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On Being a Black Man

• MichaelBurge 10y ago
  > Being told by cab drivers that they’re the first Black person they’ve ever had a positive encounter with What is it that 100% of black people - other than the one in the article - do to taxicab drivers to create negative encounters? I find it hard to believe that literally every case is a mugging, shootout, people tearing up the seats in his car, request to be driven to a gang war, or people not paying the fare. "Cab drivers" is even plural, though that might just be for consistency with the other items. I would've expected at least 70% of such taxicab rides to be uneventful(which I assume would be classified as a 'positive encounter'). Maybe it was a single occurrence, and the taxicab driver was new or had a really bad day(and said something like, "You're the first positive encounter today").
• vitd 10y ago
  Another great essay on the same topic from someone who works in VC in Silicon Valley: https://medium.com/@Mandela/my-white-boss-talked-about-race-in-america-and-this-is-what-happened-fe10f1a00726#.ttvqs4gd4 https://medium.com/@Mandela/my-white-boss-talked-about-race-...
• meira 10y ago
  Great article. My experience as a software engineer in Brazil is very similar.
  • otaviokz 10y ago
    Hi mate. I'm Brazilian as well (deve as well), but white as it gets. I always wanted to hear from a black person about their experiences in general (not only in IT industry). I never asked for 2 reasons: 1 - very few black colleagues, 2 - afraid of sounding condescending or that the guy may not want to talk about it. It's very sad to see how few "majority" people are able to observe the obstacles faced by any minority and, in the case of Brazil and UK (where I live now), black people. I was very nice to read about the author's experiences and how he felt about it because it gives me a bit of insight on this matter. At least now I know I was right about not asking "how is it to be a black guy at..." hahaha
• hawkice 10y ago
  In the list of things he's gotten used to that make him uncomfortable: > Being asked things like, “So, what’s it like being a black guy in Silicon Valley?” In all fairness, the whole premise of the piece is that the answer is worth hearing.
  • cheeze 10y ago
    Sure, but it's much different to want to voluntarily talk about it versus being asked randomly. If I open up on a sensitive subject that is hard for me to talk about, great. If someone randomly asks me to open up about it, not so great.
    • hawkice 10y ago
      I'm not sure we can have the kind of frank discussions about race in America that we need if just asking about someone's experience is considered out of bounds.
      • tibbon 10y ago
        It's not out of bounds, but there's a time and place for it. Maybe listen for that person speaking about something that frustrates them, and then say, "That's really shitty. Do you want to tell me more about it? I also understand if you've got other stuff on your mind"
      • iamdave 10y ago
        And we never will when you oversimplify someone sharing their lived experiences because of your personal unawareness of said experiences, and definitely not when one pithily reduces someone's expressions down to that. Sorry to be that (black) guy but /rolls eyes shameless plug, loosely related: https://medium.com/the-phenomenon-of-black/a-few-words-on-the-black-voice-on-social-media-9342c5e8310b#.2zmk8q9mh https://medium.com/the-phenomenon-of-black/a-few-words-on-th...
        • ChristianBundy 10y ago
• maerF0x0 10y ago
  being big is going to invoke more fear in smaller people. Size is correlated with ability to bring the pain (see: weight classes in MMA). Of course, your color should have nothing to do with it though. ie: Its natural to be afraid of big people. Its racist to be afraid of only big people who are black.
  • otaviokz 10y ago
    I believe in many places (Western countries) white people are more easily scared of black people (big or not) than big and white. I guess that's what the author was talking about. I was born I Brazil and now live in UK where, despite the abyssal difference in physical/verbal violence against black people, it's still very easy to see how white people act more "jumpy" around black people. Mind you I'm "very" white (german descendant) and even to me it's clear the difference.
  • Throwaway585250 10y ago
    As someone who is extremely tall, it's not very nice to see people crossing the street to avoid you at night. How is making statistical inferences using my height any more justified than making statistical inferences using my race? The notion of justifiable discrimination will take you to a very scary place if you apply it consistently.
    • vacri 10y ago
      I'm a 6'6" mesomorph, and never been in a fight in my life, not even in the schoolyard. I'm used to people being a bit apprehensive of me on a lonely street, and sometimes if I'm behind a woman and we're walking about the same pace, I'll cross the road to avoid potentially stressing them out. When people meet me and make some reference to me being someone 'not to mess with' because I'm big, I tell them that most big guys are teddybears, and to think of other big guys they know (I stress most, but not all). Almost invariably, their face shows that the light-bulb clicks, as they can't think of any aggressive big guys amongst their friends. So I'm used to one of the things listed in this article. I'm fine with this preconception people have, as it's not that much of a problem on it's own, and it's easy to take it in my stride. However, it's the gestalt of all those things that the author is talking about that is the problem. They all work together, and if I experienced all of those working against me, I'd feel unfairly treated as well. "People fear me unfairly on the street? No worries, I'll be at work soon, and I don't have to deal with that shit there..."
• thegayngler 10y ago
  I just have a complex about being a good enough front end engineer. Otherwise I dont mind if people refer to me as the black guy and I love watermelon. I get people mixed up all the time so Im not offended if someone mistakes me for another black guy.
  • roninb 10y ago
    I never understood this stereotype. Yes, my entire family and I love fried chicken, who the hell doesn't??? I wonder how different things would be if the stereotype was pizza, cake, or some other universally loved foodstuffs.
    • iamdave 10y ago
      Probably not so much with things like chicken legs and wings per se, but 'soul food' (or at least certain offerings) have their roots going back to sharecropping and late slavery (probably even throughout the entirety of the American slave trade) where certain scraps of meat and animal deemed "unfit/unsavory" for the plantation family to eat were given to the slaves to feast on and were eventually integrated as part of the culinary tradition of Black Americans. I would imagine, without going too far down the research rabbit hole (because this is a close topic to me being both black and a lover of food history in general) that the whole "fried chicken and watermelon" thing are likely poorly understood branches coming from that evolutionary tract.
      • roninb 10y ago
        I totally agree and have read supporting evidence backing your entire first paragraph. But I've never seen that evidence suggest chicken and watermelon fell into the chitterlings and ham hock category.
        • iamdave 10y ago
          Yeah that's why I say I think it's just a misunderstood thing coming from that tract; meaning over time casual associations of certain food groups now considered "staples" of soul food became less and less understood and discussed along with other aspects of that era of time to the point where foods that were never there to begin with got tossed in, no one checked it and everyone else ran with it. Take Huey P. Newton for example, I've had plenty of frank, honest and open discussions with individuals who want to tell me everything they know about Huey P. Newton and his "radical-ness" and his "anger" and his "passion" as a Black Panther because of whatever oral tradition they've had passed down to them informing their viewpoint of the man-but it never goes very far beyond surface-level descriptions, and rarer still his philosophies or doctoral essays. Substitute Newton with James Baldwin, Clarence Thomas, MLK, heck even Dr. Cornel West. I think the same unfortunate blurring of the culinary traditions of Black Americana has happened re: Fried Chicken and Watermelon-thin, surface-level oral traditions passed down time and time again until we got where we are now "Fried chicken, watermelon and purple koolaid" are for good or ill tied into every conversation of "black foods".
• roninb 10y ago
  I have had the same self reflection wondering what I was saying or doing when someone is intimidated (for lack of a more polite phrase) by the color of my skin. A woman I currently work with is startled Everytime she sees me and rushes away and I found myself making excuses for her. Trying to reason about why she should obviously be afraid of a 5'10, 170lbs, 23 year old who talks like he's a valley girl... I wonder whether this is a generational thing or if xenophobia is simply inherent in us as a people.
  • teekert 10y ago
    Your reaction is extremely human and social, nothing to worry about I'd say. Xenophobia is inherent to being human as well I'm afraid, we're very good at the us against them game, and very good at de-humanizing entire populations. It's just a convenient character trait when you're out, waging war against the bad guys.
    • pm90 10y ago
      Its really f'ed up to think that the reason why we think that way might be the reason why our ancestors were able to survive and propagate. Luckily, we do have the unique human gifts of reflection, empathy and critical thinking. So while we may be genetically indisposed towards racism, we can still choose to act differently.
  • Vraxx 10y ago
    I tend to believe it's more inherent than generational. It's been around all throughout the course of history in some form or another. My armchair rationalization is that humans are social creatures and form these groups (where outsiders are to be feared) and skin color is one of the easiest "group identifiers" to latch onto :/ I don't think it's something inherent that we can't (as a species) consciously overcome. I have never heard of such justification before now, and I think having it written out emphasizes really well how ridiculous these xenophobic reactions are.
    • manachar 10y ago
      Different cultures have different reactions to other humans that are outside of the group. Some take aggressive stances, others practice a more welcoming approach. The Sentinelese people react violently to outsiders, but many (maybe even most) first contacts of Europeans with various natives was peaceful on the part of the locals. There's enough variation even in just the modern world that I'd feel comfortable saying that aggressive responses to strangers/outsiders is not inherent but a feature of some cultures. Why it's in some cultures and not others is probably a very complex topic worth investigation.
• Snargorf 10y ago
  It was a fine article up until it repeated this Great Lie: "The amount of senseless shootings and beatings by the police towards other people of color is alarming." No, it isn't. Police shootings of blacks are right in line with the violent crime by blacks. Police shoot many more whites than blacks. Blacks kill more cops, than cops kill blacks. http://www.dailywire.com/news/7264/5-statistics-you-need-know-about-cops-killing-aaron-bandler http://www.dailywire.com/news/7264/5-statistics-you-need-kno... "The fact that this can happen to me anywhere, at any time, for any reason makes me not even want to go outside at times, and makes me fear for the lives of my family since it can happen to any of them, too." The real crime here is lying - lying by media and activists who have created this very real and very destructive fear, despite there being no actual problem to be afraid of. And it's not just this man's psychological price. The Ferguson Effect - increase in black-on-black crime as police withdraw due to political pressure and violent resistance - has caused hundreds of excess deaths of blacks. Far more than the cops ever did. http://observer.com/2016/07/no-decent-person-ever-said-black-lives-dont-matter/ http://observer.com/2016/07/no-decent-person-ever-said-black... If this man is a victim, he's a victim of the victimology industry that is nourished by the pain of his people - and seeks to maximize that pain.
  • DigitalJack 10y ago
    http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/12/upshot/surprising-new-evidence-shows-bias-in-police-use-of-force-but-not-in-shootings.html http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/12/upshot/surprising-new-evid... Looks like there is bias in most things, but not shootings. Still something to be greatly concerned about.
    • dragonwriter 10y ago
      > Looks like there is bias in most things, but not shootings. But there is a significant racial bias in shootings of off-duty police officers. https://www.hks.harvard.edu/criminaljustice-backup/publications/Police-on-Police_Shootings.pdf https://www.hks.harvard.edu/criminaljustice-backup/publicati... (I wonder if the lack of apparent bias in general shootings is actually multiple biases stacking up together; given the prevalence of same-race violent crime, a lack of enforcement priority for violent crimes against blacks would, ceteris paribus, mean less encounters -- proportionately to the crime rate -- with black violent criminals, which might be offset by an increased propensity -- compared to provocation -- to escalating to lethal force against blacks in encounters to look, in aggregate, like a lack of bias in shootings, but also would tend to create a justified feeling of disproportionate numbers of unjustified shootings targeting blacks.)
• teekert 10y ago
  Great piece, I used to think there was no more discrimination in my generation. I grew up with black, Indonesian and white people in my class (they former two were minorities though). I never though anything of it, didn't even realize there was a difference until we were taught about neo-nazis. I guess kids now do realize the difference with the whole black-pete discussion in my country [0]. Honestly, when I see a black person I try to be extra nice to compensate somehow for all this shit. But that is so stupid as well, I wish I (and everybody) would just not see it. I feel your pain, lets hope the following generations will experience less and less of this nonsense. [0] https://www.google.nl/search?q=black+pete+netherlands&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-b&gfe_rd=cr&ei=s7SGV7axIYrH8AeF1JaIBA https://www.google.nl/search?q=black+pete+netherlands&ie=utf...
• selectron 10y ago
  > Being told by cab drivers that they’re the first Black person they’ve ever had a positive encounter with This was the most surprising to me in his list of things he has grown accustomed to.
  • squiguy7 10y ago
    This is the quote that stood out to me most too. It's quite appalling to me that this is "normal" for the guy. I can't help but feel like our perception of others has been molded too much by things we see instead of the things we have done.
  • StanislavPetrov 10y ago
    Only because it was the first time he ever stopped for a black person.
• danso 10y ago
  Great essay. Some of it made me smile only because it reminded me of the slights I faced as an Asian in the Midwest, such as being mistaken for the one other Asian in town, or having to come up with an opinion about the Vietnam war even though it happen far before I was born. But these to me were mostly harmless things that I learned to tolerate, though I completely understand why other Asians absolutely hate such slights. But being treated like an Oriental oddity is, as far as I can imagine, is much different than being seen as an aggressor. Being attacked or harassed for racial (or any reason) is always unpleasant, but I've always found it easy to rationalize such experiences as outliers, as in, "Well, some people are just ignorant assholes". So I've found the things that happen at an everyday level to be far more deeply unsettling. I've been in a few countries where Asians are rare (yes, rarer than in Iowa) and while I hadn't been physically attacked, the experience of people just staring at me, everywhere, while I'm going for a walk or waiting in line at the grocery, was so unpleasant that I just found myself just not going out at all very much. Not as a conscious decision, but from a reluctance that built up subconsciously, and something that I only realized after I returned to the States. It's not that egregious acts of harassment don't happen to minorities today. But when I think of why so few [insert minority group here] are in [insert role/geography here], I believe it's because of the undramatic but accumulated things that the OP mentions, all of which may sound like whining to people who, while genuinely disapproving of overt attacks, don't realize that lesser slights can be enough to create a dampening effects.
  • aianus 10y ago
    > the experience of people just staring at me, everywhere, while I'm going for a walk or waiting in line at the grocery, was so unpleasant that I just found myself just not going out at all very much. I've been in places where white people are very rare and I low-key enjoyed the attention. I find being ignored more disturbing. YMMV of course ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    • balls187 10y ago
      > I've been in places where white people are very rare and I low-key enjoyed the attention. I find being ignored more disturbing. YMMV of course ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Except this is America, where black people aren't very rare. And the attention the author is talking about, more often than not, is negative. When you were out and about in these places with, were you afraid of being stopped by the police?
• deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
• gregrata 10y ago
  Great piece. One thing I find interesting is, as white guy, I've had very similar experiences when living in the US south. I would often be the only white guy in a store or on the street in certain areas - and felt like I didn't belong or fit in, and was treated differently. I got used to it over time, but it was still there. I don't at all equate my experience to how difficult it can be in the US to be a black person - MOST of the places I go that aren't in certain parts of the south are mostly white (I think the US is something like 70% white?) - it's horrible the prejudices non-white, and especially black, can encounter in the US. I DO wonder if, whenever an area is mostly one race, that if someone is not of that race encounters the same kind of thing.
  • bduerst 10y ago
    I had a similar experience in Beijing some years ago, where I was treated as "the rich white guy" or "movie star" (but surprisingly not in Shanghai). It was annoying because I was a poor grad student at the time and the expectation to open my wallet for everything was frustrating. It's nowhere near what the author of this story has had to live with on a normal basis though, so racial biases do manifest all over the place, but in different ways with different levels of prejudice.
    • x2398dh1 10y ago
      > the expectation to open my wallet for everything was frustrating Sorry that you had to go to grad school and pay for things over in China, rather than get more things for free like you had expected...life is tough some times.
  • resolaibohp 10y ago
    I live in a very non white neighborhood. I have been told on more than one occasion from different people on the street that I am a "stupid white person", "This cracker needs to get out of here", "this cracker doesn't belong in my park". Recently some black kids got on the commuter train and walked the aisles and said things like "Look at all these stuck up crackers" I have been treated strangely in non white neighborhoods.
  • 10y ago
• hyperliner 10y ago
  Old but relevant: KTLA Anchor Apologizes After Mistaking Samuel L. Jackson for Laurence Fishburne (Video) http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/ktla-anchor-apologizes-mistaking-samuel-679048 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/ktla-anchor-apolo...
  • alexandercrohde 10y ago
    Mistaking people is an interesting one because it's totally not-deliberate. I'm a bearded-redhead who's been mistaken with another bearded-redhead at the place I work, but I try not to read too deeply into it. I just think learning to differentiate faces is just a function of experience and I don't read into it, and I hope others don't read into it when I make mistakes.
• projectramo 10y ago
  This was a huge surprise, and it was in bold: "Feeling out of place when I can’t identify with certain pop culture references or cultural norms (like being able to swim, liking baseball, listening to rock/country or playing golf), because I grew up differently." I know many people of all kinds that don't know how to swim, that don't like basketball or listen to country or play golf. In fact, I would say a minority of the people I know do all these things and I'm not even sure most people I know do most of these things. I can't draw a larger conclusion at the moment (I am sure the larger HN community has many ideas), but I don't think you should feel awkward about this. p.s. I didn't know who LeBron James was in 2009.
  • GuiA 10y ago
    https://xkcd.com/385/ https://xkcd.com/385/ If you're a white person who doesn't know how to swim and it gets brought up in conversation, your interlocutors might be a bit surprised - because swimming is a somewhat common skill in 2016 in most parts of the world - but that'll be the extent of it. However, it is my understanding that if you're a black person who doesn't know how to swim and it gets brought up in conversation, you get to hear semi-frequently something along the lines of "oh yeah that's right, black people can't swim" (not necessarily that explicitly stated, but you get the idea). I hope you can see why it might problematic to repeatedly have this kind of interactions in your life.
    • ralfd 10y ago
      What a strange stereotype. Why do people in the U.S. think blacks can't swim?
      • justinlardinois 10y ago
        I'm guessing it's related to segregation, specifically public pools. Swimming is commonly learned in a pool, so if you don't have access to one it would be hard to lean. Obviously it's pretty outdated, but stereotypes are rarely concerned with accuracy.
    • projectramo 10y ago
• Torgo 10y ago
  >It’s equally crazy how much more comfortable I feel around other Black people You've almost figured it out.
  • PhasmaFelis 10y ago
    Not sure what you mean.
    • sremani 10y ago
      I do not know how to put delicately, but people easily feel comfortable in groups that are genetically similar to them.
      • theseoafs 10y ago
        Seriously?
        • sremani 10y ago
          You have anything to debunk other than some snide remark. Yes, people feel comfortable in their ethnic groups, that does mean they do not have friends outside of it or inter-marry. Look around yourself, and spare me of snark.
      • defen 10y ago
        I think it's more like, people feel more comfortable around groups that of the same culture / social class. I'd certainly feel more comfortable around middle-class college educated black people than I would around some hooligans from Glasgow despite being of Scottish extraction. Unfortunately in the US we're pretty segregated by race, so it's often an effective proxy for culture / class.
• deleted 10y ago
  [deleted]
• outworlder 10y ago
  > Being told by cab drivers that they’re the first Black person they’ve ever had a positive encounter with Now, is that really a case of racial discrimination? Maybe, for some reason, black people are more likely to give cab drivers a hard time? Even if it not related to skin color directly, such as which neighborhood one is at. > Feeling out of place when I can’t identify with certain pop culture references or cultural norms (like being able to swim, liking baseball, listening to rock/country or playing golf), because I grew up differently I think this is key. Why is it that you have to grow up differently if you are a black person? Would it be (in the US), because there's still segregation, in terms of territory? You can find neighborhoods that are almost entirely "black", next to "white" neighborhoods. What gives? I've never really understood why that is. Why is hip-hop associated with black people, but not rock? What about swimming? The rest of the list is even more depressing. As a white guy, I have never experienced that.
  • theseoafs 10y ago
    > You can find neighborhoods that are almost entirely "black", next to "white" neighborhoods. What gives? I've never really understood why that is. Why is hip-hop associated with black people, but not rock? I really don't think you want people on HN to try to explain de facto segregation and the history of race in American music to you -- you should really look for reading material by academics on these subjects.
    • JBReefer 10y ago
      Comments like this are lazy, dismissive, and self-righteous. Please try to add something to the discussion, especially if you're a PoC - we certainly need healthy discussion.
      • ocb 10y ago
        What exactly was dismissive and/or self-righteous about the comment? A question like "Why is hip-hop associated with black people, but not rock?" is 1) absurdly broad, and 2) beyond the obvious parts, so full of nuance that doing it justice in a single HN comment is impossible. I would also like to add that it's discouraging that someone who is evidently a white American is so ignorant about these things. Not having at least a cursory understanding of "why do black people like hip hop more than rock?" and "why are neighborhoods still racially segregated?" means you probably aren't capable of engaging in any healthy discussion about race in the US.
• hyperliner 10y ago
  So true story: WG: "So, when did you get your green card?" Me: "hmmm, I am American" WG: "Really? From where?" Me: "[city in California]" WG: "So, but when did your family move to the US?" Me: "hmmm, I have no idea. I think the first ones came here in early 1800s" WG: "THAT CAN'T BE!" Me: "So, when did you get YOUR green card." (at his point I am just trying to play with him) WG: "No, I am an American born and raised in [California city]" Me: "But when did YOUR FAMILY move here?" WG: "Well, my grandma was from [european country]?" Me: "Well, I think if that is a definition, I am more AMERICAN than you!" WG: Awkwardly walks away
  • calibraxis 10y ago
    Yeah, it's amusing that the conquerors who incompetently called the people here "Indians" are somehow native to America. It's a bit like those people running around in "cowboy" clothing in what's now called Texas, aping the Mexicans they stole the land from.
    • hyperliner 10y ago
      You are bringing up something completely unrelated. I am talking about race, you are talking about some historical event that happened more than 170 years ago. It was a war, and America won. Texas is America.
      • calibraxis 10y ago
        > Texas is America. No, Texas is in America, it is not America. (America was taken from the... so-called "Indians"... and Texas is something of a microcosm of that.) Furthermore, your earlier post was literally predicated on "some historical event that happened more than 170 years ago": in the "early 1800s". Finally, it is clear I discussed race.
• spraak 10y ago
  I'm really glad to see this on the top page of HN.
  • justinlardinois 10y ago
    I'm really happy to see a bunch of positive and supportive comments as well; anything about identity can be a bit of a minefield on this site sometimes. Even most of the the not-so-good comments are well-intentioned, even if ignorant.
• EurotrashExpat 10y ago
  Hi Richard, good to have you in SF! Expat here, living in SF for the past 2 years. Throwaway, because America. There are three major things entangled here: > I thought it was normal to feel apologetic that I may have looked or seemed “threatening” to passersby, if I thought I invoked any feelings of fear or discomfort in my presence. * Personal observation: people who move to SF, for reasons that I speculate to include _baseline niceness_, weather, and lack of generally bad things happening to them become after a while really socially, self-conscious, and apologetic. This spikes, but never really goes away, until you go somewhere else, and get hit by a stranger. Except... * There is a massive homeless problem in SF, compounded with mental illnesses, and visible behavioristic problems. Speaking strictly of personal observation, a homeless of a race do not hit one of the same race, which means all those white dudes? yeah, they've been shouted, and crapped at by persons of color. * People are also, psychologically, can't reliably distinguish people of other races prior to knowing a few members of them personally for an extended period of time. This is not uniformally distributed. People who care about you matter. The average Joe down the street does not. This checks the "why" on racism, and judgement. Which leads us straight into... * There is a structural incentive problem in how information ecologies replicate themselves, and feeds to action under conditions of visible racial differences, that is best summed up here: https://i.imgur.com/yjfiYG2.png https://i.imgur.com/yjfiYG2.png . Essentially, ideas which cause anger, and anxiety have a higher delta-replication rate, than every other piece of information any human being can imagine up, ever. * This article of yours? Yeah, it's essentially tapping into the same reaction by referencing it (as evidenced by the number of comments here). This is counter to your own verbalised preferences. The two most notable summaries of this effect can be found at: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE3j_RHkqJc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rE3j_RHkqJc This Video Will Make You Angry * http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/12/17/the-toxoplasma-of-rage/ http://slatestarcodex.com/2014/12/17/the-toxoplasma-of-rage/ For this reason, here is what you can, actually, do about stuff: * Get off the toxoplasma. Unfollow people who replicate stuff, which makes you feel compelled to react to hatred. * IF you read something, which makes you feel hatred, ALWAYS, always check the source. In case of law, read the original statement made by court. In case of newsreports, why are you watching newsreports? see 1. Not enough? open up newsreports 5 years ago, and determine how relevant is whatever they are writing to the now-you. * BE THE SYSTEMATIC CHANGE YOU WANT TO SEE IN THE WORLD. Does writing " I felt like I had to say something. Anything" solves problems directly? No. Does it suddenly induces fear into >20K people? Heck yes. Does it also generates you traffic? Yes. (you see the incentive problem here?) But is it quality traffic, that will convert? Only to other fear-inducing things. Is this the sort of system you want to increase? If not, can you take that ~40 minutes of writing an article into planning? If not, can you code, and donate whatever you've made in that same 40 minutes? Both hacks at the joints of the problem, instead of escalating it.
• CWuestefeld 10y ago
  It seems to me that many (but not all) of the experiences he describes here are things that most of us go through. He can attribute them to his skin color, but really, most people are outsiders in one way or another, and sometimes feel awkward about how well we fit in with various groups. So I'm inclined to attribute some of his concerns to being just the normal (if unfortunate) human condition. Even as a middle-aged guy, I sometimes feel that the seat next to me is the one people are avoiding. And I've definitely seen moms grab their little girl and march away when I smile at them (the little girl, that is; and then my smile melts from sorrow at the world we live in). I've been guilty of accidentally referring to one gay guy at work by the name of another gay guy (and it was pointed out to me later by a third person). But the thing is, they both held the same position at different times, and that confusion over their roles was the actual cause of my mistake. Surely it's not necessarily their sexual preference (or skin color in the case of the article) that's serving as an alternate identifier. I feel awkward when people talk about sports (I'm just not interested and so have no knowledge) or popular culture like TV (I don't even have cable TV). Now, it's not right to sweep all of his concerns under the carpet. I'm sure that some of it really is racial in nature. But I'm equally sure that some of it is just normal. And because it's not possible for us to live the experience of the other, I can't actually see what it's like to be him, and he can't see the awkwardness that I and others experience. I'm sad that we're in a position where racial bias seems a reasonable default explanation for such things. But I'm also sad that people also continue to make accusations of racism, because it also hurts to be on the receiving end. I'd have to admit for myself that I sometimes have impure thoughts, but I honestly do my best to make my actions correct. At the end of the day, I think the only way to get past this is for everyone to be color blind. We need to guard against acting out of bias. But on the other side, those people potentially on the receiving end need to get past it, too. It's not fair. But unless we let it be water under the bridge, the bad feelings will keep passing back and forth like a pingpong ball.
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  • balls187 10y ago
    What you've written is pretty much nothing like what the author is talking about. > I feel awkward when people talk about sports You don't like talking about sports, but it's a topic of conversation, because by and large many people in the US like sports. That is different than assuming you must be an athlete because of the color of your skin (racism). > Even as a middle-aged guy, I sometimes feel that the seat next to me is the one people are avoiding. For whatever reason, sometimes people don't take the empty seat next to you. That reason isn't because the color of your skin. > And I've definitely seen moms grab their little girl and march away when I smile at them Yes, this is something all men should be aware of. Don't act creepy to little kids. Parents typically do not spirit away their kids when adults simply smile at their children. Something other than your smile is causing that parent. > I'm sad that we're in a position where racial bias seems a reasonable default explanation for such things. At the risk of telling you how to feel, how about feeling sad that people are actually victims of racism. > At the end of the day, I think the only way to get past this is for everyone to be color blind. We need to guard against acting out of bias. I disagree with the first part, but agree with the second. A persons skin color is part of their identity, and we should recognize that, but not use that as a way to group, categorize, or otherwise use as the basis for how we behave towards that individual. We should also be aware that it's human nature to feel defensive against those that are different from us, and to not give into that behavior.
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• nsxwolf 10y ago
  "Being told by cab drivers that they’re the first Black person they’ve ever had a positive encounter with" So either the cab drivers are lying and saying that line to every black person they encounter for some reason I can't fathom -- or they're being honest about their experiences. "Being asked things like, “So, what’s it like being a black guy in Silicon Valley?”" And yet you wrote a blog post to tell us what it's like. I read it because I was interested, but does my interest therefore mean that mean I'm actually part of the problem? "Feeling like I was chosen for certain photo/video opportunities at work and during other activities to feign diversity and acceptance" You probably were. That sucks, but it's one of those damned if you do/don't things. If they don't do it, somebody's going to accuse them of something.
• ryanlm 10y ago
  > At a certain point in my life, I realized that I had no positive role models (let alone ones I could relate to), so I > set out to become a positive role model for my siblings. This is the best part I took from this. I don't believe I have many positive role models in my life that align to my goals.
• Retric 10y ago
  As a large framed 6'2" male I got a lot of negative reactions when I was very fit with short hair. Back in collage I ended up growing very long hair to move from the thug stereotype to Fabio. Which was kind of amusing, but also a good way to move things in a positive direction. Except that one cab driver who hated people with long hair because the hippy movement killed off his local barber shop. So, yes people will judge you. But, you can also distract people by giving them something else to focus on which is under your control. While I am not suggesting you walk around in clown shoes, but if you did that's going to be the first thing on everyone's lips.
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• 12341234123512 10y ago
  It's interesting to see that the author strongly dislikes the question "So, what’s it like being a black guy in Silicon Valley?" since I could easily see it being a gesture of wanting to engage from someone who doesn't know how to otherwise engage. You regularly see white people "embarrass" themselves by engaging on this topic in the "wrong" way, even if they have the right intentions, without a clear idea of what to do (e.g. Howard Schulz, Macklemore, etc.) ("White People. Don't talk about racism." "White People. You have to lead the conversation on race.") Given such limited upside and very significant downsides, it's no surprise that the vast majority of white people refuse to engage on the issue, even if they actually do want to contribute positively. I myself follow this rule religiously -- I run a small startup in Silicon Valley, with male and female engineers, all white, Asian, and one Latino. But I'd rather chew on broken glass than ever discuss any "controversial" topic, such as diversity, racism, Black Lives Matter, Donald Trump, immigration, etc. etc. -- I just will not discuss it in any context and in any forum, because there's nothing to gain and too much to lose.
• zarkov99 10y ago
  I do not think anything in the essay is surprising. There can be no doubt that in absence of other information, everybody uses whatever is immediately discernible, such as race, age, gender, attire, height, athleticism, beauty, etc, to modulate behavior. A sane individual will improve the accuracy of the initial rough assessment as more information becomes available. What else could anyone be reasonably expected to do? Ignore whatever they learned about the world and treat every individual exactly the same regardless of their outside characteristics as if these outside characteristics gave absolutely no clue about what kind of behavior is appropriate ? That seems impossibly stupid.
• js2 10y ago
  I'm glad to have read this. There's one point I want to address: It’s equally crazy how much more comfortable I feel around other Black people, or in other countries. I took a trip to Cuba for 2 weeks, and everyone there actually thought I was Cuban — which was surprising, but kind of awesome at the same time. I’ve never felt so accepted in my life. I'm American and Jewish, though hardly religious. Judaism is a part of my identity, though not readily apparent unless I tell someone. I've been to Israel three times. I feel more comfortable there as a Jew, while at the same time less comfortable as a non-Israeli. It's a hard feeling to explain. I wonder if this feeling of fitting-in is just a fact of life when you're a minority. Please don't get me wrong: I'm not at all saying that being Jewish in America is the same as being Black in America. I'm just saying, in some ways, I feel that the Jewish part of my identity gives me some insight into what it's like to be a minority. To add some levity to my comment: I'm surprised to learn that anyone could hate watermelon. It's just not a strong enough flavor to be that offensive. Funnily enough, I used to not like it so much myself, but I kept giving it a try and now I think that cold watermelon on a hot summer day is hard to beat for a refreshing snack. I'm not sure why I ever disliked it. (I've similarly taught myself to like bananas, olives, and various other foods I used to dislike.)
  • pm90 10y ago
    Its human nature to be more comfortable with other people that we share a common ground with. The basis of all courtship and friendship.
    • js2 10y ago
      It's hard to explain, but it's more visceral than just being comfortable over common ground. My personal take-away after visiting Israel was that Judaism was a bigger part of my identity than I'd realized. Maybe it's that things like skin color, religion, nationality and language have been much more significant markers of in-group/out-group than say sports team or profession or favorite pastime.
  • StavrosK 10y ago
    Regarding watermelon, here's a tip from a Greek: Have it with some feta cheese. There's nothing better.
• update 10y ago
  One question: 127 comments. How many from black people?
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• ricogallo 10y ago
  I would love to say that Italy is not a racist country. But it is. Still, your words convey a deeper gap and racial segregation in the US. I feel sorry you had borne all these wounds to your social identity, but I'm sure one day we will tackle the very roots of inequality and bigotry.
• tonelocamotion 10y ago
  I'm a 6'6", 260 lbs. white guy and roughly 80% of these things happen to me too. Crazy.
• logicallee 10y ago
  This seems as good a place as any to post something I've been thinking of. (It doesn't really have anything to do with the story, just is on topic generally.) I'd like to do a small study personally, that should take me about 10-20 hours, and I'd like people's feedback here about what they think about the methodology. - First, I'd put together ten generic keyword-laden resumes using machine learning from a large dataset - which means it should somewhat reflect an "average" programmer, without representing anyone in particular. It will literally therefore be the creation of a non-existent person. - Next I would edit it by hand so that it doesn't seem grossly machine-generated. At this point I'm still blinded, and I'd have ten programmer resumes. - Next I would generate a separate list of common first names and surnames. Since most people are white, likely most names are somewhat white but this shouldn't be that relevant, also given that people have the right to change their name legally. The importance of this is that with such generic names, it is almost certain that there are a large number of programmers with that name, and so googling by the employer won't point to anyone in particular. At this point I have ten resumes and ten names. - Finally, I would find stock art of a generic black man and generic white man. I would try to pick neutral images that if I were such a person I could actually have taken of myself, and may actually use on a resume. I would only just find two, since the goal of the experiment would be to do A/B testing on just the effect of this image. This is what is being studied. - For the experiment itself, I would create email addresses for the ten names, and write cover letters that match the ten resumes. - From each email I would email twenty-thirty companies based on a keyword search from the associated resumes for positions that seem a match. I'd be careful to pick all different companies. - I'd carefully rewrite the cover letters (in my own voice) about how excited I'd be to work there and what a great match the position seems to me, as they can see from the attached resume. - Finally, and this is the tricky part, when actually attaching the resume, in a blinded way I will use a script to insert either the black or the white man's picture. I must not see it in order for this to be a doubly blinded experiment. This is actually easy to do technically: .docx files are just .zip files, you can rename them, change the image in the zip file, and zip it back. I don't need to record anywhere which of the two the script chose (randomly), because as soon as I send it it will be in the sent folder. The same name and resume must go to a mix of companies, some being sent the picture with a black man, some being sent the picture with the white man. Since I'd be careful not to email the same companies, it doesn't matter if the same name/resume is sent to some companies as a black man and some companies as a white man. What my prediction is, is that the picture will have a statistically significant effect on emails back. (I don't want to bother setting up ten real phone numbers, what a pain, so the phone number will have to be omitted from the resumes.) Now, this method isn't perfect. For example, real programmers frequently have github profiles or a large online presence. Still, by sticking to the most common of common names, perhaps there should be enough of a profile to be worth an email back, especially given an enthusiastic cover letter, even if they can't find this programmer in particular. Finally, after the experiment the recipients could be informed that they were part of a study. But perhaps this is not so important. After all, if they don't email back they likely have forgotten about the resume, and even if they do, if the applicant does not answer their email then the applicant must simply be busy with other offers. Of course, for authenticity purposes, it would be better not to share this methodology here, where some people might read it and be tipped off. But given that I am not certain that I am doing things right, and haven't run an experiment in the social sciences before, while at the same time I've heard many people here report on experimental methodology, I thought I would run this methodology past the HN crowd. What do you think? Is it scientifically well-constructed? Is it possible for it to show an A/B effect? Short of literally reusing people's real resumes with a fake image, I don't know of any way to improve this proposed methodology. -> Shall I run the experiment? -> Is there anything I can do to improve it? -> Would the results be meaningful in either case? (If it does show a statistically significant deviation in email-back percentages, and if it doesn't.) Thanks for any thoughts.
• tzs 10y ago
  > Feeling out of place when I can’t identify with certain pop culture references or cultural norms (like being able to swim, liking baseball, listening to rock/country or playing golf), because I grew up differently. For swimming, the norm in America is to think you know how to swim. 80% claim they can swim, but only 56% can demonstrate the five core skills that the Red Cross considers to be basic skills. The skills are (1) step or jump into water that is over your head, (2) return to the surface and float or treat water for one minute, (3) turn around in a full circle and find an exit, (4) swim 25 yards to the exit, and (5) climb out of the water [1]. The author, though, is from Jamaica. I would have guessed that swimming would be much more common there, since it is an island nation. However, to my surprise, a bit of Googling reveals that apparently Jamaicans are no more inclined toward swimming than are those who live nowhere near large bodies of water. [1] http://www.redcross.org/news/press-release/Red-Cross-Launches-Campaign-to-Cut-Drowning-in-Half-in-50-Cities http://www.redcross.org/news/press-release/Red-Cross-Launche...
  • dragonwriter 10y ago
    > For swimming, the norm in America is to think you know how to swim. That too. But actually knowing is a norm, too. > 56% can demonstrate the five core skills that the Red Cross considers to be basic skills. i.e., the majority of Americans can swim.
  • disbelief 10y ago
    I think you're misunderstanding him. What he meant was the cultural norm (or more accurately imo: "the stereotype") in America around black people is that they can't swim, don't like baseball, don't listen to rock/country or play golf.
    • true_religion 10y ago
      This got me curious and a cursory search seems to hint that blacks are proportionately represented (as per the percentage of the US population that identifies as such) in baseball, and disproportionally represented in sports like basketball. For baseball: > 60% of the players in the league are White, while 28.53% are Hispanic. That leaves roughly 12% available for Black and Asian players[1] For basketball: > NBA in 2015 was composed of 74.4 percent black players, 23.3 percent white players, 1.8 percent Latino players, and 0.2 percent Asian players. In that exactly as many black people play baseball professionally as you'd expect, just looking at population numbers. [1] http://www.besttickets.com/blog/mlb-players-census/ http://www.besttickets.com/blog/mlb-players-census/ [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_ethnicity_in_the_NBA https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Race_and_ethnicity_in_the_NBA
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• ufo 10y ago
  > The ones in bold are the ones that have affected me the most. I was surprised that some of the things in the list that I would have though to be the most innocuous turned out to be the ones that actually affected him the most. I guess this goes to show that its the little but pervasive things that hurt the most.
• reddytowns 10y ago
  I have social anxiety, and I have to admit that one of the triggers my anxiety is teenage and young adult black men. I feel for this guy and I realize that I'm part of the cause of his problem, but I don't know what I can do about it.
  • l0b0 10y ago
    I always thought the most lasting remedy for xenophobia would be to simply have more to do with the group in question on a regular basis. At that point the brain, hardwired to fear the unknown no matter how much your rational bits protest that it's being unreasonable, has time to readjust your gut reaction. Then you'll instinctively (rather than rationally) treat each of "them" as individuals with an irrelevant common trait rather than just a specimen of a homogeneous group linked to negative statistics and over-reported incidents. Of course, if your particular lifestyle doesn't result in you getting to know anyone in the specific group naturally, it's probably impossible to fix that gut reaction. Humans are very much slaves to their instincts.
• notliketherest 10y ago
  I'm sorry but black people are responsible for an inordinately larger proportion of criminal activity than those of other skin color. Being "wary" of a black person you see on the street (probably not dressed in a suit but perhaps in gangster like clothes) will make anyone feel uncomfortable. This is human nature and essential to survival. This is not racism.
  • vkou 10y ago
    What are gangster-like clothes? A hoodie? Is it only gangster-like clothing if its worn by a black person? What are the odds that any particular black person is a gangster? What are the odds that any particular white person is a gangster? How is near-zero different from near-zero?
    • notliketherest 10y ago
      You're over complicating this. You know exact what I'm talking about or else you live under a rock.
• nkurz 10y ago
  I don't know who's "right", but here's a recent counterpoint by another black technologist: So no, despite the prevailing atmosphere of hysteria, I’m not afraid of being killed by the police. Quite the contrary: sadly, the data shows I’m much more likely to be victimized by a fellow black man than by a white police officer. So may the police remain sharp, aggressive, and strike fear into criminals so the good people don’t become victims. http://thefederalist.com/2016/07/11/if-you-dont-want-police-to-shoot-you-dont-resist-arrest/ http://thefederalist.com/2016/07/11/if-you-dont-want-police-...
  • jdavis703 10y ago
    The police are people I (we) pay to protect against criminals. When I have to fear police as much as criminals there's a problem, since I'm actually paying the police. Not to mention I'm harrased by law enforcement far more than I've ever been by civilians. Sure we might kill more of our own than the cops (after all we make up a bigger population than cops), but it goes beyond just killings, to how even non-lethal encounters unfold.
  • Neeek 10y ago
    So these victims of the system, as he says himself, just deserve to be shot in the street? Failed experiments of welfare that should just be swept up with the rest of the trash? I understand you're just providing the counterpoint to this article, but its like it touches on some of the right points but too many of the wrong ones for me. A very cold, judgmental view of the members of your community (assuming you're American, I am not) that are the most vulnerable and offered the least opportunities. He says it himself in the article, that it's a problem that runs much deeper than "Don't resist arrest", and then immediately tries to solve it by saying "Don't resist arrest", dumping the problem on the victim and expecting them to figure it out on their own. Sorry if that came across strongly, like I said I'm just an outsider looking in; I appreciate the discussion :)
• jimmywanger 10y ago
  One note: Four of the things he has grown accustomed to experiencing are feelings. (e.g. Feeling relieved when people don’t verbally address the fact that I’m Black Feeling out of place when I can’t identify with certain pop culture references or cultural norms (like being able to swim, liking baseball, listening to rock/country or playing golf), because I grew up differently Feeling like I have something to prove because I’m Black Feeling like I was chosen for certain photo/video opportunities at work and during other activities to feign diversity and acceptance) We cannot be responsible for how other people feel. Feeling alienated and out of place is something that's common for all people. Once you have an inner locus of control, things flow more naturally. If you think of your feelings as subject to the whims of the external world, then you are always going to be in a world of hurt, no matter what color you are. You can always find a reason to feel bad about yourself.
  • dragonwriter 10y ago
    > We cannot be responsible for how other people feel. I don't recall him asking anyone else to be responsible for how he feels. (And each of those describes an event that he has also become used to -- in one case implicitly by opposition to the one triggering the feeling. In some cases those actions are ones for which someone else might reasonably be responsible -- though, again, he's describing his experience, not saying anyone should be responsible for those experiences.)
    • deleted 10y ago
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• mineshaftgap 10y ago
  This entire thread shows how ridiculous and untenable the pathetic identity politics angle has become. Commit PC suicide now.
• shams93 10y ago
  The dynmaic in los angeles is quite different. For one thing white people in the industry are the minority. Hollywood is heavily white but outside of hollywood jobs im always a minority to an asian majority.
• nickpsecurity 10y ago
  These are interesting. As usual, I have some points from personal experience as a white minority and others just general. His bullet list is mostly good to illustrate what he's describing as racial bias affecting him. However, a few got my attention more than others. "Being mistaken for another Black person at work" This is common and should be expected by any minority anywhere if significant differences exist between how two groups identify their members. The reason is that intuitive parts of the brain work based on what input they've received so far. They generalize the patterns out of the data, especially relevant vs data to ignore. Then, they use that for classifying or reacting to new data. Further, what varies the most on Black people is different than what varies the most on white people. Both sides get used to focusing on details important in their area. Simply put, these people probably see very few Black people, look for different traits for identifying them, and therefore suck at differentiating Black people in a casual way (i.e. not focusing). Just need more Black people in Silicon Valley to increase exposure. Then, this problem starts going away. Meanwhile, it's somethign that sucks a bit but isn't necessarily racism. Just how the mind works that forces a person to work to get noticed & remembered. Happens to me, too, since I intentionally look plain (but nice) to differentiate which people are worth my time. People even trip over me in stores sometimes because they can't remember they saw me. Unless I wear a hoodie: almost everyone, esp cops, sees me then haha. "Being asked things like, “So, what’s it like being a Black guy in Silicon Valley?”" May be good or bad. Many people are curious about others' experiences. Yet, despite this being a problem, he's writing an article on what it's like being a Black guy in Silicon Valley. He feels better getting it out of his system and possibly hopes to help others understand the perspective. Similar to why some ask. They can't ask but do tell. "Feeling out of place when I can’t identify with certain pop culture references or cultural norms" That's due to both location and race. It was very hard to keep up with the Black ones as a white minority since both the references and the language itself change so fast. I stayed confused by something even when I got a lot of it. Just nodded, grinned, or looked shocked like the rest. So, I relate to this one as a painful, social barrier that will persist unless he embeds a lot with white culture and activities as I had to do with Blacks. It will still persist but he'll have it easier since whites prefer people acting more like them. It's the opposite with Blacks, at least in the South, where they often get angry if whites imitate their culture. "Being the most athletic person in a particular group, and having people say things like, “…of course it would be the Black guy”" Black people have been telling me for years they're better at sports. All kinds of them young and old. This is one of those things, though, that I wonder if Blacks themselves put into white consciousness. I wondered it myself at one point as a kid thanks to them repeating it nonstop. Especially over basketball and boxing. I'm not sure how long or far Blacks have been saying it due to lack of broader data. Could be white sourcing, too. "Feeling like I was chosen for certain photo/video opportunities at work and during other activities to feign diversity and acceptance" This one is more open for debate as it looks totally racist at first. Then, you have to think of all the lawsuits by Jesse Jackson et al where they look at number of Black people, what they make, what words people used, what relationships were like, and so on to argue for massive, financial damages. These events are probably the rare case but will be on media enough to put them into white, management's minds. You also look many Blacks pushing for affirmative action or voluntary quotas to "embrace diversity." With that backdrop, many will try to reduce liability, improve image, or both by hiring some more Blacks or other minorities. They'll also try to show it so people notice. So, this is another case where specific groups of Blacks and/or liberals in general act in a way that, combined with media and whites' own thinking, collectively increases odds Black people might be treated this way. I even warned them it would happen when I opposed most forms of affirmative action & associated liabilities. Those being hired might be anything from "token hires" to the minority member among several qualified candidates. The latter isn't so bad but the former can make for very, bad situation. This dynamic sucks for all the races and any solution I've presented came with realistic objections from some party involved. One I promoted a long time ago a combo of blind auditions & performance reviews from third party along with, if even applied, quotas only for qualified candidates that resulted from auditions. Everyone, whether ideal candidate or not, will know they earned their place with race/gender having minimal impact. Tricky thing to promote for many reasons. Given that, it was extra-neat for me reading here about GapJumpers putting similar ideas in action. Time will tell... "At a certain point in my life, I realized that I had no positive role models (let alone ones I could relate to), so I set out to become a positive role model for my siblings. I didn’t want them to have to resort to gangs, violence, or go looking for love to find ways to identify with others and gain acceptance. I wanted them to learn to love themselves, and learn to love & empathize with others." Should've been the conclusion. This is exactly how the most awesome and successful Blacks formed in the down-trodden areas I was in. Probably most from any race if I thought about it more. Just was studying Blacks more as they were the majority. I just noticed, in hateful schools, there were people that were different. They treated whites as well as anyone else, judging on words and actions. Nothing could hold them back academically with some exceeding me with sheer determination & effort. Later learned their parents and role models, including some teachers, were probably the reason. So, I wish the man success on helping his siblings achieve greatness by teaching and showing them. Great stuff.
• devishard 10y ago
  As a white man, I definitely think that the problems of gender in tech are still huge and I'd like to help address them. But I also feel like I can't help, because people, both black and white, are so tense about race. As a white man, literally even talking about race is risking being called a racist. And god forbid I have an actual opinion that might disagree with a person of color--even though people of color don't even agree on everything. For example, I think that the reason people mistake the author of this piece for other black men is that white people have spent most of their lives around other white people, so they become accustomed to the kinds of differences in facial features that white people have. We have less practice differentiating between the facial features of black people, so naturally we're going to be worse at it. It's not malicious or racist. And in my lifetime, I've had a few people just outright say to me that all white people look the same to them. Which isn't offensive--it's because they grew up around people who looked like them, and have less practice differentiating between white people. But tensions are so high, that this innocuous common mistake is seen as discrimination merely because it's related to race, not because of any malice or even intent behind it. And I'm quite sure that many people would call me racist for even having the opinion that mistaking people of color for other people of color isn't racist. Even though it could actually be helpful to people of color. If people of color see that white people don't have trouble recognizing you because they dislike you, but because you literally look different from people who they have practice recognizing, that might encourage confidence. And to be clear, I'm not complaining. It doesn't hurt me at all to keep my mouth shut, and not say anything on the topic of race. The only people who are hurt by my not helping are people of color. Which sucks, but is the result of how tense people (both black and white) are about race. In short, everyone (of all colors) should chill out and focus more on the problems that are clearly problems, not just assuming anything any white person says or does that is race related is racist. That just alienates allies and makes people of color feel hurt. EDIT: I do want to point out that while I don't think mistaking one person of color for another is racist, I do think that many of the behaviors the writer of this piece pointed out are racist. I don't want to say that what the author wrote is all incorrect or invalidate his opinion. EDIT 2: A flurry of downvotes without responses prove my point--people can't point out logically why they think I'm racist, but they downvote to express that they think I am. :)
  • 10y ago
• preordained 10y ago
  Everyone just has to stop caring, honestly. About race. If you are racist...well, that's an instant loss obviously. If you are deathly afraid to be racist and want to be politically correct (read: hyper race-conscious), you are unwittingly reenforcing separation and division and boundaries. I truly believe that overthinking it is what keeps us from getting over it.
• sebringj 10y ago
  I was never good at knowing someone's perspective prior to having experienced it. The common pattern throughout my life has been once I have experienced it, I'll tend to feel much more empathy than I would prior to someone in that situation. The problem is in this case, I'm white well mostly at least in the cultural sense I look it so its not going to be something where I will ever be able to properly empathize. I'm all for justice and equality etc. regardless so more of that please.
• itisbiz 10y ago
  When applying for US jobs I am always a bit startled by the questions that ask me to categorize myself by race. I know this is meant to protect against bias in hiring but you are forced to categorize yourself with each application. It makes it hard to just be people applying for a job.
• hoju 10y ago
  > Being told by cab drivers that I’m the first Black person they’ve ever had a positive encounter with Seems then part of the problem is behaviour of other black people