Three in 10 acknowledge racial prejudice

June 22, 2008

It’s hard to characterize these results on the racial/political landscape as encouraging.

As Sen. Barack Obama opens his campaign as the first African American on a major party presidential ticket, nearly half of all Americans say race relations in the country are in bad shape and three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll. […]

Overall, 51 percent call the current state of race relations “excellent” or “good,” about the same as said so five years ago. That is a relative thaw from more negative ratings in the 1990s, but the gap between whites and blacks on the issue is now the widest it has been in polls dating to early 1992.

More than six in 10 African Americans now rate race relations as “not so good” or “poor,” while 53 percent of whites hold more positive views. Opinions are also divided along racial lines, though less so, on whether blacks face discrimination. There is more similarity on feelings of personal racial prejudice: Thirty percent of whites and 34 percent of blacks admit such sentiments.

The WaPo said Obama’s disadvantage driven by racial animus may be “offset” by concerns about McCain’s advanced age, but it’s tough to quantify — the WaPo/ABC poll used for the article didn’t ask voters about their comfort level with electing a septuagenarian.

Nearly nine in 10 whites said they would be comfortable with a black president, suggesting there are quite a few white voters who harbor feelings of racial prejudice but would accept Obama anyway, or there are quite a few white voters who are lying to pollsters about their comfort with a black president. (It’s worth clarifying only two-thirds of whites would be “entirely comfortable” with a black president, meaning about a quarter of whites say they’re comfortable with the idea, but they’re not thrilled by the idea. I’m going to guess these are the whites most likely to be lying.)

Some wanted to see the silver lining of these results.

At National Review, Kathryn Jean Lopez saw the glass as half-full.

While “three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice,” that number is down from their 1999 poll (the only one they cite for reference). And “Whites” assess themselves with less prejudice (30 percent) than “Blacks” (34), which bodes well for “the first African American on a major party presidential ticket.”

And while three in 10 acknowledge feelings of racial prejudice,” seven in 10 did not. In other words, the overwhelming majority.

I wish I could feel as encouraged. Yes, 30% acknowledge racist tendencies, which is down from 1999. But it’s only down from 34%, and the figure among whites has dropped from 32% to 30%. Lopez alluded to “massive improvements.” It looks to me, given the three-point margin of error, that we’ve seen very little progress at all.

Similarly, while I’m delighted that a strong majority say they do not harbor feelings of racial prejudice, two angles come to mind. One, some of the 70% might be lying. And two, when nearly one-third of the American electorate in the 21st century is willing to concede feelings of racial bigotry, that’s not good.

Nevertheless, the same poll also found that “just over four in 10 think Obama’s candidacy will improve race relations, nearly three times as many as think it’ll hurt.”

It sounds like we could use the boost.

99% of the 30% vote Republican.

  • Nevertheless, the same poll also found that “just over four in 10 think Obama’s candidacy will improve race relations, nearly three times as many as think it’ll hurt.”

    How very cool: 40% think his candidacy will improve race relations, and 120% think it won’t?

  • meaning about a quarter of whites say they’re comfortable with the idea (a black president, but they’re not thrilled by the idea. I’m going to guess these are the whites most likely to be lying.)

    I think that’s a slightly simplistic view of prejudice. Many people think that color, gender, age or sexual orientation are a strong indicator of something. But very few people think there are no exceptions to the rule. I would argue that being black is not at all an obstacle for a Republican. Think Colin Powel, Condi Rice, Michael Steele, or JC Watts. Obama’s problem is that by merely being a Dem, he doesn’t entirely distance himself from the stereotype.

  • Don’t assume that somebody admitting they harbor some prejudice, it implies they are wanna-be clan members.

    I suspect that low-grade prejudice is far more common. Where one falls prey to stereotypes, is more afraid of a black man walking down the street that a white man.

    The fact that 9/10 are comfortable with the notion of a black president implies that most racism is more of the low-grade variety.

  • Here’s your silver lining: This is still a hugely racist country, we’ve made very little real progress in race relations and we’re still going to elect a biracial man this November. It’s going to happen.

  • I think that it’s awfully hard to make sense of these results. I too am worried about the “lying to pollsters” skewing what we know, but at the same time, acknowledging feelings of prejudice doesn’t necessarily mean a vote for McCain. I personally think only a minority of people are truly color-blind, and a majority of people will find some degree of prejudice if they look inside. However, prejudice does not equal racism, and prejudicial feelings are not the same as prejudicial actions. I think there are plenty who might be more comfortable, at some gut level, with a white president than a black one, but that discomfort is not so strong as to keep them from voting for Obama.

  • When I was standing in line at the Obama rally in St Paul along with four other white-haired white people, a young African American approached us and asked, “Do you think he can win?”

    It was hardly a scientific poll — we were waiting in line at an Obama rally! — but I think we were all touched by the obvious urgency of the question. He really needed to hear it — older, white people saying it right out loud.

    We assured him that Obama could win and he went away somewhat comforted. How can this election NOT help race relations? Any movement that draws young and old, black and white, Christian and Muslim together to make the country work better for all its citizens HAS to be a good thing.

  • Here’s my credentials: I’m sixty and white. I’m liberal. I have black friendships of almost forty years. I’m going to vote for Obama.

    Here’s my opinion: If racism, put simply, is stereotyping, anyone in this country who doesn’t admit to harboring feelings of racism to some degree is lying or self-delusional.

    I drive a transit bus in a large city. Nine of ten times when I have a passenger problem on the bus it is a young African American. I don’t use the word black because black immigrants are never a problem. These young African Americans get on the bus dressed like thugs, refuse to pay a fare, and then sit in the back where they loudly talk motherfucka this and nigga that while intimidating everyone around them. The whites look straight ahead and the older African Americans look embarrassed. I know African Americans who won’t allow their kids to ride bus routes that have predominately African American passengers. When I was new to the job I once went to the back and politely ask the loudmouths to stop the profanity. “The response: are you tellin’ us we can’t act black?”

    Almost every time that I have been threatened with assault it has been by an African American. The two times I have been assaulted it was by African Americans. Every fist fight I’ve had on my bus involved an African American. Same for the one knife and one gun incidents. The folks who board my bus at one stop, refuse to pay a fare, go to the back and do their drug deal and get off after a couple stops, are mostly African American. I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been called a racist, and worse, when I said to an African American “Sir, it’s pay as you enter.”

    When I pull up to a bus stop and there are two dozen young African Americans waiting to board the bus and I’m not happy to see them am I a racist? After all, as I write above, racism is stereotyping. And what about the passengers who witness this stuff every day? Might they be stereotyping too.

    And since I have never had a single passenger problem with an Asian passenger in my entire career, and I’ve transported hundreds of thousands of them, I’m stereotyping them too when I pull into that bus zone.

  • What are the numbers among blacks? If I were black I’d probably be really prejudiced against white people.

  • I’ll echo what #9 said. I’m not sure you can accurately draw conclusions about voter behavior from general attitudinal surveys about race.

    I’ve been assaulted and robbed at knife point, both times by black men. So — am I a racist if I admit that at some times and in some circumstances, black men make me feel scared?

    Would your answer change if I told you I was also an early and enthusiastic supporter of Obama?

  • I lived for a while in Omaha and worked in the “black” part of town, I had so many acquaintances who would a) swear that they were not racist and b) ask if I was afraid to work up there (or live “so close” to North Omaha).

    I think that they genuinely felt that a) was true and didn’t recognize b) as racism – or at least skin color based stereotyping. I suspect that I know how they’d have answered the poll, what I have less confidence of is what voting action would result from it.

  • As a 44 year old woman who grew up in Kentucky and moved to the north east at age 10 there is no doubt I have “racial prejudice” which I fight constantly because I know it is wrong. If I answered the survey honestly, and I would, I would be part of that 34 percent. That said however, I can’t tell you how excited I am to vote for Sen. Obama this November.

  • I agree with #9’s general point: feelings of racial prejudice are common and widespread, among most all races. Living equitably in a diverse society requires our understanding and acknowledging these feelings, and being committed to acting fairly towards all, no matter our feelings. I grew up in the segregated south, and I have some deep-seated prejudices that are irrational. Yet I believe I can fairly say that, committed to a just and tolerant society, I have rarely acted and never voted in ways influenced by these prejudices.

    Sixty percent or more of Americans agree with almost every progressive principle and ideal. More than 60% understand the importance of our leaving Iraq. I believe that few of these folks are likely to be entirely free of prejudice, but I believe that almost all of them are likely to vote their interests and values.

  • I am a 57 year old white woman, who’s excited about Obama BECAUSE he is mixed-race. I see him as the new face of America.

    The day after the election, when – hopefully, anyway – there are pictures on the world’s newspapers and computer screens of America’s 44th president, I want that face to be Obama’s. I want the world to see America’s back in business and being led by a man with an irrepressible grin, rather than a soulless smirk.

    GObama!

  • I’m not sure how these numbers are in any way bad.

    They’re much lower than the numbers of people who would be uncomfortable with a Republican or those uncomfortable with a Democrat sitting as President.

    Are they?

  • I wouldn’t read too much into these results.

    Virtually everybody has racist thoughts/feelings at some time. And in fact, it’s those of us who admit that fact who are able to fight against such feelings, and vanquish them–for the time being, at least. It’s a matter of eternal vigilance, if you will.

    It’s the folks who rant on about how they “don’t have a racist bone in their body.” who are in denial about it, who are the problem.

    I think that on a *relative* scale, I would come out as pretty far on the un-racist end; but if they asked me the question, I’d have to say yes, I am.

    Like many poll questions, you have to wonder what the answers mean.

  • Here’s the original poll question: ” If you honestly assessed yourself, would you say that you have at least some feelings of racial prejudice?”

    I think the other commenters have it right: this isn’t 30% of people saying that they’re diehard racists, it’s 30% of people admitting that they’re not perfect when it comes to issues of race. I find this number encouraging, not discouraging, really. I consider myself pretty enlightened, but might have answered this question in the affirmative the way it was asked.

    The poll questions and detailed results are here. With few exceptions, I found the results quite encouraging. Look at the enthusiasm gap between Obama and McCain, for instance.

  • I am a white woman and can agree with many of the comments above (#5 and #13 in particular). Many of us grew up with parents or others who were not overtly racist, but had some prejudices, and since we grew up in mostly white surroundings, the prejudices were passed on to us. We didn’t know any better. We’ve had to work our way through or past it by various means. For many, it takes personal interactions. In my case I knew some of the (few) black kids that were bused to my mostly-white high school, and I also attended a racially-mixed and diverse college where my best friends were a black woman and two women from Korea, plus one of my favorite teachers of all time was black. Others never have that experience.

    But reading the comments of #9 I also found myself agreeing (since I’ve been on buses similar to, but not as bad as, what this driver describes). I’m sure the reasons for this behavior by kids (I’m not referring to the drug dealers here) are complex. I’m no sociologist, but I suppose it’s a combination of culture, peer pressure, not having a positive role model and/or lack of discipline (unfit or missing parents or other family), discontentment in life (due to many factors). If one has no sense of belonging to society (thinking “no one cares about me”), then why should one have to follow the rules of that society? Those behaviors and attitudes cross racial and socioeconomic lines.

    This is why I think an Obama presidency would be good for America. He can speak to whites and blacks, being of both worlds (his father’s day speech addressed some of the above, and his speech on race was excellent). He and the Dems will also hopefully be able to come up with governmental solutions to help correct the injustices of our system. If all of the progressive/liberal politicians get spines, that is.

  • I am disgusted to see so many admitted racists in this thread. I had no idea I was hanging out with you people.

    Just kidding! This is a great thread, a fascinating discussion, and I’m glad it’s here.

  • Why is this surprising. You saw what happened in Applachia, the most racist part of our country. And old angry bigoted women who still hate blacks, they hate Obama too.

    We cannot cave in to racist applachains and angry old women.

  • It’s kind of funny that almost no one dissing Appalachians on this blog knows how to spell it.

  • Oh yeah, with the way they phrased that question, I would have certainly answered yes. I’ve been drilled by every progressive movement I hold dear to dive into yourself and examine your predjudices as the very fist step in working against racism.

    It’s been interesting watching how polls and analysts go about trying to quantify racism in America and how it might affect Obama. Nearly every analysis seems too week to be conclusive. Can’t blame them for trying though.

  • There is NO doubt Obama’s candidacy will improve race relations in this country. For the BIGGEST part, NO longer will Blacks have to be viewed AUTOMATICALLY negatively when they want to run for public office, particularly in areas south of the line drawn by mason and dixon!

    At least, we HOPE!!

  • Human brains naturally try to generalize. Stereotyping is almost literally an instinct … you have to actually think *harder* to realize that you’re doing it. I think 100% of people would be a more accurate number.

  • Speaking of stereotyping, when riding a bus to work one day maybe 15 years ago, an unkempt man got on board who was out of place with we dressed up folks going to white collar jobs downtown. OK, I admit I was a little offput when he sat across from me. As the bus became fuller and fuller, and people had to stand, an older woman got on board and made her way back to our area. Before I could even think about giving her my seat, the unkempt man jumped up and told her to please take his seat.

    I told myself that I would no longer be so quick to judge people by their appearance. I’m not always successful, but I try and have thought of that man many times since.

    This discussion has been fascinating and I find myself in agreement with many of the comments. Humans tend to think in terms of us and them, never a good place to go, but we feel more comfortable about those like us, and suspicious of those not like us. How great when we can address these issues both as a group and individually.

  • I’m not prejudiced, why, some of my best friends are ni..I mean bla…I mean African American, ya that’s it. But I’m not so sure about my neighbors, I mean I don’t know for sure, but sometimes they say things when there ain’t none of them around, well you know.

    It’s called the Bradley effect.

  • All these posts are really good, but I have to say that #9 and #20 really rang my bell. As someone who was without a car for two years, riding around the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, I can say that #9’s comment applies to more than “bad” routes.

    #20 rang my bell because I worked in the civil rights movement 40 years ago, and I come from a background where one really had to fight racism inside my family, and what you learn at a young age manages to be incredibly “sticky.” One can only decide that they are going to fight it, that they are going to “act as if” and that they are going to be aware and honest with themselves. It’s just like fighting any other disease of the soul, like drig addiction, aclcoholism, etc. How many times to you pick yourself up? One more than you fall.

    I think the fact people can talk like this, people who are for Obama, is a good thing. We do have a chance to make progress on something serious – the darkness at the heart of the American soul.

  • Well Mr. #9 I know you think you’re not stereotyping them but yes you are.

    Because I’ve been in crowds of young white kids using the same type of language including the “n” word which for some reason they think is “cool” to use regarding each other.

    I think if you drove a route in a predominantly white neighborhood that included a lot of young white teens you would encounter the same rude, crude behavior. I know this because I had to stop driving my daughter’s young white friends for a while in our morning shared carpool because of their crude use of language and general attitude and rudeness toward me. I eventually stressed to the other parents that this behavior was not “cute” or “funny” but at worst rude and at best bigoted and would not be tolerated by me. The kids eventually apologized but I know their behavior continues once they think they are out of my earshot.

    But since their parents behave entirely differently, I know that these kids have had better lessons. Not that I believe the parents are perfect behind closed doors, but I know that have at least tried to teach their children better.

    So when you define rude behavior with skin color, you do cross a very fine line. As you say, the older black people respond with embarrassment so it’s not only black people or white people, but in general YOUNG PEOPLE who behave this way – with all the brashness and crassness of unsupervised youth.

    Hopefully they’ll grow up and their elders will not imitate their childishness in their more subtle fashion.

  • #31 I wrote #9. I think you missed my point completely. I never said that African Americans are the only people who behave badly. I said: “Nine of ten times when I have a passenger problem on the bus it is a young African American. I don’t use the word black because black immigrants are never a problem.”

    In other words I’m saying that I have encountered so many problems with young African Americans including being repeatedly threatened with assault, verbally abused, sucker punched once, and had one spit in my face without warning and for no reason but to show off for his friends and listen to his friends hoot and laugh as they left the bus that I have developed (been conditioned) some wariness around young African Americans. I recognize that I stereotype them and that stereotyping is basically racism;
    but as #20 writes “One can only decide that they are going to fight it, that they are going to “act as if” and that they are going to be aware and honest with themselves. It’s just like fighting any other disease of the soul, like drug addiction, alcoholism, etc. How many times to you pick yourself up? One more than you fall.”

    I’m reminded of something that the conservative African American writer John McWhorter wrote in one of his books that went something like white people who hold black people to a lower standard and make excuses for their mis-behavior are racists.
    They don’t think that black people can act as well as whites. A black friend told me that Malcolm X made the same argument.

  • I’m an African-American woman, and I’ve had a slightly different experience related to #9. One afternoon, I was riding the subway at about the time that most of the high schools let out, so there were a lot of teens on the train. The rowdiest group was a group of Asian teens. When the train reached their stop, one of the Asian boys banged on the window with his fist as he exited, while his friends laughed, and the window spider web cracked. As soon as they got off, I reported what happened to the conductor. Part of the reason for my urgency was that there were a lot of black teens on the train, and I was afraid that one of them would be accused of breaking the window if what had actually happened wasn’t reported.

  • I think this poll might be more complex than it appears. Admitting feelings of prejudice don’t necessarily mean you’re anti-Obama. Take me, for example.

    I’ve been a huge Obama supporter since 2004 who has donated to him multiple times over the course of the primary and once since the start of the general election. He’s my favorite Democratic presidential candidate in my lifetime, and I don’t have words to describe how happy I’d be if he was president.

    I also spent a year working in a school for at risk high school students, where I worked almost entirely with black students. Judging me by my actions and political views, you would not think I was a bigot.

    That being said, if you asked me whether or not I have any feelings of prejudice toward black people, I would honestly have to say yes. With my brain I know these feelings are wrong, but it would be a lie to say they haven’t popped into my stream of thought from time to time in my life. Obama referenced these kinds of thoughts himself in his speech on race.

    Basically, I think there’s a good chance that some people recognize feeligns of prejudice, but that doesn’t mean they’re a bigot. Some people, like me, are very liberal and huge Obama supporters, but grew up in a conservative part of the country with little exposure to non-white people. If I honestly ask myself whether, deep down, I have feeling of prejudice, I would have to say yes. But, in some cases, I think this ability to honestly acknowlege ingrained prejudices can indicate a degree of fierce anti-racism.

  • I should have read what was written above before making a long post.

    Basically, I agree with #9.

    Anyone who doesn’t admit some prejudice is probably fooling themselves, so this poll is more complicated than it seems.

  • How is Obama’s candidacy supposed to make race relations better and why should it hinge on that? Why can’t we be friends now, instead of when he’s president? Why should it take that to get whites and blacks together? His presidency is not going to help that if you are not talking to blacks already, believe me. If you’re not talking to me now, what will make you talk to me if he becomes president? Some wonderful, magical powder? What?

    Hey Mr. Bus Driver, stop to think a moment that black boys are not a precious commodity in this country, which has spent decades telling them so. They are nothing and nobody, and who wants and cares for them? This country, this world, considers white children the most precious commodity on earth, and it spends all it’s time telling people that. It tells black children that they are worthless and not worth a thought, and that what they were doing on your bus is as far as they will get.

    This is why race relations aren’t any better in this country, because you people had to wait for the “magic Negro” before you could even begin to “see” blacks in this country. Weird. You “talk to” Obama and act as if he should be able to convey whatever message it is you have for blacks to them instead of speaking to us directly. I don’t understand this at all. Race relations isn’t going to change one iota in this country if that man is elected. You will continue to live in your segregated hoods, with all that it affords you, while we live in our hoods with all that they don’t. You will continue to avoid blacks and in fact not even “see” us unless they’re like the kids who get on the bus needing attention in their lives and getting it anyway they can.

  • Got a chip on your shoulder, gentlerabbit?

    You’re massively generalizing, or perhaps that was your subtle point?

    I do happen to agree with you that Obama’s presidency isn’t going to magically fix race relations … we’ll continue to suffer the same very slow progress that we’ve always been making. Nothing can instantly change our often sordid history.

  • Stereotyping isn’t racism. Racism is hostility toward a group on the basis of their race. Stereotyping is a natural cognitive process applied to all experience. We have stereotypes about dogs and cats, not just people. Stereotypes arise out of personal experience with the world. What matters is not whether you hold stereotypes but how you act upon them. Because stereotypes are generalizations, it is always a mistake to judge an individual on the basis of a stereotype, whether the content of the stereotype is favorable or unfavorable. Why do we do it? Because the statistical knowledge encapsulated by a stereotype is more information than we typically have about a newly encountered individual and because it has some probability of being correct because it is formed from prior probabilistic experience. You cannot ask people to stop forming and using stereotypes any more than you can ask them to stop thinking using language.

    People have been taught that holding negative stereotypes makes one a racist when it largely means you are a consumer of popular culture. When they answer one of these poll questions, they introspect and correctly identify that they hold negative stereotypes about race. But most people do not hold strong hostility toward groups of people and even fewer ever commit acts motivated by hostility. It would be more meaningful if people were asked whether they have done casual acts of racial bigotry themselves or witnessed such acts recently. These are better indicators of race relations. Beyond the personal level, racism consists of institutional barriers to progress that differentially advantage one group over another on the basis of race. These can be identified via statistics and these — not how people feel about race — are a better indicator of meaningful racism in our society, the kind that affects how people live . Racial progress means reducing the disproportionate number of African Americans living in poverty, incarcerated in our prisons, or “volunteering” for the military and increasing the number found in college, living in high-end homes, and holding white collar jobs.

    People are confused about multiculturalism. The goal for our society is not to be color-blind or biracial, but to provide access to opportunity and the good things in life while maintaining and respecting differences among people, whether arising from culture, gender, race, age, religion or any of the many ways in which we differ, including political views.

  • #32 says “I’m saying that I have encountered so many problems with young African Americans including being repeatedly threatened with assault, verbally abused, sucker punched once, and had one spit in my face without warning and for no reason but to show off for his friends and listen to his friends hoot and laugh as they left the bus that I have developed (been conditioned) some wariness around young African Americans.”

    #36 says “Hey Mr. Bus Driver, stop to think a moment that black boys are not a precious commodity in this country, which has spent decades telling them so. They are nothing and nobody, and who wants and cares for them? This country, this world, considers white children the most precious commodity on earth, and it spends all it’s time telling people that. It tells black children that they are worthless and not worth a thought, and that what they were doing on your bus is as far as they will get.”

    #32 says ” I’m reminded of something that the conservative African American writer John McWhorter wrote in one of his books that went something like white people who hold black people to a lower standard and make excuses for their mis-behavior are racists.
    They don’t think that black people can act as well as whites. A black friend told me that Malcolm X made the same argument.”

  • a chip on my shoulder? as a 54 year old black woman, one might expect me to, hmm? those are just my observations while living black, not a chip. that i am aware of. was what i said not true?

    39, the same to you, is what i said not true? you value and love little black children as much as white children? how many times in your life have you actually spent with black children? do you know any? the point being, that while everyone is so busy loving on Obama, how many other blacks do you include in your lives? how many do you truly know? why is Obama suddenly your black friend when at no other time in your lives have you included blacks as your friends? have you wondered what i’ve thought about what if Obama fails, or it should be proved that he’s a crook and a liar? then what will happen to race relations? this is one of the reasons this is not only bogus, but it won’t help our relations, something we should be doing ourselves, not relying on the Magic Negro to do for us.

  • In my post at #9 I mention black friendships of over forty years. I shared a house with a black man in a predominately black neighborhood in the early seventies for a few years. I know his kids well. I know his brothers and sisters and cousins and wife and ex wives well and grand kids well.

    I value black people. I just don’t value black people who abuse me and spit in my face for the entertainment of their friends. You think I’m supposed to be forgiving and understanding because these kids have it rough. How would you feel if a young white man spit in your face? What if I told you he had a rough upbringing?

    This is a true story about a conversation on my bus a couple weeks ago. It was two young black girls-one with a baby. This conversation was held in the middle of a full bus and loud. “When I got pregnant by Durrell I didn’t want no baby so I got an abortion. Then when I got pregnant by James I was gonna have that baby but I found out ReNaeNae was pregnant by James too, so I got an abortion. Now I’m pregnant with a baby by Devon and I’m going to have this baby.” And then the other girl started telling the first one that Devon was useless, etc.

    White racism exists and harms black people but not nearly as bad as black people hurt themselves. Lots of black kids ride my bus and are respectful of themselves and others. I value them and I treat them with respect.

  • And yes-you do have a chip on your shoulder. I see lots of black people with a chip on their shoulder on the bus, Hair-trigger ready to take offense.

    Here’s another story from a few weeks ago. On a full bus of 66 in the seats and another 30 standing in the aisle he starts loudly singing. I say to him politely “Please stop singing Sir, you are on a bus.” He says “Oh you’re a hater huh.” I ignore him. I’ve got a bus to drive and the safety of nearly a 100 people I’m responsible for. After a few minutes he says: “let me ask you something. If I was white and singing a country and western song would it be OK for me to sing.” I told him “you don’t know me well enough to call me a racist. Just stop the singing and sit back and enjoy the ride.”

  • #43 You are quoting right wing wackos-Horowitz for Pete’s sake?

    #44 You are just a racist pure and simple. Either you are a troll just trying to stir some shit up or you actually believe that silliness and that puts your IQ below 85.You sound like some southern yahoo who can’t understand why some blacks are doing better than you and so have to attribute it to affirmative action or whatever while reading these ridiculous reports to confirm your manhood.

    But your post does remid me how bad racism really is in this country.It’s a complicated subject.

  • Black failure in school – who’s to blame? – by Walter Williams

    “Where black education is the very worst, often the city mayor is black, the city council is dominated by blacks, and often the school superintendent is black, as well as most of the principals and teachers – and Democrats have run the cities for decades.”

    http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50912

    • Comments are closed.