So this AFRICAN AMERICAN walks into a movie theatre.

[Endless Devoid]

Wow.....

That sounded so emo. ._.

[Griever!]

>_>... I got in so much trouble in school when I told someone to call me by a rcial name in the middle of literature class. whole room is like white. And the book we are reading was.... >__< I don't remember but I think it was to kill a mocking bird. And one of the students came upto that word. And stopped. Then looked at me (was sitting right next to him) Teacher told him to disreagard that word and keep reading on. That student is insanely uncomfortable so the teacher passes the reading onto me. I just stared at him and the rest of the class. I really didn't know what to think.

On one hand I COULD read it through... on the other hand I read 20 minutes ago in this very same class of 30 students. Only 5 have read including me. So running this in my mind, I had absolutely no idea what these people were expecting. ._.
Did they want to see if I read it it's alright for them to read it? Or are they scared I am going to go crazy?

>_> I honestly felt uncomfortable when the teacher put me in that posistion, because I really don't know what other races think of just race ingeneral. the teacher himself seem to not even want to read it.

I decided I wanted to just see what was up. >_> So I turn to the student who was previously about to read and tell him these exact words. "Why can't you say that word? Is it because your scared of me? If it'll ease this weird air in this room, I'll prove that word has no meaning around me... Just call me a nigger. Don't just say it call me it. Say it with as much viciousness as you can." Took him awhile and he stuttered the whole time but he said it. *funny thing to me was I am more other races than black but I was the only one with a tinge of skin color in the room.* I told him see don't you feel better if I was stereotypical black person I would have beat your face in the minute I heard nig. Teacher yelled for me to get out of the room and yeah >___>

I originally got suspended for 5 days >> but was let back the day after XD

[violent_anger]

Serves you right for upsetting the white man.

[KH Vandread]

Originally Posted by Griever!

>_>... I got in so much trouble in school when I told someone to call me by a rcial name in the middle of literature class. whole room is like white. And the book we are reading was.... >__< I don't remember but I think it was to kill a mocking bird. And one of the students came upto that word. And stopped. Then looked at me (was sitting right next to him) Teacher told him to disreagard that word and keep reading on. That student is insanely uncomfortable so the teacher passes the reading onto me. I just stared at him and the rest of the class. I really didn't know what to think.

On one hand I COULD read it through... on the other hand I read 20 minutes ago in this very same class of 30 students. Only 5 have read including me. So running this in my mind, I had absolutely no idea what these people were expecting. ._.
Did they want to see if I read it it's alright for them to read it? Or are they scared I am going to go crazy?

>_> I honestly felt uncomfortable when the teacher put me in that posistion, because I really don't know what other races think of just race ingeneral. the teacher himself seem to not even want to read it.

I decided I wanted to just see what was up. >_> So I turn to the student who was previously about to read and tell him these exact words. "Why can't you say that word? Is it because your scared of me? If it'll ease this weird air in this room, I'll prove that word has no meaning around me... Just call me a nigger. Don't just say it call me it. Say it with as much viciousness as you can." Took him awhile and he stuttered the whole time but he said it. *funny thing to me was I am more other races than black but I was the only one with a tinge of skin color in the room.* I told him see don't you feel better if I was stereotypical black person I would have beat your face in the minute I heard nig. Teacher yelled for me to get out of the room and yeah >___>

I originally got suspended for 5 days >> but was let back the day after XD

What the ****? I bet your teacher didn't want you to take the power away from his precious racism.

[Yttrxium]

Originally Posted by Endless Devoid

Wow.....

That sounded so emo. ._.

Wait....what I said?!

.....

Didn't mean too >.>

[Hidden]

For brevity and lucidity, I'll attempt to address only those points that I have not seen brought up in the last 19 pages, or to argue those points that have been accepted without complaint.

First, to address Ryu's long past intent of a nature vs nurture discussion--scientifically, it is shown as nurture; race is not an effective genetic category. Two individuals of different races may have considerably more in common genetically than two individuals of the same race.

That being stated, one aspect of nurture which I was very surprised to see little or no mention of was family income. I find it far more likely than in race that this is where an actual division of people lies that is both observable and explicable. What a child is exposed to in growing up, what the parents' childhoods were like, what is a necessity and what is a comfort, whether there is even enough money to live as a complete family--these influences seem considerably more important to me than skin color. In many cases, it also explains black or white kids who do not fit into their 'racial category' without assuming them simply to be "mutants" of it.

I'd also put forward another possible answer for Ryu's question of, in short, "Why does this always happen to me?" And that is simply selective memory. Not intentional, nor repressed racism, but simply that the brain seems to categorize better that which is easily recognizable as different. You've already mentioned a few markers you can be preoccupied with: accent, language, behavior; they also tend to look different.

An argument I have seen brought up many times: "Slavery ended like 150 years ago. Get over it." Of course it has been brought up and acknowledged that rather severe discrimination followed for many years after that. But we're still limited by our age when it comes to our abilities of perception here. The way most of us are brought up, the possibility of widespread, active discrimination seems an artifact, no longer capable of affecting our modern world--thus historical arguments don't apply anymore. The perspectives of a number of our parents are probably very different--some of them, my mother included, will remember quite clearly when negroes were first allowed into the previously white-only swimming pools and you would hear "nigger-lover" spat out as a serious insult. While I admire the faith put in human agency, we have to recognize that there are aspects of our history and experience that we cannot just cut off with a shrug and a laugh.

The word nigger might be a fair example. Enough has been said that I will say only this: it has been used for the majority of its existence to degrade someone due to the color of their skin. People still know of this usage, and so long as that is true, it is not "without meaning." It is possible, however, that the meaning of the word will change--and if it comes to the point that the meaning of nigger is entirely removed from its origins, what has been argued for the use of the term may stand. But I at least am confused on this point--if we are so certain that nigger does not mean now what it meant a mere 30 years ago, what is this new meaning and is it necessarily better?

Here is the argument, however, that agitates me the most: "It's those blacks who act gangsta that bring the rest of us down;" "I'm white and have latino friends, the ones who are intelligent and can actually speak English;" "If these guys just acted the way they were supposed to, they'd be fine."

Basically, "I'd like all those different minorities if they weren't different and acted the way I want them to act." It's not an offer of openness--it's an ultimatum. And it's one that basically guarantees war with any "gangsta," "idiot spanish-speaker," or "cultural deviant," who, by common consent of everyone on this thread(!), are fit only to be dealt with in this manner anyway! After all, they're giving a 'bad name' to the minorities that aspire to fit into the model of the power-wielding majority (white, or rather, middle-class).
I'm aware that we want to maintain some common ground rules for the preservation of society, but is that really limited to the class of citizens who have modeled 'good manners' for the past, oh, at least 200 years (and that would be about fifty years before the Civil War)?

A final point, and one I can only base on personal experience and thus is quite open to refutation. I have lived in moderately diverse areas during my life--the majority has always been white, but never the entirety. And I haven't heard that many black people complaining of being the victims of racism. Nor that many latinos. Nor any minority I came in contact with, however briefly. I know it's there. But the people I have heard complain most of being victims of racism have been white. For my only available piece of documentation to this effect, I give you this thread.

[cam ron 77]

So i'm guessing you wouldn't of complained if it had been a white person treating you that way......

[Banishing Blade]

Originally Posted by cam ron 77

So i'm guessing you wouldn't of complained if it had been a white person treating you that way......

He'd still have been an asshole right back to the guy. But a post about that would be less entertaining.

Political correctness is, in itself, incorrect. The purpose of it is to create race equality - yet all it does is put just as much emphasis on race.

Way to **** things up.

[Hidden]

Originally Posted by Banishing Blade

He'd still have been an asshole right back to the guy. But a post about that would be less entertaining.

Why is that?

Originally Posted by Banishing Blade

Political correctness is, in itself, incorrect. The purpose of it is to create race equality - yet all it does is put just as much emphasis on race.

In part, you may be right (though I had never heard of political correctness as being limited to racial equality); however, what specifically are you referring to here as being "(harmfully) politically correct"?

[Yttrxium]

I think less interesting since if a white guy would do it it's no big deal, but since stereotypically african americans do this it's bound to start a good topic since when ever a black guy does something outrageous we all have to make a deal out of it =P.

[/sarcasm]

[Endless Devoid]

Originally Posted by Hidden

Why is that?

....Comedy.

In part, you may be right (though I had never heard of political correctness as being limited to racial equality); however, what specifically are you referring to here as being "(harmfully) politically correct"?

The prospect of socially infringing on someone's intellectual property by "limiting" what is right and not right for them to say. It only defines these lines and further separates people. If "political correctness" were inate and subconscious, this wouldn't be the case. However, it is entirely conscious, intentional, and often people are told they should go far out of their way to acheive it.




Topic - Why racism is funny.
Because people love to oppose the "system".

[Hidden]

Originally Posted by Endless Devoid

The prospect of socially infringing on someone's intellectual property by "limiting" what is right and not right for them to say. It only defines these lines and further separates people.

In a general sense, I'd have to quite agree with you. This is a problem we face, particularly attempting to communicate past our unique synthesis of toleration/paranoia. I'm also reasonably certain this is what Banishing Blade was referring to.

But we might hope that, beyond the artificially-imposed strain of "political correctness," people might find ways to determine for themselves what is reasonably "correct" and not. I think this would necessarily be the case for the word "nigger," which I have addressed two posts prior.

Originally Posted by Endless Devoid

If "political correctness" were inate and subconscious, this wouldn't be the case. However, it is entirely conscious, intentional, and often people are told they should go far out of their way to acheive it.

Some things need to be conscious and intentional, and it doesn't seem unreasonable to say that communication should be among them. But give me some examples, particularly those that would require going far out of one's way, because I might be taking this too simply.

Originally Posted by Endless Devoid

Topic - Why racism is funny.
Because people love to oppose the "system".

Nothing to do with the fact that, possibly for the first time in history, whites are finding that the system and their skin color aren't necessarily working to their benefit in terms of race? Perhaps this is too pessimistic. But I am surprised that few people seem to see the humor, which I find quite evident, in the complaint that "only whites can be racist."

[KH Vandread]

Originally Posted by Hidden

But I am surprised that few people seem to see the humor, which I find quite evident, in the complaint that "only whites can be racist."

Agreed. Due to whites screwing over practically every race they came across in their past, all of those races now hate us, so now racism is created and shared by every race.

[.:Raz:.]

Better than the time I went to the theater and some fat, retarded lady pissed her pants and kept screaming about how she was wet and she didn't know why.

[Endless Devoid]

Actually, I think it's hilarious, socially speaking, the only race that can NOT get away with racism, is white people.

Some things need to be conscious and intentional, and it doesn't seem unreasonable to say that communication should be among them. But give me some examples, particularly those that would require going far out of one's way, because I might be taking this too simply.

I called a black guy at work an idiot.
I got written up.

Not for calling someone an idiot, but for bringing racism and hate crimes into the workplace.

He put a paperclip into an electric outlet. He's an idiot.