OT-This is kind of controversial

[crazycanuck]

Hi,

I don't know much about the deep south of the US but I need some local thoughts on a certain news story. If you're in the south and can give me your thoughts on http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/7005866.stm please either PM or send me an email.

I'd just like some folks perspectives. Don't respond to this post as i know it's a heated topic & don't want to give our dear Snap a headache..

C

[SouthernBelle]

isolated. very isolated.

[CCinSC]

Sent you a private message.

[Trek420]

Hi,

I don't know much about the deep south of the US
C

I don't either. But I don't think racism and other 'isms are something one can pin on the South.

Check out this documentary about communities who united to stop hate and all in the North.

www.pbs.org/niot/about/niot1.html

Nor is the issue unique to the US. Ask the native people of Australia.

Hope TE though remains a hate-free zone.

[Eden]

Hope TE though remains a hate-free zone.

Interesting thing about the internet - you can reveal or not reveal as much as you want about yourself - race and sexual orientation can be as private or as public as you choose to make them.

[Trek420]

Interesting thing about the internet - you can reveal or not reveal as much as you want about yourself - race and sexual orientation can be as private or as public as you choose to make them.

But you've met me so you know I'm actually a FtM Bald Aboriginal Left Handed Muslim double amputee.

But that's also the thing about life in general. I've had people say things to my face that are discriminatory and not know that I'm a member of said group or have family that are. And I tell them "I don't find that funny" or "I'm offended by that" and sometimes get

"But you're not ______".

Well it does not matter if I am or not, or if my t-shirt says "I'm not Black but my great nephew is" and I'm not saying we all have to be so very painfully politically correct and can't joke or say anything.

But at some point we say as a society we're not havin' it. And yes, nooses, burning crosses....very frightening. And in school? If there is any student who does not know history they are not reading or learning enough.

My best friends uncle ran for his life to escape a mob, a friend, slower .... lost his. This is not ancient stuff.

I recall in Junior High School being called a "Dirty Jew" by another student so I know a bit of how it feels to have discrimination in school.

[Duck on Wheels]

I've been reading stuff about this case. It strikes me that the school administration has a lot to answer for. They could have dealt with the issue waaaay before it escalated, but instead they took the "Where's you sense of humor" track. Right. Like if half the student body wears brown shirts and swastikas to school one day and the Jewish, Roma, Polish, and Serbian kids complain, the way to handle it is "Where's your sense of humor?" Not.

Not that there's ever a good reason for beating someone senseless, mind you. But if you're running a high school, you need to know what and how to teach teens. That includes teaching some what's not funny, and teaching others how to respond to insults without going totally ballistic.

[Mr. Bloom]

PM sent

[Eden]

But you've met me so you know I'm actually a FtM Bald Aboriginal Left Handed Muslim double amputee.

But that's also the thing about life in general. I've had people say things to my face that are discriminatory and not know that I'm a member of said group or have family that are. And I tell them "I don't find that funny" or "I'm offended by that" and sometimes get

"But you're not ______".

Absolutely I agree with you there - not knowing if a person is a member of any certain group is no excuse to make rude jokes, discriminatory remarks etc. - but my idea is an internet community like this one does bring about an interesting situation - we are all very much like blind people here, we can't make a snap decision about anyone based on much more than their grammar if they don't choose to tell us - you could possibly be a person who does make judgements on others based on what they look like and find yourself becoming friends with a person that you may in physical life have prejudged as a person you wouldn't like - be it based on race, age, whether or not they ride a pink bike, have a big nose - whatever your personal biases happen to be.

Sure we still form impressions of people through their writing, but I do think that most people do tend to look at a person and decide how they think that person will act, what kind of person they will be before they really get to know them (and it doesn't have to be based on race, etc - just looking like that 3rd grade teacher you hated or resembling a favorite aunt can bias a person, against or in favor of a person before they even speak to that person). Most people can get past that initial judgement and allow themselves to get to know a person more indepth before they really decided if they like the person or not, but some people just can't get past that initial phase.

[Zen]

CC-
This story might give you more insight than the coverage you linked to
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070922/...ce_called_jena

[bmccasland]

Always sad to see my home state in the International news...

Ah Louisiana's reputation - where apparently racisim, larceny, poverty, greed, and other lovely attributes are known world wide.

the Jena thing - I live here (the state, not the town) and I still don't get it. There was a story in the local paper about someone asking the Feds to step in and investigate. Not sure what the next step will be.

The one lad who has been convicted, which was overturned, is still in jail.

I thought this was the 21st century, not the 1960's.

On the other hand, two white lads were arrested yesterday in a near by city (Alexandria) for having a noose hanging from their rearview mirror while they drove past some of the demonstrators. They were charged with inciting a riot.

[mimitabby]

On the other hand, two white lads were arrested yesterday in a near by city (Alexandria) for having a noose hanging from their rearview mirror while they drove past some of the demonstrators. They were charged with inciting a riot.

well, that was good news! (Their arrest, that is)