Quote:Just erased a rambling 5 paragraph response.

 

Short answer is yes and yes

 

 

Quote:Would you mind elaborating a little?

 

I no longer look at people that are rioting as disadvantaged, oppressed people acting out because they have no other recourse.

 

Now I just see greedy people taking advantage of a situation.

 

When I grew up, when I said racism was dying, I heard the retort, "I'll believe that when there's a black man in the White House!!!"  Done.  Now some folks want to move the goalpost and keep stoking the fires of oppression. It's a selfish culture, and I'm not a fan of selfishness.

 

Recently, I started dating a junior high school teacher who is as liberal as it gets.  I asked her how it was to teach inner city kids.  Her answer was that they all have a sense of entitlement, that they expect free stuff from the government, which will make every right wing Rand believing jerk I've ever met smile.  Touche, douches.  It also makes them harder to teach, because they don't exactly do a great deal of self examination.  Or studying, for that matter.  My girlfriend is quick to point out that they have plenty of distractions, and I get that, but I am frustrated because nothing seems to help.

 

Thing is, it's not really about race, but culture.  And inner city Black culture is kinda whack.  There's lots of behaviors and attitudes learned there that will take a lot of time and energy to fix for the next generation to become productive citizens.  But I don't think throwing money at it will help.  And after Baltimore rioted, all I heard on the TV from Black leaders was, in essence, "Give us more money."  It's very disappointing.

 

Now, the other side:

 

As I've grown older, I realize the White superiority attitudes are incredibly ingrained.  People at the highest levels of our society are outwardly racially conscious, and privately racist jerks.  I've watched it in my own family and friends.  It's so deep-seated, I'm not sure it can change.  One hint:  you can't throw money at it and change it.  The only thing that will change it, very slowly, is integration.  I actually have a lot of hope for the millenials, as they really do seem to not care much what colour their friends are.  As annoying as they can be, at least that's getting a bit better.

 

Finally, I'm not like a lot of you that think it's getting worse.  I think it's about the same.  I actually think hatred is a closed system, because it's caused by the most basic human emotion: fear.  There will always be the same amount of fear, we'll just change the things we are afraid of.  Growing up, I encountered discrimination, as most of you have on some level.  I was denied a job because of my residency status.  I have been pulled over for driving while brown.  I was denied an apartment in San Francisco because I wasn't Asian.  I was refused service in a West Indian restaurant because I wasn't Black.  In the time I've spent  thinking about my response to Marty's thread, I've asked myself over and over, would that happen again today?

 

While I've enjoyed watching the gains in basic harmony between people who don't look alike while I've been alive, the unfortunate answer is:   Yes

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