Black People : 55 year old white man

[KMeister]

.o0( Why do I only have this problem with you? ).

I don't know. I only know that when I'm unsure about something I ask for clarification, as I have done with you. As I've written more than once in the past, I can only ask. If you are unable or unwilling to provide the clarification I requested that is your prerogative. Thanks anyway.

 

[urex]

Life is indeed filled with obstacles for everyone, some more than others, but it is understandable when people who have faced unfairness in their lives to grow to resent the source of that unfairness. There are historical realities that rightfully tell black people to proceed with caution when dealing with whites in power. That reality can't simply be dismissed as something that happened in the past.

One problem is that even discussing the issue of race is difficult in today's environment. Many whites want to deny racism exists, claiming it's a thing of the past. Many blacks insist it's everywhere, choking every black person to death. It's difficult for sides that far apart to find common ground.

But we DO share common ground...literally. In my opinion that's where we start. We're all Americans. We're all citizens of a country with one of the highest standards of living in the world. Thanks to the civil rights battles fought together by blacks and whites and all the colors in between, we have made progress in the area of race relations. Once we stop all the "us vs. them" nonsense we will make even more progress.

Individuals overcome racism by doing whatever it is they do to do so. Overcoming the obstacles that life presents is exceedingly difficult for everyone; in the history of the planet. That is life. If you identify yourself as a group, rather than an individual, then you buy into the group. The group may be wise or not, but individuals have wisdom available to them if they simply understand themselves. Groups can't access wisdom ; only individuals can.

The common ground that my OP talks about is our human nature. It is a subject that gets so little attention but so desperately requires attention. Individuals access an understanding of themselves, and therefore everyone else, by painstakingly honest introspection.

Just as a side note: racism exists because people are people. There is always an us and them attitude throughout life. My religion, your religion....my color, your color... my country, your country....my town, your town....my sports team, your sports teem..... etc., etc, etc

It is up to the individual to figure this out and carve a way through life.

Most humans are lazy when it comes to trying to understand themselves.

 

[jamesfrmphilly]

Individuals overcome racism by doing whatever it is they do to do so. Overcoming the obstacles that life presents is exceedingly difficult for everyone; in the history of the planet. That is life. If you identify yourself as a group, rather than an individual, then you buy into the group. The group may be wise or not, but individuals have wisdom available to them if they simply understand themselves. Groups can't access wisdom ; only individuals can.

The common ground that my OP talks about is our human nature. It is a subject that gets so little attention but so desperately requires attention. Individuals access an understanding of themselves, and therefore everyone else, by painstakingly honest introspection.

Just as a side note: racism exists because people are people. There is always an us and them attitude throughout life. My religion, your religion....my color, your color... my country, your country....my town, your town....my sports team, your sports teem..... etc., etc, etc

It is up to the individual to figure this out and carve a way through life.

Most humans are lazy when it comes to trying to understand themselves.

 

[jamesfrmphilly]

​

 

[KMeister]

Individuals overcome racism by doing whatever it is they do to do so. Overcoming the obstacles that life presents is exceedingly difficult for everyone; in the history of the planet. That is life. If you identify yourself as a group, rather than an individual, then you buy into the group. The group may be wise or not, but individuals have wisdom available to them if they simply understand themselves. Groups can't access wisdom ; only individuals can.

The common ground that my OP talks about is our human nature. It is a subject that gets so little attention but so desperately requires attention. Individuals access an understanding of themselves, and therefore everyone else, by painstakingly honest introspection.

Just as a side note: racism exists because people are people. There is always an us and them attitude throughout life. My religion, your religion....my color, your color... my country, your country....my town, your town....my sports team, your sports teem..... etc., etc, etc

It is up to the individual to figure this out and carve a way through life.

Most humans are lazy when it comes to trying to understand themselves.

I can't agree with you on the "individual vs. group" part. People who are facing similar obstacles often band together in order to improve their condition. This is allowable; even advisable in some circumstances. For example, courts have class action lawsuits. Also, there's a legal theory called "disparate impact," which declares if the action has an adverse impact on a group it can be challenged in court. Women and Asians who wanted to be police officers in various cities and towns often successfully challenged municipal police height requirements because the requirements tended to disqualify them disproportionately.

I agree with you that it is our human nature to create "us" and "them," and for those creations to have consquences. In the case of the United States, people of African descent were singled our for poor treatment based on the color of our skin. This went on for centuries. Herding black people together (and Native Americans) was not our idea. In fact, before the arrival of white settlers neither blacks in Africa nor Native Americans considered themselves one people. The identity of people as members of a group based on race is an American creation. Now the country must live with that creation--and the anger and resentment people feel from inherited injustice based on that creation that still affects them today.