Am I crazy or is this racist? - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

quadro2000 · 08-31-2005, 05:30 AM

Both of these photos have been verified.

I thought that maybe the first photo was definitively tied to the AP article contained therein, but I'm not so sure - both are independent AP photos that can probably be used anywhere, in any context. All I know is that from a composition standpoint, both these photos appear exactly the same to me - except for the skin color.

Thoughts? Am I being oversensitive? What is the definition of "finding," anyway?

byesman · 08-31-2005, 05:42 AM

Wow. I don't consider it looting if they are getting necessities for life. Bread, water, other food, diapers. I do consider it looting if they are taking clothes, jewelry, breaking into ATM's, etc. However, others see looting as stealing anything in the face of a catastrophy. This is 2 different news sources, 2 different opinions. If they were both from the same source, I would say yes, it was. But I can see where it can cause problems. The wording on the picture of the 2 white people is funny: "after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store". The way it is worded sounds like it was partly changed.

If any of my ramblings make sense, I'm impressed...

Vincentt · 08-31-2005, 05:43 AM

If you look hard enough, you can find it anything you want anywhere you want.

Astrocloud · 08-31-2005, 05:45 AM

Yes, this is racist. (Quite a funny pic though too!)

Jinn · 08-31-2005, 05:59 AM

If it were the same writer, I could see it as being racist. However, different people convey the same idea differently. I think the person who used "looting" was more accurate, and said the same thing in fewer words. "After finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane..." is absolutely horrible writing. But two people describing the same thing with different words? Totally normal...

StanT · 08-31-2005, 06:00 AM

If they were written by the same person, I'd call it racist. Coming from two different sources, I would not. People see and describe things differently.

Jinn · 08-31-2005, 06:03 AM

I WIN!!!! I win I win I win!!!

balderdash111 · 08-31-2005, 06:16 AM

As noted, the "finding" sentence is very badly written, from a grammar perspective. It almost makes me wonder if it was written by someone for whom English is not their native language. It reads like it went through Babelfish or something.

Jinn · 08-31-2005, 06:24 AM

Quote:

grammer

Haha.. sorry.. pet peeve. People love to correct my "grammer" too...

lurkette · 08-31-2005, 06:48 AM

I think it's probably racist in an institutional sense. There have been dozens of studies about media portrayal (particularly local news) of blacks and hispanics as criminals, disproportionate to the actual incidence, and it has pretty much sunk in in the public consciousness. (That is to say, media covers blacks and hispanics much more consistently in the context of criminal activity than would be warranted by the proportion of crimes committed by those groups, and when you ask people about their perceptions of race and crime, they're consistent with media coverage and not with statistical truth.) So I'm not surprised to see this, and even from two different people, I do think it's racist, but only to the extent that our society still has racist undertones.

Troublebot · 08-31-2005, 06:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by StanT

If they were written by the same person, I'd call it racist. Coming from two different sources, I would not. People see and describe things differently.

Not just two different people, but it looks like two different companies to me (AP? AFP? Correct me if I'm wrong.) Both companies may have different policies on how to report such things. They may know everyone's calling it looting, but for their stories or captions to photos, they're calling it "finding."

Just my theory.

Lasereth · 08-31-2005, 06:57 AM

Oh come on, it's <B>two different writers from two different companies</B>. I personally think the second writer should have used the word loot since that is indeed what took place. I'd do the same in the situation, but it doesn't change the fact that it's looting.

-Lasereth

balderdash111 · 08-31-2005, 07:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JinnKai

Haha.. sorry.. pet peeve. People love to correct my "grammer" too...

Whoops! Just a brain typo.

stevo · 08-31-2005, 07:56 AM

Looks racist to me. I heard a caller (from toronto) on a radio show this moring talking about how he wasn't going to send aid ($$) this time like he does for most all disasters because he was disgusted at the looting by the "kind of people in new orleans" (I think he meant black)

I don't consider it looting if you are getting basic needs for survival in the aftermath of total destruction...now tv's on the other hand.

Plus the milk and steaks will go bad without power keeping them cool in WinnDixie. The whole neighborhood should have a bbq. - if they can find dry wood

quadro2000 · 08-31-2005, 07:57 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lasereth

Oh come on, it's <B>two different writers from two different companies</B>. I personally think the second writer should have used the word loot since that is indeed what took place. I'd do the same in the situation, but it doesn't change the fact that it's looting.

-Lasereth

I didn't notice that they weren't both from AP. That's my mistake.

However, let's say that they were both from the same company but from different writers - I'd still find it to be racist. All submissions are approved before sent out through the AP wire, and in that case the company would be the unified "voice" sending out mixed messages. However, again, my bad for not noticing that one was AP and one was AFP.

Charlatan · 08-31-2005, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stevo

Looks racist to me. I heard a caller (from toronto) on a radio show this moring talking about how he wasn't going to send aid ($$) this time like he does for most all disasters because he was disgusted at the looting by the "kind of people in new orleans" (I think he meant black)

I don't consider it looting if you are getting basic needs for survival in the aftermath of total destruction...now tv's on the other hand.

Plus the milk and steaks will go bad without power keeping them cool in WinnDixie. The whole neighborhood should have a bbq. - if they can find dry wood

I agree. There is a big difference between a TV and neccessities of life in this situation. What would you do? Swim down and put some money in the cash register?

The photos themselves *are* from different sources so the context in which they are seen is a bit skewed. I would expect the editor of a paper that wanted to use these photos in his/her publication would alter the captions appropriately.

As for the caller from Toronto... yes, we have idiots here too.

1) Human suffering is human suffering. If you are inclined to assist those in need, looting shouldn't have any bearing on your decision.
2) What makes anyone think that looting didn't occur after the Tsunami in Asia? If a looting happens and a news camera isn't there to report it does that mean it didn't happen?

Ananas · 08-31-2005, 08:09 AM

^^Beat me to it, Charlatan. Totally agree. Switch the wording on the photographs and see if you get a diferent visceral reaction. Doesn't matter if it's different news agencies, it still comes out that if it's a black person gathering some food in these circumstances, then it's automatically looting.

Xell101 · 08-31-2005, 08:17 AM

Steal and loot have negative connotations best not used to describe people getting things they need to live in the midst of a disaster that assuradely would've lasted longer than the food would have, so the white folk 'found' food in the grocery store as though it just happened to be there. The phrasing though for the picture of hte black fellow is pretty to the point on asserting he has stolen goods, ya' know, cause he's black.

Rlyss · 08-31-2005, 08:29 AM

I wonder if it has anything to do with being unable to prove it was looting? Did the writer take the photograph, or did the photographer watch the scene and tell the writer the story behind the photo? Or was the writer just handed a photo and told to write about it?

If the guy in the first picture actually owned those items (who's to say he didn't?) then stating in a newspaper that he was looting might cause a hell of a lot of embarassment. It's accusing him of a crime that for all I know he may not have commited. The writers/editors of the second article might not have wanted to accuse people of looting if they didn't know the facts. All of this is regardless of skin color.

flat5 · 08-31-2005, 08:32 AM

racist.

They should take the food that will go bad.

Rather, the store should give it away.

Stare At The Sun · 08-31-2005, 09:03 AM

Not racist.

The one person looted, the other person probably found it lying in the middle of the street and took it. Look hard enough for something, and you can find it anywhere.

alansmithee · 08-31-2005, 09:16 AM

Of course it wasn't racist, everyone knows that blacks loot while the nice white kids only "find" things [/sarcasm].

Honesty, stuff like this doesn't even suprise me anymore. America is a country built upon racism, why would a national disaster change that? At this point, if your skin is dark the best you can do is try to find somewhere to live where you're still considered "exotic" and not instantly "criminal".

CSflim · 08-31-2005, 09:41 AM

Hmmmm....The link to the second picture is down.

The caption does seem odd though:
"after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store"

you find things in a place not from a place. On the other hand:

"after stealing bread and soda from a local grocery store"

fits much better. I would suspect that the caption on the second photo was altered from what it originally was, probably for legal reasons, but was then was not proof read correctly.

When I first saw the image, I was under the impression that the two photos were sitting right beside each other on some web page. That would have been very racist. The fact that it is two different writers from two different companies tells me otherwise.

Xazy · 08-31-2005, 11:12 AM

Sorry I think this is 2 different writes with 2 different view points. If you did not store the essentials, and you broke into a grocery store for survival, you are still looting it in my book. It is not the owner of the stores fault you failed to properly prepare...

I would love more information to be honest. The phrasing 'finding bread and soda' almost implies it was not found within the store, but rather outside of it. In which case then it would not be looting but rather finding something that drifted out of a flooded store, which I would not consider the same, as breaking into a store for those items.

Sweetpea · 08-31-2005, 11:14 AM

Yes, it is racist.

Isn't it funny how the small use of words can be so powerful, racism is often built on words, it's recognizing this that will change things, so kudos to you for being open enough to see what that writer was doing, whether or not he/she knows it, they wrote that from a racist perspective.

Sweetpea

vanblah · 08-31-2005, 11:26 AM

Looks to me like someone trying to incite a race war.

"Finding bread and soda FROM a store". We've all seen doctored text before ... it's possible that someone PSed the word "looting" with the word "finding" and then started circulating the photo.

Also you say they've been verified but the link to the second photo is dead as far as I can tell.

Destrox · 08-31-2005, 12:07 PM

In my opinion, those who find this as racist are the same people who let the media run their lives like a blind little mouse.

Its two different writers, two different publishers!

Guess what, white black orange purple or whatever color you are, thats considered stealing/looting/theft......

The top article is correct, the lower one is wrong.

vautrain · 08-31-2005, 12:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Destrox

Guess what, white black orange purple or whatever color you are, thats considered stealing/looting/theft......

Maybe, but you would do the exact same thing, if you were in the same situation. We all would.

Destrox · 08-31-2005, 12:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vautrain

Maybe, but you would do the exact same thing, if you were in the same situation. We all would.

I never said I wouldnt, and if it means life or death, yeah we all would.

But to call this racist because the one article wrote it wrong and the other did not is just ludicrous.

analog · 08-31-2005, 12:24 PM

How the hell can anyone say it's racist? It's two different people from two different news companies, who have likely never met or even heard of each other.

The article is also not specific... he could have looted non-food, non-necessity items from the grovery store, where the other people were actually getting food.

I don't see how anyone can see racism.

krwlz · 08-31-2005, 12:24 PM

To reiterate everyone elses sentiments, yes, two papers, two writers, not racist. On the other hand, take another good look at the pictures...

Outside color, the main differance seems to be quantity... The first picture shows someone with a GARBAGE BAG FULL in tow, and what looks to be a 12 pack of pepsi under the arm. The second shows two people with what are probably their possesions in the backpacks (maybe im going way out on a limb to assume that much, but deductive logic for me brings me to that conclusion) and with a couple of basic foodstuffs in one hand.

Maybe I'm wrong, but show me the same two pictures minus race, and the same conclusions of looting vs finding could very well be drawn.

Bottom line, my opinion, if it isnt yours, it's looting.

SirLance · 08-31-2005, 12:35 PM

Well, there are two questions. As to the second, I don't think it's racist so much as poorly worded. Did they find stuff from a local store, or IN a local store? If the latter then it's stealing, so call it that.

As to the first question, I am not competent to diagnose mental illness, however, you ARE a member of TFP.... which kind of biases the answer towards "Yes!"

Psycho Dad · 08-31-2005, 02:55 PM

Not to get off topic, but is it correct to assume that looting is stealing? Is bread and soda found and not stolen still loot? Perhaps equating looting with stealing makes one question if the pictures are racist or not.

shakran · 08-31-2005, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by quadro2000

However, let's say that they were both from the same company but from different writers - I'd still find it to be racist. All submissions are approved before sent out through the AP wire, and in that case the company would be the unified "voice" sending out mixed messages.

But you have to understand how the AP works. If I'm a newspaper writer in Yahoo Wisconsin and I write a story and my paper is a member of the AP, my story goes out on the wire. Same for the guy in Los Angeles. It's not like the AP is one unified voice. It's just a central gathering system for articles written by reporters all over the country - who work for different newspapers. Even if they were from the same organization, you couldn't blame the organization because the organization didn't write it, they're just passing it on.

World's King · 08-31-2005, 03:18 PM

White people don't loot. They barrow. Didn't you all know that?

*kicks himself*

quadro2000 · 08-31-2005, 03:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by shakran

But you have to understand how the AP works. If I'm a newspaper writer in Yahoo Wisconsin and I write a story and my paper is a member of the AP, my story goes out on the wire. Same for the guy in Los Angeles. It's not like the AP is one unified voice. It's just a central gathering system for articles written by reporters all over the country - who work for different newspapers. Even if they were from the same organization, you couldn't blame the organization because the organization didn't write it, they're just passing it on.

Thanks for the education. I didn't know the workings of the AP. I've made errors all over this thread.

Psycho Dad · 08-31-2005, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by World's King

White people don't loot. They barrow.

Good idea. Can haul more loot that way.

Grasshopper Green · 08-31-2005, 03:58 PM

Unless they were getting the food from a house or something...they both looted. The thing that makes me thing that it could be racist is all the pics I've seen posted online of looters have been black people (I haven't seen any newspapers). I somehow doubt that that is the whole story.

However, I know I would loot in this situation too. Either steal or starve..it's not like the grocery store is open for business.

Trisk · 08-31-2005, 04:12 PM

First of all, it's not racist, like many of us have said, simply because it is from two seperate articles by different writers from two seperate companies.

Second of all, I don't care whether it's life or death....both pictures were of people "looting" items from a grocery store. The fact that they needed to do it or that the food would have gone bad doesn't mean that they weren't stealing. It simply means that they shouldn't be persecuted for it, or blamed for their actions. But whatever situation they're in, taking things off shelves in a grocery store is definately not what I'd call "finding".

People need to stop being so sensitive to these topics. Yes, there are many instances when racial issues are brought up subtly or not-so-subtly in the media but believe it or not, all white people and the media are not looking for ways to hint at the racial superiority or differences in every issue they speak about. If you look for anything hard enough, you can find proof of it where it does or does not exist. I really don't think this means anything.

skinnymofo · 08-31-2005, 05:50 PM

why are they stealing pop? are they that addicted to caffeine that they will wade through tons of water to get the damn soda fix?
although, if my city was every flooded i raid the beer and liquor stores and have partys on the roof tops.
on topic- no it isnt racist for the reasons already stated.

08-31-2005, 05:30 AM	#1 (permalink)
quadro2000 All Possibility, Made Of Custard Location: New York, NY	Am I crazy or is this racist? Both of these photos have been verified. I thought that maybe the first photo was definitively tied to the AP article contained therein, but I'm not so sure - both are independent AP photos that can probably be used anywhere, in any context. All I know is that from a composition standpoint, both these photos appear exactly the same to me - except for the skin color. Thoughts? Am I being oversensitive? What is the definition of "finding," anyway? __________________ You have to laugh at yourself...because you'd cry your eyes out if you didn't. - Emily Saliers

08-31-2005, 05:42 AM	#2 (permalink)
byesman Crazy Location: Byesville	Wow. I don't consider it looting if they are getting necessities for life. Bread, water, other food, diapers. I do consider it looting if they are taking clothes, jewelry, breaking into ATM's, etc. However, others see looting as stealing anything in the face of a catastrophy. This is 2 different news sources, 2 different opinions. If they were both from the same source, I would say yes, it was. But I can see where it can cause problems. The wording on the picture of the 2 white people is funny: "after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store". The way it is worded sounds like it was partly changed. If any of my ramblings make sense, I'm impressed... __________________ If after I depart this vale you ever remember me and have thought to please my ghost, forgive some sinner, and wink your eye at some homely girl. H.L. Mencken

08-31-2005, 05:43 AM	#3 (permalink)
Vincentt Addict Location: Tokyo, Japan	If you look hard enough, you can find it anything you want anywhere you want. __________________ .

08-31-2005, 05:59 AM	#5 (permalink)
Jinn Lover - Protector - Teacher Location: Seattle, WA	If it were the same writer, I could see it as being racist. However, different people convey the same idea differently. I think the person who used "looting" was more accurate, and said the same thing in fewer words. "After finding bread and soda from a local grocery store after Hurricane..." is absolutely horrible writing. But two people describing the same thing with different words? Totally normal... __________________ "I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

08-31-2005, 06:03 AM	#7 (permalink)
Jinn Lover - Protector - Teacher Location: Seattle, WA	I WIN!!!! I win I win I win!!! __________________ "I'm typing on a computer of science, which is being sent by science wires to a little science server where you can access it. I'm not typing on a computer of philosophy or religion or whatever other thing you think can be used to understand the universe because they're a poor substitute in the role of understanding the universe which exists independent from ourselves." - Willravel

08-31-2005, 05:45 AM	#4 (permalink)
Astrocloud Apocalypse Nerd	Yes, this is racist. (Quite a funny pic though too!)

08-31-2005, 06:00 AM	#6 (permalink)
StanT © Location: Colorado	If they were written by the same person, I'd call it racist. Coming from two different sources, I would not. People see and describe things differently.

08-31-2005, 06:16 AM	#8 (permalink)
balderdash111 Psycho	As noted, the "finding" sentence is very badly written, from a grammar perspective. It almost makes me wonder if it was written by someone for whom English is not their native language. It reads like it went through Babelfish or something. __________________ A little silliness now and then is cherished by the wisest men. -- Willy Wonka Last edited by balderdash111; 08-31-2005 at 07:48 AM..

08-31-2005, 06:48 AM	#10 (permalink)
lurkette My future is coming on Moderator Emeritus Location: east of the sun and west of the moon	I think it's probably racist in an institutional sense. There have been dozens of studies about media portrayal (particularly local news) of blacks and hispanics as criminals, disproportionate to the actual incidence, and it has pretty much sunk in in the public consciousness. (That is to say, media covers blacks and hispanics much more consistently in the context of criminal activity than would be warranted by the proportion of crimes committed by those groups, and when you ask people about their perceptions of race and crime, they're consistent with media coverage and not with statistical truth.) So I'm not surprised to see this, and even from two different people, I do think it's racist, but only to the extent that our society still has racist undertones. __________________ "If ten million people believe a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." - Anatole France

08-31-2005, 06:57 AM	#12 (permalink)
Lasereth Knight of the Old Republic Location: Winston-Salem, NC	Oh come on, it's <B>two different writers from two different companies</B>. I personally think the second writer should have used the word loot since that is indeed what took place. I'd do the same in the situation, but it doesn't change the fact that it's looting. -Lasereth __________________ "A Darwinian attacks his theory, seeking to find flaws. An ID believer defends his theory, seeking to conceal flaws." -Roger Ebert

08-31-2005, 07:56 AM	#14 (permalink)
stevo Rail Baron Location: Tallyfla	Looks racist to me. I heard a caller (from toronto) on a radio show this moring talking about how he wasn't going to send aid ($$) this time like he does for most all disasters because he was disgusted at the looting by the "kind of people in new orleans" (I think he meant black) I don't consider it looting if you are getting basic needs for survival in the aftermath of total destruction...now tv's on the other hand. Plus the milk and steaks will go bad without power keeping them cool in WinnDixie. The whole neighborhood should have a bbq. - if they can find dry wood __________________ "If I am such a genius why am I drunk, lost in the desert, with a bullet in my ass?" -Otto Mannkusser

08-31-2005, 08:09 AM	#17 (permalink)
Ananas Still Crazy Location: In my own time	^^Beat me to it, Charlatan. Totally agree. Switch the wording on the photographs and see if you get a diferent visceral reaction. Doesn't matter if it's different news agencies, it still comes out that if it's a black person gathering some food in these circumstances, then it's automatically looting. __________________ it's gritty

08-31-2005, 08:17 AM	#18 (permalink)
Xell101 Junkie	Steal and loot have negative connotations best not used to describe people getting things they need to live in the midst of a disaster that assuradely would've lasted longer than the food would have, so the white folk 'found' food in the grocery store as though it just happened to be there. The phrasing though for the picture of hte black fellow is pretty to the point on asserting he has stolen goods, ya' know, cause he's black.

08-31-2005, 08:29 AM	#19 (permalink)
Rlyss The Pusher Location: Edinburgh	I wonder if it has anything to do with being unable to prove it was looting? Did the writer take the photograph, or did the photographer watch the scene and tell the writer the story behind the photo? Or was the writer just handed a photo and told to write about it? If the guy in the first picture actually owned those items (who's to say he didn't?) then stating in a newspaper that he was looting might cause a hell of a lot of embarassment. It's accusing him of a crime that for all I know he may not have commited. The writers/editors of the second article might not have wanted to accuse people of looting if they didn't know the facts. All of this is regardless of skin color.

08-31-2005, 08:32 AM	#20 (permalink)
flat5 Very Insignificant Pawn Location: Amsterdam, NL	racist. They should take the food that will go bad. Rather, the store should give it away.

08-31-2005, 09:03 AM	#21 (permalink)
Stare At The Sun Eh? Location: Somewhere over the rainbow	Not racist. The one person looted, the other person probably found it lying in the middle of the street and took it. Look hard enough for something, and you can find it anywhere.

08-31-2005, 09:16 AM	#22 (permalink)
alansmithee Junkie	Of course it wasn't racist, everyone knows that blacks loot while the nice white kids only "find" things [/sarcasm]. Honesty, stuff like this doesn't even suprise me anymore. America is a country built upon racism, why would a national disaster change that? At this point, if your skin is dark the best you can do is try to find somewhere to live where you're still considered "exotic" and not instantly "criminal".

08-31-2005, 09:41 AM	#23 (permalink)
CSflim Sky Piercer Location: Ireland	Hmmmm....The link to the second picture is down. The caption does seem odd though: "after finding bread and soda from a local grocery store" you find things in a place not from a place. On the other hand: "after stealing bread and soda from a local grocery store" fits much better. I would suspect that the caption on the second photo was altered from what it originally was, probably for legal reasons, but was then was not proof read correctly. When I first saw the image, I was under the impression that the two photos were sitting right beside each other on some web page. That would have been very racist. The fact that it is two different writers from two different companies tells me otherwise. __________________

08-31-2005, 11:12 AM	#24 (permalink)
Xazy People in masks cannot be trusted Location: NYC	Sorry I think this is 2 different writes with 2 different view points. If you did not store the essentials, and you broke into a grocery store for survival, you are still looting it in my book. It is not the owner of the stores fault you failed to properly prepare... I would love more information to be honest. The phrasing 'finding bread and soda' almost implies it was not found within the store, but rather outside of it. In which case then it would not be looting but rather finding something that drifted out of a flooded store, which I would not consider the same, as breaking into a store for those items.

08-31-2005, 11:14 AM	#25 (permalink)
Sweetpea Fade out Location: in love	Yes, it is racist. Isn't it funny how the small use of words can be so powerful, racism is often built on words, it's recognizing this that will change things, so kudos to you for being open enough to see what that writer was doing, whether or not he/she knows it, they wrote that from a racist perspective. Sweetpea __________________ Having a Pet Will Change Your Life! Looking for a great pet?! Click Here! "I am the Type of Person Who Can Get Away With A lot, Simply Because I Don't Ask Permission for the Privilege of Being Myself"

08-31-2005, 11:26 AM	#26 (permalink)
vanblah Junkie	Looks to me like someone trying to incite a race war. "Finding bread and soda FROM a store". We've all seen doctored text before ... it's possible that someone PSed the word "looting" with the word "finding" and then started circulating the photo. Also you say they've been verified but the link to the second photo is dead as far as I can tell.

08-31-2005, 12:07 PM	#27 (permalink)
Destrox Metal and Rock 4 Life Location: Phoenix	In my opinion, those who find this as racist are the same people who let the media run their lives like a blind little mouse. Its two different writers, two different publishers! Guess what, white black orange purple or whatever color you are, thats considered stealing/looting/theft...... The top article is correct, the lower one is wrong. __________________ You bore me.... next.

08-31-2005, 12:24 PM	#30 (permalink)
analog Banned	How the hell can anyone say it's racist? It's two different people from two different news companies, who have likely never met or even heard of each other. The article is also not specific... he could have looted non-food, non-necessity items from the grovery store, where the other people were actually getting food. I don't see how anyone can see racism.

08-31-2005, 12:24 PM	#31 (permalink)
krwlz Fledgling Dead Head Location: Clarkson U.	To reiterate everyone elses sentiments, yes, two papers, two writers, not racist. On the other hand, take another good look at the pictures... Outside color, the main differance seems to be quantity... The first picture shows someone with a GARBAGE BAG FULL in tow, and what looks to be a 12 pack of pepsi under the arm. The second shows two people with what are probably their possesions in the backpacks (maybe im going way out on a limb to assume that much, but deductive logic for me brings me to that conclusion) and with a couple of basic foodstuffs in one hand. Maybe I'm wrong, but show me the same two pictures minus race, and the same conclusions of looting vs finding could very well be drawn. Bottom line, my opinion, if it isnt yours, it's looting.

08-31-2005, 12:35 PM	#32 (permalink)
SirLance Junkie Location: In the middle of the desert.	Well, there are two questions. As to the second, I don't think it's racist so much as poorly worded. Did they find stuff from a local store, or IN a local store? If the latter then it's stealing, so call it that. As to the first question, I am not competent to diagnose mental illness, however, you ARE a member of TFP.... which kind of biases the answer towards "Yes!" __________________ DEMOCRACY is where your vote counts, FEUDALISM is where your count votes.

08-31-2005, 02:55 PM	#33 (permalink)
Psycho Dad Mulletproof Location: Some nucking fut house.	Not to get off topic, but is it correct to assume that looting is stealing? Is bread and soda found and not stolen still loot? Perhaps equating looting with stealing makes one question if the pictures are racist or not. __________________ Don't always trust the opinions of experts.

08-31-2005, 03:18 PM	#35 (permalink)
World's King Here Location: Denver City Denver	White people don't loot. They barrow. Didn't you all know that? kicks himself __________________ heavy is the head that wears the crown

08-31-2005, 03:58 PM	#38 (permalink)
Grasshopper Green ...is a comical chap Location: Where morons reign supreme	Unless they were getting the food from a house or something...they both looted. The thing that makes me thing that it could be racist is all the pics I've seen posted online of looters have been black people (I haven't seen any newspapers). I somehow doubt that that is the whole story. However, I know I would loot in this situation too. Either steal or starve..it's not like the grocery store is open for business. __________________ "They say that patriotism is the last refuge to which a scoundrel clings; steal a little and they throw you in jail, steal a lot and they make you king" Formerly Medusa

08-31-2005, 04:12 PM	#39 (permalink)
Trisk Insane	First of all, it's not racist, like many of us have said, simply because it is from two seperate articles by different writers from two seperate companies. Second of all, I don't care whether it's life or death....both pictures were of people "looting" items from a grocery store. The fact that they needed to do it or that the food would have gone bad doesn't mean that they weren't stealing. It simply means that they shouldn't be persecuted for it, or blamed for their actions. But whatever situation they're in, taking things off shelves in a grocery store is definately not what I'd call "finding". People need to stop being so sensitive to these topics. Yes, there are many instances when racial issues are brought up subtly or not-so-subtly in the media but believe it or not, all white people and the media are not looking for ways to hint at the racial superiority or differences in every issue they speak about. If you look for anything hard enough, you can find proof of it where it does or does not exist. I really don't think this means anything.

08-31-2005, 05:50 PM	#40 (permalink)
skinnymofo Addict ed to smack Location: Seattle	why are they stealing pop? are they that addicted to caffeine that they will wade through tons of water to get the damn soda fix? although, if my city was every flooded i raid the beer and liquor stores and have partys on the roof tops. on topic- no it isnt racist for the reasons already stated.