Why are people so apprehensive when I say things exactly the way they are? Why are people so afraid of hearing the truth?

My Anthropology class was discussing the war, etc...and I made a comment like, "It would help if the politicians as well as the entire American public could draw a clear distinction between 'Osama" and "Saddam' and 'Taliban' and 'Al Queida' but of course to certain groups in this country, the same way that 'all black people look and think alike', 'all arab people look and think alike'".

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't feel that making statements like that pin-point me as a bigot. Especially since not only did I use quotations with my hands while making those statements, but I also said that "certain groups" of people felt that way...and I said nothing about me. I had this fucking 50-something year old white woman (student, not professor) say that I'm racist for thinking that. I'm sorry, I just don't have a utopian view of society and how society functions. There is something definately wrong with a society that can't tell the difference between Colon Powell and any other person of color wearing a suit. Except so many people have gotten used to stupid rhetoric of that nature that we fail to see it even on our evening news, when Americans of Arab decent are asked how "their people" feel about a situation. It draws a horrifying similarity in my mind to media coverage in the days after Martin Luther King Jr's assaissination where many black mourners were being asked, "who now is going to lead YOUR people?". It's the same exact thing, and where even minute comments like that would seldom fly in "liberal" centers of American life today with regards to African-Americans, they are commonplace when addressing Arab culture as a whole. Hell, most people I've come into contact with don't realize that the words "Arab" and "Muslim" are not synonymous.

Does understanding these simple concepts make me racist? I think not. I just prefer not to cover my eyes and ears to them.

xposted to my LJ..wanted more feedback.

what is this thread about

Originally posted by 3Marlon3Brando
what is this thread about

stupid people and what is and is not appropriate to say about race/ethnic groups in the united states.

why do you think black people are stupid

ugh, i hate that. she totally missed what it was you were saying.

its always the older people in class who are irritating. why is that?

Hmm...i seem to remember you espousing the idea that it's ok to hate Jews as long as you're not putting them into ovens. Something to that effect. Given that sort of sentiment, I can see how your classmates might find you to be somewhat bigoted.

http://www.digitalend.com/pics/threadsucks.jpg

didnt even read your rant, but this thread is just asking for this pic :D

Originally posted by teh b0lly!!1
http://www.digitalend.com/pics/threadsucks.jpg

didnt even read your rant, but this thread is just asking for this pic :D

this is not funny...asshole

Originally posted by skippy
Hmm...i seem to remember you espousing the idea that it's ok to hate Jews as long as you're not putting them into ovens. Something to that effect. Given that sort of sentiment, I can see how your classmates might find you to be somewhat bigoted.

If I said that I was probably joking. I think it's stupid to hate any particular groub based on the actions of a few. I've never made off-color comments like that outside of netphoria.

Originally posted by tootsie
ugh, i hate that. she totally missed what it was you were saying.

its always the older people in class who are irritating. why is that?

she always lectures people on how we don't take our lives seriously and how we're ignorant because we're young, etc. i bite my lip every day because all i want to point out to her is that the rest of us didn't fuck up our lives for 30 years before we realized that a higher education was a good idea and that most of us are waiting to have kids until we know we can support them. she's such a stupid bitch. she's the one who sits in the very front row and center of a 300 person lecture hall and answers all of her questions with "Dr. Landsmann, according to the text on page___ the problem...." yadda yadda.

My friend Matt and I have resorted to pretending we're crack-addicts to make her start her rants. We're getting amused. It's an every day occurance to go into that class and hear me say to him (rather loudly), "Hey Matt- do you know where I can get some good smack? I need some to celebrate my new crack pipe?" etc.

Ugh. I hate her.

most people in america are stupid. i agree with all of your points. i don't have anything else to add.

i agree with you about the blacks