Understanding Racism and Antiracism

[NWRatCon]

I'm going to take a chance that this discussion won't be larded with off-topic, triggered deflections. I'd like to have a rational, reasoned, cited, factual discussion on the topic.

I have been cogitating on this for most of my life. I was born and raised in Missouri. The racial divide in Missouri is factual, pervasive, and ingrained. It is not the only place where this is (still) true.

It's not that all Missourians are racists (although, again, it is pervasive), but that race affects nearly all facets of life there - where you live, where you go to school, medical care, who you associate with, whether you can vote, your income and prospects. To understand this, I think it is incumbent upon us to delineate how race is a factor.

"Racism takes several forms and works most often in tandem with at least one other form to reinforce racist ideas, behavior, and policy. Types of racism are:

• Individual racism refers to the beliefs, attitudes, and actions of individuals that support or perpetuate racism in conscious and unconscious ways. The U.S. cultural narrative about racism typically focuses on individual racism and fails to recognize systemic racism.
  Examples include believing in the superiority of white people, not hiring a person of color because “something doesn’t feel right,” or telling a racist joke.
• Interpersonal racism occurs between individuals. These are public expressions of racism, often involving slurs, biases, or hateful words or actions.
• Institutional racism occurs in an organization. These are discriminatory treatments, unfair policies, or biased practices based on race that result in inequitable outcomes for whites over people of color and extend considerably beyond prejudice. These institutional policies often never mention any racial group, but the intent is to create advantages.
  Example: A school system where students of color are more frequently distributed into the most crowded classrooms and underfunded schools and out of the higher-resourced schools.
• Structural racism is the overarching system of racial bias across institutions and society. These systems give privileges to white people resulting in disadvantages to people of color.
  Example: Stereotypes of people of color as criminals in mainstream movies and media." Being Antiracist (Smithsonian)

Most people associate racism as only the first form, but the reality is that race is a factor in almost every aspect of life in the United States (and much of the rest of the world). "Race does not biologically exist, yet how we identify with race is so powerful, it influences our experiences and shapes our lives." We put it on applications, census forms, and ID cards. Empirically, we can measure its effects in economics, medicine, education and wealth. It has deep historical roots.

Antiracism, on the other hand, is its opposite. "Being antiracist is fighting against racism."

"No one is born racist or antiracist; these result from the choices we make. Being antiracist results from a conscious decision to make frequent, consistent, equitable choices daily. These choices require ongoing self-awareness and self-reflection as we move through life. In the absence of making antiracist choices, we (un)consciously uphold aspects of white supremacy, white-dominant culture, and unequal institutions and society. Being racist or antiracist is not about who you are; it is about what you do."

My father was both racist (in the first form), because he was raised in an ardently racist family, and a committed antiracist, even before that word was invented. He deliberately, conscientiously, and completely refused to perpetuate the racism he grew up with by raising his children in an antiracist environment. Race was not a factor in our friendships, school, or any other associations. We lived in a decidedly "mixed" neighborhood, and deliberately so.

I am my father's son.

The floor is open. Let's discuss it politely.

 

[Integrityrespec]

I'm going to take a chance that this discussion won't be larded with off-topic, triggered deflections. I'd like to have a rational, reasoned, cited, factual discussion on the topic.

I have been cogitating on this for most of my life. I was born and raised in Missouri. The racial divide in Missouri is factual, pervasive, and ingrained. It is not the only place where this is (still) true.

It's not that all Missourians are racists (although, again, it is pervasive), but that race affects nearly all facets of life there - where you live, where you go to school, medical care, who you associate with, whether you can vote, your income and prospects. To understand this, I think it is incumbent upon us to delineate how race is a factor.

"Racism takes several forms and works most often in tandem with at least one other form to reinforce racist ideas, behavior, and policy. Types of racism are:

• Individual racism refers to the beliefs, attitudes, and actions of individuals that support or perpetuate racism in conscious and unconscious ways. The U.S. cultural narrative about racism typically focuses on individual racism and fails to recognize systemic racism.
  Examples include believing in the superiority of white people, not hiring a person of color because “something doesn’t feel right,” or telling a racist joke.
• Interpersonal racism occurs between individuals. These are public expressions of racism, often involving slurs, biases, or hateful words or actions.
• Institutional racism occurs in an organization. These are discriminatory treatments, unfair policies, or biased practices based on race that result in inequitable outcomes for whites over people of color and extend considerably beyond prejudice. These institutional policies often never mention any racial group, but the intent is to create advantages.
  Example: A school system where students of color are more frequently distributed into the most crowded classrooms and underfunded schools and out of the higher-resourced schools.
• Structural racism is the overarching system of racial bias across institutions and society. These systems give privileges to white people resulting in disadvantages to people of color.
  Example: Stereotypes of people of color as criminals in mainstream movies and media." Being Antiracist (Smithsonian)

Most people associate racism as only the first form, but the reality is that race is a factor in almost every aspect of life in the United States (and much of the rest of the world). "Race does not biologically exist, yet how we identify with race is so powerful, it influences our experiences and shapes our lives." We put it on applications, census forms, and ID cards. Empirically, we can measure its effects in economics, medicine, education and wealth. It has deep historical roots.

Antiracism, on the other hand, is its opposite. "Being antiracist is fighting against racism."

"No one is born racist or antiracist; these result from the choices we make. Being antiracist results from a conscious decision to make frequent, consistent, equitable choices daily. These choices require ongoing self-awareness and self-reflection as we move through life. In the absence of making antiracist choices, we (un)consciously uphold aspects of white supremacy, white-dominant cultu

I am my father's son.

The floor is open. Let's discuss it politely.

You appear to have considerable guilt over this. That's on you. I don't have a guilt complex because I'm white or because I expect people of all races, creeds, genders etc. to act in an acceptable manor, to be civil, to work to take care of themselves and their families, to respect others and this nation. I don't expect to have to put up with lots of victimization when there are opportunities to rise above whatever a person's current situation or birth situation may be.
Your belief that racism exist and by its pervasive nature is inherent in each of us is BS.
I like to think of myself as a behaviorist, not a racist. I expect proper behavior and don't really accept excuses.

 

[btthegreat]

I'm going to take a chance that this discussion won't be larded with off-topic, triggered deflections. I'd like to have a rational, reasoned, cited, factual discussion on the topic.

I have been cogitating on this for most of my life. I was born and raised in Missouri. The racial divide in Missouri is factual, pervasive, and ingrained. It is not the only place where this is (still) true.

It's not that all Missourians are racists (although, again, it is pervasive), but that race affects nearly all facets of life there - where you live, where you go to school, medical care, who you associate with, whether you can vote, your income and prospects. To understand this, I think it is incumbent upon us to delineate how race is a factor.

"Racism takes several forms and works most often in tandem with at least one other form to reinforce racist ideas, behavior, and policy. Types of racism are:

• Individual racism refers to the beliefs, attitudes, and actions of individuals that support or perpetuate racism in conscious and unconscious ways. The U.S. cultural narrative about racism typically focuses on individual racism and fails to recognize systemic racism.
  Examples include believing in the superiority of white people, not hiring a person of color because “something doesn’t feel right,” or telling a racist joke.
• Interpersonal racism occurs between individuals. These are public expressions of racism, often involving slurs, biases, or hateful words or actions.
• Institutional racism occurs in an organization. These are discriminatory treatments, unfair policies, or biased practices based on race that result in inequitable outcomes for whites over people of color and extend considerably beyond prejudice. These institutional policies often never mention any racial group, but the intent is to create advantages.
  Example: A school system where students of color are more frequently distributed into the most crowded classrooms and underfunded schools and out of the higher-resourced schools.
• Structural racism is the overarching system of racial bias across institutions and society. These systems give privileges to white people resulting in disadvantages to people of color.
  Example: Stereotypes of people of color as criminals in mainstream movies and media." Being Antiracist (Smithsonian)

Most people associate racism as only the first form, but the reality is that race is a factor in almost every aspect of life in the United States (and much of the rest of the world). "Race does not biologically exist, yet how we identify with race is so powerful, it influences our experiences and shapes our lives." We put it on applications, census forms, and ID cards. Empirically, we can measure its effects in economics, medicine, education and wealth. It has deep historical roots.

Antiracism, on the other hand, is its opposite. "Being antiracist is fighting against racism."

"No one is born racist or antiracist; these result from the choices we make. Being antiracist results from a conscious decision to make frequent, consistent, equitable choices daily. These choices require ongoing self-awareness and self-reflection as we move through life. In the absence of making antiracist choices, we (un)consciously uphold aspects of white supremacy, white-dominant culture, and unequal institutions and society. Being racist or antiracist is not about who you are; it is about what you do."

My father was both racist (in the first form), because he was raised in an ardently racist family, and a committed antiracist, even before that word was invented. He deliberately, conscientiously, and completely refused to perpetuate the racism he grew up with by raising his children in an antiracist environment. Race was not a factor in our friendships, school, or any other associations. We lived in a decidedly "mixed" neighborhood, and deliberately so.

I am my father's son.

The floor is open. Let's discuss it politely.

Can you give me example of your fathers conscious efforts, and how he might have acted slightly differently by letting his guard down, and just acting, instinctively without malice, but also without deliberation. Can you give examples of you behaving in a way that perpetuated racism because you did not apply that cognitive process before you reacted?

 

[AGENT J]

You appear to have considerable guilt over this.

where is that factual appearance at? can you quote the parts that logically suggest what you claim

I expect people of all races, creeds, genders etc. to act in an acceptable manor, to be civil, to work to take care of themselves and their families, to respect others and this nation.

thats a weird thing to say dont all people in general do that? I mean it doesn't even make sense actually unless you are suggesting that there are races, creeds, genders etc. that do NOT act in an acceptable manor, to be civil, to work to take care of themselves and their families, to respect others and this nation.

I don't expect to have to put up with lots of victimization when there are opportunities to rise above whatever a person's current situation or birth situation may be.

again what races, creeds, genders etc. are you referring to, i mean you keep referring to what you expect so you must have something in mind

Let us know when you can answer these very simple questions, thanks!

 

[Nomad4Ever]

You appear to have considerable guilt over this.

What gave you that impression? This posts does nothing more than acknowledge racism exist. Guilt is never expressed?

 

[NWRatCon]

Can you give me example of your fathers conscious efforts, and how he might have acted slightly differently by letting his guard down, and just acting, instinctively without malice, but also without deliberation. Can you give examples of you behaving in a way that perpetuated racism because you did not apply that cognitive process before you reacted?

Fair questions.

During my father's childhood, the family moved - twice - because the neighborhoods became integrated. We knew from family history that they had moved, but not why. It wasn't until much later that my mother explained those moves.

My father passed when I was just 14, and we hadn't had some of the conversations that my older siblings got to share on the subject. It was from my siblings and my mother that I learned the effort he went through to not display any of those traits. In church, in particular, he made a point of welcoming and working with members of color, even though it made him personally uncomfortable.

I learned from my mother that he had been profoundly affected by the treatment of black troops where he was stationed in the Solomon Islands and elsewhere in the Pacific. It was the "we're all fighting the same war" that really inspired that transition. I knew my father as a very cerebral and principled individual. He was incredibly loving and jocular - god was he funny - but he always made a point of placing reason and good manners above emotions.

So, honestly, I never saw it, but my siblings did, and my mother talked to me about it as I got older.

As for me, I meant only that I make it a conscious principle to keep race out of my behavior. Some of the best of my best friends have been from other races and cultures - sometimes because of that - and that is because it was never an issue in my family. The only time I've personally been uncomfortable has been when I've been in minority neighborhoods where I stick out like a sore thumb. It's not that I'm uncomfortable with the people, but the environment, and my personal predilection not to cause offense. I feel the same way when I am abroad and want to avoid being "the ugly American".

 

[NWRatCon]

You appear to have considerable guilt over this.

Not at all. I think that's your guilt talking.

I don't have a guilt complex because I'm white or because I expect people of all races, creeds, genders etc. to act in an acceptable manor

OMG is that a classic Freudian slip!

I don't expect to have to put up with lots of victimization when there are opportunities to rise above whatever a person's current situation or birth situation may be.

Your belief that racism exist and by its pervasive nature is inherent in each of us is BS.

Hmm, I sense some unconscious guilt working its way to the surface, here...

I like to think of myself as a behaviorist, not a racist.

If you insist so, evidence to the contrary.

I expect proper behavior and don't really accept excuses.

Would that it were so.

You do recognize the forum you are in, right?

 

[NWRatCon]

10 Keys to Everyday Anti-Racism (Greater Good)​

"We provide the tools to help tackle emotionality—shame, guilt, and anger—...10 core principles: education, intention, courage, individuality, humanity, anti-racist work, equality, empathy, allies, and love. These are the focus of the AntiRacist Table’s 30-Day Challenge—an invitation to do the hard work to be anti-racist."

My personal focus has been on the second principle, Intention: Anti-racism is a way of life. Like starting any new habit, anti-racism requires a conscious decision to pursue it as a goal and way of being. Intention brings mindful presence and awareness to what we say and what we do.

Setting the intention to have an open heart and open mind in order to be anti-racist affects how one shows up. Present-moment awareness links with our intention to pull us out of autopilot and into conscious pursuit of our goals."

A second is the fifth, Humanity:

Supporting humanity means rehumanizing African Americans.

As philosopher Michelle Maiese argues, the process of dehumanization demonizes “the enemy, making them seem less than human and hence not worthy of humane treatment.” The result is a framing of “good versus evil.”

According to Maiese, “dehumanization might be mitigated or reversed through humanization efforts, the development of empathy, the establishment of personal relationships between conflicting parties, and the pursuit of common goals.”

Just as denial is the heart of racism, so seeing humanity in others is at the heart of anti-racism. “We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny,” wrote Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. “Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”

I not only believe that black lives matter, I understand both the intentionality behind it and the inspiration for it, because I believe 'Not Racist' Is Not Enough: Putting In The Work To Be Anti-Racist (npr). (I highly recommend this short article.) After all, "Even white supremacists don't want to be called racist." " To effectively defeat systemic racism — racism embedded as normal practice in institutions like education and law enforcement — you've got to be continually working towards equality for all races, striving to undo racism in your mind, your personal environment and the wider world." Or, if you prefer, here's a video:

My favorite part is this point he makes - when we talk about "racial progress," whites look back at where we've been, black folks look at where we need to go.

 

[NWRatCon]

What if white people led the charge to end racism?​

 

[TheParser]

Let's discuss it politely.

I think that the OP is sincere.

His comments are calm and civil.

1. I do not know about Missouri, but I can assure him that here in Los Angeles, the public schools are well-financed.
The students (mostly Hispanic Americans) have the latest books and technological goodies. The teachers are well-paid, too.

2. Here in Los Angeles, most of the violent crime is committed by people from two certain non-Caucasian groups. Even most of the local media do not try to hide that fact. They commit crime way out of proportion to their numbers in the general population. A rap artist has just been killed in a robbery, after having just publicly complained about there being so many robberies in the area.

 

[Rickeroo]

we (un)consciously uphold aspects of white supremacy, white-dominant culture, and unequal institutions and society. Being racist or antiracist is not about who you are; it is about what you do."

There are a few things wrong with the way race is framed currently:

- Jews and Asians function better than whites in a white (western capitalist) dominated society
- The north has a greater disparity between whites and Blacks; the south is unfairly treated
- The "do" part of antiracism focuses on trivial matters like holidays, street names and confederate statues

If we're going to dispense with merit and assume outcomes are based on race, then antiracism needs to focus on redistribution based on race.

 

[Evilroddy]

I think that the OP is sincere.

His comments are calm and civil.

1. I do not know about Missouri, but I can assure him that here in Los Angeles, the public schools are well-financed.
The students (mostly Hispanic Americans) have the latest books and technological goodies. The teachers are well-paid, too.

2. Here in Los Angeles, most of the violent crime is committed by people from two certain non-Caucasian groups. Even most of the local media do not try to hide that fact. They commit crime way out of proportion to their numbers in the general population. A rap artist has just been killed in a robbery, after having just publicly complained about there being so many robberies in the area.

TheParser:

What two non-Caucasian groups do you believe are responsible for the violent crime committed in LA?

Cheers and be well.
Evilroddy.

 

[Evilroddy]

There are a few things wrong with the way race is framed currently:

- Jews and Asians function better than whites in a white (western capitalist) dominated society
- The north has a greater disparity between whites and Blacks; the south is unfairly treated
- The "do" part of antiracism focuses on trivial matters like holidays, street names and confederate statues

If we're going to dispense with merit and assume outcomes are based on race, then antiracism needs to focus on redistribution based on race.

Rickeroo:

Regarding the bolded section of your quote. On the redistribution of what in particular?

Cheers and be well.
Evilroddy.

 

[Evilroddy]

I am at some level still racist. I am not proud of that fact and I work as best as I can to limit my racist tendencies. My racism is minimal, I hope. It's the kind of racism where a rowdy group of white teens in a public space puts me less on alert than a rowdy group of East Asian or Black teens in that same public space. It is born out of insecurity and fear, not out of hate or a sense of superiority. But it is still racism and I must own it.

Racism was baked into me at an early age. Not by my family but by my peers and strangely enough by some of my teachers. Today I work to limit my inner reactions of racism and have almost completely eliminated my outward reactions of racism, but the job is not yet done. The day I die will likely be the day that I have no more primal racist notions or Impulses. That sucks in my opinion.

Very respectfully.
Evilroddy.

 

[Rickeroo]

Rickeroo:

Regarding the bolded section of your quote. On the redistribution of what in particular?

Cheers and be well.
Evilroddy.

Everything really, but primarily wealth and income.

 

[TheParser]

TheParser:

What two non-Caucasian groups do you believe are responsible for the violent crime committed in LA?

Cheers and be well.
Evilroddy.

I do not "believe" it.

It is just a fact. Yes, a hurtful fact that many people feel that we should avoid discussing.

Another member has just told me that it is understandable that such offenders are enraged by years of poverty.

If you will check out the headlines of any Los Angeles TV station on any given day, you will learn (from the suspect's name or photograph) that it is a fact that most (not all, of course) violent crime is committed by those two ethnicities.

From your posts that I have read, I know that you are a very civil poster and a very intelligent person. So I need not specify which two ethnicities.

Have a nice day!

 

[Evilroddy]

I do not "believe" it.

It is just a fact. Yes, a hurtful fact that many people feel that we should avoid discussing.

Another member has just told me that it is understandable that such offenders are enraged by years of poverty.

If you will check out the headlines of any Los Angeles TV station on any given day, you will learn (from the suspect's name or photograph) that it is a fact that most (not all, of course) violent crime is committed by those two ethnicities.

From your posts that I have read, I know that you are a very civil poster and a very intelligent person. So I need not specify which two ethnicities.

Have a nice day!

TheParser:

Thank you for your reply. The reason I asked the question of you was because I suspected that you were conflating race and ethinicity together. I don't know whether that was intentional or unintentional. The answer you gave me and which is quoted above, made it clear that you were mixing the two ideas together. I still have no idea as to your intention (if any) in doing this.

Cheers and be well.
Evilroddy.

 

[Evilroddy]

Everything really, but primarily wealth and income.

Thank you for the clarification, Rickeroo.

Cheers and be well.
Evilroddy.

 

[TheParser]

TheParser:

Thank you for your reply. The reason I asked the question of you was because I suspected that you were conflating race and ethinicity together. I don't know whether that was intentional or unintentional. The answer you gave me and which is quoted above, made it clear that you were mixing the two ideas together. I still have no idea as to your intention (if any) in doing this.

Cheers and be well.
Evilroddy.

I do not like the word "race."

As you know, in English, the longer word is usually (not always) more courteous.

Therefore, I use the gentler word "ethnicity" in place of the shorter and more curt word "race."

Thank you.

 

[NWRatCon]

I think that the OP is sincere.

His comments are calm and civil.

1. I do not know about Missouri, but I can assure him that here in Los Angeles, the public schools are well-financed.
The students (mostly Hispanic Americans) have the latest books and technological goodies. The teachers are well-paid, too.

Do you appreciate the non-sequitur that exists between point one and point two?

2. Here in Los Angeles, most of the violent crime is committed by people from two certain non-Caucasian groups. Even most of the local media do not try to hide that fact. They commit crime way out of proportion to their numbers in the general population. A rap artist has just been killed in a robbery, after having just publicly complained about there being so many robberies in the area.

Here's the reality: poverty causes crime. That is a universal truth. Now, ask yourself two questions: first, where does that poverty exist? Then, why?
Understanding the answers to those two questions will help you unravel your apparent quandary.

Let's go back and look at the OP.

How race is a factor? As I noted in the opener: "Racism takes several forms and works most often in tandem with at least one other form to reinforce racist ideas, behavior, and policy." Could these conditions be the result of

• Individual racism?
• Interpersonal racism?
• Institutional racism?
• Structural racism?

I would suggest at least two, probably three "work in tandem". First, as with my experience in Missouri, poverty and race (and ethnicity - they are decidedly separate concepts) are correlative. Los Angeles has a juridical history of segregation and racist policy.

In the 1920's, the African American population in Los Angeles reached 15,579. In the 1930's during the Great Migration, nearly 25,000 mainly poor and rural Southern African Americans arrived in Los Angeles. And in the 1940's the African American population in Los Angeles eclipsed all the other cities with 63,744 which compared to only 5,000 in San Francisco and 8,500 in Oakland.

The Second Great Migration in the 1940's brought about the majority of the African American population seen in Los Angeles during that era. As World War II commenced, the defense industry's productions skyrocketed in Los Angeles with more than $11 billion in war contracts. This called for factory labor in the automobile, rubber and steel industries. African Americans migrated West in response to this need and the African American population in Los Angeles leaped from 63,700 in 1940 to 763,000 in 1970, due to this prolonged three decade migration.

Buchanan vs. Warley, 245 U.S. 60 (1917) was an early, if back-handed, Civil Rights opinion - unanimous, by the way - that struck down a city of Louisville ordinance that "forbade any black individuals to own or occupy any buildings in an area in which a greater number of white persons resided and vice versa." I say back-handed, because it was based upon the white man's property interest: "The effect of the ordinance under consideration was not merely to regulate a business or the like, but was to destroy the right of the individual to acquire, enjoy, and dispose of his property. Being of this character, it was void as being opposed to the due process clause of the constitution." In Los Angeles, they did it anyway.

Real estate planning commissions during this time also supported the white community's rights to keep themselves from integration. The City of Compton guarded their neighborhood by introducing restrictions such as the revoking of a real estate license for selling to colored individuals, and the FHA's denial of loans for homes with restrictive covenants barring colored individuals from buying the home.

No other community in South Los Angeles in that time utilized restrictive covenants to maintain the whiteness of their communities to the extent that Compton did. According to an essay by Josh Sides, the director of the Center for Southern California Studies at CSU Northridge, the Compton City Council during the beginning of World War II fiercely resisted the construction of a public housing complex in their neighborhood because they considered it, "negro housing."

This posted before I was finished composing, but I don't have time to edit before it is too late. BBS

 

[Olddemocrat]

To begin with, there is only one race, the human race. That we come in an almost infinite number of hues and shapes matters not. We are all human beings. Until that is recognized and accepted by all, which may take multiple generations, we are functionally screwed.

 

[Olddemocrat]

You appear to have considerable guilt over this. That's on you. I don't have a guilt complex because I'm white or because I expect people of all races, creeds, genders etc. to act in an acceptable manor, to be civil, to work to take care of themselves and their families, to respect others and this nation. I don't expect to have to put up with lots of victimization when there are opportunities to rise above whatever a person's current situation or birth situation may be.
Your belief that racism exist and by its pervasive nature is inherent in each of us is BS.
I like to think of myself as a behaviorist, not a racist. I expect proper behavior and don't really accept excuses.

Perhaps, just perhaps, you may benefit from stepping back and closely inspecting your belief system with regards to 'race', 'racism' including the pervasive pernicious effects thereof. It's all good and well to expect people to raise themselves by their bootstraps. Of course, it is pre-supposed that they do, indeed, possess said bootstraps. Not always the case!

 

[NWRatCon]

To begin with, there is only one race, the human race. That we come in an almost infinite number of hues and shapes matters not. We are all human beings. Until that is recognized and accepted by all, which may take multiple generations, we are functionally screwed.

When one gets rid of all of the anti-antiracism eruptions, and talks about the central function of the concept, you arrive where you state it, here. The whole point of "Anti-racism" is to get rid of the concept of race as a measure of anything. It is an active practice, rather than a passive condition. Because, the reality is that too much of our society functions on race-consciousness. We're simply not there, yet. This thread is, in large measure, about how we do get there.

 

[NWRatCon]

Perhaps, just perhaps, you may benefit from stepping back and closely inspecting your belief system with regards to 'race', 'racism' including the pervasive pernicious effects thereof.

I think all of us benefit from self-reflection. Unfortunately, too many don't want that benefit.

It's all good and well to expect people to raise themselves by their bootstraps. Of course, it is pre-supposed that they do, indeed, possess said bootstraps. Not always the case!

Ironically, that is precisely what the expression was originally supposed to convey - it is physically impossible to raise oneself by their own bootstraps.

 

[TheParser]

Thank you very much to you, NWRatCon, for your civil comments.

I found them very informative, especially the statistics about the growth of the African American population here in L.A.

We all have our opinions about ethnicity (a word that I use in place of the shorter and more curt word "race"). Just as I cannot change your opinion, neither can you change mine.

I do feel that many totally unkind things have been said about two groups. For example, there is no harm in using the term "undocumented people" instead of harsher terms. In fact, maybe there is now a gentler term of which I am not aware.

And there was NO excuse for a former chief of police here in Los Angeles to publicly criticize the amount of crime committed by a certain group and then to add these hurtful words (a paraphrase): "We did not ask them to come here [to Los Angeles]."

Bottom line: A new United States is emerging.

In this new country, non-Caucasians will be playing the major role across the board.


Have a nice day!