# Curlcoat, what's the deal with you? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 22, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379 "2008-12-22T22:48:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/1 "2008-12-22T22:48:37Z")
> **[Do we overidentify race?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=498251)** > > I was listening to a discussion of race issues yesterday (12/18) on Talk of the Nation. In this discussion there was much discussion of African-American issues/values/culture especially relating to the election of Barack Obama. Some callers were... First you come into the thread and start complaining because blacks who call themselves African American weren’t born in Africa. When it’s explained that AA is what the descendants of American slaves are called, you’re surprised that A. Most American blacks are related to those slaves, and B. You say using the term AA, is a way to “throw that in everyone’s face at all times”. No matter how many times and ways people have attempted to explain that life for the average Irish immigrant in the mid 1800s and early 1900s was not the same as life for the average black person, you just don’t seem to get it. For someone who admits she had a poor education, you’re very attached to your personal set of historical facts. After seeing a post where I said I was fed up with trying to get you to accept the standard facts from history you say: > [@](#): > > Apparently if one does anything other than agree that blacks should still be compensated for slavery, one is an idiot or something. I’m sorry that you must jump to such a negative conclusion but I am glad that I am not black if this is what happens when one tries to get beyond bad things that happened to one’s ancestors. What the hell? When did I, or anyone in the thread ever say that black people today need to be compensated because of slavery? Or compensated at all? A few other quotes: “I suppose it depends on when it happens. I’m not sure anyone will be moved to tears as they apparently were over Obama, and I doubt that having an Asian president will cause Asians to demand all kinds of special consideration.” “The best thing they want is to be separate but equal. We have a huge Latino and Asian population here, and altho the Mexicans have a lot of their culture here, and the various Asians have their own little towns, they do not go about with chips on their shoulders and expectations of handouts and respect they haven’t earned.” “So, because of something that was done to black people way back before any of my ancestors stepped foot here, I am to be all excited that Obama won because he is black? Piffle.” I don’t know why you don’t see that historical context really does matter. Maybe if you did, you’d understand why people cried when Obama won, for example. FTR, there are people in the black community with problems that they need to solve for themselves. All of your points about how blacks are the\*\* only ones \*\* with problems doesn’t make you look like an objective person who has something useful to contribute to an explor[ation] of said problems and possible solutions. ---
**Author:** ![5-HT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/5/f19dbf/32.png) [@5-HT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/5-HT)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/2 "2008-12-22T22:57:36Z")
I’m not sure why you think this thread will be any more successful at reaching her than the original was, but maybe you just wanted to give people a chance to call her names. Which is ok, I guess, she does seem like an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Omega\_Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/7c8e57/32.png) [@Omega\_Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omega_Glory)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/3 "2008-12-22T23:06:12Z")
Nah, if I wanted her (assuming **curlcoat** ’s a her) called names, I’d have done it myself in the OP. Pure exasperation, and the option to call her a troll if as the thread progresses, it looks like that’s definitely what she is. At some point, you just want to say “what the fuck?” and that’s not allowed in GD, so here we are. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/4 "2008-12-22T23:06:47Z")
She should transfer to a junior sdmb until she can get her grades up. Or pull her head out of her ass. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/5 "2008-12-22T23:10:17Z")
I’m not fond of the term “African-American” myself and refuse to use it. My own heritage is irrelevant to this. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2008, 11:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/6 "2008-12-22T23:25:06Z")
All I can say is that I’m glad you were in there handling her. I don’t have enough patience to deal with both stupid AND crazy. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 5:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/7 "2008-12-23T05:42:59Z")
All of your furor boils down to this - you have some emotional response to the subject that has caused you to ignore or misinterpret much of what I’ve posted. Perhaps if you were less interested in labeling me and more interested in actually debating, you could have had an interesting and useful contribution to the discussion. My first pitting, how cool. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/8 "2008-12-23T05:44:32Z")
> [@5-HT](#): > > I’m not sure why you think this thread will be any more successful at reaching her than the original was, but maybe you just wanted to give people a chance to call her names. > > Which is ok, I guess, she does seem like an idiot. There is a difference between being an idiot and being uneducated you know. As for trying to reach me, well I think exactly one poster has tried that so far. The rest just seem to be doing their best to call me an idiot within the rules of GD. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/9 "2008-12-23T05:45:44Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > All I can say is that I’m glad you were in there handling her. I don’t have enough patience to deal with both stupid AND crazy. So now you are in here. Please explain why you think I am stupid AND crazy. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![Kyla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/eada6e/32.png) [@Kyla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyla)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/10 "2008-12-23T06:32:08Z")
I’m a little miffed by all of the dissing of the public school system in that thread. I’m a product of the public school system myself, and I’m pretty sure I knew that virtually all black Americans were the descendants of slaves when I was in, say, 4th grade. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 6:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/11 "2008-12-23T06:55:25Z")
What I gather from reading that thread is that **curlcoat** is a poor white descendant of slaves who hates black people because they are also poor and descended from slaves but get some sort of special treatment “because they’re black”. And who has a chip on her shoulder again, **curlcoat**? ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 7:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/12 "2008-12-23T07:05:38Z")
> [@Kyla](#): > > I’m a little miffed by all of the dissing of the public school system in that thread. I’m a product of the public school system myself, and I’m pretty sure I knew that virtually all black Americans were the descendants of slaves when I was in, say, 4th grade. Again, my experience with public schools has been extremely negative, but it may also depend on when you went to school. I was in 4th grade in 1969 and I have no memory of learning anything about the slaves other than they were the major reason behind the civil war, and that slavery was a Bad Thing. Even if I had learned this, I don’t think I would have assumed that in the almost 40 years since then there had been such low black immigration, since I also doubt we were taught anything much about British owned Africa. Where you went to school would also make a difference. I went to grade school in a very poor area and one thing I do remember is that our enclyclopedia was from the mid 1940’s. We were taught to read, write, basic math and basic history - I remember very clearly the extreme difference between my first grade school and the one I attended when my father finally graduated college and got his first decent job. The condition of the public schools here are a whole different thing. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 7:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/13 "2008-12-23T07:20:59Z")
I’m amused at the idea that Irish Americans don’t go around complaining about how badly their ancestor were treated. Apparently, you’ve never heard a single Irish folk song in your entire life. I also enjoyed this juxtaposition: > [@curlcoat in this thread](#): > > I was in 4th grade in 1969 and I have no memory of learning anything about the slaves other than they were the major reason behind the civil war, and that slavery was a Bad Thing. > [@curlcoat in the original thread](#): > > Perhaps this is because black history at length is taught yet the history of every other non-British non-white people is glossed over, hard to say. Apparently, “slavery is bad” constitutes teaching black history “at length.” ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 7:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/14 "2008-12-23T07:23:30Z")
> [@Rigamarole](#): > > What I gather from reading that thread is that **curlcoat** is a poor white descendant of slaves who hates black people because they are also poor and descended from slaves but get some sort of special treatment “because they’re black”. > > And who has a chip on her shoulder again, **curlcoat**? Not me since I didn’t say most of that - I’m not poor (tho god knows the government is trying to make us that way), I don’t hate black people, I don’t think that all black people are poor. I do however think that many black people expect special treatment because they are black, which may be because are many special programs and associations aimed strictly at black folks. The only reason I bring up the slave(s) in my background is as an example of non-black injustice and suffering that is no longer an issue in modern times. So I don’t get why it is that a continuing big deal is made out of black slavery. Forget the Irish - the Holocaust was much more recent. What special programs are there out there for the Jews, or specifically any survivors or children of survivors? This whole thing has been a highly interesting example of people who read their own prejudices into a post. ---
**Author:** ![curlcoat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ea5d25/32.png) [@curlcoat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/curlcoat)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 7:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/15 "2008-12-23T07:26:33Z")
> [@Miller](#): > > I’m amused at the idea that Irish Americans don’t go around complaining about how badly their ancestor were treated. Apparently, you’ve never heard a single Irish folk song in your entire life. I’ve heard and sung those tunes. Singing is not complaining. > [@](#): > > I also enjoyed this juxtaposition: > Apparently, “slavery is bad” constitutes teaching black history “at length.” Apparently, you missed the decades of difference there. Black history is taught now, but it wasn’t in the late 60’s, at least not at the school I went to. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/16 "2008-12-23T07:37:22Z")
Oooh goodie this is going to be fun. > [@curlcoat](#): > > Not me since I didn’t say most of that - I’m not poor (tho god knows the government is trying to make us that way) > [@curlcoat](#): > > I don’t know what it is going to take, but I will note that I grew up in poverty > > … > > Perhaps since I was poor and worked low end jobs I had more exposure to it? > > … > > It didn’t have anything to do with my being Irish but because we were very poor Even if you’re not poor _now_, you’re being disingenuous by trying to ignore how many times you impressed upon us your poor background. > [@curlcoat](#): > > I don’t hate black people > [@curlcoat](#): > > I was not born anti-black, nor did my parents teach me to be but as an adult I now tend to have an internal negative reaction to most black people OK, I guess an “internal negative reaction” doesn’t necessarily qualify as hate, you merely dislike black people. Got me on that one. > [@curlcoat](#): > > I don’t think that all black people are poor. Right, but you think a majority are: (or thought until you were proven wrong by census statistics later in the thread) > [@curlcoat](#): > > Of course we do have some black people who are doing just fine, but many, probably the majority, are living poor, in crime ridden areas and undereducated. > [@curlcoat](#): > > Forget the Irish - the Holocaust was much more recent. What special programs are there out there for the Jews, or specifically any survivors or children of survivors? Uh, Israel… ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 7:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/17 "2008-12-23T07:42:09Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Again, my experience with public schools has been extremely negative, but it may also depend on when you went to school. I was in 4th grade in 1969 and I have no memory of learning anything about the slaves other than they were the major reason behind the civil war, and that slavery was a Bad Thing. Even if I had learned this, I don’t think I would have assumed that in the almost 40 years since then there had been such low black immigration, since I also doubt we were taught anything much about British owned Africa. Okay, so you allegedly had poor schooling. That’s a shame, certainly. But if you’re about fifty, you’ve had at least thirty years to learn a smidgen about the history of this country and its people. I’d understand your reasoning in someone much younger, born in the eighties, for example – someone who didn’t grow up during or just after the Civil Rights movement. But growing up in the sixties/early seventies? Geeze, where were you when the rest of us were watching _Roots_ and its sequels? You’ve got a computer and internet, which means access to a tremendous amount of knowledge. I’m glad you’re finally getting around to rectifying the omissions of your grade school. Gotta admit there’s something off-kilter about someone trying to gain sympathy by pleading a not-so-hot grade school experience, while dismissing the struggles of generations born of horrific suffering, disenfranchisement, and institutionalized racism. ---
**Author:** ![DanBlather](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f4b2a3/32.png) [@DanBlather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DanBlather)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 7:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/18 "2008-12-23T07:49:39Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > What special programs are there out there for the Jews, or specifically any survivors or children of survivors? Well the US gives about $600 per-person in aid to Israel every year. ---
**Author:** ![choie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/choie/32/7829_2.png) [@choie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/choie)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 7:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/19 "2008-12-23T07:57:11Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > Forget the Irish - the Holocaust was much more recent. What special programs are there out there for the Jews, or specifically any survivors or children of survivors? Israeli support aside, why should the government pay reparations to us? The U.S. isn’t responsible for the Holocaust, you know. Or weren’t you aware of that, either? ---
**Author:** ![Indistinguishable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/90ced4/32.png) [@Indistinguishable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indistinguishable)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2008, 8:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379/20 "2008-12-23T08:01:53Z")
> [@curlcoat](#): > > What special programs are there out there for the Jews, or specifically any survivors or children of survivors? What special programs are out there for African-Americans specifically? If you are referring to various private organizations dedicated to African-American causes, well, surely you are aware that there are plenty of private organizations dedicated to Jewish causes as well? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/curlcoat-whats-the-deal-with-you/478379.md?page=2)