Lets talk about skin color!?

Question

I got on this afternoon and read some pretty racist comments. However I believe skin color is actually an interesting science that has to do with the regions in which our ancestors lived, it has to do with protection from the sun and how much vitamin D we need to absorb in that region. I would argue that if a person with a different color skin was raised by people of different color they would adopt those peoples values and be able to be educated on there level and succeed no different then a person of their color. Anyone else feel this way?

dear bombastic, when i say people of different color skin i actually am refering to anyone of different color skin, as in a white person could be of different colored skin. I never even brought up what colors i was talking about. My view is that every skin color should be equal and I am sorry that is such a liberal view because I think everyone should believe that.

Answer 1

Amen!

Answer 2

Dear liberal one, your assumption is that a person from a different color (do you mean black?) has lower values than a person from another color (do you mean white?) who could bring the person up to their "high" level and educate him/her. I agree that very often people are influenced by their environment. However, it is offensive to assume that people of color have no values or that they need white people to instill values in them. (Just watch Jerry Springer show and tell me if black people have lower standards than white people). Race has nothing to do with class. All people need are fair opportunities to get ahead without obstacles put in their paths. Example, consider an open field where white people are allowed to run free. One day black people protest that they are not allowed to run on that field. Finally, after a lot of fighting and protesting, they are allowed to run on that same field, but the difference is that someone who did not like the idea sprinkled nails and thorns over the entire surface, thereby making the field an unfriendly place, at the same time declaring that it's an open field. That may sound overly simplistic but it is often what happens. People are told that they have certain rights but when they attempt to make use of it, doors are slammed in their faces and they are rejected and subjected to hostility.

I'm sure you've seen the numerous comments about welfare, poor speech and pants falling off black guys' behinds. Those are stereotypes that racists like to hang on to, in spite of all the other black people who do not engage in those behaviors. Yet you will see white people using the same type of speech, wearing the same type of clothes and it's seen as cool. The guy on American Idol who does the boom box sounds (can't remember his name) and everyone thinks he's so talented while he's imitating black performers whom they hate for being "ghetto." (By the way he is good!!) Look at Eminem, Kevin Federline (too many to name) and it's considered cool. Double standard here!! Yes, racism is a monster and if you have never been affected by it, you would not understand. When people are poor and disenfranchised, they are likely to act out in frustration and show behaviors that are unproductive. So you see, those who are downtrodden don't need to be saved by the "good white man." All they need are the same rights that whites have. Again, white people do not have a monopoly on "values".
It's good to have this dialogue and I hope it will encourage some others to be more sensitive to other races. A good book to read is titled, "Too Far North is South", which discusses a lot of the problems faced by black people trying to pull themselves up from racism.

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Ps. Bombastic may have misinterpreted your question. I certainly did not mean to offend. But now your question perplexes me.