Don't speak for all

Reference Michael Yager's letter to the editor "Fallout from Wright," April 9. Yager seems to be speaking for all of white America, and also at the same time, condemning all of black America for the words of ...

[MOVING OUT]

And here is the first of many. Now comes the flood of - If your against Sen Obama then you must be a racist. Along with the standard fare of "police Brutality", unfair (fill in the blank). Sen. Obama got as far as he has on the people who beleived in his words. But that is all he has words. It seems Michael is the first to say that while it's OK for a black to be associated with a bigot, and yes Rev Wrights' words are bigotted. The same does not hold true to anyone else. Rev. Wrights comment about "Whites created AIDS to kill the black race" were disgusting and a slap in the face of anyone who lost a loved one to that disease. Don Imus makes a boneheaded comment about a ladies basket ball team and he forced to grovel at the feet of Al Sharpton and they still want him and anybody assosiated with him fired and run out of town. Doesn't seem right to me. So get ready here comes the, you must be - KKK, racist, and any other vile hate that they can print.
But mark my words it will start to show up on the lame-stream media that if your not for Sen Obama you must be a racist.

[nva guy]

As a black American, I feel that the Rev. Jeremiah Wright's words went too far.

How about saying "I am disgusted with race hating people like Wright. Their comments have no place in the church. Until we denounce people like Wright & their race hating talk we will will never be what we all want to be."

[Surry with a fringe]

Almost got away with being an enlightened comment, but the references to the past couldn't slip by. Wright was wrong of course, but he is getting standing room only everywhere he goes because???

[WOW]

I can not say the words that Rev. Wright said were too far becusae that infringes on his first amendment rights, but I will say that the place he delievered them was wrong. America is attacking Obama for keeping a relationship that he invested his time, emotions, and energy for years to form. Question, to white America, if you find out after twenty years of life your mother was a racists, would you stop loving her as your mother because she had different views than you. No! we all know and associate with people we disapprove of their lifestyles, beliefs, or actions. The serious problem is that so much hate has been breed into the very DNA of the American society that it is no longer looked at as a mutation but as normal trait. Until we as individuals overcome our own hateful ideals we will not be able to get pass the color of the skin on the next person. And the crazy the things is that race is only about skin color it has nothing to do with a persons beliefs. If we could do away with the ideal of race then we can eliminate racisim.

[MOVING OUT]

Obama's own words about his "white" grandmother sounded like he threw her under the bus. Calling her a racist because she feared seeing a black man? Why was she afraid????
When we get to the point that we figure out that we are all from the human race then we can go forward.

[NIKI in NN]

MOVING OUT wrote:

Obama's own words about his "white" grandmother sounded like he threw her under the bus. Calling her a racist because she feared seeing a black man? Why was she afraid????
When we get to the point that we figure out that we are all from the human race then we can go forward.

I agree with you but do you really see that happening? I don't. There is wayyyy too much ignorance..

[MOVING OUT]

Way to much indeed.

[marcaurelius]

MOVING OUT wrote:

Obama's own words about his "white" grandmother sounded like he threw her under the bus....

I don't agree. I listened to his whole
speech and thought it was a very good one.

[Dennis S]

So, Rev. Wright says our government created the AIDS virus to destroy the black race? Maybe that was because crack cocaine (which they also invented) was acting too slow. And I bet his supporting evidence for this is, "I read it on the internet, so it must be true." I have seen all that stuff too. But unlike Rev. Wright, I am still a rational, thinking, and intellegent person. Anytime a pastor is preaching hate and prejudice from a unprovable and biased version of history, RUN toward the exit.

[Dave]

WOW wrote:

And the crazy the things is that race is only about skin color it has nothing to do with a persons beliefs. If we could do away with the ideal of race then we can eliminate racisim.

Bull.

Race is far deeper than skin color and has everything to do with a persons beliefs. Do you think a black-Vietnamese listens to hip-hop or goes fishing in the Mekong? Would he follow the teachings of Wright or of Buddha?

Chinese, Vietnamese, German, Italian, do you really think it is the color of their skin as opposed to thousands of years of history that shapes their beliefs?

The only way you could possibly do away with the races, and racism, is by Genocide. It's been tried by the likes of Hitler, Pol Pot, and others and proven impossible even when highly effeciant.

The attitudes and beliefs of any given race in America are first shaped by their experiences wherever they came from, and then by their experiences here in America.

[WOW]

Do you think a black-Vietnamese listens to hip-hop or goes fishing in the Mekong? Would he follow the teachings of Wright or of Buddha?
Chinese, Vietnamese, German, Italian, do you really think it is the color of their skin as opposed to thousands of years of history that shapes their beliefs?

When you talk about Chinese, Vietnamese, German, Italian you are dealing with a culture and ethinicity not a race. And becuase of culture and ethnic oppression, many feel (rightfully so) angered and vengeful. But are htey chinese because their skin color is tan or becuase of where they are from. Exactly. Jews are jewish because of their skin color but because of their belief. That is a religon and culture not a race. Check the differnce between racism and predjudices. Hilter was not a Racists he was prejudice against the Jews.

[WOW]

Race is nothing but identifying some one by their outward appearance (skin color mainly). Notice in your example you identified them as a "black-Vietnamese"? What makes him a "black-vietnamese"? The reason the word Black is associated with more than skin color now is because how many cultures have been engulfed by the term. I am a member of the Black race. And to prove to you that race is about skin color what race does a Jamacian belong? what race does a Hatitian belong? what race does a person of dark skin color from England belong? Exactly!

[DHM]

I think racism stems more from the generalizations of skin color, socio-economics and demographics. Meaning, you generally find a certain "color" of people in certain neighborhoods, with certain income levels. All of those factors tying into culture, crime levels, etc. I live in Hampton - and constantly hear "Hampton is ghetto". Many times on forums like these, when someone sees that people are from a certain area, they automatically assume that they are a particular color, religion, and income status.

[NIKI in NN]

DHM wrote:

I think racism stems more from the generalizations of skin color, socio-economics and demographics. Meaning, you generally find a certain "color" of people in certain neighborhoods, with certain income levels. All of those factors tying into culture, crime levels, etc. I live in Hampton - and constantly hear "Hampton is ghetto". Many times on forums like these, when someone sees that people are from a certain area, they automatically assume that they are a particular color, religion, and income status.

You are so right.

[MOVING OUT]

marcaurelius wrote:

<quoted text>
I don't agree. I listened to his whole
speech and thought it was a very good one.

What part of My grandmother made the racist comment "I'm affraid evrytime I see a blackman coming towards me" didn't label her as one???? He used the word racist, I think it was more of a bigotted statement but not even close to racist. If I make the comment that I get scared everytime I see a group of young men coming towards me Does it make it racist only if they are black, latino, asian? Maybe I fear anyone between the age of 19 to 25 because of something that happened in the past.

[Dave]

WOW wrote:

Do you think a black-Vietnamese listens to hip-hop or goes fishing in the Mekong? Would he follow the teachings of Wright or of Buddha?
Chinese, Vietnamese, German, Italian, do you really think it is the color of their skin as opposed to thousands of years of history that shapes their beliefs?
When you talk about Chinese, Vietnamese, German, Italian you are dealing with a culture and ethinicity not a race. And becuase of culture and ethnic oppression, many feel (rightfully so) angered and vengeful. But are htey chinese because their skin color is tan or becuase of where they are from. Exactly. Jews are jewish because of their skin color but because of their belief. That is a religon and culture not a race. Check the differnce between racism and predjudices. Hilter was not a Racists he was prejudice against the Jews.

What?

There is no black race. There is an African Race, of which many black people in America may well trace their roots to. Others cannot.

There are black indigenous people in the Phillipines(Negritos) and in Australia (Aborigines), they are not of any black race, they are Asian (or Australian). Race is more defined by the Continent you trace your ancestry to, not by the amount of melononin you picked up on the way.

Using black-vietnamese confused the discussion, I admit.

You can be an African-American and be a descendant
of white North African lineage.

Census and other U.S. Government racial classifications are for convenience, not clarity.

[TodaysDrum]

Thanks for speaking up Mr. Breaston.

Too many of us remain silent while the rest of America erroneouly dictates what we think.