Is America a racist nation?

[Typical Lax Dad]

Caught this on PBS a few years ago. Completely oblivious to it until that point.

Wow, I'm 30 minutes in and need to take a break...thanks for sharing.

I really couldn’t believe I knew very little about that activity. Certainly wasn’t covered in school.

Leaves one's chest just swollen with pride after watching, eh?
Moved from Mass to Georgia, was there from '57-'59.
Hadn't ever seen a whites only sign on anything before we moved there.
Geezuz H, them southern boys do indeed like them some subservient and obedient folk, don't they?

That really wasn’t that long ago. I have the good fortune of finding a recording of an interview with my grandmother that was conducted by a local college documenting the early residents of her town (where I was also born). She moved there when she was about 3 years old with her father and siblings. Her mother died when she was 2. That was 1899. Great grandfather raised 5 kids on his own. Great great grandfather fought in the Civil War….down in Virginia and Carolina. Anyway, she talks about race relations being fine in town (relatively speaking) until the southerners came north. A lot of history in that interview which was conducted in 1972 and she was 75 years old. It was nice hearing her voice. I listen to it every now and then just to hear her talk. She couldn’t finish school because she had to take care of her brother who went blind after being struck in the head. He eventually died after gangrene set into his hands and his fingers fell off when he went to the outhouse and froze outside. Oddly his name was Christopher Columbus. Folks had it hard….a$$ holes made it even harder. I count my blessings.

I know a guy here in Atl that was arrested and held for 9 days as a rape suspect in the mid 1980s as a 25-26yr old because he was a “tall black man” as the only cause. Ruined his life he moved multiple times throughout the country even and had to switch jobs despite having gone to Princeton, ultimately graduating from Colorado College (good school for those unfamiliar), all because he was a tall black dude.

Now Tupac did take one back in this circumstance:

https://thesource.com/2020/05/28/redo-9 ... to-people/

But Atlanta is still struggling with what and who it is today I see on a daily basis

It’s kind of ridiculous.

[Farfromgeneva]

Caught this on PBS a few years ago. Completely oblivious to it until that point.

Wow, I'm 30 minutes in and need to take a break...thanks for sharing.

I really couldn’t believe I knew very little about that activity. Certainly wasn’t covered in school.

Leaves one's chest just swollen with pride after watching, eh?
Moved from Mass to Georgia, was there from '57-'59.
Hadn't ever seen a whites only sign on anything before we moved there.
Geezuz H, them southern boys do indeed like them some subservient and obedient folk, don't they?

That really wasn’t that long ago. I have the good fortune of finding a recording of an interview with my grandmother that was conducted by a local college documenting the early residents of her town (where I was also born). She moved there when she was about 3 years old with her father and siblings. Her mother died when she was 2. That was 1899. Great grandfather raised 5 kids on his own. Great great grandfather fought in the Civil War….down in Virginia and Carolina. Anyway, she talks about race relations being fine in town (relatively speaking) until the southerners came north. A lot of history in that interview which was conducted in 1972 and she was 75 years old. It was nice hearing her voice. I listen to it every now and then just to hear her talk. She couldn’t finish school because she had to take care of her brother who went blind after being struck in the head. He eventually died after gangrene set into his hands and his fingers fell off when he went to the outhouse and froze outside. Oddly his name was Christopher Columbus. Folks had it hard….a$$ holes made it even harder. I count my blessings.

I know a guy here in Atl that was arrested and held for 9 days as a rape suspect in the mid 1980s as a 25-26yr old because he was a “tall black man” as the only cause. Ruined his life he moved multiple times throughout the country even and had to switch jobs despite having gone to Princeton, ultimately graduating from Colorado College (good school for those unfamiliar), all because he was a tall black dude.

Now Tupac did take one back in this circumstance:

https://thesource.com/2020/05/28/redo-9 ... to-people/

But Atlanta is still struggling with what and who it is today I see on a daily basis

It’s kind of ridiculous.

I guess at least it seems heading in the right direction but yeah given the demographics and what’s shaped this city’s culture for so long, well before I arrived for sure, that there’s even an identity struggle is absurd.

The wrist of it all might’ve been the halftime show when we hosted the super bowl not too long ago. Where was Andre 3000, Wacka, Jeezy, Gladys Knight, Luda, Gnarls, Killer MIke, Lil John, Usher, CeeLo Green, TI, Jermaine Dupri, John Mayer, Donald Glover, Black Crowes, Cody Chestnutt, Arrested Development, Allman a brothers, B52s, REM.

But they hosted and gave us Maroon 5…

[Typical Lax Dad]

Caught this on PBS a few years ago. Completely oblivious to it until that point.

Wow, I'm 30 minutes in and need to take a break...thanks for sharing.

I really couldn’t believe I knew very little about that activity. Certainly wasn’t covered in school.

Leaves one's chest just swollen with pride after watching, eh?
Moved from Mass to Georgia, was there from '57-'59.
Hadn't ever seen a whites only sign on anything before we moved there.
Geezuz H, them southern boys do indeed like them some subservient and obedient folk, don't they?

That really wasn’t that long ago. I have the good fortune of finding a recording of an interview with my grandmother that was conducted by a local college documenting the early residents of her town (where I was also born). She moved there when she was about 3 years old with her father and siblings. Her mother died when she was 2. That was 1899. Great grandfather raised 5 kids on his own. Great great grandfather fought in the Civil War….down in Virginia and Carolina. Anyway, she talks about race relations being fine in town (relatively speaking) until the southerners came north. A lot of history in that interview which was conducted in 1972 and she was 75 years old. It was nice hearing her voice. I listen to it every now and then just to hear her talk. She couldn’t finish school because she had to take care of her brother who went blind after being struck in the head. He eventually died after gangrene set into his hands and his fingers fell off when he went to the outhouse and froze outside. Oddly his name was Christopher Columbus. Folks had it hard….a$$ holes made it even harder. I count my blessings.

I know a guy here in Atl that was arrested and held for 9 days as a rape suspect in the mid 1980s as a 25-26yr old because he was a “tall black man” as the only cause. Ruined his life he moved multiple times throughout the country even and had to switch jobs despite having gone to Princeton, ultimately graduating from Colorado College (good school for those unfamiliar), all because he was a tall black dude.

Now Tupac did take one back in this circumstance:

https://thesource.com/2020/05/28/redo-9 ... to-people/

But Atlanta is still struggling with what and who it is today I see on a daily basis

It’s kind of ridiculous.

I guess at least it seems heading in the right direction but yeah given the demographics and what’s shaped this city’s culture for so long, well before I arrived for sure, that there’s even an identity struggle is absurd.

The wrist of it all might’ve been the halftime show when we hosted the super bowl not too long ago. Where was Andre 3000, Wacka, Jeezy, Gladys Knight, Luda, Gnarls, Killer MIke, Lil John, Usher, CeeLo Green, TI, Jermaine Dupri, John Mayer, Donald Glover, Black Crowes, Cody Chestnutt, Arrested Development, Allman a brothers, B52s, REM.

But they hosted and gave us Maroon 5…

The ridiculous part was the guy being arrested! I have not spent much time in Atlanta but I know people that love it. My brother lived there. He may he moving back.

[Farfromgeneva]

Caught this on PBS a few years ago. Completely oblivious to it until that point.

Wow, I'm 30 minutes in and need to take a break...thanks for sharing.

I really couldn’t believe I knew very little about that activity. Certainly wasn’t covered in school.

Leaves one's chest just swollen with pride after watching, eh?
Moved from Mass to Georgia, was there from '57-'59.
Hadn't ever seen a whites only sign on anything before we moved there.
Geezuz H, them southern boys do indeed like them some subservient and obedient folk, don't they?

That really wasn’t that long ago. I have the good fortune of finding a recording of an interview with my grandmother that was conducted by a local college documenting the early residents of her town (where I was also born). She moved there when she was about 3 years old with her father and siblings. Her mother died when she was 2. That was 1899. Great grandfather raised 5 kids on his own. Great great grandfather fought in the Civil War….down in Virginia and Carolina. Anyway, she talks about race relations being fine in town (relatively speaking) until the southerners came north. A lot of history in that interview which was conducted in 1972 and she was 75 years old. It was nice hearing her voice. I listen to it every now and then just to hear her talk. She couldn’t finish school because she had to take care of her brother who went blind after being struck in the head. He eventually died after gangrene set into his hands and his fingers fell off when he went to the outhouse and froze outside. Oddly his name was Christopher Columbus. Folks had it hard….a$$ holes made it even harder. I count my blessings.

I know a guy here in Atl that was arrested and held for 9 days as a rape suspect in the mid 1980s as a 25-26yr old because he was a “tall black man” as the only cause. Ruined his life he moved multiple times throughout the country even and had to switch jobs despite having gone to Princeton, ultimately graduating from Colorado College (good school for those unfamiliar), all because he was a tall black dude.

Now Tupac did take one back in this circumstance:

https://thesource.com/2020/05/28/redo-9 ... to-people/

But Atlanta is still struggling with what and who it is today I see on a daily basis

It’s kind of ridiculous.

I guess at least it seems heading in the right direction but yeah given the demographics and what’s shaped this city’s culture for so long, well before I arrived for sure, that there’s even an identity struggle is absurd.

The wrist of it all might’ve been the halftime show when we hosted the super bowl not too long ago. Where was Andre 3000, Wacka, Jeezy, Gladys Knight, Luda, Gnarls, Killer MIke, Lil John, Usher, CeeLo Green, TI, Jermaine Dupri, John Mayer, Donald Glover, Black Crowes, Cody Chestnutt, Arrested Development, Allman a brothers, B52s, REM.

But they hosted and gave us Maroon 5…

The ridiculous part was the guy being arrested! I have not spent much time in Atlanta but I know people that love it. My brother lived there. He may he moving back.

Make sure to have him look me up. I know where to find good food here.

[MDlaxfan76]

Caught this on PBS a few years ago. Completely oblivious to it until that point.

Wow, I'm 30 minutes in and need to take a break...thanks for sharing.

I really couldn’t believe I knew very little about that activity. Certainly wasn’t covered in school.

Not my school either.
The last few years it's been quite amazing to learn what had been withheld from our educations previously.
I wish it was surprising that this was intentional, but it's not.

[seacoaster]

https://twitter.com/ValaAfshar/status/1 ... 1984961536

[Kismet]

https://twitter.com/ValaAfshar/status/1 ... 1984961536

I linked earlier in this thread to the entire interview - Here is it is again



Ali was, in many ways, so brilliant about this stuff. His delivery was often hilarious yet serious simultaneously. His facial expressions complimented his oral delivery. The man was a genius.

I had the good fortune to meet in person him once and despite, his disability at that time, he was still impressive and could still light up a room.

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://twitter.com/ValaAfshar/status/1 ... 1984961536

Excellent.

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://twitter.com/ValaAfshar/status/1 ... 1984961536

I linked earlier in this thread to the entire interview - Here is it is again



Ali was, in many ways, so brilliant about this stuff. His delivery was often hilarious yet serious simultaneously. His facial expressions complimented his oral delivery. The man was a genius.

I had the good fortune to meet in person him once and despite, his disability at that time, he was still impressive and could still light up a room.

A friend my grad school grew up in Iran’s Baluchistan province before moving to Michigan as a teenager. He said when he was in grade school in Iran, he had friends that would get into arguments over who was Ali’s cousin! He said he laughed when he found out he was from Kentucky!

[jhu72]

Racist scumbag republicans in Georgia.

[DMac]

Caught this on PBS a few years ago. Completely oblivious to it until that point.

Wow, I'm 30 minutes in and need to take a break...thanks for sharing.

I really couldn’t believe I knew very little about that activity. Certainly wasn’t covered in school.

Leaves one's chest just swollen with pride after watching, eh?
Moved from Mass to Georgia, was there from '57-'59.
Hadn't ever seen a whites only sign on anything before we moved there.
Geezuz H, them southern boys do indeed like them some subservient and obedient folk, don't they?

That really wasn’t that long ago. I have the good fortune of finding a recording of an interview with my grandmother that was conducted by a local college documenting the early residents of her town (where I was also born). She moved there when she was about 3 years old with her father and siblings. Her mother died when she was 2. That was 1899. Great grandfather raised 5 kids on his own. Great great grandfather fought in the Civil War….down in Virginia and Carolina. Anyway, she talks about race relations being fine in town (relatively speaking) until the southerners came north. A lot of history in that interview which was conducted in 1972 and she was 75 years old. It was nice hearing her voice. I listen to it every now and then just to hear her talk. She couldn’t finish school because she had to take care of her brother who went blind after being struck in the head. He eventually died after gangrene set into his hands and his fingers fell off when he went to the outhouse and froze outside. Oddly his name was Christopher Columbus. Folks had it hard….a$$ holes made it even harder. I count my blessings.

My bold.
Nope, wasn't that long ago and there's no way that attitude wasn't passed along and is still alive and well with many folk. Was a given and way of life way too long to have been forgotten and accepted by many a proud southern folk. A couple of old Navy buddies come to mind, particularly the one from Mississippi whose family owned a plantation. A very proud southern boy, came from a very wealthy family. Imagine that. Them boys from Alabama saw things a whole lot differently too, they saw things in a bit of a different order. Superiority and racism is passed along from generation to generation and dies real hard. Very glad to have been raised around many different ethnicities and cultures, just gives you a different view of the world and people. Different is just the norm, and different doesn't make one inferior.
We were learning cursive when moved from Mass to Georgia, in Goergia we went back to printing. Don't know what that says but I found it odd, kind of a strange thing to remember.

[Typical Lax Dad]

Caught this on PBS a few years ago. Completely oblivious to it until that point.

Wow, I'm 30 minutes in and need to take a break...thanks for sharing.

I really couldn’t believe I knew very little about that activity. Certainly wasn’t covered in school.

Leaves one's chest just swollen with pride after watching, eh?
Moved from Mass to Georgia, was there from '57-'59.
Hadn't ever seen a whites only sign on anything before we moved there.
Geezuz H, them southern boys do indeed like them some subservient and obedient folk, don't they?

That really wasn’t that long ago. I have the good fortune of finding a recording of an interview with my grandmother that was conducted by a local college documenting the early residents of her town (where I was also born). She moved there when she was about 3 years old with her father and siblings. Her mother died when she was 2. That was 1899. Great grandfather raised 5 kids on his own. Great great grandfather fought in the Civil War….down in Virginia and Carolina. Anyway, she talks about race relations being fine in town (relatively speaking) until the southerners came north. A lot of history in that interview which was conducted in 1972 and she was 75 years old. It was nice hearing her voice. I listen to it every now and then just to hear her talk. She couldn’t finish school because she had to take care of her brother who went blind after being struck in the head. He eventually died after gangrene set into his hands and his fingers fell off when he went to the outhouse and froze outside. Oddly his name was Christopher Columbus. Folks had it hard….a$$ holes made it even harder. I count my blessings.

My bold.
Nope, wasn't that long ago and there's no way that attitude wasn't passed along and is still alive and well with many folk. Was a given and way of life way too long to have been forgotten and accepted by many a proud southern folk. A couple of old Navy buddies come to mind, particularly the one from Mississippi whose family owned a plantation. A very proud southern boy, came from a very wealthy family. Imagine that. Them boys from Alabama saw things a whole lot differently too, they saw things in a bit of a different order. Superiority and racism is passed along from generation to generation and dies real hard. Very glad to have been raised around many different ethnicities and cultures, just gives you a different view of the world and people. Different is just the norm, and different doesn't make one inferior.

Spot on.

[Farfromgeneva]

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/617300356

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/617300356

I was taught to take people as they come. Taught my kids the same. Recall a teaching moment with my son on a train from NYC back home. He may have been in the 10th grade. We hustled to get to a train during rush hour. Finally found two seats in same car but a few rows apart. I told him to take the first and I walked up to the second empty seat where a guy had the aisle seat and had his paper and briefcase on the window seat. I asked if I could have the seat….he said “aren’t there other seats”. I told him the train was full and I was traveling with my son and wanted to be in the same car….. he says “there are other empty seats on the train”. I says to him, yes but that seat was empty and he can go to one of the other empty seats if he wanted to…he says “well there are seats at the back or the train”…. so I look at him, and I said yes there may be and you can look for a seat back there. I don’t ride at back of a train….times have changed….he gathered his stuff and shuffled off in a huff. I explained to my son that occasionally, he may have to deal with a$$holes like that because he won’t walk around with a sign over his head that says, “I live in such and such town, or I went to such and such school, or I work at such and such firm”…people will take a look, make a judgement and treat you accordingly”. Don’t go out looking for things like that but you can’t let it pass when it happens. Stand up for yourself but handle it the right way. Most people are good people and I am a big believer in giving people the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. Sometimes I am disappointed but generally not.

[Farfromgeneva]

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/617300356

I was taught to take people as they come. Taught my kids the same. Recall a teaching moment with my son on a train from NYC back home. He may have been in the 10th grade. We hustled to get to a train during rush hour. Finally found two seats in same car but a few rows apart. I told him to take the first and I walked up to the second empty seat where a guy had the aisle seat and had his paper and briefcase on the window seat. I asked if I could have the seat….he said “aren’t there other seats”. I told him the train was full and I was traveling with my son and wanted to be in the same car….. he says “there are other empty seats on the train”. I says to him, yes but that seat was empty and he can go to one of the other empty seats if he wanted to…he says “well there are seats at the back or the train”…. so I look at him, and I said yes there may be and you can look for a seat back there. I don’t ride at back of a train….times have changed….he gathered his stuff and shuffled off in a huff. I explained to my son that occasionally, he may have to deal with a$$holes like that because he won’t walk around with a sign over his head that says, “I live in such and such town, or I went to such and such school, or I work at such and such firm”…people will take a look, make a judgement and treat you accordingly”. Don’t go out looking for things like that but you can’t let it pass when it happens. Stand up for yourself but handle it the right way. Most people are good people and I am a big believer in giving people the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. Sometimes I am disappointed but generally not.

Nice. I don’t have the same context but similar in taking people as they come. Maybe not lenient enough after first experience and a quick hook but try not to presume too much and get some context increasingly incorporating “everyone has a bad day” into my thinking of later in life

[Typical Lax Dad]

https://www.npr.org/transcripts/617300356

I was taught to take people as they come. Taught my kids the same. Recall a teaching moment with my son on a train from NYC back home. He may have been in the 10th grade. We hustled to get to a train during rush hour. Finally found two seats in same car but a few rows apart. I told him to take the first and I walked up to the second empty seat where a guy had the aisle seat and had his paper and briefcase on the window seat. I asked if I could have the seat….he said “aren’t there other seats”. I told him the train was full and I was traveling with my son and wanted to be in the same car….. he says “there are other empty seats on the train”. I says to him, yes but that seat was empty and he can go to one of the other empty seats if he wanted to…he says “well there are seats at the back or the train”…. so I look at him, and I said yes there may be and you can look for a seat back there. I don’t ride at back of a train….times have changed….he gathered his stuff and shuffled off in a huff. I explained to my son that occasionally, he may have to deal with a$$holes like that because he won’t walk around with a sign over his head that says, “I live in such and such town, or I went to such and such school, or I work at such and such firm”…people will take a look, make a judgement and treat you accordingly”. Don’t go out looking for things like that but you can’t let it pass when it happens. Stand up for yourself but handle it the right way. Most people are good people and I am a big believer in giving people the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise. Sometimes I am disappointed but generally not.

Nice. I don’t have the same context but similar in taking people as they come. Maybe not lenient enough after first experience and a quick hook but try not to presume too much and get some context increasingly incorporating “everyone has a bad day” into my thinking of later in life

Yep. I have all kinds of friends. Most remarkable feat is becoming friends with french students at grad school! It was a hard group to crack…..even one of my French friends didn’t mingle with the French contingent! My closet friends in grad school were French, Iranian, Indian and African students. One or my favorite moments was watching an Irish student and an Egyptian in his robe get into a fist fight in the TV lounge! I also realized nobody cheats like American students. I always found it easier to do the work than figure out how to cheat.

[PizzaSnake]

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/202 ... ble-humans

So is the anti-abortion movement really just a Warren Buffet neo-natal HR program to ensure more grist for the mill?

[Brooklyn]

On other websites, right wingers are making political hay out of that Jussie Smollett case. Naturally, they conveniently disregard the fact that racial hoaxes continue to take place every day like this one:


https://atlantablackstar.com/2021/12/10 ... ore-clerk/

‘The Way She Was Stalling’: Woman Falsely Accuses Black Man of Stealing Her Phone Until It Rings In Her Purse, Thanks to a Store Clerk


A now-viral video of a woman accusing a Black man of stealing her phone only for it to be in her purse has outraged critics online.

The video posted on TikTok by user @fuxktdub on Monday, Dec. 6 has since garnered over 2.1 million views with the headline caption, “Karen really pulled this at a Spencer’s. r@sism alive and well.”

... A third person pointed out, “The way she was stalling tryna come up with a backup plan after she felt it in her purse.”

“Her face was so red because she found it in her bag,” added a fourth person. “And look at how she continues to lie even after she found it.”

[PizzaSnake]

A roach? A sedative?

https://www.thedailybeast.com/lafayette ... ref=scroll

See ya, Karen.

[Typical Lax Dad]

A roach? A sedative?

https://www.thedailybeast.com/lafayette ... ref=scroll

See ya, Karen.

A “judge”….