Topic : 10/01 Jena 6 Continues

The scary thing about your post is that you combine very small semi-truths with some sad arguments.  You look look at a very small picture and base your whole argument on it. If you can't stand seeing "one more person crying out and rallying...," why would you click on the Jenna 6 board?  Sounds like you just wanted to vent, which is your right, but from what you write, you seem to go all over. I have been on myspace and several other places like it, and most often, you have to type in what you WANT to find.....Hello....When I am tired or weary of something, I don't search it out......

I am sorry, but calling someone "white" does not have the same connotations as calling someone "colored." All minorities are not referred to as colored, only black people. What is behind it is important, whether you like it or not. And as far as nobody saying anything for fear of offending, that is b.s. And do you not see that your post is not only high and mighty, but also negative, the very thing you say is what will bring you the same in response?

Lastly, I am again sorry, but the world, at least here in the states, DOES pretty much evolve around us whites......Despite your sad little example, (which by the way has been tossed around for years so it is not even a unique or new argument...) about the job situation, there is NOT an equal playing field out there. As far as your "MY GOSH DOES IT EVER END?" statement Sure, when people take off their rose-colored glasses and see things for how they really are and address them intelligently.

Again, if you can't stand things, quit searching them out.

No, I can't stand seeing all the cry babies out there rallying for the freedom of Jenna 6,  if the coin was flipped in the other direction...those same idiots would demand justice and the full sentence for the white boys.  You can't handle the truth therefore you refuse to see the truth for what it is.  My arguments are sad in your eyes because once again the truth hurts.  I clicked on the Jenna board because "message boards" are a place to voice your opinion, I did just that.  Just because I can't stand hearing about this junk doesn't mean it isn't happening.  As far as MYSPACE...it's not a search engine like google or yahoo.  If you had friends on myspace who post different videos and topics on their profile then Im sure you would run into the materials such as I have. Your only response is...."don't search it out", "quit searching it out"....blah blah blah.  Calling someone white is no different then calling someone black.  There seems to be a difference because if you call someone black........they call out racism........You seem to be to the only one wearing rose-colored glasses and they are so fogged up that you have decided to jump on the bandwagon and pretend that the world is so hard on the blacks.  The wrong band wagon I might add.

Your statement "I can't stand hearing about this junk.....doesn't mean it isn't happening'" does not make any sense, nor does it address what I said. If you are so sick of it, stop searching it out was my point. Yes, you can voice your opionion. But you are the one claiming you are tired of it yet according to how you posted you do seem to search it out. You are the one who brough up other areas, not just  myspace. Remember? It's everywhere one turns you said. (and by the way, I do have friends and family on myspace, including myself.) It is as if you are gathering "proof" to back yourself up.

As far as having rose-colored glasses, sorry. I live in a big city, and I see it every day. I have shopped with black friends, and they are followed around and yet with such close scrutiny, ignored when they are ready to check out or have questions. They have had their purses or bags checked, yet mine remain unchecked. I have lived in several apartment complexes where there are numerous vacancies, but have SEEN AND HEARD  caretakers or owners tell blacks there are none available then turn around when a white person shows up (sometimes half and hour later.)  I even had one tell me that "if any blacks show up, tell them we are full." I turned them in, and would again. I have seen parents make their kids in parks stay away from black kids, hearing them say they should play with their own.....In 2007!  I have heard people actually claim that blacks just don't have the same intelligence as whites....(my favorite) The list goes on. Does it happen everywhere by everyone? No. But with these things still going on, not too hard to get why blacks are mistrustful and even hateful.

Are there black people who have bad behavior? Sure. Should they be punished, yes, as anyone else would be. Do I get pissed off when I am lumped together with  racist idiots solely because I am white? Sure. (see other posts) But you can't change things if you don't address the past, and the past of these issues is ugly, and not that far back as people seem to think. Some are still going strong.

As I said in earlier posts, the attitudes of  black people ARE understandable. Do they justify violence or unfair stereotypes?  No, and not once did I claim that in any post. My posts are directed toward specific posters, it is called DIALOG. Unfortunately, that does not seem possible.

See, my problem is that voicing an opinion is one thing. However, it is the form of which one does so. Most of what I see on this board is justifying of bad attitudes and spewing, and instead of simply voicing opinions, it has become a voicing of hatred. A few tired examples are used over and over to justify those 'opinions.'

And the issue was not calling someone "black." It was calling them "colored." And whether you like it or not, the connotations of that is very different than calling someone "white." Check history books. And history does play a role in these issues, no matter how hard people try to blow it off. And I did not speak of the whole world, just the United States.....if you are going to take me to task, take me to task correctly.

Oh, nice to know the band-wagon police is going strong......well, I better go wipe off my glasses....getting kind of foggy in here.....I look forward to your next lashing. Have a great day!

based on what  I looked at in US law it's a bit confusing as to it being a crime.

In one instance it says an act of intimidation motivated by race and in another it states it must be  a "CRIME" in order to even be a hate crime.

So I am a bit confused about this being a crime. It was clearly an act of intimidation and the kids should be punished, but it's not a crime to put a noose in a tree down there is it?

From the limited information I was able to find, in this case the nooses weren't a hate crime because of the ages of the boys involved. The FBI DOES investigate the hanging of nooses as hate crimes, but what the exact requirements are to consider it a crime, I do not know.

My point to the original poster was that there is NO other reason to hang a noose from a tree other than racial motivation. It is a clear and well-known symbol of racial intimidation and threat. There is no way around that.

While personality disorders traditionally have been conceptualized only in adults, it is not uncommon to encounter children and adolescents with the classic diagnostic signs. Youngsters with personality disorders may come across as strikingly arrogant, defiant, and manipulative, yet their demeanor typically masks devastating experiences of vulnerability and pain.  Some of my favorite books that provide a great introduction and insight are: 

Treating Personality Disorders in Children and Adolescents:  A Relational Approach by Efrain Bleiberg OR Without Conscience:  The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us by Robert Hare

Why is it Always About You?:  The Seven Deadly Sins of Narcissism by Sandy Hotchkiss AND Emotional Blackmail:  When the People in Your Life Use Fear, Obligation and Guilt to Manipulate You by Susan Forward OR The Angry Heart by Joseph Santoro and Ronald Cohen

Aggression in Personality Disorders and Perversions by Otto Kernberg OR The Psychology of Lust Murder:  Paraphilia, Sexual Killing, and Serial Homicide by Catherine Purcell and Bruce Arrigo

Getting Help:  The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Self-Assessment and Treatment of Mental Health Problems by Jeffrey Wood OR Healing Anxiety and Depression (7 types of anxiety and depression) by Daniel Amen and Lisa Routh

How to Journal for Therapy:

http://arar.essortment.com/therapyjournali_repu.htm 

The best hope for prevention of personality disorders in children lies with parents and other caregivers who are close to children during the early preschool years. Parents must be able to demonstrate empathy and validation in their interactions with the child and with each other. They must also be able to show that they love their children for who they are, not for their appearance, their achievements or their ability to win affection.  And they must focus their parenting efforts on meeting the child's changing needs as he or she matures through the different levels of emotional development during childhood, adolescence and into adulthood.

Hope it helps! 

In general, we don't learn much about healthy communication skills and interaction techniques in school or in our culture.  The only way we learn how to communicate and interact in relationships as adults is by what we see in our homes as we are growing up. 

HOW TO TREAT OTHERS (including family members): 

1.  Be kind, think kind thoughts, and use kind words

2.  Be gentle

3.  Take turns, be fair and share

4.  Be polite

5.  Care about others

6.  Be helpful

7.  Listen attentively  

8.  Respect the thoughts and feelings of others

9.  Give encouragement 

10. Cooperate with others

10a. Set healthy boundaries and be a worthy confidant

How to get posters for your family:

www.teachchildren.com/0768213932.html  

If you grew up in a family where you had to yell to be heard or acknowledged, while your partner grew up in a family where emotional outbursts were ignored or not tolerated, your divergent communication and interaction styles are going to get in the way of your long-term healthy bonding (with your partner and others). 

Hope it helps!

Personally I am beginning to think that the town of Jena could benefit from a "truth and reconciliation" commission similar to what they had in South Africa and Greensboro, North Carolina. There are 2 perceptions of the town. The white majority population sees no problem whatever except for "outsiders" coming in and stirring things up (boy does this sound familiar...freedom rides.) The African-American population sees inherent racism and justice weighted in favor of whites and the upper economic class. It is obvious that there is an extreme amount of tension in the town and the nooses and the subsequent beating were symptoms of that tension that was waiting for any spark to set off an explosion.