Is race really an issue right now?

[mightynancy]

I think racism is very much alive in the U.S....even among people who would never admit it.

When my (white) sister-in-law and brother-in-law adopted a mixed-race baby from the wayyy extended family, family members would marvel at how "light" he was. "Oooh, he's so light, I don't think he'll look very black at all!" I hear lots of LDS people call Obama literally "scary", without being able to define a policy that frightens them.

[Traveler]

There is in my opinion only one human race. It is likely that if all the peoples of a particular type (determined by skin color, hair color, eye color or such) were removed from the gene pool that within 10,000 years that the variations and ratios that we see today would again exist.

The Traveler

[KristofferUmfrey]

Originally Posted by mightynancy

I think racism is very much alive in the U.S....even among people who would never admit it.

When my (white) sister-in-law and brother-in-law adopted a mixed-race baby from the wayyy extended family, family members would marvel at how "light" he was. "Oooh, he's so light, I don't think he'll look very black at all!" I hear lots of LDS people call Obama literally "scary", without being able to define a policy that frightens them.

Socialized Health Care
Fairness Doctrine
Freedom of Choice Act
Tax Increases on those who provide the jobs
Carbon Emissions Taxes on coal plants designed to "drive them out of business"
Friendly sit downs with Iran

I could care less if he's black. I will quit my job to campaign if JC Watts runs for President.

[DeborahC]

Dang, somehow my post got messed up. Well, I'll cut and paste:

There don't seem to be many black/white racial issues in Portland, Oregon.
But attorneys here have green and purple striped hair, so skin color is just ::shrug::

I do think people here have really worked hard to work TOGETHER, which is one reason I love this community!

Here, as mentioned before, racism is more black on black, or hispanic on hispanic, in my opinion. And it appears to be a generational thing. It's almost always young men who are the troublemakers.

One thing about Obama winning the election is that he's given a whole lot of young black men and women great hope that there IS a ladder they can climb with hard work and perseverance. This is something that I feel was greatly needed in this country.

On the other hand, I wouldn't want to be EITHER candidate winning this election because nobody is going to be able to straighten this financial mess out. We've dug ourselves a deep old hole and the best advice I've heard is from the Church who say, put up a year's supply, get out of debt, don't spend money, and hunker down.

It's going to get MUCH worse before it gets better, in my opinion. In fact, I believe it will be WORSE than the Great Depression.

So even though I do worry about Obama's safety and pray for him every night, I worry more about the country breaking into civil war if things don't settle down on Wall Street. I've heard rumblings from other forums... and they're not nice.

[Moksha]

Originally Posted by Truegrits

But...what I hear is not anger/hate because of his color, but hate for his, and Mrs. Obama's, "anti-American" views.

That would be a step toward Dr. King's ideal. Here you are saying that they do not hate the Obamas for their skin color, but rather for their distorted perception of the Obamas.

Hey, the glass is at least half full!

[pam]

I'd vote for a Colin Powell/Condoleeza Rice ticket any day. Now that is one smart woman.

[a-train]

Racism has long been little more than a false mechanism used by subtle conspirators to stir up conflict by which they design to enrich and empower themselves for their own selfish purposes.

YouTube - The Religion Of Racism

-a-train

[Hemidakota]

Originally Posted by SisterofJared

I have heard it suggested here that race is a real sensitive issue just now.

I live in the Seattle area, and I am not seeing that at all here.

I am wondering if where you live, race is much of an issue?

I tend to only think the media was trying to portray it as an issue, while Americans aren't feeling it.

I don't perceive it as an issue here and now.... I've noticed a few other posters from Washington and wonder if they agree or disagree with me. And also what people thing about their own areas.

Sister of Jared

Why should it be an issue?

[MarginOfError]

Originally Posted by SisterofJared

I do see that there is more of class distinctions rather than race. For me, it is hard to see that minorities have it harder, because frankly my own family has always been in that lower income. I grew up in poverty and have struggled with it almost all my life. We had three years recently when we were not living in poverty, but that ended when my doctor made me quit work. I couldn't deal with the resulting poverty, and recently went back to work against his advice. Poverty is not fun. But for me I have always wondered why people think poverty is a color issue, since I am caucasian and always lived in poverty.

You're right, poverty isn't strictly a race issue. When people tie race to poverty it's because minorities are disproportionately affected by poverty: meaning we can correctly say that a person with black skin is more likely to live in poverty than a person with white skin. Keep in mind that these are just probabilities on the large scale. We just need to remembers, as you said, when you look at the individuals affected, the hardship of poverty on the individual is the same, regardless of race.

[Wingnut]

As recently as 2006, President Hinckley acknowledged that some of the members of the church were racist. He reprimanded them, saying:

Now I am told that racial slurs and denigrating remarks are sometimes heard among us. I remind you that no man who makes disparaging remarks concerning those of another race can consider himself a true disciple of Christ. Nor can he consider himself to be in harmony with the teachings of the Church of Christ.

I'm currently reading a book called The Freedom Writers Diary. While it is about overcoming prejudices, it's awfully hard to read it and believe that racism doesn't exist.