The Rise and Fall of Racism

A Black Racist speaks said...

Very good insight from both of you. Now if I may, as a black Deltan who still has hope, I’d like to add my two cents. There seems to be a tradition in the Delta (and the whole country for that matter) where black people, unable to come up with a strong enough argument against a white protagonist, almost out of desperation calls the white person a racist.

This, of course, implies an unwritten assumption that black people are not capable of being racist and that all criticism of black people by white people is based on racism.Well, I think it is time to debunk that myth. Black people can be as racist, or even more racist, than some of the worst white racists.

I sincerely believe that black people use the race card when they are unable to come up with convincing arguments against white people. This is not to say that sometimes the criticism by white people of black people is not based on racism, but this is not always the case.

I believe that, by calling somebody a racist, it probably says more about you than about the other person.In any case, how in heaven’s name are we going to be able to have decent debates here if all white people are going to be scared to criticize black people? No one likes to be called a racist, and it is inevitable in the Delta for whites who criticize blacks to be tarnished with that label.

I try to deal with this issue by confessing that I am a racist. Once I have done this, I believe that it levels the playing ground for us to have a conversation about race and racism. And it is important for us to have this conversation. I believe that in our haste to become a “rainbow nation”, we did not deal with the issues that caused us so much pain in the past, and racism is one of those.

Unless we deal with the issues of race and racism, unless we talk about them, they will always come back to haunt us.

Now let’s say this together: I am a racist. You are a racist. Let’s talk.

And what better time to do it than now, before it gets worse for us here and more of the good ones that could lead in the future leave us.

The author makes a good point. To some degree, we are all racists. "Racism" being defined as a dislike of a group or groups of people based solely on their ethnicity. Here in the Delta, we generally label racism as black vs. white. In the mid-west, both blacks and whites are accused of racism toward Hispanic people.

Racism is simply another word for hatred and it only displays one's ignorance. It is easy to blame all of Greenville's woes on one race or the other; however, the real battle is not black vs. white, but educated vs. ignorant. The educated of both races are fleeing Greenville, leaving us with only those of an "entitlement" mentality.

The best thing that Mayor Hudson has done for Greenville is prove that neither the sex nor the race of a mayor matters at the end of the day. Greenville's decline started decades ago under mostly white leadership and has steadily progressed.

Perhaps now that both races have failed to produce the "magic strategy" to save Greenville; it might be a good time to join hands and work together.

Forthright

Welfare: The Other Bridge to Nowhere

Local Reflector said...

I'll always pull for the Delta to succeed but I left there a few years ago as well. While there, the only way I really felt I could stir emotion and fight apathy was through Delta Scoop, so I launched it for $17 to buy an easy website that's now expired. I tried to physically help in the community. My participation wasn't welcome among the local civic leaders so, BOOM, the Local Reflector was born.

One can accuse many blog participants and commentators of doing nothing but talking negatively. From my perspective a few years ago, just offering an outlet was better than keeping quiet, being censored and saying nothing at all, thus guaranteeing no debate.

I'll challenge those who call existing residents "nay-sayers" to speak to the aspects in terms of civic, economic and educational policy matters. Real policy and real leadership - don't fall back on comments like Greenville has a great steak house,had local writers, a rich blues heritage and other philosophical anesthetics that prevent true issues discussions. The truth is that without discussing cultural offerings that really don't advance the economy or truly increase the overall quality of life (but would hurt it if they vanished), the issues are tough for Washington County.

REAL "meat n' potatoes" policy discussions cause pain right now. They did for my entire life in the Delta. I'll admit.....I wouldn't know what to do either.

The truth is that there is really not a lot any of us can do about the economy of Greenville. The welfare population is growing at three times the national average. Children are having children. Educated students (black and white) flee Greenville as soon as they are handed a diploma... vowing never to return. Tax payers are fleeing Greenville to secure what little savings and equity they have left in real estate.

So, who is left in Greenville? Primarily a group of uneducated, unmotivated, welfare "savvy" residents who ride free on the taxpayers' dollars. Many, not all, are quite comfortable with this system as it is all they have known for generations. Welfare was developed to be a "temporary bridge" between jobs. It has evolved into a way of life for many.

Under our current Welfare system, people are penalized for going to work. If you are unemployed, you get free health care for yourself and your children through Medicaid. You get food stamps and qualify for Section 8 housing in which the government pays all or part of your rent. If you have worked at all within the last 12 months, you can also draw unemployment up to $230 a week.

If your 15 year old daughter comes home pregnant, is that good news or bad? Economically, it is probably good news in that the unborn child will soon be converted to another "check" drawn from the "cash cow" we call welfare!

So, where is the incentive to go out and get a job? If you had free health care, free food, little or no housing costs and up to $230 per week for anything else you wanted... would YOU be pounding the pavement looking for a job?

The system is being abused and WE are permitting it. When was the last time you saw a starving child in the Delta? Most are obese because of their lifestyles and diets. Illegitimate children have become monetary rewards under our system that sets no boundaries to this economic "dole".

To flee Greenville is not to fix Greenville... as LR has noted; however, for many, it is probably the first step toward a brighter future. To those who complain that the "Scoop" is too negative, I refer you to LR's initial motive for founding the Delta Scoop, which was to provide an outlet and forum for debate. I have tried to maintain that tradition which seems to have been moderately successful.

I doubt that there are any simple answers in the debate over of how to "fix" Greenville... but when we stop asking questions, we are sunk!

Forthright