The only shift in the terms of the converation that I will engage in is:

RACISM IS HURTFUL & HARMFUL, BODY MIND AND SPIRIT.

I wouldn't call it so much guilty as a fear of losing entitlement and privilege based on race…that is the core issue. They don't want to compete on a leveling playing field.

They have seen too many times what happens, look at sports and entertainment..the most visible images of when there is often times a playing field that even unlevel means we rise to the top as superstars.

Now, if you know we become superstars when the refs are biased and the field is unlevel, wtf do you beleive many whites believe will happen if the game changes and is FAIR?

That is what we see in them…cold hard FEAR.

I read the rest of the thread and it plays out just like Cenk, said…everyone is defended their turf. White and Black…it cuts both ways.

Not saying it is right…just an observation..that we have to get beyond the defensiveness to make progress.

That does not mean all is forgiven nor that we should concede anything…but we can shift the terms of the conversation.

For me, “he points well taken” is what is so exhausting and frustrating.

Again, we have to concede to white speak, to what makes them comfortable, to how they interpret, to engage them. I know how to interact with white folk in the work place, in social settings and in public.

This is about that racist cartoon and racist behavior. I don't have time to play nice and say, “Excuse me, you mean you don't lke me because I'm BLACK?
when they just straight up called me a nigger, ape, chimp, boy, girlie……….

Nope, I don't roll like that.

Why do white folks get to decide what's racist/racism and what's not?

He CAME ta make HIS POINTS!! 4 – get the “opponent!” :>) :>)

HE KNOWS!! :>) :>)

C U L8R! :>)

Have a GREAT DAY! :>)

I'm Out – E for most of it! :>)

Miss U'ALL!! :>)

well HELLO!
Dayum

that is a new one on me…I LIKE that!!

Folks get defensive and shut down all communication when the think they are being called racist. It is such an insult to whites, doesn't mean it is false, just that they find it so upsetting that they DEFEND themselves rather than listen.

Cenk's remarks were dead on target. Doesn't mean I think that approach is right but his point is well taken. You cannot approach whites in that manner IF you want open dialogue, you will only get pushback and they will just become entrenched in their position.

No different than what we have seen with Holder's speech and that response. All white folks want to focus on is the word COWARD. They are stuck on that and will fight that idea of cowardice and NEVER address the race issue. One of the differences in how whites communicate and blacks is that black folks speak straight up with candor that calls sometime the negative word rather than flipping the word and saying they have less of that or fail to have it. For instance here is the difference”

We say…coward…they say not brave

We say..deceit…they say lack of full disclosure

We say..ugly…they say not pretty

We say..bad…they say not good

We say don't do that…they say, I would not encourage that

We say I'm tired of you doing that….they say… I am disappointed in you

It is a different verbal dynamic. Black cultural communication is stripped of niceties because we did not have the luxury of being nice, being nice could get us killed so we speak in declarative sentences to our children and about others in a way that is candidly raw to the mainstream culture.

Just my observation based on the work environment, because I had to grapple with why blacks were being perceived as negative simply because they said, at least what I heard, the same thing as the white worker which was acceptable. So, I focused on what could the difference be between…'this doesn't make sense' feedback from the black employee to 'can you give an example of what you mean hear' by another white employee. Or hearing the black co-worker say… this means we don't get paid' to the white working saying 'how does this limit out compensation'

It was a real eyeopener to learn…all you need to do is say…well, they are the prettiest person…instead of she sure is ugly.

you get a completely different response…..and to me,..they are saying the same damn thing.

Applause , applause.

You kept the conversation focused and on track. You moved it to a higher level and did not get distracted with the defensive tactic of racism 'I am not racist, I am not backing down, you have the problem not me'…those responses typically cause all discussion to deteriorate into each person's perspective corner. You did not allow that. You kept focused and elevated the dialogue even using the instigating cartoon as the catalyst for what can BECOME honest dialogue.

You are doing us proud, young man. And I was inDEED impressed with your Improvement by citing the AUTHOR of the research. Whenever you do that you raise the bar as to the depth of your knowledge and expertise…Keep up the good work, your sound bites reflect a very agile and cogent intellect!!

BTW, I also very much enjoy your calm demeanor and the well-modulated tone of your voice which expresses discussion vs. confrontation by the way you articulate the view.
In short, you are media ready for this…natural ability that will endear listeners to you.

O happy Day…