# 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:** 68
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 2:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1343 "2019-01-11T02:32:45Z")
> [@Roderick\_Femm](#): > > You don’t need some certificate of approval from Huey, you need to satisfy your own conscience that you have done what you can do to right a very long-standing wrong. Oh, I’d go farther than that. You don’t have to be in harmony with the word definitions he uses to describe power dynamics. You don’t have to feel bad if you primarily use your resources to try to fight socioeconomic inequality if the reason and evidence compel you in your altruism to think it’s the best way to ameliorate racial inequality. You don’t have to be terrified if the younger generations are becoming more colorblind and racially ambiguous (admixed) before you accomplished the goals you wanted. You don’t have to believe stories of purported injustice you hear in the news before looking into the details. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1344 "2019-01-11T02:47:59Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Considering that **Fenris** ’s father is a Holocaust survivor, I’m guessing it he’s familiar with the whole legacy of “terrible, horrific racism and oppression”. Yes. I did not suggest otherwise. Based on his reply, **Fenris** did not think I was suggesting otherwise. It was the latter part of my post that was in question, and he addressed it, and–as should be no surprise–acquitted himself thoroughly. (IOW, ease down on the throttle a touch.) ---
**Author:** ![Elmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e9a140/32.png) [@Elmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmore)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 9:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1345 "2019-01-11T09:16:57Z")
> [@andros](#): > > Why? Why would you automatically assume the story is bullshit? It’s uncomfortable, but it’s entirely plausible. Huey lies about what people say to make himself look like a bigger victim. Here’s an example: > [@Elmore](#): > > This. I’d actually go further. _My_ lived experience has taught me that there’s nothing people are more reliably wrong about than their own lived experience. It’s subjective, selective, and filtered through a vast array of cognitive biases. Lived experience is possibly the worst form of evidence for anything. It’s also a tautology, and sounds really stupid. And this is how Huey twisted it. > [@Huey Freeman](#): > > 5b. The nigger’s personal experience with racism does not reflect reality and “subjective, selective, and filtered through a vast array of cognitive biases” > 5c. The nigger’s lived experience is the “worst form of evidence for anything”. I didn’t say anything about race in my post. I just said that ‘lived experience’ is really bad evidence. It doesn’t matter what race you are or what you’re trying to prove. Lived experience is bad evidence. Period. For Huey to twist that into “The nigger’s personal experience etc…” is totally fucked up and dishonest. If Huey lies so obviously here, where we can go back and check what was said, what are the odds that he’ll also lie about his own “lived experience”? Pretty damn high, I reckon. Even if I was to be charitable and say he’s totally wrong but he’s not lying because he really believes that’s what I meant, it still doesn’t get him off the hook. Huey’s interpretation is obviously wrong and twisted even if he really believes it. If he’s that bad at working out what people are saying to him on a message board where he can take the time to look over what was said and think about it, what are the odds he’ll be any better at doing the same thing during a conversation? Pretty low, I reckon. TLDR he’s either a liar or he’s got a massive persecution complex. Either way we should take everything he says with an iceberg of salt. ---
**Author:** ![Rick\_Kitchen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rick_kitchen/32/522_2.png) [@Rick\_Kitchen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick_Kitchen)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1346 "2019-01-11T21:31:16Z")
Could we take the pissing contest to a different thread and return this one to its purpose? ---
**Author:** ![Covfefe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ee7513/32.png) [@Covfefe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Covfefe)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1347 "2019-01-11T21:36:21Z")
Sure, no problem! 🙂 Or you could always start a new thread for this…either one. ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [January 11, 2019, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1348 "2019-01-11T21:56:57Z")
Hey Hubert: you going to answer why you’re comfortable attacking people on the Internet with vile names but are too big of a sissy to gently confront someone in real life where it might actually do some good even if there’s a risk of offending them? Or are you just a poser windbag blowhard Internet tough guy who doesn’t believe in his cause enough to actually take risks for it? ---
**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:** [January 11, 2019, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1349 "2019-01-11T23:12:39Z")
Dude won’t even go into the rest of the board – he only likes the Pit because he’s afraid of running afoul of the rules on the rest of the site, or something like that. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1350 "2019-01-12T03:00:19Z")
:shrug: Honestly, I find that entirely reasonable. I’ve spent years never\* leaving the Pit, just because I couldn’t be fucked to moderate my tone and didn’t want a warning. \*Hyperbole for effect. But not by much. ---
**Author:** ![Isosleepy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/isosleepy/32/479_2.png) [@Isosleepy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isosleepy)\ **Post date:** [January 12, 2019, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1351 "2019-01-12T03:15:01Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > Dude won’t even go into the rest of the board – he only likes the Pit because he’s afraid of running afoul of the rules on the rest of the site, or something like that. No! No! He’s too _busy_. He is a busy, busy man. ---
**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:** [January 12, 2019, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1352 "2019-01-12T20:18:40Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > Hey Hubert: you going to answer why you’re comfortable attacking people on the Internet with vile names but are too big of a sissy to gently confront someone in real life where it might actually do some good even if there’s a risk of offending them? > > Or are you just a poser windbag blowhard Internet tough guy who doesn’t believe in his cause enough to actually take risks for it? Probably for the same reason that you probably wouldn’t talk to _your_ boss with the tone that you just took. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1353 "2019-01-13T00:53:21Z")
> [@Huey\_Freeman](#): > > There are a host of political examples that I could give but (in the interest of time) let me give you a real-life, personal example of the bystander effect that I’m referring to. Several months ago, Mrs. Freeman and I went to a dinner with some (white) co-workers from her work. There were about 7 - 8 of us including my wife, and we were the only people of color in the group. We were sitting at the table, eating chips and salsa, having pleasant conversation, waiting for our order to arrive. Then one of the white men, who is a manager at a local credit union, told a story of a black man approaching him to cash a check. It went something like this (paraphrased): > > Black man: \ Hey! Nice ring! Where did you get it from? > White man: Oh this? It’s a fake. > > The punchline of his joke/story was that he deliberately lied to the black guy because he was afraid the black man could rob him of his wedding band after his shift. Keep in mind, this man’s race was deliberately brought up by our white storyteller, this is said in one of the most whitest cities and arguably one of the most whitest States in the Union. The crime rate in this city (and this State) is very low and, in relative terms, the murder rate is nearly non-existent. That didn’t matter because the white people in attendance laughed hysterically. > > Although it was uncomfortable, we were polite. We didn’t leave. We didn’t say anything because we knew that if we left, Mrs. Freeman’s boss could have retaliated and her job could potentially be at risk. Further, while this ruined our evening, I knew that if I were to speak up, white fragility would ensure the evening would have been ruined for _everyone_. This is because white people go apeshit when they are checked on their racism. So, we just ate the contemporary racism that these white folks were serving. But what hurt my wife was that a particular female co-worker who she felt was a friend and close to, laughed the hardest. It would have been analogous to us telling a story that weaponized stereotypes of white people, then laughing about it. That would not have gone well. > > First, white people do this shit all of the time. White people bear witness to racism and they keep silent. They don’t say anything. I’m not digging in your past, but think about the racism you’ve seen from other whites, where you kept silent, where you didn’t say anything, where you shook your head but didn’t confront it. That’s the issue. Second, it highlights that white folks, while thinking themselves not racist, still harboring racist thoughts and assumptions. Lastly, from the perspective of a person of color, it cements the idea that white folks lack empathy. It confirms their monstrous nature. This is because if the roles were reversed, a person of color would go out of their way to ensure that the white person feels comfortable in a majority-minority group. It would’ve been the\* human \*thing to do. Dude, you’re the _bystander effect_ in this story as well as anybody else that was present, you can’t see that? And you need better friends if this actually happened to you. The paraphrased part doesn’t add up, tell us the full version, let’s see if it is as funny as you said the “white people” thought it was. Must be some low-life aquaintances you hang out with if this is remotely accurate of the perspective you give. I have my doubts. You said it’s one of the whitest cities and one of the whitest states in the Union. Name it. And hell, Huey, I thought you was more than just a keyboard warrior. This happened with you and Mrs. Freeman, and you said you did nothing. Not even a word? You know, maybe sometimes it’s best to do nothing, but this wasn’t a KKK rally. You were having dinner with people where, at a home, or in a restaurant? You just sat there being polite, and didn’t even leave. You talk about how hurt Mrs. Freeman was, I bet she was even more hurt because you did absolutely nothing! Bet your bed was cold that night. I heard your lame excuse that it was your wife’s boss, but you had so many options here. It didn’t have to even be a physical altercation, far from it, even better you could have said many things, an articulate keyboard warrior like you is lost for words?! And Mrs. Freeman wouldn’t have got fired, had she, you would have had even more options, legally. But you just sat there, did ya? From the gist of your thread of what little I’ve skimmed of it, it seems like you can’t find a single white person in America that isn’t racist, and if so, why do you even hang with them? Since you didn’t confront the white man or any of his white friends, did you even muster up enough courage to confront your wife’s female friend for laughing at the joke? If not then, at anytime afterwards? What if it was a child, could you have done something then? You seem to do just fine with another person’s daughter here on-line that isn’t present. You not only let down yourself, you let your wife down. I hope your wife gives you a reality check from time to time, and she’s nothing like your on-line persona. Why don’t you put in _some, few_ or a _small percentage_ of “white people” to qualify your statements, unless you do mean all of them? ---
**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:** [January 13, 2019, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1354 "2019-01-13T01:48:31Z")
> [@Fenris](#): > > Hey Hubert: you going to answer why you’re comfortable attacking people on the Internet with vile names but are too big of a sissy to gently confront someone in real life where it might actually do some good even if there’s a risk of offending them? > > Or are you just a poser windbag blowhard Internet tough guy who doesn’t believe in his cause enough to actually take risks for it? Considering black guys get shot by the police for entering their own apartment or reaching for their own wallet…I think he gets a pass. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2019, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1355 "2019-01-13T02:07:02Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > Thanks for your polite response. Two questions. First, do you feel that the teller of the joke and/or the people who laughed at the joke thought it was wise of the white man to hide the rings value to prevent it from being stolen, or thought it was funny because it illustrated the negative stereotypes that blacks had to deal with (ie the butt of the joke was the racist white guy). 2) if one of the white people had spoken up and said, “come on guys, racism is a serious issue that blacks have to deal with on a daily basis and not something to make joke about”. Would you consider that that person might be an ally in the fight against racism, or is the fact that they are white, and so don’t have complete insight in to what it means to be a black, mean that they are by necessity an evil oppressor. Well, your questions get into intention versus impact. I will answer your questions, but I know this well-worn path well. For white folks, racism is coupled with the idea that the racist person is intentional and is deliberately inflicting harm by his or her actions. So, for example, a white person would consider[running over a black man with a pickup truck and referring to his dead body as "some nigger](https://nypost.com/2018/05/31/motorist-brags-about-running-over-some-n-r-on-snapchat/)" on social media, as racism. But would not consider the firing of the meteorologist who accidentally referred to Martin Luther King as[Martin Luther Coon King](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/01/08/meteorologist-fired-using-racist-slur-martin-luther-king-jr-says-it-was-an-accident/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0a3652ff90b4) as racism. The societal structures of white supremacy force people of color to always gauge whether a white person is being intentional or unintentional in their racism. The idea is that people of color are not allowed to be upset about unintentional acts of racism, we can be upset (anger and outrage are not allowed) when it is an intentional act of racism. Even I fell into the trap and thought “we’re probably the only people of color this dude has ever broken bread with and he don’t know how to act”. But the problem is that this diminishes the impact of intentional and unintentional racism on people of color. People of color report higher levels of chronic stress which increases the risk of depression, diabetes, heart disease, and infant mortality. These actions lead to conditions that bring us all down with increased healthcare costs and decreased GDP output. Solving “the problem of the color line" benefits us all. **With that aside, let me answer your questions:** 1. I think the people there thought it was wise for the guy to hide the value of the ring. 2. Yes, but this only happened _once_ in my life. I’d be shocked if it ever happened again. I think those moments are once in a lifetime events (but could be wrong). Would be an interesting polling question for other people of color. Regarding your other comment about white folks and being an oppressor. White folks are not the oppressor but they do insist on being the antagonist. Does that make sense? Let me give you an example. If you ask what white folk want, they will say something like building a wall, cutting welfare, removing affirmative action, getting rid of abortion, freedom (which is white folk speak for “unfettered access to ammunition and firearms”), limited regulation (which is white speak for “don’t spend my tax money on people of color”), etc. From my vantage point, the common theme that underlies white folk’s happiness is hinged on inflicting humiliation and misery on people of color. That’s the platform that over 50% of them support. In contrast, if you ask people of color what they want, they will tell you “Justice, Jobs, and Peace”. No person of color campaigns on the platform of wanting to humiliate or cause misery to white folks. This paints an uncomfortable picture where white folks appear to not be concerned about a predictable set of issues but concerned about issues that effect other ethnic groups. It’s antagonism for the sake of antagonism. For example, I don’t believe white folks are opposed to universal healthcare because it’s a bad idea. I think white folks are opposed to healthcare because they’d rather die a thousand deaths than to have any of their tax dollars be used to provide healthcare for one person of color. ---
**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:** [January 13, 2019, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1356 "2019-01-13T04:04:01Z")
> [@Huey\_Freeman](#): > > Let me give you an example. If you ask what white folk want, they will say something like building a wall, cutting welfare, removing affirmative action, getting rid of abortion, freedom (which is white folk speak for “unfettered access to ammunition and firearms”), limited regulation (which is white speak for “don’t spend my tax money on people of color”), etc. You assume all white people want those things, which is absolute fucking bullshit. ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 5:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1357 "2019-01-13T05:50:13Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > You assume all white people want those things, which is absolute fucking bullshit. Yeah, it’s only about half of white folks. ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [January 13, 2019, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1358 "2019-01-13T13:35:24Z")
I guess its a question of tactics. I can understand the necessary outrage, that makes a black person attend a protest shouting “Fuck White people! Fuck the Police!” But if a white person is standing next to them shouting “Fuck Racism! Black lives matter!” its not particularly helpful for that black person to turn to them and shout “No! Fuck you! You racist Motherfucker!” ---
**Author:** ![Elmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e9a140/32.png) [@Elmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmore)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1359 "2019-01-14T12:43:38Z")
> [@Huey Freeman](#): > > For example, I don’t believe white folks are opposed to universal healthcare because it’s a bad idea. I think white folks are opposed to healthcare because they’d rather die a thousand deaths than to have any of their tax dollars be used to provide healthcare for one person of color. You really are dumb as a fucking brick, aren’t you? ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1360 "2019-01-14T14:16:11Z")
> [@Huey Freeman](#): > > Black man: \ Hey! Nice ring! Where did you get it from? > White man: Oh this? It’s a fake. > > The punchline of his joke/story was that he deliberately lied to the black guy because he was afraid the black man could rob him of his wedding band after his shift. Lol, no way that happened. No man is going compliment another on his frigging wedding band let alone ask where the other guy bought it. ---
**Author:** ![Razncain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9d8465/32.png) [@Razncain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Razncain)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1361 "2019-01-14T16:54:05Z")
> [@Buck\_Godot](#): > > I guess its a question of tactics. > > I can understand the necessary outrage, that makes a black person attend a protest shouting “Fuck White people! Fuck the Police!” > > But if a white person is standing next to them shouting “Fuck Racism! Black lives matter!” its not particularly helpful for that black person to turn to them and shout “No! Fuck you! You racist Motherfucker!” That made me laugh, not only was it just most brilliant, but a succint way of how to sum it all up. Well done. It would have been nice just to end the thread there, but since it didn’t, and I’ve read through the rest of this crazy thing, as well as reading critical reviews of this woman’s book that inspired Huey, this Robin DiAngelo, I’ve learned a bit more about her and her book which has gave us some of these new accusatory and inflamatory words and phrases to use on white people that are generally seen as liberal or progressive, such as “white fragility” and white supremist" which the latter had only been used on actual white supremists in the past like David Duke types and his followers, but she pretty much extends it to all white people, and will flat out tell you all white people are racist. She must have invented a new definition for it because the standard definition of white supremists doesn’t fit the vast majority of white people at all. Which brings us back to what you just said. I’m sure Robin DiAngelo would have used those same labels on [Heather Heyer](https://www.cnn.com/2017/08/13/us/charlottesville-heather-heyer-profile/index.html), even though she died standing alongside black and white protesting white nationalists. Robin DiAngelo wants to judge us by our white skin. I’m convinced had Martin Luther King jr been alive today, he would not have agreed with her. ---
**Author:** ![WillFarnaby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/willfarnaby/32/514_2.png) [@WillFarnaby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WillFarnaby)\ **Post date:** [January 14, 2019, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1362 "2019-01-14T19:32:46Z")
> [@Huey\_Freeman](#): > > Well, your questions get into intention versus impact. I will answer your questions, but I know this well-worn path well. For white folks, racism is coupled with the idea that the racist person is intentional and is deliberately inflicting harm by his or her actions. So, for example, a white person would consider[running over a black man with a pickup truck and referring to his dead body as "some nigger](https://nypost.com/2018/05/31/motorist-brags-about-running-over-some-n-r-on-snapchat/)" on social media, as racism. But would not consider the firing of the meteorologist who accidentally referred to Martin Luther King as[Martin Luther Coon King](https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2019/01/08/meteorologist-fired-using-racist-slur-martin-luther-king-jr-says-it-was-an-accident/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.0a3652ff90b4) as racism. The societal structures of white supremacy force people of color to always gauge whether a white person is being intentional or unintentional in their racism. The idea is that people of color are not allowed to be upset about unintentional acts of racism, we can be upset (anger and outrage are not allowed) when it is an intentional act of racism. Even I fell into the trap and thought “we’re probably the only people of color this dude has ever broken bread with and he don’t know how to act”. But the problem is that this diminishes the impact of intentional and unintentional racism on people of color. People of color report higher levels of chronic stress which increases the risk of depression, diabetes, heart disease, and infant mortality. These actions lead to conditions that bring us all down with increased healthcare costs and decreased GDP output. Solving “the problem of the color line" benefits us all. > > **With that aside, let me answer your questions:** > > 1. I think the people there thought it was wise for the guy to hide the value of the ring. > 2. Yes, but this only happened _once_ in my life. I’d be shocked if it ever happened again. I think those moments are once in a lifetime events (but could be wrong). Would be an interesting polling question for other people of color. > > Regarding your other comment about white folks and being an oppressor. White folks are not the oppressor but they do insist on being the antagonist. Does that make sense? > > Let me give you an example. If you ask what white folk want, they will say something like building a wall, cutting welfare, removing affirmative action, getting rid of abortion, freedom (which is white folk speak for “unfettered access to ammunition and firearms”), limited regulation (which is white speak for “don’t spend my tax money on people of color”), etc. From my vantage point, the common theme that underlies white folk’s happiness is hinged on inflicting humiliation and misery on people of color. That’s the platform that over 50% of them support. In contrast, if you ask people of color what they want, they will tell you “Justice, Jobs, and Peace”. No person of color campaigns on the platform of wanting to humiliate or cause misery to white folks. This paints an uncomfortable picture where white folks appear to not be concerned about a predictable set of issues but concerned about issues that effect other ethnic groups. It’s antagonism for the sake of antagonism. For example, I don’t believe white folks are opposed to universal healthcare because it’s a bad idea. I think white folks are opposed to healthcare because they’d rather die a thousand deaths than to have any of their tax dollars be used to provide healthcare for one person of color. White folks are evil, if they weren’t we would all be like Scandinavia. Your self-hate is repellant. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611.md?page=67) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611.md?page=69)