Re: [UUPoly-L] Racism vs. classism

["David VanHorn" <dvanhorn@microbrix.com>]

> Yeah, that's always been my point too.  As a general principle, I avoid
> conversations about racism because most people just don't want to hear about
> the fact that racism is not confined to whites.


True.  As I'm fond of saying, "assholes come in all colors."




> Personally, I don't care about a person's skin color any more then their
> hair or eye color.  I feel it is your words and actions that show who you
> are.  Anyone that judges based on race, for good or ill, regardless of the
> races involved, is a racist.


Exactly.   I do wish that everyone could see that.
It's always struck me as odd that it's ok to have scholarships based on
race, as long as it's not white.  I'd prefer to do away with ALL racially
based scholarships.




>  Why are the majority of Americans, even those working at "good" jobs, too
> poor to afford to be sick?


That's the boat we're in at the moment.



> Why do we work longer hours, for less pay, with less benefits and less
> vacation
> then most of the industiralized world?


Hmm.. Well from where I'm at, virtually unemployed for the last 14 months,
I'm anxiously hoping to get back on that treadmill, but you're right, the
europeans don't beat themselves to death quite as hard as we do.



> The point is that racism, like sexism or religous wars, are a great way to
> keep the populous busy hating each other,


And there are quite a number of people out there who make their living by
"solving" those problems.  If they were to actually solve the problem
though, they wouldn't have a job any longer.. So, far better to keep people
stirred up, and keep those contributions coming.
There's a lot of money in telling people who to hate.



> Just a final note, I'm not denying the existence of prejudice of all
> sorts, certainly it exists.  Ignoring it won't make it go away.


Absolutely, but it's not the systemic thing that it used to be.
My grandmother, who I loved dearly, was a true racist.
She just about had a cow when she found out that there was a black woman
buried next to grandpa.  Grandpa wouldn't have cared at all, but she was
LIVID.  Demanded that mom take her up to the office, where she told them
that "them people ought to have their own place"...

Now that's a racist.  Fortunately, those beliefs were NOT passed down, and
they died with her.
I guess the world that she grew up in was like that. Fortunately that's not
my experience.


> If we let ourselves get Balkinized into groups based on race or gender or
> whatever, we lose the strength we could have while united.  Dr. King dreamed
> of a nation where all people, regardless of race or religion or sex could
> stand together as brothers and sisters.  I
> dream of a world like that.


ME TOO!



But, we've drifted away from the topic of poly, so let me DRRRRRAG this back
on topic by saying that the only reason that there isn't anyone
non-caucasian in my boquet, is that I just haven't met the right person
yet.   But my heart is open. :)