Seventh wrote:
It is a VERY BIG mistake to think that "racism against whites" is somehow the same thing as, or "equivalent to", white racism against people of colour.
It is not only a very big mistake - it is a racist mistake.
I'm sorry, but...
That makes NO SENSE whatsoever.
I live in a "predominantly minority" region. And I'm truly very sorry to say this, but when you look at who in this area are arrogant, rude, ignorant, and just outright lazy/abusing the system, let's be honest: They AREN'T white.
I've always tried to be open-minded and somewhat sensitive to the socio-economic situation here. I harbor no hatred towards anyone, especially not based on skin color. But it's very difficult to sustain that kind of mentality once you're the one being discriminated against.
As an example, my wife and I both lost our jobs and I turned to teaching piano lessons to TRY to keep things from getting worse. We barely escaped losing our home to foreclosure and were lucky to sell the house and downsize using what little equity we had left. We were very slowly putting the pieces back together and just wanted a little help with daycare expenses for our two children. Our daycare pointed us in the direction of South Delta Regional Housing Authority. Well, the first thing that happened is they buried us in paperwork. They would not approve us unless I provided pay stubs. Well, I have two part-time jobs, but when it comes to my "day job" I'm considered self-employed. So they won't accept any proof that I work because of that. To make matters worse, they want to establish that I work at least 20 hours a week. Well, since one job is a salaried position, I don't have set "hours" that I work, and my other part time job varies from week to week. My "day job," well, is even more difficult than my other to establish hours. Now, sure, I've shown them what I HAVE, but they won't take anything if it isn't from my employer--which is ME... And then they claim my wife makes too much money when she's lucky to earn $300 a week working as a paralegal, and even she gets her hours cut from time to time.
We're trying to cut corners by keeping our old cars in good repair rather than getting eat up in debt--meanwhile, I've been waiting at the SDRHA office when I see people driving up in their brand-new Escalades, dressed nicely, and telling some sob story as to why they can't afford daycare, bring in no paperwork and make excuses for it, and GET APPROVED on the spot. And that's when I realize I'm the only white person in the building.
So I just tell myself, "dude, you're just being irrational and jumping to conclusions. It has nothing to do with skin color." We just deal with thing the best we can and move on with life.
Now, my wife is a certified bankruptcy paralegal, and she's really good at what she does. It's gotten to be a daily occurrence that someone screams at her either over the phone or in person because they've gotten some serious-sounding letter from a creditor and they want to know why the lawyer isn't doing his job. Um, could it possibly be that the creditor is being a complete idiot and blatantly breaking the law by harassing a client? What part of "stop worrying about this" did you not understand at the initial consult? If you don't understand correspondence from a creditor or the court, just bring it in and we'll explain. It's just the endless phone calls from people complaining about stuff that is not my wife's problem. And then they won't get their paperwork in before a court date. And then there are the clients who call the lawyer for an emergency petition to stop a foreclosure sale on the day of the sale, literally hours away, and then they disappear. Or the ones who actually manage to get debt discharged at the end of a Chapter 13 bankruptcy and promptly file AGAIN after about 90 days from discharge!
I know about another case in which a woman was about to finish the procedure for adopting a child. By this point, the "child" was 18 years old, and when the lady was informed that her hearing was on such-and-such day, she replied that she couldn't make it to the hearing because she had to work. Huh???
I'm not saying white people are without problems of their own. I live among poor white trash, so I know the problem isn't just with black people. But it does seem to me that so much more of it IS. On the one hand, you can blame poor education and just rampant ignorance. But I used to work in a "black" school, and the teachers there (I was one of MAYBE 3 white teachers there) were GREAT teachers! So you can't blame it on lack of access to educational programs that would help prepare them to enter the workforce. The ignorance is a WILLFUL ignorance ingrained into the culture itself. I will always do my best not to judge someone on skin color. But I cannot honestly say that looking past skin color is an easy thing to do UNLESS a radical cultural shift happens that will encourage the people within that culture to work towards improving the situation.
Change what other people see and you'll change perception. My wife and I are expecting our third child next year, so of course I accompanied her to her first OB visit to confirm that she really is pregnant. Well, an OB waiting room is awkward for any man, first off. However, I couldn't help but notice that we were two of maybe 5 white people in a crowded waiting room. There was one black girl there who was obviously under 18 and in her 3rd trimester--and she was taking smoke breaks every 15 minutes... Smoking is unhealthy to begin with, but to do that to your unborn child??? And that there were so many clearly underaged black girls their with THEIR mothers was unsettling to me--not because of color, but just due to the fact that so many preteens and teens are having babies. Then and only then do you really make the connection with skin color. If you want to get rid of the stereotypes, stop living the stereotype. That's all I'm saying...
13 Oct 2011, 12:48 pm
fighting against it? where are you getting at?
