My girlfriend just got back from Baton Rouge after helping her family cleanup down there. She told me that gun sales are sky rocketing and white families are leaving the city. She also relayed some pretty terrible stories from some of the people her church was sheltering after the hurricane. One person tried to apologize to her for the looters. Like somehow because she was black, she owed white people an apology.
This left me wondering, where are all the news stories about this? We see so much commentary (and political bulls**t) about whose fault everything is... I wonder where is the reporting on the long term effects on the surrounding areas? The displacement of tens of thousands of inner city people into communities that cannot support them, and have a long history of intentional neglect of them, is going to have an impact that will last far longer than the cleanup or any federal inquiry into government stupidity. Is it a return to the old south? Will this storm wipe away the progress that has been made in changing the hearts and minds of southerners? I can't help but think that a bunch of old white people are not going to look fondly on hundreds of young black people being thrust into “their” towns.
Apparently the foreign press is being a bit more forthcoming when it comes to the racial conflicts down there. Unfortunately, they are only reporting one side (mostly because their citizens were white). The longer America waits to confront the reality of this, the more ingrained it’s going to get.
Valenti and her husband, two of very few white people in the almost exclusively black refugee camp, said she and other whites were threatened with murder on Thursday.
"They hated us. Four young black men told us the buses were going to come last night and pick up the elderly so they were going to kill us," she said, sobbing. "They were plotting to murder us and then they sent the buses away because we would all be killed if the buses came -- that's what the people in charge told us this morning."
Other survivors recounted horrific cases of sexual assault and murder.
"“The atmosphere was extremely intimidating,” the Lancaster University student said. “People stared at us all the time and men would come up to me and stroke my stomach and bottom. They would also say horrible, suggestive things. The worst time came when there was a rumour that a white man had raped a black woman. We were scared that we would be raped, robbed, or both. People were arguing, fighting and being arrested all the time.”
The “internationals”, as the army labelled the stranded tourists, were among the few white people in the stadium. Marked out by their skin colour and unfamiliar accents, they were verbally abused, while their luggage made them targets for robbery. "
As the Australians left the Superdome, food and water were almost non-existent and the stiflingly hot arena was filled with 25,000 people and the stench of human waste. Gangs stalked the tourists and women were threatened with rape.
"Bud took control. He was calm and kept it together the whole time," Ms Cullington said.
Mr Hopes, 32, said: "That was the worst place in the universe. Ninety-eight per cent of the people around the world are good. In that place, 98 per cent of the people were bad.
"Everyone brought their drugs, they brought guns, they brought knives. Soldiers were shot.
Speaking from his home in Stanford-le-Hope yesterday, his father said: "When they first made it to the Superdome, they sounded OK. Mark even got engaged to Gretchen while they were waiting there for help.
"But then things turned nasty and it got seriously dangerous. The gang inside the Superdome looked on Gretchen as a typical American middle class girl and they didn't like that at all.
"Mark had to really protect her from them because she was threatened by rape and violence. They had to keep their heads down and hide among the people crammed inside because they knew they would be attacked if they became isolated.
He said of his eventual Superdome refuge: "There was a lot of heat from the people in there, people shouting racial abuse about us being white.
"The army warned us to keep our bags close to us and to grip them tight."
Jamie, an economics student from Sunderland, said he saw crack cocaine being used in the filthy toilets, youngsters breaking into soft drink machines and men brawling. Urine and excrement spilled into corridors where they were sleeping.
--------------------------------------
Don't know where I was going with this, but it's interesting and it's not work safe conversation. So maybe it should just be deleted.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 7:19 pm Posts: 39068 Location: Chapel Hill, NC, USA Gender: Male
Serjical Strike wrote:
The return of racism to the south? It never left in the first place.
Hush up, boy.
_________________ "Though some may think there should be a separation between art/music and politics, it should be reinforced that art can be a form of nonviolent protest." - e.v.
The return of racism to the south? It never left in the first place.
True, but the younger generation (teens and twenty-somethings) was far less prejudice the last few time I was "down there".
I worry that underreporting of the racial strife could lead top the idea that "political correctness is protecting black criminals", the same way that institutional racism blocked the reporting of white on black hate crimes during the last century. The last thing we need to come out of this is resurgent white supremacist groups that gained support from the reporting on Katrina's aftermath.
What could be done, from a grassroots effort, to stop this? Surely send Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton in isn't gonna help. They tend to make things worse.
The return of racism to the south? It never left in the first place.
True, but the younger generation (teens and twenty-somethings) was far less prejudice the last few time I was "down there".
I worry that underreporting of the racial strife could lead top the idea that "political correctness is protecting black criminals", the same way that institutional racism blocked the reporting of white on black hate crimes during the last century. The last thing we need to come out of this is resurgent white supremacist groups that gained support from the reporting on Katrina's aftermath.
What could be done, from a grassroots effort, to stop this? Surely send Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton in isn't gonna help. They tend to make things worse.
My guess? Nothing.
Discussing racist acts perpetrated by minorities is frowned upon so these stories are going to leak a little at a time, becoming a little worse with each telling. Enough people will hear versions far worse than the truth and BAM! a new upswelling of racism.
Joined: Mon Oct 18, 2004 12:06 am Posts: 4258 Location: RM
PJDoll wrote:
My guess? Nothing.
especially when the people that think they are helping or the people who need to be helping are acting like fools on TV and are alienating white people to try to "reach" the african americans....it only creates more problems.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:14 am Posts: 37778 Location: OmaGOD!!! Gender: Male
broken_iris wrote:
Is it a return to the old south? Will this storm wipe away the progress that has been made in changing the hearts and minds of southerners?
I'm afraid that the only thing being wiped away is the facade that major progress has been made towards racial equality in the south. Yes, the government is not run by white racists intent on denying blacks their constitutional rights anymore, but little more has been accomplished, and the economic disparities that grew out of 100 years of Jim Crow and 200 years of slavery have barely begun to be remedied.
_________________ Unfortunately, at the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the Flower Children jerked off and went back to sleep.
Is it a return to the old south? Will this storm wipe away the progress that has been made in changing the hearts and minds of southerners?
I'm afraid that the only thing being wiped away is the facade that major progress has been made towards racial equality in the south. Yes, the government is not run by white racists intent on denying blacks their constitutional rights anymore, but little more has been accomplished, and the economic disparities that grew out of 100 years of Jim Crow and 200 years of slavery have barely begun to be remedied.
But does that in any way excuse the behaviors discussed above?
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 1:14 am Posts: 37778 Location: OmaGOD!!! Gender: Male
PJDoll wrote:
punkdavid wrote:
broken_iris wrote:
Is it a return to the old south? Will this storm wipe away the progress that has been made in changing the hearts and minds of southerners?
I'm afraid that the only thing being wiped away is the facade that major progress has been made towards racial equality in the south. Yes, the government is not run by white racists intent on denying blacks their constitutional rights anymore, but little more has been accomplished, and the economic disparities that grew out of 100 years of Jim Crow and 200 years of slavery have barely begun to be remedied.
But does that in any way excuse the behaviors discussed above?
No. I didn't respond to that.
_________________ Unfortunately, at the Dawning of the Age of Aquarius, the Flower Children jerked off and went back to sleep.
Is it a return to the old south? Will this storm wipe away the progress that has been made in changing the hearts and minds of southerners?
I'm afraid that the only thing being wiped away is the facade that major progress has been made towards racial equality in the south. Yes, the government is not run by white racists intent on denying blacks their constitutional rights anymore, but little more has been accomplished, and the economic disparities that grew out of 100 years of Jim Crow and 200 years of slavery have barely begun to be remedied.
But does that in any way excuse the behaviors discussed above?
Is it a return to the old south? Will this storm wipe away the progress that has been made in changing the hearts and minds of southerners?
I'm afraid that the only thing being wiped away is the facade that major progress has been made towards racial equality in the south. Yes, the government is not run by white racists intent on denying blacks their constitutional rights anymore, but little more has been accomplished, and the economic disparities that grew out of 100 years of Jim Crow and 200 years of slavery have barely begun to be remedied.
But does that in any way excuse the behaviors discussed above?
Not an excuse, but more of an explanation.
Sorry, but there is no excuse for threatening rape. None. I don't give a shit how poorly you were treated by someone else. If you use a situation such as this hurricane to intimidate people with threats of rape and violence, fuck you.
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:58 am Posts: 2105 Location: Austin
punkdavid wrote:
broken_iris wrote:
Is it a return to the old south? Will this storm wipe away the progress that has been made in changing the hearts and minds of southerners?
I'm afraid that the only thing being wiped away is the facade that major progress has been made towards racial equality in the south. Yes, the government is not run by white racists intent on denying blacks their constitutional rights anymore, but little more has been accomplished, and the economic disparities that grew out of 100 years of Jim Crow and 200 years of slavery have barely begun to be remedied.
And blacks in the North are doing a whole lot better. Or how about blacks in the west. As if it is a southern thing anymore, or that it ever was to begin with.
And blacks in the North are doing a whole lot better. Or how about blacks in the west. As if it is a southern thing anymore, or that it ever was to begin with.
I think we all acknowledge the challeneges faced by modern blacks. I was more interested in the challenges faced by those (white, black, nah fuck it: AMERICAN) who are now intergrated by force of nature, and the long term impacts of it. Anyone see any other news stories about this?
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2004 3:58 am Posts: 2105 Location: Austin
broken_iris wrote:
C4Lukin wrote:
And blacks in the North are doing a whole lot better. Or how about blacks in the west. As if it is a southern thing anymore, or that it ever was to begin with.
I think we all acknowledge the challeneges faced by modern blacks. I was more interested in the challenges faced by those (white, black, nah fuck it: AMERICAN) who are now intergrated by force of nature, and the long term impacts of it. Anyone see any other news stories about this?
We will see soon here in Texas. I think it will be fine. The state has done a wondeful job so far of helping these people out. I bet a lot of them will stay. It will take a toll but the state will handle it as best they can. We have a similair dillema every month here but they come from the south.
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