From what I have read and seen about Hank Aaron through the years...evidently he is/was a pretty good dude...but it seems over the years he has turned in to a bitter old man. I believe this statement are the ramblings of that bitterness. Is it a racist statement? Yeah, I believe so. Does it really amount to a hill of beans what a bitter old man who may also be a touch senile says? To me, not really, and I'm one of those white conservative republicans he lumped together under one...sheet, as it were. Pun intended. Doesn't really change my perception of him. Still was a great ball player. And was still a good dude.

It's easy to say for us. We didn't live through it. It's presumptuous to say how you would view the world today without walking in his shoes.

 

As I stated I could never understand what he went through nor would I attempt to try. It still does not excuse him of participating in the same behavior and thought process of those racists he grew up with.

As I stated I could never understand what he went through nor would I attempt to try. It still does not excuse him of participating in the same behavior and thought process of those racists he grew up with.

 

I haven't seen anyone excuse him. I've seen people explain why he said it.

As I stated I could never understand what he went through nor would I attempt to try. It still does not excuse him of participating in the same behavior and thought process of those racists he grew up with.

 

Again, I'm not saying he's right. I am saying , though, that I get why his perception may be as it is.

 

Yours may be the exact same had the roles been reversed.

A (as Clyde likes to point out) rhetorical question.

 

Which faction of the SCOTUS - conservative or liberal - recently gutted part of the 1964 act?

 

Gutting the landmark civil rights legislation | The Great Debate

What I've never understood is why Republicans get grouped in with the KKK, Segregation and all of the other negative things that went on in this country. Democrats historically were the party of segregation and opposed civil rights being proposed by Republicans. I'm just wondering when that all changed and the GOP became to face of all that is wrong in race relations.

 

Almost all opposition to the Civil Rights bill of 1957 came from the Democrats...The bill passed the House with a vote of 285 to 126 (Republicans 167-19 for, Democrats 118-107 for) [4] and the Senate 72 to 18 (Republicans 43-0 for, Democrats 29-18 for)

 

In 1960 almost all votes against passage of the Civil Rights act of 1960 also came from the Democratic Party

In 1964 democrats filibustered for two weeks to attempt to stop passage of Civil Rights legislation

 

It's high time that we stopped pretending or assuming that the major political parties bear any semblance of what they were in the 1850's or the 1950's.

It's high time that we stopped pretending or assuming that the major political parties bear any semblance of what they were in the 1850's or the 1950's.

 

I didn't say they did, I was pointing out that for what ever reason democrats opposed Civil rights more so that republicans historically and was asking what changed the perception to Republicans are racist?

What I've never understood is why Republicans get grouped in with the KKK, Segregation and all of the other negative things that went on in this country. Democrats historically were the party of segregation and opposed civil rights being proposed by Republicans. I'm just wondering when that all changed and the GOP became to face of all that is wrong in race relations.

 

Almost all opposition to the Civil Rights bill of 1957 came from the Democrats...The bill passed the House with a vote of 285 to 126 (Republicans 167-19 for, Democrats 118-107 for) [4] and the Senate 72 to 18 (Republicans 43-0 for, Democrats 29-18 for)

 

In 1960 almost all votes against passage of the Civil Rights act of 1960 also came from the Democratic Party

In 1964 democrats filibustered for two weeks to attempt to stop passage of Civil Rights legislation

 

See Dixiecrats and George Wallace.

See Dixiecrats and George Wallace.

I understand that...my question is when and why did Republican become the party of racism in this country?

Why did Black Americans whom had predominately voted Republican suddenly switch to the Democratic Party?

I understand that...my question is when and why did Republican become the party of racism in this country?

Why did Black Americans whom had predominately voted Republican suddenly switch to the Democratic Party?

 

I'm guessing Ronald Reagan. Black people feel like the War on Drugs was really the War on Black People. That feeling has been spoken of loudly in the black community since the 80s.

 

That's my guess.

Here's what Mr. Aaron's comments showed me:

 

1) He's not very intelligent. Intelligent people don't make sweeping hate-filled generalizations.

 

2) He's had experiences in his life that I can't imagine, that have transformed him into a very bitter hateful old man.

I'm guessing Ronald Reagan. Black people feel like the War on Drugs was really the War on Black People. That feeling has been spoken of loudly in the black community since the 80s.

 

That's my guess.

Really?, non drug using black people were against ridding their communities of drugs?

 

"War on drugs" started under Nixon...and everybody hates Nixon...maybe that's where it started?

 

Reagan's biggest initiatives in the War on Drugs was battling Drugs on the other end and using the CIA and Military to interdict drugs at the source (Columbia and So America) not so much domestically.

Again, life experiences. It doesn't matter how long ago it was. It's his frame of reference.

 

There's that and there's also a concept I'm a big believer in, the idea of an historical memory or cultural memory. The ideas that have ingrained themselves in various groups and individuals about the things our forefathers may or may not have been responsible for or believed themselves are deeply in our own social awareness of the world around us.

 

Whether or not they're true, those historical memories are harder to kill than a case of the crabs.

His opinion on politics doesn't matter to me. Would love to talk hitting with him, though. Of course, I'm "Equinsu Ocha" so that may not work.

Really?, non drug using black people were against ridding their communities of drugs?

 

"War on drugs" started under Nixon...and everybody hates Nixon...maybe that's where it started?

 

Reagan's biggest initiatives in the War on Drugs was battling Drugs on the other end and using the CIA and Military to interdict drugs at the source (Columbia and So America) not so much domestically.

 

It probably did start with Nixon and his southern strategy. I also think you are over simplifying the war on drugs comment. There are big differences in sentencing for crack and cocaine. Despite being essentially the same drug one has historically carried much longer sentencing for convictions. Why, is a good question.