Quote:
Originally posted by Sistermadly
But why? How? I guess that's what I'm trying to get to. There is ample historical record that shows that people have acted like this in the past. Regardless of the progress that has been made -- progress that I'm not trying to downplay, by the way -- it's relatively easy to make the historical case that there have been, are, and probably always will be people who decide to express their racism in a more explicit and perhaps violent way. It's not as if it's happening in a vacuum, or that it's an isolated incident. Do people just not see it? Do they choose not to see it? Or do they see it, and because it's not happening to them, they don't remember it?
(I'm not throwing idle accusations at you or anyone else, AGDee - I'd really like to know the answers).
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I guess for me personally, it's not just this issue that shocks me and I end up shocked and appalled often by people's behavior. I tend to see the world with rose colored glasses most of the time and believe that people are inherently good. When incidences like this happen, it's always a blow to me. I'm a Pollyanna whose world view gets blown away fairly often. You'd think it would change my basic premise, but I do still believe that the majority of people are good. I guess I shouldn't be surprised since there are people who molest and abuse children, who blow up the WTC, who commit genocide, etc. Perhaps I don't know how to cope with all that, so I just have to focus on the good, rather than dwell on the bad seeds in our society. Having worked with those who are mentally ill for many years, I tend to have compassion before I condemn, but there is no way to have compassion for someone who commits a heinous crime.
This is the first time I've seen an overt racial hate crime in my own backyard and I do find it very troublesome. I work in a very integrated building and never hear/see racism happening there. Detroit is VERY segregated as far as where people live, but the workplace is very integrated. I do hear comments from some really obtuse neighbors of mine and I am bothered by it and let them know.
I don't take your questions as a personal attack at all. I can't answer for others, but I gave the best explanation that I could for me personally.
Dee