Quote From: nina_pi guess it's easy to tell black people to get over it when you don't have to deal with ignorant racism and stereotypes everyday. i personally don't think white people could handle it. it is a fact that you are automatically privelaged simply because of the skin you're in...believe it or not. i am black...born and raised in a middle-upper middle class areas all my life. at one point my parent's bought a couple of acres and had a huge custom home built on it. do you know that some ignorant white person had the nerve to ask me "how did your parents get that house". of course being that we are black we are supposed to be poor and on welfare so something is clearly wrong with this picture.
imagine going into a department store...again i'm black so i am automatically a theif so i have to deal with being followed around by store personnel because i am going to steal something. or you get the other extreme...sales personnel completely ignore you. one day i was at the Coach counter at Macy's, two sales people were standing there chatting. i walk up make eye contact and wait for one to ask if i needed help. they ignored me. i walked around the counter and browsed for about ten minutes just waiting to see how long it would take for them to acknowledge me. not that this matters but i was carrying a Coach bag so you would think that they would be tring to get some commission...but i never got a offer of help. then a white woman walks up and it took about half a second for her to be offered some assistance. needless to say i had a talk with the store manager.
and more importantly...it's a fact that we are not on even playing fields. i have to be better and work harder to get the same job a less qualified white person will get. white people get the benefit of the doubt...we ALWAYS have to prove ourselves.
in closing...i will "get over it" when i start getting treated like every other tax paying american and stopped being prejudged based on the color of my skin. if you want to judge me by the car i drive, how i dress, by the way i act...fine. i have no problem with that. just don't prejudge me based on negative and ignorant stereotypes.
I have to respond to this. I first want to state that anyone who would ask how you got your house is just an ignorant person and not worthy of your attention. There are ignorant people of all colors, this is nothing new, but I wish they would keep their mouths shut. I have to deal with ignorant people all of the time even though I am a white upper middle class woman. The only difference is the situation.
I too have been ignored in the past from rude salespeople. Again, I am a white upper middle class woman. I happened to be in Palm Springs one day, I actually used to live there, but this is before. I had a job, plenty of money in my bank account, and bought only designer clothes. I had stopped at a little boutique to purchase a dress that I saw in the window. Because I was wearing jeans and was young, I couldn't get someone to wait on me to save my life. I finally just left the store and never went back. My father went through this all of the time also. He built golf courses for a living and at the end of the day he was dirty and a bit disheveled. So many times he could not get service to purchase anything. What the "ignorant" salespeople never knew was that he always carried about $5,000. in cash in his pocket and had thousands in his bank account. It was their loss, he took his business elsewhere. He may have looked scruffy after a days work, but he was very well paid for that work. VERY well paid!!!!!!!!
What I have learned over the years is that I get better service by how I present myself when I am in a store. It's not right, not by any means. When I'm all "fixed" up, wearing my jewelry, better shoes, blouse, etc. I have to beat the sales clerks off with a stick. If I go in without makeup, wearing tennis shoes, and keep jewelry to a minimum, I can't get any help at all. This happens to all of us!
I have to add another layer to this. Again, this is so wrong! But someone who is overweight will not get the same attention as someone who is slender and more attractive. This goes for jobs, salespeople, you name it! It's not fair but it is the way it is. Black people are not the only ones affected by this.
One more thing I have to add here. I worked for a bank for several years and had been specifically trained to take over a particular position that would have been a promotion for me. I worked my butt off for that position. I had earned that position! When the day came for the announcement, I was told that it had been given to someone else from another branch instead. This man had no training at all for this position. He also happened to be a "black" man. When I asked what had happened do you know what the reply was? Because he was black! That was the whole reason! Was that fair to me? NO! But that branch had to meet a quota and I was the one who lost. I left that bank one week later.
So in closing, I really don't see too many differences here. As I said, there will always be ignorant people out there no matter what the color of your skin is. I get judged because I have a disability now. I admit that I hate it, but I do have to rise above it. What other choice do I have?
This two-syllable expression is arguably the most divisive word in society. Dr. Phil tackles this touchy topic with help from a panel of outspoken luminaries: civil rights activist Rev. Al Sharpton; legendary comedian and writer Paul Mooney; CSI actor and author Hill Harper; comedian Sheryl Underwood and conservative radio talk show host Michael Graham. First, is there a double standard that allows African-Americans to use this sensitive word, while non-blacks are forbidden? The debate heats up when Rachel, a white guest, says she calls her husband the N-word all the time. Then, should hip-hop artists be censored or fined for using the N-word in their songs? Becky says rappers promote negative stereotypes with their lyrics, but find out who Rev. Al Sharpton thinks should face the music. Plus, does tone or intent make a difference when using the N-word? See what Dr. Phil thinks and share your thoughts here.
