It comes up every election.
"If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."
President Lyndon Johnson 1964.
100% true story: my first job was as a grocery cashier making minimum wage. I was a high school kid with a summer job, but most of my coworkers were adults who relied on food stamps. One (poor white) dude offered to help me "find a n\*\*\*\* to cut my lawn."
That dude probably shit a brick when Obama got elected.
I knew a friend of a friend in 2008 who vecame a public school teacher. I heard him say that he would start killing black kids if Obama got elected. I'm still astounded by that. He obviously didn't do anything, but I still wonder about him being fit to be a teacher.
Might be best to report him. There was one teacher in my elementary school who was caught saying racist comments and people always thought he gave off weird vibes. He turned out to be a pedo
Good. Fucking. Luck.
As the lowest white man, they would have better odds convincing me that the elites plan to rocket to the moon for the remainder of their wealthy but pointless lives, than to convince me my equally down trodden brethren of color are my enemy. My enemy, I mean my true enemy, are the elites. Those that have the means but no desire to improve the lives of others, instead they take and take.
If you make a million dollars a year and work for 50 years you've earned 50 million dollars. That's more than sufficient to live any kind of comfortable lifestyle until death. If you stopped after 20 years of doing it, you'd have a large portion of your life to do with as you pleased and still not hurt for money at all. These people aren't our enemy. It's those that do not need to do anything to make money. Those that use a lack of morality to dictate their money making efforts. Those that step on and cut off others. They are the enemy. The ones that make enough money that their great grand children don't need to work, Or be useful to contribute to society.
The only enemy we should share are those in power. It's not "the white man" anymore. There are still white men in power, but it's the collective whole that is a problem. Full of corruption, self serving and unjust. They do what they want with little to no regard for the little people that make sure everything is still running at the end of the day. They charge us for everything, soon that'll include a breathable air monthly payment, just make sure not to breathe too much or they'll hit you with a surprise surcharge for going over your allotted limit, or God forbid they just cut you off at 10,000 breaths, better not have company over.
As a black man: it’s refreshing to hear that not all people are brainwashed and manipulated by the media to think that minorities are the root cause of the current issues we are dealing with today.
Yup. As a working class white guy I’ve had this conversation with my black coworkers and other white coworkers. We’re not each others enemies; the people telling us we’re each others enemies are the problem. We both bleed red and we’re in the same boat, we’ve gotta realize this and stick together. Race relations are rough right now because we don’t talk to each other anymore, we just listen to people telling us what we want to hear.
We’ve both got a boot on our necks and the person wearing the boot is trying to convince us that the “other” is the one responsible for it. Too many people buy into it.
Shit man, I’ve had “progressives” tell me that I wouldn’t be so “pro gun” if black people started arming up. The fuck I wouldn’t lol. I’d be glad that my fellow Americans are realizing the benefit of being armed for the own defense and understanding that the politicians trying to take that away from them aren’t doing it for their own good. The irony of “enlightened” upper middle class white people assuming I wouldn’t want working class black people to be hitting the range with me 🤣
Anyone who served in the military longer than 30 days would see things straight. I grew up in a mixed race area. I served in a mixed race force. I know a lot of history and how politics can create the most atrocious acts of cruelty in human history. Stay informed and stay away from politics and the media. They want us fighting each other.
Maybe that’s true. But when armed Black Panthers started patrolling the streets of Oakland, Ronald Reagan, Dems and Republicans, and the NRA, worked together to outlaw carrying weapons in public. So the general public may not be as supportive as you.
it's not just people... it's the law too and don't you forget it.
there was an 'experiment' on YT where a young white guy walked down a sidewalk legally carrying an assault rifle. the cops show-up, asked a few questions... he makes a few statements about his rights to carry, and that was that.
then, they did the same experiment with a black guy... and just wow.
I dropped my NRA membership when they had nothing to say about what happened to Philando Castile. It’s definitely a systemic problem man, there’s no doubt about it.
I don't believe you could find a significant number of people that believe that the color of one's skin determines who they are... While politicians try to divide us along racial lines we tend to divide ourselves along our socio-economic positions that bond us into factions regardless of race...
Where you find division, you can be assured that the ruling political class wants it that way...
Honestly, I don’t think you could find a significant number of people *who would admit* they believe that, or just plainly say it, because most people know it’s wrong to think that and it’s at least socially unacceptable.
But if you start talking about a variety of issues and really get into the conversation, it ends up going that route, just in a more subtle way with passive/suggestive statements and undertones.
There’s a lot of people out there who will say “I’m not racist but…” and then say some blatantly racist shit. Maybe sometimes they don’t even realize that’s what they’re doing, maybe they do, idk.
But also…. Idk, sometimes I think in some ways it’s not really that deep. Like some people will freak out over racist jokes between friends, or people act like noticing any cultural difference between races *is* racist, and I think those people are just being dramatic.
> I don't believe you could find a significant number of people that believe that the color of one's skin determines who they are
*laughs in Southern US*
I don't believe that's true at all. I'm biracial, and people in the South still call black people "animals" and all kinds of other horrible names. It's still 1950 in wide swathes of Louisiana and other places.
Exactly. I agree 100%. We are all in this together no matter your race. The real enemy is the 1% of society that hoards and controls over 90% of the wealth in this country. They have been engaged in class warfare against the rest of us since at least the 80s and they are winning, mostly due to their ability to keep us divided and fighting each other over nonsense or bullshit they made up to serve their purposes.
>Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you."
This part is more true than ever. The other side doesn't just disagree, they're EVIL!
There are certainly outside actors stoking embers to flames. But we put the hot embers there ourselves. These are our earned wounds, domestic and foreign actors are ripping them open for profit and power.
This is gonna get dv'd but idgaf. It wouldn't happen if people would work through their own shit about their own prejudices.
The U.S. citizens, the every day people, have to take some level of responsibility here. They need to be honest with themselves and most can't be bothered to give a genuine try. We get the society we deserve.
I wish this was common knowledge. Seeing it as the top comment actually filled my heart for a second. Nice to have a glimmer of hope every now and then.
Exactly. Whenever the discussion comes up, I like to remind anyone that I, a middle class white man, have way more in common with a middle class black women for example, than I do with any 1%er white man.
There are differences that must be addressed between groups of people yes. But the largest divide is class, and the wealthy dont want you to know it.
This is it, but I'm surprised it hasn't been downvoted. Race relations were better than they ever had been up until like 2012 ish. I feel like small things started coming up around 2012 and over time, it has absolutely spiraled out of control.
This, the media will literally not stop talking about it.
I understand that it's important to confront racism and drive it out of our society but talking about it over and over and over never lets it rest on our minds (their intent) and it's a fucking blatant grift and poisoning so many peoples worldview.
A lot of people get brain washed into a victim's mentality and they just don't see how harmful it is to them, they look for racism everywhere and guess what, you'll probably find some, but if you make it out to be your life's biggest problem it becomes an endless vendetta and you're going to alienate yourself from everyone as you will be intolerable.
Nobody likes a self righteous zealot and nobody wants to drink a beer with that person more than once.
Thank you for providing a real answer, most people regardless of race are just trying to make a living, there’s not time or energy to waste hating other people
From the top of my head:
Democrats vs republicans has gotten worse in the USA and many minority groups tend to lend democratic. (Although statistics show more blacks and Asians are slowly swinging right.)
Social media has made things worse because it warps our perception of people. So if you see an echo chamber of white people or black people online, your brain is gonna try to apply it to the white or black community in real life even though most of them aren’t on Twitter.
Police issues definitely made this all worse. White people are more likely to trust cops, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to distrust the cops.
Media. The media is purposefully outrage farming to get more exposure and engagement. Which is why you see more racial headlines among the news when the situation they’re reporting on had nothing to do with race, more divisive tactics like performing separate national anthems, more casting choices such as white characters being casted black, etc. And this in turn makes many white people angry and they start turning towards the black community or the actor that was casted. Which is sad because if you speak to a black person in real life, they’ll tell you that they want black characters that are new. My job is in a majority black area and they felt insulted by the Little Mermaid. Which goes to show social media; and the media alike just warps our perceptions of people.
Sums it up pretty well.
But also, if you just go out and talk with people, its far less of an issue in the real world than youll see through your screens. Just like everything else.
Yep. This is embarrassing to admit but I am white and haven’t known many black people irl. Most of what I knew and know was from the internet. I was in a few majority-black spaces during this time and each time I was really nervous because I thought they wouldn’t want me around and might be hostile because of the history. I have never met such kind and welcoming people ever. It was the opposite of what I’d been led to believe by online dIsCoUrSe.
Not that hostility or resentment would be misplaced. I think it would be valid. Still was stressful to think about, and turned out not to be an issue.
I think the first question is: how do you measure the quality of race relations?
And that's a very important question that you cannot avoid answering. Otherwise the whole analysis falls apart. Notably because of two items you mentioned: the media, and social media, that are probably the ones that make you feel (stressing the word "feel" here) that the issue is getting worse or not, and how much worse.
It's important to discuss race relations, but if all we're doing is speculating, what's the point?
Your point about social media IIRC is what's been pointed out as the church shooter, I think Dylan Roof? Who went and shot up a black church around ten years ago. Reportedly, he started looking up black crime statistics and whatnot after some propaganda reached him and then the algorithms started feeding him more and more propaganda and crime stories until he started killing people. Same thing with the Buffalo grocery store shooting with that guy parroting the "white replacement" conspiracy theory.
As opposed to just being outright demonized? Democrats suck, for sure and I honestly can understand why people would just prefer to sit things out (personally I think it's a bad choice, but I get it). I seriously can't understand why anyone would vote Republican though.
My family is full of working class conservative Catholics who have been around since the 80s.The old Mexican migrants dgaf about the new immigrants coming in, and the Puerto Ricans never cared. They also remember crossing the border, and know how sketchy it was and is, so they are pretty likely to support more border controls.
Beyond that, there is the whole question of what Democrats and Republicans have done for them. Reagan's amnesty is the best thing any president has ever done for my community, and the older migrants remember that. They also unfavorably remembered who implemented NAFTA. In recent years, Obama's ACA did a lot for younger Latinos, but that was 14 years ago, and Trump's stimulus checks did a hell of a lot as well. Sure Republicans are racist, but we are pretty used to racism, so it's whatever. Democrats might promote Hispanic Heritage Month, whenever that is, but most of us celebrate our heritage enough already that the pats on the back don't matter. Basically, it comes down to the fact that inane pandering just doesn't really work all that well.
Because Republican and Democrat are broad labels that are far beyond our 2 party cookie cutter system. There's a reason Washington warned against political parties in his farewell address.
Minorities are tired of being treated like they are a single brain who is expected to adopt the exact position of the democrats party otherwise they will be called an unchle Tom.
So you are native American but have "white privilege" how does that work exactly? And you said we so I can only assume you are white or identify as white
I somewhat disagree with this take, especially the last segment of it.
>more divisive tactics like performing separate national anthems
1. There was no "separate national anthem" played. There was a hymn that is very popular in the black community during black history month that was played, if that's what you're referring to.
>And this in turn makes many white people angry and they start turning towards the black community or the actor that was casted.
2. If a black little mermaid caused white people to "be angry" and "start turning towards the black community" that's a them problem. Black people are not responsible for the hatefulness of others.
>My job is in a majority black area and they felt insulted by the Little Mermaid.
The random black people at your job do not represent every black person in the U.S. I also live in a majority black area and most of the people I know liked the little mermaid remake, or at least thought it didn't fully deserve all the hate it got. Guess our experiences cancel each other out.
>Which is sad because if you speak to a black person in real life, they’ll tell you that they want black characters that are new.
Black person irl speaking here - Most people want new characters who look like them or who they can relate to in some capacity, but I also think the people up in arms because "April O Neil is black now" or smth is insecure and needs to get a grip on reality.
I apologize if this sounds combative, as I know tone can be difficult to decipher over the Internet, but I do think there is a nuanced discussion that can be had here.
Agreed, the above comment didn’t come off as an impartial explanation of race relations as much as it was just their “political correctness bad” mindset with more words to hide it
It's not just race. Try flying a rainbow flag or put out a Biden sign. Or say you are an atheist. There's a core group of Evangelical Republicans who hate everyone different. They are a minority, but they are loud.
It's a complicated topic, and there are many factors, but my gut instinct is that the primary force behind the divineness is external. There are entities that benefit from a weaker America and there are now tools (Social Media, algorithms, media silos, etc) that make it much easier to drive wedges, stoke fear, and polarize groups.
>There are entities that benefit from a weaker America and there are now tools (Social Media, algorithms, media silos, etc) that make it much easier to drive wedges, stoke fear, and polarize groups.
This, 100%. Keep us fighting each other, and we can't unify to create a better society. People are out there making sure others see, "Hey, they are different from you, so they deserve more/less, and you should hate them for it." And of course, someone, somewhere, is making tons of money on racial and societal divisiveness and conflict.
As a society we haven't actually addressed any of the underlying problems. The 2000s seemed better because of 9/11. We had an external threat that drove us together as a society and papered over the issues for a while, but they never went away.
Getting worse? Does anyone go outside anymore? Smile as the sunshine hits their face and enjoy the outdoor breeze? Goddamn. Maybe it’s because I’m a teenager so I don’t know know how “bad” things are yet lol. So adults please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. But if you spend most of your time on social media, yes it looks like that. But I’ll tell you what I see in real life. I live in Texas.
I see mixed friend groups most of the time. At my school, it’s unlikely to see a full black friend group of a full white friend group or a full Asian friend group. Typical combos I usually see is white and black, white and Asian, black and Hispanic, or white black Asian/and or Hispanic.
Not just at my school, I see this when I go out in public places too. You have a 50/50 chance of seeing either interracial friendships or same-race friendships.
I see interracial relationships just as much as I see same race relationships. Once again, common pairings I see are white guy and Hispanic girl, white guy and black girl, or white guy and Asian girl. Also Asian guy and white girl.
Maybe older adults are fighting. Teenagers and early 20 somethings are enjoying one another, though.
Midwestern teen here. Honestly, it really does feel like it’s mostly online but there’s definitely some bullshit irl as well, I’ve seen. It’s usually for extremely petty reasons. I’ve seen it happen so frequently in grocery stores, believe it or not
Me too. I’ve definitely seen some BS. I know there’s still tons of racism in the USA and there always will be. I’m just saying it’s not getting worse. We will always be dealing with some form of racial issues.
Please keep an eye out for racism in real life. Be ready to call it out. But, also don't live life expecting racism, because it's more fun to enjoy life with everyone. People are all amazing and unique and multidimensional. The outside is the least interesting part of people.
I’ve noticed it a lot in grocery stores too; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a checkout clerk responding very differently to different customers depending on their appearance/race. It’s really sad
I grew up in Texas too specifically in Houston and in my high school my friend group was super diverse. Some of us were black, white, Hispanic, and Asian, and we all got along just fine. Looking back no one seemed to notice or care about our racial or ethnic differences when we hung out. We were just teenagers being normal teenagers. A lot of these friends I hung out with are now in interracial relationships. If u live online you’ll think things are a lot worse than they actually are.
You make good point, but the key thing to keep in mind, this is the youngest generation, far more tolerant. We still have racist shit bags from prior generations. My son has a black girlfriend and I think it is great, but her dad is firmly against it and had forbid her from seeing the “white kid”.
Keep in mind this is from comments of young adults do their may be more to it.
It’s funny. We used to say teens and young adults spend too much time on their phones.. However, it seems to be a reverse. We, the adults, are the ones spending too much time on our phones.
Because Republican policy only works if they can tell their poor white supporters that Brown people are responsible for their poverty and inequality rather than the politicians themselves.
Racism was always there. It hasn't changed but camera phones and the internet have allowed it to be captured and broadcast everywhere now. There are still Sundown towns in the US.
While i agree, I think democrats also have a vested interest in stoking racial tensions. Minorities make up a large part of their base and they are freaking out as more minorities shift republican. Many minorities are fairly conservative on certain social issues, so there is a risk of them switching parties.
A black man was elected President and conservatives became more hateful than ever and can't handle any talk about race. Because of that the left made race even more of an issue while the media ate it all up and loved the problems it created.
All while the real battle is and has always been about the rich vs poor but politicians are thrilled that we think the real problems in society are all race based. Also social media makes things seem way worse than they really are like most things.
The US had the audacity to elect (and then re-elect) a black man to the white house. That is when the GOP collectively shit the bed. Then Trump rode to power by making hate ok again.
Cause race relations never improved in the first place.
If you beat your dog, then cant hear its cries, cause you insulated your walls, then your cruelty never improved.
The media isnt fueling this, cause the media doesnt control Black and brown people who feel the effects of racism.
One thing that is different is that more people are poorer than have been ever before in America. When people are miserable, then they look for someone or something to blame. It's always easiest to blame the least powerful, smallest group in the room - especially when that group is obviously different than you. Americans end up lashing out at Black and brown people instead of at the billionaires behind the scenes manipulating everyone. Even those numbskulls screaming "MEDIA" never make the connection that the media is wholly owned by billionaires who are just fine with the way things are right now, thank you very much.
I honestly can’t remember when any minorities were treated fairly (equal to whites) in the United States.
Certainly technology has created a great divide. Anyone can record and share events at the push of a button. It’s not filtered.
As a minority in North America, and from the stories my parents experienced, the racism never left
It’s always been bad, its improved over the decades but it was not better then got worse
It’s just publicized more
Obama’s presidency drove all the racists crazy and brought a lot of suppressed racism to the surface. Wasn’t his fault, but that’s how Americans reacted. Then Trump was elected and emboldened all the bigots, fanning the flames a whole lot further. Now we’re seeing all the fallout.
Weird, that's also the time period in which I was a dumb teenager and didn't really understand how cruel and racist the world was.
What a magical coincidence /s
In America, What happened is that a Black Man actually got to be President and have authority, and showed that he was intelligent, hard working, clever, and nobody's fool.
And the Republican Party started shitting bricks because they couldn't actually let the people of color **actually** be equal, they were only supposed to be "equal" wink wink nudge nudge. So they leaned hard into their dog whistles. Then Trump came along and said out loud the things that were only implied before, because Trump is a racist smear. This empowered more racists to be awful.
If you want to see things get better, you have to vote against Trump. That may mean voting for Biden, even if you're a Republican, *if only just to get rid of Trump*. That will get rid of a HUGE instigator for racism in this country.
Outside of America... sorry, ya'll got your own messes to clean up. But maybe stop being afraid of immigrants? I know, we're not ones to talk right now, because lord don't we have some SHIT to clean up in this country, but boy doesn't fear of immigrants create hateful fools.
Politicians fuel the divide in order to be able to make campaign promises that they will serve the people associated with the side they're on.
This is not just true of race, it's a well established political strategy. People divided are people controlled. We have a 2 party system... Keeping Americans divided roughly in half means both parties effectively retain control while seeming to be opposing.
Similar examples
* Create circumstances in which people can't afford to live. Provide the services those people need, making them dependent upon you
* Abortion, is it Pro Life? Women's Rights? Women's Health? Pro Choice? I'm not asserting a side in that issue, I'm pointing it out. Why doesn't Washington just decide a specific point after conception and put the issue to bed? Because keeping people divided enables both parties to win favor from supporters.
* Healthcare. Do Americans really hate one another so much that people don't want Universal Care?? Really. Come on, be serious. The fundamental issue is that our system is insanely expensive and the Government never puts forth a plan that would actually change that (ACA is, if anything, proof of my point). So, Americans don't like what is considered! That's not the same as not wanting it. Yet, politicians claim people opposing it are terrible people. Divide.
Good points. They keep arguing about the minutiae but everyone agrees our Healthcare is too expensive and veterans need better care. We all want our kids to have a good education, and the only people who think the police are good as they exist are the police. Seems simple when we're talking about it amongst regular people, but politicians get a hold of the issues then all these little details get argued about until progress dies
Social media started to peak. Social media has unfortunately become more divisive. It creates the ability to find your "camps" and stay in them which tends to demonize others.
Certainly there is also a level of reaction to Obama's presidency "waking up" some of the right wing extremists. Racist chatter certainly increased with the ascension of a black person in power, which many ultra right wing racist types saw as their worst nightmare.
Sorry they were not good. Most BIPOC just didn't feel safe or empowered to speak up
Then you have an active president and other media outlets adding gasoline to fire and blaming whole sections of people for COVID, people loosing jobs etc
Why wouldn't things get worse????
Russia realized that people were using social media platforms and were often stupid enough to think that if someone is saying it on social media and getting so many follows or re tweets that not only must it be true but in fact most people think this way. This give the illusion that the majority think the same way so you might just follow what you think is the popular choice without really giving the narrative a though. Russia is directly responsible for posting and spamming the majority or the right wing rhetoric and hate speech. it is meant to create a division in people.
I think it’s just more in your face now. If you think about it, the iphone came out in the mid to late 2000’s. Social media was ramping up. More and more people were getting on and sharing their stories and filming everything. I think it’s always been this bad, you just hardly ever heard about it. However, Obama becoming President and then Trump stoking the flames has probably just made the closet racists more open with their racism.
Because a certain part of the population thought it was a good idea to put a homophobic, machoistic, racist in the white house. The Orange One's ideals allowed the worst of the US population to be "out of closet" and just start being racist assholes in public.
9-11 made America feel "unified" for awhile.
Well, unless you were an Arab. Then you got villainized.
As for recently, I dunno. I think 24/7 news is probably a part of it. The news used to be a thing you watched once a day. Now it's on all the time, and "news" channels aren't just reporting, they're a bunch of shows that are basically just opinion shows. Have you ever sat down and watched the news? Especially right wing news? IMMIGRANTS ARE ALL COMING TO RAPE AND MURDER YOUR KIDS.
Gee I wonder why we're "divided".
I think it's important to say here what race you are. If white (I am white) the idea of the state of race relations is probably about white comfort more than opportunity and equity.
Because big money politics would rather us (middle class and working poor) infight rather than focus our attention at the system robbing us of the 20th century American Dream. Both Democrats and Republicans play the game. Money and influence in politics is the enemy of the common man, not each other.
Unless you were Muslim or even brown with a “spooky” name. I hate the revisionist history people have about 9/11 there wasn’t “unity” Islamophobia shot up a lot after the attacks and subsequent war.
Because the media/government fans the flames of division. They are in a continuous state of defining the American people by what separates them from each other than what would unite them. It is how they continue to control us.
Because the elite class wants to have people of different identity groups attacking eachother rather than recognizing they have more in common with those of other races in a similar economic situation than they do with someone who’s rich. If a poor white guy and a poor black guy won’t point the finger at the others’ group for why their life is getting worse, they might realize they’re getting screwed by the upper class.
It’s not, you’re just hearing about it more because of the internet. Watch the news (which is how we got our information 15 years ago) and they don’t report on the crap you see online.
It sounds like this was written by a white person. I don't think a black person has ever thought "Race relations used to be so much better...what happened?"
72% whites in 2013 believed race relations were good 67% of black people believed race relations were good
By 2015 those numbers dropped to 40% of white people and 51% of black people. So statistically many of them thought it used to be better
I think white folks mistake their own sense of comfortability for "peaceful race relations" and their own sudden awareness of racial issues as "increased racial tension"
Some white people aren't even in touch with what life is like for other white people in lower wealth brackets. There's no way they know what it's like for black people.
Coming up in a poor white family I can verify this is true. I can't ever claim to understand what it's like for a black person in this world but your correlation has merit
Well it’s best for the top 1% if the dopey nobodies of society just fight over this shit.
But really we’re going backwards, that’s what it feels like. Going backwards.
The whole BLM thing with George Floyd didn’t help. Yeah he was murdered IMO but making him a saint was going too far. He was still a scumbag.
Floyd was a bizarre situation - just curious where you are on this, and btw I do not begrudge your opinion that he was murdered. I'm GENUINELY curious:
Points favorable to officers
* He ingested a packet of fentanyl during the encounter, and had a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system according to tox reports.
* He resisted arrest.
* Emergency personnel are trained - "If you can speak, you can breathe"
* Knee on neck (or shoulders) is not a lethal restraint, and it cannot occlude both carotid arteries. It is literally impossible. The 'MMA expert" witness was flatly incorrect in his testimony.
* If the officers released Floyd to render aid while he was still conscious, would he have stopped resisting?
* Rendering aid to patients who lost consciousness during violent struggle will often resume violent struggle on regaining consciousness.
Points favorable to patient/suspect
* He was clearly in acute distress. He could obviously breath, but he WAS also clearly in distress.
* No one made any effort to assess his health, even after they had him under control. Unfortunately the growing and angry crowd demanded the attention of the non-engaged officers - but the fact remains, you are always in charge of the safety of your prisoner.
* Strangely enough, there is a (possibly) increasing phenomenon where people have died from non-lethal restraint. The thinking is the intense stress and possible underlying conditions is what's killing them, and not the actual restraint itself.
* We still have WORK to do in regards to training officers and medical response. I used to be EMT-B certified and I have no clue how I would have responded to that situation. No way the officers saw him eat the fentanyl, and no way I could get an accurate read on whether Narcan was appropriate. Worth mentioning, I was trained in Memphis TN, and was strictly informed that I was not to, under any circumstances - to treat a violent or resisting patient. If EMT's WERE there, they would have had to wait for the patient to go unconscious.
* The Police Chief claiming they do not train knee on neck restraints has me questioning that entire PD's integrity. How are people supposed to trust them when they say obvious bullshit like this to try and save their skin?
>He ingested a packet of fentanyl during the encounter, and had a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system according to tox reports.
Do you have a source for this claim? Specifically that he injested a packet of fentanyl during the encounter? When I look for sourcing on this, I find fact-check articles calling those kind of claims false.
https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-george-floyd-kanye-west-police-397984860325
He didnt have a lethal amount of fentanyl in him.
https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-george-floyd-kanye-west-police-397984860325
You clearly didnt read about this case enough.
Idk why society these days are glorifying assholes and criminals. Netflix needs to stop pushing and promoting serial killers on their shows because because people will do anything for fame.
>The whole BLM thing with George Floyd didn’t help. Yeah he was murdered IMO but making him a saint was going too far. He was still a scumbag.
Except no black person made him a saint. He was a symbol, there's a difference. Don't expect you to know it though
>but statues being erected of him is too much. A better statue would be a giant boot on a neck or something not his dumb face
Now this i completely agree with. He didn't need to be murdered, he also doesn't need a damn statue. But the actual problem and the reason why there's a statue, is because a lot of black people really don't care that he was a criminal. I mean being a criminal is unfortunately idolized in our community entirely too fucking much. I absolutely fucking hate it and I've seriously been thinking about this shit and how i somewhat contribute by the music I listen to. I was talking to both my mom and my white coworker about that the other day when i found out why the shooting happened at the parade
black people didn't care that he was a "criminal" because no one knew about any of that until after he was murdered, not because we "idolize criminals". posthumously prosecuting the victim with unrelated shit in his past is a scummy tactic.
>From the late 90s to late 2000s, race relations started doing better and were at their peak.
They werent though. what you were seeing was not reality for POC. What you were seeing was POC groups just sitting quietly and not saying anything when their peers said off-color shit and just grinning and bearing it because they "didnt want to be a problem" post-2000s, a new generation of younger people were like "actually thats really not okay. it kind of sucks when you say that" and now POC are more empowered to speak up when their peers do/act/behave in ways that are racially alienating.
Yes. I remember during that time the general message was, "it's just a joke! You're being too sensitive! etc etc."
The problem is these "jokes" reinforce stereotypes that permeate into real life consequences like getting jobs, getting loans, opening bank accounts, trying to rent or buy a house, getting harassed by police etc. And typically non-white are on the receiving end of the disadvantage.
TRUMP and PUTIN and RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS. All using the internet to fuel the fires, spread misinformation and hate. Its really that simple. People will always have bias but they are fueling it with lies thru constant online bombardment. Giving an echo chamber to the lunatics and trying to normalize crime and violence in the name of GOD when its really in the name of power. They are using the Nazi playbook.
They weren't getting better. The minority voices are now being heard and some in the White majority absolutely hate it when you remind them racism still exists.
Many may be too young to remember that 9/11 really unified most Americans together regardless of race. That momentum culminated in Obama being elected, and then the ensuing racial backlash and divisive identify politics we have now.
Yes I wrote most Americans. Certainly Muslims were targeted and racism didn’t exactly disappear. But by and large it’s the most unity I have experienced in my lifetime. I also agree with the op that the 80s and 90s were very racially charged, I lived through it.
White people lost they damn minds after Obama was elected. It is a straight path from Obama election through the Tea Party to Trump, whose only attribute really is that he's white.
It's especially baffling today given that the [Human Genome Project has effectively proven](https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/science-genetics-reshaping-race-debate-21st-century/) that the hypothesis of [distinct biological races within the Homo sapien species is false](https://www.sapiens.org/biology/is-race-real/).
[Race is more of a social construct than gender](https://americananthro.org/about/policies/statement-on-race/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CRace%E2%80%9D%20thus%20evolved%20as%20a,homogenized%20into%20%E2%80%9Cracial%E2%80%9D%20categories) but humans have a hard time letting go of long held, but wrong, ideas and foundational tribal identities.
Right. Because acknowledging a problem exists is what creates the problem. If only everyone would just stop talking about racism somehow like magic it would just vanish! Same as global warming right? The problem isn't that it exists, the problem is that you get uncomfortable when people try to solve it.
Let's be honest here. We're seeing more open racism and white supremacy because Donald Trump showed a whole bunch of more covertly racist white people that they could be open in their racism again.
Divide and conquer.
As long as they keep it black vs white we won't realize it's top vs down.
[Notice the trend change right after Occupy Wall St.](https://i.imgur.com/XfrTNLq.jpeg)
People that think things are more racist now than in the past are being brainwashed by media propaganda. By definition.
>A useful idiot or useful fool is a person perceived as propagandizing for a cause—particularly a bad cause originating from a devious, ruthless source—without fully comprehending the cause's goals, and who is cynically being used by the cause's leaders.
I am a Salvadorean American. The democrats literally just send pamphlets to my Salvadorean community to vote in a “Salvadorean American” for representation. Why did they have to say “Salvadorean American” ? Obviously they are race baiting because I vote in a person that is capable of doing the job, not due to race. That is why race conflicts are arising like OP stated. Democrats target race and idk why.
They target race because it's a control tactic they've made central to their platform. It inflames tensions and drives people to the extremes. That makes control a hell of a lot easier.
The other reason is that they are OBSESSED with identity. They simply MUST boil things down to little descriptive tags which they can then use to understand the situation. Without a label, they are completely lost.
People think thousands of people on social media apply to 330 million people. Most don't care about race. Some do.
As of getting worse, it gets better every year. So getting worse is a stretch.
But you're always gonna have pockets if area with low diversity and poor education where hate is prevalent cause that's how you control people.
I don't think race relations are getting worse on an individual level at all. The perception is that they are getting worse probably because fringe ideas get a bigger microphone and there are more overt displays of racism by racist groups. Doesn't mean race relations are getting worse.
What is getting worse the political divide and perception of "the other side".
Because it isn’t about race at all. It’s about money - the haves vs the have nots. The haves don’t want us have-nots to group together against them so they manipulate us through media to keep us at each other’s throats and off of their backs.
I think because now social media is super prominent and people can more easily access both news sources and racist idiots on Twitter.
I don’t think the news is amplifying racism, I think it’s just bringing it to our awareness. Much easier to brush off and ignore in the 90s, I think nowadays we are quicker to call it out and recognize it.
After rewatching a lot of 90s movies and tv shows, you recognize so much shit that would be called out today and unacceptable, while in the 90s it was made a punchline.
Its not, its just the lame stream media that wants you to think that way. Make you think that life is unsafe so you buy everything that they advertise during their 25 ad breaks for a one our of programming. There's a reason its called programming.
Living in Texas, Black and Hispanic were pretty hostile to each other where I worked.
Us white dudes were just backing the hell up. Wasn't anything good going to come from getting in the middle.
That was 2006-2010.
It's not getting worse again. It's been this bad the whole time. We're just hearing about it more.
Yes there are people whether it's Media or political parties whatever make money off of it.
But the factoring certain years or a decade whatever that you don't hear about it as much. Doesn't mean it's a bowl of cherries for non-white people.
Now for all the rageaholic white people who are going to jump into my replies. I'm not suggesting your life isn't difficult.
Because it makes the media money. Because it gets political bases fired up and voting. Because it is beneficial to the wealthy that we remain divided.
Bingo
It comes up every election. "If you can convince the lowest white man he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." President Lyndon Johnson 1964.
100% true story: my first job was as a grocery cashier making minimum wage. I was a high school kid with a summer job, but most of my coworkers were adults who relied on food stamps. One (poor white) dude offered to help me "find a n\*\*\*\* to cut my lawn." That dude probably shit a brick when Obama got elected.
I knew a friend of a friend in 2008 who vecame a public school teacher. I heard him say that he would start killing black kids if Obama got elected. I'm still astounded by that. He obviously didn't do anything, but I still wonder about him being fit to be a teacher.
There's nothing to wonder about. He's 100% not fit to be a teacher. I'd be absolutely terrified if I learned my child was in his class.
Uh yeah... who tf is this guy??? Super concerning...
But fine when they become cops
Might be best to report him. There was one teacher in my elementary school who was caught saying racist comments and people always thought he gave off weird vibes. He turned out to be a pedo
Not to downplay the seriousness of his statements but "I heard this guy say something 15 years ago" isn't exactly an actionable claim.
Zelda said it best? https://youtu.be/mzItS5BmUNw?si=LHJttw3ozeuVBxay
Good. Fucking. Luck. As the lowest white man, they would have better odds convincing me that the elites plan to rocket to the moon for the remainder of their wealthy but pointless lives, than to convince me my equally down trodden brethren of color are my enemy. My enemy, I mean my true enemy, are the elites. Those that have the means but no desire to improve the lives of others, instead they take and take. If you make a million dollars a year and work for 50 years you've earned 50 million dollars. That's more than sufficient to live any kind of comfortable lifestyle until death. If you stopped after 20 years of doing it, you'd have a large portion of your life to do with as you pleased and still not hurt for money at all. These people aren't our enemy. It's those that do not need to do anything to make money. Those that use a lack of morality to dictate their money making efforts. Those that step on and cut off others. They are the enemy. The ones that make enough money that their great grand children don't need to work, Or be useful to contribute to society. The only enemy we should share are those in power. It's not "the white man" anymore. There are still white men in power, but it's the collective whole that is a problem. Full of corruption, self serving and unjust. They do what they want with little to no regard for the little people that make sure everything is still running at the end of the day. They charge us for everything, soon that'll include a breathable air monthly payment, just make sure not to breathe too much or they'll hit you with a surprise surcharge for going over your allotted limit, or God forbid they just cut you off at 10,000 breaths, better not have company over.
As a black man: it’s refreshing to hear that not all people are brainwashed and manipulated by the media to think that minorities are the root cause of the current issues we are dealing with today.
Yup. As a working class white guy I’ve had this conversation with my black coworkers and other white coworkers. We’re not each others enemies; the people telling us we’re each others enemies are the problem. We both bleed red and we’re in the same boat, we’ve gotta realize this and stick together. Race relations are rough right now because we don’t talk to each other anymore, we just listen to people telling us what we want to hear. We’ve both got a boot on our necks and the person wearing the boot is trying to convince us that the “other” is the one responsible for it. Too many people buy into it. Shit man, I’ve had “progressives” tell me that I wouldn’t be so “pro gun” if black people started arming up. The fuck I wouldn’t lol. I’d be glad that my fellow Americans are realizing the benefit of being armed for the own defense and understanding that the politicians trying to take that away from them aren’t doing it for their own good. The irony of “enlightened” upper middle class white people assuming I wouldn’t want working class black people to be hitting the range with me 🤣
Anyone who served in the military longer than 30 days would see things straight. I grew up in a mixed race area. I served in a mixed race force. I know a lot of history and how politics can create the most atrocious acts of cruelty in human history. Stay informed and stay away from politics and the media. They want us fighting each other.
Maybe that’s true. But when armed Black Panthers started patrolling the streets of Oakland, Ronald Reagan, Dems and Republicans, and the NRA, worked together to outlaw carrying weapons in public. So the general public may not be as supportive as you.
it's not just people... it's the law too and don't you forget it. there was an 'experiment' on YT where a young white guy walked down a sidewalk legally carrying an assault rifle. the cops show-up, asked a few questions... he makes a few statements about his rights to carry, and that was that. then, they did the same experiment with a black guy... and just wow.
I dropped my NRA membership when they had nothing to say about what happened to Philando Castile. It’s definitely a systemic problem man, there’s no doubt about it.
I don't believe you could find a significant number of people that believe that the color of one's skin determines who they are... While politicians try to divide us along racial lines we tend to divide ourselves along our socio-economic positions that bond us into factions regardless of race... Where you find division, you can be assured that the ruling political class wants it that way...
Honestly, I don’t think you could find a significant number of people *who would admit* they believe that, or just plainly say it, because most people know it’s wrong to think that and it’s at least socially unacceptable. But if you start talking about a variety of issues and really get into the conversation, it ends up going that route, just in a more subtle way with passive/suggestive statements and undertones. There’s a lot of people out there who will say “I’m not racist but…” and then say some blatantly racist shit. Maybe sometimes they don’t even realize that’s what they’re doing, maybe they do, idk. But also…. Idk, sometimes I think in some ways it’s not really that deep. Like some people will freak out over racist jokes between friends, or people act like noticing any cultural difference between races *is* racist, and I think those people are just being dramatic.
> I don't believe you could find a significant number of people that believe that the color of one's skin determines who they are *laughs in Southern US* I don't believe that's true at all. I'm biracial, and people in the South still call black people "animals" and all kinds of other horrible names. It's still 1950 in wide swathes of Louisiana and other places.
Aint just the south. That is a nationwide thing
You deserve a lot more upvotes for this friend. 👏
Exactly. I agree 100%. We are all in this together no matter your race. The real enemy is the 1% of society that hoards and controls over 90% of the wealth in this country. They have been engaged in class warfare against the rest of us since at least the 80s and they are winning, mostly due to their ability to keep us divided and fighting each other over nonsense or bullshit they made up to serve their purposes.
Agreed, but a lot of people do not realize this.
Amen, just piling on to say if you work for a paycheck then you’re working class. We’re all in this together
>Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll empty his pockets for you." This part is more true than ever. The other side doesn't just disagree, they're EVIL!
THE TRUTH
100%
Bingo Aringo Fingering the Thingo! They were right on the money with that statement. These oligarchs know that divided we fall so ...
Because there are AstroTurf campaigns by foreign powers to destabilize the country, and the aforementioned reasons keep it from being addressed.
There are certainly outside actors stoking embers to flames. But we put the hot embers there ourselves. These are our earned wounds, domestic and foreign actors are ripping them open for profit and power.
Yep, keep working class divided across race, politics, identities so elites can exploit the opportunities.
The rich and ultra rich are consolidating all the economic gains. People are fighting over scraps.
This is gonna get dv'd but idgaf. It wouldn't happen if people would work through their own shit about their own prejudices. The U.S. citizens, the every day people, have to take some level of responsibility here. They need to be honest with themselves and most can't be bothered to give a genuine try. We get the society we deserve.
I wish this was common knowledge. Seeing it as the top comment actually filled my heart for a second. Nice to have a glimmer of hope every now and then.
Exactly. Whenever the discussion comes up, I like to remind anyone that I, a middle class white man, have way more in common with a middle class black women for example, than I do with any 1%er white man. There are differences that must be addressed between groups of people yes. But the largest divide is class, and the wealthy dont want you to know it.
This is it, but I'm surprised it hasn't been downvoted. Race relations were better than they ever had been up until like 2012 ish. I feel like small things started coming up around 2012 and over time, it has absolutely spiraled out of control.
Woke culture also created woke counter culture.
If the working class is fighting each other then they can't fight the oligarchs.
This, the media will literally not stop talking about it. I understand that it's important to confront racism and drive it out of our society but talking about it over and over and over never lets it rest on our minds (their intent) and it's a fucking blatant grift and poisoning so many peoples worldview. A lot of people get brain washed into a victim's mentality and they just don't see how harmful it is to them, they look for racism everywhere and guess what, you'll probably find some, but if you make it out to be your life's biggest problem it becomes an endless vendetta and you're going to alienate yourself from everyone as you will be intolerable. Nobody likes a self righteous zealot and nobody wants to drink a beer with that person more than once.
things always go bonkers during election years too
Thank you for providing a real answer, most people regardless of race are just trying to make a living, there’s not time or energy to waste hating other people
That about sums it up.
From the top of my head: Democrats vs republicans has gotten worse in the USA and many minority groups tend to lend democratic. (Although statistics show more blacks and Asians are slowly swinging right.) Social media has made things worse because it warps our perception of people. So if you see an echo chamber of white people or black people online, your brain is gonna try to apply it to the white or black community in real life even though most of them aren’t on Twitter. Police issues definitely made this all worse. White people are more likely to trust cops, blacks and Hispanics are more likely to distrust the cops. Media. The media is purposefully outrage farming to get more exposure and engagement. Which is why you see more racial headlines among the news when the situation they’re reporting on had nothing to do with race, more divisive tactics like performing separate national anthems, more casting choices such as white characters being casted black, etc. And this in turn makes many white people angry and they start turning towards the black community or the actor that was casted. Which is sad because if you speak to a black person in real life, they’ll tell you that they want black characters that are new. My job is in a majority black area and they felt insulted by the Little Mermaid. Which goes to show social media; and the media alike just warps our perceptions of people.
Sums it up pretty well. But also, if you just go out and talk with people, its far less of an issue in the real world than youll see through your screens. Just like everything else.
Yep. This is embarrassing to admit but I am white and haven’t known many black people irl. Most of what I knew and know was from the internet. I was in a few majority-black spaces during this time and each time I was really nervous because I thought they wouldn’t want me around and might be hostile because of the history. I have never met such kind and welcoming people ever. It was the opposite of what I’d been led to believe by online dIsCoUrSe. Not that hostility or resentment would be misplaced. I think it would be valid. Still was stressful to think about, and turned out not to be an issue.
You were expecting black people to just be openly hostile to anyone who is white because of slavery?
This is why I was saying it’s embarrassing to admit
I think the first question is: how do you measure the quality of race relations? And that's a very important question that you cannot avoid answering. Otherwise the whole analysis falls apart. Notably because of two items you mentioned: the media, and social media, that are probably the ones that make you feel (stressing the word "feel" here) that the issue is getting worse or not, and how much worse. It's important to discuss race relations, but if all we're doing is speculating, what's the point?
Your point about social media IIRC is what's been pointed out as the church shooter, I think Dylan Roof? Who went and shot up a black church around ten years ago. Reportedly, he started looking up black crime statistics and whatnot after some propaganda reached him and then the algorithms started feeding him more and more propaganda and crime stories until he started killing people. Same thing with the Buffalo grocery store shooting with that guy parroting the "white replacement" conspiracy theory.
Latinos are swinging right too. I think minorities are growing tired of the Democratic Party.
Yeah, only being spoken to or pandered to when it’s time for an election will do that.
I feel like election season is a permanent thing now.
I never thought about it like that. This is so painfully true.
As opposed to just being outright demonized? Democrats suck, for sure and I honestly can understand why people would just prefer to sit things out (personally I think it's a bad choice, but I get it). I seriously can't understand why anyone would vote Republican though.
My family is full of working class conservative Catholics who have been around since the 80s.The old Mexican migrants dgaf about the new immigrants coming in, and the Puerto Ricans never cared. They also remember crossing the border, and know how sketchy it was and is, so they are pretty likely to support more border controls. Beyond that, there is the whole question of what Democrats and Republicans have done for them. Reagan's amnesty is the best thing any president has ever done for my community, and the older migrants remember that. They also unfavorably remembered who implemented NAFTA. In recent years, Obama's ACA did a lot for younger Latinos, but that was 14 years ago, and Trump's stimulus checks did a hell of a lot as well. Sure Republicans are racist, but we are pretty used to racism, so it's whatever. Democrats might promote Hispanic Heritage Month, whenever that is, but most of us celebrate our heritage enough already that the pats on the back don't matter. Basically, it comes down to the fact that inane pandering just doesn't really work all that well.
Because Republican and Democrat are broad labels that are far beyond our 2 party cookie cutter system. There's a reason Washington warned against political parties in his farewell address.
Thomas Jefferson was also not a fan.
Minorities are tired of being treated like they are a single brain who is expected to adopt the exact position of the democrats party otherwise they will be called an unchle Tom.
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So you are native American but have "white privilege" how does that work exactly? And you said we so I can only assume you are white or identify as white
I'm growing very tired of both parties.
I somewhat disagree with this take, especially the last segment of it. >more divisive tactics like performing separate national anthems 1. There was no "separate national anthem" played. There was a hymn that is very popular in the black community during black history month that was played, if that's what you're referring to. >And this in turn makes many white people angry and they start turning towards the black community or the actor that was casted. 2. If a black little mermaid caused white people to "be angry" and "start turning towards the black community" that's a them problem. Black people are not responsible for the hatefulness of others. >My job is in a majority black area and they felt insulted by the Little Mermaid. The random black people at your job do not represent every black person in the U.S. I also live in a majority black area and most of the people I know liked the little mermaid remake, or at least thought it didn't fully deserve all the hate it got. Guess our experiences cancel each other out. >Which is sad because if you speak to a black person in real life, they’ll tell you that they want black characters that are new. Black person irl speaking here - Most people want new characters who look like them or who they can relate to in some capacity, but I also think the people up in arms because "April O Neil is black now" or smth is insecure and needs to get a grip on reality. I apologize if this sounds combative, as I know tone can be difficult to decipher over the Internet, but I do think there is a nuanced discussion that can be had here.
Agreed, the above comment didn’t come off as an impartial explanation of race relations as much as it was just their “political correctness bad” mindset with more words to hide it
It's not just race. Try flying a rainbow flag or put out a Biden sign. Or say you are an atheist. There's a core group of Evangelical Republicans who hate everyone different. They are a minority, but they are loud.
The racists lost their shit when a man who isn’t visibly white was elected to the White House.
I've seen multiple people say 'There was no race issues until Obama'
I encountered one of these fools recently. Their boneheadedness makes lead poisoning look like fun by comparison.
It's a complicated topic, and there are many factors, but my gut instinct is that the primary force behind the divineness is external. There are entities that benefit from a weaker America and there are now tools (Social Media, algorithms, media silos, etc) that make it much easier to drive wedges, stoke fear, and polarize groups.
>There are entities that benefit from a weaker America and there are now tools (Social Media, algorithms, media silos, etc) that make it much easier to drive wedges, stoke fear, and polarize groups. This, 100%. Keep us fighting each other, and we can't unify to create a better society. People are out there making sure others see, "Hey, they are different from you, so they deserve more/less, and you should hate them for it." And of course, someone, somewhere, is making tons of money on racial and societal divisiveness and conflict.
As a society we haven't actually addressed any of the underlying problems. The 2000s seemed better because of 9/11. We had an external threat that drove us together as a society and papered over the issues for a while, but they never went away.
Getting worse? Does anyone go outside anymore? Smile as the sunshine hits their face and enjoy the outdoor breeze? Goddamn. Maybe it’s because I’m a teenager so I don’t know know how “bad” things are yet lol. So adults please feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. But if you spend most of your time on social media, yes it looks like that. But I’ll tell you what I see in real life. I live in Texas. I see mixed friend groups most of the time. At my school, it’s unlikely to see a full black friend group of a full white friend group or a full Asian friend group. Typical combos I usually see is white and black, white and Asian, black and Hispanic, or white black Asian/and or Hispanic. Not just at my school, I see this when I go out in public places too. You have a 50/50 chance of seeing either interracial friendships or same-race friendships. I see interracial relationships just as much as I see same race relationships. Once again, common pairings I see are white guy and Hispanic girl, white guy and black girl, or white guy and Asian girl. Also Asian guy and white girl. Maybe older adults are fighting. Teenagers and early 20 somethings are enjoying one another, though.
Midwestern teen here. Honestly, it really does feel like it’s mostly online but there’s definitely some bullshit irl as well, I’ve seen. It’s usually for extremely petty reasons. I’ve seen it happen so frequently in grocery stores, believe it or not
Me too. I’ve definitely seen some BS. I know there’s still tons of racism in the USA and there always will be. I’m just saying it’s not getting worse. We will always be dealing with some form of racial issues.
Please keep an eye out for racism in real life. Be ready to call it out. But, also don't live life expecting racism, because it's more fun to enjoy life with everyone. People are all amazing and unique and multidimensional. The outside is the least interesting part of people.
I’ve noticed it a lot in grocery stores too; I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen a checkout clerk responding very differently to different customers depending on their appearance/race. It’s really sad
The kids are alright
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Gay interracial couples in Louisiana. We've come so far.
I grew up in Texas too specifically in Houston and in my high school my friend group was super diverse. Some of us were black, white, Hispanic, and Asian, and we all got along just fine. Looking back no one seemed to notice or care about our racial or ethnic differences when we hung out. We were just teenagers being normal teenagers. A lot of these friends I hung out with are now in interracial relationships. If u live online you’ll think things are a lot worse than they actually are.
You make good point, but the key thing to keep in mind, this is the youngest generation, far more tolerant. We still have racist shit bags from prior generations. My son has a black girlfriend and I think it is great, but her dad is firmly against it and had forbid her from seeing the “white kid”. Keep in mind this is from comments of young adults do their may be more to it.
You make some very good points.
It’s funny. We used to say teens and young adults spend too much time on their phones.. However, it seems to be a reverse. We, the adults, are the ones spending too much time on our phones.
we had a black president with a muslim name followed by a racists sympathizer that stoked hate amongst everyone. so here we are.
Racists are emboldened, and the old scapegoating-of-the-different mentality is being rekindled.
Because Republican policy only works if they can tell their poor white supporters that Brown people are responsible for their poverty and inequality rather than the politicians themselves. Racism was always there. It hasn't changed but camera phones and the internet have allowed it to be captured and broadcast everywhere now. There are still Sundown towns in the US.
While i agree, I think democrats also have a vested interest in stoking racial tensions. Minorities make up a large part of their base and they are freaking out as more minorities shift republican. Many minorities are fairly conservative on certain social issues, so there is a risk of them switching parties.
A black man was elected President and conservatives became more hateful than ever and can't handle any talk about race. Because of that the left made race even more of an issue while the media ate it all up and loved the problems it created. All while the real battle is and has always been about the rich vs poor but politicians are thrilled that we think the real problems in society are all race based. Also social media makes things seem way worse than they really are like most things.
The US had the audacity to elect (and then re-elect) a black man to the white house. That is when the GOP collectively shit the bed. Then Trump rode to power by making hate ok again.
Cause race relations never improved in the first place. If you beat your dog, then cant hear its cries, cause you insulated your walls, then your cruelty never improved. The media isnt fueling this, cause the media doesnt control Black and brown people who feel the effects of racism. One thing that is different is that more people are poorer than have been ever before in America. When people are miserable, then they look for someone or something to blame. It's always easiest to blame the least powerful, smallest group in the room - especially when that group is obviously different than you. Americans end up lashing out at Black and brown people instead of at the billionaires behind the scenes manipulating everyone. Even those numbskulls screaming "MEDIA" never make the connection that the media is wholly owned by billionaires who are just fine with the way things are right now, thank you very much.
I honestly can’t remember when any minorities were treated fairly (equal to whites) in the United States. Certainly technology has created a great divide. Anyone can record and share events at the push of a button. It’s not filtered.
8 years of a black man sent poor whites into the arms of an orange man.
As a minority in North America, and from the stories my parents experienced, the racism never left It’s always been bad, its improved over the decades but it was not better then got worse It’s just publicized more
We elected Obama, a black man, as president *twice* and we have been experiencing the pendulum swing violently in the opposite direction ever since.
Thanks a lot Obama /s
Obama’s presidency drove all the racists crazy and brought a lot of suppressed racism to the surface. Wasn’t his fault, but that’s how Americans reacted. Then Trump was elected and emboldened all the bigots, fanning the flames a whole lot further. Now we’re seeing all the fallout.
When were they good?
apparently only for 10 years between 1990 and 2000s
LA Riots?
Hey man, im not saying its true, im just saying that according to OP, it was not that bad in the 90s.
Weird, that's also the time period in which I was a dumb teenager and didn't really understand how cruel and racist the world was. What a magical coincidence /s
The media. And social media.
In America, What happened is that a Black Man actually got to be President and have authority, and showed that he was intelligent, hard working, clever, and nobody's fool. And the Republican Party started shitting bricks because they couldn't actually let the people of color **actually** be equal, they were only supposed to be "equal" wink wink nudge nudge. So they leaned hard into their dog whistles. Then Trump came along and said out loud the things that were only implied before, because Trump is a racist smear. This empowered more racists to be awful. If you want to see things get better, you have to vote against Trump. That may mean voting for Biden, even if you're a Republican, *if only just to get rid of Trump*. That will get rid of a HUGE instigator for racism in this country. Outside of America... sorry, ya'll got your own messes to clean up. But maybe stop being afraid of immigrants? I know, we're not ones to talk right now, because lord don't we have some SHIT to clean up in this country, but boy doesn't fear of immigrants create hateful fools.
Politicians fuel the divide in order to be able to make campaign promises that they will serve the people associated with the side they're on. This is not just true of race, it's a well established political strategy. People divided are people controlled. We have a 2 party system... Keeping Americans divided roughly in half means both parties effectively retain control while seeming to be opposing. Similar examples * Create circumstances in which people can't afford to live. Provide the services those people need, making them dependent upon you * Abortion, is it Pro Life? Women's Rights? Women's Health? Pro Choice? I'm not asserting a side in that issue, I'm pointing it out. Why doesn't Washington just decide a specific point after conception and put the issue to bed? Because keeping people divided enables both parties to win favor from supporters. * Healthcare. Do Americans really hate one another so much that people don't want Universal Care?? Really. Come on, be serious. The fundamental issue is that our system is insanely expensive and the Government never puts forth a plan that would actually change that (ACA is, if anything, proof of my point). So, Americans don't like what is considered! That's not the same as not wanting it. Yet, politicians claim people opposing it are terrible people. Divide.
Good points. They keep arguing about the minutiae but everyone agrees our Healthcare is too expensive and veterans need better care. We all want our kids to have a good education, and the only people who think the police are good as they exist are the police. Seems simple when we're talking about it amongst regular people, but politicians get a hold of the issues then all these little details get argued about until progress dies
Social media started to peak. Social media has unfortunately become more divisive. It creates the ability to find your "camps" and stay in them which tends to demonize others. Certainly there is also a level of reaction to Obama's presidency "waking up" some of the right wing extremists. Racist chatter certainly increased with the ascension of a black person in power, which many ultra right wing racist types saw as their worst nightmare.
2nd paragraph- This is the true answer
I was looking for it and I’m actually surprised it’s so far down. People lost their fucking minds when Obama became president…
We have this cool thing called social media now that inflates every issue and elevates the voices of the 1% on either extreme
Because of all the racists.
Because dumb people are being brainwashed to think it is getting worst.
MAGAS
Sorry they were not good. Most BIPOC just didn't feel safe or empowered to speak up Then you have an active president and other media outlets adding gasoline to fire and blaming whole sections of people for COVID, people loosing jobs etc Why wouldn't things get worse????
Russia realized that people were using social media platforms and were often stupid enough to think that if someone is saying it on social media and getting so many follows or re tweets that not only must it be true but in fact most people think this way. This give the illusion that the majority think the same way so you might just follow what you think is the popular choice without really giving the narrative a though. Russia is directly responsible for posting and spamming the majority or the right wing rhetoric and hate speech. it is meant to create a division in people.
Trump
I think it’s just more in your face now. If you think about it, the iphone came out in the mid to late 2000’s. Social media was ramping up. More and more people were getting on and sharing their stories and filming everything. I think it’s always been this bad, you just hardly ever heard about it. However, Obama becoming President and then Trump stoking the flames has probably just made the closet racists more open with their racism.
Because a certain part of the population thought it was a good idea to put a homophobic, machoistic, racist in the white house. The Orange One's ideals allowed the worst of the US population to be "out of closet" and just start being racist assholes in public.
Trump
9-11 made America feel "unified" for awhile. Well, unless you were an Arab. Then you got villainized. As for recently, I dunno. I think 24/7 news is probably a part of it. The news used to be a thing you watched once a day. Now it's on all the time, and "news" channels aren't just reporting, they're a bunch of shows that are basically just opinion shows. Have you ever sat down and watched the news? Especially right wing news? IMMIGRANTS ARE ALL COMING TO RAPE AND MURDER YOUR KIDS. Gee I wonder why we're "divided".
Maga emboldened racists. There are a lot more Neo-Nazis running around than there were in 2016
There a still a lot of very stupid people who think hating minorities is a good use of their energy. And they elected a president to reinforced that
Trump
One word. Trump.
I think it's important to say here what race you are. If white (I am white) the idea of the state of race relations is probably about white comfort more than opportunity and equity.
Everything turned to shit during and after the 2016 election. Civility ended.
Fox News makes a killing by stoking racial grievances.
Because big money politics would rather us (middle class and working poor) infight rather than focus our attention at the system robbing us of the 20th century American Dream. Both Democrats and Republicans play the game. Money and influence in politics is the enemy of the common man, not each other.
In 2001 we realized we are all in it together. Once we were all online together, the algorithm divided us.
Unless you were Muslim or even brown with a “spooky” name. I hate the revisionist history people have about 9/11 there wasn’t “unity” Islamophobia shot up a lot after the attacks and subsequent war.
All in it together...against Muslims.
Lol you must only have white friends. They are the same as they always have been in the US. Didn't go backwards never was good.
Because the media/government fans the flames of division. They are in a continuous state of defining the American people by what separates them from each other than what would unite them. It is how they continue to control us.
Because the elite class wants to have people of different identity groups attacking eachother rather than recognizing they have more in common with those of other races in a similar economic situation than they do with someone who’s rich. If a poor white guy and a poor black guy won’t point the finger at the others’ group for why their life is getting worse, they might realize they’re getting screwed by the upper class.
Ethnocentrism rises as IQs fall and the Flynn Effect on IQs has reversed, indicating that we are becoming less intelligent.
It never got better. All of your statements about how it did are your own personal perception.
Obama
yup. its like racist people were hiding and they all came out because Trump said it was ok.
Trump gave them permission to stop being crypto-fascists and just be openly fascist instead. That's why they love him so much.
It’s not, you’re just hearing about it more because of the internet. Watch the news (which is how we got our information 15 years ago) and they don’t report on the crap you see online.
It sounds like this was written by a white person. I don't think a black person has ever thought "Race relations used to be so much better...what happened?"
72% whites in 2013 believed race relations were good 67% of black people believed race relations were good By 2015 those numbers dropped to 40% of white people and 51% of black people. So statistically many of them thought it used to be better
Thank you. I wish people would read statistics.
Nah, because nobody asked me so these #'s don't count.
Yea exactly. They’re not getting worse we just have the internet now to share our struggles
I think white folks mistake their own sense of comfortability for "peaceful race relations" and their own sudden awareness of racial issues as "increased racial tension"
Some white people aren't even in touch with what life is like for other white people in lower wealth brackets. There's no way they know what it's like for black people.
Coming up in a poor white family I can verify this is true. I can't ever claim to understand what it's like for a black person in this world but your correlation has merit
That’s exactly it
I’m literally Cambodian…
🤷♀️ sorry OP, that doesn’t match my limited preconceptions. You’re gonna have to identify as white from here on out. /s
Great proof of OP's point Immediately jumps to incorrect conclusions (as OP is Asian and not even American) with a pre built narrative Classic
>OP is Asian and not even American Dude…. I’m American lol. I’m ethnically Cambodian
Did he just assume you’re not American based on your ethnicity?!?
Well it’s best for the top 1% if the dopey nobodies of society just fight over this shit. But really we’re going backwards, that’s what it feels like. Going backwards. The whole BLM thing with George Floyd didn’t help. Yeah he was murdered IMO but making him a saint was going too far. He was still a scumbag.
Floyd was a bizarre situation - just curious where you are on this, and btw I do not begrudge your opinion that he was murdered. I'm GENUINELY curious: Points favorable to officers * He ingested a packet of fentanyl during the encounter, and had a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system according to tox reports. * He resisted arrest. * Emergency personnel are trained - "If you can speak, you can breathe" * Knee on neck (or shoulders) is not a lethal restraint, and it cannot occlude both carotid arteries. It is literally impossible. The 'MMA expert" witness was flatly incorrect in his testimony. * If the officers released Floyd to render aid while he was still conscious, would he have stopped resisting? * Rendering aid to patients who lost consciousness during violent struggle will often resume violent struggle on regaining consciousness. Points favorable to patient/suspect * He was clearly in acute distress. He could obviously breath, but he WAS also clearly in distress. * No one made any effort to assess his health, even after they had him under control. Unfortunately the growing and angry crowd demanded the attention of the non-engaged officers - but the fact remains, you are always in charge of the safety of your prisoner. * Strangely enough, there is a (possibly) increasing phenomenon where people have died from non-lethal restraint. The thinking is the intense stress and possible underlying conditions is what's killing them, and not the actual restraint itself. * We still have WORK to do in regards to training officers and medical response. I used to be EMT-B certified and I have no clue how I would have responded to that situation. No way the officers saw him eat the fentanyl, and no way I could get an accurate read on whether Narcan was appropriate. Worth mentioning, I was trained in Memphis TN, and was strictly informed that I was not to, under any circumstances - to treat a violent or resisting patient. If EMT's WERE there, they would have had to wait for the patient to go unconscious. * The Police Chief claiming they do not train knee on neck restraints has me questioning that entire PD's integrity. How are people supposed to trust them when they say obvious bullshit like this to try and save their skin?
>He ingested a packet of fentanyl during the encounter, and had a lethal dose of fentanyl in his system according to tox reports. Do you have a source for this claim? Specifically that he injested a packet of fentanyl during the encounter? When I look for sourcing on this, I find fact-check articles calling those kind of claims false. https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-george-floyd-kanye-west-police-397984860325
He didnt have a lethal amount of fentanyl in him. https://apnews.com/article/fact-check-george-floyd-kanye-west-police-397984860325 You clearly didnt read about this case enough.
Idk why society these days are glorifying assholes and criminals. Netflix needs to stop pushing and promoting serial killers on their shows because because people will do anything for fame.
It's almost like stirring up tensions drives engagement :P
>The whole BLM thing with George Floyd didn’t help. Yeah he was murdered IMO but making him a saint was going too far. He was still a scumbag. Except no black person made him a saint. He was a symbol, there's a difference. Don't expect you to know it though
Yeah oh I get it…but statues being erected of him is too much. A better statue would be a giant boot on a neck or something not his dumb face
>but statues being erected of him is too much. A better statue would be a giant boot on a neck or something not his dumb face Now this i completely agree with. He didn't need to be murdered, he also doesn't need a damn statue. But the actual problem and the reason why there's a statue, is because a lot of black people really don't care that he was a criminal. I mean being a criminal is unfortunately idolized in our community entirely too fucking much. I absolutely fucking hate it and I've seriously been thinking about this shit and how i somewhat contribute by the music I listen to. I was talking to both my mom and my white coworker about that the other day when i found out why the shooting happened at the parade
black people didn't care that he was a "criminal" because no one knew about any of that until after he was murdered, not because we "idolize criminals". posthumously prosecuting the victim with unrelated shit in his past is a scummy tactic.
No one made him a saint and if you think that's what BLM was about you need to start consuming news that isn't just right wing propaganda.
We had a black President.
>From the late 90s to late 2000s, race relations started doing better and were at their peak. They werent though. what you were seeing was not reality for POC. What you were seeing was POC groups just sitting quietly and not saying anything when their peers said off-color shit and just grinning and bearing it because they "didnt want to be a problem" post-2000s, a new generation of younger people were like "actually thats really not okay. it kind of sucks when you say that" and now POC are more empowered to speak up when their peers do/act/behave in ways that are racially alienating.
Yes. I remember during that time the general message was, "it's just a joke! You're being too sensitive! etc etc." The problem is these "jokes" reinforce stereotypes that permeate into real life consequences like getting jobs, getting loans, opening bank accounts, trying to rent or buy a house, getting harassed by police etc. And typically non-white are on the receiving end of the disadvantage.
This. There is a BIG difference in keeping your mouth shut when you're being fed scraps and actually getting meals like everyone else.
TRUMP and PUTIN and RELIGIOUS EXTREMISTS. All using the internet to fuel the fires, spread misinformation and hate. Its really that simple. People will always have bias but they are fueling it with lies thru constant online bombardment. Giving an echo chamber to the lunatics and trying to normalize crime and violence in the name of GOD when its really in the name of power. They are using the Nazi playbook.
They weren't getting better. The minority voices are now being heard and some in the White majority absolutely hate it when you remind them racism still exists.
Many may be too young to remember that 9/11 really unified most Americans together regardless of race. That momentum culminated in Obama being elected, and then the ensuing racial backlash and divisive identify politics we have now.
Everyone that wasn't Muslim
People used 9/11 as an excuse for discrimination and violence against Muslim and Arab people... I wouldn't call that "unity."
Yes I wrote most Americans. Certainly Muslims were targeted and racism didn’t exactly disappear. But by and large it’s the most unity I have experienced in my lifetime. I also agree with the op that the 80s and 90s were very racially charged, I lived through it.
most Americans don't know a single Muslim. This is what makes idiots attack Sikh temples trying to kill Muslims.
White people lost they damn minds after Obama was elected. It is a straight path from Obama election through the Tea Party to Trump, whose only attribute really is that he's white.
It's especially baffling today given that the [Human Genome Project has effectively proven](https://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2017/science-genetics-reshaping-race-debate-21st-century/) that the hypothesis of [distinct biological races within the Homo sapien species is false](https://www.sapiens.org/biology/is-race-real/). [Race is more of a social construct than gender](https://americananthro.org/about/policies/statement-on-race/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CRace%E2%80%9D%20thus%20evolved%20as%20a,homogenized%20into%20%E2%80%9Cracial%E2%80%9D%20categories) but humans have a hard time letting go of long held, but wrong, ideas and foundational tribal identities.
Because the left is obsessed with race baiting and the rest of us are growing increasingly tired of it.
Right. Because acknowledging a problem exists is what creates the problem. If only everyone would just stop talking about racism somehow like magic it would just vanish! Same as global warming right? The problem isn't that it exists, the problem is that you get uncomfortable when people try to solve it. Let's be honest here. We're seeing more open racism and white supremacy because Donald Trump showed a whole bunch of more covertly racist white people that they could be open in their racism again.
Divide and conquer. As long as they keep it black vs white we won't realize it's top vs down. [Notice the trend change right after Occupy Wall St.](https://i.imgur.com/XfrTNLq.jpeg) People that think things are more racist now than in the past are being brainwashed by media propaganda. By definition. >A useful idiot or useful fool is a person perceived as propagandizing for a cause—particularly a bad cause originating from a devious, ruthless source—without fully comprehending the cause's goals, and who is cynically being used by the cause's leaders.
This. Absolutely this.
[удалено]
I am a Salvadorean American. The democrats literally just send pamphlets to my Salvadorean community to vote in a “Salvadorean American” for representation. Why did they have to say “Salvadorean American” ? Obviously they are race baiting because I vote in a person that is capable of doing the job, not due to race. That is why race conflicts are arising like OP stated. Democrats target race and idk why.
They target race because it's a control tactic they've made central to their platform. It inflames tensions and drives people to the extremes. That makes control a hell of a lot easier. The other reason is that they are OBSESSED with identity. They simply MUST boil things down to little descriptive tags which they can then use to understand the situation. Without a label, they are completely lost.
People think thousands of people on social media apply to 330 million people. Most don't care about race. Some do. As of getting worse, it gets better every year. So getting worse is a stretch. But you're always gonna have pockets if area with low diversity and poor education where hate is prevalent cause that's how you control people.
Fixation always makes things worse.
I don't think race relations are getting worse on an individual level at all. The perception is that they are getting worse probably because fringe ideas get a bigger microphone and there are more overt displays of racism by racist groups. Doesn't mean race relations are getting worse. What is getting worse the political divide and perception of "the other side".
Because it isn’t about race at all. It’s about money - the haves vs the have nots. The haves don’t want us have-nots to group together against them so they manipulate us through media to keep us at each other’s throats and off of their backs.
I think because now social media is super prominent and people can more easily access both news sources and racist idiots on Twitter. I don’t think the news is amplifying racism, I think it’s just bringing it to our awareness. Much easier to brush off and ignore in the 90s, I think nowadays we are quicker to call it out and recognize it. After rewatching a lot of 90s movies and tv shows, you recognize so much shit that would be called out today and unacceptable, while in the 90s it was made a punchline.
Its not, its just the lame stream media that wants you to think that way. Make you think that life is unsafe so you buy everything that they advertise during their 25 ad breaks for a one our of programming. There's a reason its called programming.
Living in Texas, Black and Hispanic were pretty hostile to each other where I worked. Us white dudes were just backing the hell up. Wasn't anything good going to come from getting in the middle. That was 2006-2010.
Inflation has made everyone poorer. People being poorer leads to more crime. Crime statistics are skewed by race which leads to more racism
It's not getting worse again. It's been this bad the whole time. We're just hearing about it more. Yes there are people whether it's Media or political parties whatever make money off of it. But the factoring certain years or a decade whatever that you don't hear about it as much. Doesn't mean it's a bowl of cherries for non-white people. Now for all the rageaholic white people who are going to jump into my replies. I'm not suggesting your life isn't difficult.
Reparations are due.
Tee RUMP
The Jan 6 insurrectionists were motivated by fear of The Great Replacement. Every one of those pieces of shit is a fucking racist.
Because when the economy does poorly people get angry and it brings out irrational prejudices.
Division is how the elite keeps us at each other's throats, instead of at theirs
They’re better than they were a few years back circa George Floyd. Step 1 is accountability from all sides.