American Idle Chat

[Eric]

American Idol judge Nicki Minaj today says it's "racist" of Steven Tyler to predict that she'd probably send Bob Dylan back to "the cornfield" if he appeared as a contestant on the Fox show.

[Phyll33]

  Boy they can really pick em for judges can't they.  This is going to happen over and over every where now
that Obama has a second term. Blacks with chips on their shoulders are going to mouth off anyway they can
with "white hate".

  Our culture had evolved with inclusion for all and things were improving or so I thought. Guess those black
activists just couldn't stand people getting along. Remember the Cosby Show, and the Jeffersons, Redd Fox,
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and "Whatcha talkin about Willis" from that adorable family show with the mixed
race children.  Long gone and nothing replaced them and people like Jackson and Sharpton and even worse
now are starting their crap all over again with an administration that has set back race relations for decades.
Our country was doing better two decades ago than we are now.  People got along better and crime was lower
and then the Dems got in office with Clinton and the bottom started dropping out and this administration let
it cave in completely.

[Eric]

Steven Tyler's an "old white guy", as kids nowadays like to say.  It doesn't matter that his Aerosmith [noembed]pretty much introduced[/noembed] White America to "Hip-Hop" music.

I realize repercussions of slavery and Jim Crow racism are far-and-deep and will take time to heal, but like you I really feel we're going in the wrong direction.

[Phyll33]

  They will never heal as long as one group continues to play the race and victim card.  There will always be
bigots, they will never go away. The black community needs get past that and play to their strengths and
start the healing from within.  They want respect and many have it but respect is earned not given freely
to one and all. When the black community starts helping themselves instead of expecting others to do that
for them is when they get respect. They let their families fall apart and gangs take over and crime become
the name of the game in their neighborhoods and it is only they that can put it back together again. When
they start respecting themselves instead of demanding it from others, that is when the tide will turn.

[Pearl@32]

I do not see this kind of "you owe me" mentality with every black person, but it doesn't stop blacks from embracing blonde hair (Minaj, Beyonce, etc.). Aren't they trying to be white?

[Phyll33]

I do not see this kind of "you owe me" mentality with every black person, but it doesn't stop blacks from embracing blonde hair (Minaj, Beyonce, etc.). Aren't they trying to be white?

  I should have qualified that because I don't see it in all black people either but those are the ones that respect
themselves. Those are the ones that have made a good life for themselves and believe me when I say those that
want to are very driven. BUT there is a great divide between one group and another. The inner city Obama voters
and the black population that have made it who still votes for Obama have different goals but those that have made
it is where we get some of our crossover voting. The breakdown of the family is where the black population has
gone awry. All of my black friends in the military and in VA and DC that were doing well came from strong families
or strong women in their families that pushed them to be something.  Those strong women have died off and you
are left especially in the inner city with the ones that used to leave their children with the strong woman.

  As far as the mimicking of white traits I've never figured out that one since it is contradicting their black pride
mentality but again shows lack of respect for themselves and their look.

[Pearl@32]

I do not see this kind of "you owe me" mentality with every black person, but it doesn't stop blacks from embracing blonde hair (Minaj, Beyonce, etc.). Aren't they trying to be white?

  I should have qualified that because I don't see it in all black people either but those are the ones that respect
themselves. Those are the ones that have made a good life for themselves and believe me when I say those that
want to are very driven. BUT there is a great divide between one group and another. The inner city Obama voters
and the black population that have made it who still votes for Obama have different goals but those that have made
it is where we get some of our crossover voting. The breakdown of the family is where the black population has
gone awry. All of my black friends in the military and in VA and DC that were doing well came from strong families
or strong women in their families that pushed them to be something.  Those strong women have died off and you
are left especially in the inner city with the ones that used to leave their children with the strong woman.

  As far as the mimicking of white traits I've never figured out that one since it is contradicting their black pride
mentality but again shows lack of respect for themselves and their look.

Don't worry about qualifying it ~ I've just witnessed it first-hand when I was dating a black guy and working with a black woman. It's strange how sometimes the bigotry is kept to themselves, then sometimes rears its ugly head. Like how my co-worker was commissioned to make a t-shirt design for one of her friends about "I want my 40 acres." My ex and I went to a "black" club in D.C. and he told me before we went in not to hold his hand. We had been dating for almost 5 years. Pity he got mad when another guy hit on me. It was one of the crappiest nights of my life. I thank him though for getting me ready for my current relationship.

I know they like(d) me and all, but it just seems weird, like white people are ok to date but we're not ok in the grand scheme of things.

The unfortunate thing is now you're racist for saying anything, when — looking back on my ex's group of friends — there was a lot of prejudice among group members and everyone except him was white. It seems prejudice is just something humans stupidly do.

[Phyll33]

<<It seems prejudice is just something humans stupidly do.>>

  It will always be there for some so the playing of the race card will never end. Blacks know this and those
that want to keep that hate alive will always play it because they know they can. Whites have to get over
the guilt and quit being offended when it is played, that is the only way we can all get past it.  As long as
we let being called a racist hit a nerve then the black activists will play it for all it's worth.

  I've lived in a very integrated society most of my life. Many minority friends but we were all playing on
the same relatively level field of do the work and get rewarded. The military is about as good as it will
get with the races and still there were issues that crop up. Mainly with the minorities when they get in
a position of control. White officers were very conscious of mixing up their people, be it aides, company
commanders, battalion commanders, secretaries, ceremonial flag carriers, sergeants etc.  There were
a good number of minorities in their commands.  Black officers, not all but many, had a tendency to pull
in mostly blacks and have a token white.  People you were friends with and thought you knew fell into
their old prejudices when they had the power. It was disconcerting and uncomfortable and obvious and
immensely sad. It seemed to me that no matter how much whites try and get along or as in my case
just get along because I thought of these people as friends, it will never be enough.  I don't know if
that will ever be overcome with the black community but I do know whites have passed being the problem.
Instead of whites being the problem we are now reacting to the problem of black hate towards us no matter
how subtle.

[Spooky]

Nicki Minaj is weird... very, very weird.