not hastily made assumptions.
User Detail :
Name : K.R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,As you probably are aware, racial classification in this country does not follow any laws, rules, or methods that are grounded in reason-based logic. This is basically because when it comes to race classification there is no logic. It is not based on phenotypic appearance; in the US it is usually based on the classification of the parents. In the US, if at least one of the parents is black it is accepted that the child is black. This is not a rule that stems from objective criteria (such as genetic dominance of ‘black’ blood), rather it comes from a system that was formed to uphold white supremacy and consequently, dehumanize black people. Unfortunately, some black and white people still follow this rule, even though it really makes no sense when one sits down and thinks about it. In reference to Bill Campbell: yes, he physically resembles white people. But his behavior (e.g speech and style of dress) reflects more on his political and economic status than on his race, which is a function of biology and not of conduct.
User Detail :
Name : K.R., Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Religion : Christian, Age : 22, City : Atlanta, State : GA, Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : Over 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
