How Very Sad and Unfair

Racism has always been present in America and these things have always been happening Heather... it is just now publicized more that is all there is to it. Race crimes have always been prevalent against black people and Muslims, as well as non-Muslims that are from Muslim countries. Heck a friend of mine who isn't even Arab or Muslim or from a Muslim country was a victim of a race crime because she LOOKED Arab... Asians at one time were discriminated against, Italians, Irish... and so on and so forth... it is a sick part of America's history. These cases usually if not extremely rarely ever see the day of light in regards to the media. So at least it's an acknowledgment of the problem. The election of Obama just made the racists out there lash out even with more hatred than ever. As another poster said we never had a president such as Obama be elected. He isn't the typical white male with some sort of connection to the history of America. His parents weren't the typical all American family... he broke all the typical things that each president represented in the past. And this is another driving force for these people that do such gross things. The thing that really cut me is that even young children are starting up and it gets you to ask... why would parents encourage that unless they themselves are agreeing... where are the teachers certainly they can tell the kids to be quiet or try to explain how wrong it is. One student in my class referred to a black man that worked with his father with the n word and i about lost it but controlled myself... i told him not to say such a thing and to see me after class... he didn't know how bad it was, he didn't know WHY it was not good... i explained to him as shortly as i could why it was not a good thing to say... i don't know if he truly understood me but as a teacher i felt i did my fair share in trying to teach not only the lesson but respect and manners as well.

it said those on the losing side have an easy target... it didn't say everybody on the losing side, that statement doesn't even say they will take the easy target, only that they have one, and yes hate crimes are disgusting and should never be.

Race crimes have not risen, only the media attention they have recieved. Ther will be a trend towrds this too and soon, any anti-Obama staements or actions will be deemed as racist. the boldest call for revolution I saw after the elections was from a man who was black. I copied it and posted it in here without indicating the race of the person who wrote it, becuse it just didn't ocure to me that I would need to...and it was imeditalely branded as a racist statement. I was astounded, I guess I shouldn't have been.

You know, the one thing that I find totally amazing and sad at the same time is that the ones that feel that President-elect Obama should not be President are the ones that can't see the whole picture; or they refuse to. He is not black, but bi-racial. Even that is something that should not be looked upon as wrong, but for the ones that see only a black man will only see a black man. There will be a wave of black slurrs and crimes and the true crime in all of this will be plain, pure stupidity. After any election there are always sore losers, but this year, in this part in our history, the sore losers feel that they have a real reason to be angry. It's a shame that with all that energy it is taking to put out that anger that they they are forgetting that there are more important things to put that energy to and that's getting our economy back on track. If they want to see color, then they better start seeing some green or else they will learn the true meaning of just what black really is. DCMerkle

Sure, it's grossly unfair...I agree wholeheartedly and wish this country would come back together as one nation again. This is just the latest in a long list of generalizations that have been made about people based on who they supported for President and I guess the first time it's effected you personally. Previously it was the Republican side taking shots though. On this board alone Obama supporters have been called Liberals, Socialists, Sexists, sheep, evil, stupid, uninformed, told that we're not real Americans, accused of supporting the ripping of live & viable infants from their mother's womb to suffer and die, accused of supporting terrorism, accused of supporting racial hatred by the black community, accused of attacking Palin's children whenever anything about her relating to them or even her stance on birth control is questioned...I could go on but you get my point. The first unfair generalization stings a bit. Here's hoping that you don't experience it enough to get used to it...like I have.

I beg to differ. While it is, indeed, sad and shameful that race crimes and outcry have risen suddenly - and equally bad (but expected) that the press blame a whole section of the population for it - it is in many ways to be expected. I don't know a huge amount of American history, but this is the first time as far as I am aware that someone who could so easily be seen as an 'outsider' has been elected. Most presidents are of the "trace my parentage back five generations in the US" type, with tons of money, land and ingrained interest/connections with various industries. Correct me if I'm wrong about that, though! With Obama's success, a huge number of people who do not like change, who feel threatened by someone with (ostensibly) shallow roots in the US and/or don't like people not of their particular ethnic section of the populace will feel uneasy. As with most things, some of this unease will be expressed overtly and aggressively. Personally, from a long way away and without looking at the politics of the situation (which, from what you say, was what would have decided your vote, as it should!) but just the person elected, I can only say that I am impressed that the American population has taken such a big step/risk. I hope it works out well - for everyone, be they supporters or not.

WEll I havent seen or heard any of that happening here but then they might be keeping it quite. In away I am not surprized alot of this came from the south as if you talk to the older people they still fighting the Civil war and the south never lost. lol and al the people I met in the south was to poor to have ever been slave owners so I just dont know what to thnk about them I didnt when I moved there in 64. I was surprized then at them still fighting the CIvil war in thier minds and words. So now I guess they still are altho I thought it should be over after all these years!.

I never voted for Obama but it wasn't because he is black....I didn't vote for him because of his relationship with terriorist in Chicago......Like Bill Ayers....who bombed buildings in the sixtys and killed innocent people.. I saw the hanging of a white women figure befor the black figure ever came out..I saw more racial remarks from Obama's team than I heard from Sarah Palin..... It's because people didn't want be beleive the truth about him is the only reason he got in....as for racial epithets scrwleed on homes and cars I never saw that around where I lived because there wasn't any...... I don't know where your from but I sure that people who voted for him wanted him but as I said before I didn't vote for him but he is any so now we suffer through four more years of the same....There is no change in Washington because he is putting in his cabinet all of the old boys from the Clinton years........ And his not the great hope that everyone thought he was going to be........Oh don't hold your breath if you think your going to get a thousdand dollars from him cause you won't get it.....

Generalizations are always unfair. Just like racism, it places prejudice against a group of people.

That article is stupid. The reason that people did not vote for Obama was because of his issues, his pro abortion stance for one, and his unwillingness to prove that he was either born or not born an American citizen as well as his far left radicalism. On the other hand, I am sorely disappointed at the black people who voted for Obama because he is part black. That is also racism and that is the worse kind. I doubt if his election will bring much harmony and happiness to the American people and if the blacks think "oh goodey, the whites are going to work the low end jobs and be discriminated against. It is pay back time!" forget it.

Unfortunately, racism is rampant in many countries. I remember one country I visited, which I will not name so I do not offend the people from there, had racism on display for me very well when I was riding a train there. I couldn't believe the words I was hearing coming out of the man's mouth, about black people. In particular, black Americans. I was like, what?! Since I had not spoken, he did not know I was American because of course my accent or lack of one, or whatever would have given me away. To say all those who voted against Obama are racist is racist in itself. The majority of Americans do not feel this way, but the minority who do are shown in the media, for all to see. Anything to get a story bigger. I think the more attention brought to this, the worse it will be for Obama. Most of Americans whatever race they are, don't harbor such hatred in their hearts. White, black, Asian, or Native American. The good still outnumber the bad.

well, its really unfair. I think we experience this kind of problem all over the world. Racism. Particularly the color of the skin. And I dont get the sense of this skin color difference. As what youve said, we are all EQUAL in the eyes of God. We just pray for this problem to end and let everyone live peacefully. I hope.

it's a excuse about the racial crimes. as far as stealing for one reason is because why the things are going in the states, everything going up and people can't afford to buy food or gas. so they are doing what they need to do. but as you i didn't raise my kids to judge other by skin color or belife. one main rule of my house no matter who walks in there will be no racial talks or slur what so ever.

The article didn't lump all people who didn't vote for Obama as racist. The crimes they were describing were definitely politically motivated, and committed by racists, but that certainly doesn't mean all Republicans are racist! These are horrific crimes, certainly. And there are people who don't believe racism exists anymore, so hopefully this will open their eyes!

I too was on the losing side but it had nothing to do with the color of the candidate's skin. I would have voted with a purple person if I felt they served my needs and those of our country. I just couldn't bring myself to vote for someone that supports killing a child in the late term of pregnancy let alone a partial birth abortion. This was not a decision I took lightly but I would never degrade an entire race because I don't believe one person is appropriate for a job. I don't really feel the racism is more prevalent now I just believe it is coming more apparent. This is due in large part to our media. They tend to stir the pot because they want the ratings and sells (of newspapers). You rarely see on the news or in papers when several races come together for one common cause but it sure is showcased when a person of a different race has been victimized by a person for one reason or another. We as citizens have to stop buying into such behavior or it will continue to get worse.

I think that whatever country you live in, the media love to sensationalise and that there will always be bigots. I remember the race riots in England in the early 1980s, when cars were beinfg torched and running battles between youths and police in Liverpool, Manchester, Birmingham and London. This was largely down to black youths feeling that they were unfairly being targeted by the police for 'stop and search', and an alienation of them as young British citizens. This led to major changes in the law. Over the last 5 years, these reverses have been re-reversed, and now the police are stopping asian youths, and the media announces asians being arrested under terror laws every week - strangely, they rarely report any trial. I am familiar with a case in Manchester, where I live, when a man of Somalian decent was stopped by police. His home was raided, his family thrown onto the streets (including an elderly grandmother) and 6 arrests. The final outcome of this terrorist policing was the original gentleman getting 3 points on his driving license. 2 months ago, the British government used terrorist laws to freeze the assets of Icelandic banks in the UK - Iceland being 1 of the 28 countries that is in Iraq, and has never been a part of George W's 'Axis of Evil'. Last week, a report published stated that the 'Real IRA' are more of a threat to UK safety than Al-Qaeeda, yet this went unreported by the BBC. I think that the barrack Obama election result has created a great swell of national prie across the States, where even many Republicans are rightly proud of a system that has elected a non white president for the first time, even if he is a democrat. Unfortunately, like in every country, the US still has a racist minority, who are feeling under attack by Obamas victory, and have possibly felt the need to try and reclaim ground they percieve they have lost. This has fired a counter movement, and this was probably always going to happen. What is most important to remember is that these people may be getting column inches in the press and time on the news, but they are a minority. I believe that the Mexicans have faced an increasing problem over the last few years, as bigots always need to blame someone else, but Obama has made the anti-African-American lobby make more noise. Most Americans are not bigots, and ultimately the progress the US has made over the last 40 years will continue. Action is needed, but don't let the media make you feel America is going backwards, because it isn't.

Hmmm... But it's perfectly okay to hang a dummy of Palin up at Halloween, right? I mean that was just a Halloween prank - not anything racist, right? And it's also perfectly okay for Rev Wright to spew hate slurs against white Americans too? My question is, why is it only considered a hate crime when a black person is the one being attacked?

Violence and harsh words are never the answer, but it does not stop people from expressing themselves in this manner. What is done is done, it can't be changed. People would be better occupied directing their energies towards something that can help, but of course that is not the way of human nature.

I won't say these things haven't happened, but I've not seen increase in racial crimes or tension in the area where I live. Before the election, my acquaintances worried about what would happen to the country if Obama was elected, but now that it's fait accompli, they're just sort of ho-hum about the whole thing. I personally feel that anything that's posted on the internet and which you hear nowhere else should be taken with a grain of salt. That's not to say it isn't true, it just means it should be double checked before it's believed.

Where is all this racism taking place? Do you watch the local and national news? Have they mentioned it? I haven't seen or heard anything about it.