SNL skit

[Lycanthrope]

Have a look:



Question: Is this an accurate depiction of one small aspect of white vs black experience in America, or (to adopt FOX's rhetoric) yet another attempt to divide the citizenry by perpetuating a racial divide that doesn't exist anymore?

(Disclaimer: Because it's too easy for some to get the wrong idea, I personally do not believe the latter).

 

[RabidAlpaca]

Ironically, most of the people who vigorously try to proclaim that racism is dead in America and all races have exactly the same opportunities, are usually the ones most terrified of becoming a minority in America.

If there's no disadvantages to being a racial minority in America, why would any white person care that white people will be in the minority? It should make no difference right?

 

[JMB802]

ThERe IS nO SuCH thING aS SYStemiC raCISm!

 

[aociswundumho]

Ironically, most of the people who vigorously try to proclaim that racism is dead in America and all races have exactly the same opportunities,

No two people on the planet will have the same opportunities. Even identical twins growing up in the same household will not have the same opportunities. It comes down to making the most of the opportunities that you do get.

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, not the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." -Ecclesiastes 9:11

 

[bluesmoke]

Of course, not a very realistic skit. More realistic would have been showing a black guy walking out, something beeping, then a store security guard shooting him dead. Or a cop. Or a "good guy" with a gun.

 

[bluesmoke]

Ironically, most of the people who vigorously try to proclaim that racism is dead in America and all races have exactly the same opportunities, are usually the ones most terrified of becoming a minority in America.

If there's no disadvantages to being a racial minority in America, why would any white person care that white people will be in the minority? It should make no difference right?

Just a note: "...the same and more opportunities..."

 

[RabidAlpaca]

No two people on the planet will have the same opportunities. Even identical twins growing up in the same household will not have the same opportunities. It comes down to making the most of the opportunities that you do get.

"I returned, and saw under the sun, that the race is not to the swift, not the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to men of understanding, nor yet favor to men of skill; but time and chance happeneth to them all." -Ecclesiastes 9:11

How does that have anything to do with what I said? Do you harbor any fear at all in becoming a racial minority in America? Why or why not? If racism is dead, you should have no fear, if you have fear, maybe it isn't.

 

[Cope]

All of these threads devolve into the same tired tropes about racism.

The bottom line is that this country was founded upon a dominant (at the time of forming) culture and it's values. Yes, that means that until and unless you conform to THOSE sets of values, you are likely to be an outlier if you find success.

The question you and everyone struggling ought to be asking is what do I need to do differently to find success?

Here are three key elements:

1. VALUE and PRIORITIZE education
2. Stay away from Crime.
3. Avoid having children until you are financially capable of doing so.

 

[aociswundumho]

How does that have anything to do with what I said?

You implied that as long as racism exists in America, opportunity will be unequal.

Do you harbor any fear at all in becoming a racial minority in America?

No.

Why or why not? If racism is dead, you should have no fear, if you have fear, maybe it isn't.

My guess is racism will always exist to some degree in one form or another.

 

[Lycanthrope]

All of these threads devolve into the same tired tropes about racism.

The bottom line is that this country was founded upon a dominant (at the time of forming) culture and it's values. Yes, that means that until and unless you conform to THOSE sets of values, you are likely to be an outlier if you find success.

The question you and everyone struggling ought to be asking is what do I need to do differently to find success?

Here are three key elements:

1. VALUE and PRIORITIZE education
2. Stay away from Crime.
3. Avoid having children until you are financially capable of doing so.

Does adhering to all those immediately eliminate any double standard such as the one lampooned in the skit?

 

[Lycanthrope]

My guess is racism will always exist to some degree in one form or another.

Think we'll ever get to a point where systemic racism is eliminated, such that future generations would look at that skit and not have a clue what it was on about?

 

[Cope]

Does adhering to all those immediately eliminate any double standard such as the one lampooned in the skit?

No, I imagine that it would take awhile to break the biases inherent in people, sometimes due to actual real world data. But it would certainly start the process of true integration though and at the end of the day, that, and ONLY that, will result in NO racism again.

 

[Lycanthrope]

No, I imagine that it would take awhile to break the biases inherent in people, sometimes due to actual real world data. But it would certainly start the process of true integration though and at the end of the day, that, and ONLY that, will result in NO racism again.

While I don't know for certain whether following the big three would eliminate racism, I do think it's a damn fine start.

Prioritizing education
Avoiding crime
No children until one can afford it

That last one is somewhat hard to quantify (what minimum salary do we collectively decide is the "breeding window"?) but if EVERYONE, regardless of race or partisanship, emphasized those it would go a long way toward improving society.