I agree.  But I think the issue is economics.  Blacks who have attained middle class or better are not likely to risk their achievements by committing petty crimes.  On the other hand, blacks who see little opportunity (the reasons being societal and familial) have little to risk in committing petty crimes.  

The fact that these same white friends do not lock their doors when traveling through poor white neighborhoods,  to me, constitutes racism.  Poor white people commit crimes at high numbers as well, but they are white and therefore less threatening.  It may be a relatively minor instance of racism, but it still exists.  I adamantly reject the notion that we are "post-race."  We aren't.

I am an Indian who shaves his head. Yeah, it is really not an exaggeration when African Americans talk about DWB. I have been stopped more times now than when I had long hair. I have been treated differently when driving with black or indian friends compared to when I was driving with white friends.  

Are you disagreeing with me?  If so, I agree that racism exists.  Are you just saying that my idea that we have gotten past much (though not all) conscious overt racism is wrong?  If so, fair enough.  I think most cops who stop black drivers because they are black are not always aware that they are doing it for that reason, so it's definitely racism though maybe not as purposeful?  Still very harmful though.  If your comment wasn't for me, sorry for the reply!

Assist??

I'm fumbling here - there's really nothing to add to your excellent point.

If I make a joke, am i a ...?

If I laugh at a joke am i ...?

ridiculous.

I loved the Sopranos, so am I anti-Italian? I mimic the show, and make jokes about the characters and people who look like them.

The same for "black shows:

The same for "Sex in the City"

This is America.  We are diverse. We should love free speech.

What matters most is action.  Obama is talking about action, by blacks themselves. Yet, people here and in my community don't/won't discuss that for more than a minute, and then they're back to "others".

Yea, you're probably right.  Maybe this is a Rush Limbaugh transcript?  I dunno...I'm trying to figure out where it came from, and it's gotta be somewhere right-wing.

I'm not sure which RedState that you've been reading but the one that I've read is as loony as they come.  Intellectually Honest?  Really?

I am Mr. Roarke and I me and Tatoo would like to welcome HIM to FANTASEEEEEE IIIsland!!!!

We're all entitled to our views of course.  But I have little tolerance for the "racism is over, black people need to stop being lazy" crap that passes for analysis on Fox News.  Regardless if it is a black person making the statement or not.  It's just ignorant.

The fact that cocaine and crack sentencing guidelines still legally differ is just one point among many that America as an institution remains racist.  Let's be clear: America as an institution was racist from the moment whites stepped on this soil.  Racist against Native Americans and Africans.  We have done a hell of a lot to roll it back (unfortunately with setbacks that included horrendous racism against Irish, Italians, Germans, Asians and then Latinos).  But we are not anywhere near the point where we are "post race."  I don't know if post race is even possible, but if it is we still have a ways to go.  We may be close enough now that further progress takes a very long time and a lot of work, but saying there is no more work to do is a hard sell.

How much welcoming with open arms does Obama "deserve?"

I'm curious now.

You brilliant soliloquy on free speech and thought did not discount the fact that 1 in 5 Appalacian voters polled said race had a factor in their decision.  That is FUCKING RACISM and their right to think that way doesn't nullify racism.  Do you understand that?

You are saying that since people are free to have racist thoughts, racism is therefore OK.  Umm????

Is it right for police, judges, law makers, governmental adminstrators, landlords, loan providers, people in position of power to have racist thoughts?  Sure they shouldn't go to jail for it, but what if their racists thoughts subconsciously manifest into their work and other decisions that affect peoples lives?  You know, like discrimination?  That's a bad thing right?  Or is it ok because people have a right to think racist stuff?

There is no God making blacks use crack, and whites use powder.  The easiest way not to get a long sentence for crack is to...DON'T DO CRACK.

There was reason to have bigger sentences in the 1980's.  Crack was destroying the black community.  With more people in jail, the streets became safer.  Nowadays, the disparity doesn't make as much sense, and guess what? Dems and others are working to lessen it.

There is, however, the economic issue that crack is much cheaper than powder cocaine and blacks tend to have less money (another symptom of the systemic racism in our society).

Please, the disparity in sentencing has nothing to do with protecting the black community.  It has to do with white people being terrified of scary black people breaking into their houses to steal their stuff and sell it for crack.  If you think that the huge numbers of mostly black men incarcerated for drug crimes has helped the black community, you're sorely mistaken.  It's actually hurt the community terribly and led to a lot of broken families and absentee fathers.

Race is not the issue.  Democrats passed many of the laws.  Dems like Joe Biden. Is he racist too?
You know he may be Obama's VP right?

You don't seem to recognize the difference between personal and systemic racism, and I'm not going to bother trying to explain it.

Short answer, no, Joe Biden isn't a racist, but the policy is racist.

You know what, somebody with more patience will have to deal with the rest point by point.  I'll just deal with the larger issue:

Yes, I'm talking statistics, because they give a broader picture of reality than anecdotal evidence.  The reality is, blacks have among the lowest median income, the lowest overall wealth, some of the worst quality education, and are vastly more likely to be targeted by police, are more likely to be pulled over without cause, are more likely to be searched when they're pulled over, have much higher incarceration rates, are intentionally targeted by stricter sentencing guidelines...

Feel-good anecdotes aside, there are many ways to interpret those statistics.  You could interpret them to mean black people are fundamentally lazy, uneducated, and more likely to be repeat criminals; or you could interpret them to mean that they face a lot of residual racism from our society.

We've come a long way, but we have a lot of systemic injustice still to root out.

Well there is that one, too.  It's kind of a biggie.  Amadou Diallo wasn't a very long time ago, and Sean Bell was just two years back.

Perhaps a real live anecdote will open your eyes.

I was working for a major corporation and went on a business trip with 3 other employees, 2 black and the other white, like me. They picked me up on the way to the airport and dropped me off at home when we returned. The driver was a black woman who happened to be one of my best friends at work. We were pulled over in my neighborhood a short distance from my house. The police officer came to the driver's window and immediately started to question her about her reasons for being in the neighborhood. That's when I spoke up from the back seat. He took one look at me in my fairly expensive suit and tie and changed his tone and line of questioning. I asked for a reason for pulling us over and he gave a bullshit answer about a tail-light flickering. We were in a fairly new Altima. This was a little over a year ago.

When we pulled away, both blacks in the car said that if they had been alone and questioned his right to pull them over that the cop would have probably broken one of their tail-lights and used that broken light as a reason for pulling them over. I'll never forget what my friend said to me that night. "Welcome to our world."

Then you haven't lived in Texas

Those examples you give are well and good and I actually gave you some mild support on those issues in other comments. I believe the African American community should not even wait for the white leaders to see the light and provide them with a non racist situation for life. It won't happen. There will be racists in America for a long time. So African Americans need to do what Jewish people have done all over the world  and just do things for themselves and overcome the lack of help from the mainstream. And yes, you are correct on that point when you mention that there is enough opportunity for African Americans to do better than they have accomplished. But you also have to admit that people are people. You cant expect perfection from everyone. And some well meaning families are stuck in bad neighorhoods with few options of better schools for their kids.  So even if they do things the right way, they might not be able to succeed in raising the kids the way they want because of outside influences.

Still, it doesnt change the fact that there are white americans who root against African Americans and will provide obstacles to their success out of hatred. I have heard too many comments over my lifetime to believe otherwise.

I agree that blacks can do well with hard work.  But it requires a hell of a lot more work for the average black person of lower class to "make it" than the average white person.  Part of it is our broken educational system.  Part of it is racism.

As for having babies out of wedlock, condoms are the best choice.  But...the vast majority of white women I know don't get pregnant with their boyfriends because they are on the pill; very few of  them use condoms in a committed relationship.  This includes my own past relationships.  Blacks are more likely to be lower class and therefore, more likely to not be able to afford birth control (or condoms for that matter).  Price of abortions, same thing.

You really do live in a fantasy world.

Blacks are made to feel unwelcome in certain white neighborhoods with good schools. I would say in a way, racism makes it a little tougher for a black kid to get a quality education. It doesn't prevent them, so I was there with you until i saw your last couple of comments.

And even in areas where whites do not go after blacks for no reasons, there is less room for error. After all, we are human, and errors are made by everyone. If you have more slack, you can emotionally relax and be a more productive citizen. Not everyone responds to adversity well.

And yes, many years after 1980, even now cops do stop blacks for flimsier reasons. And when that happens, that will ruin the day for that black person. I know I have been upset and it interfered with my work when I have been mistreated by a cop. And when you get stopped again and talked to like crap, you get a chip on the shoulder. Your fuse gets shortened the next time it happens.

Little incidents here and there add up. Not that it gives underachievers a cop out(I will not deny knowing people who whine a little too much without doing something about it), but it is a factor that must be overcome.

I have been stopped for DWB 5 times. Each time they said that they "Mistyped in the License Plate and it came up stolen accidently".

In 3 different cars.

By 5 different officers.

Which shows something. At the very least there is some kind of communication going between them on how they are going to answer the question when shockingly enough I don't have any outstanding warrants or anything.

I'm white and I speed all the time.  I've driven well over 100,000 miles in the last 10 years.  I don't go out of my way to jam on the brakes when I drive past a cop.  I routinely go by them doing 10+ mph over the limit.  Guess how many times I've been stopped for speeding?  Once.  And I was doing 90 in a 65 (I know, I was 19 and stupid), but the cop game me 84 so it could be an infraction.  

How many black people here have been stopped going less than 10 over the limit?  My guess is a lot.