Philotic Web

Milwaukee is a very racially charged city. There have been several incidents that are tied to race relations since I moved here. I don't remember anywhere near this much racial tension when I lived in Minneapolis.

There was the incident at State Fair which lead to a Neo-Nazi rally in a suburb this weekend.

I was in Milwaukee for a wedding in the days after that State Fair incident, and yeah, suffice it to say the tension in the city was palpable.

These most recent events are just the latest in a long string of incidents that are racially charged. It's entirely possible that not all of the events are directly racially motivated. But, race seems to find its way into the discussion of nearly every such incident.

I can't find a link right now but several studies recently have found Milwaukee as one of the worst racially integrated cities in the U.S. I love this city, but it has a huge gap between the classes and the minority populations. There is a huge unemployment rate among black men, and the poor in our city are just getting poorer.

With tensions as high as they are I'm surprised the neo-nazi rally didn't turn into a race riot. Apparently with the number of police officers on site and the general attitude surrounding the event (businesses in the vacinity encouraged to say closed, boarding up windows of the city hall and surrounding buildings etc) everyone was on high alert and expectations were that this wouldn't remain peaceful.

I love that we live in a country where groups have the right to assemble lawfully and peacefully, even while I hate their message with a red hot burning hatred i normally reserve for racism, ignorance, coconut (I really can't get into coconut, but that's another thread.) And people who chew loudly.

(I wrote this post on my phone. Sorry for any typos)

*sigh*

Stuff like this disappoints me so much. How can human beings be so ignorant?

Trying to preserve/protect the American way of life, my backside.

Arizona's AG is also petitioning the Justice Department to allow Arizona to take away (brown) people's voting rights.

Trying to preserve/protect the American way of life, my backside.

Arizona's AG is also petitioning the Justice Department to allow Arizona to take away (brown) people's voting rights.

Horne needed a sequel to his bestseller, It's My State and I Can Ban Learning If I Want To.


Chris linked to this one thing, 50 Worst States, or something and when I saw it, I was convinced AZ would win. Yes, my state is xenophobic and racist and sadly, that's exactly what the majority of voters want.

Groups protest Muslim prayers at Toronto public school

Which has led to:

Tempers flare over prayer in schools

To summarize, the controversy is about a public middle school in Toronto where the student population is 80% Muslim. Rather than have all these kids go to the local for weekly prayers, which is disruptive and even dangerous (400 kids crossing busy streets), the school is allowing prayer sessions to be held on site.

The problem is of course that this is a public school and this accommodation can be regarded has granting preferential treatment to a particular faith. What's the best course of action here?

I never quite got the ban on prayer in public schools anyway. Teacher-led prayers in the classroom and such wouldn't definitely be a problem. But if a group of students want to assemble for prayer, I don't see why the school can't let them have a place on-site for it. If they allowed other faiths room to pray on school grounds, would that be okay?

Also, my high school had a Christian Bible/music club that met on campus. I came from a pretty religious area, so no one ever complained about it (though a fair number of students thought it was weird). Would that be considered a religious endorsement or preferential treatment in other places?

Also, my high school had a Christian Bible/music club that met on campus. I came from a pretty religious area, so no one ever complained about it (though a fair number of students thought it was weird). Would that be considered a religious endorsement or preferential treatment in other places?

I suppose it would be.

I'm at least glad that the issue in this case doesn't seem to be an anti-Muslim sentiment but more of a concern about equal treatment. The thing is that equal doesn't always mean fair.

Also, my high school had a Christian Bible/music club that met on campus. I came from a pretty religious area, so no one ever complained about it (though a fair number of students thought it was weird). Would that be considered a religious endorsement or preferential treatment in other places?

Not under United States law.

Hmmm. I was hoping there would be some Troy Davis discussion going on somewhere in this forum, since I didn't really follow it - yet don't understand the sentence and how much of a factor race played in it.

Hmmm. I was hoping there would be some Troy Davis discussion going on somewhere in this forum, since I didn't really follow it - yet don't understand the sentence and how much of a factor race played in it.

Oh yeah, I was also curious about this. I hadn't even heard about until the day he was given the death penalty, so I'm really lost in terms of, um, the entire thing.

Never heard of the guy outside of this thread. *shrug*

I find this juxtaposition of articles simultaneously satisfying, depressing, and infuriating.

Trying to convince people that virgin-rape doesn't cure AIDS
Men finally feeling the shame of rape

Please tell me it's not too much to hope that the awful events of the second article lead to a bit of empathy and a reduction in the awful events of the first?

(My feelings on this are so conflicted and I'm not exactly proud to feel a twinge of "see? not very nice, is it?" towards these men. Please no one remind me what an awful human being I am, I will never ever condone rape in any circumstances.)

So, I have a couple stories of people being deathly afraid of me at night... Sure, you should be cautious walking by anyone at 12 AM in the morning, even if the road runs by a private university.

...However, you don't have endanger yourself by avoiding me by walking in the street. -_-
And guy, you were the one wearing the hoodie, as well as taller than me. So, shouldn't I have been the one afraid of you?

And random girl, it was like 8 PM and there were like a ton of people behind you. That scared look on your face...seriously?

"You're going to Emory" Oh, and yes shuttle driver, Emory is where we are trying to get back to; it's our destination. It says Emory on the different sides of the bus, we didn't mistakenly get on the wrong one. I'd let it pass...if we weren't the only ones you asked that.

Yes random fratbro barring the entrance to the party, I do go to Emory. I'll give you all the benefit of a doubt, maybe you guys ask that to everyone trying to get in. I'll pay attention to what you say to the person ahead of us next time.

Me: Would you be afraid of me at night?
Female Friend: Yeah. You're wearing that beanie!
Me: It's freezing cold! v.v

Maybe you're just a scary looking guy.

I'm a young black man but no one ever seems to be afraid of me. Then again, I'm not out at night much, except during the summer when I go on bike rides just before dawn. I make a point of never lingering in front of anyone's house just in case they looked out the window and are alarmed by the sight of a strange black man on a bike outside their home at 5:00am.

On a semi-related note, ever since high school I've been tempted to make eye contact with a cop and then run, just to see what happens.

Also, Jason, you are in Canada and we know Americans are taught to be more afraid of everything and everyone.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/rel ... le2248483/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And I'll add "or bikinis, in the case of beach volleyball" to this.

I think I'd rather be unrecognised outside of my niche than be forced into "sexy" clothes to sell my sport.

Maybe you're just a scary looking guy.

I'm a young black man but no one ever seems to be afraid of me. Then again, I'm not out at night much, except during the summer when I go on bike rides just before dawn. I make a point of never lingering in front of anyone's house just in case they looked out the window and are alarmed by the sight of a strange black man on a bike outside their home at 5:00am.

On a semi-related note, ever since high school I've been tempted to make eye contact with a cop and then run, just to see what happens.

Lol I'm not scary looking. C'mon, would you be afraid of this guy


To be fair, the road I walk along isn't directly on campus. And, Atlanta is one of the cities with the highest black population. So, the chances of me being a random person from the city is higher than the chance of me being the small percentage of black students from my college. Especially considering that fact that two random homeless black teens from the city have been caught sleeping in my dorm's study lounges - I was present on both occasions.
http://www.neighborhoodscout.com/ga/atlanta/crime/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Puts Atlanta as only safer than 2% of the cities in the whole U.S. I don't know how accurate it is.
But, I would like to reiterate, everyone has a right to be afraid of anyone late at night. (plus, I prolly look alot more menacing in my jacket)
And hey, even I get slightly nervous walking past black people that I would guess don't go to my university. I'm not immune to the prejudice lol

However, for the most part I'm unafraid of anyone walking back late at night. I feed off people's fears, like some kind of cliche demon monster.
I take comfort in the fact that most people I pass will be way more afraid of me than I would ever be of them. It makes me laugh. And why would I ever be afraid of someone afraid of me... as long as I don't pay them any attention, make any sudden movements and get pepper sprayed? lol

And yes Neodragon, you should totally do that. And let us know what happens. Come back here, and describe the experience. I always wondered if I'd be able to outrun police...

Also, Jason, you are in Canada and we know Americans are taught to be more afraid of everything and everyone.

We're just taught to be afraid of different things. In Canada (well, especially Winnipeg), if you're Native, you're scary/arrestable.

What does Native mean? Native what?

Native = Aboriginal, First Nations. I guess you`d call them Native Americans.

Do they look like our version of Native Americans?

I guess so? They don't all look the same, but they don't look white.

Well, right, I meant general skin tone and facial features. And I don't think I've ever been in an area with a large enough Native American population to see prejudice against them.

Also, Jason, you are in Canada and we know Americans are taught to be more afraid of everything and everyone.

We're just taught to be afraid of different things. In Canada (well, especially Winnipeg), if you're Native, you're scary/arrestable.

I don't think I even know any natives. There're like the only ethic group that's actually rare in the greater Toronto area.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/rel ... le2248483/

And I'll add "or bikinis, in the case of beach volleyball" to this.

I think I'd rather be unrecognised outside of my niche than be forced into "sexy" clothes to sell my sport.

I pretty sure they don't wear bikinis or mini-skirts in women's hockey.

Yeah, there was a good bit of prejudice in ND, too, when it came to Native Americans/American Indians. So, I'm not surprised about Manitoba.

That was the largest minority population in a very, very white state. (4.9% of the population.) A lot of really blatant racism was really sensitized and activated due to the issue regarding UND's team name, the Fighting Sioux. Students threw eggs and defaced a teepee that was on campus for the annual powwow. Etc. Multiple incidents of harassment and other problems on campus.

Eventually, the NCAA is going to force them to change the name. They've been pushing for years, UND failed to get approval of the nearby tribes, it's freaking over. But they just won't quit trying to keep it. (It's over, people. Move on.) But there's a long, long, long story involved including accepting money from a corrupt man with a weird clause in his will that I'm not going to get into.

And there were other sources of prejudice, too. ND drove me a bit nuts, that way having lived before I moved back in areas that were largely Latino or black. Everyone in ND THINKS that they're not prejudiced and are a bit holier-than-thou in that way. But, the truth is, they have no clue if they are or aren't -- and I would bet very strongly that they have similar prejudices to everywhere else in the country, being human -- because they have no reason to expand their horizons or interact with people of other races in general. People in areas with larger minority populations strike me as a hell of a lot more honest with themselves. In fact, I wonder if ND folks aren't more likely to be scared of other races, as having one bad experience with a member of another race is not counterbalanced by positive experiences. When I was in Memphis, I got robbed by a black man. However, my beloved advisor, my colleagues at a local neighborhood organization, various people I interacted with daily were also black, and so I didn't attribute the incident to race. I think that would be harder in an area that is SOOOO white.

Speaking of college, Cezen, oh my gosh, Emory sounds so much like Rhodes. And not in a good "yay private school!" way. It was a running joke that security guards would let in without stopping anyone with the secret password -- waving at them while being white. (Particularly female and white.)

Everyone in ND THINKS that they're not prejudiced and are a bit holier-than-thou in that way. But, the truth is, they have no clue if they are or aren't

This is probably me. Alaska is not exactly diverse. But, being a migrant, I don't have the anti-native prejudice a lot of people up there have. For the record, there is a major distinction between eskimos and Native Americans in Alaska. Don't confuse them.

My high school class had three black boys (a basketball player, a cheerleader, and a pianist), a couple black girls, less than five Asians (all of whom were smart and played classical instruments--stereotypes much?), a couple eskimos, two Russians (Old Believers), and maybe two Native Americans. The rest of us were white. I don't recall any outright racism, which makes it really easy to think that none of us were racist. My roommate who grew up in an Atlanta suburb had full-on self-segregation in her high school and every racial stereotype in the book.

My high school class of around 180 students had maybe two african american kids and no other minorities. This suburb/rural area of upstate NY is very white.

We can call off the search; we've found Waldo. He's a bit darker than I originally thought but I'm pretty sure Jesus was, too, so it's all good.

I saw this on my Facebook feed today and thought it very worth sharing. The responses he links to on the last page are amazing.

This thread is great lately! I really enjoyed the post, Shannon. Thanks for sharing!

Meanwhile, any of you Americans who feel prompted to write their senators(?) ought to, because this is just unbelievable: http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_19413004" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We can call off the search; we've found Waldo. He's a bit darker than I originally thought but I'm pretty sure Jesus was, too, so it's all good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a34k-DrO ... re=related" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This thread is great lately! I really enjoyed the post, Shannon. Thanks for sharing!

Yeah, there's been so much food for thought in this thread in recent days that I was considering saving this for later: Interracial Couple banned from Kentucky Church

I saw that yesterday. Way to "promote unity", folks.