White Americans often derail an argument about race by making it about their feelings. The feelings of white people, for some strange reason, matter more than the truth. White women’s tears are a good example.
Sometimes they make it about your feelings as a person of colour: you are oversensitive, angry, hateful, whining, etc.
Either way the argument is shifted away from facts and reasons, rights and wrongs – to what? Feelings. Feelings which only they can know – even if they are yours! (Try telling them you are not hateful, for example.) That puts them in control of the now-derailed argument.
In the most common case they get angry because they think you are calling them a racist. That they might in fact be racist does not matter – just their hurt feelings.
But while their feelings are the centre of the known universe, they use your feelings to belittle your experience, to assume you are unreasonable, the kind who imagines things or blows them out of proportion.
Sometimes they use their feelings as a kind of blackmail. As Renee of Womanist Musings put it:
We are routinely told if we spoke in nicer terms we would be less alienating, as though whiteness has any real interest in divesting itself of its power. Gee, if only we had realized that the key to ending white hegemony was speaking in respectful terms, it never would have been necessary to go through the heartache and strife of a civil rights movement.
Some call this the tone argument. Nezua the Unapologetic Mexican calls it the Drowning Maestro. Some of his examples:
- “We’d admit about your point if you presented it nicer.”
- “People would listen to your complaint if you weren’t so loud.”
- “If you want people to care about this, you should learn to be smoother.”
Nezua:
… what really bothers them is that a brown person has the nerve to speak with such self-confidence and passion. This, in fact, scares them. … what is really desired is for the brown person to admit the desired hierarchy, to get “back in place.”
He agrees with Renee that they have no interest in hearing people of colour – not even the nicest, smoothest and most respectful ones.
How we know: if you stepped on my foot, say, I might be angry, I might be loud, I might seem “oversensitive” or like I am whining (after all it is my foot that is in pain, not yours), I might not be smooth, I might seem hateful, etc. But then for you to say stuff like this:
- “I’d admit I stepped on your foot if you said it nicer.”
- “I would listen to your complaint if you weren’t so loud.”
- “If you want me to care about your foot, you should learn to be smoother.”
only proves that you do not care at all, that you are a jerk who just wants me to shut up and “move on”.
– Abagond, 2009.
See also:
Good post, except for the flawed foot analogy. In terms of race, white people don’t even know that they’ve “stepped on your foot.”
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I think their cluelessness is mostly an act:
and, of course, unbelievably self-serving:
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You summed up well the way I feel on this matter. I write about diversity for a local publication in my area and my editor and I (he is white/I am black) really could not get why he was only not understanding me but was actually offending me.
I had written about the Gates issue over the summer and I felt like the onus was being placed on me with no regards for him and by extension our white readers to accept responsibility for their feelings.
Anyway great post!
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This post sums it up really well; the stepping-on-the-foot illustration is very helpful. I used to think the “problem” when I tried to explain something (be it race issues, work issues, personal issues, etc.) was my lack of clarity or eloquence, so I was always doubting myself. Now I realize that sometimes people don’t want to understand what is being said, as it might require them to take responsibility and do something. In fact, sometimes it seems the clearer I am and the more obvious the issue, the more people act like I’m speaking a different language they can’t understand. It can really do a number on your self-confidence.
But Nezua is right! In many situations, not just race related, once you “get back in line”, know your place, comply, and say the “right things” – suddenly I’m speaking clearly again and everyone can understand me!
For any other social issue – eg: domestic violence, drunk driving, etc. – the issue itself gets discussed. There may be debate and differing viewpoints, but you never (at least I don’t) hear complaints that the issues aren’t being raised nicely enough or respectfully enough. Imagine how absurd it would be if I said we need to find ways to address child abuse and my audience responded with “We’d admit your point if you presented it nicer.” Come on, would anyone have the nerve to say “I would care about ending child abuse, if only she wasn’t so hostile when she talks about it.” Either you care about the issue or you don’t.
Thank you for continuing to provide posts that help us see and understand what’s really going on, and which help me to know that I’m not imagining it all!
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Even if you make the point in a nice, Christian way, they still don’t get it. They just do not want to hear the truth if it is at their expense.
At Slate.com, someone started a post claiming that Michelle Obama is plain. Another poster called her “ugly as sin”. When someone pointed out that this could be seen as racism, the poster of course started whining about being called a racist. It was quite pathetic.
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Susan said:
“I used to think the “problem” when I tried to explain something (be it race issues, work issues, personal issues, etc.) was my lack of clarity or eloquence, so I was always doubting myself. Now I realize that sometimes people don’t want to understand what is being said, as it might require them to take responsibility and do something. In fact, sometimes it seems the clearer I am and the more obvious the issue, the more people act like I’m speaking a different language they can’t understand. It can really do a number on your self-confidence.”
LOL. Same here!
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yawn, yet ANOTHER bashing of american whites. so very typical and very 1990’s. universities have given up on this stuff because it’s all the same and quite dull. your articles, abagond, are just unscientific ranting, and very unconvincing. seems like only your feelings count, doesn’t it?
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It’s so “yawn” yet it got you to sit your butt down and write a paragraph.
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Seems like orchid is just mad cos she didn’t write it.. hahahaha
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Orchid:
You win the Roissy for this thread: you proved my point in the act of disagreeing with it. And on comment #8 no less!
Just like I said in the post you are trying to make it about feelings – my own (“seems like only your feelings count, doesn’t it?”) as well as yours (“it’s all the same and quite dull”). If only I had a nicer way of presenting my case then you might listen – again, just like in the post. You even seek to discredit me as someone mainly driven by my feelings: “unscientfiic rantings”.
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Orchid “yawn” at the same old tired stuff he/she reads but stumbles on Abagond’s blog to post anyways. Lame!
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Some people will never get “it” will they?
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this is completely absurd in my honest opinion. “the feelings of white people.” how insightful of a post is this meant to be exactly?
ill take it as a post fueled by distasteful experiences. but i wont deny that what Abagond said may be true to a certain extent….
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Abagond, you’re so accurate and succinct. I’ve run two posts on racism this week, and it’s annoying when an obsessive racist will cherry-pick for one thing they can disagree on, or distract or derail the topic, or turn it about their feelings to legitimize their offensiveness, and their-their-their ad nauseum.
They wait for the it’s okay, honey chile like spoiled brats waiting for mommy to forgive their temper tantrum, and then do it again. One was so sneaky that he or she pretended to be black but was in fact, white.
While a number of whites are doing honest introspection on themselves, the blind, hardcore racist, justifies their offensiveness, resents sharing the planet, and is scared sh*tless of equality. It’s crazy when you think about it, because multicultural friends and activities are fun, but they haven’t discovered that.
The racist mindset has turned some of them into dangerous, pistol-packing fools just dying for the next Hurricane Katrina or a social meltdown so they’ll have an excuse to shoot innocent brown people. I find that group of haters more terrifying than terrorists.
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“In the most common case they get angry because they think you are calling them a racist.”
This is what I think is at the heart of the matter. During talks of racism, it’s not easy not to take things personally if you’re white. It’s hard not to get upset when it’s implied that people with skin color the same as your own are perpetuating racism in ways you weren’t even aware of, or that even YOU were perpetuating racism unwittingly.
I think defensiveness and hurt feelings are normal for those who are being exposed to the truth for the first time. It’s one of the first stages towards racial sobriety.
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Sometimes white people are truly clueless, sometimes it is just an act. How I tell the difference:
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Thanks for the link, agabond. I enjoyed reading that post. I still think it’s more akin to alchololism and grief then simply stepping on a person’s foot. According to the Institute for Recovery from Racisms, there are stages of racial sobriety: denial, anger, barganing, depression, acceptance, re-engagement, and forgiveness.
I see it like this: Whites who talk all about their hurt feelings are in the denial/anger stage. Whites who talk use the Arab Trader argument are in the barganing stage. Unfortunately, some whites don’t get past the barganing stage. Some however, do and enter the depression stage and envelope themselves with self-hatred. If you can get past self-hatred, then you’re on your way to actually improving yourself and can work towards combating racism and white supremacy in your life.
That’s how I see it, anyway. I’m certainly no expert.
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That is an interesting – racism as being like alcoholism. I will have to look into that.
You might be interested in this post:
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Its similar to when some white people get bothered with the term “african-american”. the common argument is “why dont you just say you’re an american without the hyphen..thats why we have so much racism because you guys distance yourselves. if you’re an american be an american.”
Completely disregarding the fact that African-American is a term coined sometime around the 1980s and racism has been going on wayyy longer than that. Its a way for them to deflect the real argument and make themselves feel better. I dont even bother entertaining a convo with someone who has this narcissistic, I-can-never-be-wrong world view.
If you werent racist you wouldnt get so defensive. Kind of like how a pathological liar always thinks everyone else is lying. They are telling on themselves when they do that
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@abagond – Yes! That post is very similar to how I think it goes with most white folks. My own experience was different, although, there will always be exceptions to the rule.
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therighttoparty said:
“this is completely absurd in my honest opinion. “the feelings of white people.” how insightful of a post is this meant to be exactly?”
Well, if it is absurd, then it cannot be insightful. Just how is it absurd? This kind of stuff does not matter to you? Or you think I am making it up? It did not make sense? What do you mean?
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I really like your blog, just found it and I am impressed with what you’re doing here.
However, I think you were wrong when you wrote this:
“Either way the argument is shifted away from facts and reasons, rights and wrongs – to what? Feelings”
The truth is, right and wrong along with many facts and reasons are based on feelings. Our personal feelings dictate our outlook on what is reasonable, or factual, or right or wrong.
Yes, it is irritating when white people derail conversations with an insistence to discuss their feelings, but the real problem for me is that they assume their feelings are more important than mine.
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Dude, you’re getting so boring and predictable. DO you have any interests besides hating white people? Do you have any hobbies? Any passions? Do you blog about any other topics? Does this make you feel proud and accomplished? You’re just preaching to the choir. You seem like a very pathetic and sad person. You’re literally obsessed with white folks. You need to get a life. You need a girlfriend or something. Go get some exercise.
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Dude, you’re getting so boring and predictable. DO you have any interests besides hating white people? Do you have any hobbies? Any passions? Do you blog about any other topics? Does this make you feel proud and accomplished? You’re just preaching to the choir. You seem like a very pathetic and sad person. You’re literally obsessed with white folks. You need to get a life. You need a girlfriend or something. Go get some exercise.
You’ve just proved his point! If you had bothered to peruse this blog, you would have seen that there are many topics that are not just about the writer’s ‘hatred’ for white people. Had you done so you would have noticed this even on a cursory level(presuming you just perused the blog topics by going to the index section ). Hence your condescending manner is uncalled for. Since you felt a need to respond in this way by attacking him personally, I can only presume he has hit a nerve. If you found his writing to be so obsessive towards whites, you should have gone elsewhere where the blogging would be to your liking. Instead, you felt compelled to attack his personality and his intentions. These types of retorts to this subject, are beginning to sound like broken records and if nothing else, humorous. This comment supplies a good example of what Abagond is trying to illustrate.
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^ As always, Herneith, very well said.
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@ Herneith: Thank you.
@ Pat:
In general I delete comments that call people names. They prove nothing and just get people angry.
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I disagree with almost everyone here.
And yes Herneith, I have read abagond’s other posts and while he is more balanced than most, when it comes down to his/her thoughts on white people and topics involving racism, abagond starts off with good intentions but ends up becoming something completely different.
Any debate is met with “Well if you don’t totally agree with me, you’re a racist or you’re wrong”.
I’ve seen countless examples of abagond and others shooting down a commenter who dares to contradict any of their points.
I’ve even seen the all too funny: “Where are your facts/statistics?”
I have yet to see ANYONE on here making their case with the use of statistics even though many are readily available…. so why on earth should any dissenting viewpoint be required to provide statistics?
leigh204 might have made the only worthwhile comment with: “Some people will never get “it” will they?”
I couldn’t agree more, it looks like Orchid doesn’t get ‘it’. But neither do leigh204, abagond or almost every other commenter.
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Kyle, as with everyone on this post, you are entitled to your opinion. That is the point.
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AO, of course I realize everyone is entitled to their own opinion.
I’m simply voicing my frustration that no matter where I go and no matter the topic (racism, politics, foreign affairs, etc…) it seems like there is absolutely no serious discussion taking place, period.
I rarely post anywhere, on blogs or forums because there is no serious discussion. The reason I have chosen to do so here is because this blog isn’t a disaster zone yet.
He/She makes good points, it’s just in many cases (s)he goes even further and makes a bunch of ridiculous, unsubstantiated claims.
And I realize no one is going to be completely objective and I’m guessing many times abagond is just ranting.
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What things could I do to make it better?
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Kyle
I disagree with almost everyone here.
And yes Herneith, I have read abagond’s other posts and while he is more balanced than most, when it comes down to his/her thoughts on white people and topics involving racism, abagond starts off with good intentions but ends up becoming something completely different.
Any debate is met with “Well if you don’t totally agree with me, you’re a racist or you’re wrong”.
I’ve seen countless examples of abagond and others shooting down a commenter who dares to contradict any of their points.
I’ve even seen the all too funny: “Where are your facts/statistics?”
I have yet to see ANYONE on here making their case with the use of statistics even though many are readily available…. so why on earth should any dissenting viewpoint be required to provide statistics?
leigh204 might have made the only worthwhile comment with: “Some people will never get “it” will they?”
I couldn’t agree more, it looks like Orchid doesn’t get ‘it’. But neither do leigh204, abagond or almost every other commenter.”
You’re just an example of the post itself.
You come on here calling everybody clueless because they aren’t buttering up white people like you want them to.
You think what you feel is more important than the truth
just because you’re white you think your feelings are more important than anything.
This topic is not about agreeing, its about white people who believe their feelings, thoughts and what they want is more important than everything.
White people and their typical god-complex.
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Kyle:
Far from being a rant full of unsubstiantiated claims, this post gets at one of the main troubles I have on this blog (and which I think anyone who tries to honestly discuss race in America will have): on the one hand I want as many white commenters as I can get but on the other hand I must be honest too.
Being truthful drives away whites. For example, at the end of September I wrote “What this blog has taught me about white people”. Soon after I lost two of my best white commenters and a fourth of my traffic.
So, despite the anonymity of the Internet, it is hard to have a discussion about race with whites: if you are too truthful, it drives them away. If you tiptoe round certain things, you can get more white commenters, but the discussion is less fruitful because certain things are understood to be out of bounds.
So the blogosphere winds up like a high school cafeteria where blacks and whites sit at separate tables.
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The problem I have would be with the stuff you have in other posts/blog entries such as: ‘doctors try harder to save white patients over black ones’.
Racism does play a role when an insurance company accepts or denies a claim.
You used the example of the homeless black guy vs. the rich/middle class white girl.
Chances are, any homeless guy regardless of race is going to be shoved off to the side.
And I would also agree that the older you are, the smaller the chances of you getting care:
In my area this happened very recently: there was an old, poor (economically) white guy, he waited for 24 HOURS at an ER, collapsed and died as the nurses and administrators chose to ignore him.
And by chose to ignore him, I mean he was desperate and went over to the counter many, many times only to be told to sit back down and wait. The whole thing was captured on video.
I am sure that race, age and economic status do play a role in determining treatment, however:
When it comes down to an emergency like a heart attack or a car crash, a doctor will try hard to save your life, regardless of your race. (At least in my opinion)
You could have chosen to make the point about discrimination and racism at hospitals and insurance companies but you went straight to:
‘doctors try harder to save white patients.’
I have a problem with stuff like this because I have a hard time believing it. In some extremely rare circumstances could this be the case? Yes, but you make it sound like this is a daily reality.
Obviously no one wants to dance around the issue instead of hitting the nail on the head (unless of course you’re a white person, no not all white people but most). But I don’t think stuff like ‘doctors try harder to save white patients’ adds anything to the discussion and the only thing these kind of comments will do is make it harder to sit down and talk openly about racism and how it is still alive and well.
I prefer to stick to stuff like this:
White people and any non-black person will get less prison time for the same crime.
A white person gets charged with possession of illegal substance whereas a black person with the same amount is charged with intent to distribute (much more serious offense).
A study recently showed that around 2/3s of Americans respond to the face of a black man with fear. (This was extremely scientific, they measured it with brain activity.) And by the way – this was across all races, everyone had around the same response to a black face vs. a white one.
Why? Because these are opinions based on fact whereas something like:
doctors try harder to save white patients
is an opinion that I have an extremely hard time believing. I used to volunteer at a hospital and I know many doctors and nurses and still do. If a patient is coming in by ambulance, collapses at the door, or is in serious distress, the doctors and nurses jump into action, race doesn’t play any part in my opinion.
I would be interested in looking at the administrative and insurance side because that’s where racism probably does exist in healthcare.
Obviously all of the above is opinion and personal accounts with the exception of the law being unfair and the study I talked about.
As an aside: With all that time volunteering and being at hospitals, if you’re in for long term care, ALWAYS ask the doctors and nurses to wash their hands.
They seem to be too lazy, forgetful or they just don’t care.
I’ve seen patients die of infections (and not what they were originally brought in for) and in the back of my mind, I’m thinking it could be because the doctors and nurses aren’t washing their hands.
I didn’t just stand by, I complained (as in filed a complaint) about it but I doubt one guy complaining about it is going to change anything.
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Because the post above is so long I’ll just try and tell you how I feel about this blog:
Good intentions and many good points… however sometimes you make claims that are baseless, they may seem ‘true’ to you but what you see as truth, I see as wrong and what a white person may see as insulting.
No one wants to tiptoe around and avoid issues because white people will try to stop the discussion if you are frank, and brutally honest about the discrimination and racism that black people face, but:
I see some of your posts and claims (that I believe are false or aren’t very representative of what you’re trying to say) as loading the gun for white people to shoot down the argument and derail the discussion.
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Blackcherry my comment was a commentary on his/her blog in general and not this one topic.
I’m not very tech savvy so when I was here, I just posted my thoughts.
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Kyle:
Excellent comments! Thank you for being honest and specific. It gives me something to think about.
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It’s a delusion they live by. Whites never want to take responsibility for anything they’ve done in the past or present when it came to people of color. Yet, they will preach about personal responsibility.
Like you said, they care more about their feelings than bare facts because we know if we told white people the truth, their world crashes around them. They know they have the power and privilege, and they do not want to relinquish any of it. In fact most desire more to live in a false sense of superiority.
Privilege is like a drug to them when you think about it.
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First time visitor. Afa the ‘whites don’t want to relinquish power’ and ‘they just don’t want to admit they’re racists’ comments are concerned: I haven’t any more power than you do, and I’ve given the topic of racism a wide berth since a discussion in which I was assured that althought I wasn’t overtly racist, I was subconsciously racist, because all white people are one or the other.
If any discussion of racism requires that all whites acknowledge themselves as overt or unconscious racists, I can see where getting a discussion started is problematic: anyone who wants me to acknowledge that I’m a racist, whether I know it or not, has gone too far over the illogical line for me. I don’t know how to figure out what’s going on in someone else’s subconscious and I don’t believe anyone else does, either. All I can go on is what people actually say and do, and juding by that, ime the door to the Bigots’ Clubhouse is not marked ‘whites only’. Or ‘irrational on the subject of skin colour’, either, for that matter.
For whatever it says of my opinion of humanity, I think there are always going to be bigots. And people who yell discrimination/reverse discrimination to get what they want or get out of what they’ve got coming. The best the rest of us can do is treat the people around us with the same courtesy we want them to show us and speak up when something’s clearly unfair, no matter who it’s unfair to, and recognize the irrational as such, no matter who it’s coming from, and treat it as such. That’s the best I can do, and if it makes me a racist, well, so be it.
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“How we know: if you stepped on my foot, say, I might be angry, I might be loud, I might seem “oversensitive” or like I am whining (after all it is my foot that is in pain, not yours), I might not be smooth, I might seem hateful, etc.”
Well if I stepped on someones foot and they yelled at me, called me an asshole and then shoved me, it would be very likely there would be a fight. If I stepped on someones foot and they said ouch you stepped on my foot I would definitely apologize for my mistake. It is human nature to defend against aggression abagond, even if I’m the one to unintentionally cause it.
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abagond, you wrote:
So, despite the anonymity of the Internet, it is hard to have a discussion about race with whites: if you are too truthful, it drives them away.
Too truthful? Ha. You and other black commenters make it abundantly clear you live in the black alternate reality. Thus, what you call “truth” most white readers call “delusion.” It’s that simple.
The bigger problem with your view is the fact that it is well articulated. You succeed in convincing white readers that the black alternate reality is a comprehensive state of mind that has emerged from much thought and consideration.
Therefore, a lot of white readers will say to themselves, “oh my, they really do believe a lot of nonsense.”
Anyway, as I’ve said, the black indictment of whites would get more consideration if the black nations of the world were more successful. But since chaos and poverty are the defining characteristics of almost every black nation, whites have no reason to feel responsible for black problems.
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People need to realize every person is subjective. We all should try to be as objective as we can, but it’s impossible to be 100% objective. What I like about Abagond is that he seems aware of this fact, and doesn’t try to run away from his subjectivity (which is blatantly obvious in his (in)famous posts about women and their physical beauty).
However, subjectivity as not the same thing as a lie. If you try to be honest, if you want to write the truth, you will write the truth. Of course, this truth is going to be subjective. However, if you write it and see nobody agrees with your views, you might say it’s your individual, unique, or at least not popular view on the subject. But if many people agree with your points, you can say you’re not the only one experiencing the same things. From what I can see here, all (or almost all) posters agree on what Abagond is writing- whether they support it or not. Whether they are white or black, Asian or mixed. So I guess Abagond’s views on race (not women, though) are, as far as I can see, really popular and everyone seems to take them as true (whether they call it “white supremacy” or “black delusion”).
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Ó Dochartaigh said:
“Well if I stepped on someones foot and they yelled at me, called me an asshole and then shoved me, it would be very likely there would be a fight. If I stepped on someones foot and they said ouch you stepped on my foot I would definitely apologize for my mistake. It is human nature to defend against aggression abagond, even if I’m the one to unintentionally cause it.”
So which level am I at? Am I yelling and shoving, sotospeak?
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Many AA are just plain ignorant. When you correct them on the ignorance..then you are a racist white devil..smh
I don’t know about most people, but when you read something and you know its bogus, do you just have that human urge to correct it? I don’t know thats how I’ve always been…
Correcting lies makes you a racist…according to AA’s now..
SMH
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Hell I’m white and I have plenty of black friends. When will people learn its not about race, its about class. If I could I would abolish black history month and other things that seperate us and create human history month. For you see we are all humans and the hammer and sickle unites us. No gods,no masters,no race,no countries just red blood inside us all.
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Oooooh – I love this one! Brava, Maestro!
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Abagond, I agree with you about their cluelessness. Very good article.
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[…] “I am offended” […]
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Okay I have something to say to all of the people that were offended by Abagond’s post….When you came on here you had a chance to show that you were different….but you failed by displaying the same ignorance that was discussed. You have no right to tell a person that their true feelings are wrong. You have not walked in their shoes, experienced life through their eyes and ears. If you truly are not racist and you really are clueless as to what makes someone think you are racist….then try being concerned about what it was that you said or did that made that person come to that conclusion and sincerely apologize and never do it again. If you are using words or phrases that were passed down from generations that you really are clueless about their origination….then maybe you should do some research before you continue using them…that is if you really aren’t racist. Someone that experiences racism daily from birth and has yet to meet a white person that has not been racist has every right to draw these conclusions and they do not need statistics to prove it. Think for a moment what brought you here to this site? I would have never seen it had I not been doing a search for “why are people racist?”…What were your intentions?
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–“Nutricide” by Dr. Llaila Afrika
“Conversations with supposedly nice, well-meaning Caucasians can cause
destructive emotions, anger, boredom, frustration, and stress in African people.
Since African people are highly melaninated, it causes them to be highly
emotional psychic and spiritually sensitive. Therefore, Africans can feel
Caucasians are deceitfully hiding their insincerity and are dependent on word
order or a logical, rational thinking, which relies on word process. In other words,
Caucasians feel that if something makes sense to them it must make sense to
everyone. This is arrogance. This is part of their religious belief in the myth of
White Supremacy. Caucasian conversation has no rhythm and relies on words
(fragments) to explain their ideas.
African conversations are chemical and rely on the holistic visualization of the
concept (picture) to explain the holistic ideas. Caucasians typically move to
prove their ideas with statistics, research, or laws of average. African people
typically are in harmony with nature and themselves, and use direct, honest
and open ideas as proof. This is confusing to hear for the linear communication
ear of Caucasians.
Words to African people are used in a ritual and ceremonial ethnic fashion and
paint pictures. Words for Caucasians are not culturally based, but imagined to
be a pure form of logic process. They do not see how Eurocentric their words
are. Caucasian words are based on superstitions, self-centeredness, and the
collective mental illness of being a psychotic (White Supremacy is a psychosis.)
They tend to focus on a single idea (fragment) and ignore the total ideas as a
concept of spiritual and communal rhythmic harmony.
Fundamentally, the problem with Caucasian and African communication is the
mentally ill (Caucasian) talking to the sane (African.) An African would have to
be “out of his mind” and into the Caucasian mind in order to communicate
effectively with a Caucasian. An African “out of his mind” usually has adopted
Caucasian thinking processes and does not see the Caucasian as a part of a
mentally ill civilization. In any case, Caucasian conversation is nutritionally
draining to Africans because of the built-in psychosis of it, the arrogant insulting
tone of it, and the double-talk nature of it (conflicting ideas, right and wrong
mixed, important words are long words, etc.).
Caucasian conversation is a series of words being processed and is
self-centered. It causes Africans to have stress, emotional torture, mental
confustion and it is spiritually upsetting. Africans may not consciously be aware
of the sympathetic nervous system reaction to the Caucasian verbal assaults,
but they do feel a sense of vagueness and emptiness from Caucasian “word
salads.” Caucasians typically use cliches, socially pleasant sentences, “I
am a nice white person talking to a Negro” tone in their voice; “I am not a racist,
but I am white and superior” tone, and the African’s inner self reacts to this
toxic verbal energy. The melanin dominated African holistically feels the toxic
energy and they must ignite the immune system to defend them from Caucasian
word use. It nutritionally requires extra vitamin B6, phenylanlanine, yucca, suma
gingko, tryptophane, rosemary, gotu kola, L-dopa, niacinamide, methionine,
tyrosine, ginseng, and a natural diet consisting of raw food to cope with the
subtle energy loss caused by the “word” abuse (unholistic conversation) of
Caucasian White Supremacists.”
This was so perfectly stated, I just had to share it. It would serve PoC to take
heed to Dr. Afrika’s suggestion and be cautious when dealing with White
Supremacists (white people.)
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@ Spokesman
Thank you for that information!
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“Caucasians typically use cliches, socially pleasant sentences, “I
am a nice white person talking to a Negro” tone in their voice; “I am not a racist,
but I am white and superior” tone, and the African’s inner self reacts to this
toxic verbal energy.”
****************
Spokesman
Having lived among whites for a time, I can vouch first hand for the complete accuracy and stunning insightfulness for ALL of Dr. Afrika’s observations.
This articulates EVERY THING I’ve witnessed, felt and imagined about white people generally being spiritually stunted/melanin lacking/psychologically disconnected…
Even the need of extra herbs, nutrients, vitamins to bolster our *attacked* immune system (due to our existence in a toxic white dominated/centric framework) is dead on. High blood pressure, Strokes, Heart Disease, et al…
I’m echoing SomeGuy’s thanks!
Much appreciation for sharing this.
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There certainly are things in those descriptions that ring true, the systematic dependance on statistics and “logic”, and, for sure white people that wrap themselves up in their “whiteness” really do come across as pshycotic
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“This articulates EVERY THING I’ve witnessed, felt and imagined about white people generally being spiritually stunted/melanin lacking/psychologically disconnected…”
Mmmm, and the afrocentric viewpoint of degrading whites continues.
No different then swapping out white people for x and melanin lacking for malanated.
And you wonder why people are deemed unbelievably gullible.
I guess the intellectual conversations about race has gone to the dogs, figuratively.
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@ Matari
I’m researching the pineal gland and how it relates to your insightful comment. Since the pineal gland is responsible for…well…everything but especially the production of melanin, I’m wondering if maybe that’s the culprit.
Since the beginning of life there was “black”. Our spirituality and connection to Jah is in our blood. Literally. I will look into this more.
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@ Spokeman:
“Conversations with supposedly nice, well-meaning Caucasians can cause
destructive emotions, anger, boredom, frustration, and stress in African people.
Since African people are highly melaninated, it causes them to be highly
emotional psychic and spiritually sensitive. Therefore, Africans can feel
Caucasians are deceitfully hiding their insincerity and are dependent on word
order or a logical, rational thinking, which relies on word process.”
Thank you!
I used to be wiped out after talking to whites. I mean drained….like I needed to lie down. I sunk deeper and deeper into a depression after being around them. I soaked up their “vibe” even when they appeared to be amiable and would crash later in a tizzy of confusion and anxiety.
When I tried my “experiment” , to banish them from my life in ALL forms, my sleeping got better, my eating got better, my love for music and art reappeared, my garden flourished and I began to feel connected to Jah once again.
Many black people think me mad when I tell them that white “vibes” are poisonous but I’m glad that you provided us with that quote. It’s true. All of it. I will never let them back in after experiencing how wonderful life is without them.
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Bogus one perspective baffel.
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It would be wrong and misleading to associate this “disease” called “whiteness” ONLY with white people. Its true the majority of white people are clueless about their own suffering from this disease. But Black and other non-white peoples can also be afflicted by it too. Its easy to forget because they exhibit different symptoms. Those symptoms are easily spotted though. They elevate “whiteness” and denigrate their own status or cultural achievements.
Whether we wish to accept it or not the disease of “whiteness” is linked to the biological importance of Melanin. While controlling white elites know and more fully understand this connection. The vast majority of ALL peoples on this planet are kept ignorant about its true function. It functions within ALL living organisms but this is not fully explained in traditional science. This is purposely kept hidden (but you can find it) while a distortion of it is fed to us in mainstream media and education.
Some links worth exploring which lend support to my comment here:
Rothschild white elite funded (4th Reich) “Super soldiers speak”
My own blog research detailing the universal functioning of Melanin:
Albert Einstein Called Racism “A Disease of White People” in His Little-Known Fight for Civil Rights:
http://www.openculture.com/2013/08/albert-einstein-civil-rights-activist.html
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I disagree with several of you. I think they know exactly what they are doing!
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I’m forced to agree now at my age because of my experiences. The hate and anger they have for people merely because they are different from them. The in-harmonious way they behave with everyone – having to be in control, When I’m around Asians and often times Hispanics ( the ones who don’t practice White supremacy), everything flows cool. People get alone, people date. But once I’m around Whites there this hateful, wanting to control and down me vibe. Especially anti-black woman. At the same times they are acting sexual with you.Wanting to homo-sexualize black men and have black women be maligned and shunned. I honestly am scared of White people because something about them doesn’t seem right.
This goes along with the fact that they are often off balance. Have you ever watched music play or some kind of movement like dance or excercise? their bodies can’t flow with the rythem as if something is wrong and out of sync with them. Also, they are OBSESSED with black people.
I’m not saying Hispanics and others can’t be hateful, I’m just saying most of the time I notice there is something off about White people and I wonder if that has to do with why they are often consumed with racial hate and the want to oppress and degrade others based on race.
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err, once again, the above was in reply to:
truthbetold
@ Matari
I’m researching the pineal gland and how it relates to your insightful comment. Since the pineal gland is responsible for…well…everything but especially the production of melanin, I’m wondering if maybe that’s the culprit.
Since the beginning of life there was “black”. Our spirituality and connection to Jah is in our blood. Literally. I will look into this more.
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” I honestly am scared of White people because something about them doesn’t seem right.
….something is wrong and out of sync with them. Also, they are OBSESSED with black people.
… I notice there is something off about White people and I wonder if that has to do with why they are often consumed with racial hate and the want to oppress and degrade others based on race.”
************* *************
~Alicia
Research “Killers of the Dream” by Lillian Smith
The author is one of those few rare white voices who gives a razor sharp critique on how/why whiteness affects the psyches of those (whites) that are inoculated as members of that club.
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Have googled it and will try to read more than just excerpts!
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wow Matari, thanks for the recommendation of that book! I’ve only read some parts from the “Look Inside” portion on amazon.com and whew, is it good. That’s what I’m interested in. The sickness and subtle behaviors passed down which causes white racists to be constantly in a state of rage and very hateful at just the sight and sound of any type of black person. To put so much energy into trying to make us feel low or keep each of us individually on the bottom whenever they can.
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While I don’t suffer the longterm consequences of constant black/white interaction in the US, IMO the trick is finding a way to not let them emotionally drain you. Easier said than done,but what’s the alternative?
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Aw yes the “tone argument”. The go to excuse for people who want to be assholes and don’t like being called on it.
People get turned off when you act like an asshole. This is not exclusive to white people.
By the way if you really think white people would refuse to listen to blacks (which is some seriously racist shit to say) why would you even say it at all?
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This grouping of all people of one race needs to stop. Not all white people are like this and not all black people are (fill in the blank). We have a problem with that, saying all of one ethnicity is a certain way. Not everyone is the same.
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Is anger a feeling? Seems like you are complaining about white responses and about their feelings about issues. I wonder what “feelings” the OP had to cause him/her to write comments about “generalizing” all white people as guilty of ????. Could it be covert anger? I suppose so. Feelings are not just something to be discarded as if they don’t matter. Most of the issues in the world are happening because of “feelings”. What makes you think they are not part of the wholistic human being?
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@wouldn’tyouliketoknow and urnotathinkerareu
In the past I had a habit of searching through the post and pointing out where it is he said all white people etc. But I quickly learned I was doing nothing more than enabling these individuals from reading and comprehending on their own.
With that being said, would you kindly quote where he said ALL WHITE PEOPLE?
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@Father Time
“By the way if you really think white people would refuse to listen to blacks (which is some seriously racist shit to say) why would you even say it at all?”—Could be because the post was not made for whites (atleast the deaf ones).
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Very good post. Many racists love to steer away arguments with tactics like these. Who cares about the class/ethnicity based economic divide in Angola? Just shut up, you’re being loud!
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@Kwamla What the fuck? Melanin is not ‘essential’ or ‘important’ to humans. That’s like saying that blonde, black, brown or red hair is ‘essential’ to humans.
Melanin has no affect on humans other than being skin-based protection against UV rays – also there are two types of melanin: one codes for dark skin while the other codes for red/pink skin (and red hair in Papuans, Scottish, Aboriginal Australians, Chechens), to which one do you refer. Stop with the nonsense and get out of here with your crackpot supremacism.
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Colours, not codes for*
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Maybe you can’t read . The OPENING statement says.and this is a direct quote:
“White Americans often derail an argument about race by making it about their feelings. The feelings of white people, for some strange reason, matter more than the truth. White women’s tears are a good example.”
Do you understand what this means? It is a generalist statement which means ALL white people. If it were not he would’ve been specific and named them. Do you understand now?
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@urnotathinkerareu
Reading has little to do with interpreting which is what you did. So maybe you just have comprehension issues.
Secondly white Americans are not all white people, but leave it to Americans to think they are the beginning and the end
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@ urnotathinkerareu
Do you understand or should I break it down for you like the moron you decided to act like?
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Read the second sentence…it implies ALL white people. Who’s a moron? Moron…lolol
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@urnotathinkerareu
People who are willing to relish in making themselves look stupid should not end sentences with lol.
Do you understand the difference between implying something and saying something? My first response to you was in asking where it is he said ALL white people. You are not derailing by hammering it what YOU believe he implied or meant. You don’t really know what he meant (unless you are a mind reader now).
But your whole point still becomes moot and you still look like the moron that you are because White Americans still are not ALL white people.
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Do you you get it now or do I need to put up a chart to break it down further?
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Actually implying whether overt or covert accomplishes the same thing. It is still a generalized statement. This means ‘millions upon millions” of “white people”.whether they are american or whatever. I get the point and if you want to defend that it is not a generalizing statement well go right ahead. The second sentence says “the feelings of white people”. It doesn’t say American. Do you read the word there somewhere so dont be calling people moron if you can’t read and comprehend yourself. Sounds like your spoiling for a fight and I’m not interested in people like you who start name calling because their “internet feelings” get hurt. Grow up.
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Wow, one derailing tactic (white feelings) being derailed by another one (the “all whites” argument).
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You have no room to lecture people on being moronic. Anyone can see that even if it only means “ALL” AMERICAN WHITE people…it would still be a generalized statement. Done.
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@urnotathinkerareu
“You have no room to lecture people on being moronic.”—Actually I have every room to do such at this point. It may be a generalized statement, but it is not a generalized statement referring to all white people in which you have continuously tried to make it so. You need to learn to stick to one argument or the other. Either you are going to claim he is talking about all white people or you are going to complain that he is talking about all American white people, but you can’t have it both ways. You lost this one and saying done is short for run with less of an embarrassment.
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@ urnotathinkerareu
I wrote this post and I can assure you that I did not have ALL white people in mind, not even ALL White Americans. Just like when I say, “Whites owned slaves” or “Women wear dresses” or “Kids love ice cream.” When people mean ALL they say ALL. It can hardly be ASSUMED, because that would turn ordinary statements into drastic, ridiculous claims.
Also, if I say “White Americans” and then say “white people”, the context does not magically shift to the whole world – you can assume I am still talking about the American sort. Just like when I talk about bats disappearing from the American North East, bats in the following sentences means the same bats, not bats worldwide.
It seems you would have me write “Many White Americans” every time I write “whites”. That would be tiresome, both to write and to read. And I can tell you that it would not work – because this “all whites” thing comes up even when I write “some whites” or “many whites”. Because white commenters, even those with PhDs, will tell me that I SECRETLY mean ALL whites.
So the “all whites” is not coming from the rules of English.
Where I think it comes from:
1. SOME WHITE AMERICANS stereotyping me as stereotyping them.
2. SOME WHITE AMERICANS wanting to exclude themselves from my statements. Because FOR MANY IF NOT MOST of them racism is always there and never here. It is their uncle, the 1960s, the South, but magically not them, as if there is some invisible force field shielding them from the effects of American history and culture.
3. SOME WHITE AMERICANS wanting to dismiss what I say by making it into a ridiculous statement.
This comes up so much that I wrote a post on it:
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@urnotathinkerareu
Your obtuse nature is tiring. We are not talking about what he is implying no matter how much you want to direct the conversation in this direction. I am also not going to allow you to try and derail the conversation into this is a generalization talk either. You are either going to address your claim which I responded to or you are going to try to avoid having egg on your face.
“The second sentence says “the feelings of white people”. It doesn’t say American.”—That is great, but it is also one piece of a puzzle you chose to take out of context of the whole paragraph. This is basically saying (if you care to read the post) that in discussion of race there are white people who see the feelings of white people as more important than addressing the truth of the discussion.
“Do you read the word there somewhere so dont be calling people moron if you can’t read and comprehend yourself.”—I read it very well, but you have an issue comprehending which is why this discussion is even carrying on and which is why you still hold the moron title. You are now trying to take one sentence and make it more than what it is.
“Sounds like your spoiling for a fight and I’m not interested in people like you who start name calling because their “internet feelings” get hurt. Grow up.”—I do wish people like you would take your own advice. It is you who got your panties in a bunch first with this statement “Maybe you can’t read .” Now you are upset because I decided to respond in kind…laughable at best. At best this is your projection.
In short you can’t point to where he said ALL WHITE PEOPLE and now you want to put your superior mind reading skills to the test in order to tell everyone else what he said and or implied. Sorry but count this as your epic fail and do better.
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aww man comment in moderation
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Because my comment is in moderation I will pull this one statement out of it.
@@urnotathinkerareu
“Sounds like your spoiling for a fight and I’m not interested in people like you who start name calling because their “internet feelings” get hurt. Grow up.”—I do wish people like you would take your own advice. It is you who got an attitude first with this statement “Maybe you can’t read .” Now you are upset because I decided to respond in kind…laughable. At best this is your projection.
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urnotathinkerareu:
On behalf of all the rest of the dumb coloureds here, I would like to thank you for your thoughtfulness whilst trying to teach these dummies what day it is. I understand you completely! Why oh why can’t these other coloureds? Tears are coursing down my cheeks as I type this! Tears of mirth that is. Been there and heard your ‘arguments’ ad nauseum before. Come up with something more original next time. Reading the same crapola over and over again from you racist whites is causing my eyes to glaze over.
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I could give less than a damn aout how white people “feel”..
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I’m not white. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. I am Aboriginal. Your hatred and racism clouds your mind. You need to deal with your hatred. If there was a roomful of people and you made a comment that ” these people all think you are stupid that would be a generalist remark. The same holds true for ANY generalist remarks just like you once again said about speaking for all the rest of the dumb coloreds on here. I am sure YOU do not speak for ALL the coloreds on here. I’ve also heard ad nausea your arguments as well…..so what…
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@urnotathinkerareu
You can stop rambling now. You are reaching the mark of incoherency.
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Ok…you win. Does this satisfy your egoist need to feel superior? I’m done talking with an idiot.
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Where is Agabond to chastise this “member” for name-calling? Oh yeah , he’s white so the “rules” do not apply to him, just like in society..
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I love how white people posting anonymously here are anything and everything but “white” as long as it suits there agenda..lol. Ur “aboriginal” now? Defending white supremacy? Lol. Funny.
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@urnotathinkerareu
I did not need you to tell me I won. That was already established (not the type to brag). Funny how I am the idiot when you could not even prove your case. LOL.
side note* Don’t blame others for you lacking or asinine commentary.
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Comment in moderation again.
@urnotathinkerareu
This coming from the individual who could not comprehend a simple post. Simply hilarious. Though I must say it was nice seeing someone with your level of idiocy attempting to deflect and twist what they said to get out of the mess they put themselves in.
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@deepdkchocolate
That is what amazes. These white or whitewashed posters get on the blog and complain about freak’in unfair treatment yet don’t see that their insults get posted no problem.
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Good grief, Just when you think one has moved on, here comes another (urnotathinerareu).
Sometimes I struggle whether they are really that ignorant to realize that no one forced them to come to a blog that’s not for their best interests at heart, or that they do know and just want to be a troll because they have nothing better to do.
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@Brothawolf
I believe it is as king said. They come here with the idea that they are running into the uneducated black people who don’t know better, so they feel free to say the most illogical whacked out things they can. Then when they realize they are wrong they run out crying and upset at the outcome.
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Sharina
@deepdkchocolate
That is what amazes. These white or whitewashed posters get on the blog and complain about freak’in unfair treatment yet don’t see that their insults get posted no problem.
Yeah, and when you respond in kind they run off to get Agabond bleating all the while. And agabond kowtows to their B.S.
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Sharina
@Brothawolf
I believe it is as king said. They come here with the idea that they are running into the uneducated black people who don’t know better, so they feel free to say the most illogical whacked out things they can. Then when they realize they are wrong they run out crying and upset at the outcome.
Pretty much, and instead of towing the line with them , Agabond placates them. And they really believe this blog is all about them.
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[…] I don’t like your tone. A post of yours made me upset! […]
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People have to first realize that it is a problem to even acknowledge wrong doing. Most won’t even attempt to evaluate the situation because they know what it will conclude. Great post.
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[…] A post of yours made me upset! […]
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