Unfathomable: Church Massacre

[disneyjunkie]

Another thing I'll mention and I'd also like to hear from Eliza and disneyjunkie what their take on it is.

I read an article somewhere, probably when I was looking for something else - I belive it was in Ebony or Jet - that in effect said that blacks should be referred to as blacks and not African Americans because today there are many blacks here in the U.S. who do not have roots in Africa. I thought it was an interesting point.

I also agree with some of the posts here about where does it end when trying not to offend. Many people are trying hard not to offend, but there are so many issues associated with that, and everyone gets offended from time to time.

Is it time to put the past in the past and try to move forward from here? Probably more questions than answers today. Perhaps in the future we will look back and see this as a rough period of transition, much like the Civil Rights era.

I refer to myself as black or African-American. I don't have a problem with people using one or the other to describe me.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

"Their ilk" would to see all of this end. People get angry because they have the guts to speak up about racism.

Yeah, no. Sharpton has just about as much desire to end racism as does David Duke.

 

[disneyjunkie]

Just asking for clarification. I realize to some the flag is a symbol of racism. To some it is a symbol of something else. So, do you really need to assume if someone has that flag displayed somewhere they are a racist? Believe it or not I see it, not frequently but at times, in the back window of guys trucks. Are they racist? No. Rednecks? Yes. They would be pretty offended if you called them a racist. If you don't support the cleansing of movies etc...isn't that sort of what you are doing with the flag? I agree that on a state building is probably not the best place for it, just because it doesn't fit. I wouldn't expect a regiments flag of a Mass's unit to be flown at the state house. But if someone wants to fly it at their house/truck or whatever, I am not going to jump to the conclusion they are a racist. Redneck, yes.

People make the same snap judgments when they see black teens and men with their pants sagging, listening to hip hop....

 

[Luvchefmic]

Yeah, no. Sharpton has just about as much desire to end racism as does David Duke.

don't forget Farrakhan

 

[Gumbo4x4]

People called MLK, Malcom X, Medgar Evers....race baiters and agitators. Booker T Washington and W.E.B.Dubois were pitted against one another.
There will always been those who push/long for blacks to follow/embrace/put forward leaders who make whites feel comfortable and/or do not challenge the status quo.

As a black woman, I don't feel I have to pick one leader over another. As long as they are all working toward the same goals, I'm happy.

Malcolm X WAS a race baiter, just as Sharpton is today. And if you honestly believe either of these 2 had/have the kinds of goals MLK did, well I just don't even know how to respond to that.

 

[penn19]

Just when you think it cannot get any sillier...

"Next they came for the Gettysburg National Military Park Bookstore..."

I just don't even know what to say. This over the top reactions that we have to Every. Single. Thing. It has to stop. Why is it that the more PC we become the more things offend people? You would think by now since we have eliminated anything harsh there wouldn't be anything left to be upset about.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Yes since this post has taken on religious overtones which I believe are prohibited on the DIS, my point is just as valid as anyone else's.

I'm not a particularly religious person, but I can't fathom how it is you believe the existence of evil is in & of itself proof that God does not exist. But, to each their own

 

[disneyjunkie]

Malcolm X WAS a race baiter, just as Sharpton is today. And if you honestly believe either of these 2 had/have the kinds of goals MLK did, well I just don't even know how to respond to that.

They all wanted/want equality . They were all called race baiters, trouble makers....Malcom believed in an eye for an eye, while Martin believed in peaceful protest. Both had the same goals, but they had different opinions about how to obtain them.

 

[christineann]

Yes since this post has taken on religious overtones which I believe are prohibited on the DIS, my point is just as valid as anyone else's.

Of course you are entitled to your opinion. I don't care if someone believes in God or not, and I respect your right to believe or not to believe. I find bashing the faith of nine murder victims intolerant and disrespectful of them as human beings and as Christians.

 

[dinolounger]

Prediction: here is where you will next see more knee-jerk "cultural cleansing":

 

[disneyjunkie]

Prediction: here is where you will next see more knee-jerk "cultural cleansing":

This has to be a joke. Surely you aren't bothered by companies removing stereotypical pictures of black people from their products.

 

[Luvchefmic]

This has to be a joke. Surely you aren't bothered by companies removing stereotypical pictures of black people from their products.

And there's the knee jerk response. Uncle Ben was based on a real person.

Marketing origins[edit]
Uncle Ben’s products carry the image of an elderly African-American man dressed in a bow tie, said to have been the visage of a Chicago maître d’hôtel named Frank Brown.[11] According to Mars, Uncle Ben was an African-American rice grower known for the quality of his rice. Gordon L. Harwell, an entrepreneur who had supplied rice to the armed forces in World War II, chose the name Uncle Ben’s as a means to expand his marketing efforts to the general public.[12] "Uncle" was a common appellation used in the Southern United States to refer to older male Black slaves or servants.[11]

 

[CPT Tripss]

(bolding mine)

I tend to agree w/ most of what you said. However, isn't assuming someone w/ a Confederate Flag is racist the same sort of thing as assuming someone w/ sagging pants & grills is a gang member or thug?

No.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

They all wanted/want equality . They were all called race baiters, trouble makers....Malcom believed in an eye for an eye, while Martin believed in peaceful protest. Both had the same goals, but they had different opinions about how to obtain them.

Revenge & equality are not the same things.

Blaming every bad thing that has ever happened to any black person on some white person, somewhere (Sharpton) is not equality.

Maybe the reason MLK achieved more in 5 years than Sharpton has in 5 decades is because MLK had a just cause (embraced by people in all walks of life) and Sharpton does not.

And the thing is, you don't have to look far to find qualified black leaders - intelligent, compassionate people who yes, do challenge the status quo, even occasionally making whites (and sometimes blacks) uncomfortable. So, it makes one wonder why the media insists on trotting out this buffoon Sharpton as if he speaks for all black people. Then again, the media that puts him on the air (instead of more credible spokespersons) is white owned. Guess that does make one wonder.

 

[luvsJack]

No.

Why not? Isn't either one judging a book by its cover.

I know a young man that has a confederate flag sticker on his truck and our state flag tatooed on his chest. He also wears pants that sag.The what would you call him?

 

[TLSnell1981]

People make the same snap judgments when they see black teens and men with their pants sagging, listening to hip hop....

Um..don't care about their color. All I see is a kid, who needs to pull their pants up. They look ridiculous. IMO Especially, when their pants drop to their ankles.

 

[pat fan]

I know a young man that has a confederate flag sticker on his truck and our state flag tatooed on his chest. He also wears pants that sag.The what would you call him?

#1 on the most wanted list.

Please know that was total sarcasm!

 

[dinolounger]

This has to be a joke. Surely you aren't bothered by companies removing stereotypical pictures of black people from their products.

If there was such abject burning concern over "stereotypical" brand icons (which is now code for anything vintage) why wasn't it being voiced before the Charleston incident? Why wasn't the NAACP imploring Pepsi (the owner of the Aunt Jemima brand) years ago to put her to rest?

Bottom line: they weren't, because there wasn't burning concern, because said images weren't particularly controversial.

It has just now -- because of a tragedy -- become immediately easy and fashionable for the PC crowd to find racism in everything. That is creating a literal (and ugly) witch-hunt environment where fanatical zealots are almost falling over themselves, competing to see who can come up with the most creative and arcane examples of "racist" symbols that need to be banned. It's only a matter of time until we will be hearing that the song "White Christmas" needs to be retired and use of the term "blacklist" forbidden.

 

[JoeA]

"Their ilk" would to see all of this end. People get angry because they have the guts to speak up about racism.

Jesse has about $10M worth of guts in his bank account. Well played, Jesse. Well played, indeed!

 

[CdnCarrie]

I just saw the video of your President leading Amazing Grace at the funeral. What an amazing speaker!