To WP: What Can Black People Do to Improve Race Relations in this Country?

[Anonymous]

Stop being swayed by the race-baiters, people like Al Sharpton, whose "brand" relies on racism continuing.

Stop reading "racism" into every perceived slight.

Accept that black people can hold unfair, racist views, too.

Accept that racism will always exist among the ignorant, but that probably 95% of white people genuinely are not racist and would like to have a friendship with you without worrying that you think they are racist.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Embrace education. Walk the walk. No more of this attitude that academic success = "acting white" crap. That's utter nonsense.

This is, I'm sure, something you've heard about, but never witnessed. I can tell you that "acting white" has nothing to do with being smart, but rather those who act in an "Uncle Tom" manner and there is a difference. For instance, Herman Cain would be ridiculed; Colin Powell would not.

Also, nerds are made fun of regardless of race. In fact, bullying of those considered dorks/nerds is a big problem among whites and accounts for the many acts of violence we hear about on the news.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I feel like it would go really far for black people to:

1. Strive to appear educated.
2. Speak more quietly in public.
3. Pick their pants up.
4. Smile sometimes. Every black mother I am friends with on FB who has a teen or older son has zero pictures of them smiling. They all look angry and menacing.

1. What does appear more educated mean?
2. Are you saying that every black person you've encountered has spoken in a loud voice in public? Have you never been in settings where other races are loud in public?
3. Teens are the ones who usually follow that clothing trend and other races participate in the practice. Do you usually judge a race of people based off their teens?
4. It is not my job to smile and make you more comfortable. It is, rather, your insecurity that needs to be improved upon.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I feel like it would go really far for black people to:

1. Strive to appear educated.
2. Speak more quietly in public.
3. Pick their pants up.
4. Smile sometimes. Every black mother I am friends with on FB who has a teen or older son has zero pictures of them smiling. They all look angry and menacing.

1. What does appear more educated mean?
2. Are you saying that every black person you've encountered has spoken in a loud voice in public? Have you never been in settings where other races are loud in public?
3. Teens are the ones who usually follow that clothing trend and other races participate in the practice. Do you usually judge a race of people based off their teens?
4. It is not my job to smile and make you more comfortable. It is, rather, your insecurity that needs to be improved upon.

It's a toss up between whites and blacks for #2.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing - I wish blacks would SERIOUSLY start addressing the issue of black-on-black violence. I live in what many would consider to be the 'hood - and I feel as though every week I pass a church where there is a funeral for a youth. When I check news reports, these deaths are barely mentioned. It's disgusting. But, the only solution will come from within the black community.

You have to understand that black on black violence has nothing to do with race. It is about low income and poorly educated people living next to each other. That is, people kill people who live close to them...because they are there. So the idea of "back on black" violence is really odd to me. But to say that it needs to stop is strange, does that mean blacks should be violent towards other races? I think what you are trying to say is that violence has to simmer down. Yes, that is true, but many many other social problems need to go away too.

If it is a poverty issue, why don't we see the major violence in poor rural areas that we do in inner cities?

I'd say it's more of a cultural issue.

I would agree.

In other parts, where people are much more impoverished than African-Americans, there is much less crime. You can't keep using poverty as a reason.

Like Mexico? or Moscow? Crime and poverty but no black people

But isn't crime in those places driven by corruption and greed/money? I guess urban violence here is somewhat the same in that a lot of it is turf and gangs involved in drug activities. But a lot of it is also about respect and reputation aside from money issues.

You seem to have the answer, but want to brush it aside as cultural. I guess it's easier to blame it on race rather than fully examine this issue. The pp gave you excellent examples and you seem to want to discount them. That's a shame.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:One thing - I wish blacks would SERIOUSLY start addressing the issue of black-on-black violence. I live in what many would consider to be the 'hood - and I feel as though every week I pass a church where there is a funeral for a youth. When I check news reports, these deaths are barely mentioned. It's disgusting. But, the only solution will come from within the black community.

Ok why don't you call white people killing white people white
White on white crime??
It is just crime !!!!!!!
Communities most affected by it need to adress it, but please don't act as of it some special kind of crime when both the victim and perpetrator are black.

Well, if a white kid dies (like that 16-year-old girl from McLean recently) it makes the national news. If it's a 16yo black kid from NE where I live, it barely gets a notice. When was the last time you saw a young black kids "street" death make the national news?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Aspire to be more like Colin or Condi. And less like Kanye or Beyonce.

Why? Both Kanye and Beyonce are incredibly successful. And Beyonce has only been with one man, her husband who she married before having a child. She's also a great businesswoman. What's not to aspire to, if some so choose?

[Anonymous]

1) I don't smile ( heffa you don't know me and I don't owe you my smile because it is my job to assuage YOUR discomfort, besides, I have cramps)

2) I need to stop making excuses ( it is not an excuse, I really do have cramps)


3) It is my job to stop so-called black on black violence.
I guess that means your job is to stop white people from shooting up schools


4) Get educated - everyone in my family is college educated including my 96 yr old GM. My parents have grad degrees, so what is the problem...you need to borrow a degree?

5) I need to Stop calling out racism...I call it like I see it and I do not recall the last time I called it in my own life.
This means your talking about more than I am


6) Stop being angry .
Yes I am pissed because you don't want to let me be responsible for me and mine, you want me to account for the millions of other black folk I have and never will meet.
Are you responsible for Miley Cyrus?

1. Yet, if white people AA's automatically assume they are racist.

2. Whites aren't allowed to have bad days or have cramps or we are racist.

3. It is everyone's job to stop violence. You don't want to be held accountable for black on black violence, don't be so quick jump on white violence.

4. Everyone in your family is educated including your 96 year old grandma and your parents with their grad degrees. Don't you dare cry "white privilege".

5. You have never blamed anything on racism or called anyone a racist? Good for you. It must be because you are privileged and educated. Read a newspaper or an op piece and you will see that whites are accused of racism all of the fucking time, whether we are guilty or not. We are presumed guilty because of the color of our skin.

6. You are pissed? You don't want to be responsible for the behavior of other AA's. Hell, whites don't want to be held responsible for the actions of other whites that they have never met, but we are and it doesn't stop there. We are held responsible for the actions of white slaveholders generations ago. It doesn't matter that neither we or our ancestors owned slaves. We are all held responsible and yes, we are pissed, too.

There are two sides to every story.

[Anonymous]

maril332 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop throwing their trash from Popeye's in my frontyard, which has happened at two homes in different neighborhoods.

For example.

+1

I don't appreciate my dog choking on your chicken bones or my child having to play around your filth. And it REALLY burns my ass to have to pick up your garbage from my flowerbeds/sidewalk. Have some respect for your neighbors and yourself, and remove that big old chip from your shoulder.

I have certainly seen black people, white people, and every other race and ethnicity littering. Then you mention popeyes as a reference to blacks and fried chicken. Troll?

I'm the PP who mentioned Popeyes (and this is my first follow-up, so it appears other people deal with this as well).

The contexts of these two incidents were especially maddening.

The first time, I was sitting on my front porch and a group of black teens walked by, looked at me, and then threw their Popeyes box in my yard, laughed, and kept strolling.

The second time, I was in my kitchen and heard voices really close to my house, so I looked out the window, and there were 2 black teenage boys sitting on a decorative bench that is right up against my house, very far from the sidewalk. That already felt like a violation, so I started putting on some shoes to go out and "make small talk," but they were already walking away when I opened my door. But then, sure as shit, I noticed they had left their Popeyes trash under the bench.

The first incident occurred in a majority-black (but upper-middle-class) neighborhood. The second occurred in an almost 100 percent white neighborhood, so what's their excuse? I'm sure their parents are at least middle-class, the local public schools are fine/good, there's no local pressure on them to act out. And yet they still fucking do, and it enrages me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop being swayed by the race-baiters, people like Al Sharpton, whose "brand" relies on racism continuing.

Stop reading "racism" into every perceived slight.

Accept that black people can hold unfair, racist views, too.

Accept that racism will always exist among the ignorant, but that probably 95% of white people genuinely are not racist and would like to have a friendship with you without worrying that you think they are racist.

These numbers are off. The best studies show that about 60% of whites are indeed racist. Also, only about 40% or fewer blacks are racist.
I think what happens is that white people assume that when a black person is angry, they are racist. What most whites don't get is that those same angry black people act the same way around other blacks,...and we are also uncomfortable with them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Aspire to be more like Colin or Condi. And less like Kanye or Beyonce.

Why? Both Kanye and Beyonce are incredibly successful. And Beyonce has only been with one man, her husband who she married before having a child. She's also a great businesswoman. What's not to aspire to, if some so choose?

Think PP may be trying to encourage academic and traditional career success over that of a career in entertainment. Perhaps like encouraging white folks to be more like an educated and accomplished white politician than a Justin Bieber or Madonna type entertainer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Stop seeing yourselves as victims.
2. Stop making excuses.
3. Stop thinking you are entitled to, or are owed anything.
4. Stop thinking the word "bootstraps" is some sort of racism.
5. Realize that there is a world of opportunity for everyone in this country regardless of their background or color.
6. Start taking advantage of the opportunities.

1. Examples? Real-life ones and not something you heard about.
2. Examples? Real-life ones and not something you heard about.
3. Examples? Real-life ones and not something you heard about.
4. Examples? Real-life ones and not something you heard about.
5. Where is your proof that this is not known?
6. What opportunities, specifically?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stop crowding the Verizon Center McDonalds and 8th street, near the Eastern Market Metro.

You will not find opportunity there!

You mean teens? Do you feel as strongly about the white teens who hang out at suburban malls? Do you think it's fair to judge a race of people by their teens?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Get over yourselves and stop thinking that your "culture" entitles you to a free ride.

Example? Do you have ANY proof of what you say? Any?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

maril332 wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stop throwing their trash from Popeye's in my frontyard, which has happened at two homes in different neighborhoods.

For example.

+1

I don't appreciate my dog choking on your chicken bones or my child having to play around your filth. And it REALLY burns my ass to have to pick up your garbage from my flowerbeds/sidewalk. Have some respect for your neighbors and yourself, and remove that big old chip from your shoulder.

I have certainly seen black people, white people, and every other race and ethnicity littering. Then you mention popeyes as a reference to blacks and fried chicken. Troll?

Nope, not a troll. I have certainly seen people of all races littering. But in my urban neighborhood it is black people every time. I know because I see them eating the crap on my block so I know where it came from. It's honestly not the specific food (although yeah, I've pulled more chicken bones from my dog's mouth than I can count at this point), it's the lack of respect for their own homes, their neighbors, their community. It comes across to me as a big fuck you, and people who don't respect themselves do vaguely frighten me a bit, because in the back of my mind I think they musst have no respect for anyone. And they certainly don't help to dispel stereotypes by embodying the worst of them to a T.

It sounds like you have a money problem and not a negro problem. Perhaps you should spend less time seeking out stereotypes and more time making money so you don't have to live in such a trashy neighborhood. You must not be too hot yourself if you are living in the hood. Fix yourself and then worry about what you can tell others to do.