Hellbird, you didn't get his point did you? When black people are racist, they are racist. When certain white people are racist, they change policy. Paul Mooney is 73 years old. When he grew up, those racist laws were there. You say people live in past, I say you can't confront it and see how it has affected the black community and put people in a hole many struggle to get out of. It isn't just slavery. It went from slavery to jim crow to redlining to police arresting black people at greater rates than white people when they BOTH commit crimes and receive harsher sentencing. Like Mr. Mooney said, "white people do, black people talk." Also, please show me in America where white people had laws put in place against them by black policy makers.

 

Perfectly stated. :thumb:

And we’d be asking white people and black people?

 

Just white people. We know how black people feel about Ferguson — outraged, upset, cheated by the system, all these things

 

 

I disagree with this. There are certainly black people who realize that a criminal who robs a store and then resists arrest and goes for the cops gun put himself in danger of being shot. To assume that all black people feel the same way about Ferguson is a racist mindset. That mindset must also change for any real progress to be made regarding race relations in America.

Plato, I agree that ALL sides need to change to make progress, but it has become apparent to me that this nation was not ready for a black president. When policy makers try to help make a change in race relations, they are accused of making it worse. When Obama initiates a program like "My brother's keeper" this is the response and I'm not making this up...

 

"Oh great, another gimmedat initiative. If you are serious about opening doors of opportunity, how about a "marry the mother of your children" initiative? That will do far more good than any summit handout."

 

"That makes too much sense. Remember, the Lib goal is to destroy the black family, keep them poor, uneducated and democratic. Obama's Black Plantation is growing everyday."

 

"Obama will go down in history as the biggest racial huckster America ever produced."

 

"How about they help them selves first so we do not waste our tax dollars. May I suggest staying in school, doing homework, pull up their pants, and maybe don't break the law for starters. You can find plenty of successful 'minority men' that did just that. It is not a race problem, it is a culture problem."

 

"America needs more unqualified Affirmative Action graduates...Hank Johnson, Obama, Jeh Johnson and so many others apparently haven't destroyed America quick enough..."

 

"White children are now a minority. Shouldn't this translate to Whites receiving more aid than "people of color", since we are a rapidly-dwindling minority?Oh, wait, that's right. Only "people of color" (that is, anyone but Europeans and European-Americans) are allowed to look out for what's best for their people."

And we’d be asking white people and black people?

 

Just white people. We know how black people feel about Ferguson — outraged, upset, cheated by the system, all these things

 

 

I disagree with this. There are certainly black people who realize that a criminal who robs a store and then resists arrest and goes for the cops gun put himself in danger of being shot. To assume that all black people feel the same way about Ferguson is a racist mindset. That mindset must also change for any real progress to be made regarding race relations in America.

 

I'd be willing to bet Obama thinks Michael Brown was a thug who robbed a store, resisted arrest, tried to take a cop's gun and then got shot by that cop. I'd also be willing to bet that Obama will never ever admit that publicly. He can't. He shouldn't. Everything I have heard Obama say is that he wants to solve the mistrust between the black community and the police/government. In order to get black people to even begin to discuss their feelings about the police/government there has to be someone from the police/government who is willing to look past the ugly of Michael Brown and attack the issue that bubbled to the surface as a result of Michael Brown.

 

It would be detrimental to Obama, the government and the United States of America if Obama gave the black community the cold shoulder in this situation. IMO a good leader takes in the whole situation and tries to solve the problem. That's all I have seen him try to do even though some look at his words and actions as dividing.

 

There are a whole lot of black people who look at Michael Brown as someone who got what was coming to him and not a symbol of injustice in America. Unfortunately the media doesn't want to listen to what those black people have to say. Well, Fox News will put them on television and we all know how that movie ends. :lol2:

I'd be willing to bet Obama thinks Michael Brown was a thug who robbed a store, resisted arrest, tried to take a cop's gun and then got shot by that cop. I'd also be willing to bet that Obama will never ever admit that publicly. He can't. He shouldn't. Everything I have heard Obama say is that he wants to solve the mistrust between the black community and the police/government. In order to get black people to even begin to discuss their feelings about the police/government there has to be someone from the police/government who is willing to look past the ugly of Michael Brown and attack the issue that bubbled to the surface as a result of Michael Brown.

 

It would be detrimental to Obama, the government and the United States of America if Obama gave the black community the cold shoulder in this situation. IMO a good leader takes in the whole situation and tries to solve the problem. That's all I have seen him try to do even though some look at his words and actions as dividing.

So to get blacks to trust the government the President SHOULD not say what he truly feels? So lie to build trust?

 

I agree with what your saying that he wants to do, but that is a dialogue that he could have started at any point in the past 6 years without an incident such as this as the back ground. I agree that someone has to be able to look past the ugliness of the Brown situation, that's why this dialogue and discussion should have been going on for years not after such a polarizing event in which neither side is open for a real discussion on the issues.

 

I don't think the President should have given anyone a cold shoulder, but he should have handled this a criminal issue not a racial one. If Wilson was wrong he should be dealt with accordingly, if Brown was wrong then say he was at fault and move on. There is ZERO discussion that the Brown incident had anything to do with race or that Wilson only shot him because of race. This at it's basis is a criminal issue and a case of justified shooting or not justified shooting by police.

 

But as you said in another post, Blacks see Race in every issue and Whites don't. Until we can get past that basic thought process we will never move forward from either side.

So to get blacks to trust the government the President SHOULD not say what he truly feels? So lie to build trust?

 

I agree with what your saying that he wants to do, but that is a dialogue that he could have started at any point in the past 6 years without an incident such as this as the back ground. I agree that someone has to be able to look past the ugliness of the Brown situation, that's why this dialogue and discussion should have been going on for years not after such a polarizing event in which neither side is open for a real discussion on the issues.

 

I don't think the President should have given anyone a cold shoulder, but he should have handled this a criminal issue not a racial one. If Wilson was wrong he should be dealt with accordingly, if Brown was wrong then say he was at fault and move on. There is ZERO discussion that the Brown incident had anything to do with race or that Wilson only shot him because of race.

 

But as you said in another post, Blacks see Race in every issue and Whites don't. Until we can get past that basic thought process we will never move forward from either side.

 

Let's start with this thought process.

 

It's impossible for a white person to tell any black person how they should think, feel and what they should or shouldn't say.

 

It's impossible for a black person to tell a white person how they should think, feel and what they should or shouldn't say.

 

Our president is a black man and he is going to say things that are from his perspective. The questions should be why would he say that and what does he mean when he says that? He isn't trying to alienate anyone. My main issue with the criticism of his perspective is that for centuries no one ever questioned any other POTUS' role in race relations like they do Obama and IMO all it seems like he is doing is speaking from his perspective. It's not like he is channeling Malcolm X or Huey Newton when he speaks. He clearly isn't.

I think it is a very bad analogy. Tina walked away from that situation and thrived. Chris Rock is saying that white people constantly beat down the helpless black folk? I don't buy it. The race issue is not one sided. I agree with RTS, there are plenty of black racists too.

 

The black/white issue is far too complex to say it is 100% the fault of anyone. Both sides have to work together to improve the situation.

 

The fact there are black racists is irrelevant to his point. Rule vs exception.

 

Let's start with this thought process.

 

It's impossible for a white person to tell any black person how they should think, feel and what they should or shouldn't say.

 

It's impossible for a black person to tell a white person how they should think, feel and what they should or shouldn't say.

 

Our president is a black man and he is going to say things that are from his perspective. The questions should be why would he say that and what does he mean when he says that? He isn't trying to alienate anyone. My main issue with the criticism of his perspective is that for centuries no one ever questioned any other POTUS' role in race relations like they do Obama and IMO all it seems like he is doing is speaking from his perspective. It's not like he is channeling Malcolm X or Huey Newton when he speaks. He clearly isn't.

I agree. But just as most other Presidents weren't questioned about their role, weren't most people expecting the first Black President to address it...maybe not, but it seemed that a good amount of people voted for him expecting him to address those issues. I don't criticize him for his lack of involvement in race relations directly but I was hoping that a lot more would have been accomplished during his Presidency towards Race relations.

I'd be willing to bet Obama thinks Michael Brown was a thug who robbed a store, resisted arrest, tried to take a cop's gun and then got shot by that cop. I'd also be willing to bet that Obama will never ever admit that publicly. He can't. He shouldn't. Everything I have heard Obama say is that he wants to solve the mistrust between the black community and the police/government. In order to get black people to even begin to discuss their feelings about the police/government there has to be someone from the police/government who is willing to look past the ugly of Michael Brown and attack the issue that bubbled to the surface as a result of Michael Brown.

 

It would be detrimental to Obama, the government and the United States of America if Obama gave the black community the cold shoulder in this situation. IMO a good leader takes in the whole situation and tries to solve the problem. That's all I have seen him try to do even though some look at his words and actions as dividing.

 

There are a whole lot of black people who look at Michael Brown as someone who got what was coming to him and not a symbol of injustice in America. Unfortunately the media doesn't want to listen to what those black people have to say. Well, Fox News will put them on television and we all know how that movie ends. :lol2:

 

 

One more example of liberals not wanting to face the facts and tell the truth. The best way to get difficult situations resolved is to face the facts and work from there.

I love cognitive dissonance.

I agree. But just as most other Presidents weren't questioned about their role, weren't most people expecting the first Black President to address it...maybe not, but it seemed that a good amount of people voted for him expecting him to address those issues. I don't criticize him for his lack of involvement in race relations directly but I was hoping that a lot more would have been accomplished during his Presidency towards Race relations.

 

I don't understand why improving race relations should be his responsibiltiy. When he expressed the black perspective now people get mad so what could he have truly done?

One more example of liberals not wanting to face the facts and tell the truth. The best way to get difficult situations resolved is to face the facts and work from there.

 

But people can't handle the truth.

One more example of liberals not wanting to face the facts and tell the truth. The best way to get difficult situations resolved is to face the facts and work from there.

 

Once again, the point is missed because it is being construed through a political lense. Racism has no political party. It isn't conservative or liberal. The people who don't want to face the facts are the ones who ignore racist policies of the past and act like wait a minute I wasn't the one who put those laws in place, along with the politicians today, who have put policies in place and KNOW the negative impact it has on black people and do it anyway.

Once again, the point is missed because it is being construed through a political lense. Racism has no political party. It isn't conservative or liberal. The people who don't want to face the facts are the ones who ignore racist policies of the past and act like wait a minute I wasn't the one who put those laws in place, along with the politicians today, who have put policies in place and KNOW the negative impact it has on black people and do it anyway.

 

It was stated that Obama should not tell the truth that somehow that would hurt his creditability. I would hope that all of us were taught to tell the truth, no matter the situation. Not telling the truth just makes the situation worse. Most likely we all have been in that position somewhere in our lives.

 

One does learn from history, but to use it as a crutch to explain situations were a young man got himself into trouble for stealing, roughing up the store owner and disobeying a police officer is wrong as well. Use history to teach a lesson, not as a 'woe is me' scenario.

It was stated that Obama should not tell the truth that somehow that would hurt his creditability. I would hope that all of us were taught to tell the truth, no matter the situation. Not telling the truth just makes the situation worse. Most likely we all have been in that position somewhere in our lives.

 

One does learn from history, but to use it as a crutch to explain situations were a young man got himself into trouble for stealing, roughing up the store owner and disobeying a police officer is wrong as well. Use history to teach a lesson, not as a 'woe is me' scenario.

 

It was not stated that way and I have been in a situation similar to his multiple times. In those situations stating my true feelings isn't the best thing to do. You can speak on a situation without stating your true feelings. Nothing wrong with that at all. I still haven't spoken my true feelings on the Michael Brown situation. Doesn't mean I can't discuss it.