From: cortese@skid.ps.uci.edu (Janis Maria Cortese)
Subject: Re: How white America perceives African-Americans??!??
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american
Organization: University of California, Irvine
Date: 8 Jan 93 02:30:40 GMT


In article <1993Jan8.015052.23802@leland.Stanford.EDU> stefan@leland.Stanford.EDU (Stefan Michalowski) writes:
>Chad Glover asks:
>
>>I often wonder how white American perceives African-Americans. What do you
>>think? Here's what I seen most of the time.
>>1) White America believes African-Americans are out to take their jobs.
>
>    Many white Americans wish that this were so. They are sick of 
>    sitting at meetings and seeing the same old circle of pale
>    faces. To the extent that anyone likes to compete for a job 
>    (which isn't much of an extent, who does?), I don't think it
>    makes much difference to most whites what the color of the 
>    competition is.

I don't know about that.  Immigrants from the eastern European countries
are practically being welcomed here because they "fled political
oppression" and all that, but the Mexican and Puerto Rican immigrants
who come here are considered dirt, even when -- let's face it -- they
take jobs that no American kid I know would even want.

The bitching about AA that people are doing shows me that it matters
indeed what color the competition is. 

>>2) WA believes AfAms are out to take their women.
>  
>    They ARE out to take white women! And white men are out to take
>    black women! Face it, Chad, men want women in all possible color
>    permutations. This is not news to white people. Is it really news to you?
>    Sure there's a racial angle, but are black men any more comfortable
>    with a white man/black woman scenario than white men are about
>    the black man/white woman case?

Again, I don't know.  You can't say what holds for black people holds
for white people and vice versa; the two groups have such different
dynamics and have grown under such differing treatment.

Besides, rape was frequently levelled at black men whenever the
neighborhood crackers found a strong tree.  They are frequently
portrayed as these uncontrollable blobs of lust regards white women.  In
my neighborhood before I was born, two girls tried zipping down the
shore for the weekend, and used the excuse that "they were assaulted by
three black men" to get out of trouble when their parents got pissed at
them.  Other net.denizens are welcome to add to this, as I know that
there are other examples. 

Did you ever see "Blazing Saddles?"  Remember what Cleavon Little said
to piss off those two Klansmen with the smiley faces on their robes?  
Way on target.

>>3) WA believes AfAms shouldn't get Afirmitive Action because it is reverse
>>discrimination.
>
>    It IS reverse discrimination. The issue of race-based AA is dead,
>    dead, dead! Need-based AA enjoys the wide support of the majority
>    of the populace. That's not racism.

I'm in complete DISagreement, but people's opinions are so strongly held
here that I'm not going to beat this dead horse anymore. 

>>4) WA believes AfAms are criminals and only capable of criminal acts.
>
>    Look, pal, there are jerks in every racial category, but I know
>    hundreds of white people, and not one of them would agree with such
>    a ridiculous statement.

Look, buddy, watch TV and see a few movies.  Black men are always hoods
or comedy relief and black women are always hyper-PMS bitches.  Why else
do white people tense up when a black guy (especially when he's big and
built) walks toward them or gets into an elevator with them?  Come ON!
We act like they're damned time bombs!  I do it, and it pisses me off
when I do it!  If I can admit to it, why the hell can't everyone else?
It's impossible to grow up in this society without acting tense around
black people.  If you can honestly say you don't do that, you must have
grown up on Mars. 

And as far as agreeing with it, well nobody is going to come right out
and *say* it, except for the KKK and WAR.  How do people ACT?  I've
talked to lots of guys who say, "I just can't believe anyone would rape
somebody."  Means it doesn't happen, I guess. 

>>6) WA believes that everyone can "Pull themselves up by their own Bootstraps",
>>regardless of color.
>
>    Some people can, some can't. Life is pretty tough for everybody,
>    but it's even tougher if you're poor, or undereducated, or badly dressed,
>    or ugly, or fat, or stupid, or non-white, etc. EVERYBODY KNOWS THIS!

Yes . . . ?

>Chad, listen to me: I know your questions are rhetorical. You seem to
>think that "White America" hates blacks and won't do a thing until a gun
>is put to its head. I think you're wrong, although it would take too long
>to explain why. One thing I've learned from monitoring s.c.a.a. is that
>it's very, very hard for a white man to see the world through black eyes.
>What I submit to you is that the converse is true as well. You have a lot
>to learn about "White America". I suggest you take it from the top.

You have a lot to learn about how AfAm people perceive White America.
Don't dare accuse anyone else of ignorance until you repair your own, or
admit to it.  We ALL have a lot to learn about each other.

Regards,
Janis C.



Newsgroups: soc.culture.african.american