is america more racist than it was during and before the civil rights movements

if so how did that happen?

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Before and during the Civil Rights movement, the U.S. had a system comparable to [b]apartheid[/b]. It was all [b]legal[/b]. There were laws that excluded blacks from schools, jobs, housing, hospitals, restaurants, clubs and other organizations that whites patronized. They were prevented from voting. And a majority of white U.S. citizens saw nothing wrong with that. In some parts of the country black people were lynched; raped, tortured, even burned alive and the media reported it as a normal occurrence. So anyone who thinks there have been [b]no[/b] improvements or that things are [b]worse[/b] now has no idea how bad things actually were. That said, there has been a backlash because many do forget, so we have to remain vigilant and people need to be educated so as not to lose the gains there have been made.

Mamapolo2016 · F

Amen. I can remember the day when racist and sexist and ethnic jokes never raised an eyebrow, and if you protested you were a maniacal dunce.

When I was 27 --- 'only' 39 years ago, I appointed a black head cashier who was far and away the best candidate for the job.

She was driven out of the job by a cruel and racist campaign by her co-workers and store management staff. In Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. She wrote me a heart-breaking letter explaining why she couldn't stay.
Things HAVE changed. @bijouxbroussard

bijouxbroussard · F

@Mamapolo2016 I remember as a little girl in California there were places Mom could go where Pop and I could not. And we couldn’t travel together when we visited their families down South. Pop and I had a standing date after Sunday mass—lunch at the Woolworth’s in San Francisco, which I enjoyed very much. During a visit to Louisiana, when I was four, seeing a Woolworth’s I escaped from the relatives watching me and wandered in. Woolworth’s already held such wonderful memories; I was excited and smiling at the woman behind the counter. She however, reacted to me as if she were seeing a [b]rat[/b]. She yelled to the security guard, “Get this little n***** out of here !” He obliged by scooping me up, opening the door and tossing me out onto the sidewalk. I sat there in shock, scraped knee and the lace on my dress torn. I remember thinking I was in trouble, but not sure why.

Mamapolo2016 · F

Hateful. When I was sixteen, I was traveling through Mississippi after dark and we saw a young black man, 16-20, maybe, walking along that deserted unlit road, and Dad made the split-second decision to give him a lift. He stopped, the kid looked at us - and while I don't KNOW this, we all believed it was because he saw a car full of white faces - and he ran like the hounds of hell were giving chase. That made a lasting impression on me. To this day, that memory makes me faintly nauseous.

But how is President Trump bringing that back? Yes, he's ham-handed and crude and a lot of other stuff he's accused of. @bijouxbroussard

bijouxbroussard · F

@Mamapolo2016 Trump is the man who, with his father, was sued (more than once)for discriminatory policies as landlords and property owners. He was known to treat his black employees differently than the white ones at the clubs he owned, keeping them off the main floors when "important" clients came---for example. He once told a black accountant he didn't want "you people" touching his money, "only the guys with those funny hats". Considered "amusing" at the time---but he wasn't [b]president[/b] then. He said to assembled police not to worry about "being too gentle" with suspects. After a demonstration where white supremacists caused the death of a civil rights protester, Trump hesitated to even denounce the white supremacists (he knows that's where his support largely comes from). When he finally spoke out it was to say "there are good people on [b]both sides[/b]" When pressed he further said that those protesting against the white supremacists were "part of the problem". Then there's the issue of his comments during a discussion of [b]legal[/b] immigrants about preferring people from places like Norway to "sh*thole" countries like Haiti, El Salvador and African countries. And he's said such things as a private citizen---so this is who he is.

As you stated, we choose, but an openly racist president allows racist citizens to feel better about expressing their own beliefs, and in fact, hate crimes have demonstrably increased since Trump's been in office.

Mamapolo2016 · F

Okay. But hate crimes have also increased in places where Trump is not President, against Jews in Europe, an an example. I know cause and effect is hard to prove in such matters - but then again, cause and effect is hard to prove in such matters.

I've already said I'm not fond of Trump as a person.

I agree Trump seriously fumbled the ball on the white supremacists.

Your statement 'he knows that's (white supremacists) where his support largely comes from' leaves me wanting facts, not allegations. Disregarding what he knows or doesn't, what foundation in fact does that statement have? I know lots of people who, while they didn't much like Trump, supported him because his opponent was unacceptable. and I don't hang with white supremacists. I don't hang with people who don't want their daughter to date 'out of race'.

I don't think Trump is a sterling character. You don't get that rich being a sterling character. i've read enough about past Presidents to know that sometimes, as wrong as their personal thinking may be, they do the right things. Will we say that of Trump? I don't know yet.

I want to know what you hang your arguments on, because if you're right factually, I'm on your team.

I am not a Trump apologist although I do believe a great many of his actions so far will go some distance toward bringing our country back to a somewhat even keel. Reversing government regulation, for example.
@bijouxbroussard

bijouxbroussard · F

@Mamapolo2016 [quote]Your statement 'he knows that's (white supremacists) where his support largely comes from' leaves me wanting facts, not allegations. Disregarding what he knows or doesn't, what foundation in fact does that statement have?[/quote]

I'm sorry, you've either been paying attention or you haven't.

[quote]I am not a Trump apologist although I do believe a great many of his actions so far will go some distance toward bringing our country back to a somewhat even keel. [/quote]

Then, unfortunately you [b]are[/b]. And I'm wasting my time.

Mamapolo2016 · F

@bijouxbroussard I guess we both are. Thanks for your time.