Week 8 – Lesson 14: Affirmative Action
15 years ago
After watching a short video of a recent incident of racism in a high school where kids were being openly racist I have discovered why we are all racist.... still. Race is an open topic in many places here in America, a topic that is not open to discretion for some that is.
In the video students were openly hating black students and there was literally nothing being done about it This is what made me think WTF the most. I certainly remember there being strict rules about racism back when I was in school. But why not this school, how can these kids run wild like animals degrading everyone that looks a little different than them to rubble? Who is to say that we don't do the same behind our own eyes?
If you were among this group of so called "adminstrators" what would you do? Would you dial up your own little way to report things to the staff? Or something a more extreme?
So why are we all racist.... still? Because parents aren't educating their kids, or choose not to? The schools aren't doing much to prevent this behavior either. One administrator admitted that their staff wasn't properly trained in this area. How much training do you need to undergo to spot racism and to speak up?
And then I encounter this video. Another "WTF? incident" How about these administrators?
Here is an additional video, a little more light and comedic. Enjoy. It is a bit of stand up comedy from Dave Chappelle about open racism. Understand this is comedy, but imagine the world if this was acceptable. Just food for thought
In the video students were openly hating black students and there was literally nothing being done about it This is what made me think WTF the most. I certainly remember there being strict rules about racism back when I was in school. But why not this school, how can these kids run wild like animals degrading everyone that looks a little different than them to rubble? Who is to say that we don't do the same behind our own eyes?
If you were among this group of so called "adminstrators" what would you do? Would you dial up your own little way to report things to the staff? Or something a more extreme?
WTF? Why do we allow these people to suffer?
The video is about 4 and a half minuets in length and tells the horrifying truths of school racism. Why must we put each other through this sort of pain? Why? Because we are all scared of each other, scared that one or the other is going to take over and take from us. So why are we all racist.... still? Because parents aren't educating their kids, or choose not to? The schools aren't doing much to prevent this behavior either. One administrator admitted that their staff wasn't properly trained in this area. How much training do you need to undergo to spot racism and to speak up?
And then I encounter this video. Another "WTF? incident" How about these administrators?
Here is an additional video, a little more light and comedic. Enjoy. It is a bit of stand up comedy from Dave Chappelle about open racism. Understand this is comedy, but imagine the world if this was acceptable. Just food for thought
"I forgot what team I was playing for"
Think about the racist thoughts that people have, what if they no longer just thought those words, but rather said them to your face instead. Remember.... If you are thinking, you should be speaking, and if you are speaking your thoughts, you are winning!
In response to Sam Richards Blog: Is President Obama Racist?I fear that no one in their right mind ( I use that phrase loosely) can ever be free of the burden of being called a racist. Just as said in Sam's post, Glenn Beck is a racist, according to his own philosophy that is, you are a racist, and so am I just because I am accusing you of being a racist. His logic is fail, by fail I mean completely. What stood out to me the most was the thogught of the election of President of Obama being an "ethnic victory for whites." Thinking back, every president before Obama have been, well old white guys. I'm sure someone had to have thought, "Hey! maybe if we get a black guy, who is actually like a white guy to run for president, we'll ease tensions between the white and black population! Flawless!" Well that guy has been taken 'round back and shot.
Ever since I was a child I have experienced racism. Not racism against me but in my environment. I used to think that a lot of it was a joke about black people being lazy or acting different from me, a white guy. It never really seemed to be a real feeling of hate or dislike, more like a inside joke if you will. Growing up in southern Louisiana, let me tell you, there are some extremely racist people. But then I came to Pennsylvania.
When I got to high school, I had a stunning revelation, there where no black people! This was amazing, and strange to me. What had happened was that I went from a culture who mixed and blended with blacks so well that I hardly knew the difference, to a primary white population. It wasn't amazing that I was free of blacks, it was that everyone was openly racist. It made me wonder what these kids were thinking. I asked a friend of mine what they thought the "racist dirty south" was like. He explained to me the vision of Jim crow laws, segregation and hate.
Which was odd because when one of the two black kids came around, no one dare make a racist comment.
What I am getting at is that people who do not understand why people are the way they are are less likely to be tolerant of others. It goes back to the idea that it is easy to identify the enemy, but it is not nearly as easy to understand him.
But getting back to the subject. I really don't believe that Obama hates whites or anything like that. I think he merely hates the fact that most people in his country are not tolerant to people of other cultures. He fears that understanding of one another has gone out the door and allowed guns and hate to enter. He isn't a racist, he can't be, have you seen his family? He is the biggest mutt of all of us.
“Could there be a refusal to accept the legitimacy of Barack Obama as president because of his race?” MSNBC host Chris Matthews asked. Well yea, we can. You just have to listen to him speak. Tune your ears past the color of his skin and revel in the beauty of what can be done if we all work together.
There is a huge factor of trust involved here. And before we can talk to each other without attacking from across the table, we must lower our own defenses in order to have them drop theirs. We must be able to let them criticize, hate, and be angry with us, let them see that it doesn't hurt us. But we must not retaliate, neither inside or out. We must just accept our difference and shake hands.
So WTF Glenn Beck?
