speechless

i don't even have anything to say.
here's a nice little discussion i had however.

white girl i went to high school with's status:
B is irritated. HE'S NOT BLACK. He's just as white as he is black. C'mon people.

some other white girl: OMG I know!!! And his white mother raised him, it annoys me too girl!

high school acquantance: If I married a black man and had kids with him, I'd be pissed as hell if they claimed they were black. I think it's shitty that that's the only reason some ppl voted for him....To "be a part of history". Have a better reason than that.

owg: I know right.... I said the same thing in my blog... just like some ppl are voting for McCain because Palin is a woman... that's just as dumb.

hsa: that's true. I didn't even think about that. I'm watching CBS right now and they said that Obama had 97% of black votes, but yet it's not about race?? right....
I hate that they're making a big deal about it on TV too. it's BS

my friend: hah yeah completely agree on that issue..

my black ass: although he is biracial he self-identifies as black and refers to himself as black.

but that shouldn't have anything to do with anything.
but assuming that most black people voted for him because he was black when most black people are democrats in the first place is slightly patronizing. if that were the case the vote would have been split between him and independent cynthia mckinney.

blah.

hsa: I understand that BUT 97% of black ppl in NC voted for him. In the past it has been like 60 something voting democrat. You can't tell me that almost every single black person in NC did not vote for him based on his color. Call if patronizing if you'd like, but it seems pretty damn obvious to me. and. if I were biracial that is how i would identify myself....biracial. His WHITE mother raised him, so why doesn't he self identify with whites. Hmmm. something to think about.

my friend: Obvious. But at the same time, how many white woman voted because they want Palin in office? Just goes to show you that color isn't indicative of anything, especially intelligence...

my black ass: you're right that just as many blacks voted for obama because he's blacks as whites voted for mccain because he's white. the majority of black people i've talked to weighed the issues before they blindly voted since the majority of them were HILARY supporters in the beginning of the primary.
i'm assuming he identifies black it's because he's treated like a black person. the majority of biracial [black/white] people identify with blacks because that is how they are treated in society regardless of who they were raised by.
nobody goes...oh he's biracial i'm not going to discriminate against him.
i don't know why he doesn't identify with whites because last time i checked i wasn't president-elect barack obama. why don't we work to create a society where a person isn't forced to choose because of how society treats them?

hsa: I personally do not believe that society treats blacks any different than whites. I think that's a thing of the past that some ppl can't get over and I personally think it's an excuse.

my black ass: really? you should ask your non-white friends [assuming she has any] how they feel about that. i'm not saying that you can't work hard and achieve in society. non-whites simply have a few more roadblocks than whites do. if you don't believe that then you, with all due respect, are denying reality.

my [white] friend: From dating a person of african american and puerto rican descent...hearing what goes on with him and then dealing with the opinions about it from a typical southern white family...yeah, I can tell you Brittney is right. I mean there is still a LOT of prejudice out there. Race still "matters," even though it shouldn't.


woot there it is.



we got work to do people.

in addendum:

hsa: i have to work just as hard. I honestly have NEVER seen a black person denied anything. Lets use A for an example. I did not recieve ONE scholarship but yet she had 2 free rides...I have had to WORK for my education and to pay for it, but yet she had multiple opportunities. No hard feelings or anything towards her, I'm just using an example about working hard and achieving in society. HOWEVER If I were sensitive and felt I had to work harder to get somewhere in life, I would have taken that personally. I think it's all about your outlook in life. We all have to work for what we want.

my black ass: we all have to work to get what we want but some have to work harder than others. like i said, why don't you ask your non-white friends. unless you're assuming they're all too sensitive to perceive their world rationally

A worked for her shit. just like you did. she just happened to get a scholarship. last time i checked she was the valedictorian, meaning she had a higher gpa than you, meaning she deserved a free ride based on academics more than you. but guess what. A is quite the special case since most people, white and black, don't receive free rides unless they are poor [like at unc] or they have the best grades [which A did] but she didn't get a handout because she was black. that was a horrible example.

but a black person never denied anything?
really?
what america are you living in?
like i said...ask a non-white friend


*how do i get through to these kiiiiiiiids* [cartman voice]
i predict more conversations like this for the next 4 years.

ANOTHER ADDENDUM

this is why she is my friend!!!!: It's not just about opportunity, it's also about respect/equality in general. I know my boyfriend has been extremely polite asking retail workers something as simple as a location of a product, been looked at dead in the eyes, and ignored/walked away from with complete disregard. I've recently showed someone an old news story that involved someone who happened to be black, and got the response "not to sound racist, but that's typical." Typical? It's things like that that have people bleaching their skin to look lighter. Society treating other races different isn't a thing of the past, and sad to say it probably won't be for a long time. As long as people don't act like they deserve respect, they're not going to get it. And as long as people don't get respect, they're not going to give it. It's a circle that isn't easily broken.