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Walking While Black

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Re: Walking While Black

#61

Post by majewsky »

the_greyd wrote: post #32

I would identify as how the author describes, someone who's slightly nervous at the sight of a black male walking towards him at night. I try to suppress this feeling, and try to act normal, at which point I'm really overthinking. And I'm sorry. I am sorry that this has happened to you and to black people in general, how as a society we have fucked up so much. I am suddenly reminded of the book "The Lathe of Heaven",…

I know the feeling. Where I live (in East Germany), there are now a lot more immigrants/refugees from the Middle East and Africa then there used to be a few years ago. I noticed that when I'm sitting in the tram next to a group of immigrants, my lizard brain evokes a feeling of unease because it's an unfamiliar situation (I don't know any people from this ethnic group in person, I don't understand their language(s), and so on), and I have to make a deliberate effort to override that.

Not that I tolerate it, but I can see why people tend to be resentful against foreigners on a psychological level.

Re: Walking While Black

#62

Post by majewsky »

LandR wrote: post #56

What are peoples thoughts on a guy walking behind a woman. Not intentionally, just it's late and you end up walking up behind a woman on a darkish street. I always feel I either need to slow right down, so i'm not closing the gap (don't want to speed up as that might seem really dodgy..) Or just cross the road entirely. I feel we're in this weird place where every guy is perceived as a potential threat, so I understa…

> I always feel I either need to slow right down, so i'm not closing the gap (don't want to speed up as that might seem really dodgy..) Or just cross the road entirely.

I usually try to overtake them very quickly, so they can see me. It helps that I'm a very fast walker.

Re: Walking While Black

#63

Post by mason182 »

This guy is a total liar, I knew him in New Orleans. He benefited from so many people's generosity, mainly white peoples. He went to Tulane and has mostly white friends who drove him many places because he didn't have a car. Sorry you are buying into such lies that feed a fake divide. The police chief and mayor at the time were both black and it's a democratic blue city.

Re: Walking While Black

#64

Post by andyjohnson0 »

A good but disturbing read. This just stopped me in my (white, European) tracks:

"When he dropped me off and I thanked him for his help, he said, “It’s because you were polite that we let you go. If you were acting up it would have been different.” I nodded and said nothing."

Even the officer who made the effort to be fair, still expected submission.

Re: Walking While Black

#65

Post by Double_a_92 »

whack wrote: post #27
darepublic wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think its true that it only affords opportunity for the white and middle class. I think you would find many Americans who fit into other categories who disagree with you. Not to say cynically that 'if you don't like it leave', but I'm curious when you say you just happen to reside here for lack of better options -- is there a country in the world you consider to be the ideal, a place more just than America? I…

Racism in America varies greatly, depending on where you live. The following is the most objective metric I could find for racist tendencies in America: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2014/12/08/acros... Looking at the map, the Pacific Northwest is one of the least racist, and the south is one of the most racist. This matches pretty well with what I would have expected. Interestingly, NY state itself ran…

From my experience racism is more subtle in those european countries. E.g. you only get disadvantaged in more anonymous situations, but never actively excluded or attacked in person.

I live in Switzerland and noticed that especially when looking for jobs. When I was in middle school we had to look for apprenticeships to do after we finished school. In my class 5 of 20 were foreigners, and only I found a place (after a long struggle).

It wasn't based on grades since we all had equal or better grades than native students, and neither was it based on personality since we didn't even get invited to inverviews at all...

There are people that even legally changed their surname so it doesn't sound too foreign. There is especially strong bias against people from the Balkan region.

Re: Walking While Black

#66

Post by ajuc »

superkuh wrote: post #31

This was a wonderfully written piece and a lot of it rings true to me even as a white as you can be person in a smallish state university town in the midwest. But maybe being 6'2" with a big unkempt hobo beard is almost as scary as being black. I too love walking the streets at night. And I too have to not be myself and behave in very conscious ways to avoid being hassled and detained by the police. Police just assum…

I'm big and have unkempt beard. Not once was I stopped by police, and I walk at night pretty often (I like to photograph my city - Lublin, Poland http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=1497719 ).

Actually sorry, scratch that. I was stopped once, when I was moving from one flat to another, and my girlfriend was sick, so I had to walk both our bikes 6 km to a new flat, late evening. They asked if I'm sure I didn't stolen them and we went our ways.

There's something wrong with your cities if police has to check on you for walking at night.

Re: Walking While Black

#67

Post by ImaCake »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #59
superkuh wrote: post #31

This was a wonderfully written piece and a lot of it rings true to me even as a white as you can be person in a smallish state university town in the midwest. But maybe being 6'2" with a big unkempt hobo beard is almost as scary as being black. I too love walking the streets at night. And I too have to not be myself and behave in very conscious ways to avoid being hassled and detained by the police. Police just assum…

I used to walk home from my friends' house to mine when I was at university in New Zealand, often drunk or high. The police would usually stop and talk to me if they drove past. I always thought of it as a good thing. I lived in a high burglary area (being a student area), so there were a lot of shady characters walking around at night, especially in the back streets. They never actually detained me or even got out o…

The police in New Zealand and Australia seem to be a lot less agressive than their American counterparts. I don't ever hear of stories like the original post come from either country.

Re: Walking While Black

#68

Post by jccalhoun »

superkuh wrote: post #31

This was a wonderfully written piece and a lot of it rings true to me even as a white as you can be person in a smallish state university town in the midwest. But maybe being 6'2" with a big unkempt hobo beard is almost as scary as being black. I too love walking the streets at night. And I too have to not be myself and behave in very conscious ways to avoid being hassled and detained by the police. Police just assum…

That's weird. I'm white, 6'4" with a beard and I have never been stopped by cops while walking at night in my midwestern college town. Maybe because I usually have my backpack with me?

Re: Walking While Black

#69

Post by ImaCake »

crispinb wrote: post #50

I've spent time in remote Australian communities, where it's quite common to be peppered with 'white cunt' imprecations if out at night, especially anywhere near the canteen (bar). I found that quite confronting (occasionally frightening) in the moment, but it didn't have a big effect -- the people concerned were usually drunk and in a mess (you'll know what I mean if you've been in such places), I was a kind of fore…

It was more like a genocide. In fact, in many parts of Eastern and Southern Australia, it was a genocide.

>Our whole nation is locked into a kind of determined fluffy antebellum fantasy, where we didn't have a nation-founding war, but just a kind of sloppy de facto displacement of savages by imported middle-class suburbanites, regrettable certainly, but all too natural (so inevitable).

It becomes very obvious whenever someone stirs up the hornet's nest. The last I can think of was when Adam Goodes [0] tried to express his cultural ties.

0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Goodes#Controversy

Re: Walking While Black

#70

Post by hueving »

noobermin wrote: post #24
lamarpye wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is that what the educational system does? Maybe during the Cold War. Now, the goal of the educational isn't to install pride in America, the goal is to divide America into camps.

I think you might underestimate how much of American education inflates the idea of America as a land of opportunity for all. Even when it isn't stated explicitly, society and culture communicates that message.

>Even when it isn't stated explicitly, society and culture communicates that message.

You wouldn't guess that from looking at young-people dominated forums (e.g. reddit). The overt message constantly pounded in is that you can't get ahead by trying because everything is rigged (votes are bought, etc).

So if that's what's stated in the school system, it's definitely not sinking in.

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