xepherys

I found my last statement, alansmithee, quite telling too. It tells of a white man who thinks that assuming all white people are KKK members is no different than assuming all black people are criminals and gansters. I don't think either are true, and neither should you. There is one thing you said that I agree with... but, of course, I think you are a bit short-sighted in a few areas still. First of all, I completely agree that people should NOT be DENIED opportunities based on the color of their skin. I completely agree... but that goes both ways. If I'm a business owner, and I have to hire a black man over a white man (theoretically) simply because the one man is black... that's not HELPFUL to the black man, and it's denying an opportunity to someone else whose skin color just happens to be white. There are plenty of impoverished, undereducated white folks in the US of A that can't afford college and aren't smart enough to get a better job. What hope do they have? White kids with average potential don't get scholarships from anyone. They don't get admitted to decent schools on merit of their background. They just get to let the cycle repeat. That's denying someone opportunity based on skin color as well. It's just more obvious when it happens to black people because white people aren't socially allowed to complain about it as a race issue.

I DO believe that many blacks get unfair entitlements... but I also DO complain and get upset about a man being dragged behind the truck, no matter what the hell color his skin is. I also think racial profiling is bullshit... whether it's because someone is black, or because someone is arabic... it's not the foundation of hope I'd like to see for my country.

You're right, my having black friends doesn't make me an expert on black people. I never said that it did. I don't know what you have to go through, but then, you don't know what it's like to be a pale white male in this country either. It's easy for you to assume it's all rose gardens and tea parties... but it's not like that in reality either. I've never treated someone badly because they were black... but I have been treated poorly by black people because I was white. I don't get bitter against blacks for it... I jsut think it's petty on the part of those particular people... just like I would if it was anyone else treating me poorly for reasons I didn't deserve. Are there racial problems in the US? Absolutely... and they stem from and are directed towards every race to one degree or another. Yes, whites are the majority. That part probably won't ever change. But expecting somehting for nothing won't help you become equal either. I think tolerance in this generation of kids is FAR greater than it was even when I was growing up. Black culture in America has been influential for decades now, and continues to be so. Eventually that "American" background that blacks are so angry about today will hopefully give way to the "American" background that all the other cultures in this coutnry feel, regardless of how light or dark their skin is. Sure, you don't have an old culture to fall back on... so develop a respectable part of this countries culture. Strive to be a part of something larger than yourself or your community. Don't be white... be black... but be a black American. To me, regardless of my heritage, outside of debates like this, I don't consider myself Irish or Ukranian or Lakota Indian. I consider myself an American. The mexicans that live next door... I don't ever think, "hey, they're mexcians"... They're just Americans like me. If you were my neighbor, I'm sure I'd feel the same way about you. There are black people that live in my apartments. Sure, I NOTICE that they're black. No more or less than I notice a nice butt on a girl or a scar on a face or someone with long hair. It's a characteristic that is part of who you are. I nod and smile and make smalltalk with them just like anyone else that lives here. Is that really THAT suprising to you? Would I invite them into my home to have dinner? Sure, if I knew them better. There are plenty of white people here I don't know either.