It's the "say something nice about white men" thread.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

This to me, seems like it's asking for trouble. This thread looks like it is going to degenerate quickly.


Also, I find it funny that the same people who were arguing that there is no "we' it is "I' are now saying "WE did this".

A poster posted Kiplings "the White Man's Burden"

This is a rebuttel from 1903, the Black Man's Burden. I won't post it in the other thread.

http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1903blackburden.html

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=105&topic_id=2610273&mesg_id=2610273&page=

[GOPFighter]

1. I don't know how to respond to this

Makes me wonder just how widespread the angry white male syndrome is. Does scolding them make it worse? I have to admit that I sense a lot of frustration among my liberal white male co-workers and friends. I have a feeling a lot of Americans feel the debt has been paid, the playing field is now level and affirmative action is no longer needed.

What we really need is an organization, preferably racially mixed, to somehow forcibly remind America that discrimination still exists, that blacks are jailed far more frequently than whites for the same crimes, that college attendance among black males is abysmal and getting worse, unemployment figures for young black men are outrageously high. Somehow this has to be presented in a non-threatening way. I just feel so damn frustrated that there just isn't any activism anymore.

[mark414]

2. it's short memories

i'm a college student and you wouldn't believe how many times i hear someone saying something about racism being a thing of the past. a lot of people seem to think that just because all that civil rights legislation got passed that all of a sudden racism wasn't around anymore. it's really terrifying because it seems to me that on an individual basis, problems of racism have gotten better, but on the systematic and institutional basis it has only gotten worse because people have forgotten. we have a system that will condemn individual acts of racism, like the uproar over the trent lott comments and other instances like that, yet no one ever even thinks to attack shit that really matters and that really affects people. it's so disappointing and i think about it all the time but i have absolutely no idea how to combat. i just try talking to other people to get them to try to understand but i feel like i'm not getting anywhere.

[GOPFighter]

3. The Democrats have got to emphasize the numbers...

...that show why racism is not dead, and why the Democratic Party is still committed to equality for all. The Democrats are being lambasted for supporting affirmative action programs (for example) and we're not telling the public WHY we suport them. Maybe Dean will bring some common sense to our party.