Am I the only one bothered by the term "people of color"?

[chaseter]

Fact: Only one-third of colleges and universities in the United States consider an applicant’s race as a factor when reviewing applications.

It should be 0.

 

[Thundercrack85]

In light of no forthcoming reparations, I do think affirmative action is necessary. Assuming you want to ever even the playing field.

 

[chaseter]

I demand reparations for my European feudal system ancestors.

 

[Thundercrack85]

I know you're being facetious, but you can't seriously expect an entire race to bounce back from a century of slavery, and then a century of Jim Crow without more than a... well, I was going to say apology. But did they even get an apology from the country? No. They haven't even gotten that.

If you don't want monetary reparations, you're going to have to do something.

 

[chaseter]

No one alive today is owed anything and no one alive today should be put behind someone else based on the color of another's skin. That's the new face of racism in this country and the current generation of shoulder chip-ers that bear the weight of no cross need to get off of that pedestal.

Today, racism is the new McCarthy-ism and the people crying racism are ironically, if not purposefully, instituting racism against other races in the guise of reparations.

 

[MrSharigan]

Not bothered by it but it's just a stupid term to use in my opinion...

 

[TheBat812]

No one alive today is owed anything and no one alive today should be put behind someone else based on the color of another's skin. That's the new face of racism in this country and the current generation of shoulder chip-ers that bear the weight of no cross need to get off of that pedestal.

Today, racism is the new McCarthy-ism and the people crying racism are ironically, if not purposefully, instituting racism against other races in the guise of reparations.

If you have any sort of knowledge of sociology and the way the systems in America work today, they are absolutely favoring whites and especially destructive to black communities. There's a great video about it, but I can't seem to find it at the moment. It goes through the various stages of American culture that have kept the African American community from having equal opportunity - from slavery to modern tactics of over-incarceration. This is why Affirmative Action is there, and while it's just a band-aid, at least it's doing something.

But the reason for Affirmative Action is that the government has not taken the time to actually help solve the issues inherent in maintaining this lack of equality. Between over-incarceration (with obvious profiling), mandatory sentences for minor drug offenses, and re-districting of voting districts, there are numerous ways modern racism continues to rear its ugly head. Unfortunately many ignore it using many of the same arguments you just mentioned. Until this abates, it will continue to be whites vs the rest, because there has been an inherent Affirmative Action for whites in every way imaginable in our society since whites first murdered Native Americans, took their lands and took ownership of it.

There are obvious flaws within our system, and like DeadPres pointed out, it is a system of privilege throughout the world - but in America specifically, that privilege is very obviously doled out most to whites, with people of various colors on various parts of the scale. This isn't to say white people are evil (I'm half white, half asian, if it makes any difference), but that whites have been the ones in the position of power throughout American history as well as making up the majority of the population in America, and until they acknowdedge the facts of our systems, and the problems therein, it will continue to be viewed as an us vs. them mentality. Which is unfortunate, but understandable.

I guess my question is, sure, let's say we get rid of Affirmative Action as it's commonly viewed - would people like chaseter then agree that our justice system and the war on drugs unfairly destroys poorer communities? And then recognize that many more African-American communities per capita are affected by those policies? Including the long term damage done by this overincarceration leading to single parent homes? Where that single parent must work multiple low-paid jobs because of the poor education provided to them because they lack resources? That also means that more of their children are left without parents at home to teach them good values and work ethic and increase the probability that they get into illegal activities with their friends in similar situations because that is the best way they see to having a sense of community and a way to live out of poverty? Or that it is an incredibly difficult task to get a job after a mandatory 20+ year sentence for drug possession when these for-profit prisons do not provide adequate education and resources to give them a fighting chance to get a real job once they get out?

I could keep going, but it is a cycle that is largely ignored by those in power able to do something about it, or by many people in this country in general. This is also why many in those communities are forced to go on welfare - the opportunity is just not there. And when that opportunity is that scarce, is it really surprising that people then take advantage of that system? It's hard to get motivated to try harder when the odds of getting out of that are so small, and even harder to believe in when you grow up with very few people telling you that it's even a possibility.

So until something happens about it, the term 'people of color' will continue. Luckily, we will continue to intermingle, and color will become a thing of the past - and maybe then we'll have a better chance of people just seeing each other as people - and recognize that our systems do a really poor job of helping these people have a true shot at the American dream we still pretend exists, but really doesn't.

/rant

 

[Smashlilman]

I demand reparations for my European feudal system ancestors.

A lot of those reparation have already been paid back in land, money, and Blood. The British Parliamentarians defeated the Monarchist and forced the Crown to hand over all the money that they made from the lands that they owned to Parliament. The French straight up killed there Monarchs and took all there stuff. The same is true for the Russians.

The funny thing about giving reparations to African Americans for slavery is that there is no point in American history in which any American Government would pay African Americans reparations for slavery. We were destined to wallow in forced poverty for years and years. We went from Slavery to Jim Crow/Segregation. Then we moved from Jim Crow/Segregation to Racism, discrimination in the job market and being unfairly targeted and abused by the criminal justice system. Things didn't really start improving for African Americans until the 90's.

 

[Schlosser85]

Monetary reparations, from who, to who?

 

[Smashlilman]

Monetary reparations, from who, to who?

The Union Army and The Federal Government should have seized all the land and money from all the Southern slave owning Plantations and Coperations and divided it among the slave population or the immediate decedents of the slave population. Or they could have went all Native American Reservation/Israel and carved up a new state from one of the defeated confederate states and given it to the former Slaves.

 

[TheBat812]

Found the video I was talking about: Race baiting 101 - http://bit.ly/1NhoDT1

 

[Blind_Lawyer]

I see this term pop up more and more and it's always struck me as an odd term. But it seems to have become widely accepted, and the troubling connotations that come with it aren't going away.

I mean, it seems to essentially divide Americans into two factions, white, and non-white.

I'm not sure I agree that pointing out differences is the same as division. We're a pluralistic society, it's our differences that make us unique. America as a society shouldn't feel the need to "hide" these differences, or not mention them. We should celebrate them.

The term "people of color" is not the issue here; the negative reaction to it is. Nothing about the term "divides" us; it's the response to the therm that does.

What we as a people need to do is embrace and celebrate our diversity and differences, not shun them and sweep them under a rug or use them as a spring board to put up imaginary barriers separating "us" and "them."

 

[chaseter]

A lot of those reparation have already been paid back in land, money, and Blood. The British Parliamentarians defeated the Monarchist and forced the Crown to hand over all the money that they made from the lands that they owned to Parliament. The French straight up killed there Monarchs and took all there stuff. The same is true for the Russians.

The funny thing about giving reparations to African Americans for slavery is that there is no point in American history in which any American Government would pay African Americans reparations for slavery. We were destined to wallow in forced poverty for years and years. We went from Slavery to Jim Crow/Segregation. Then we moved from Jim Crow/Segregation to Racism, discrimination in the job market and being unfairly targeted and abused by the criminal justice system. Things didn't really start improving for African Americans until the 90's.

The Civil War wasn't paid for in blood?

Immigrants, which we all descend from, came here mostly with next to nothing and built their life from hard work. Freed slaves had the same start.

If you seek reparations, you may also reach out to the tribe leaders that sold their fellow brethren to the white man.

 

[Thundercrack85]

The Union Army and The Federal Government should have seized all the land and money from all the Southern slave owning Plantations and Coperations and divided it among the slave population or the immediate decedents of the slave population. Or they could have went all Native American Reservation/Israel and carved up a new state from one of the defeated confederate states and given it to the former Slaves.

That would have been a start, but the American government itself was a benefactor (and enforcer) of slavery since foundation.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Monetary reparations, from who, to who?

Well at this juncture it would be rather difficult to properly execute reparations. But the government would be the main responsible party.

 

[chaseter]

Where is the government getting this money from?

 

[Schlosser85]

Where is the government getting this money from?

Taking it from people who never owned slaves, to give to people who were never slaves?

Which is, in itself, racist.

 

[Thundercrack85]

Taking it from people who never owned slaves, to give to people who were never slaves?

Which is, in itself, racist.

You have to think on a national scale. The United States as a country profited from slavery. The very White House, the Capitol, etc were built in part by uncompensated slave labor. The country as a whole profited from slavery, not just individuals.

Ironically, the federal government under Lincoln did compensate some for losing their slaves in DC.

Even as modern-day Americans who never owned slaves, you and the nation reaping the benefits of slave labor.

 

[Schlosser85]

So which slaves are we compensating?

 

[Thundercrack85]

So which slaves are we compensating?

Their descendants, obviously.

 

[Urich Leeds]

I don't like the term "reverse racism". Just call it what it is- racism.

Agreed. I hate the idea that no one but whites can be racist. Especially since I, as black man, have encountered more racist nonwhites than I have racist whites (as far as I know).

It's not reverse. It's just racism. Period. Anyone of any race can be racist.

 

[I SEE SPIDEY]

I'm more bothered by African American because I don't come from Africa and have never been there. I don't care who made that term up, I don't like it. If you want to describe my race then yeah I prefer black, sure I have brown skin instead of black so it's not a perfect word to use but I like it a hell of a lot more than African American. Charlize Theron is more of an African American than I am because she's actually from Africa.

 

[Warhammer]

I don't like "people of color" or "African-American". I also don't like it when people get offended at being called "black".

 

[chaseter]

Their descendants, obviously.

We are all descendants of atrocities. Slavery has been around for thousands of years and still exists today. Pretty much all of us had ancestors that were affected by atrocities be it slavery, the Holocaust, war, etc. etc. No one alive today deserves reparations and no one alive today deserves to pay for said reparations. People preaching that should happen are breeding racism into a new generation that their parents and grandparents struggled so hard to overcome. It's a sad irony. Or maybe it's purposeful, I don't know.

 

[MessiahDecoy123]

Racism is a numbers game.

That's why the Irish and Italian are part of the big happy white American family.