by minimus 32 Replies latest jw friends
In some colored communities after nightfall a white person would enter at the risk of his very life. To justify this on the grounds that the whites started the discrimination is not Scriptural. (Rom. 12:17) Now, where the danger is extreme should white persons enter these hostile communities and suffer beating and possibly death to prove they have a democratic right to be there?
LOL!!!!
Lisa
Yes, just today. A black woman told me she had not been assisted.
She claimed she could not find a sales person to help her. She said
that a salesperson should have helped her by now and shown her some
motorhomes
I was busy in my office with 2 other customers signing their final
documentation for a motorhome. I said that all the sales people
must be busy but that I would find her someone post-haste. I am the finance
manager at the dealer so I only deal with the final paperwork, not the
sales aspect.
I went and found that had she walked 10 more steps she would have found
2 sales managers to help her. I went back to my office and told my customers
that I always feel a "double" duty to black customers. I am so afraid
that they will feel slighted if they don't get quick service. Had they been
white, I would have simply said, "All the salespeople are busy now, one will be
with you momentarily." But because they were black, I didn't want them to feel
slighted.
I said that its unfair to whites, my customers agreed but they knew why I
allowed their documentation appointment to be interrupted.
I then sat back down with my customers
LOL @ Lisa!
When I was about 16 or so, I accompanied my sister to work one day with her jobs' permission as I was trying to learn what field I wanted to go into.
She was a paramedic.
Anyway, the ONE friggin day I go with her, she gets called to the Cabrini Green and Ida B. Wells projects in Chicago.
An interesting experience to say the least.
so...
should white persons enter these hostile communities and suffer beating and possibly death to prove they have a democratic right to be there?
A resounding NO.
Racism is VERY prevalent in our society today, despite our advancements.
Never overtly have I seen racism in the Borg. However, covertly It's perpetual. The Borg is just a reflection of the western world we live in - White Men always at the top of the pyramid. And when a 'token' Black is inserted, he's whiter than the White man (by his/her actions and sometimes skin color :) Subtly the prejudice is presented in the mags. and publications. Again, when I was in the Borg. (height of ignorance) I didnt see racism, well I did see it when it was time for talk assignments at the Assembly Hall, but it got better over the years. But nothing new - As Tupac said "thats just the way it is."
Oh, by the way - From a Black persons point of view - Anytime we (most of us) hear the expression "some of my best friends are Black..., or my best friend is Black....it really defeats the point of proving ones liberalism.
Peace LL
I was raised in the south. And back in the early 70's we had 2 congregations. One was black and the other white. This went on for sometime. But now there are over 12 congregations there and they are very well mixed. There is even a Spanish and Korean congregation. Something that was unheard of years ago.
But to answer your queston. I've never experienced prejudice. I'm not saying it wasn't there. I just never saw it.
It seems to me there are all kinds of "isms" in the WTS.
As a woman I was second class all the time.
As a DFed person I am as if dead.
The WTS puts down other religions, governments, any one who doesn't agree, worldly medicine that doesn't agree with their policies, counseling (the elders are supposed to do it better), police (especially when it comes to abuse issues). JWs are cleaner, more moral, more Christian, more honest and well more happy than anyone on earth.
That puts everyone else in a lesser class. "isms" of every type are alive and well in the WTS
Fark,
I didn't know that. Very interesting.
In my hall (in Jersey) we had all kinds, hispanic, black, white, chinese, hatian, french, italian, in almost equal quantities. But, we were near Trenton, and the mix was normal for us. It was the normal breakup of the community.
I never once experienced any kind of prejudice as a Witty. I even used to go to all black affairs(100-200 people), me being the only white there. No ill will, no wierdness.
Still, I think that was because I was living in New Jersey near the city, where people have generally forgotten any deep-rooted prejudice.
ash
Me? A white guy affected??? Never in a kingdom hall. Very few minorities in our area.
A buddy and I, he's also white once, went to a black blues club. John Lee Hooker was playing and we really wanted to hear him perform. In was in the Filmore section of San Francisco. A getto by anyones standards.
As soon as we walked in a deep voice said "get out of here white boys". I said we love John Lee and are willing to sit in the back. All eyes were on us. Another voice from a different area of the club said something similar. So I smile and say, ok, no problem, we just wanted to hear him play and then I thought we could all go out and kick some whiteys ass. A few laughed and one said "we won't have to go far". I laughed again and apologized and said no problem, I do understand. We walked out and the bartender came after us and told us we could stay. I told him that it may be cool with him, and cool with 99% of people in there, but if we ruined the night for even just one of his regulars then it wasn't worth it.
People are people. Clans have been at war for no good reason for centuries. Now you factor in some difference and it happens on an even bigger scale. Sadly it's human nature. One of our ugly traits.
LB:
It is precisely this "us" against "them" attitude that needs to end in both the white and black communities. Now that was real easy to say. But in today's world I really cannot imagine the situation you described in the blues club in SF happening in an all white club. Even in the south, attitudes of whites towards blacks in social settings are accomodating at the least. Now, I'm not saying if two black guys went into a country music honky tonk loaded with uneducated, toothless alcoholics that it couldn't happen. But in general it wouldn't happen and if it did, the press would hear about it and make it known.
I think we have a tendancy, because of our white guilt over past segregation and our darkest secret bigotted thoughts at times to look at the glass as half empty instead of half full when it comes to race relations. In this country we have made unbelievable strides. Blacks and Hispanics are moving into the economic middle class and above in record numbers. None of us, black or white are without our biases. But we can control them and continue to individually improve things.
In our family, we teach our kids that acceptance of others of all races isn't optional. We get onto them when they bring home the insensitive racial comments of their friends from school. And if you think those comments don't exist with kids, you've got blinders on. We are almost an entire generation away from institutional segregation in this country. Attitudes are a bit more time consuming to change. But I see them changing dramatically in my lifetime.
After reading so many views on Jews, Palestinians, Zionists, blacks and whites, etc.....Does anybody really think that they aren't prejudiced?
