Stop blaming Blacks!

[OldWiseGuy]

That has nothing to do with any thing I or E.J. said.

You can't have too much information about a topic.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

White is just as much as a color as black, brown, or anything else.

LaBella indicated that she is not white in color.

 

[bèlla]

I never would have guessed that you are a woman of color.

You’re not the first.

~Bella

 

[Strathos]

White is just as much as a color as black, brown, or anything else.

If you want to get super pedantic about it, only albinos are really 'white'.

 

[Tom 1]

It's the Western Values and Principles and many centuries of slavery and discrimination that made them who they are right now.

It's far too convenient to just blame them than make an effort to understand.

They used to be them:

I’ve put on a bit of weight recently, is there anyone out there I can blame for that?

 

[bèlla]

I’ve put on a bit of weight recently, is there anyone out there I can blame for that?

• You could cite inequality in health care; notably behavioral medicine.
• Lack of access to a gym or the means to receive direct instruction from a fitness coach.
• Lack of resources for nutritional food or residence in a food desert.
• Limited cooking skills (or don’t you prepare your food) and the means to purchase prepared meals.
• The presence of comorbidities (conditions or medicine) which exacerbate your problem and hinder weight loss.
• Fear of failure and the need for counseling and support throughout the process.

I made this up. But they’re realistic challenges some could reference. Nevertheless, the choice to continue down that path is equally culpable.

~Bella

 

[Tom 1]

• You could cite inequality in health care; notably behavioral medicine.
• Lack of access to a gym or the means to receive direct instruction from a fitness coach.
• Lack of resources for nutritional food or residence in a food desert.
• Limited cooking skills (or don’t you prepare your food) and the means to purchase prepared meals.
• The presence of comorbidities (conditions or medicine) which exacerbate your problem and hinder weight loss.
• Fear of failure and the need for counseling and support throughout the process.

I made this up. But they’re realistic challenges some could reference. Nevertheless, the choice to continue down that path is equally culpable.

~Bella

True! I just thought the way the OP is titled left it open to jokes.

 

[Ken-1122]

If you want to get super pedantic about it, only albinos are really 'white'.

Everybody who looks at me will say I am either Black or African American, because my ancestors were victims of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Though I was born in the United States, I’ve never been to Africa so if you want to get super pedantic about it you wouldn’t call me African American; and because my skin color is closer to brown than black; if you want to get super pedantic about it you wouldn’t call me black either.
The reason I made the point that white is just as much as a color as black or brown is due to the racist history of the term “people of color” the term was invented by racists who was looking for a way to separate white people from everybody else, and though the term did go out of circulation for a time, it was reintroduced around 40 or so years ago by more racists to separate white people from everybody else. I don’t like the term due to it’s history and don’t like the fact that in the America it has become a part of everyday vernacular thus my comment.
Hope that clears everything up

 

[Ken-1122]

You can't have too much information about a topic.

I would hardly call that new information

 

[Ken-1122]

I never would have guessed that you are a woman of color.

Why?

 

[bèlla]

Why?

He meant no offense in his comment. Nor was it racially charged. Given the limitations of this medium and the details we disclose it’s difficult to pinpoint ethnicity with accuracy.

Nor was it evident in my remarks, vernacular, or topics of interest. Most of my hobbies and experiences are commonly shared with another group. Overwhelmingly so.

It’s understandable why he’d surmise the same. That’s the demographic.

~Bella

 

[Evan Jellicoe]

The reason I made the point that white is just as much as a color as black or brown is due to the racist history of the term “people of color” the term was invented by racists who was looking for a way to separate white people from everybody else, and though the term did go out of circulation for a time, it was reintroduced around 40 or so years ago by more racists to separate white people from everybody else. I don’t like the term due to it’s history and don’t like the fact that in the America it has become a part of everyday vernacular thus my comment.
Hope that clears everything up

Good point, although it is worth pointing out that "people of color" is now considered a benign term, not a put-down. Still, I recall that when I was younger, forms that asked for "race" would give two choices: white or non-white. As I think about that now, I see that it implies "pure" vs. "not pure." By that thinking, any mixture at all of "impure" blood made one impure. That was the principle behind the Jim Crow laws that specified that even "one drop" of "black blood" made one black. Therefore a man with, say, 1/32 slave ancestry (one black great, great, great grandparent), living in the South in 1930 and living as a white man, could be outed and effectively exiled if that tiny fraction of "blackness" became known.

I don't see any way around this problem except by ignoring "race" entirely, but America isn't ready for that yet. There are still systemic problems that need to be solved as long as there are large disparities in the way we treat apparently white and apparently black individuals. So we will have to endure for a while longer the spectacle of some people with 1/4 "black" blood being called "black" while another person with 1/4 "white" blood is not going to be called "white."

 

[Ken-1122]

He meant no offense in his comment. Nor was it racially charged. Given the limitations of this medium and the details we disclose it’s difficult to pinpoint ethnicity with accuracy.

Nor was it evident in my remarks, vernacular, or topics of interest. Most of my hobbies and experiences are commonly shared with another group. Overwhelmingly so.

It’s understandable why he’d surmise the same. That’s the demographic.

~Bella

I know; I just wanted to see him explain (LOL)

 

[Ken-1122]

Good point, although it is worth pointing out that "people of color" is now considered a benign term, not a put-down. Still, I recall that when I was younger, forms that asked for "race" would give two choices: white or non-white. As I think about that now, I see that it implies "pure" vs. "not pure." By that thinking, any mixture at all of "impure" blood made one impure. That was the principle behind the Jim Crow laws that specified that even "one drop" of "black blood" made one black. Therefore a man with, say, 1/32 slave ancestry (one black great, great, great grandparent), living in the South in 1930 and living as a white man, could be outed and effectively exiled if that tiny fraction of "blackness" became known.

I don't see any way around this problem except by ignoring "race" entirely, but America isn't ready for that yet. "

I think a better way around this problem would be by treating everybody equally regardless of race. Continued use of a term that segregates one race from all others is not equal treatment.

 

[bèlla]

I know; I just wanted to see him explain (LOL)

I didn’t want to put him on the spot.

“Blackness” or its absence is still a topic of derision. Its supposed to reenforce cultural identity but its really pigeonholing.

~Bella

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Everybody who looks at me will say I am either Black or African American, because my ancestors were victims of the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Though I was born in the United States, I’ve never been to Africa so if you want to get super pedantic about it you wouldn’t call me African American; and because my skin color is closer to brown than black; if you want to get super pedantic about it you wouldn’t call me black either.
The reason I made the point that white is just as much as a color as black or brown is due to the racist history of the term “people of color” the term was invented by racists who was looking for a way to separate white people from everybody else, and though the term did go out of circulation for a time, it was reintroduced around 40 or so years ago by more racists to separate white people from everybody else. I don’t like the term due to it’s history and don’t like the fact that in the America it has become a part of everyday vernacular thus my comment.
Hope that clears everything up

Ken-1122 doesn't like the term...noted.

 

[bèlla]

I think a better way around this problem would be by treating everybody equally regardless of race. Continued use of a term that segregates one race from all others is not equal treatment.

Race is one form of differentiation. It receives more attention due to slavery and the Civil Rights movement. Wealth is another. Its continuance is dependent on the promotion of ideals (namely the American Dream) which they never follow.

The third is more discreet and subtle in its application. But the ripples are deeply felt. Class receives little notice. Most attribute the philosophy to Britain and assume we evolved beyond its reach. That’s trickle down economics in the flesh and a hallmark of privilege and its spoils.

The disparities are glaring and right in our face. But few notice them. The masses are fed unwholesome morsels (food, entertainment, ideals, hobbies) and the other dines on delicacies (opera, theater, ballet, etc.). If you compare the difference refinement is the tipping point.

Watch a major sporting event and pay attention to the messages reenforced through ads and commercials. Then do the same with another like golf or horse racing and notice the differences in tone, imagery, and subject. Wholesomeness is a constant.

Look at the body language of the spectators. That’s most telling. It’s a snapshot of Veblen’s Leisure Class. Whenever society directs your attention in one direction. You ought to question what’s occurring elsewhere.

As the magician proves, the slight of the hand is a masterful tactic of shifting our focus to less important matters. It doesn’t minimize the gravity of discrimination. But it removes the greater threat from our sight and conscience.

If we recognized the tentacles which reenforce our inferiority. We’d direct our efforts where they belong. This is a distraction. Brilliantly maintained.

~Bella

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Why?

La Bella's posts, as well as the various avatars she uses, have never given me the impression that she was a person of color. I think that people of color are a smaller minority here than in the general population so unless it's revealed I assume the poster is white.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

Race is one form of differentiation. It receives more attention due to slavery and the Civil Rights movement. Wealth is another. Its continuance is dependent on the promotion of ideals (namely the American Dream) which they never follow.

The third is more discreet and subtle in its application. But the ripples are deeply felt. Class receives little notice. Most attribute the philosophy to Britain and assume we evolved beyond its reach. That’s trickle down economics in the flesh and a hallmark of privilege and its spoils.

The disparities are glaring and right in our face. But few notice them. The masses are fed unwholesome morsels (food, entertainment, ideals, hobbies) and the other dines on delicacies (opera, theater, ballet, etc.). If you compare the difference refinement is the tipping point.

Watch a major sporting event and pay attention to the messages reenforced through ads and commercials. Then do the same with another like golf or horse racing and notice the differences in tone, imagery, and subject. Wholesomeness is a constant.

Look at the body language of the spectators. That’s most telling. It’s a snapshot of Veblen’s Leisure Class. Whenever society directs your attention in one direction. You ought to question what’s occurring elsewhere.

As the magician proves, the slight of the hand is a masterful tactic of shifting our focus to less important matters. It doesn’t minimize the gravity of discrimination. But it removes the greater threat from our sight and conscience.

If we recognized the tentacles which reenforce our inferiority. We’d direct our efforts where they belong. This is a distraction. Brilliantly maintained.

~Bella

"One will sail through calmer waters if one charts their own course." -OldWiseGuy

 

[bèlla]

La Bella's posts, as well as the various avatars she uses, have never given me the impression that she was a person of color. I think that people of color are a smaller minority here than in the general population so unless it's revealed I assume the poster is white.

I posted Kanye’s Christian music. What more do you want!

~Bella