tailgater wrote:Some white people DO treat black people differently.
But you're saying that all black people therefore feel this way?
Life is filled with moments when you might feel like persona non grata. Why is it worse for a black person who is scorned for his skin color?
I think it's horrible, but why is it worse?
Because the black experience in this country includes centuries of legalized oppression, where whites lived by different standards and blacks were looked upon as property, not persons. Then came begrudging fights for equal rights, ideals of citizenship, that existed in name only, for whites only. Separate but equal legal stratification reinforced the status of blacks as less than equal. Even in the era beyond the passage of the Civil Rights Acts, white-only institutions remain. Some are unspoken, but can be as plain as the photos taken on the WH lawn when "legislative accomplishments" are celebrated, and members of the House and Senate gather with administration officials to recognize work done on behalf of the "people."
The huge difference in all of this is two-fold: a numbers analysis...whites outnumber blacks by about 9 - 1, and by more than that in history, which affords the majority advantages...a situational one: whites enjoy a position and status elevated by the centuries of black mistreatment, which continues in some forms despite equal rights initiatives..
If life is a marathon, and everybody has a chance to compete, to the best of his ability...whites largely compete in different stadia...with smooth running surfaces with banking to help the elite runners, modern training rooms, accomplished and motivational coaches and trainers armed with the latest techniques and technology, training tables that feature a wide spectrum of nutritious food and drink, proper uniforms and gear...
Blacks, for the most part, have to prepare in worn-out, broken down, or re-habbed antiquated facilities...with potholed surfaces and crooked tracks...with mostly un-motivated, barely qualified, even incompetent coaches and an absence of trainers, out-dated training equipment, fast food and sugar water, mismatched uniforms and ill-fitting gear...
So, ask yourself, tail...if you had a choice, would you take the advantaged and privileged path, or would you rather be black?