Robert writes: “Cultural norms are a much bigger factor.”
This is really what is most unfortunate about the whole matter. Racism, for all practical matters, is dead except with worthless losers who will never amount to anything significant. It’s disgusting and irrational to project capability onto someone because of the amount of pigmentation in their skin, their preference for mates of the same or different sex, their possession of mammary glands, etc. When it comes to human hardware, using it to differentiate many behaviors, ethics and other aspects is simply foolish.
Software, on the other hand, is where it’s all at. Cultures, social ethics, norms conveyed by parents (or the lack of) and other programmed items are much more relevant in projecting the outcome of an individual. When we have poisonous messages from people like the Rev. Wright, validated by the participatory support of leaders like Obama, countless children are cursed to a parasitic life depending on handouts from an authority to compensate for imaginary conspiracies (AIDS, drugs, employability, economic self-determination, etc.). Obama and Wright have effected more damage through their self-limiting, damaging propaganda than hundreds of slave owners could in their era. Convincing someone to enslave themselves through the belief of false messages is much more effective than any whip and chain ever was. It’s the ultimate ownership of a man, having him chain himself simply through the power of speech.
For people like Frans who appreciate the exposure of truth & falsehood through open discussions like this, and clearly have the goal of discovering the real truth in a situation, I’d encourage you to keep looking at the motivation behind the actions of parties. What good does it do for a “conservative” to encourage gun ownership by minorities who could shoot an oppressive white cop in self defense? Doesn’t that seem contrary to the message of white institutional oppression? Have you ever noticed that “conservatives” are not the ones trying to dictate every aspect of everyones lives?
At the same time, why would people like Obama encourage blacks to believe their government is out to get them? Why would he take away the option of self-defense from a young black mother about to be raped and murdered, claiming that a 911 call is her only option (we all know they won’t get there in time)? What is it that is so important to Obama and other personal self-defense opponents that makes them sacrifice people to their cause? If their need for power is so threatened by people’s desire for self-defense, can we trust them with such power?
Keep questioning Frans, but pay more attention to the motivation of the participants in any dialog. The gain or loss they would be expected to realize from the attainment of what they advocate tells you more about their real interest than anything uttered in a fancy speech.
