Quantcast

Biking while black

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,573
24,193
media blackout
It seems your country is deeply divided. Do you think the moderates on the left and the right can do anything about it?
Not when there's a portion of the population that wants to revert back to a system where white christians can subjugate others on the basis of skin color, ethnicity, religion, and nationality.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
I'm Asian and never been to the US. From time to time I hear or read terms like the problem with "whiteness" and "white guilt". Are these ideas widespread especially in schools? I read this article by a teacher that said:

"My school, like so many others, induces students via shame and sophistry to identify primarily with their race before their individual identities are fully formed. Students are pressured to conform their opinions to those broadly associated with their race and gender and to minimize or dismiss individual experiences that don’t match those assumptions. The morally compromised status of “oppressor” is assigned to one group of students based on their immutable characteristics. In the meantime, dependency, resentment and moral superiority are cultivated in students considered “oppressed.”

Source: https://bariweiss.substack.com/p/i-refuse-to-stand-by-while-my-students

My country was colonized by the Spanish, Americans and the Japanese who all committed horrible atrocities. For the American contribution see the Balangiga Massacre.

How widespread is racism in the US? Do you white boys feel guilty for the sins of your fathers and the color of your skin and think of yourselves as oppressors? Or do you acknowledge that you have some unearned privilege but then go and try your best to make the world a better place for everyone?

One guy I knew mentioned the Japanese occupation of the Philippines to a group of Japanese tourists who then bowed their heads in shame and apologized profusely. These guys have a knack of making it seem genuine. What I see from when the Americans do it today regarding racism, sexism, etc. is that it seems performative and signaling to their fellows how virtuous they are.
That's complete garbage. The author is an attention whore who thinks the purpose of journalism is to just annoy people. She's quite good at it and has made it her career.

That quote in particular is designed to assuage society of any responsibility so that rich white people can go on acting like entitled assholes with a clear conscience. It's an entire industry here.

We're divided because it's profitable to be divided. The more we get told our neighbors are our enemies because of religion/race/class the more the attention is diverted from our deeply flawed system of making rich people richer.
 
Last edited:

Katz

Monkey
Jun 8, 2012
371
788
Arizona
It seems your country is deeply divided. Do you think the moderates on the left and the right can do anything about it?
Not when there's a portion of the population that wants to revert back to a system where white christians can subjugate others on the basis of skin color, ethnicity, religion, and nationality.
History would suggest not.
As a long-haul truck driver delivering freight all across the country, I used to travel and interact with people from various backgrounds. And I'm a man of color, like brown/red/yellow-ish. I did that for about a decade. I'm sure there was an instance or two where somebody displayed some disdain towards me for one reason or another, but I really can't recall any incidence that sticks out in my mind. 99% of people I dealt with treated me with respect, or they at least acted politely.

I had 15-minute long conversations of many of them. I've learned, that none of them had any ill-wishes towards others, and if you take all political BSes out, we basically had the same common goals but with different ideas of getting there.

Maybe I'm just naive but I'd like to believe that people jonKranked is talking about are less than 10% of the total population. Not that I'm denying that racism and racists very much exist, and they are quite visible thanks to media.

Whether the moderates can do anything about what's been going on in this country, I don't know. Probably not. I guess I qualify as one of them - I've been to both sides of the isle throughout my life, very much apolitical these days and haven't watched news in several years (I try to keep current looking at memes on Random Pic thread LOL). I just take care of my own life, treat others like I'd like to be treated, and help those in need when I have means to do so.

I suppose, my attitude makes me just as guilty not doing anything about it. But 6thElement is absolutely right - world history books would only have 1/4 as many pages if it weren't for shits like invasions and conflicts, all of which were driven by human nature. I don't think anybody can change human nature.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Racism is far more than just how someone acts to your face when they're forced to look at a human. It's systematic, structural, and still doesn't account for the shit people say and believe about your 'group' behind your back or when it's just like minded people in a room.

Add the extra impersonal distance of the online world vs what's going on on your own street and it can grow in all kinds of new and exciting ways. It's still the same old shit that's always been here just with a more effective microphone.
 

Katz

Monkey
Jun 8, 2012
371
788
Arizona
Racism is far more than just how someone acts to your face when they're forced to look at a human. It's systematic, structural, and still doesn't account for the shit people say and believe about your 'group' behind your back or when it's just like minded people in a room.

Add the extra impersonal distance of the online world vs what's going on on your own street and it can grow in all kinds of new and exciting ways. It's still the same old shit that's always been here just with a more effective microphone.
Fair enough.

Again, not denying the problems exist, I'm on the downill side of my life and I'd like to make the best out of what's left of my time on earth. I really don't want these dark thoughts dragging me down. I guess my apathetic attitude is my coping mechanism kicking in, living among toxic people and realizing there's nothing I can do about it.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
Fair enough.

Again, not denying the problems exist, I'm on the downill side of my life and I'd like to make the best out of what's left of my time on earth. I really don't want these dark thoughts dragging me down. I guess my apathetic attitude is my coping mechanism kicking in, living among toxic people and realizing there's nothing I can do about it.
Haha, I'm not trying to bring you down or anything. More to the earlier question of "what do people mean when they say racism/division in america". It's a lot more than just some dickhead in a white sheet screaming the n-word under a rebel flag. It's also the shit bari weiss publishes for instance....
 
Last edited:

boostindoubles

Nacho Libre
Mar 16, 2004
7,839
6,145
Yakistan
Kids learn racism early on but it's generally not their teachers at school teaching that skin color bullshit. It's the adults in their life and the bigger kids they look up to who are all passing down the hate of skin color.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
85,573
24,193
media blackout
Fair enough.

Again, not denying the problems exist, I'm on the downill side of my life and I'd like to make the best out of what's left of my time on earth. I really don't want these dark thoughts dragging me down. I guess my apathetic attitude is my coping mechanism kicking in, living among toxic people and realizing there's nothing I can do about it.
That's the thing. Modern racism isn't as overt as someone goose stepping around wearing white robes screaming white power.

About a year and a half ago I was buying beer on a Sunday afternoon. My local beer distributor is owned and run by an Indian dude and his family members. This particular afternoon I was in line behind a very obviously drunk white trash loser buying another 30 rack of busch. As he's checking out "where's that sand n***** that runs this place?!" Before he gets anything else out I told him to stfu with that racist bullshit or he'd wind up with a dui on the way back to his trailer. He was gearing up to run his mouth at me until he turned around and realized I was a head taller than him, and wasn't leaning against the counter to keep myself up.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,196
4,420
Kids learn racism early on but it's generally not their teachers at school teaching that skin color bullshit. It's the adults in their life and the bigger kids they look up to who are all passing down the hate of skin color.
Was reading a book to my neighbor kid who was 3 or 4. Showed him photos of the city I grew up in, in Africa. One that dwarfs our current city by about 10x. I said this is my city, in Africa. He saw the pictures, the density, high rises, traffic and then proclaimed, “it’s a village in Africa, not a city in Africa”.

The systemic nature is pretty telling.
 

Bike078

Monkey
Jan 11, 2018
561
405
I will ask my friends who've lived in the US for a long time about these issues when they come back to visit the motherland. I'm sure some will have conservative views and some more liberal views. Should be interesting.
 

Pesqueeb

bicycle in airplane hangar
Feb 2, 2007
40,146
16,543
Riding the baggage carousel.

Bike078

Monkey
Jan 11, 2018
561
405
You've already lost :rofl:


The world (and even murka!) is a lot more complex than a two party or a binary political system.
I know that Woo, I'm an old guy like you too. But I would still like to hear what they have to say regarding the current political and cultural issues in their adopted country which is so different from ours.
 

kidwoo

Artisanal Tweet Curator
I know that Woo, I'm an old guy like you too. But I would still like to hear what they have to say regarding the current political and cultural issues in their adopted country which is so different from ours.
1. I am a god damn spring chicken!!! Full of life, spriteful, gallavanting though the forest singing songs of whimsy!!

2. If they're asian they're probably just saying wear a helmet. You probably saw all the anti-asian shit going on since the rona' I'm sure. We suck.
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,800
8,384
Nowhere Man!
I spoke to my black friend Allen about this. I must admit I felt a bit strange asking him about this issue. He said here in Rochester he has no problems and feels safe most everywhere. His issues are the same as mine. Drivers who do not take into consideration cyclists presence. He is from Lansing Michigan and has lived in Chicago. He is an avid cyclist and logs many miles. He said Lansing was by far the most dangerous place to ride which is why he lives here instead of there. His Lemon pepper wings are the best I have ever had. He likes anchovies on his pizzas. So he is weirdo by any measure.
 

Bike078

Monkey
Jan 11, 2018
561
405
I spoke to my black friend Allen about this. I must admit I felt a bit strange asking him about this issue. He said here in Rochester he has no problems and feels safe most everywhere. His issues are the same as mine. Drivers who do not take into consideration cyclists presence. He is from Lansing Michigan and has lived in Chicago. He is an avid cyclist and logs many miles. He said Lansing was by far the most dangerous place to ride which is why he lives here instead of there. His Lemon pepper wings are the best I have ever had. He likes anchovies on his pizzas. So he is weirdo by any measure.
There are a couple of articles over at nsmb where they interview people of color and their experiences while mountain biking. One of the questions is:
"Many of us have noticed that mountain biking is dominated by straight, white, able-bodied males. Why do you think that is? Is it changing?"

Source: https://nsmb.com/articles/getting-know-sanesh-iyer/

Please ask our friend Allen about this and if he feels that there is a posse of straight white able-bodied males hindering his enjoyment of the sport. Also tell him that anchovies should be eaten with rice and soy sauce with calamansi or if the anchovies are salted, dried then fried that they should be dipped in vinegar and eaten with rice but without using utensils. You take a piece of the dried fish already dipped in vinegar (add pieces of freshly sliced tomatoes too) place it on top of the rice then use your fingers to scoop up the rice. You may add scrambled eggs as well.
 

jdcamb

Tool Time!
Feb 17, 2002
19,800
8,384
Nowhere Man!
There are a couple of articles over at nsmb where they interview people of color and their experiences while mountain biking. One of the questions is:
"Many of us have noticed that mountain biking is dominated by straight, white, able-bodied males. Why do you think that is? Is it changing?"

Source: https://nsmb.com/articles/getting-know-sanesh-iyer/

Please ask our friend Allen about this and if he feels that there is a posse of straight white able-bodied males hindering his enjoyment of the sport. Also tell him that anchovies should be eaten with rice and soy sauce with calamansi or if the anchovies are salted, dried then fried that they should be dipped in vinegar and eaten with rice but without using utensils. You take a piece of the dried fish already dipped in vinegar (add pieces of freshly sliced tomatoes too) place it on top of the rice then use your fingers to scoop up the rice. You may add scrambled eggs as well.
He will only go into the woods on group rides. I think his mountain bike needs to be modernized to match his skill level. He disagrees. He usually commutes alone. What we call Anchovies, he calls just fish. I am not familiar with Somaliland food.