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comment by user-inactivated
user-inactivated  ·  3446 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: The mental gymnastics of excusing white men's violence

I don't think it's okay to generalize anyone. People say "the poles are coming over here and talking our jobs" but oh well. They're here legally same with all of the immigrants to the UK.

I think the US has some seriously bad ideas regarding race, social standing and class. Not to mention that but gun legislation is so neanderthalic that there seems to be no stop to this violence now.

As for villified white males, I don't think it's fair to say that we all share the same ideals just as people shouldn't think of all muslims as terrorists. The kid was crazy and racist and radicalised. I'm not blaming it on mental illness because it's obvious it was a hate crime. But surely there is something wrong with the system which means that the government, schools and workplaces allow this kind of kid to be spat out. Just as people in the middle east are being taught of IS ideals and then joining IS. People in the US are taught to be racist. John Stewart made a point. The US celebrates it's history and to be honest most of US history is terrible and just plain wrong. I think the US needs to move on from it's past and teach kids the things that make them fucking tolerant.





yourstruly  ·  3430 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The problem is that the US as a nation was built on land stolen from others by genocide, and labour stolen from others by slavery. These are the only reasons it could ever reach the heights it did and hold the power it does.

This racism is a core, inseperable ingredient of the US identity. A celebration of the USA and to some extent a celebration of capitalism are the celebration of some of the most unspeakable acts that a civilisation could undertake.

Combine this with the chauvinistic rhetoric of US social politics, and is it any wonder that racism is such a big problem? Dare I say I see no solution so long as the USA as a concept maintains credibility.

Note I'm focusing on the states because it's particularly easy. Europe has an equally large race problem, but I find it's slightly more nuanced, and slightly harder to define. As for the other continents, I don't feel like I know enough to confortably comment.

user-inactivated  ·  3430 days ago  ·  link  ·  
This comment has been deleted.
yourstruly  ·  3430 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Of course it wasn't, that's why the race dialogue in Europe is very different. We very much still have a problem with racism, though.

pseydtonne  ·  3446 days ago  ·  link  ·  

You say "I don't think it's okay to generalize anyone" but say "I think the US has some seriously bad ideas regarding race". Care to explain?

user-inactivated  ·  3446 days ago  ·  link  ·  

The US as an institution, Govt etc. Not the public.

pseydtonne  ·  3446 days ago  ·  link  ·  

But you're accusing the US public of racism.

user-inactivated  ·  3446 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Because of the actions of the institution that teaches them that racism, it's ingrained into the public. But not everyone is racist.