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Author Topic: Mizzou players plan boycott?  (Read 52988 times)
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PirateVOL
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« Reply #25 on: November 09, 2015, 07:44:52 EST »

It's emotional.
THAT is the problem!
The entire Social Justice movement is emotionally based and doesn't have a damn thing to do with the reality that we live in!

Perhaps their is more going on regarding this Practice/all football activities "protest"(1st and last paras):
"As much as we want to say everyone is united, half the team and coaches -- black and white -- are pissed," the player, who wished to remain anonymous, told ESPN. "If we were 9-0, this wouldn't be happening."

"Not everyone agrees with the decision [to stop all football activities]," the player said."

Also: "The player indicated the team had been aware of Butler's hunger strike for several days. However, some black players didn't decide to take action until Butler met with some players Saturday night."

Source: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/14087454/missouri-tigers-player-says-team-not-united-practice-boycott
« Last Edit: November 09, 2015, 07:55:27 EST by PirateVOL » Logged





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murfvol
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« Reply #26 on: November 09, 2015, 12:17:39 EST »

It's not a binary situation. Most things aren't. You don't have to lop off 'eads, or join the protest.

Sit down with players in a relaxed setting. Discuss why they think what they think. Pinkel can then explain he's paid to coach, and that's what he'll do. Anyone who wants to play football can practice. Don't yell and scream.

BTW, this won't hurt recruiting more than losing games. Recruits are low- information people, and plenty of guys want an SEC scholarship. Plus, the news cycle is short.
« Last Edit: November 09, 2015, 02:40:37 EST by murfvol » Logged

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« Reply #27 on: November 09, 2015, 02:18:58 EST »

If you're going to protest - hit them where it hurts. This is at least getting the issue attention, because without black players, imagine if you will trying to run a good football or basketball program?

All the info I have is what I have read - and it seems to be there's something to it, considering the admissions of a certain key person involved. The university can of course revoke their scholarships, but they'd be stupid to do so. $$$$ says that the issue has to be addressed.





It doesn't seem to be clear exactly what they are protesting.  I have heard that it is about racist comments on an anonymous msg board and swastika graffiti.  If that's true, seems like pretty weak sauce.  I don't think we'd be discussing this if Missouri was doing well on the field, jmo.

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PirateVOL
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« Reply #28 on: November 09, 2015, 02:24:10 EST »

It doesn't seem to be clear exactly what they are protesting.  I have heard that it is about racist comments on an anonymous msg board and swastika graffiti.  If that's true, seems like pretty weak sauce.  I don't think we'd be discussing this if Missouri was doing well on the field, jmo.


That goes to 'nut's post.  They are getting emotionally involved in something they have little to no knowledge of.  That leads to paths taken that in the end end up doing far more damage than the original (often perceived or contrived) incident.
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All men dream: but not equally.
Those who Dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds
Wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the
Dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they
May act their dream with open eyes, to make it Possible.
This I did.
—T. E. Lawrence,
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"If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly." - David Hackworth

"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet"
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« Reply #29 on: November 09, 2015, 02:32:09 EST »

And this adds to the point I was tying to make last night with a couple of posters. 

Students have the right to protest, but not at the expense of others being hurt by that protest, and especially when a contract has been signed to play for pay.  The protest of some is hurting others who have signed the same contract, that that is not just wrong, but blatantly wrong. 
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« Reply #30 on: November 09, 2015, 02:41:11 EST »

I'm of a different breed, but in my book, there is no situation which justifies the protest. You're turning your back on the institution that has given you a gift, and your intent of protesting is to smear that institution.

If you want to protest, then do so after you leave.

I'll disagree with the notion that the institution "has given them a gift." It could easily be argued that what they give the university is far more valuable than what the university has given them. Regardless, both parties are getting something out of the arrangement and I don't think it's out of bounds for one to protest what maybe amounts to difficult working conditions.

Now with that said, I've had a hard time trying to understand why they are demanding that the president be fired, among other things. The incidents that have been reported weren't his or the university's fault, as far as I know. Then again it sounds like race on that campus has been an issue continuously for decades and maybe it's about time the administration took serious steps to fix it. So maybe I understand the sentiment but not really the acuteness and severity of the anger.

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« Reply #31 on: November 09, 2015, 02:45:38 EST »

This can be a great learning experience for the players. Someone said something. O.k., do you believe the statement? Why or why not? Could they have ulterior motives? What are the ramifications of your actions?

Letting everyone rationally process things will solidify convictions, regardless of which road each person selects. That's a positive.
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« Reply #32 on: November 09, 2015, 03:20:41 EST »

I think I will fill rather unsafe in two weeks time walking amongst the self entitled, noninterested in reality students.
Almost as skeered as walking below the urine bottles of the "tree people" at Cal a few years ago ...

http://www.columbiatribune.com/news/education/tensions-high-as-mu-students-continue-protests-hunger-strike/article_cce06f20-2777-5d9b-8ebf-bfa42be0676d.html
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All men dream: but not equally.
Those who Dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds
Wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the
Dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they
May act their dream with open eyes, to make it Possible.
This I did.
—T. E. Lawrence,
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom
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"If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly." - David Hackworth

"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet"
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Creek Walker
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« Reply #33 on: November 09, 2015, 04:13:03 EST »

NO NO NO NO!  In no way, shape or form am I "inferring" anything.  I'm just GENUINELY trying to formulate my own position here.  Please believe me, I'm coming from a lifetime of conservatism and within the last five years questioning a lot of that.  What I'm trying to grasp is... whether this "contract" denies any student the right to essentially strike.   I'm not yet comfy saying "no".  I don't like the concept that a college student is denied the right to "protest by not performing the duties" in order to stand up for principles.

I despise the whole Kim Davis situation, for example.  I've thought she should just "do her effing job" as EVERYONE in Morehead KY whom I asked said about her (I was there recently).  But now... when it is suggested that the scholarship revokes the right to "strike"... I ponder.  I'm honestly just trying to formulate an opinion.  I'm not inferring anything.

Then, as I said, I apologize. I agree whole-heartedly about Kim Davis. I never understood why she became such a champion for the conservative right. If she wants to oppose same-sex marriage on a personal basis, she has every right to, and I admire her conviction to do so. But she was elected to work for the government of the United States, and when the government of the United States authorized same-sex marriage licenses, it became her job to uphold that -- even if she disagreed. When she refused, the court did what it should've done: demand that she either fulfill the duties of her job or step down. When she refused to do either, the court again did what it should've done and arrested her for contempt. Even people who agreed with Davis's personal belief on the issue of same-sex marriage should've been able to see that the court's actions were not only justified but necessary.

Unfortunately, the same standard doesn't apply evenly. Kim Davis should have been, and was, forced to uphold her contractual obligations...and so should the football players at the University of Missouri. Ironically, some of the same people who cheered loudest for Kim Davis's "right" to protest her decision are the ones quickest to criticize the Mizzou football players.

Obviously those two situations are an apples-oranges comparison. I get that. But there's a right way and a wrong way to go about everything. Kim Davis had every right to protest and stand on the corner and hold up a sign DURING HER TIME OFF. The students at Mizzou have the same right. But the football players are contractually obligated, like Kim Davis, and should be required to fulfill that obligation. There's a fine line when it comes to these "protests." When is a protest too much? I read that some students at Mizzou were claiming their civil rights have been violated because they were threatened with arrest after interrupting the school's homecoming parade by encircling the president's car and forcing it to stop. Are you kidding me? Of course they should've been threatened with arrest. That's a no-brainer.
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« Reply #34 on: November 09, 2015, 05:41:48 EST »

I agree that the "oppression" does not seem so bad, although I will point out that the swastika was composed of human feces 

I am sure the students have some gripes that are legitimate, and it does appear the president was slow to respond.  At the same time, calling for his resignation seems rather aggressive.

Not sure the players should have joined, seems more likely to hurt them than help the cause.

But...Pinkel supports the players fully, and maybe that's all anyone needs to know.  It's his call, not ours.   

Heck, they may forfeit at this rate, but I'd rather beat that arse on the field.  We owe them!   
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« Reply #35 on: November 09, 2015, 05:55:32 EST »

Just FYI, here are the demands

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2015/11/08/missouri-protest-list-demands-issued-to-university.html

Some are not so unreasonable.  Demand 3, who even knows what demands were made in 1969, and why should that matter in 2015?  One has a couple silly lines, and two is ridiculous IMO.  No one can possibly think he will accept that, unless forced by the board.

4 seems a bit much, but 5-9, subject to some negotiation, might not be so bad.  Just MO.
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« Reply #36 on: November 09, 2015, 06:10:03 EST »

The Mizzou President has resigned......the starving dude can go eat a cheeseburger now
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« Reply #37 on: November 09, 2015, 06:11:18 EST »

Just FYI, here are the demands

http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2015/11/08/missouri-protest-list-demands-issued-to-university.html

Some are not so unreasonable.  Demand 3, who even knows what demands were made in 1969, and why should that matter in 2015?  One has a couple silly lines, and two is ridiculous IMO.  No one can possibly think he will accept that, unless forced by the board.

4 seems a bit much, but 5-9, subject to some negotiation, might not be so bad.  Just MO.

it's being reported that he resigned....

http://www.local8now.com/home/headlines/Support-leaps-for-Univ-of-Missouri-student-activists-343669692.html?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook_WVLT_Volunteer_TV
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« Reply #38 on: November 09, 2015, 06:16:26 EST »

And yet the perceived and contrived problems remain.
Nothing has been accomplished in the end, other than forcing a resignation ...
The entitled class will STILL not be satisfied in any way
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All men dream: but not equally.
Those who Dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds
Wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the
Dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they
May act their dream with open eyes, to make it Possible.
This I did.
—T. E. Lawrence,
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom
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"If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly." - David Hackworth

"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet"
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« Reply #39 on: November 09, 2015, 06:19:44 EST »


The entitled class will STILL not be satisfied in any way

So it's all one-sided?  I'm as sick of this as anyone, but I am pretty sure some of their complaints are legit.

Some of their demands are also ridiculous IMO, but that could and should be subject to negotiation.
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« Reply #40 on: November 09, 2015, 06:28:03 EST »

So it's all one-sided?  I'm as sick of this as anyone, but I am pretty sure some of their complaints are legit.

Some of their demands are also ridiculous IMO, but that could and should be subject to negotiation.
maybe, maybe not.
The problem is, the entitled class feels wronged if they PERCEIVE you looked at the wrong.  The events may or may not be real and may or not be staged (yes incidents on several occasions in the recent past have been staged to create outrage) but why wait for information when it is so much fun to create unrest and weld power without facts?
Most of them need to just grow the freak up!

Oh, and a news flash for them:  ALL FREAKING LIVES MATTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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All men dream: but not equally.
Those who Dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds
Wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the
Dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they
May act their dream with open eyes, to make it Possible.
This I did.
—T. E. Lawrence,
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly." - David Hackworth

"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet"
General James "Mad Dog" Mattis
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« Reply #41 on: November 09, 2015, 06:53:43 EST »

The results of our education system
https://www.facebook.com/Butler.L.Jonathan/posts/10206054956185385?pnref=story

Who knew the school President could over rule state law???
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All men dream: but not equally.
Those who Dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds
Wake in the day to find that it was vanity; but the
Dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they
May act their dream with open eyes, to make it Possible.
This I did.
—T. E. Lawrence,
The Seven Pillars of Wisdom
_________________________________________________________________________________________________
"If you find yourself in a fair fight, you didn't plan your mission properly." - David Hackworth

"Be polite, be professional, but have a plan to kill everybody you meet"
General James "Mad Dog" Mattis
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« Reply #42 on: November 09, 2015, 08:41:02 EST »

When one of the demands are that the president "admit white privilege" then it ceases being a protest and it becomes about furthering an agenda.  

This just reeks of political correctness.  When those words are used it is no longer about justice, but more about perceived revenge. 
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« Reply #43 on: November 09, 2015, 09:53:37 EST »

Yeah, if you're protesting, you're one of the most privileged people to ever walk the earth. It's just a matter of degrees.
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« Reply #44 on: November 09, 2015, 10:13:38 EST »

When one of the demands are that the president "admit white privilege" then it ceases being a protest and it becomes about furthering an agenda.  

This just reeks of political correctness.  When those words are used it is no longer about justice, but more about perceived revenge. 

That really hits the nail on the head.  They are basically dictating how the President should think and believe.  IMO, "white privilege" is just code for reparations, and reparations was just a front for redistribution.  This whole BlackLivesMatter movement is nothing more than Occupy Wall Street II.  To boot, one of George Soros' organizations is promoting BLM to the tune of $33 million so far - just like he promoted OWS.  It would not surprise me if this whole U of Mizzou deal was really about Ferguson, and not really about the atmosphere on campus.
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« Reply #45 on: November 09, 2015, 10:23:16 EST »

maybe, maybe not.
The problem is, the entitled class feels wronged if they PERCEIVE you looked at the wrong.  The events may or may not be real and may or not be staged (yes incidents on several occasions in the recent past have been staged to create outrage) but why wait for information when it is so much fun to create unrest and weld power without facts?
Most of them need to just grow the freak up!

Oh, and a news flash for them:  ALL FREAKING LIVES MATTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

See, I don't understand the outrage from the other side on the phrase "Black Lives Matter".  I get the rebuttal ("All Lives Matter"), but I don't see any implication that they don't in that phrase.

Stating what is...no offense...very obvious...they have a perception that in the past, black lives HAVE NOT mattered.

I don't think its a point of debate that in the past they have not.  After all, the last public lynching of a black man was as recent as 1964.

It's fair to debate whether or not they are still treated differently by the law today.

But why would that phrase bother anyone?  It's not intended to suggest that other lives don't matter, just that there is a perception of injustice to blacks.

Rather than attack the phrase, maybe a better thing to do is find out if they are right, no?  Have you looked into it? Do you have statistics on the number of innocent blacks killed in questionable police actions in the last 50 years since civil rights legislation was passed?

If so, I expect a full report on my desk by Monday, because I want to be outraged by a harmless phrase also.   
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« Reply #46 on: November 09, 2015, 10:34:25 EST »

See, I don't understand the outrage from the other side on the phrase "Black Lives Matter".  I get the rebuttal ("All Lives Matter"), but I don't see any implication that they don't in that phrase.

Stating what is...no offense...very obvious...they have a perception that in the past, black lives HAVE NOT mattered.

I don't think its a point of debate that in the past they have not.  After all, the last public lynching of a black man was as recent as 1964.

It's fair to debate whether or not they are still treated differently by the law today.

But why would that phrase bother anyone?  It's not intended to suggest that other lives don't matter, just that there is a perception of injustice to blacks.


Rather than attack the phrase, maybe a better thing to do is find out if they are right, no?  Have you looked into it? Do you have statistics on the number of innocent blacks killed in questionable police actions in the last 50 years since civil rights legislation was passed?

If so, I expect a full report on my desk by Monday, because I want to be outraged by a harmless phrase also.  

I agree with you.  I have absolutely no problem with the phrase.  I'm honestly not sure I understand what is going on in this country.  I'm going to be careful here and limit what I say but... being black in America today is not the same as being white.  I know for a fact there is NO way I can possibly understand what it is like to be black and I take no offense in realizing that.  I take no offense in learning that I will never stop learning... and I have no qualm with the suggestion that I have certain privileges that most black folks don't... seems obvious to me.  I just don't get why the phrase is so offensive.  We have a loooooonnnnng way to go in this country.  I have no problem admitting that.
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« Reply #47 on: November 09, 2015, 10:36:50 EST »

See, I don't understand the outrage from the other side on the phrase "Black Lives Matter".  I get the rebuttal ("All Lives Matter"), but I don't see any implication that they don't in that phrase.


The phrase is doubly racist.  Besides the non-inclusive part, it more importantly implies that white people do not think that black lives matter.  It implies white people are racist.  That seems pretty 'racist' to me, in this day and age.  Yeah, there were a lot more racists out there 50 yrs ago, but - come on - that was 50 freaking yrs ago.  I just don't see anywhere near that level of racism around here these days.  If some one (anyone) physically challenges a LEO, they are due for a beatdown - I view that as just a basic fact of life, NOT racism.
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« Reply #48 on: November 09, 2015, 11:34:34 EST »

I agree with you.  I have absolutely no problem with the phrase.  I'm honestly not sure I understand what is going on in this country.  I'm going to be careful here and limit what I say but... being black in America today is not the same as being white.  I know for a fact there is NO way I can possibly understand what it is like to be black and I take no offense in realizing that.  I take no offense in learning that I will never stop learning... and I have no qualm with the suggestion that I have certain privileges that most black folks don't... seems obvious to me.  I just don't get why the phrase is so offensive.  We have a loooooonnnnng way to go in this country.  I have no problem admitting that.

Here's my problem with this mentality: We (white people) are supposed to admit (as was demanded of the Mizzou president) that we have privileges that black people don't have. Then so many (not you, just speaking generally) expect us to act apologetic for having these perceived privileges that are exclusive to the white race.

My question is what privileges do I have that any other American -- regardless of their skin color -- doesn't have? If not being born into an inner-city neighborhood where crime runs rampant is a privilege, I'll admit that one, but I would also argue that there are just as few privileges and crime is just as rampant (maybe not violent crime, but certainly drug-related crime) for white people in the redneck ghettos of eastern Kentucky's Appalachian region and even some areas here in East Tennessee.

Besides that, though, where are my privileges? I was born into a poor white family in rural East Tennessee. My father worked in the coal-mining industry when I was a kid. When the mines played out, he was laid off from his job as an errands-runner. We were poor before he was laid off, and we were certainly poor after he was laid off. We relied on food stamps, as much as it shamed him to accept them, but the amount our family received was pretty meager considering there were six mouths to feed. Going to McDonald's was a treat when I was a young kid; I remember going maybe 3-4 times. We certainly didn't go to any restaurant that was higher up the ladder. We ate what we grew in the garden. My mom used to joke that we would have potatoes, beans and cornbread one night, and the next night we would change it up by having beans, cornbread and potatoes. During summer vacation, when we weren't in school, the leftover potatoes from one night's meal would be turned into potato cakes for the next afternoon's lunch. I remember one time when I was hungry and snuck into the kitchen for a piece of bread and got in trouble because it meant there wouldn't be enough bread for the evening meal.

But because America is the land of opportunity, my father recognized that no one is limited to their current limitations. He scraped together enough money to purchase some books on electrical wiring, which he used to teach himself the trade of an electrician. He parlayed that into a job that took him out of the unemployment line and spent long hours away from his family every day, working every overtime hour he could get his hands on so that he could generate favor with his supervisors. He climbed the ladder to eventually become a quality control inspector, a shift supervisor and, eventually, plant manager.

When I was ready to go graduate high school, no one offered me anything. I didn't receive any scholarship money. And even though we had grown up poorer than dirt, my father was by that time working as plant manager and our family income was too great for me to receive financial aid. I began working as a bag boy at a grocery store in high school to save up money for college, then continued to work my way through school after graduation. I would leave school Friday morning, drive home and immediately go to work, work all day Saturday and Sunday, then arrive back on campus late Sunday night just in time to hit the hay for the next morning's 8 a.m. class.

Today I still live in an area where poverty runs rampant. My wife and I live on a modest income; she's an elementary school teacher and I'm a newspaper publisher. We're fortunate for our area, but many of my friends aren't as fortunate. Our unemployment rate here was 23% as recently as four years ago. It was one of the highest in the nation then, and it remains one of the highest in the state today.

Where are my privileges? I've worked my ass off for anything I've accomplished in life, just like my father worked his ass off when I was still a wet-behind-the-ears kid.

Am I privileged because I've never been accosted by a police officer? Well, maybe. But here's the thing: I've been stopped for traffic violations, and I've been respectful. I've even been stopped for weapons violations (unintentional), and I've been respectful. All of these incidents like Ferguson have one thing in common: the cops in question may or may not have acted too aggressively (the Ferguson officer certainly wasn't, but the Charleston cop certainly was), but it all started because the victim broke the law and was being a thug. Every. Single. Time.

Sore subject? Yeah, it kinda is for me. When some people talk about a lack of privilege for minorities in America, what they're really talking about is an excuse for the lack of personal responsibility. If the dude in Ferguson doesn't rob a convenience store, he's alive and well today. Period. If the guy in Charleston doesn't run from a cop, he's alive and well today. The fact of the matter is that sometimes cops act over-aggressively. They should be held criminally liable and punished. But that doesn't excuse lawlessness on the other side. In August, an unarmed white teen was killed by a white cop in Seneca, S.C. The cop acted wrongly. But the teen was involved in drug trafficking and was attempting to flee. The cop should be liable, but the teen bears plenty of responsibility for his own death. That's life, and it has nothing to do with skin color.

I can't imagine what it was like to be a black American in the first half of the 20th Century, especially in the Deep South. White Americans committed atrocities on black Americans for many years through the institution of slavery, and that continued right on through the end of the Civil Rights movement in the '60s before we finally came to our senses. It's sobering to me that the world's greatest nation -- and brightest beacon of freedom -- felt that some people weren't worthy of drinking the same water they drank or sitting in the same restaurant they sat in, simply because of the color of their skin, as recently as 50 years ago. But we are never going to move past that era if we don't shelf this idea that white Americans are supposed to be apologetic for being white and realize that racism is racism is racism, regardless of which shade of skin its cloaked in. I see white racism all around me. I also see black racism all around me.

What I don't see are some sort of privileges that are exclusive to me as a white American.
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VOLveeta
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« Reply #49 on: November 09, 2015, 11:54:38 EST »

Here's my problem with this mentality: We (white people) are supposed to admit (as was demanded of the Mizzou president) that we have privileges that black people don't have. Then so many (not you, just speaking generally) expect us to act apologetic for having these perceived privileges that are exclusive to the white race.

My question is what privileges do I have that any other American -- regardless of their skin color -- doesn't have? If not being born into an inner-city neighborhood where crime runs rampant is a privilege, I'll admit that one, but I would also argue that there are just as few privileges and crime is just as rampant (maybe not violent crime, but certainly drug-related crime) for white people in the redneck ghettos of eastern Kentucky's Appalachian region and even some areas here in East Tennessee.

Besides that, though, where are my privileges? I was born into a poor white family in rural East Tennessee. My father worked in the coal-mining industry when I was a kid. When the mines played out, he was laid off from his job as an errands-runner. We were poor before he was laid off, and we were certainly poor after he was laid off. We relied on food stamps, as much as it shamed him to accept them, but the amount our family received was pretty meager considering there were six mouths to feed. Going to McDonald's was a treat when I was a young kid; I remember going maybe 3-4 times. We certainly didn't go to any restaurant that was higher up the ladder. We ate what we grew in the garden. My mom used to joke that we would have potatoes, beans and cornbread one night, and the next night we would change it up by having beans, cornbread and potatoes. During summer vacation, when we weren't in school, the leftover potatoes from one night's meal would be turned into potato cakes for the next afternoon's lunch. I remember one time when I was hungry and snuck into the kitchen for a piece of bread and got in trouble because it meant there wouldn't be enough bread for the evening meal.

But because America is the land of opportunity, my father recognized that no one is limited to their current limitations. He scraped together enough money to purchase some books on electrical wiring, which he used to teach himself the trade of an electrician. He parlayed that into a job that took him out of the unemployment line and spent long hours away from his family every day, working every overtime hour he could get his hands on so that he could generate favor with his supervisors. He climbed the ladder to eventually become a quality control inspector, a shift supervisor and, eventually, plant manager.

When I was ready to go graduate high school, no one offered me anything. I didn't receive any scholarship money. And even though we had grown up poorer than dirt, my father was by that time working as plant manager and our family income was too great for me to receive financial aid. I began working as a bag boy at a grocery store in high school to save up money for college, then continued to work my way through school after graduation. I would leave school Friday morning, drive home and immediately go to work, work all day Saturday and Sunday, then arrive back on campus late Sunday night just in time to hit the hay for the next morning's 8 a.m. class.

Today I still live in an area where poverty runs rampant. My wife and I live on a modest income; she's an elementary school teacher and I'm a newspaper publisher. We're fortunate for our area, but many of my friends aren't as fortunate. Our unemployment rate here was 23% as recently as four years ago. It was one of the highest in the nation then, and it remains one of the highest in the state today.

Where are my privileges? I've worked my ass off for anything I've accomplished in life, just like my father worked his ass off when I was still a wet-behind-the-ears kid.

Am I privileged because I've never been accosted by a police officer? Well, maybe. But here's the thing: I've been stopped for traffic violations, and I've been respectful. I've even been stopped for weapons violations (unintentional), and I've been respectful. All of these incidents like Ferguson have one thing in common: the cops in question may or may not have acted too aggressively (the Ferguson officer certainly wasn't, but the Charleston cop certainly was), but it all started because the victim broke the law and was being a thug. Every. Single. Time.

Sore subject? Yeah, it kinda is for me. When some people talk about a lack of privilege for minorities in America, what they're really talking about is an excuse for the lack of personal responsibility. If the dude in Ferguson doesn't rob a convenience store, he's alive and well today. Period. If the guy in Charleston doesn't run from a cop, he's alive and well today. The fact of the matter is that sometimes cops act over-aggressively. They should be held criminally liable and punished. But that doesn't excuse lawlessness on the other side. In August, an unarmed white teen was killed by a white cop in Seneca, S.C. The cop acted wrongly. But the teen was involved in drug trafficking and was attempting to flee. The cop should be liable, but the teen bears plenty of responsibility for his own death. That's life, and it has nothing to do with skin color.

I can't imagine what it was like to be a black American in the first half of the 20th Century, especially in the Deep South. White Americans committed atrocities on black Americans for many years through the institution of slavery, and that continued right on through the end of the Civil Rights movement in the '60s before we finally came to our senses. It's sobering to me that the world's greatest nation -- and brightest beacon of freedom -- felt that some people weren't worthy of drinking the same water they drank or sitting in the same restaurant they sat in, simply because of the color of their skin, as recently as 50 years ago. But we are never going to move past that era if we don't shelf this idea that white Americans are supposed to be apologetic for being white and realize that racism is racism is racism, regardless of which shade of skin its cloaked in. I see white racism all around me. I also see black racism all around me.

What I don't see are some sort of privileges that are exclusive to me as a white American.

I just did a show with a mostly AA cast here in WNC.  Four AA members of that cast at one point during the run of this show were "pulled over" by local cops here in our lovely little town... under suspicion of???  None had done anything wrong, but in just six weeks of being here, they experienced something I haven't in 32 years.  I'll never hear the click of the lock button in a car when I stand on a street corner simply because I'm standing there.  I'll never have the cops called on me when I walk through a neighborhood that isn't my own...  One of that cast was called the N word on Main Street here in our lovely little community.  They all had a great experience with the theatre but as far as the overall experience, they were pretty much ready to get back to NYC.

Look, as I said before, I don't care about PROOF, I have zero problem based simply on my own life experience, perceptions and friendships with admitting that I'll take being white over black every single day of the week.  I am speaking for myself, no one else, but yeah... give me whiteness every single time over being black.  No way I'd trade.  It's easier.  I like Louis CK's take on this... and none of this is any skin off my back to admit that I, VOLVEETA have no issue admitting that being white is a heck of a lot easier than being black in this modern America.  I'm completely cool if you disagree with me.  But for me, suggesting that we have some serious advantages... seems just plain obvious and honest.  We've come a long way but I have no problem admitting we still have a VERY long way to go.  And I respect that you disagree with me.

This is not suitable for all audiences:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GPdqlROzgvg

yer pal,
VOLveeta

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