(04/03/05)
I stumbled across a craigslist posting today and found someone presenting anecdotal evidence that racism is the correct attitude. I'm cutting and pasting for when the posting is removed (by expiration or otherwise).
http://www.craigslist.org/sfc/pol/66229712.html
"Because of what happened to my girlfriend on Muni on her way to work:
Innocent white girl, wearing a skirt, alone on her way to work down
town. Enter 4 black juvenile delinquents showing colors, smoking, pants
around their knees, you know the typical gangsta look meant to
intimidate. But we are NOT supposed to get nervous by that look because
that would be stereotyping or profiling the poor innocent lads. They
dress on purpose to say: "I'm a criminal and a punk, but you're not
allowed to be afraid of us because that would be racist"! Anyway, sure
enough, my girlfriend gets up to get away from the cigarette smoke and
they are on her like dogs: "Hey bitch why don't you pull your skirt up
so we can see your cunt"! Hey you fucking bitch look at me! Don't you
want me to fuck your asshole!" By the way, they are screaming this at
her in a MUNI car at rush hour, half- filled with other woman and their
children and various other commuters in ties and business clothes etc.
No one says a word because everyone is petrified that if they speak up
they'll get a knife or bullet, who knows. So my girlfriend has to sit
there and endure their taunts all the way to her next stop where she
runs off the train in tears, hoping to god they don't follow her.This kind of thing happens all the time, and it's not the white racist
media or the white racist church or the white racist politicians who
brainwash me into hating blacks. It's the black culture that incessantly
promotes this type of behavoir to their youth through their movies and
rap videos, that makes me hate black people. It's the black culture that
perpetually feels like they are the victims, and therefore feel
justified to victimize others, that makes me hate black people . It's
the black culture that romanticizes violence and promotes mysogony that
makes me hate black people. It's the black culture that has no problem
with letting their children run amuck without a shred of common human
decency that makes me hate black people. If blacks don't want to suffer
the ravages of racism then they should start by cleaning up their own
despicable house. In the mean time, I'm going to sent a thank you note
to Bernhard Goetz."
I think it's a bad excuse to say "this kind of stuff happens all the time, therefore I agree with cops who pull over black lawyers for driving Lexuses." Do you think that this guy's girlfriend felt as scared for her life as James Byrd did when he was being tied up? Was the girlfriend being targeted for her race, or would these juveniles have done this to anyone? Were these black teens clearly of a lower economic class?
There is profiling, and there is racial profiling. It's not wrong to look at a pattern of violence and attribute it to local gang activity, and look out for young men showing gang affiliation. If the local community in question is primarily of a certain race, then of course that race will be indirectly targeted. If one must describe a criminal, then it is reasonable to include race and color in a fairly specific description. Unacceptable: Young black male. Acceptable: Black male in his late teens/early 20's, between 5'10" and 6'1", with cornrows wearing a white Iverson jersey. What is unacceptable is punching a literally retarded juvenile who is already in handcuffs and then slamming him into the hood of a car, simply because as a young black male, he is to be feared. What is unacceptable is being angry about being victims of some black people and taking revenge on all black people. What is unacceptable is refusing an Arab-American Secret Service agent from flying on a commercial airplane with a handgun, when you would gladly use the extra security of a white armed Secret Service agent.
Racial profiling doesn't work. Authorities ignored tips claiming that the DC snipers were black, and it cost them a considerable amount of good intelligence early in the investigation, and it probably cost innocent lives. Focusing on young arab men in anti-terrorism measures makes it easier for a young arab woman to slip by the net. Focusing on arabs in general makes it easier for muslim extremists from Southeast Asia to slip by. Focusing on Muslims is impossible, because any prospective terrorist would self-identify as a Christian.
Trust me, it's not their blackness that makes them scary. Put 4 young angry men of any race wearing flags and tell me if that's not intimidating. I fear large groups of drunk rednecks just as much as I fear large groups of belligerent black men. If you hate hip-hop culture so much, talk to white people first. Hell, go to a white frat party and see what kind of music they're bumpin'. If you fear being victimized, stand up for yourself, you pussy. If you so fear a "knife or a bullet" then carry your own damn weapon and learn how to use it. You hypocrite, you cower in the face of criminals and use it to justify your racism. Go play out your Bernhard Goetz fantasy and shoot unarmed youths. I'm all for the right to carry, but I'm not big on shooting inept robbers when they're down (with an illegally possessed weapon) and running from the law. Nor am I big on praising anyone who does.
I hate when stupid people present fallacious reasoning to promote an absolutely incorrect view. I have to go work out; I'm so angry right now.
