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I don't understand why it's considered racist in the US these days to state facts like the majority of prison inmates are black, or the majority of black neighborhoods are poor, or that most of the refugees are black. Racism is a feeling of hatred, but these are facts.


Racism, as I've always understood it and as it is usually defined, doesn't necessarily have anything to do with hate. Lets see... here's a dictionary definition:
the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.

So your walking the thin line of stating statistics that may indeed be factual, and extrapolating from that into statements like "Personally, I think it's their lack of family structures and their thug-like role models." I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you in fact DON'T believe that your statement applies to all black people in the US.

Being from LA I have also experienced racism from both sides more than I'd like to recall. It happens, but you can't let it define a people. It's a struggle when it's something you experience more times than not. It's a tough topic in general. Ugh... I've had to fight racist thoughts my whole life based on experience and being around racist family members growing up, implanting things at a young age. Do you count yourself among those who have a strong distaste of blacks going back generations? Be honest.

I just wish you had a bit more empathy for those affected by all this who aren't there by choice, and understanding that a majority of those left behind weren't looters, thugs, murderers, etc, but victims of them.

In the end, people are people are people. It serves no real purpose to separate everyone into color groups, because each community affects the other, they aren't worlds unto themselves. Those raping and pillaging were also Americans... does that really mean anything? Does it define us that they were a product of this country?

Classicism, that's the differentiating factor. Lack of money = lack of power = lack of education = lack of scope = desperation = etc etc etc...


Edited by loren (06/09/2005 06:16)
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