Race/Racism discussion

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Trade said:
I've been married to a black woman for 21 years now. It's my second marriage so we don't have kids. When I was young the thought of marrying outside of my race just never occurred to me. If for no other reason than the races just did not mix back then where I was. I mean not at all. I never even had an actual conversation with a black person until I was in the Air Force. And even then they were pretty superficial. No soul bearing or anything like that.

I don't even think about it us being of different races anymore. I haven't noticed us being treated any different because of it. Well I take that back. Occasionally white people will seem to go out of their way to be nice to us I suppose trying to show how tolerant they are. It was kind of interesting when we went to my 50th High School reunion and it seemed like there were people trying to compete with each other to get us to sit at their table for dinner. I've always been an introvert and was pretty much a social outcast in High School. Finding a place to sit in the lunch room where I wouldn't get the side eye was a challenge. Of course that's pretty standard in High School. If you stray outside of your clique you quickly get put in your place.
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@Trade

In post #149 in the High School picture thread you look very much like a handsome first cousin of mine. (I thought you might be black or bi-racial). He was a year ahead of me in high school, and he passed away earlier this year.

On another note, interesting how interracial couple Lucy & Ricky Ricardo (white woman/Cuban man) were not only accepted but adored. :shrug:
 

Cap'nSacto said:
I understand what you are saying, but I wouldn't call it racism. imo, what you're talking about is more in line with the innate behaviors of "survival of the species" and "dominance of species".
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i agree with you. My whole point was that the beginnings of racism had its roots in the natural behaviors you mention: If you didn't notice differences between your species and another, and later, your group/tribe and another, the odds of your survival were decreased. The trait to notice differences was advantageous. We still have it.
 
treeguy64 said:
i agree with you. My whole point was that the beginnings of racism had its roots in the natural behaviors you mention: If you didn't notice differences between your species and another, and later, your group/tribe and another, the odds of your survival were decreased. The trait to notice differences was advantageous. We still have it.
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I hate beating the heck out of this, but the differences you refer to had nothing at all to do with race. I wouldn't doubt cases of physical differences, including skin color, inspiring one tribe to decide to conquer another, but that is not in our DNA. It isn't a gene.

If I am wrong about that, please contact someone intimately involved in the science of genetics, post haste, and inform them, so that they may isolate this gene, and splice, alter, or eradicate it all together for the betterment of mankind!
 
Here's an actual photograph: not quite the same as the cartoon. Che Guevara was Caucasian. Someone, however, deemed it necessary to change that.

225px-CheHigh.jpg
 
Big Horn said:
Here's an actual photograph: not quite the same as the cartoon. Che Guevara was Caucasian. Someone, however, deemed it necessary to change that.
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Che Guevara- born in Argentina, whose population is between 81.9% and 96% of European decent. Who would have 'changed' his ethnicity, and for what purpose?
 
The other night I watched a documentary on Youtube that proves that over 4 years of research, Neanderthal genes are in today's Cro Magnon (or Early Modern Man) species. Usually when 2 different species mate, the offspring is sterile. It stops there.

Not in this case. The two did inter breed and so did their offspring. They said the people with the highest percentage of Neanderthal genes are located in southern or middle Europe; especially near Tuscany, less in Asia and practically none in Africa. And, they were smart, too.

It was so fascinating to me, I'll place the link for another time, since this thread seems to be more intent on the sad aspects of racial problems today.

 
Big Horn said:
Here's an actual photograph: not quite the same as the cartoon. Che Guevara was Caucasian. Someone, however, deemed it necessary to change that.

225px-CheHigh.jpg
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Lots of Hispanics are Caucasian as was Che. Where do you get that anyone tried to change his ethnicity?

This is what he looked like when he was younger and without the facial hair.

View attachment 43486
 
BobF said:
I grew up in northern Ohio, near lake Erie, and race was not a problem here.
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Calling BS here. I lived in the Cleveland area from the mid-fifties to the mid-seventies, and there was indeed racism. I have family there and visit regularly, and it hasn't disappeared yet.
 
I had almost forgotten this, but when I was at the University of Florida in 1969 the off campus dump that I was living in was firebombed. There was a lot of racial tension going on all over the country at the time and I remember we had a few days where Gainesville had some riots and a curfew was imposed. Three of us were living in this little dump on NW 4th street within walking distance of campus. I was asleep in the back bedroom. It was actually kind of an addition to the original house. My two room mates were gone. Anyway I heard this sound of breaking glass from the kitchen. I didn't think much of it. My two room mates were in Delta Tau Delta which I think is the fraternity that inspired the movie "Animal House". So I figured it was one of them that had come home drunk and dropped something of glass containing an alcoholic beverage of some kind. So I tried to go back to sleep but then I heard the sound of water dripping. Then I smelled smoke, so I opened the door to the kitchen and it was on fire and there was water dripping from pipes in the attic that had apparently broken from the heat or something.

That kitchen of ours was really filthy. If you wanted to leave somebody a note on the refrigerator you didn't need a pencil or paper. All you had to do was take your finger and use it to write the note in all the grease that had accumulated on the surface of the fridge. There where so many roaches in there that if when you made toast in the toaster you would first push the thing down without putting in the bread and wait for all the roaches to run out. Then after that you could put your bread in and toast it. You probably think I'm making this up, but I'm not. Anyway I saw the kitchen was on fire and the kitchen window was broken so I went out the back door. Then I jogged up to the fire station that was only about two blocks away and told them our place was on fire and they sent a truck down and put it out in just a few minutes.

They found a broken wine bottle in the kitchen that had been filled with gas and lit with a rag for a fuse and thrown through the kitchen window. Classic Molotov cocktail. Who knows why we were targeted? One of my room mates, Scot, was a bit of an asshole and one day when there were some black kids playing in the street in front of our place he had gunned his car and driven straight at them and they had to run to get out of the way. That might have been why. Or more likely since we lived right on the edge of where the black section started and there was racial unrest going on, we might have just been the nearest target of opportunity. I acted outraged but really I thought it was kind of cool and exciting to have been firebombed since I wasn't hurt and none of my stuff got damaged. Plus it gave us an excuse to break our lease and move out of that dump which we all wanted to. We really left that place a mess but the fire damage covered that. I suspect Cecil our landlord got a nice insurance settlement to cover his costs of rehabbing the place. We had painted the living room walls and ceiling black inspired by the Rolling Stones song "Paint it Black" that was popular at that time. I wonder how many coats of paint it took to cover that.
 
nvtribefan said:
Calling BS here. I lived in the Cleveland area from the mid-fifties to the mid-seventies, and there was indeed racism. I have family there and visit regularly, and it hasn't disappeared yet.
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For you it may be BS, I am speaking of earlier days in Ohio and a bit further west. After 57 years away I am back and doing fine, we have a mixed population here still but no signs of race problem still.

Still not as nice as I remember my westward adventures of California, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, and an eastward Florida. Wish I had never moved back to Ohio a year and a half ago.

Of those states I have mentioned I would go back to southern Arizona, New Mexico, but none of the others. My brother lives in Las Vegas, I have visited there but doubt I would like it. I have visited on different times in the Reno area but again not sure if I would like it there.

Smaller towns seem safer to me.
 
Big Horn said:
Post #85: your post. What can you tell us about it: specifically, where it was published and by whom?
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I did an image search. It's art, not a photograph. Where is this change of ethnicity crap of yours coming from?
 
Upthread hollydolly said:

Can I just say...this discussion has been mainly about Racism towards Blacks and asians, understandable because in the USA you all have much more knowledge of that subject.....but of course we surely don't have to be reminded about the horrendous racism that went on towards jewish people... all over Europe as well as the Americas...

I've read so much about it... and how it came about...and I still do not understand it. Amazingly this racism is still rife today..and according to the media rising even more again in the UK..and other countries... why?..why?...does anyone have any definitive answers..


Sorry I'll bow out again... but I'm reading with interest...just thought I'd bring up the jewish problem for your views..
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Quite a few people in the US say they don't believe the Holocaust really happened - that it's just "urban legend". :rolleyes: If such a notion were not so horrifying it would almost be comical.

Yes, there has been and still is a lot of prejudice towards Jews in the US and also other countries.

I personally knew two concentration camp survivors (both deceased now). The man had that branded number on his hand. Did he invent his experience and have that number tattooed on his hand just for attention? Umm, I don't think so.

My favorite actor was Marlon Brando. Here is a good scene from "Roots: the next generation". Brando played George Lincoln Rockwell, founder of the American Nazi Party. James Earl Jones played Alex Haley, who worked for Playboy magazine and was sent to interview Rockwell.

 

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