Defending the Truth

Yes, it is a matter of equal rights.
And because of the disparity ratio (very) roughly 10:1 White to Black, this "matter of equal rights" is manifest in our culture as "a matter of White vs Black".
Equality is the objective.
But the U.S. government has endorsed, and the U.S. courts, all the way up to and including SCOTUS have embraced the principles of "affirmative action", which is simply a PC term for discrimination; albeit a particular kind of discrimination.

ty,
Please do not insult yourself, or me, pretending there is equality in law or society in the U.S.

Blacks comprise what % of the U.S. population? ~13%*?
And what % do Blacks represent in our jails (misdemeanors)? 20%*?
And what % do Blacks represent in our prisons (felonies)? 40%*?
And what % do Blacks represent on Death Row? 50%*? 60%*?

How many U.S. citizens are candidates for U.S. President in '08 at this point? ~20?

Edwards is running.
But I haven't heard reports about -a White man- running for President.
Why not?
Could it possibly have something to do with the fact that since the previous millennium, literally for centuries, they've ALL been White men?

Senator Obama is mentioned in the news not merely as a man running for President, but a Black man running for President.

SHOULD we be equal?
Clearly, yes.

Are we?
Not so much.

* I'm NOT asserting a figure. I'm asking a question. I vaguely think I might recall a figure. I earnestly welcome correction.

My intended point is disproportion gradient of Blacks made evident in the U.S. criminal justice system, but almost certainly manifest elsewhere as well.

I think your attitude furthers racism even more. Oh my God! We can't even have a group with the word "caucasian" in it! That is soooo racist!

What parameter does "Caucasian" specify?
Height? No.
Weight? Nope, not that either.
Salary level? Perhaps a tad, but not really.
Muscular prowess? No. Get a clue.

Race? Might "Caucasian" possibly have something to do with race?
pn:
sear is not the one that introduced the word "Caucasian" into this thread; OR the thread which inspired this one.
a) I doubt you know what my attitude is.
b) Whatever my attitude may be, what I've advocated here is against racist distinctions @DTT.
c) It is not racist to recognize racism where it explicitly resides.
d) IF I were the one that introduced the word "Caucasian" into this thread, then I would accept your suggestion without challenge.
e) I am not.
f) I shall not.
g) You are wrong.
h) Happy Father's Day.

* Excerpted from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition © 1996 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Electronic version licensed from INSO Corporation; further reproduction and distribution in accordance with the Copyright Law of the United States. All rights reserved.

I certainly don't think there is equality in the government or society for that matter. But, to acheive that equality we need to get past petty bickering and just treat each other well. My point was that continuing to constantly focus on the issue itself breeds more thought about prejudice and there by more prejudice. Equality is not possible if we insist on constantly bring up the subject. Can't you see how this subject, to some, is like a festering wound. The more it festers, un-treated, the worse it gets. The treatment is not constant complaint about wrongs done. Charge the prejudice bastards, of any race, and show them we mean business. The treatmet is putting prejudice behind us as one people and treating everyone equal. That can't be don't with racial tension. The biggest generator of racial tension are the groups set up to monitor and police racism who constantly point to case of racism and go all out to make it media worthy. Untill they are disbanded there will always be a problem. Each group(including the 'caucasians') should pick two or three reps and one big group should be set up as a committee, against racism, in the senate. Give them the power to criminally charge racially motivated crimes that the supreme court will hear. They should be just an racial oversight committee that has the power to present bills but not vote. Then the issue will recieve indepth study before it is seen by the public and stop alot of racial tension by the satisfaction of the given punishment for the individual who broke the law.
The local levels and laws are all different and some not worth a crap. To get to the bottom of this it must have national government attention with one set of rules for everyone. The said committee won't be voting so its not really giving the government more power either.

Just my opinion anyway.

Are you then claiming that NAACP doesn't have anything to do with race?

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

Doesn't the term 'colored people' refer to a race? And why is it ok for one group to refer to their race, yet it's considered wrong for the same of another racial group? Such as using the term 'Caucasian'. What should I call myself then if using a term that defines my race as being such, is deemed causing a 'racial divide'? Even if I use the term 'white' that will still state my racial heritage and could then be used as creating a racial divide. I can't claim to be black, red, yellow, or any other skin color. I also can't refer to myself as black, asian, spanish, native american, etc. racial decent. I'm light skinned, as are my ancestors. I've got hazel eyes, red curly hair, and the characteristics that are considered 'caucasian' or 'white'. I'm stuck with that fact. It's my most prominent feature, regardless of the fact of my partial indian (less then 25%) heritage. I'm mainly European decent, which incidentally is mainly caucasian.

Incidentally, when filling out paperwork that asks for racial classification, what then would you suggest I check to identify myself as? Cause for me, there's only the options are Native American, Black/African American, Caucasian, Asian, Other...I guess I could lie and check the other boxes, but one look at me is going to show that I'm not that race, but Caucasian...I lose either way eh?

Also, why didn't you include the rest of the deffinition?

Cau·ca·sian (kô-kzhn, -kzhn) KEY

ADJECTIVE:

1. Anthropology Of or being a major human racial classification traditionally distinguished by physical characteristics such as very light to brown skin pigmentation and straight to wavy or curly hair, and including peoples indigenous to Europe, northern Africa, western Asia, and India. No longer in scientific use. See Usage Note at race 1.
2. Of or relating to the Caucasus region or its peoples, languages, or cultures.
3. Of or relating to a group of three language families spoken in the region of the Caucasus mountains, including Chechen, Abkhaz, and the Kartvelian languages.

NOUN:

1. Anthropology A member of the Caucasian racial classification. Not in scientific use.
2. A native or inhabitant of the Caucasus.
3. The Caucasian language family.

race 1 (rs) KEY

NOUN:

1. A local geographic or global human population distinguished as a more or less distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics.
2. A group of people united or classified together on the basis of common history, nationality, or geographic distribution: the German race.
3. A genealogical line; a lineage.
4. Humans considered as a group.
5. Biology
   1. <LI type=a>An interbreeding, usually geographically isolated population of organisms differing from other populations of the same species in the frequency of hereditary traits. A race that has been given formal taxonomic recognition is known as a subspecies.
   2. A breed or strain, as of domestic animals.
6. A distinguishing or characteristic quality, such as the flavor of a wine.

Tell you what. If you can come up with a term that describes my light skinned, light eyed, diverse hair coloring heritage...Come up with a racial term that will be accepted world wide by others of my race, and that won't be considered causing a 'racial division' that is supposedly causing a racial divide or imagined racial superiority (because of numbers/predjudices) against another race that's consider a minority group...

I'm all for it. But no matter what term is used to describe the racial heritage I was born into, someone somewhere is still going to have an issue over it because it has to do with my skin color or my ancestory. But if you can manage to do enact such a racial name that doesn't make it 'offensive' towards others, I will pray it comes to pass.

Because I for one, am reminded every second of every day that I was born the wrong color in many people's eyes. That because of that error in birth, that I'm somehow supposed to be ashamed and responsible for the ignorance and disrespect of others who are not a part of my own life, beliefs, or viewpoints in regards to race equality.

To be perfectly honest, I hate being caucasian. Not because I hate my ethnic group, nor do I hate those that are caucasian. I hate being so, because some people just can't seem to get past the physical aspect of who I am and only judge me based on my ethnicticity. And even if my ethnic group is considered the majority, the numbers grow daily for those of my race who are treated with the same discrimination, ignorance of who I am, and predjudices they've been taught to feel towards those of my ethnic/racial heritage.

Hate and discrimination work both ways. And the hurt is the same for any and all who have to suffer it's being directed into their lives. People need to be taught to accept one another period. Not accept people by what race they are from.

No.
I invite and encourage you to review every post, every paragraph, every sentence, every phrase, every word I've posted; in this thread, and everywhere else.

After you have done so you will know that I have never made any such assertion.

Further; your asking this question indicates the subtlety which I have instead expressed here is utterly lost on you.

That's too bad, but probably unrecoverable. I offer you my condolence.

Ok, perhaps I'll rephrase it for you. Because you did make such an assertion. By providing numbers about how many blacks are in prison, jail, how many represent the overall population of the US, etc.

Then you made the remark in your personal deffinition of what you felt it ment.

So in the same manner, wouldn't using the term 'Colored People' possibly have something to do with race as well?

I mean, since having white skin could be argued being a 'color type' of people, why are you viewing the term 'Colored People' as being?

Does that termonology, in that specific group mean that I can go to them to help me when I feel I'm being discriminated against? Or would they not tell me that their useage of the term 'Colored People' means for a specific race skin color, as in the African American race that they represent?

You're focusing on the numbers of people within a specific race. Not the termonolgy of each individual race. You're focusing on who's a minority and who's a majority, to define the meaning/purpose of a racial name.

I understand perfectly, that African Americans have been discriminated against. I understand perfectly that in many cases, that the numbers are present. But to me, those numbers are not represenative of THE PEOPLE, their culture, or their importance to our society as a whole.

I consider them a group within the group we all share. That of the human race.

But despite all the uneveness in numbers, the incidents of discrimination against that particular race, and their need to be protected from such treatment...That doesn't take away the fact that their not the only ones experiencing the discrimination. So are many caucasian people. Yet, while other racial/ethnic groups have protection and services to help them equalize the discrimination, those of us who are 'the wrong color' do not.

I can't vouch for how others think, but it is a disparity, isn't it.
I catch myself suspecting any group that restricts as "caucasian" or "white" as potentially racist.
But other groups can do that with blacks, hispanic, etc, etc, etc.

Interesting phenomenon. I dare say some of it is due to history. Groups that listed themselves as "white" were racist.
But that by no means should imply that all groups that do so are.

But regardless, a double standard...

How about another statistic?

Estimated # of HIV/AIDS Cases in 2005
White, not Hispanic 11,758
Black, not Hispanic 18,510
Basic Statistics | Statistics and Surveillance | Topics | CDC HIV/AIDS

Blacks make up ~13% of the population, as you noted, but racially make up almost half of the HIV infections in 2005.
Does that make the HIV virus a racist bastard?

Now I'm a gay man, so I am in no position to throw stones on the issue.
But I think I am in a position to say that there is NOTHING INHERENT to being gay or being black which causes people to get HIV.

It's about behavior. And unfortunately for gays and blacks, we both have sub-groups of people within our main groups who don't behave themselves maturely.

Your statement of statistics for incarceration fails to address the question if there are actually MORE BLACKS COMMITTING the crimes.
I think there are. We could start comparing "crime rates" in "black neighborhoods" and "white neighborhoods", but I don't think there is much to be gained by going down that road.
And that has nothing to do with race, as much as it does with a sub-group mind-set of SOME black people.
Plus, I have heard there are studies that show the "black / white" crime disparency more directly correlates to ECONOMIC STATUS. Whereby, if you divide the groups up into "blacks of economic status X", and "whites of economic status X", the rates are pretty well identical. I don't have a link for it though, and it begs the question of WHY the economic status statistics are different.

And that's not to say there aren't racist issues at work here as well. I'm sure there are.
But at the same time, people need to start addressing issues within their own groups to help alleviate the problem.

The Golden Rules

"No matter who you are, where you’re from or what you were taught to believe in, be at peace with yourself and with everyone else."

(We Are One)
We Are One


"Hurt not others with that which pains yourself."

(From the Udanavarga 5.1
Buddhism


“In everything, do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.”

(Matthew 7:12 - NRSV)
Christianity


"Do naught to others which if done to thee would cause thee pain."

(From the Mahabharata 5.1517)
Hinduism


“No one of you is a believer until he desires for his brother that which he desires for himself.”

(Sunnab)
Islam


“In happiness and suffering, in joy and grief, we should regard all creatures as we regard our own self.”

(Lord Mahavir 24th Tirthankara)
Jainism


“What is hateful to you, do not to your fellow human beings. That is the law; all the rest is commentary.”

( Talmud, Shabbat 3 l a)
Judaism


"Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves.

(Chief Seattle)
Native Spiritual
Traditions


"Be Charitable to all beings, love is the representation of god."

(KO-JI-KI Hachiman Kasuga)
Shintoism


"Don’t create enmity with anyone as God is within everyone."

(Guru Arjan Devji 259. Guru Granth Sahib)
Sikhism


"Regard your neighbor's gain as your own gain; and regard your neighbor's loss as your own loss."

(Tai Shang Kan Ying P'ien)
Taoism

We Are One - Fashions for Peace

I would like to know how the face show's up? I didn't post it!