Raise your hands. How many thought Imus’ comment was the worst racist thing going on in the US today?
Racism goes on trial again in America’s Deep South
In the cool and beflagged small courtroom in Jena, Louisiana, three black schoolboys – Robert Bailey, Theodore Shaw and Mychal Bell – are about to go on trial for a playground fight that could see them jailed for between 30 and 50 years.
Jena, about 220 miles north of New Orleans, is a small town of 3,000 people, 85 per cent of whom are white. Tomorrow it will be the focus for a race trial which could put it on the map alongside the bad old names of the Mississippi Burning Sixties such as Selma or Montgomery, Alabama.
Jena is gaining national notoriety as an example of the new ‘stealth’ racism, showing how lightly sleep the demons of racial prejudice in America’s Deep South, even in the year that a black man, Barak Obama, is a serious candidate for the White House.
Traax,
Of course, individual can have racist thoughts — this would include any color of person who thinks THEIR color is superior and should rule others.
But to say that blacks are the center of today’s racism is just sloppy thinking.
If this were true, you could show me where blacks have a system of power over the whites based on skin color. But, of course, you can’t on any large scale.
But white racism? It’s not hard, at all, to find places where whites still maintain power over blacks.
Fortunately, this is now mostly in “good old boy” racist systems rather than legalized racism. (You can also find less common institutionalized racism, like in lending rules for the black community or “legacy” preferences in college admissions.)
But even the informal “good old boy” system should not be tolerated by a free and fair society.
But to say that we whites are equally victims of “racism” does not recognize America’s long history of legal and institutional white racism. (And, it’s a lazy understanding of the issue.)
Traax,
I forgot to ask you:
What’s the difference between invaders and immigrants?
Which were the Iris? I’d like to tell my inlaws 😉
Greg
Traax,
Irish, I mean.
My own German immigrant great grandparents were heavily criticized for not learning English and being “soft” on the Kaiser.
I think there was even one incident, during WWI, with a mob in the front yard because none of my great-uncles were in the army. I wonder if your great grandparents were there, cursing and waving a torch? Fearful anti-immigrant reactionaries are nothing new!
Greg
#35, traax, are you trolling or just out of your meds?
Subtle racism/sexism is pretty bad, but it can’t top overt homophobia. In Greenville, South Carolina May 18th, an 18yo got out of his truck punching a 20yo (out gay man) in the face causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement. He later died. Lets hope some bad man doesn’t mistake him for gay and punch him in the face while he’s in jail, no?
Subtle racism/sexism is pretty bad, but it can’t top overt homophobia. In Greenville, South Carolina May 18th, an 18yo got out of his truck punching a 20yo (out gay man) in the face causing him to fall and hit his head on the pavement. He later died. Lets hope some bad man doesn’t mistake the 18yo for gay and punch him in the face while he’s in jail, no?
I GREW UP IN A TOWN SIMILIAR TO JENA AND NOT SO FAR AWAY. IT IS A TOWN MADE UP OF MOSTLY WHITE PEOPLE. THERE ARE NO BLACKS THAT I’M AWARE OF EVEN TODAY. NOW, THERE ARE SOME CAJUN OR CREOLE DECENDENTS AND PROBABLY EVERY OTHER RACE YOU COULD THINK OF.
BUT I BELIEVE IT COMES TO ONE WORD “RESPECT”. I RESPECT OTHER RACES AS I WOULD WANT TO BE RESPECTED. AND I WAS TAUGHT AT AN EARLY AGE NEVER TO BE PREJUDICE OR IT WAS MY BACKSIDE THAT WOULD FEEL THE AGONY. I KNOW ALOT OF PEOPLE IN ALL RACES WHO DON’T RESPECT THEMSELVES. THEY PARADE AROUND HALF-DRESSED AND WITH MAJOR ATTITUDES; OR EVEN THEIR HOUSING ISN’T CLEAN. I WAS RAISE POOR, WE DIDN’T HAVE ALOT OF ANYTHING. BUT MY PARENTS INSTILLED PRIDE AND RESPECT. MY DAD ALWAYS SAID U RESPECT YOURSELF AND OTHERS WILL TOO. WE HAD TO KEEP UP OUR APPEARANCE, OUR HOME, YARD, ETC. MY DAD SPANKED ME PLENTY OF TIMES, USUALLY FOR SOME SORT OF DISOBEDIENCE. LOL BUT U KNOW WHAT? I’M PERFECTLY SANE AND NORMAL TODAY. HE GAVE ME DIRECTION, STRUCTURE, AND A FEELING OF SELF-WORTH. NOT THE ATTITUDES THESE KIDS HAVE TODAY. IF I HAD TALKED TO MY PARENTS THE WAY THEY DO TODAY; WELL, I JUST WOULDN’T DO THAT! I WASN’T AN IDIOT!!! B/C I LOVED AND RESPECTED MY PARENTS. PERIOD.
MY FATHER WAS ALMOST ASKED TO LEAVE THIS TOWN B/C HE SOLD OUR HOUSE TO A FAMILY THAT HOUSED FOSTER KIDS. WELL, JUST SO HAPPENED THAT ONE BOY WAS BLACK. THE TOWN PEOPLE WERE FURIOUS WITH MY DAD. BUT HE DIDN’T BACK DOWN. IT WAS HIS HOUSE AND IF THE PEOPLE WANTED TO LIVE THERE, THAT WAS THEIR PRIVILEGE. EVEN THE KIDS HAD MEAN THINGS TO SAY TO ME. I WAS ON THE SCHOOL BUS ONE DAY GOING HOME. WE HAD A BLACK BUS DRIVER TOO, HER NAME WAS MRS. MURPHEY. A BOY IN THE BACK STARTED CALLING ME NAMES. THEN HE STARTED ON MY FAMILY. I TOLD HIM TO STOP BUT HE DIDN’T. WHEN I HAD ENOUGH I LOOKED HIM SQUARE IN THE EYE AND TOLD HIM, “WE LET U COON ASSES MOVE IN HERE; WHY NOT A FEW BLACK PEOPLE.” WELL, NEEDLESS TO SAY THAT LED TO A BRAWL. I HIT HIM AND THE DRIVER STOPPED THE BUS UNAWARE OF WHAT WE WERE FIGHTING ABOUT. WANTING TO SPARE MRS. MURPHEY THE ORDEAL I TOLD HER I WAS SORRY AND THAT I BET IT WOULDN’T HAPPEN AGAIN. AND IT DIDNT. EVEN THO THEY SOLD OUT EVERYONE KNEW NOT TO CROSS ME. BUT ITS A SHAME THAT GROWN PEOPLE JUST CAN’T KEEP THEIR NOSE OUT OF OTHER PEOPLES BUSINESS.
THERE ARE CRIMINALS IN ALL RACES. THERE ARE GOOD PEOPLE IN ALL RACES. IF YOU LOOK FOR TROUBLE YOU WILL FIND IT. IF YOU LOOK FOR THE GOOD IN PEOPLE YOU WILL FIND THAT TOO. I HAVE MANY BLACK FRIENDS AND WE EVEN ATTEND CHURCH TOGETHER. I BELIEVE THERE IS AN ALMIGHTY GOD. AND YES, THAT’S “MY” BELIEF. AND I BELIEVE ONE DAY WE WILL STAND BEFORE GOD AND GIVE AN ACCOUNT FOR EVERYTHING GOOD AND BAD IN OUR LIVES. BUT EVEN ASIDE FROM MY BELIEFS; WHAT HARM WOULD COME FROM LIVING A LIFE IN PEACE AND HARMONY WITH ALL PEOPLE? WAKE UP WORLD!! WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES ONE MORNING AND NOT THE STENCH OF PREJUDICE UP YOUR NOSES. PEACE!
as a resident of Jena, I’ve viewed the comments by folks from all over the world, with some interest. It is amazing how the news sources will all copy one report rather than research the truth. The federal government has reviewed the judicial system in Jena and it’s handling othe current events, and found it legal and above reproach. this has not been reported. except in the jena newspaper. i hate racism and have seen it throughout Louisiana, georgia,etc. Many whites are predjudiced and many blacks are predjudiced- some with legitimate reasons some by peer pressure or family traditions. It is truly amazing how people will forget that crimes were committed here. they prefer to focus on societ’s ills rather than individual responsibilities. The white boy who was attacked, this was not a fight! Hit from behind, six against one, this is a crime. He was not one involved in the noose incident, they attacked the wrong guy! Should they do time Sure! but not 20 years. They beat him unconcious and did not stop until they were pulled away. This sort of savagery deserves some punishment. Blacks and whites agree on this! it is the families of the black boys who want them to go scott free , I understand that. It is the outside agitators that have come, not looking for justice but to make a name for themselves. many keep bringing up other incidents to take the focus away from what these criminals did. There is no justification for what happened. I believe in justice with mercy.
I think racism is wrong. I think it isn’t mexicans fault they were born mexican. Cause we were all human. White,Balck or even hispanic so i just think that is plain wrong.
U’d think were in 2007 and there’s still a lot of racism…..all the students of color are facing 20-30 yrs of prison(unfair). WAKE UP AMERICA……were not in the early 1900’s anymore. This world was made for you and me.
The story: there was a white tree reserved for white kids in the school yard. three black kids asked to sit under the white tree and eat lunch as the white kids had been allowed to do. the white kids became incensed and hung three nooses that evening apparently one for each of the three black students. after that, white kids in the school began to further taunt the black kids who are greatly outnumbered. a white kid drew a shotgun on three black youths. they wrestled the gun from the white kid, but they were charged with a crime. incidents continued to escalate until the incident with the Jena 6 which by the way has many conflicting details of what actually happened. No white child was charged with any crime of any kind. the school tired to expel the noose hangers and the superintendent of the school no less stepped in and said that was too harsh, change it to a three day in school suspension. And you don’t see the irony and the rascism here. I know the south. Whites outnumber blacks in this town, about 6 to 1. black people are not going to start a fight where they are outnumbered 6 to 1 b y southern whites. what they tried to do peacefully was met with ugliness and violence and then they responded in kind. things really have not changed much in the good old usa. only recent laws passed in the last 50 years protect blacks from going back to the “good old days” where whites ruled without fear of being held accountable for crimes against blacks. Lots of whites secretly would like to go back to those days.
And for those whites who keep talking about crime in black America, well yes its there. but then there is crime in White America too, or have you not noticed the crimes against children that are rampant in the white community, the serial murderers and the high powered thieves in corporate America. Its just that white people have access to lots more money so their crimes are not as much the stick em up, purse snatching variety as the let me see if i can defraud you and steal your money and your home through confidence schemes and stock manipulations and internet fraud, etc.
No race has a lock on virtue or vice, its all about who’s in power people. In the USA where there is a bill of rights and a constitution, the issue is that no one race should have dominion over another, even if that race is in the majority. that’s the issue people.
There really isn’t any ambiguity in the Jena situation. The standards for blacks and whites are completely different. Anyone who thinks otherwise has no sense of fairplay whatsoever.
I am particularly annoyed with the people (who invariably claim to be from Jena despite its small population) that claim the white student was beaten within an inch of his life. Actually, he was treated and released from the hospital and attended an event at the high that same night. Furthermore, he was taunting a black kid who had been beaten up by whites when he was assaulted. Victim, yes. Innocent, no.
BTW, why are the dates on some of these comments out of whack?
Are you serious?
How can some of you be such idiots? America -the land of opportunity, the land that promotes freedom and is the beacon of equality to world, is still being looked at as a country the promotes racism and oppression. The solution isn’t creating an entirely identical race, the solution is ignoring the stereotypes and color of skin of others. As a Latino in America, i am disgusted at racism in the south. It troubles me that i will never be able to see the beauty and history of the South because of the color of my skin. And just to piss of the racist bastards out there, if Barack Obama wins the Presidency, then when i am of legal age I will also run for president of the United States.