So then ... all we have to do to cure racism in this country is impregnate the children of bigots with the sperm of the race against which they rail?
oh goodness, where the heck did you come up with that from what you read?? cant anyone see messages beyond the narrow scope of the exact words that are written??? ie: the broader meaning behind the message...... <MT
I believe several of us here are capable of extrapolation when the need arises.
ok to answer your question, ummmm, nooooooooooo......it was simply an example of how, when something comes home to roost, that many times people's ideas, opinions, views are changed.....this guy was a racist bigot until his child gave birth to his bi-racial grandson....this guy could have done one of two things...disown the child he raised or realize what a bigot he had been all his life and choose to love and embrace his child and grandchild.
the same is true of many homophobes....jokes, slurs, and religious put downs, until...their child of whatever age, finally says, hi mom/dad...guess what? i'm gay....the parent can either disown the child which happens a lot...or the parent while they may be angry or upset at first, does come around and embrace their child and change their former views...and sometimes become their child's biggest advocate...and gay right advocate....the same can be said for friends....many times people views, opinions, hate, changes when the "object" of that view, hate, opinion, becomes personal to them....
you didnt get that from reading this...???
Yes, I did, actually, thus my original comment.
---------------------------------------------
See, unlike the self-professed "evolved" Todd, I would never have gone over to share a burger being served up by someone who insisted upon calling me that racial slur in the first place. Maybe in the 50's that might have been an acceptable in-road, but for cryin' out loud, how old is this person, and how old was this person when he was 20? "Whenever I'd protest, he'd just laugh and smack me hard on top of the head." And he never once said: "No, I'm serious -- please don't use that sort of language around me or directed to me" ??
ummm, here i am thinking that when Todd wrote that it was the father of his friend while he was growing up, therefore, he was a 'child' <--MT
"...He'd call me that name when he saw me out in public. Once he said it at the A & P in front of my mom!
"What did that man say to you?"
"Uh, something about Nicaragua.He's a Central America enthusiast."
A rather precocious child apparently...
"He called me that until I moved out of the neighborhood at age twenty."
.....and i know from first hand experience raising children that, NO, they will not say anything to an adult who offends them (at least mine and other well-raised children who have respect for adults, wont) <MT
I consider myself to have been a "well-raised" child, who respected adults, and disrespected racism and racial slurs. I would not have broken bread with someone who repeatedly called me an "N-word" lover, nor would my (also "well-raised") parents have permitted me, so I guess we're at an impasse as to the definition of "well raised."
I think "Todd" was probably"well raised" and just chose to act otherwise. When his Mother asked: "What did that man say to you?" Good ole "Todd" opted to lie, probably because he didn't want to stop hanging out with his racist pal. If "Mom" had been "OK" with it, he wouldn't have lied to her.
Sorta wonder how old this "child" Todd was, who was spending so much time with an adult his Mom apparently didn't know at all.
So then ... all we have to do to cure racism in this country is impregnate the children of bigots with the sperm of the race against which they rail?
oh goodness, where the heck did you come up with that from what you read?? cant anyone see messages beyond the narrow scope of the exact words that are written??? ie: the broader meaning behind the message......
ok to answer your question, ummmm, nooooooooooo......it was simply an example of how, when something comes home to roost, that many times people's ideas, opinions, views are changed.....this guy was a racist bigot until his child gave birth to his bi-racial grandson....this guy could have done one of two things...disown the child he raised or realize what a bigot he had been all his life and choose to love and embrace his child and grandchild.
the same is true of many homophobes....jokes, slurs, and religious put downs, until...their child of whatever age, finally says, hi mom/dad...guess what? i'm gay....the parent can either disown the child which happens a lot...or the parent while they may be angry or upset at first, does come around and embrace their child and change their former views...and sometimes become their child's biggest advocate...and gay right advocate....the same can be said for friends....many times people views, opinions, hate, changes when the "object" of that view, hate, opinion, becomes personal to them....
you didnt get that from reading this...???
See, unlike the self-professed "evolved" Todd, I would never have gone over to share a burger being served up by someone who insisted upon calling me that racial slur in the first place. Maybe in the 50's that might have been an acceptable in-road, but for cryin' out loud, how old is this person, and how old was this person when he was 20? "Whenever I'd protest, he'd just laugh and smack me hard on top of the head." And he never once said: "No, I'm serious -- please don't use that sort of language around me or directed to me" ??
ummm, here i am thinking that when Todd wrote that it was the father of his friend while he was growing up, therefore, he was a 'child'.....and i know from first hand experience raising children that, NO, they will not say anything to an adult who offends them (at least mine and other well-raised children who have respect for adults, wont)...shoot, how many children are sexually and physically molested and abused and never say anything????
and perhaps you would have said something as a teenager, but for me, nope, not even as a teenager would i have spoken out to a parent of a friend of mine. years ago, i too was guilty of sitting idly by while others told "gay" jokes, or women bashing jokes or racists jokes...and never said anything. that does not happen in my life now...but i never said anything back then.
racism, like all forms of discrimination is born of fear and ignorance.....here is a wonderful example of how this is overcome when it hits home......(a post from a guest blogger on a blog site that is fabulous!)
I'm very happy to be guest posting on Crystal's blog. She's been one of my favorite bloggers for over three years now. To put that in perspective, the first time I read Crystal's blog Lindsay Lohan had body fat and a normal septum.
Crystal doesn't talk a lot of politics on her blog, so neither will I. However, I do want to talk about race.
Hey...wait! Where is everyone going? Get your asses back here and read what a white guy from Kentucky has to say about race. That's better...
Don't worry, I'm not some crazy racist like the guy who played "Kramer" on Seinfeld. And I'm not going to try to sell you a bill of goods about how we're all perfect creatures powered by puppy dog kisses. Racism is stupid because of one simple fact:
WE'RE ALL ANNOYING!!
Due to a horrible career plan (I never had one), I'm forced to work retail; and let me tell you, I've been annoyed by every racial, ethnic, and socio-economic group on the planet. Yes, of course this includes white people! White people annoy me most of all. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a reverse racist, it's just that the majority of people I have to deal with are white, so naturally they're the ones who most often bug the piss out of me.
Not to get all Plessey v. Ferguson on you guys, but separate but equal does apply when it comes to the races and the way they irritate me. For instance, while a white guy might have a crippling sense of entitlement that makes me want to punch him in the throat, he's not likely to try to pay his bill with currency made of dried goat dung. Differently, but equally, annoying.
I think racists can be rehabilitated, though it sometimes takes extreme measures. Growing up, I had a friend whose father was extremely racist. He even owned racist country music cassettes that he ordered from the back of a magazine only available at truck stops. Since I didn't subscribe to his intolerant views, he started calling me "(n-word) lover". Of course, he said the actual word. Seriously. And the guy liked me. It was a term of endearment to the sick ****, as in "Merry Christmas, (n-word) lover" or "Hey (n-word) lover, we're grillin' out. Come on over and get yourself a burger."
He'd call me that name when he saw me out in public. Once he said it at the A & P in front of my mom!
"What did that man say to you?"
"Uh, something about Nicaragua. He's a Central America enthusiast."
He called me that until I moved out of the neighborhood at age twenty. Whenever I'd protest, he'd just laugh and smack me hard on top of the head.
A few years after I moved away I was back in the old neighborhood to visit a friend. The A & P had become a Pic Pac, and I saw my friend's racist dad walking down the frozen food aisle, pushing a carriage that held his bi-racial grandson. He saw me, and called me "Todd".
So then ... all we have to do to cure racism in this country is impregnate the children of bigots with the sperm of the race against which they rail?
See, unlike the self-professed "evolved" Todd, I would never have gone over to share a burger being served up by someone who insisted upon calling me that racial slur in the first place. Maybe in the 50's that might have been an acceptable in-road, but for cryin' out loud, how old is this person, and how old was this person when he was 20? "Whenever I'd protest, he'd just laugh and smack me hard on top of the head." And he never once said: "No, I'm serious -- please don't use that sort of language around me or directed to me" ??
"against racism, except when the burgers are good" -- somehow, that fails to move me closer to "encouraged."
racism, like all forms of discrimination is born of fear and ignorance.....here is a wonderful example of how this is overcome when it hits home......(a post from a guest blogger on a blog site that is fabulous!)
I'm very happy to be guest posting on Crystal's blog. She's been one of my favorite bloggers for over three years now. To put that in perspective, the first time I read Crystal's blog Lindsay Lohan had body fat and a normal septum.
Crystal doesn't talk a lot of politics on her blog, so neither will I. However, I do want to talk about race.
Hey...wait! Where is everyone going? Get your asses back here and read what a white guy from Kentucky has to say about race. That's better...
Don't worry, I'm not some crazy racist like the guy who played "Kramer" on Seinfeld. And I'm not going to try to sell you a bill of goods about how we're all perfect creatures powered by puppy dog kisses. Racism is stupid because of one simple fact:
WE'RE ALL ANNOYING!!
Due to a horrible career plan (I never had one), I'm forced to work retail; and let me tell you, I've been annoyed by every racial, ethnic, and socio-economic group on the planet. Yes, of course this includes white people! White people annoy me most of all. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a reverse racist, it's just that the majority of people I have to deal with are white, so naturally they're the ones who most often bug the piss out of me.
Not to get all Plessey v. Ferguson on you guys, but separate but equal does apply when it comes to the races and the way they irritate me. For instance, while a white guy might have a crippling sense of entitlement that makes me want to punch him in the throat, he's not likely to try to pay his bill with currency made of dried goat dung. Differently, but equally, annoying.
I think racists can be rehabilitated, though it sometimes takes extreme measures. Growing up, I had a friend whose father was extremely racist. He even owned racist country music cassettes that he ordered from the back of a magazine only available at truck stops. Since I didn't subscribe to his intolerant views, he started calling me "(n-word) lover". Of course, he said the actual word. Seriously. And the guy liked me. It was a term of endearment to the sick ****, as in "Merry Christmas, (n-word) lover" or "Hey (n-word) lover, we're grillin' out. Come on over and get yourself a burger."
He'd call me that name when he saw me out in public. Once he said it at the A & P in front of my mom!
"What did that man say to you?"
"Uh, something about Nicaragua. He's a Central America enthusiast."
He called me that until I moved out of the neighborhood at age twenty. Whenever I'd protest, he'd just laugh and smack me hard on top of the head.
A few years after I moved away I was back in the old neighborhood to visit a friend. The A & P had become a Pic Pac, and I saw my friend's racist dad walking down the frozen food aisle, pushing a carriage that held his bi-racial grandson. He saw me, and called me "Todd".
