And speaking of socio-economic factors...lets not forget that there are MANY dirt poor whites who struggle daily in this country...look no further than the Appalachia region of this state. It's not all "in the hood".

 

Now, my perception of many of those whites is they have dug and continue to dig their own holes...not all, but a lot, but that's just me. Not sure how blacks view the same situation with poor inner city blacks that live in the "ghettos".

 

I know this post has nothing to do specifically with race relations, but just wanted to throw that out there.

I'm confused. Are you saying divorce and males in the black community is a bigger problem than it is for whites? Or are you saying that those two issues are bigger than racial issues?

 

Both.

My children really don't like it either. Even though they were born in Ethiopia. They will tell you they are American.

That is something I don't have an answer to. I do believe that someone from the black community needs to come forward and provide leadership in this country. Not someone like Al or Jesse and not even Obama.

 

I agree but will they be listened to?

I would like for some of our black members to ask me a why or what does a white guy think about something you may be curious about?

Yes and no.

 

Too many people are content to just "not be part of the problem."

 

The problem there though, is that you aren't part of the solution either. Nothing gets fixed when that's your mindset.

That's not a black or white issue.

 

 

Agreed, please read my post again.

 

It traps blacks and whites, but it appears to be harder for blacks to escape.

Racism, not just the black/white variety, exists throughout the world. What are other countries doing to solve this problem? A friend of mine who was a small business owner told me about 30 years ago that he had just attended a seminar in which one of the main points was that eradicating racism would be extremely beneficial to the economy in the U.S. Such commercial reasoning obviously is not the preferred rationale for not being racist but it may resonate with many in the capitalistic world, even though its means to a goal are misguided. In the U.S. I think everyone needs to cooperate to eliminate racism. Can legislation do it---or does it need to be grass roots? I think laws help set the tone for future generations. Ferguson has shown me that there is a great divide between what blacks think is fair and what whites think is fair. Both groups are being honest. That is the problem----people need to talk to get the divide bridged.

At the risk of hijacking the thread with a big time alternative thought, and I'm well aware that some might not be too keen with me adding this particular element, but if I'm going to share an honest point of view from my honest perspective, I might as well have at it, and nonetheless it truly is reality.

 

Wanna see people of all races, male and female, hanging out and getting along as if race was never once an issue within their lives?

 

Go to a gay bar, disco, or restaurant.

 

Everyone there is united by the fact that they're gay and misfits in society, and because of it they've mostly questioned the idea of society and acceptance from the time they were teens or perhaps younger, and have gravitated to being more or less progressive free thinking style folks who might question social norms more deeply than many of the average straight white male or females for which society seems to be designed especially for.

 

There's a common thread that unites and the idea of racism being an issue is so passe'.

 

If you're living the straight status quo what's there to question or think too deeply about? Just live and be accepted without the challenge of not being accepted, and sometimes for good measure knock those who don't fit the picture to reinforce for yourself that you're where its at, and where everyone else should be if they weren't so weird, and if they're not, they're freaks.

 

There's certainly exceptions to the picture I've painted as I've seen some who make me question at times "Hasn't your gayness taught you anything"?, but in general that early age thinking spawns a bit of a more understanding by adulthood about the way things are, and not necessarily seeing things from the point of view of the status quo.

 

Of course it would not be fare of me if I didn't point out that there is an ever growing amount of straight people that don't play the "You're not accepted" game.

 

I've also been noticing more recently a new trend were younger gays can generally sometimes not be too deep. Thankfully they live in a more acceptant world as we had all hoped and strived for all along, but the downside to that is less challenges to provoke them to think more deeply as gays of past generations have. That's not true of all young gays, but just an ever growing trend.

 

The upside that I see though is gay men and woman hanging more together now than years ago where you'd typically used to have exclusively men's bars, and exclusively woman's bars, and sometimes I'd even hear gay men and women knock each other. In that case I'd typically call them out asking them how they could expect the general public to accept them when they were ignorant about each other? That shallowness didn't run rampant, but it did exist more so than I thought that it should.

 

Having both gay men and woman friends, I've attended both style bars, and when at the woman's bar would typically be one of the few guys there, and when my female friends would attend the men's bars they'd typically be one of the few woman in attendance there. Then you'd have some straight woman there who just loved to hang out with gay men to dance with them and play with their hair and talk style. Those type of gals more than not are hair dresser types. One of my close good friends is exactly that. Then of course you have drag queens both white and black.

 

But no matter the case typically everyone is colorblind, and now more than ever gender blind. There seems to be more woman now more than ever attending drag shows and partaking in all of that silliness.

 

Personally this is not my social life now but every once in a blue moon. When I was much younger running around partying more like younger people do, then yeah... I saw this atmosphere all the time. Most of the stupid stuff that I witnessed at bars mostly dealt with immaturity and jealousy, but that's common for any college aged kids no matter their sexual preference.

 

Years ago downtown Cincinnati there actually was one gay bar that catered mostly to a black clientele mostly because the owner was black, but all were freely accepted and made to feel welcome. I never felt out of place there either.

 

Probably my favorite places were the various restaurants over the years that weren't all about loud music and dancing, but more or less dining and socializing. A place downtown called Carol's was my favorite where folks got along great, men, woman, young, old, gay, straight, black, white, asian, hispanic. As long as you didn't show up to cause any trouble, you were welcome.

 

I wouldn't say that I wear my gayness on my sleeve, but growing up in Covington I just couldn't walk into any straight corner bar without getting some aggressive looks that questioned "Who the hell are you"?

 

That look was mostly territorial since they didn't know me and I was unfamiliar to them.

 

Needless to say I didn't spend much time in those type establishments because of the lack of brains, and the feeling of hatred as if a fight could start any minute.

 

Although I didn't frequent places like that I did indeed see my share of the drunken fighting when I did.

 

Whereas I could walk into any gay bar with a black friend, I wouldn't dare try that in one of these Covington corner establishments, nor would I dare walk into an all straight black bar.

 

With gay bars color is never an issue... Never. The whole theme at a gay bar is acceptance. The chances of fights are almost non existent.

 

There's a bar in Ft. Wright called Dickmann's that appears to be a decent style sports bar, but I've heard all too often how some dudes go there, and the night's not complete if they don't go home with a fight to brag about. I don't get that...it must be a young straight male Friday & Saturday night drunken thing.

 

Two other types of groups that I can think of that seem to get along with a good sense of colorblindness:

 

1. EDM Techno live performances at places like the Mad Frog in Clifton. It's all about dancing to some phat beats and there is no color attitude there whatsoever. Sort of a blend of dance trance hippy bohemian types of all races. They all share the common love of enjoying the jam. EDM is not black or white... it's every color of the rainbow.

 

2. Just your ordinary everyday progressive free thinking, artists, poets, writers, coffee house, hippy bohemian beatnik types of any sexual preference or color. Race among these types is never a question or concern.

 

I don't like to label myself because aside from any leanings I have to the Gay, EMD, or Hippy bohemian world, I too still very much dig sports. I really don't like to call myself anything and perhaps the closest label I'll agree to is "free thinker". Walking down the street I'm not sure anyone could categorize me as anything in particular, and I like it that way.

 

If I spend any amount of time in a bar (which I no longer ordinarily do) I'd much rather it be around the 3 types I've mentioned because there's never a feeling of being judged or that I'm out of place. Come as you are and originality and individuality is appreciated and encouraged.

TL;DR again :lol2:

TL;DR again :lol2:

 

Some will Some won't So what

Some will Some won't So what

Only joking.

Only joking.

 

It's all good. I can't blame anyone if they didn't. It is pretty dang long isn't it? I was thinking of replying "SW SW SW" but I wasn't sure that anyone would know what it means, or if it's a true blog abbreviation. Perhaps I just started a new one.

I would like for some of our black members to ask me a why or what does a white guy think about something you may be curious about?

 

I got nothing.

Absolutely disagree. It's two way way street we're going down.

 

It's like, "hell no I'm not extending my hand, it's his race that's causing all the problems. Oh no it's not, it's really his race that's causing issues, I'm not extending any effort ." I mean where does this end? I get tired of it. That's probably why I stay out of most of these type discussions on BGP.

 

I didn't take his analogy as that but I get why people may take it the way you took it. I took his analogy as saying that whites need to extend the hand first and then blacks would accept the hand. That's how I took it.