This is a double standard. Is it fair to be a "minority" and have laws passed specifically for you? have scholarships specifically for you? schools and programs specifically for you?
Fair means that everyone gets to make the most of the life they are given. You cannot control your own birth nor the birth of another. You are born, you will die. What you do between is what makes your life your own, not the whims and follies of others.
The stories we love as children are those of people overcoming adversity to be the best they can be. The color of skin only matters to those who are preoccupied with it. This means that, though they may be trying to teach diversity, they are actually indoctrinating people into color warfare. If they see themselves as "white" they will see everyone else by color too.

Isn't diversity the opposite of unity???? Which do we need???

What do you expect from CHEESEHEADS ?

More handouts please... what a joke!!

Relax, before the end of time (unless it comes soon) there will be one race. It will be "mixed" and no one will be able to play the race card.

Comments and article only demonstrate that right wing supporters still don't get it. Expect more Dems elected nationally with the GOP marginalized into states that make up the old confederacy and living in the past.

What's wrong with taking a good long look at the majority rule? What is everyone afraid of?

Those in the minority will always be victimized by those in the majority - it is human nature. Humans discriminate based on differences - no matter what they may be - and majority rules.

I would welcome a look at the true nature of humanity. It seems that many are afraid that chaos will erupt as a result.

Is it fair that my parents and grandparents were chased by hooded mobs of villians and lynched because they spoke to a white woman?
Is it fair that he and his parents and grandparents were schooled in separate but equal public schools where the teachers, administrators, and staff were hired from separate but equal colleges?
Is it fair that her parents and grandparents were denied jobs, promotions, opportunities, housing, grants, scholarships because of their religion?

Woe is me. It is so difficult to be white and to see all those people get hand outs.

Martin Luther King in his"I Have a Dream" speech spoke of a time when a person would be judged by the content of his character rather than the color of their skin. Until we can be rid of programs such as this, there will continue to be discrimination against all people and all in the so-called name fairness!

GGY you're confusing the use of the filibuster, which is used by both parties, with a straight up and down vote. The party in the minority has historically used this device as a check and balance against the majority. Not saying this is good or bad, it simply is what it is.

Whose dumbass idea was this? It's not unfair to be White! It's unfair to be poor!

It's unfortunate that this great country, that has seen tons of foreigners come in and make it, still allows this kind of banter about the minority race falling behind because those "freaking" whites get it all...THAT'S A LOAD OF CRAP! I'm a black man, from Africa, who came here, not on some paddle boat but on a student visa that my parents pushed on me after fighting over whether they should send me to the UK or the US. I choose the US so I could get as far away from my parents as possible. Been here over 20 years with a Masters Degree in Computer Science and to this day it amazes me when I interview young men for positions with a starting salary of over 100K e.g. two young men from GA Tech who took the same classes show up on the same day for an interview, the white gentleman in a suit and tie and the black gentleman in jeans and a shirt. When I asked the black young man why he opted to come to a very important interview dressed like he did at a time when the competition was very stiff given the current unemployment crisis his response was the most touching, it hit me in the gut I almost threw up. I could've entertained an excuse like my only suit was in the cleaners or the honest route of simply saying I messed up, I'm sorry!! Here is the response I got, "I'm wearing a FUBU shirt and True Religion jeans, that's top end stuff, I figured that'd count." I told him on this day that he came to battle for a position he needed he walked onto the battle field without bullets.

What's next, it's unfair to be the oldest kid in a family of 4 cause apparently the last born seems to get special treatment? I know a ton of black men and women who didn't need a hand out, they stayed up late burning the midnight oil preparing for exams, they persevered in high school to keep the GPA up so as to get into the best schools, it's ludicrous that anyone would even come up with a campaign like this aimed at teaching respect. Let's try a "Fruits of your Labor" campaign, aimed at teaching our youth that hard work pays of in the end, sometimes it takes longer to realize the ROI but giving your very best at anything will almost always translate into success, and it comes down to determining how we each measure success. Is it the huge Mercedes sitting on 22" wheels while staying in an apartment complex, is it dressing up in $2,000 suits and hitting all the hot spots in Atlanta and getting all the ladies whist living pay check to pay check, or maybe wearing those "True Religion" jeans low enough so we can see your "Guess" underwear before you go home to stay at your parents house. Since I'm black I can't be accused of being racist but I'll give you my observations. The choices we make as human beings, the freedom we've been afforded in this awesome nation to do whatever we want within the confines of the law, that is what determines who we truly are and the measure of our character.

Edward - what an inspiration you are!!!

The white man in America can no longer be held accountable for the black mans ability or lack there of, of being successful. That ship sailed long time ago. Yes we still have to deal with race relations and deal with it we do every single day, but it doesn't define or impede our ability to pursue our dreams. Women have done it for decades and are now able to hold positions of power, even almost the American presidency. I haven't seen an "Is it unfair to be a woman" campaign!!!! Our wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, aunties, nieces have finally broken the glass ceiling and accredit it to their ability to perform toe to toe on an even playing field. In fact, women are still grossly underpaid compared to their male counterparts holding the same position doing the same job in many cases better. Now that's a true case of unfair treatment. Geez my head hurts from this BS. When I first arrived my very first head-on collision with racism in America was...wait for it, BLACK ON BLACK. I had to go to a Catholic Church to sustain my communal religious needs and this almost all white congregation welcomed me like I was there own son. So excuse me, while this University condones the notion that being white gives you an unfair advantage, I will start my own campaign that doesn't target any particular race but all civic minded citizens, "Does hard work give you an unfair edge?".

Why is it Asian can immigrate to this country and move to the top of college scores, become successful and exceed in every aspect. They do not go around calling them Asian Americans, no they call them Americans. But blacks have to be called black or African Americans, have separate Black history month, etc, etc, etc,. Then we see the true development all the special programs create. Blacks committed 54% of murders and they only represent 12% of the population. This is 2010 FBI Stats. Look at Chicago. Every one want to blame it on everything except the real reason. Family values and morals. Black single family homes is approaching 85%, that is crazy. It is time the Black population dumps the current leaders that only know the race card and get some real leadership. Otherwise they are destructing their own race.

Come on Edward, Preach it my Brother!

Tell the truth and don't hold nothin' back!

Here's a good read by Thomas Sowell concerning the hurry to get a black man in the white house and how we did it for all the wrong reasons and ended up with a very wrong person. http://townhall.com/columnists/thomassowell/2008/04/29/an_old_newness/page/full/
Here's an excerpt:
He uses a baseball analogy of a great hitter named Paul Waner who was nearing the end of his long career. He entered a ballgame with 2,999 hits -- one hit away from the landmark total of 3,000, which so many hitters want to reach, but which relatively few actually do reach. Waner hit a ball that the fielder did not handle cleanly but the official scorer called it a hit, making it Waner's 3,000th. Paul Waner then sent word to the official scorer that he did not want that questionable hit to be the one that put him over the top. The official scorer reversed himself and called it an error. Later Paul Waner got a clean hit for number 3,000.

Another excerpt..."Many people seem to regard elections as occasions for venting emotions, like cheering for your favorite team or choosing a Homecoming Queen. Barack Obama has already indicated that he wants judges who make social policy instead of just applying the law. He has already tried to stop young violent criminals from being tried as adults. Although Senator Obama has presented himself as the candidate of new things -- using the mantra of "change" endlessly -- the cold fact is that virtually everything has says about domestic policy is straight out of the 1960s and virtually everything he says about foreign policy is straight out of the 1930s.
Protecting criminals, attacking business, increasing government spending, promoting a sense of envy and grievance, raising taxes on people who are productive and subsidizing those who are not -- all this is a re-run of the 1960s."

The above article, written by a highly respected man, was written before th elections. It's errily prophetic. But men like Thomas Sowell, Walter Williams, Larry Elder and many more speak out but seem afraid to come out into the mainstream for fear of being persecuted by their own. I like what Thomas Sowell said about the difference between democrats and conservatives- democrats wsant to help poor people, conservatives want to help poor people not be poor anymore".
I've got to go to work now, but have many stories from my personal life that will speak to this. I'm glad the subject was brought up. Hopefully, this can be a thoughtful and enlightening discussion. Hope, I hope...

This program looks at long standing "institutionialized" values or practices. If they are fair, they should stand up to scrutiny right?

Here's a scenario: 4 people interview for a job, 3 wear navy suits, while 1 wears a grey suit. They grey suit-wearer does not get a second interview. If all credentials are equal, should we examine why the grey suit wearer was not chosen? Or is it the grey suit wearers responsibility to keep up on the business color trends? Why not consider both ideas? What if less than 1% of all hirees wear navy suits? Is it a trend or a hiring practice? Should everyone just wear navy suits to fit in? What's wrong with that? It's part of doing business right?

If we don't question the practice, we'll never find out that navy suits cost more than the average college student can afford, and not all have the means to borrow or buy one. We may not find out that navy is a taboo color to certain cultures or religions, whereas grey is considered prosperous.

Who made the navy suit rule? The majority. Is it the best rule? Is it fair? Is it effective or even profitable? It's time to find out.

To Mr. Brown, that's what we have now.

Please remember to adhere to our rules and refrain from personal attacks on fellow posters. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and to be able to share it without the fear of being attacked personally for it.

Going to school in East Africa using the British education system allowed us to learn tons more than high school students in the US actually cover. In Geography some of my favorite reads were the "American Civil War", "The St. Lawrence Seaway", "New york", "The Slave Trade" and "The Canadian Prairies". The Dept. of Engineering at the University I went to had a lot of brilliant scholars that made for a very competitive learning experience. These two beautiful and smart young ladies approached me and asked where I was from and I simply told them Eastern Africa. One of them confidently responded, that's near Japan on the boarder with Greenland, right? Obviously I thought she was being silly but she was serious. I walked them to the library and we opened up an Atlas and I pointed out Japan, Greenland and my country on the map. That summer she and about 6 of her friends asked me if they could travel to Uganda with me for a couple of months. My mum was so excited we had 4 young ladies and 2 gents with us all summer long, all of them white. They carried back packs and wore shorts and sandals, went deep into the villages, visited with the elders in their mad huts, and even adhered to local tradition where women knelt down when greeting elders, sat on the floor when during meals etc, this was back in 1988. They've gone back ever since and 2 of the girls have homes in Africa. It's interesting none of the "African Americans" I've run into has ever had any interest in visiting my country

The world is filled with inequities. I would never use the color of my skin as an exuse to say woe is me. If I did I would lose my right to accuse those who actually do. You're a victim only if you choose to be.

I have deleted comments relating to personal attacks on fellow posters. Please refrain from doing this so we can continue discussion on the topic.

Today, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments challenging a section of the Voting Rights Act. That particular section requires nine southern states (including Georgia) with a history of racial discrimination to get approval from the Justice Department when they make any changes to their voting process. Those southern states are asking the Supreme Court to be dropped from getting prior approval because they say things have changed in the south. Judging from the many comments on Patch, I'm wondering if southerners have changed substantially. Some southerners claim that President Obama being elected twice is a clear sign that things have changed when it comes to racial matters. Rev. Dr. Harry Jones of New Mount Moriah Missionary Baptist Church in Calera, Alabama responded "I can guarantee you it wasn't because of the south".

minorties use skin color as an easy out when there confronted about lazyness or non productivity . especially in tha post office say u constantly see your post lady driving around on cell phone talkin .she delivers tha mail ,thats all u know .
but behind tha scenes ,she struggels to do her small simple route while u have a white worker who does 3 routes a day and then ur post lady calls in and screams send someone to help her do her route ,because she can talk deliver mail and chew bubble gum all at tha same time . so then they have to send it someone to help her a complaint is made and shes gona be fiired ,but before she is fired ,she claims racial diffence and says u dont like me because im blk
so then the post office ,caves in and gives her ,her job back
the real problem here is if it wasnt for skin color THAY would have no excuse for laziness and unproductivity and would be EVALUATED AS ANY OTHER WORKER . and fired for it
these minortie laws have helped curb obama voters in tha work force and is exactly why mex illegals have taken over the work force and most jobs obama voters once filled .

detriot is a good example of how what will becoming to all over america soon .
a city of total fail .

David, give me one thing wrong with those highly respected men besides that fact that they are conservative (I noted the criticism in your voice). I respect them because they are not afraid to speak the truth instead of toe a party line. Very brave since they will get persecuted by people who are beholden by a party line. Your man Mr. Jone is welcome to his opinion, but he makes a pretty broad assumption based on his own preconceived notions. The election was about idology, but if race is the only criteria that a person judges anything on that's all they will see. Just a few thoughts that I gathered out of your post.;)
I'm assuming that Mr. b means making everything about race as if that's a legitimate excuse. I could be wrong, but that's what I got from it.

Also, David, just curious, what do you think about our newest poster? He reminds me of a lot of people I go to church with. We have a ton of African immigrants there and their stories are fascinating, not to mention their perceptions of our country. lol

Tammy, in the 2008 election the only southern states won by President Obama were Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia. In the 2012 election, the two southern states won by President Obama were Florida and Virginia.

But David, that doesn't prove anyone is keeping anyone from voting. I read up on that. They couldn't prove anything. I mean, in Mississippi you're going to have more of one polulation that another. Each state has its own demographics. If they really want to look into voter intimidation, they could look into black panthers standing out in front of polling places with billy clubs. What's up with that?

Tammy, when you and I post comment for comment like this, it reminds me of the old Friends of Distinction song "Going In Circles".:) God bless!

Tammy-
"black panthers standing out in front of polling places with billy clubs?" Did this happen in GA where black panthers stop White people from voting? Or are they trying to stop Black people from voting? Was this even in the 21st century? You've come up with some severe point of views, but this one needs some clarification.

Amy, not sure of what you argument is. The Panthers DID stand in front of polling places in Pennsylvania in 2008 and again in 2012 banging their little billy clubs at white people and calling them crackers. They were permitted to come back and do the same thing again because voter intimidation is allowed, legal and encouraged as long as white people are the victims.

I've never been a racist, but with what's going on in the world, and the aggressive and violent anti-white racism being encouraged, I am definitely leaning that way a little. It's self-preservation at this point.

A 'race' argument is never appropriate. God only created us once.

@Gapeach336 - a single incident of a black man banging a billy club at white people and calling them crackers leads you to conclude that voter intimidation against white people is encouraged?
One incident is an anomaly, an outlier. It isn't an indication that anti-white racism is encouraged.

Amy, Philadelphia Pennsylania in the last election. I didn't claridfy that- lol. A judge even stopped them at some point.

My point is that all these supreme court things are people "looking" for something when you have the black panther thing right there for all to see both times. My question is, "when is all that going to stop?" And MK, where were you in the last election? lol That stuff was front page news for weeks and not just one incident. Not a coincidence when a black man is running for office (I wondered if even obama was a little embarrassed himself- I would be). That is why I respect the men I quoted before. they are decent people who are probably embarrassed by those that inject race into everything (in fact have said so). I know a lot of people like them who would like for us as Americans to move on and work together to raise a better generation of children together. As long as panthers stand at polling places and these colleges write stuff on their faces, it moves very slowly. Read all of the article. It's excellent, and what Sowell said about obama taking us back to the 60's is uncannily eerie.

David, you must have been good at dodge ball in school. I agree. there's no point in you and I carrying on a conversation because you will not answer a single question. I would like to know what you think of our new poster, but fear that if you give an honest assessment it will require that you encompass a view not your own. I am left to assume that you approve of the panthers and that you can't have a conversation with a foreigner who has a very objective assessment of our country because it doesn't agree with your political views. I'm fascinated with the views of others. It helps one to learn.

Here's the deal. When conservatives have some problems in their party, they say, "something's wrong, let's fix it". When liberals have things in theirs, they refuse to see (defend black panthers, won't reply to our new poster who actually has some good assessments). That's what I see, and that's why nothing can change. In the 60's on back, it was white people keeping things stirred up, but now it isn't white people anymore that keeps the pot stirred. Again, whre does it stop? And why doesn't it stop? What do people hope to accomplish by always blaming others?
You know, whether patch existed or not, I'd still like to know because I care about people and it grieves me to see what's going on now. Sad, actually. We need to all look at our culture whether we live in the north or south and if something is wrong, fix it. But until that time, we will continue to read about more murders in Chicago, prisons will grow and families will fracture. I'd like to see all take an honest assessment and say, "let's roll up our sleeve and get to work rather than let's roll up our sleeves and fight".

Tammy good post but it will never happen here. Blacks are all about skin color. Here is a perfect example. When Casey Anthony was aquitted the street were filled with angry whites because an injustice had obviously been done. When OJ was aquited there was celebrations in the streets all though everyone knew he was guilty. When a total race makes dumb decissions, the lack of credibility is in the dumpster. Same as with the Obama election, 99% of Blacks voted for Obama, even though he had the worst unemployment record for blacks since the depression. Go figure

I suspect that Edward doesn't have much contact with Southern rednecks. If that's the case, he's more blessed than he realizes.

@Tammy - you said "that stuff" was front page news for weeks during the last election cycle, but you didn't provide a single example. What stuff and what newspapers had it on their front pages?
Thinking I might have missed a big story I searched "voter intimidation against republicans" and only saw a bunch of blogs returned, most underscoring Republican voter suppression efforts.
Voter suppression and intimidation occurs on both sides, but to grasp onto it as an example of anti white racism which can justify one's decision to lean towards being a racist (not you). Please.....

@Mr. B - If you read my previous post from earlier today you would see that I had conceded that there were isolated reported incidents of black panther participation in intimidation.

If you'd like to apply your non-public education to the effort of defending Tammy's claim:

" That stuff was front page news for weeks and not just one incident."

I am certain we would all be the beneficiary of your instruction.

I believe the US Constitution is a living document that its authors allowed for amending. It's why we have the 1st (most important to allow for all freedoms) and the 2nd (most revered), in my opinion.

I believe ours is a living God. Is he amending His Word, his laws? Is that the reason for human conflict worldwide? Or is that the reason for the change in social acceptance?

Maybe God is telling us to get along, appreciate, celebrate, respect, love our diversity. Maybe God is tired of the hostility. Is He telling us to take care of each race or we'll become one over time?

@Mr. B,

So you can't point us to any front page news that ran for weeks.

That's unfortunate because it is my understanding that web skills are part of the standard curriculum in public schools these days. I guess your non-public education may have been lacking. Let me see if I can help.

Step 1 - Go to a search engine. These are web sites that crawl and catalog other web sites. You may have heard of Google? Or Bing?

Step 2 - Enter your search criteria or string. Try "voter intimidation" on Google. You'll see lots of results but as you look at them you might notice many are either from blogs or they related to a similar event (e.g., the black panther event mentioned earlier).

Step 3 - Weed out the black panther articles since we've already conceded that one. You can do this by typing in "voter intimidation -panther". Still lots of blog results.

Step 4 - Let's restrict the search to a specific site, for example the Washington Times. That's a good, righty paper. You can do this by typing "site:Washingtontimes.com "voter intimidation" -panther".

And let's restrict the results to the last year, since that is what we are talking about.

3 Results.
Wall Street Journal? 3 results
NY Post? 1
Daily Oklahoman? 0

It seems that there really wasn't a preponderance of voter intimidation.

I apologize...well then again I don't. But this thread should be trashed. What I see is a thread full of racist comments that are being allowed here on Patch. None of the comments are amounting to anything but a voice of hatred against another race. Like one popular radio personality always says, "Everything is everything!"

@Tonya - It's a discussion forum and as long as "we" stay within the confines of the Patch's posting conditions it's a free for all. Try to ignore or skip over any comments that might deviate from the topic we're discussing. So Tonya, what's your take on the subject?

Tonya, Edward is right, as long as nobody violates the rules by personal attacks or offensive language, this is a discussion that is obviously one on the minds of many people. Sometimes we actually learn for each other - if we could just see past our own built in prejudices.

Good Grief Y'all: you didn't look at the evidence. the "historic overuse' is plainly by Dems. but that has NOTHING TO DO WITH THIS THREAD ANYWAY.

to 'plot to make this admin one term' has NOTHING to do with 'partisan politics'
or 'political ideology' and is COMPLETELY ACCEPTABLE when this "administration's" stated goal is to destroy America. It's called survival. DUH

and again, there is mountainous evidence at the very least this last election was not "won". it was "stolen" by massive voter fraud and vote manipulation led by the "democratic" party.

Good Grief Y'all: you obviously have no clue what the majority of the Republican Party is. You are making things up. It is well-established via mountains of video and written documentation that democrats by far as a group are the racists and thrive on class and race incendiary warfare. Republicans moved beyond it years ago. it's in the democrats own writings and video for political strategy. it's what marxism is all about. and people like you are playing right into it. and this 'social conscience' claim crap from democrats is purely a ploy to implement Cloward and Piven and there are plenty of blacks who have pointed all this out. it's obvious very little if anything is improved by democrat's empty promises and waste. and obviously people who call themselves Christians are not Christians if they do not have a social conscience. the difference is they do a tremendously better job of it, willingly, than the government does forcibly. what the government does is stealing.

it is impossible to have a logical discussion or true 'progress' with hateful, selfish, whiny, antiAmerican race baiters chock full of B.S.

and you are missing multiple things: incl that the "democratic" party has been almost entirely taken over by marxists since the 60's. so as usual, your 'point' is moot.

Hi Everyone. I think the article was sharing about diversity. I am a black person in a white world. Many people don't think white because they didn't have to. Other cultures are different, I guess it is really time to see what we are saying (understand our hearts). An excellent book to read is, "Understanding and Dismantling Racism, the 21st century challenge to white america." It isn't that we feel inferior we just want you to understand how we feel. Attacking each other is not going to make it any better; this is the United States of American and any country that attacks us will have ALL the United States attacking it. Let's learn to be the "UNITED" States.

@Mr B.,

Perhaps reading comprehension and attention to detail weren't stressed in your non-public education curriculum. That's unfortunate because these can oftentimes come in handy.

I'll try to type slowly so you can keep up.

My original posting today noted "a single incident of a black man banging a billy club at white people and calling them crackers". I categorized this incident as isolated and an outlier.

Tammy (and @Gapeach336 before her) responded to the effect that voter intimidation against whites occurred more frequently and that these events were front page news for weeks during the last election cycle. But she didn't cite a single source.

This is where you joined the fray, Mr. B.

While denigrating my, and others', public educations you noted reports of Black Panther voter intimidation. I had previously conceded this lone, anomalous event. I only wished Tammy could produce support for her statement that multiple events had occurred and that they were front page news for weeks. I invited you to try as well.

You still haven't produced any evidence of a preponderance of anti-white voting boogeymen.

You instead continue to grasp on this single event where a single black panther knucklehead decided to act like knuckleheads of yore.

Yes, it happened. Once is not multiple events.

Here are my personal thoughts (to keep withthe subject matter). It's long so will take at least two posts. I grew up in Atlanta during civil rights. As a young girl, when we went to the store, I wondered, “Why is there only one black Barbie?” Why is there only one black baby doll to choose from?” Commercials and movies were dominated predominately by white faces. AT THAT POINT, YES, I WANTED TO APOLOGIZE FOR BEING WHITE. And I wasn’t the only one who thought like that. I watched, over the years as things slowly changed. People of different races thought nothing of their kids’ friends being different from them. People who before, were suspicious of my motives, become my friends and let their kids play with mine and vice versa. I watched my prejudiced family change their attitudes; and I watched as society changed with it as well as our laws. Then, I watched as white America got used to it and began embracing it. I watched and even got to participate in the coming together of the American people as One PEOPLE as it was intended. Hey, I was poor and my black brethren were driving Lexus cars and living in nicer houses than me! I rejoiced with them. So, here, you don’t see white people making excuses - it was what it was. Racism was more occasional than the norm as it was 20 years earlier. To be continued...

continued....Then, our programs gave a leg up to many groups. No problem there until once its goal was accomplished, it should either have shifted or ended. What happens is that when things continue on even after they have accomplished their goal, it only causes a change in attitudes since many benefit from something that they really don’t need; thus, an attitude of entitlement and abuse. Racism, once things become equalized, then spreads across the board in a more uniform manner - all races are affected in one form or the other. At that point, things should be dealt with on an INDIVIDUAL basis, rather than a group basis. Therein lies the rub. For instance, GGY and her "redneck" comment. Well, we white folks have our black sheep BUT so do black folk have their sheep too. So do hispanics, asians etc... Problem is grouping and pointing fingers. I think Edward made that point. Can't say "all blacks" all whites"... Now we can point at individual things and deal with them- but instead, we have those screaming racism and creating drama where there is no need. I feel like saying, "Grow up! We can't see real racism for havingto dig through all the hype.

Anyway, where once people smiled at each other and began to come together, you see finger pointing and blame, and most of all anger. I don’t want to bring politics into this and get off track, but seriously, it seems that this has stepped up more than just a notch since Obama took office. I think it goes beyond political - it is a cultural shift and it's not good. I could name things all day long, but where to start? I’d like to have a civil conversation with someone in whom I feel has bought into the anger and suspicion, but to no avail (not on here anyway). I’d like to see people smiling again, working together, and going to the park with their kids. Actually, that’s exactly what I do – it’s all I can do. I am nice to others, I treat them kindly and fairly, and hopefully, they will believe me over the hype intended to stir them up against me and all I did was smile at someone. I apologize for our history, but I do not apologize for something I haven’t done as I love everybody and want to see all succeed and grow into the people they were created to be.

Tonya-
Don't even bother. Telling these people they're racist is like listening to the chubby chick tell you she doesn't eat a lot of food, and can't understand why she's fat. In their heart of hearts, these people believe they're not racist. I feel sorry for them. For the past 280 years, this country's rulers were White; four years ago, a mulatto man became President, and he's single handedly ruined this country. Yes, this is what they believe. Leave them alone honey....Myself and David Brown are Black people who will not give them what they want...they want a hoodrat or a ghetto thug to argue with them...we're not that, therefore, they try to ignite a reaction by pushing the hateful comments. Don't get sucked into the foolishness.

I’m sure I will be disagreed with since there are so many injustices still in the world, but I will answer that, again, by saying, then let’s deal with them one by one rather than alienating (or accusing) groups and inciting them to anger (ignoring valid points and criticising). Have a conversation for crying out loud! Nothing gets accomplished otherwise. MLK lost his life trying to say that and I think it’s a shame that people who should be prospering as he envisioned are trying to turn the clock back and create division where it shouldn't be. All in all, when you aren't looking to the media and the government for your answers, most of us have a decent life experience with our neighbors and coworkers, and hopefully, our children will look at that for their answers. Look for cause and effect and fix it.
It would help to have decent leaders that rise above politics and greed and speak the truth where it needs to be and challenges people to exceed expectations.

And thank you SO MUCh Sharon for joining this conversation. I knew that being from South Africa that you might have some great insight into how countries handle things of race. South Africa has a very interesting history. It does help address our own issues when watching another country go through similar things and noting how they handled situations.

@ Mr. B - I put in voter intimidation black panthers 2012. I came up with pages and pages (even pictures and a few interviews!). You see, this is how it happens - I never said republicans but it somehow found its way into the conversation, so that got used for the research (if anyone really did any at all). Maybe instead of saying for weeks and weeks, I should have said it was in the news throughout the election. I even remember a judge getting involved which hardly constitutes an isolated incident. Of course there is this little excerpt: "...Shabazz said in September that the New Black Panthers, who have called for the killing of whites and Jews, might monitor polling places again in 2012. But he said they would not carry night sticks or billy clubs." So, the billy clubs were in 2008 - my bad. Uh...what was the original point? lolol
I forget that we have some folks that nit pick and waste an entire thread picking out flaws and beating dogs until they no longer have breath in them. Reminds me of people that I know that you can say 99 positive things, and one negative thing and they will stay on it for days until you avoid them in the hallway because you don't want to start wwIII. I believe Jesus said, You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel? :)

@ David - I didn't get into sports until I was much older. While everybody else was playing dodgeball, I was inside studying - for all those spelling Bee's I won. I was a total nerd and actually read the dictionary for fun (no kidding). Burglar is the correct spelling. You must have been raised on phonics. I learned to spell well by pronouncing it in my head the way it is spelled rather than sounding it out the way it sounds. In my head I say burgl-a-r. It's not "er" as many think. That's the phonic way of pronouncing it. Now you have a nice rest of the day yourself. Maybe do some dictionary reading - lol. :)

Tammy-
***sigh*** where do I begin with you? You talk about the "truth" "right" and "wrong" as if your truths, rights, and wrongs are absolute. You speak for Black people. You speak for White people. You speak for Southerners. Don't tell me about me because you know me as much as I know you. You don't even know if I'm Edward.

One more thing, I believe it would be good for everyone to read about "white privilege." I think it will open all of our eyes. Check it out.

Amy, one thing you should know about people universally is they don't like to be judged and pigeonholed into beng called something they are not.
Since when do I speak for anybody? I give examples from my life to show what I believe and why. But yet, you 'speak for "these people" freely throwing out the word "racist". yeah, you'll get called out big time for that one. I don't call you names or assume you are something based on some stereotype. I've never done that to you- not once. Sad thing is, though, is that you'll go right on believing what you believe regardless of those who share their experiences and heart with you (and others). I think it's sad because I like you and think you, think you're funny, and seem to be one of the more honest people on here. And...uh...I don't think I mentioned southern people in general but I was raised here and do know my personal history of living here. I've seen several sides to it so think I have some insight to many faces of it- the good, the bad, and the ugly. Seeing all sides help form an opinion. We all have those but there's no point in name calling. It just makes people look small.

back on topic - exactly what is the article supposed to say and what is it supposed to accomplish?

Who knows but a title like "is it unfair to be white" certainly isn't offered up to encourage a big group hug.

You are absolutely right Michael - I think that is the crux of the matter right there - both with the question asked here and the program it is based on that is supposed to foster "understanding and respect for diversity." Statements such as these immediately put people on the defensive - how is that supposed to foster respect and understanding. Well done Michael, it's taken us some 153 comments to come to this conclusion. Maybe that diversity program should hire us to sort out its problem. The question is asked the same way the UW did, and it would appear they had the same outcome. Now, any suggestions on a better way to teach respect and understanding in a diverse society?

Good question, Sharon. I hope this takes the thread in a whole new direction. :) The university, in its attempts to foster unity and diversity, only stirs up people to anger. Definately not working. So, the question is, what is the best solution?

Amy, then you are like me when you see a misspelling. I had a hard time waiting on my clothes to dry in a laundrymat once because there was a sign that spelled sewer sewar. The one that really makes my skin crawl is lose and loose and how people mix those up. You and me didn't come up under phonics. Phonics have their place but we did mostly memorization. my mother used to get Reader's Digest in the mail and I spent my summer days doing WORD POWER. lol I'm trying to get my grandkids to do the same. It's dog eat dog out there in the academic world. I need to look up that game - sounds like fun!

...and yeah, I wish they did have an edit button on here. they just got one on FB and it's awesome. the astigmatism is getting worse in my eyes and some letters look like others and i have to go back, copy, delete and repost. Although, sometimes it's late at night or early in the morning and I don't notice something. The only subject I flunked was typing! Never could do it without looking (although I try).

Amy, here's the sign of a good speller- you hate spell check. it's not right half the time! lol

Liberal anthem .

http://youtu.be/e8pWIW-iMME

It's painfully obvious who the racists are anymore ... and there aren't enough of them white to speak of. there are plenty of accomplished blacks that prove your every word wrong. it's sad for all our children that you can't set the example you wish to see. As long as you continue to hate other people for their color, you are no better, in fact worse in this modern, infinitely more educated age, then the evil 'masters' of a century past, and you will never receive the respect you so desire.

as I recognize it gets nowhere to feed ugly trolls, I have said what needs to be said as I care enough to hope these genuine concerns get through to somebody; there are many other things more worthy of my time than to argue and bicker with those who apparently have no constructive purpose to achieve.

racism is every where and is constantly pushed on whites i rember back in tha 70's in downtown atlanta ,the police department had a pushed hiring quota to hire certain people ,but when they tested THEMB most had the testing scores of 4 and 5 year olds ,many said the tests were racist and the test were rewritten so a 5 year old could even pass them . many white officers who were 15 year veterans were passed over to but a african american in place who jus got out of hs and had no service record at all .standars went down and today or last week in tha news i lot jus went to jail in downtown for taking kick backs from drug dealers .
when u go out of tha country to THERE 5 star resort ,u get there only to find out its not even a 1/2 star resort and the place is filthy . and AS usual THERE standard are less than OTHERS .
another good example of racism towards whites is mcdonalds did u guys know theres a secret website for blks only ,providing free meal coupons and food vouchers WHILE U THA WHITE PAYS FULL PRICE .. oh yeah 365black.com
whats fair is fair if theres a test for job placement it should go to tha smartest no to someone jus because of skin color ,standars should be kept high ,not lowered because someone isnt smart enough to pass test .

The hypocritical left............ http://news.msn.com/politics/mcconnell-slams-kentucky-group-for-attacking-his-wife

http://news.msn.com/politics/mcconnell-slams-kentucky-group-for-attacking-his-wife

"Progress Kentucky removed the offending comments from Twitter after Louisville public radio station WFPL-FM aired reports about them. And the group issued two apologies over the past week for what they described as "inappropriate tweets sent by our organization."

"Those tweets did not reflect our values, and we are committed to making sure nothing like that happens again," executive director Shawn Reilly said in a statement posted on the group's website. "We also apologize to our many supporters, and all Kentuckians working for change in 2014, for those communications. Comments with references to race, ethnicity or sexual orientation have no place in any debate, and we are deeply embarrassed by such a mistake."

Reilly said the volunteer who posted the comments no longer is affiliated with the group.

Criticism of the group wasn't limited to McConnell and his supporters. Numerous Democratic leaders, including actress Ashley Judd, who is considering a challenge to McConnell in next year's election, spoke up, too.

"Whatever the intention, whatever the venue, whomever the person, attacks or comments on anyone's ethnicity are wrong & patently unacceptable," she wrote in a Twitter message last Sunday.

Kentucky Democratic Party Chairman Dan Logsdon said the comments were "deplorable" and "have absolutely no place" in Kentucky politics."

horse left the barn.....true colors of the left came out...a few apologies doesn't fix anything........and if the shoe were on the other foot the mainstream media would have had a field day.....hypocritical left.

The hypocrisy is on the right also, John B. The racially offensive comments from conservatives about President and Mrs. Obama are innumerable. It would take up much space here to list even a few of the most egregious comments.

David:
No doubt. Unfortunately the mainstream media has stigmatized the right while giving the left a free pass for the most part. Racism is not isolated to one party...or one race for that matter.

The mainstream media reported this story.

glossed over the story............I didn't hear the president weigh in...but Ashley Judd did...good for her.

The President doesn't need to get involved in something like this. He knows first-hand how this kind of attention feels. He has never made an issue of slurs against himself or his family.

What an opportunity this could have been...a platform if you will to show that he's not a one party president....but I guess he's too busy picking up the pieces of another manufactured crisis called Sequestration.....took me two days to come out of my bunker but here I am!

Yes, let's not leave out the hypocritical left. When a black republican runs, the media, hollywood elites, Chris matthews, even a few people in power, and a slew more have some of the most derogatory things to say about them I've ever heard. You can't even mention some of them here. Seeing n words on forums don't really count. Forums tend to attract the extreme in all groups. But the openly political left are people that are seen publically. Just let a black conservative run for office and watch what happens. It will be embarrassing to post them, but they are there. Not one of those people deserved the words throw at them but it was vicious.