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23 Times America Failed Black People in 2014

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Purkake4

Banned
I was just going to post the exact same thing. America didn't care about Ebola until it was here.

Question for our European members - did your press care about Ebola before it started to spread?
The press cared about ebola because of scaremongering and clicks. The people cared about ebola because they thought they could catch it.

The actual work on ebola was and is still being done by WHO with NGOs (Médecins Sans Frontières in particular) and international donors.
 
Shoulda added these 2 to the list.
On Sept. 24, special prosecutor Mark Piepmeier announced that the grand jury — which received testimony from 18 witnesses and watched hours of audio and video — would not indict Sgt. David Darkow and officer Sean Williams for the fatal shooting of John Crawford III. The investigation is now out of the hands of local authorities, and under the control of the U.S. Department of Justice. The federal government is conducting a “thorough and independent review of the evidence” and will “take appropriate action if the evidence indicates a prosecutable violation of the federal criminal civil rights statutes.”

At a Sept. 24 news conference to announce the grand jury’s decision, Piepmeier presented about 20 minutes of surveillance video from inside the store. The footage shows Crawford III holding the pellet gun, and then dropping it and collapsing as police confront him. It is unclear exactly when the officer shot, based on the angle of the video. On the tape, you can hear the officers yell something at Crawford III followed by a gunshot about a second later. The audio of what the officers said to Crawford III is indiscernible because the shot followed quickly, but presumably they commanded that he drop the weapon.

One Friday last May, the sun had not yet risen when a SWAT team ignited a flash-bang grenade outside Marvin Guy's apartment in Killeen, Texas. Officers were trying to climb in through a window when Guy, who had a criminal record and was suspected of possessing cocaine, opened fire. Four officers were hit; one of them was killed.

Five months earlier, 100 miles away, a SWAT officer was shot during a predawn no-knock raid on another house. In that case, too, police threw a flash-bang grenade and tried to enter the residence. Henry "Hank" Magee, according to his attorney, grabbed his gun to protect himself and his pregnant girlfriend. "As soon as the door was kicked in, he shot at the people coming through the door," says his attorney, Dick DeGuerin. With his legally owned semi-automatic .308 rifle, Magee killed one of the officers.

The cases are remarkably similar, except for one thing: Guy is black, Magee white. And while Magee was found to have acted in self-defense, prosecutors are seeking the death penalty for Guy. He remains in jail while he awaits trial.
 
A stupid marketing campaign and dumb articles talking about slang really deserve to be on the same list as people getting killed without justice being served, doesn't it? And complaining because a bunch of white rappers won some awards? Really?
 

Mesousa

Banned
A stupid marketing campaign and dumb articles talking about slang really deserve to be on the same list as people getting killed without justice being served, doesn't it? And complaining because a bunch of white rappers won some awards? Really?

The culture which breeds those stupid articles and marketing campaigns is the same culture in which killing these people without any punishment is not only deemed acceptable, but the norm.
 

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
A stupid marketing campaign and dumb articles talking about slang really deserve to be on the same list as people getting killed without justice being served, doesn't it? And complaining because a bunch of white rappers won some awards? Really?

You're right, everything on a list must be of exactly the same importance as everything else on that list.
 
Being from a non-colonial European nation, it's difficult for me to understand, and comprehend the rules about which races can say what.

Some of these genuinely confused me. If anyone can elaborate because it's very interesting;

1) Can someone explain the one with Pharell's "Bae" to me? The way I understood it was: Bae is a black word, and with Variety making an article about it, they are trivializing it making it another word white people use, that comes from black culture, and then it has lost it's power or meaning?

2) The one with JLo being credited as a white person (Isn't she hispanic? I read that her family put her down by saying that no Latinos could be a popstar and that she should get a real job) who made big butts popular.
Is the author mad because it's not true or because it's a black thing to have a big butt, and white people are stealing it?




Earlier this year we had a discussion that was interesting about a black woman who felt outed when white gay men made the caricature voice and body language of a "proud angry black women". I cant find the gaf thread but it was an interesting discussion. Here is the link; http://thedmonline.com/dear-white-gays/

I don't know if it's exactly the same, but we know from what goes on in China, that undermining someones culture is a weapon. In Tibet, to undermine the resilient Tibetan people, China is allowing mass immigration of chinese citizens to Tibet. The goal is to make Tibetans lose control of their country by becoming a minority, and making chinese culture and thinking the dominating influence.
These types of mass immigration have happened throughout the ages. Sometimes they happen unintentionally, and sometimes it's with cause. When the armies of Ghenkis Khan plowed through the Steppes and China and much Euroasia, and systematically raped everyone, it was not because they were just barbaric. By raping so many people you ensured a lot of the population would give birth to children who were half-Mongolians, and thus you indoctrinate your own people onto another people - Makes them less likely to rebel when their own children are half of your oppressor. Extremely cruel, and effective way of controlling a submissive people. This is for another discussion though - The point just being, that it's amazing how attached we as people get to our culture.


In northern Europe, our racism revolves around people being allowed to wear their hijab while working in the grocery store. In France this was outright banned, if I remember correctly! People are fighting over allowing Halal meat, and over here, people from poland, ex-USSR nations are blamed for organized crime. Romas are our number one hunted people. In the town next to mine, they are frowned and considered a menace. But being a non-colonian nation, it's really difficult to compare our immigration with the Americans.
But I have a question, for all the progress that has been made in Portugal, Spain, France and England, is the state of racism less in these countries than in the US, you think? With the right wing gov on the rise in many parts of Europe - Particularly France and the appalling Pen, I wonder if the problems, in Paris are comparable to the US?
 

IISANDERII

Member
Even the garbage clickbait you posted is inaccurate. Sherman went off in the conference championship game, not the Superbowl.

Look, there are serious problems going on that need to be addressed. But lumping in an idiot mayor with Ferguson, or trying to make us feel bad because players were getting millions while playing for a racist owner (whom was known to be racist LONG before those guys ever signed their contracts) is absolute liberal bitching at its very worst.

Seriously. Comparing that mayor to the Garner case is essentially spitting in the face of everyone who cares.
whytemyke
Honorary Canadian.
(Today, 01:58 PM)
 
Before reading I thought of number 4 half jokingly. I'm not sure about the Richard Sherman one though. If you act like an asshat you are going to be labelled regardless of your race. Race might have a factor in what that label is though.
 

rexor0717

Member
A lof these are pretty valid failings, but one that has me a bit conflicted is the Thug Kitchen one. I don't know too much about it, but how are they claiming cultural appropriation there? I actually really dislike the whole term, but are they claiming swearing and "thug" as something to be appropriated from black culture? Seems a bit backwards to me.
 

-COOLIO-

The Everyman
There are a lot of good points there but a few should have definitely been cut from then list.

2 seems like it's not a big deal since theyre both doing it.

4 is just flat out dumb

6 is nitpicky imo.

then i just stopped caring.

the list should have went with quality over quantity.
 

-COOLIO-

The Everyman
But there's a fine line between appreciating and appropriating a culture different than one's own, let alone taking leadership within that space

that just pisses me off to read. rap isn't off limits to anyone. a good white rapper, is a good white rapper.
 
You're right, everything on a list must be of exactly the same importance as everything else on that list.
There are probably countless examples of racism that goes on in the country this list could've informed readers about. There's no shortage of material and the author decides to pad the list with really stupid items that probably aren't racially motivated.

It's entirely fair to criticize the bad parts of the list without making light of the real problems of racism shown by the good parts of the list.
 

-COOLIO-

The Everyman
There are probably countless examples of racism that goes on in the country this list could've informed readers about. There's no shortage of material and the author decides to pad the list with really stupid items that probably aren't racially motivated.

It's entirely fair to criticize the bad parts of the list without making light of the real problems of racism shown by the good parts of the list.

yup
 

Yoda

Member
While quite a few of these issues deserve to get more attention (Micheal Brown, Trayvon, Police profiling, etc...) some of them shouldn't be compared with such tragic events. The arrangement of the front-page of a news outlet for a movie award on the same list as a kid getting gunned down?
 
A lof these are pretty valid failings, but one that has me a bit conflicted is the Thug Kitchen one. I don't know too much about it, but how are they claiming cultural appropriation there? I actually really dislike the whole term, but are they claiming swearing and "thug" as something to be appropriated from black culture? Seems a bit backwards to me.

When white people do it it's considered funny when black people do it they're actual thugs
 

Slayven

Member
While quite a few of these issues deserve to get more attention (Micheal Brown, Trayvon, Police profiling, etc...) some of them shouldn't be compared with such tragic events. The arrangement of the front-page of a news outlet for a movie award on the same list as a kid getting gunned down?

Maybe not comparable but they are all symptoms of the same problem. Black People ain't shit in America.
 

Malyse

Member
2 seems like it's not a big deal since theyre both doing it.

4 is just flat out dumb

6 is nitpicky imo.

then i just stopped caring.

the list should have went with quality over quantity.

You have got to be kidding me.

2 shows how when a black person does something, even something so innocent as pointing at the person that they are taking a picture with, suddenly it becomes "gang signs".

4 is not about fucking Macklemore. 4 is not about fucking Macklemore. 4 is about how much is stings to see a white rapper winning in a year where (at a much higher rate than the norm) white people are appropriating black culture. Miley Twerk Cyrus and all.

Let's say you play Halo, some person in pink armor totally clowns your ass. Every damn time, this person in pink armor makes you look like shit. Like you can't play at all. After a while, you would get sick of players in pink armor. Like you see pink and you like "fuck that dude". Even if this particular person in pink armor ain't done anything, you still wouldn't want to see them winning. It's a rough metaphor that skips all the nuance of racism via appropriation, but hopefully it gets the point across.

And you're out your damn mind if you think those headlines are okay.
 

rexor0717

Member
When white people do it it's considered funny when black people do it they're actual thugs

Yeah, I see the racism in it, but I just don't see how they can claim cultural appropriation. Swearing and being a thug aren't a part of black culture, so how can it be appropriated from them. I think cultural appropriation is a concept that gets thrown around way too much, but in this particular case it definitely seems like it doesn't apply.
 

noquarter

Member
The Ebola one is the worst offender on the list, to me, in showing they are stretching. It had more to do with where it is happening then who it is happening to. Pretty sure there are quite a few countries with predominantly white populations that we would have ignored just as much until it started coming overseas.

The Macklemore one is iffy to me. I think it does a good job at showing that a lot of awards shows, especially the Grammys, are pretty shitty. Still don't understand how anything off of that album, with the exception of One Love, got an award at the same time Kendrick Lamar was in the running.

The MLK one with Gap is also pretty weird to me. That is more commercialism and the Gap trying to do everything to get people on the store. They use the same tactics for every sale, they don't represent Native Americans for Thanksgiving sales, or the Irish for St Patricks Day sales. They target there ads towards white people all the time and used MLK Jr Day the same they would any birthday.

Before reading I thought of number 4 half jokingly. I'm not sure about the Richard Sherman one though. If you act like an asshat you are going to be labelled regardless of your race. Race might have a factor in what that label is though.
The Richard Sherman one I'd because he was labeled a thug after his interview, which is apparently used by white people when they want to use the N-word but don't want to get in trouble for being racist. If her would have been labeled as an asshat after the interview he wouldn't be on the list probably.
 

gerg

Member
I always find discussions of cultural appropriation very confusing. (I hope) I can appreciate that when someone wears something like a Native American headdress in a very banal circumstance, which carries with it a very specific and strong spiritual or cultural significance, then that can be considered disrespectful. No one who isn't Jewish would consider wearing a kippah "just for fun" - admittedly, a headdress is much more aesthetically pleasing than a kippah, but I think the similarity over the cultural associations the two items have persists.

However, regarding artists like Macklemore, I am confused over what the suggestions for this type of situation are. Should he stop rapping? It seems to me that such a suggestion inherently "ghetto"-ises (if that term can be used) a certain genre of music, which doesn't seem helpful. I agree that it is likely that not enough exposure is given to black musicians, but it feels that affirmative action should be taken to highlight their music, rather than negative moves being taken to block their preferred genres to others. But perhaps that isn't considered strong enough to right the injustice of the situation.

(I also disliked that they linked to an article from August 2013 in support of that point. Similarly, if the point is not about Macklemore specifically then the authors could probably do better than illustrate the comment with a photo of Macklemore.)

Edit: Reading the Daily Dot article it seems that the concern over Iggy Azelea is more specifically about her adopting a particularly "black" image, including singing in a different voice to her own. I think I can sympathise with that point to a degree, but have people heard Adele speak? When she sings she doesn't do so in her "own" voice, and instead ditches the north London, Tottenham-based accent for something much closer to received pronunciation.
 

Aselith

Member
That number 4 tho. What a horrible stance to take. Culture is a shared thing not a hoarded thing. Of all the things you could complain about that is by far the most ridiculous.
 

Htown

STOP SHITTING ON MY MOTHER'S HEADSTONE
The Ebola one is the worst offender on the list, to me, in showing they are stretching. It had more to do with where it is happening then who it is happening to. Pretty sure there are quite a few countries with predominantly white populations that we would have ignored just as much until it started coming overseas.

There was plenty of race-related nonsense around Ebola anyway. You even had GAF posts where people were worried because they happened to live next to Africans.
 

rexor0717

Member
For cultural appropriation arguments, it seems that the problem lies more with the attention those doing the "appropriating" get than the people themselves. Macklemore, Miley, and whoever else should be able to do what they want, but stupid people that say Miley invented twerking or something still doesn't put the blame on those who are "appropriating".
 
Holy shit, that is alot, and there are still smaller stories that are just as pathetic as the top 23.

This country is ridiculous. lol
 
I strongly suggest people click the links under each list item.

The way #4 is worded is the problem for me. Though per suggestion I'm reading them... mostly cause I have to admit, as a black male who casually listens to rap... no fucking clue who Macklemore and Iggy Azela are outside hearing names in threads like this.
 

Malyse

Member
The way #4 is worded is the problem for me. Though per suggestion I'm reading them... mostly cause I have to admit, as a black male who casually listens to rap... no fucking clue who Macklemore and Iggy Azela are outside hearing names in threads like this.

Ignorance is bliss. I wish I didn't know who they were...
 

FZZ

Banned
Okay there are actual issues that face Blacks in America. This list doesn't even show half of them.
 

PaulloDEC

Member
A lof these are pretty valid failings, but one that has me a bit conflicted is the Thug Kitchen one. I don't know too much about it, but how are they claiming cultural appropriation there? I actually really dislike the whole term, but are they claiming swearing and "thug" as something to be appropriated from black culture? Seems a bit backwards to me.

It was news to me, but apparently the word "thug" is a lot more racially charged in the US than it is elsewhere. The word still just means a brutish, violent person here in Australia, but I understand that in the US it's come to refer specifically to a black stereotype.

That's where the issue stems from I think. The attitude in the writing combined with the word "thug".
 

rexor0717

Member
It was news to me, but apparently the word "thug" is a lot more racially charged in the US than it is elsewhere. The word still just means a brutish, violent person here in Australia, but I understand that in the US it's come to refer specifically to a black stereotype.

That's where the issue stems from I think. The attitude in the writing combined with the word "thug".
Yeah, I get all that, my problem is solely coming from claiming it's cultural appropriation, not that it's racist.
 

Malyse

Member
It was news to me, but apparently the word "thug" is a lot more racially charged in the US than it is elsewhere. The word still just means a brutish, violent person here in Australia, but I understand that in the US it's come to refer specifically to a black stereotype.

That's where the issue stems from I think. The attitude in the writing combined with the word "thug".

People think thug only applies to black people and commonly use it as a stand in for nigger. People got really upset when I made a thread a bit ago and referred to white people as thugs.
 

Shaffield

Member
Macklemore winning all the fucking awards was america letting down anyone who cares about music, regardless of race. we all need to come together to stop this.

#notonemoregrammy
 
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