From: wung@puttgen.ee.gatech.edu (Peter Wung)
Subject: Re: Why do minority groups whine?
Reply-To: wung@puttgen.ee.gatech.edu
Organization: Sun Microsystems
Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1992 19:35:28 GMT

In article 23455@alice.att.com, jj@alice.att.com (jj, curmudgeon and clueless old white boy) writes:
>In article <T2b-FA-@engin.umich.edu> kamprath@caen.engin.umich.edu (Michael F. Kamprath) writes:
>
>
>>Probaly when someone comes up with a solid way of demonstrating to all of
>>America that the problems of the minorities are really problems for us all.
>
>Yes, yes, YES.  The way any "minority" is going to succeed in
>breaking down prejudice is by convicing the majority that
>there is an ADVANTAGE to not being prejudiced. Since that's
>true for almost any minority (I won't include psychopathic
>axe murderers, for instance), almost anywhere, that SHOULDN'T
>be hard.
>
>But.
>
>When all the rhetoric is "us vs. them" or "blame them, don't blame us"
>or whatever, it's going to be awfully hard to convince your
>average white boy otherwise. (Yes, this one is already long
>since convinced, but of coruse we know that Pak and Shaw claim
>that I'm the worst white thing since sliced blunder bread.)
>-- 
> Bush    *Copyright alice!jj 1992, all rights reserved, except transmission
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Well, look at the languages used in the US.  It is the MAJORITY this and the 
MINORITY that.  Is it any wonder that there is a us vs. them mentality going
on?  When the majority starts referring to EVERYONE as us, that is when the 
walls will breakdown.

I'll admit we have a siege mentality, but that is from talking to so many 
people who can't see the advantage of an open mind.  All they see is people 
taking advantage of their so-called charity.  What can I do to get through?  
I have tried reason, but I get into nitpicky arguments over semantics ; I 
have tried anecdotal experience, but my experience don't count because I 
am only one data point and lord knows they can find other data points to 
counter my story.  The method that works the best is to scream at the 
majority until they hear you.  True, they will get numbed to my screaming, 
then I will try something more outrageous to retain you attention, this can 
go on forever, but I don't want to make an idiot of myself everyday of my
life.  I will if I have to, but I hate it.  I have tried, but no one will
listen to the entire story without trying to refute everything.  The familiar 
response is: "What you have said is true, but....", when will the majority stop
using that word `but' when someone is trying to tell them about the minority
experience?

****************************************************************************
*Peter Wung				Email:wung@ee.gatech.edu	   * 
*Electric Power Laboratory		Snail mail: 33787 Ga. Tech Station * 
*School of Electrical Engineering		    Atlanta, GA 30332      *
*Georgia Institute of Technology				    	   *        *Atlanta, Georgia							   *
*   	"Pass, Set, CRUSH!"...						   * 
*  	Well, 2 out of 3 ain't bad for a short, fat guy.  		   *
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