# 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:** 89
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1763 "2020-05-29T16:40:50Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > Both naming traditions have reasons for them pertaining to sets of values, and they’re both ok I’m not seeing that in this post. > [@Name Discrimination: Who thinks this is OK?](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/name-discrimination-who-thinks-this-is-ok/436001/40): > > The thing about some of these people with odd names is that they are bad people. For instance I once had to work with a woman named Michelle. Okay, but it was pronounced MY-shell, and she had a shitfit if anybody mispronounced it, even if they’d never heard it before, like they ought to just know that it was pronounced MY-shell, not me-SHELL or anything else. > > If it had been up to me I would have fired Michelle’s ass. Not because of her name. Because she was an asshole. Had nothing to do with her race. She was on the phone. People called and said, “Am I speaking to mi-SHELL?” and she would say, “No. You are speaking to MY-shell.” In a very snotty tone. > > And that’s been my experience with a lot of people with odd, nontraditional names, so much so that now, they have to prove they’re worthy people if they start out with this name, rather than the opposite. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1764 "2020-05-29T17:23:36Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m not seeing that in this post. I believe it’s referring to **monstro** ’s 2nd link: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9435036&postcount=42](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9435036&postcount=42) ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1765 "2020-05-29T17:38:43Z")
> [@Little\_Nemo](#): > > I’m not seeing that in this post. > [@needscoffee](#): > > I believe it’s referring to **monstro** ’s 2nd link: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9435036&postcount=42](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9435036&postcount=42) Yes, exactly. HNS’s words reproduced below, with my bolding, to answer your question, Little Nemo. > [@HNS](#): > > And I think that’s a good example of people trying to fit into the society they live in. Whereas the people whose kids have blatantly ethnic names are challenging that. > > **Now, either one is okay with me.** But I can see kids changing their names, in either case, to reflect their own values should those values happen to be different from their parents’. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1766 "2020-05-29T17:39:27Z")
Press conference. Gov Walz said all the right words with conviction, including a promise of swift justice re. the \*murder[/]. Yes, he came out and called it for what it was. Atty Gen asked people to not react to the Minnesota National Guard the way they might react to the police. All good words by both of them. Other functionaries then spoke about protecting people and property, with no mention of the great need to protect people from the police. Walz started the question period by noting that he does not want things to go back to the old normal but he did not specify the need to protect black and other visible minorities from the police. He acknowledged tension between the people and the police is a well known thing and that he expected swift justice. He said that what Trump said was not helpful. Reporter asked about deep reform. Public Safety Commissioner Harrington had nothing of substance. When asked about why the police officer who killed George Floyd had not been arrested, Harrington replied: _protocol_. (A few minutes after the press conference, Harrington disclosed that Derrick Chauvin has been arrested.) The Governor said something along the lines of _Now let’s see what we can do to clean up police culture. That will be one hell of a job._ All in all, the press were far more focused on safety on the streets than they were about about the substantive issue of what must be done to ensure that blacks and other visible minorities are not treated as inferiors and are not routinely killed by police. IMHO, Walz seems like he gets it, but get rid of Harrington. Usually one thinks of a failed state as being some shithole impoverished country ruled by force. Where the USA stands out is that it fails to recognize that for a great many of its people it is a failed state, with severe race based economic disparity, the highest incarceration rate in the world (with with blacks being grossly disproportionately represented), and open season for killing blacks, with it’s president wanting to start shooting. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1767 "2020-05-29T17:45:53Z")
I posted the above in the wrong thread. Please delete it. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1768 "2020-05-29T17:49:30Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > I posted the above in the wrong thread. Please delete it. Seems relevant to this thread. I’m glad to have read it. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1769 "2020-05-29T17:51:11Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > I believe it’s referring to **monstro** ’s 2nd link: [https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9435036&postcount=42](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=9435036&postcount=42) I think a person would have to be naive to take her word for it that she honestly believes it is OK for a person to choose to not fit into the society they live in. I didn’t buy it then, and I definitely don’t buy it now. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1770 "2020-05-29T17:56:28Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I think a person would have to be naive to take her word for it that she honestly believes it is OK for a person to choose to not fit into the society they live in. I didn’t buy it then, and I definitely don’t buy it now. So, wait. You’re saying there’s nothing wrong with the post in question, but you just don’t believe her? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1771 "2020-05-29T17:56:51Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > Yes, exactly. HNS’s words reproduced below, with my bolding, to answer your question, Little Nemo. I believe what **Little Nemo** is saying is that you can’t say “Not there’s anything wrong with it!!” in one post right after saying “There’s something wrong with it!” and expect people to think you’re some open-minded, non-judgy person. You’re choosing to put more stock in the second comment than the first. **Little Nemo** and I are considering the whole message. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1772 "2020-05-29T17:59:20Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > So, wait. You’re saying there’s nothing wrong with the post in question, but you just don’t believe her? 😕 I’m saying I don’t believe her when she says she doesn’t have a problem giving their child an “ethnic” name. I’m saying I didn’t believe that bullshit when she posted it then and I definitely don’t believe it now. ---
**Author:** ![Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/do_not_taunt/32/2968_2.png) [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Do_Not_Taunt)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1773 "2020-05-29T18:07:11Z")
Ok. Look, I read those two posts in isolation, and read them at face value. I’m not going to go read through some 10+ year-old thread to suss out context and subtext and form an opinion on if she was honest or not. I’m happy to drop this tangent. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1774 "2020-05-29T18:13:26Z")
> [@Do\_Not\_Taunt](#): > > Ok. Look, I read those two posts in isolation, and read them at face value. I’m not going to go read through some 10+ year-old thread to suss out context and subtext and form an opinion on if she was honest or not. I’m happy to drop this tangent. Good. Thanks. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2020, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1775 "2020-05-29T18:14:54Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > The problem is, you formed your opinion based on your misunderstanding of the facts and now you’re trying to misrepresent facts to engage in a debate. I think you just described the vast majority of republicans. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2020, 6:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1776 "2020-05-29T18:16:23Z")
> [@k9bfriender](#): > > I think you just described the vast majority of republicans. Aye! (to steal a line from Snowboarder Bo) ---
**Author:** ![Emiliana](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f0a364/32.png) [@Emiliana](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Emiliana)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1777 "2020-05-29T19:50:10Z")
> [@monstro](#): > > I’m saying I don’t believe her when she says she doesn’t have a problem giving their child an “ethnic” name. I’m saying I didn’t believe that bullshit when she posted it then and I definitely on’t believe it now. The deeper problem is that she distinguishes between normal and ethnic names. There are no _non_-ethnic names. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1778 "2020-05-29T20:06:18Z")
> [@Ukulele\_Ike](#): > > Minor point: the birdwatcher did not post his video to social media; his sister did. So hinting that he did it to fuck her up does not align with the facts. > > If this had happened to a brother of mine, I’d be exactly pissed off enough to publicize his experience. Christian Cooper was [actually much more forgiving of the woman](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/nyregion/amy-cooper-christian-central-park-video.html)than many people might have been of a person whose nearly psychotic deranged lies in response to a minor confrontation might have gotten him killed. > [@](#): > > “Any of us can make — not necessarily a racist mistake, but a mistake,” Mr. Cooper said, “And to get that kind of tidal wave in such a compressed period of time, it’s got to hurt. It’s got to hurt.” > > “I’m not excusing the racism,” he said. “But I don’t know if her life needed to be torn apart.” [He’s also demanded people stop making death threats to her.](https://nypost.com/2020/05/27/central-park-bird-watcher-amy-cooper-death-threats-must-stop-immediately/) > [@](#): > > “I find it strange that people who were upset that … that she tried to bring death by cop down on my head, would then turn around and try to put death threats on her head. Where is the logic in that?” Christian said. “Where does that make any kind of sense?” [Another interesting thing about him:](https://www.out.com/news/2020/5/26/man-center-viral-park-video-made-gay-star-trek-history?utm_source=facebook) > [@](#): > > Aside from being an avid birdwatcher, Cooper also happens to be a trailblazing queer comic writer. As a former editor for Marvel, he is known as a pioneer in the comic world for creating the character Yoshi Mishima, the first gay male character in a Star Trek comic and the first gay human ever within the Star Trek universe. With Yoshi, Cooper explored themes of discrimination, obviously something he’s no stranger to in his own life. He also has written stories for Ghost Rider and Vengeance comics. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2020, 8:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1779 "2020-05-29T20:20:46Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > Christian Cooper was [actually much more forgiving of the woman](https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/27/nyregion/amy-cooper-christian-central-park-video.html)than many people might have been of a person whose nearly psychotic deranged lies in response to a minor confrontation might have gotten him killed. > > [He’s also demanded people stop making death threats to her.](https://nypost.com/2020/05/27/central-park-bird-watcher-amy-cooper-death-threats-must-stop-immediately/) > > [Another interesting thing about him:](https://www.out.com/news/2020/5/26/man-center-viral-park-video-made-gay-star-trek-history?utm_source=facebook) He’s had a Wikipedia article since 2006. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2020, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1780 "2020-05-29T21:25:08Z")
I agree with Christian Cooper: not every white person who makes an error in judgment or overreacts or has a moment of fleeting racism needs a complete take-down, and I’ve said that before. I don’t think every white woman who overreacts and calls the police on his/her black neighbor needs to be sacked from a career position. I get that companies are doing it to protect their reputation, but that actually in some ways compounds racism because when someone feels unfairly attacked, rather than accepting an incident as a ‘teachable moment’ they see themselves as victims and double down on whatever thoughts and biases they had before. But I have absolutely zero sympathy for Amy Cooper. What she did wasn’t just an overreaction; it was a deliberate weaponization of status and race. And if the accounts of former acquaintances is true, she just seems like a straight up nasty bitch. > **['Central Park Karen' Allegedly Stalked Ex-Love Interest: "The more I ignored...](https://wibc.com/86505/central-park-karen-allegedly-stalked-ex-love-interest-the-more-i-ignored-her-the-angrier-she-got/)** > > Amy Cooper, dubbed “Central Park Karen” after a video went viral of her calling 911 on an innocent black man who asked her to put a leash on her dog, allegedly stalked a former love interest and harassed him after discovering he voted for President... > [@](#): > > Cooper later developed romantic feelings for him and began “stalking” and “harassing” him when they went unrequited, leading Priest to report her to the police twice, once in New Jersey and once in New York City. > > “The longer I avoided her, the angrier she got,” Priest alleged. > > The New York Post confirmed that reports were made in both jurisdictions. Yes, I know it’s the New York Post, but it seems credible thus far. To think that someone was in a position of power at a major financial firm is chilling. At least that’s one rotten egg removed from the dozen. ---
**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:** [May 29, 2020, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1781 "2020-05-29T22:58:26Z")
The officer in Minneapolis who killed George Floyd is being charged with 3rd degree murder and manslaughter. From here: [Murder in the 3rd Degree – Rivers Law Firm](https://www.riverslawyers.com/other-violent-crimes/murder-in-the-3rd-degree/) > [@](#): > > Third-degree murder in Minnesota involves killing another person without premeditation and intent, through inherently dangerous acts, and with no regard for human life. “Inherently dangerous acts” may be direct or indirect. The charge of third-degree murder encompasses unintentional murders, “depraved mind” murders and certain drug-related deaths, including drug-induced homicide. > > Malice can be involved in third-degree murder charges. If an individual intends to harm another person, but not kill that person, and the person dies anyway, charges of third-degree murder will likely be filed. > > A person convicted of murder in the third degree may be sentenced to imprisonment for not more than 25 years and a payment of a fine of not more than $40,000. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [May 29, 2020, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611/1782 "2020-05-29T23:31:28Z")
About time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611.md?page=88) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/living-while-black-in-america/817611.md?page=90)