[Another day in America] John Henson racially profiled at jewelry store

And the fact that they compromise only 2% of the U.S. population, they just might have a smaller voice than African Americans.

 

You are correct in many ways. How do you suppose this is changed???? It still doesn't change the fact that this is America and anyone can succeed if they work at it in this day and age. I said there is no easy solution so what do you think is the answer????

 

There is opportunity for everyone, but it isn't equal. Valid studies have shown it. Blacks with the same experience as whites aren't as likely to be given jobs, called for interviews, or get promotions.

None of that means people shouldn't try, but it also doesn't mean that anyone who points out the unequal opportunities is only complaining and not trying.

 

Definitely.

 

It seems you don't know many black people, nor are you aware of the welfare statistics.

 

FB, you know I respect you but in this day and age this is complete BS. Companies like to hire qualified minorities so much they are usually given preference if all things are equal. Now I admit it is harder for things to be equal because there are more qualified white people and other minorities in the work force. In this day and age that is a cultural issue because we all have the same opportunities for education. Before you or anyone chime in on the inner city school theme, why do you think that is a problem??? It is harder for inner city schools to get better teachers because there is a problem with discipline and violence in inner city schools which goes right back to the cultural issues and single parent households..

 

By your own analysis, the changes that were made "to right the wrongs" were not entirely successful.

"Anyone can succeed?!" That's great news! Let's make a pact: you become president, and I'll become a billionaire. We just need to want it bad enough! Or, you can be the billionaire and I'll be president. We can do it, if only we work at it! Our past up to this point is totally irrelevant

 

I'm not sure why you aren't aware of a lot that is going on in this nation and the world. I'm unaware of plenty myself, but must have just been lucky to be able to pick a few things on some of the issues you mentioned.

Native Americans are complaining and they have plenty to complain about. Whether you hear it or not doesn't really change the fact that they are complaining.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/loca...38b8d0-6299-11e4-836c-83bc4f26eb67_story.html

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/...ns-apache-copper-mine-protest-capitol-arizona

Jews in Egypt still face discrimination, and there was recently a documentary made about, that is pretty interesting.

Now the fact that until only 50 years ago Blacks in the United States were slaves, or legally discriminated against, not allowed to vote, had little access to the same education as whites in this nation, still face documented and studied prejudice from the legal system, face unequal employment opportunities etc. seems to have escaped you.

It's factual, but I guess you don't like it when people speak up against what's wrong. You're entitled to sit back and take it when people treat you unfairly if you wish, but you shouldn't begrudge others who have the backbone to speak up when they are treated unfairly.

 

There is absolutely nothing that will completely eradicate racism. Racism exist in ALL races. There are plenty examples of it in all races including blacks being racist against whites. I am not sure what in the world you are trying to say here. I do say it is MUCH less prevalent than it was 50 years ago.

Straw man!!! Not everyone will succeed at the same rate but the opportunities for success are equal if you take advantage of them.

 

You say that but there are valid studies which back up what I'm saying. You having a "feeling" that things are different doesn't mean they are.

Sorry but white felons and black folks with no criminal record have the same chance of being hired.

This study shows that blacks must work twice as hard for the opportunity as whites need to simply because of the color of their skin.

It isn't complete BS, it's shown to be accurate and it involves college educated blacks.

Now, it's ridiculous to think that until 50 years ago blacks could be excluded from any real share of the power in companies, govt. etc. and then one day all of a sudden they are supposed to have the same advantages as everyone else who's families friends, society, etc. weren't excluded?

http://ac360.blogs.cnn.com/2008/08/09/study-black-man-and-white-felon-same-chances-for-hire/

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2015/...reated-same-as-white-men-fresh-out-of-prison#

I expect you'll ignore these statistics and studies but you can't say I didn't try.

 

Try to get some coherent thought.

 

When I see the liberal sources of the information it diminishes the effect. I have to go on my own experience. I am on the management committee for my company (I mean for my sight and not the WHOLE company which is worldwide but we do decide who is hired at our site) and I do take part in interviews. We will ALWAYS try to hire qualified black people. In fact we go out of our way to do it to a point that it is an unlevel playing field.

 

Touche, you are living in the incoherent level. Please try to check out reality. There is NO way to completely eradicate racism.

 

So you've finally admitted (several times) that racism continues.

You just don't think it affects anyone.

 

Lol. Can you even read??? No racism will always exist but it is diminished to the point that any group should quit hanging on to it as a feeble excuse for their failure to succeed. Please quit living with excuses for failure and try to be positive and be part of the actual cure to the issue. My goodness are you naive.

 

How is racism a straw man? Do you know what a straw man is? Anyway....I am not a black man. I am a son of an immigrant. My dad did work really hard - he worked his ass off for us. He expected us to do well in school. A "B" was considered failure. Perfection was the only measure of success. Truth be told I was a lazy kid though. I started off in a really poor school when my folks first moved to Louisiana. The classes were awful, and the kids I got to know - all black - I look back at it now, and you know what, they lived in fear. They really had no idea what was going to become of them. Me? My parents told me I was going to be a doctor or a lawyer or anything I wanted to be. So I believed in it. And that's why I would kick it up a gear whenever I realized I was falling behind. Because I thought - oh crap, if I screw this up I'll end up poor.

As an adult, I did indeed volunteer my time with many black children. The high school kids - it was a travesty. The had to pass all these tests and would work very hard to learn algebra and reading comprehension - but it was too late. They were so far behind. I have seen 18 year old kids cry realizing they had no future. People say it was a lack of hard work. Well guess what, no one told them why they should work hard on things that didn't seem germane to their lives. When you are 8 years old you don't understand these things. You have to be mentored and taught and you have to believe that there is a better pathway for you. I've seen it first hand. I don't work with high school kids that can't read or do math anymore - it's too late for them. You know who failed them? EVERYONE. Their parents, the school, the teachers, the politicians, the gov't, the community, the culture, the nation, conservatives and liberals. All of us have failed these kids. You have failed them. I have failed them. It's a national failure and if you are a patriot then this should be a source of national shame.

How does race play into it? In a big way. It comes from whites and blacks. It comes from the system. But it isn't going to change unless everyone gets involved to change it. It's a festering wound that keeps getting handed down from generation to generation. And I challenge you to get involved before you sit there from your comfortable chair and judge. Until you speak to these kids, you have no clue why they are failing.

What changes are you asking for in Welfare other than making a bunch of cliches and soundbites? I mean, welfare is already a time-limited program that requires you to move to work within 5 years. It's hardly a handout. This idea of welfare queens is a myth.

It takes more than hard work. Some people do get more opportunities than others. I get lots of opportunities. Because I am well connected, because I had a lot of things handed to me as a kid - like programs and after school things my parents put me through. Educational toys and even special classes to help develop my mind. I come from a privileged background.

So it was the role model that made the difference? You just didn't work hard blindly, you were taught to believe that hard work would yield you results right?

The lie is that people who fail are just lazy. Of course it takes hard work...for most people. But let's face it, it's easier for people who come from privilege. If you are the son of a billionaire, you are going to be more successful in life even if you work 1/10 as hard as as the average person. I mean, you can't dismiss background.

Immigrants don't succeed because they work hard. The succeed because they BELIEVE that hard work will lead to success. Immigrants are buy into the American dream. They are self-selected. Otherwise they wouldn't come here. People living in ghettos believe in the American Dream, they just don't think it's for them - that it's not a realistic pathway.

No, it takes hard work + more. Hard work comes from something deeper.

You are still left with this question - why don't black kids work hard in school???

 

Oh! Well that's good! We'll just go by your word then! Carry on folks, a great point has been made and lets end the thread now!

 

It's tough, not enough time has passed since Jim Crow to where we can say we have "moved" on. I'd imagine we are still a generation or two away from that type of behavior.

On the otherhand, Asians are pretty successful from every income level. It's pretty remarkable how successful the immigrants area generation or two later. It all comes down education in my opinion, and how much the parents believe in education. I think hispanics (or Mexicans really) have a great work ethic and strong family ties but the emphasis on education just isn't there for what I've seen.

Everyone is a little racist across the board, but I don't believe racism alone or mostly explains why certain groups don't do as well.

 

You think racism is real, but only in the form of an excuse that people use. Well, it's real in the sense that it really affects real people's lives:

Education
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/21/schools-discrimination_n_5002954.html
"Public school students of color get more punishment and less access to veteran teachers than their white peers, according to surveys released Friday by the U.S. Education Department that include data from every U.S. school district."

Job offers
http://fortune.com/2014/11/04/hiring-racial-bias/
"Young African-Americans still face persistent discrimination in the job market, and it is not tied to socioeconomic status, a lack of a degree, or other factors. Overall, black applicants were invited in for interviews 15.2% of the time, while white applicants received invitations 18% of the time. To put it another way, African-Americans were 16% less likely to get called in for an interview."

Housing discrimination
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/12/b...onwhites-persists-quietly-us-study-finds.html
“Although we’ve come a long way from the days of blatant, in-your-face housing injustice, discrimination still persists,” Shaun Donovan, the department’s secretary, said in a telephone conference on Tuesday unveiling the findings. “And just because it has taken on a hidden form doesn’t make it any less harmful.”

http://excen.gsu.edu/workingpapers/GSU_EXCEN_WP_2011-05.pdf
"This paper tests for racial discrimination in the rental housing market using matched pair audits conducted via e-mail for rental units advertised on-line. We reveal home-seekers’ race to landlords by sending e-mails from names with a high likelihood of association with either whites or African Americans. Generally, discrimination occurs against African American names."

In entertainment
http://www.washingtonpost.com/busin...70df04-8625-11e4-9534-f79a23c40e6c_story.html
"In the five decades since Harlem-based Rep. Adam Clayton Powell held congressional hearings on discrimination in Hollywood, a persistent racial gap exists between what’s viewed on screen and reality. Minorities make up more than 36 percent of the U.S. population but represented only 10 percent of lead characters in movies and sat in 12 percent of director’s chairs in 2011, the last year for which data is available."

Exclusion from juries
http://www.americanbar.org/publicat..._racial_discrimination_in_jury_selection.html
"The documented and continued exclusion of people of color from juries is evidence of an acceptance of racial bias in too many courts across the United States today."

Death penalty sentencing
http://www.deathpenaltyinfo.org/death-penalty-black-and-white-who-lives-who-dies-who-decides
"The results of two new studies which underscore the continuing injustice of racism in the application of the death penalty are being released through this report. The first study documents the infectious presence of racism in the death penalty, and demonstrates that this problem has not slackened with time, nor is it restricted to a single region of the country. The other study identifies one of the potential causes for this continuing crisis: those who are making the critical death penalty decisions in this country are almost exclusively white."

 

That is a cultural issue. We have not ALL raised these kids. It does not take a village, it takes parents who do the right thing and it really helps when there are two of them.

I think you are confused as to the straw man definition. You also admit you know as muh about the plight of black people as I do. The last part of your post is very telling. Your parents actually taught you that success is both possible and expected. Black parents should do the same!!!!

Why are they behind. The answer is inner city schools. The problem with inner city schools is that they have discipline issues. Even though they generally pay more than other schools for teachers, they have a hard time getting the best teachers. I know a little bit about this because my wife and sister are bot teachers who would never work at an inner city school due to safety issues. The issue with inner city schools is cultural. If kids are raised to respect authority they more than often will. This goes back to the issue of single parent households.

Oh, I have been involved with Hispanic kids due to being a soccer coach. I took full advantage of my opportunity and the kids have prospered from my intervention. I have not been given the opportunity to work with black kids but will definitely do my part if given the chance.

How big of a myth is it??? There are many types of welfare. Many blacks are taught how to take advantage of the system rather than how to succeed. The more blacks on the welfare tolls the better for the Democratic party.

Opportunities are what you make of them. It is up to the parents and black leaders to make sure that black people get the maximum chance to succeed

In a word, YES!!! It makes a huge difference as it would seem t did with yourself from what you said earlier.

Is it easier for privilege??? Yes, but black people should always be taught tp do their best. Again, that is a cultural thing.

Wow, you make a lot of sense here for a change. That is the secret. You succeeded because of your parents pushing you. So did I. Black people need to incorporate this too.

If you are taught you will fail you will. If you are taught you need to succeed then more than likely you will jut as you and I were taught. It is a cultural issue. I do not know a quick fix for this issue but it has to start in the black culture.