Careful What You Say or How Do We Ever Discuss Societal Issues?

The Best online firearms community in Louisiana.

Member Benefits:

  • Fewer Ads!
  • Discuss all aspects of firearm ownership
  • Discuss anti-gun legislation
  • Buy, sell, and trade in the classified section
  • Chat with Local gun shops, ranges, trainers & other businesses
  • Discover free outdoor shooting areas
  • View up to date on firearm-related events
  • Share photos & video with other members
  • ...and so much more!
  • Emperor

    Seriously Misunderstood!
    Rating - 100%
    11   0   0
    Mar 7, 2011
    8,376
    113
    Nether region
    While it's obvious that this guy is clearly calling out blacks in his rant, a bigger issue for me is; how are we ever supposed to start fixing societal/political/cultural/economic divides in this country if you have to dance around everything you see, hear, or experience?

    You guys can judge for yourselves then discuss afterwards if you like or DARE! ;)

    https://www.theadvocate.com/acadiana/news/business/article_d163bff4-ff2b-11e9-ae31-476666d73f35.html

    Here is my concern as an American. Let's take our own sh*thole for example; Louisiana! This state is at the top of damned near every, "This place sucks" poll, and the bottom of damned near every, "Quality of life" poll. We all want (at least I hope), to fix some of this. Right? Where do you start?

    Let's use this story that came out today: https://www.nola.com/news/healthcare_hospitals/article_8035cc00-ff3d-11e9-a089-1716e2d65fc6.html

    It clearly says that black women are experiencing a larger increase in premature births than other ethnic groups. If that is true, and we want to fix it, how do we start the conversation to find out how this is happening to black woman more? The story claims that it could be cultural?!? What does that mean? It means some thing; some environmental factor, some behavioral factor, some socioeconomic factor, some factor, regardless of how race sensitive it is, is causing this because of what these black women are doing that other ethnic groups are not.

    Okay, then let's have an honest sincere discussion into what may cause it. Maybe that is insulting to blacks because it may perpetuate stereotypes or cause shame. So you can't talk about this issue because why; your white, brown, yellow, or purple? Who give a rat's ass? Let's discuss it openly and honestly and try to fix this! Same goes for every issue plaguing this country!

    If you are paying attention, we are all being silenced by people or factions that guilt shame you or ruin your life or career because you dare say something they feel should never be thought much less spoken. This guy from Walk-Ons may or may not be a racist! That doesn't really matter in my example. What matters is even if he observed an activity or behavior that should be considered or at least examined, he has chosen words that hurt some one's feelings, and thus it will be swept under a rug because, well; that's just the way it goes. I couldn't care less about this guy, or what he said; the food at Walk-Ons sucks, anyway; and perhaps he made his bed and needs to sleep in it, but you can't discount what is happening in this country.

    I doubt very seriously we will have much luck fixing any of our problems in this country and state if we have to keep pretending they don't exist, and worse, discounting there may be cause and effect in the first place.

    Am I wrong?
     
    Last edited:

    Troedoff

    *Banned*
    Rating - 0%
    0   0   0
    Oct 18, 2014
    136
    16
    Prairieville
    I should not bite, but is it racist to call a Diamondback a dangerous snake, and not call a kingsnake a bad one? Character is not an ethnic group. Expecting people in modern society to adhere to an acceptable standard is not racist either. The only people who would consider it to be racist are those that do not want to change to meet acceptable societal standards, or those who benefit from the previous group.

    I'll share a personal story that bodes similarly. On a job in Torrance, CA I was working with a predominately minority crew. I was friendly with a few of the guys working there. Each day the lunch truck would arrive, and these guys would look like they were running out of the tunnel of Tiger Stadium the very second the wheels stopped spinning. they would lunge at the truck yank open the windows, and start grabbing frantically at plates. Dropping some in the process. It was mayhem for about 2 minutes. All the while my work buddies would be pushing me telling me to get in there. I politely would tell them that there was plenty of food on that truck, and I would not participate in acting like a fool. Really I said animal, because every day I was disgusted to see this recur day after day. In all the months I worked at that plant the lunch truck never ran out of food, I never missed a meal, and always had extra helpings because the lunch ladies liked that I took the time to speak to them, and act like a civilized human being.

    I am not racist, I do however know that things could have been done in a more organized manner, and everyone would have had a more positive experience. Especially the lunch ladies, and folks who had to clean the lunch wagon. It would not have costed anyone any real time either.
     
    Last edited:

    Emperor

    Seriously Misunderstood!
    Rating - 100%
    11   0   0
    Mar 7, 2011
    8,376
    113
    Nether region
    I should not bite, but is it racist to call a Diamondback a dangerous snake, and not call a kingsnake a bad one? Character is not an ethnic group. Expecting people in modern society to adhere to an acceptable standard is not racist either. The only people who would consider it to be racist are those that do not want to change to meet acceptable societal standards, or those who benefit from the previous group.

    I'll share a personal story that bodes similarly. On a job in Torrance, CA I was working with a predominately minority crew. I was friendly with a few of the guys working there. Each day the lunch truck would arrive, and these guys would look like they were running out of the tunnel of Tiger Stadium the very second the wheels stopped spinning. they would lunge at the truck yank open the windows, and start grabbing frantically at plates. Dropping some in the process. It was mayhem for about 2 minutes. All the while my work buddies would be pushing me telling me to get in there. I politely would tell them that there was plenty of food on that truck, and I would not participate in acting like a fool. Really I said animal, because every day I was disgusted to see this recur day after day. In all the months I worked at that plant the lunch truck never ran out of food, I never missed a meal, and always had extra helpings because the lunch ladies liked that I took the time to speak to them, and act like a civilized human being.

    I am not racist, I do however know that things could have been done in a more organized manner, and everyone would have had a more positive experience. Especially the lunch ladies, and folks who had to clean the lunch wagon. It would not have costed anyone any real time either.

    So in your story, you mentioned "minority." What do you think made them feel they had to act this way? Did they appear to be malnourished? Were any of them from countries that had befallen famine, or countries that had decades of oppression and violence? Were they born here in the U.S? You said there was no chance of the truck running out of food. Did they understand that, or was it a selfish rush to be first? To beat everyone else? See, something compelled these workers to do that for some reason. You mentioned expecting people to adhere to an acceptable standard. Why didn't they understand that? Is it not being taught in upbringing? In households? Schools? If that is the reason, and we want to change that, why can't we have that discussion without someone feeling like they had their existence brought back 200 years?

    It's one thing to be uneducated. It's one thing to be ignorant. It is also one thing to be willfully disrespectful and to be willfully impolite. The keyword there is "willfully!" I'll concede there are a lot of people in this country who are just too uneducated to know better, and also may just be too dumb on top of that.

    Okay, so let's assume they were never taught manners. Is it too late to teach them? Obviously the answer is no. But, in the new normal, you can't even ask any of those questions. You already interjected a separation of race, ethnicity, or creed. You have inadvertently killed the conversation. Those folks you mentioned, are likely still doing what they did when you were there, and no one will ever address it whether it will better them or not.
     
    Top Bottom