# Living while black in America **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [July 9, 2018, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611 "2018-07-09T21:17:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 64
**Author:** ![Huey\_Freeman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/huey_freeman/32/251_2.png) [@Huey\_Freeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huey_Freeman)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 1:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1263 "2018-12-28T13:02:27Z")
Grown ass white man (31 yo) physically attacks black toddler (1 yo). > **[Man kicks black toddler and yells racial slurs at Kansas supermarket](https://www.rawstory.com/2018/12/man-kicks-black-toddler-yells-racial-slurs-kansas-supermarket/)** > > Mother Lashantai Whitaker and her toddler were shopping at a Wichita, Kansas supermarket early Sunday morning when a 31-year-old man kicked the child while yelling racist comments. According to KWCH, police have arrested Riff Trace for "battery that... ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1264 "2018-12-28T13:06:06Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > **Hewey** , I’ll concede that there is a disproportionate amount of shit that black people have to deal with on any given day. And I admit that, as a white male, the odds of my experiencing anything even remotely close to the injustices that the black population of America are so miniscule as to be essentially non-existent. > > I would, however, request that you acknowledge that not every white person thinks or acts in the manner of the links provided. I’ve seen a few times in this thread where, probably in an effort to get your thoughts out before they disappear, you’ve attributed the motivation of the racist idiots to the entire collective of white people. By painting us all with that broad brush, you’re engaging in the same type of activity that you find disgusting and oppressive and racist. > > In other words, it’s not all of us who think and act like the people noted in the links. As a reaction to a black man being evicted from a hotel for no reason whatsoever–without a frickin’ refund for his room no less–this is just sad. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [December 28, 2018, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1265 "2018-12-28T13:28:35Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > As a reaction to a black man being evicted from a hotel for no reason whatsoever–without a frickin’ refund for his room no less–this is just sad. Valid point. I was speaking in an overall sense. I hadn’t read that particular link when I posted previously. I agree 100% that the actions of the hotel employee were very much an extreme overreaction to a black man making a phone call. In no way was I trying to downplay the incident, or even attempt to justify it. ---
**Author:** ![TokyoBayer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tokyobayer/32/13989_2.png) [@TokyoBayer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TokyoBayer)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 12:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1266 "2018-12-29T00:28:02Z")
> [@Huey\_Freeman](#): > > Grown ass white man (31 yo) physically attacks black toddler (1 yo). > [Man kicks black toddler and yells racial slurs at Kansas supermarket - Raw Story](https://www.rawstory.com/2018/12/man-kicks-black-toddler-yells-racial-slurs-kansas-supermarket/) [superdude]how dare you link to that story without apologizing to me, a white man, for not explicitly stating that there are good white guys around[/superdude] ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1267 "2018-12-29T00:43:37Z")
> [@Huey\_Freeman](#): > > Grown ass white man (31 yo) physically attacks black toddler (1 yo). > [Man kicks black toddler and yells racial slurs at Kansas supermarket - Raw Story](https://www.rawstory.com/2018/12/man-kicks-black-toddler-yells-racial-slurs-kansas-supermarket/) The photo definitely demonstrates the superiority of the white race. ETA: Superdude, appreciate your response. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1268 "2018-12-29T01:45:54Z")
> [@Superdude](#): > > **Hewey** , I’ll concede that there is a disproportionate amount of shit that black people have to deal with on any given day. And I admit that, as a white male, the odds of my experiencing anything even remotely close to the injustices that the black population of America are so miniscule as to be essentially non-existent. > > I would, however, request that you acknowledge that not every white person thinks or acts in the manner of the links provided. I’ve seen a few times in this thread where, probably in an effort to get your thoughts out before they disappear, you’ve attributed the motivation of the racist idiots to the entire collective of white people. By painting us all with that broad brush, you’re engaging in the same type of activity that you find disgusting and oppressive and racist. > > In other words, it’s not all of us who think and act like the people noted in the links. He gets it. Most black people get that. What’s important for you as a white man is that it’s not important that “not all white people” don’t think or behave in such a manner. What’s important is that a white man like you understand that even if a minority of white people have that mentality, they can cause disproportionate harm, because the police, the prosecutors, the judges, the bailiffs, the jailers, the prison wardens are mostly white, and the institutions have inherited a system of white supremacy. You’d look better if you wouldn’t defend yourself. “Hey, I never owned any slaves!” Understood. But whether you owned or didn’t own slaves, blacks today are paying that price. ---
**Author:** ![Dacien](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dacien/32/5663_2.png) [@Dacien](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dacien)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1269 "2018-12-29T02:08:03Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > What’s important for you as a white man is that it’s not important that “not all white people” don’t think or behave in such a manner. What’s important is that a white man like you understand that even if a minority of white people have that mentality, they can cause disproportionate harm, because the police, the prosecutors, the judges, the bailiffs, the jailers, the prison wardens are mostly white, and the institutions have inherited a system of white supremacy. What would be the solution for this? Unless we achieve equal population distribution among the races, meaning 20% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 20% black, 20% white, 20% Polynesian, or some variation thereof, there will always be disparity in occupation. Which brings up another question. Suppose, I dunno, let’s say Hispanics, let’s say Hispanics grow immensely over 100 years and in 2118 make up 60% of the population, and white people got White Plague and died off to just 12% of the population. Would white people begin anew the argument made by minorities a hundred years prior about how, “Even if just a tiny percent of Hispanics are racist, they cause immense harm because they make up most of the positions of power”? At some point, don’t we all sort of have to concede that maybe this line of thinking is untenable, and that the most reasonable approach would be to stamp out racism where we see it, but that this whole problem of having “too many” of a race in the population will never end? Or is this a uniquely American problem, with our white supremacist past? At what point is that considered no longer a factor? I’m assuming that in Germany, police, prosecutors, judges, bailiffs, jailers, and prison wardens are mostly German, yet nobody suggests it only takes one Nazi to cause great harm, and that Germans have inherited a system of Nazism. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1270 "2018-12-29T03:02:16Z")
> [@Dacien](#): > > What would be the solution for this? Unless we achieve equal population distribution among the races, meaning 20% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 20% black, 20% white, 20% Polynesian, or some variation thereof, there will always be disparity in occupation. > > Or is this a uniquely American problem, with our white supremacist past? At what point is that considered no longer a factor? I’m assuming that in Germany, police, prosecutors, judges, bailiffs, jailers, and prison wardens are mostly German, yet nobody suggests it only takes one Nazi to cause great harm, and that Germans have inherited a system of Nazism. > > Which brings up another question. Suppose, I dunno, let’s say Hispanics, let’s say Hispanics grow immensely over 100 years and in 2118 make up 60% of the population, and white people got White Plague and died off to just 12% of the population. Would white people begin anew the argument made by minorities a hundred years prior about how, “Even if just a tiny percent of Hispanics are racist, they cause immense harm because they make up most of the positions of power”? > > At some point, don’t we all sort of have to concede that maybe this line of thinking is untenable, and that the most reasonable approach would be to stamp out racism where we see it, but that this whole problem of having “too many” of a race in the population will never end? Yes, it’s a uniquely American problem because Americans have never dealt with the issue of race sincerely. We still use a Constitution that, despite amendments, still exists – the same Constitution that deemed African Americans were 3/5 people before 1865, and after 1865, allowed white terrorism in the South with impunity. But worst of all, in modern times, when African Americans were trying to join the middle class, the US government essentially deemed federal assistance of any kind as an undeserved black handout, thus questioning the fitness of those who inherited a life of injustice. What’s needed is a revolution of sorts - an economy in which we use capitalist gains to redistribute wealth to all people of all income levels. The solution is that the oligarch class, the Silicon Valley class, will have to start paying money in taxation to support education, food, and housing of the poor and working poor. And if they aren’t willing to do that, then their board members should be rounded up and put in jail. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 3:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1271 "2018-12-29T03:30:09Z")
> [@Dacien](#): > > What would be the solution for this? Unless we achieve equal population distribution among the races, meaning 20% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 20% black, 20% white, 20% Polynesian, or some variation thereof, there will always be disparity in occupation. > > Which brings up another question. Suppose, I dunno, let’s say Hispanics, let’s say Hispanics grow immensely over 100 years and in 2118 make up 60% of the population, and white people got White Plague and died off to just 12% of the population. Would white people begin anew the argument made by minorities a hundred years prior about how, “Even if just a tiny percent of Hispanics are racist, they cause immense harm because they make up most of the positions of power”? > > At some point, don’t we all sort of have to concede that maybe this line of thinking is untenable, and that the most reasonable approach would be to stamp out racism where we see it, but that this whole problem of having “too many” of a race in the population will never end? > > Or is this a uniquely American problem, with our white supremacist past? At what point is that considered no longer a factor? I’m assuming that in Germany, police, prosecutors, judges, bailiffs, jailers, and prison wardens are mostly German, yet nobody suggests it only takes one Nazi to cause great harm, and that Germans have inherited a system of Nazism. This is some seriously disingenuous horseshit. I’m certain you’re smarter than this. ---
**Author:** ![Batano](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/b487fb/32.png) [@Batano](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Batano)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1272 "2018-12-29T04:19:05Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Yes, it’s a uniquely American problem because Americans have never dealt with the issue of race sincerely. We still use a Constitution that, despite amendments, still exists – the same Constitution that deemed African Americans were 3/5 people before 1865, and after 1865, allowed white terrorism in the South with impunity. But worst of all, in modern times, when African Americans were trying to join the middle class, the US government essentially deemed federal assistance of any kind as an undeserved black handout, thus questioning the fitness of those who inherited a life of injustice. > > What’s needed is a revolution of sorts - an economy in which we use capitalist gains to redistribute wealth to all people of all income levels. The solution is that the oligarch class, the Silicon Valley class, will have to start paying money in taxation to support education, food, and housing of the poor and working poor. And if they aren’t willing to do that, then their board members should be rounded up and put in jail. that is a great idea. People in communist countries are so much better off. Cuba is building a wall to keep poor Americans from moving there. ---
**Author:** ![Monty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/monty/32/47_2.png) [@Monty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Monty)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 5:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1273 "2018-12-29T05:14:34Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > Yes, it’s a uniquely American problem because Americans have never dealt with the issue of race sincerely. We still use a Constitution that, despite amendments, still exists – the same Constitution that deemed African Americans were 3/5 people before 1865, and after 1865, allowed white terrorism in the South with impunity. But worst of all, in modern times, when African Americans were trying to join the middle class, the US government essentially deemed federal assistance of any kind as an undeserved black handout, thus questioning the fitness of those who inherited a life of injustice. Dude, you’ve some points going on in your current melt-down, but repeating flat-out incorrect stuff doesn’t help your case. The constitution never said Blacks were three-fifths people, like some ingredient for “people pie”. It said the enslaved population would be counted at 3/5 of the total number; this was obviously to get the slave states to sign the new document. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1274 "2018-12-29T05:43:47Z")
… and in so stating communicated clearly that slaves were not 100% people. Slaves who were Black. ---
**Author:** ![Roderick\_Femm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/roderick_femm/32/14875_2.png) [@Roderick\_Femm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roderick_Femm)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1275 "2018-12-29T05:45:25Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Dude, you’ve some points going on in your current melt-down, but repeating flat-out incorrect stuff doesn’t help your case. The constitution never said Blacks were three-fifths people, like some ingredient for “people pie”. It said the enslaved population would be counted at 3/5 of the total number; this was obviously to get the slave states to sign the new document. How many non-slave blacks were there in this country when the constitution was ratified? If that is your point, that “blacks” and “slaves” were not congruent groups, then it seems like a relevant question, and I believe that it was a small percentage. Remember that when the constitution was ratified, slavery was not limited to the south. My reaction to your post, due to facts like this and others, is that you are drawing a distinction without much of a difference. Asahi’s solution may not be practical (or it might in some form) but his description of the problem, as far as it goes, is spot on. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 6:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1276 "2018-12-29T06:04:58Z")
> [@Emiliana](#): > > The photo definitely demonstrates the superiority of the white race. > > ETA: Superdude, appreciate your response. That’s one thing that always struck me – if you watch documentaries about the Klan or whatever, it always seems like white surpemacists or skinheads are like, the WORST example of the white – hell, HUMAN race out there. (It’s like they’ll interview some Klansman and he’ll have this huge beer gut, half of his teeth are missing, the other half are yellow, his eyes point in different directions, etc) ---
**Author:** ![k9bfriender](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/k9bfriender/32/3283_2.png) [@k9bfriender](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/k9bfriender)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1277 "2018-12-29T16:35:53Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > That’s one thing that always struck me – if you watch documentaries about the Klan or whatever, it always seems like white surpemacists or skinheads are like, the WORST example of the white – hell, HUMAN race out there. > > (It’s like they’ll interview some Klansman and he’ll have this huge beer gut, half of his teeth are missing, the other half are yellow, his eyes point in different directions, etc) And that is the whole point. When they are at the bottom, and they know that they are at the bottom, they _need_ someone to be below them. Race is as good\* a reason as any. \*not a good reason. ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1278 "2018-12-29T18:08:05Z")
> [@Monty](#): > > Dude, you’ve some points going on in your current melt-down, but repeating flat-out incorrect stuff doesn’t help your case. The constitution never said Blacks were three-fifths people, like some ingredient for “people pie”. It said the enslaved population would be counted at 3/5 of the total number; this was obviously to get the slave states to sign the new document. Thanks for pointing this out, Monty. For a moment, I had mistaken the Constitution for a Julia Child recipe. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![asahi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asahi/32/8693_2.png) [@asahi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asahi)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2018, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1279 "2018-12-29T18:13:59Z")
> [@Batano](#): > > that is a great idea. People in communist countries are so much better off. Cuba is building a wall to keep poor Americans from moving there. Except that I’m not advocating that the State nationalize resources and centralize the economy. The bulk of economic production and consumption ought to remain in the hands of the private, free citizens of the land. But the wealth that it generates should be distributed more equality and, most of all, invested wisely so that ordinary people have true freedom. A people cannot be free if they’re worried about crime, worried about being harassed and shot by law enforcement, worried about debt, worried about not having affordable access to healthcare, worried further about just one weekend in the hospital forcing them into bankruptcy. People in perpetual poverty or in perpetual danger of becoming hopeless poor are not free. Moreover, a society in which there is such disproportionate income and wealth will eventually become oppressive politically, not just socially. ---
**Author:** ![Huey\_Freeman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/huey_freeman/32/251_2.png) [@Huey\_Freeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huey_Freeman)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1280 "2018-12-31T17:52:28Z")
> [@Dacien](#): > > What would be the solution for this? Unless we achieve equal population distribution among the races, meaning 20% Asian, 20% Hispanic, 20% black, 20% white, 20% Polynesian, or some variation thereof, there will always be disparity in occupation. > > Which brings up another question. Suppose, I dunno, let’s say Hispanics, let’s say Hispanics grow immensely over 100 years and in 2118 make up 60% of the population, and white people got White Plague and died off to just 12% of the population. Would white people begin anew the argument made by minorities a hundred years prior about how, “Even if just a tiny percent of Hispanics are racist, they cause immense harm because they make up most of the positions of power”? > > At some point, don’t we all sort of have to concede that maybe this line of thinking is untenable, and that the most reasonable approach would be to stamp out racism where we see it, but that this whole problem of having “too many” of a race in the population will never end? > \*\* > Or is this a uniquely American problem, with our white supremacist past? At what point is that considered no longer a factor? I’m assuming that in Germany, police, prosecutors, judges, bailiffs, jailers, and prison wardens are mostly German, yet nobody suggests it only takes one Nazi to cause great harm, and that Germans have inherited a system of Nazism.\*\* (emphasis mine) The principal difference between the United States and Germany is that Germany attempted to pay for its sins. We may argue whether Germany has been effective or sincere but no one can say Germany did not take concrete steps to right the wrong so the Nazism. We can set aside the reparations and pimping out the State of Israel with an alleged ["nuclear program](https://www.haaretz.com/.premium-the-complicated-israel-germany-love-affair-1.5359391)", Germany has laws that expressly forbid Holocaust denial and other forms of anti-Semitism. The United States doesn’t have the courage to go through soul searching required to come to terms with its racist past. Racism is so integral to fabric of this country, that I’m certain the U.S would self-destruct if it tried right the wrongs of its past. > [@Monty](#): > > Dude, you’ve some points going on in your current melt-down, but repeating flat-out incorrect stuff doesn’t help your case. The constitution never said Blacks were three-fifths people, like some ingredient for “people pie”. It said the enslaved population would be counted at 3/5 of the total number; this was obviously to get the slave states to sign the new document. I won’t say it. ---
**Author:** ![Modesty\_Blaise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/77aa72/32.png) [@Modesty\_Blaise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Modesty_Blaise)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1281 "2018-12-31T19:33:03Z")
Teacher deals with “whites only” bullshit and much more. [https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/black-teacher-claims-suit-she-endured-racial-jeers-insults-taunts-n953091](https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/black-teacher-claims-suit-she-endured-racial-jeers-insults-taunts-n953091) ---
**Author:** ![Huey\_Freeman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/huey_freeman/32/251_2.png) [@Huey\_Freeman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Huey_Freeman)\ **Post date:** [December 31, 2018, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1282 "2018-12-31T19:37:51Z")
White man does a drive by on 7 year old black girl, killing her. > **['We will find you': Deputies looking for man who shot, killed 7-year-old in...](https://www.khou.com/article/news/crime/we-will-find-you-deputies-looking-for-man-who-shot-killed-7-year-old-in-ne-harris-co/285-625412626)** > > Sheriff Gonzalez said five people were in a car when an unidentified man began shooting at their vehicle for an unknown reason. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611.md?page=63) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611.md?page=65)