Obama's speech to students today

I agree with that. I just wanted you to clarify. As for political hatred, it's definitely a problem in this country and it's the reason I don't engage in any of the political "debates" that take place on this board.

*Most on this board are not guilty of this*
People just don't take the time to learn about issues anymore. They grab hold of buzzwords and use those to shape their point of view and then it just turns into a shouting match because no one actually knows what they're talking about. It's pretty horrendous at this point and it's the reason I refuse to talk politics with anyone in public.

As great as the internet is for sharing information it is horrendous at creating buzzwords. and the filtering of information also adds to this. I have Sirius, I mainly listen to NFL, but I hear ads all the time for, basically, a left leaning station, a right leaning station, and a centrist channel. Likewise people watch the news that most agrees with their views(i don't watch newschannels - where does that put me, hmmm). So where in the old days news was filtered through one, and people discussed and made up their minds, now it seems like people find a "trusted" outlet and that becomes their source of information.

I am speaking generally, obviously there is a spectrum to this effect, but I think it will only grow more pronounced and divisive in the coming years.

Perhaps I presented the race issue incorrectly. I really wasn't trying to say it was the primary issue for the outrage over this speech, just that I believe it's an element in there somewhere for some people, even if it's a small, ignorant minority.

Just like the left you now want to change your statement. LOL The only time I see Obama's color is when someone brings it up like you did.

I was clarifying, not changing.

I'm glad you don't see color, unfortunately there are many out there that still do.

Okay, some race plays itself in people's view of our President, sure.

Anyway, the speech was great, very motivational. I think every now and then you have to tell kids that "this is your life, do something about it. Don't wait for the pity party handout because you being dealt a bad hand." Well done, President. This is the kind of stuff (character building, self-reliance, accountability, etc) that will get our nation back on track.

There is definitely anger against Obama out there, but anger against his policies and positions (which some feel are Marxist/socialist) and anger against him because of his race are TOTALLY different things. I have no problem with someone who feels anger against his policies/positions and withholds their children from school. That's not to say I agree with that thought process, but to be against a person because of their actions is one thing. However, anyone who has anger/hatred towards him because of race is completely wrong and completely stupid.

Yeah, but this lady probably couldn't even spell "policy". :)

I think parents should teach their children to be critical thinkers, which means exposing them to all different points of view -- good and bad. You can't shelter your kids from propaganda, but you can teach them how to see through it. She was withholding her kids from school to avoid the so called "brainwashing," but by doing so, she's just enforcing her own kind.

ya know- i'm so sick of the f-ing race card. The same thing happened to Bush 1, see earlier link. Our politics have become so divisive that a congressman openly yelled at our president yesterday. Race should be, and is to most rational people under 65, a non-issue. Do I know that Obama is black, yes, do I know my employees are black, white, Thai, Nepalese, etc. Yes. Does it affect my interactions with them, yes- because each culture has mannerisms and uniqueness which should never be lost or dismissed. But does that fact affect how you evaluate a person's work, character, integrity - no, those are judged on individual merit.
Race is a fact of life, as JR said, but is it a fact used for evaluation, I would argue only by the oldest generations. I know my kids could give a rat's a** about the color of their friends skins, and if you told them that that was a reason not to be friends with someone they would be confused. Now if you say someone is of bad character-regardless of race, they would understand that.

Older (and I include myself) Americans need to get over race, it's not a reason, an excuse, or justification for any action. A person should be judged on his/her actions, and character. That was MLK Jr's dream.

A little background...

My dad was born in Baton Rouge, and moved to England shortly after birth. After returning to America, around the age of 5, he lived in the DC area. His father was a Colonel in the Air Force and eventually became Assistant Secretary of the Navy, as well as Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense under Ford and Carter. My dad had 3 brothers and 1 sister, and I'm pretty sure their family life was good. His parents are not extreme, but do hold some "old" beliefs.

Today, my dad is an adjunct professor at Salisbury University and he's working on his PhD. He's been a business man all his life, and he's very personable and easy to get along with.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that he has not lived a sheltered life and has been exposed to lots of different perspectives and has a good education. He's 57.

==========

A little story...

Around the time when my sister was 16, she was dating a Dominican guy. My dad basically forbid it -- not dating, but dating *this* guy. After talking with him about it, and digging and irritating him, I basically called him out as a racist. His responses during our arguments led me to that -- it wasn't just some whim, he said some racist things (5 on a scale of 10). He'd never say he hates black people, because he doesn't, he just said that he doesn't believe in interracial relationships. He kept saying it's bad for the children.

Of course I would say, "It's only bad for the children because of racists, because of people like you!" I asked him why he would deny his daughter (and her boyfriend) a chance at love because of something so ignorant. He could not answer that. I asked him if the guy was white, whether it would make any difference and he said it would. I was so amazed and dumbfounded to hear such nonsense coming from my dad -- a man who is reasonably intelligent and who has many redeeming qualities. Up until this point I never knew my dad was a racist (my parents were divorced and I didn't grow up with him).

Fortunately my sister is very headstrong and independent, and didn't give in to their (mother felt the same way) persistent ignorance. She defied them and continued to date this guy. It was young lust and they are no longer together. So, it's not like I'm going to conclude with some feel-good story about how they made a family together and the guy is so great. I don't even know him.

The point of this post was just to illustrate how racism is still *very* alive in our society. It's just more hidden. Some smart and reasonable people, who you would never expect to be racist, are. And, this doesn't just apply to "old" people.

To me, if we are to ever eliminate racism, we need to err on the side of extreme diligence (if that makes any sense). Essentially, it is better to pull the race card more often than not. Better to call racism, even when it might not be, than to avoid it when it might be deserved.

A little background...

My dad was born in Baton Rouge, and moved to England shortly after birth. After returning to America, around the age of 5, he lived in the DC area. His father was a Colonel in the Air Force and eventually became Assistant Secretary of the Navy, as well as Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense under Ford and Carter. My dad had 3 brothers and 1 sister, and I'm pretty sure their family life was good. His parents are not extreme, but do hold some "old" beliefs.

Today, my dad is an adjunct professor at Salisbury University and he's working on his PhD. He's been a business man all his life, and he's very personable and easy to get along with.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that he has not lived a sheltered life and has been exposed to lots of different perspectives and has a good education. He's 57.

==========

A little story...

Around the time when my sister was 16, she was dating a Dominican guy. My dad basically forbid it -- not dating, but dating *this* guy. After talking with him about it, and digging and irritating him, I basically called him out as a racist. His responses during our arguments led me to that -- it wasn't just some whim, he said some racist things (5 on a scale of 10). He'd never say he hates black people, because he doesn't, he just said that he doesn't believe in interracial relationships. He kept saying it's bad for the children.

Of course I would say, "It's only bad for the children because of racists, because of people like you!" I asked him why he would deny his daughter (and her boyfriend) a chance at love because of something so ignorant. He could not answer that. I asked him if the guy was white, whether it would make any difference and he said it would. I was so amazed and dumbfounded to hear such nonsense coming from my dad -- a man who is reasonably intelligent and who has many redeeming qualities. Up until this point I never knew my dad was a racist (my parents were divorced and I didn't grow up with him).

Fortunately my sister is very headstrong and independent, and didn't give in to their (mother felt the same way) persistent ignorance. She defied them and continued to date this guy. It was young lust and they are no longer together. So, it's not like I'm going to conclude with some feel-good story about how they made a family together and the guy is so great. I don't even know him.

The point of this post was just to illustrate how racism is still *very* alive in our society. It's just more hidden. Some smart and reasonable people, who you would never expect to be racist, are. And, this doesn't just apply to "old" people.

To me, if we are to ever eliminate racism, we need to err on the side of extreme diligence (if that makes any sense). Essentially, it is better to pull the race card more often than not. Better to call racism, even when it might not be, than to avoid it when it might be deserved.


It's easy to get lost sometimes even by reasonably intelligent men. I actually had a co-worker tell me the other day he wouldn't bother hiring a black head-coach in pro-sports because when they get fired they might play the race card. He proclaims not to be racist but he found his position to be reasonable. Racism onDemand.

A little background...

My dad was born in Baton Rouge, and moved to England shortly after birth. After returning to America, around the age of 5, he lived in the DC area. His father was a Colonel in the Air Force and eventually became Assistant Secretary of the Navy, as well as Assistant Deputy Secretary of Defense under Ford and Carter. My dad had 3 brothers and 1 sister, and I'm pretty sure their family life was good. His parents are not extreme, but do hold some "old" beliefs.

Today, my dad is an adjunct professor at Salisbury University and he's working on his PhD. He's been a business man all his life, and he's very personable and easy to get along with.

Basically, what I'm trying to say is that he has not lived a sheltered life and has been exposed to lots of different perspectives and has a good education. He's 57.

==========

A little story...

Around the time when my sister was 16, she was dating a Dominican guy. My dad basically forbid it -- not dating, but dating *this* guy. After talking with him about it, and digging and irritating him, I basically called him out as a racist. His responses during our arguments led me to that -- it wasn't just some whim, he said some racist things (5 on a scale of 10). He'd never say he hates black people, because he doesn't, he just said that he doesn't believe in interracial relationships. He kept saying it's bad for the children.

Of course I would say, "It's only bad for the children because of racists, because of people like you!" I asked him why he would deny his daughter (and her boyfriend) a chance at love because of something so ignorant. He could not answer that. I asked him if the guy was white, whether it would make any difference and he said it would. I was so amazed and dumbfounded to hear such nonsense coming from my dad -- a man who is reasonably intelligent and who has many redeeming qualities. Up until this point I never knew my dad was a racist (my parents were divorced and I didn't grow up with him).

Fortunately my sister is very headstrong and independent, and didn't give in to their (mother felt the same way) persistent ignorance. She defied them and continued to date this guy. It was young lust and they are no longer together. So, it's not like I'm going to conclude with some feel-good story about how they made a family together and the guy is so great. I don't even know him.

The point of this post was just to illustrate how racism is still *very* alive in our society. It's just more hidden. Some smart and reasonable people, who you would never expect to be racist, are. And, this doesn't just apply to "old" people.

To me, if we are to ever eliminate racism, we need to err on the side of extreme diligence (if that makes any sense). Essentially, it is better to pull the race card more often than not. Better to call racism, even when it might not be, than to avoid it when it might be deserved.

I know of a very similar story that is close to me and the the most baffling is that these people can't even fathom that they are racist. They've rationalized it all away. The people involved actually cited my wife and I as someone who would agree with them. They asked us and we were like "WUH??? Yeah no we wouldn't have a problem with it. If we meet the guy and he's seems decent then I wouldn't care either way." This blew them away. Then they start talking about all the stats about interracial relationships and all the respected people that agree with them and we told them it didn't matter.

a guy asked my girl how she feels about having a "gray" baby. no joke, he said it with a straight face with all sincerity and this guy is a local at our bar, me and my girl both drank with him a handful of times so this isnt some random guy making an off hand comments (which we get from both black and white people evenly) but a serious question.

needless to say, my girl gets mad on the inside, we leave and I hear her rant about it for the rest of the night.

go skins!!

I was clarifying, not changing.

I'm glad you don't see color, unfortunately there are many out there that still do.
Well it clear the left does because they are the ones who are always bringing up race.