What color/race do you see?

[jojo41 0]

You should have said ......"I didn't realise weightloss surgery was a "black" or "white" thing I thought it was a "fat" thing."

[Poodles 0]

Just an FYI: My Step Team has come together and is doing a great job. Seems that I have actually helped bring other "groups" into the dance team. So I feel great about not letting others steer me away, the other girls may have never joined if I were not the sponsor. We have a beautiful multi-talented team now. Can't wait for us to get it together enough to perform!

Oh yeah, and they love to see me try and do the steps!!!

Step/jiggle/step!!!!

[piercedqt78 658]

You should have said ......"I didn't realise weightloss surgery was a "black" or "white" thing I thought it was a "fat" thing."

I couldn't really say anything. I was soooo shocked that she was so blunt and rude about it. I remembered this thread that thought maybe this is more common than I thought. I was under the impression that everyone that had struggled with weight really wanted to keep it off, that is why I got my band. They both seemed to feel the same way. It was just so out there, the way she responded. That was by far the worst reaction I have ever had. ~Mandy

[Carlene 12]

So sometimes he says things that he really shouldn't say, because he really doesn't know any different... I hate to make the comparison, but just like a child may unknowingly say something harsh or insensitive because they really don't know any different.

This is not about race, but rather nationality. When I was a young DINK (double income, no kids) my husband and I lived in an apartment complex near downtown Dallas that housed mostly singles. One of our neighbors was Isabel, a young Scottish lass. Across the hall from Isabel lived Robert - typical American male in his mid-twenties.

Toward the end of one of our regular Sunday afternoon poolside barbecues, Isabel caught Robert's attention just as he was leaving. She had suddenly remembered that her alarm clock was on the blink. "Robert," she yelled from about 20 feet away, "Could you come round in the morning and knock me up?"

We were all laughing so hard, no one could explain to poor Isabel for a good 10 minutes. She kept going from one of us to the next, asking "What did I say? WHAT DID I SAY?

[green 6]

It seems that there is a difference in Black and White attitudes towards the female body and a lot of black women believe that White attitudes are not altogether healthy. They may have a point.

The first time I heard about this was many years ago. I had read an interesting article in the New Yorker about weight issues. Many Black women are puzzled by the White woman's obsession with being thin, thin in the case of the tiny sizes - sizes 0 to 6 - to a point of unhealthy fragility. Black women generally prefer to look strong, healthy and curvacious. The actresses who appear in South Asian (Bollywood) flicks also appear much juicier and much healthier than the twig-like Callista Flockhart. This fascination with skinniness may well be a White grrl thing.

On the other hand, obese women of colour court the same grave medical problems than White women do and then some. They are even more prone to suffer the ill-effects of hypertension and this is for reasons that are purely physiological.

The article had other interesting things to say about weight. It seems that much of the problem of excess weight has to do with one's genetic inheritance. Some of us get many more miles to the gallon than others of us do. Folks whose distant ancestors came from regions where food was scarce are built to survive on little food. This was an advantage in the survival game those many, many thousands of years ago. In this time of plenty this translates into a big arse, health problems, and plenty of social humiliation.

[503-250 1]

Personally I always thought that one of the great men in US history has explained away the silly concept of judging a person through something ridiculous like color, height, weight, race, an accent or something even more ludicrous.

Bellies With Stars

THE SNEETCHES

by Dr. Suess

Now the Star-bellied Sneetches had bellies with stars.

The Plain-bellied Sneetches had none upon thars.

The stars weren't so big; they were really quite small.

You would think such a thing wouldn't matter at all.

But because they had stars, all the Star-bellied Sneetches

would brag, "We're the best kind of Sneetch on the beaches."

With their snoots in the air, they would sniff and they'd snort, "

We'll have nothing to do with the plain-bellied sort."

And whenever they met some, when they were out walking,

they'd hike right on past them without even talking.

When the Star-bellied children went out to play ball,

could the Plain-bellies join in their game? Not at all!

You could only play ball if your bellies had stars,

and the Plain-bellied children had none upon thars.

When the Star-bellied Sneetches had frankfurter roasts,

or picnics or parties or marshmallow toasts,

they never invited the Plain-bellied Sneetches.

Left them out cold in the dark of the beaches.

Kept them away; never let them come near,

and that's how they treated them year after year.

Then one day, it seems, while the Plain-bellied Sneetches

were moping, just moping alone on the beaches,

sitting there, wishing their bellies had stars,

up zipped a stranger in the strangest of cars.

"My friends, " he announced in a voice clear and keen,

"My name is Sylvester McMonkey McBean.

I've heard of your troubles; I've heard you're unhappy.

But I can fix that; I'm the fix-it-up chappie.

I've come here to help you; I have what you need.

My prices are low, and I work with great speed,

and my work is one hundred per cent guaranteed."

Then quickly, Sylvester McMonkey McBean

put together a very peculiar machine.

Then he said, "You want stars like a Star-bellied Sneetch?

My friends, you can have them . . . . for three dollars each.

Just hand me your money and climb on aboard."

They clambered inside and the big machine roared.

It bonked. It clonked. It jerked. It berked.

It bopped them around, but the thing really worked.

When the Plain-bellied Sneetches popped out, they had stars!

They actually did, they had stars upon thars!

Then they yelled at the ones who had stars from the start,

"We're exactly like you; you can't tell us apart.

We're all just the same now, you snooty old smarties.

Now we can come to your frankfurter parties!"

"Good grief!" groaned the one who had stars from the first.

"We're still the best Sneetches, and they are the worst.

But how in the world will we know," they all frowned,

"if which kind is what or the other way 'round?"

Then up stepped McBean with a very sly wink, and he said,

"Things are not quite as bad as you think.

You don't know who's who, that is perfectly true.

But come with me, friends, do you know what I'll do?

I'll make you again the best Sneetches on beaches,

and all it will cost you is ten dollars eaches.

Belly stars are no longer in style, " said McBean.

"What you need is a trip through my stars-off machine.

This wondrous contraption will take off your stars,

so you won't look like Sneetches who have them on thars."

That handy machine, working very precisely,

removed all the stars from their bellies quite nicely.

Then, with snoots in the air, they paraded about.

They opened their beaks and proceeded to shout,

"We now know who's who, and there isn't a doubt,

the best kind of Sneetches are Sneetches without."

Then, of course those with stars all got frightfully mad.

To be wearing a star now was frightfully bad.

Then, of course old Sylvester McMonkey McBean

invited them into his stars-off machine.

Then, of course from then on, you can probably guess,

things really got into a horrible mess.

All the rest of the day on those wild screaming beaches,

the Fix-it-up-Chappie was fixing up Sneetches.

Off again, on again, in again, out again,

through the machine and back round about again,

still paying money, still running through,

changing their stars every minute or two,

until neither the Plain- nor the Star-bellies knew

whether this one was that one or that one was this one

or which one was what one or what one was who!

Then, when every last cent of their money was spent,

the Fix-It-Up-Chappie packed up and he went.

And he laughed as he drove in his car up the beach,

"They never will learn; no, you can't teach a Sneetch!"

But McBean was quite wrong, I'm quite happy to say,

the Sneetches got quite a bit smarter that day.

That day, they decided that Sneetches are Sneetches,

and no kind of Sneetch is the BEST on the beaches.

That day, all the Sneetches forgot about stars,

and whether they had one or not upon thars.

Perhaps the children who read this can explain it to their parents who don't understand it.

[green 6]

This is not about race, but rather nationality. When I was a young DINK (double income, no kids) my husband and I lived in an apartment complex near downtown Dallas that housed mostly singles. One of our neighbors was Isabel, a young Scottish lass. Across the hall from Isabel lived Robert - typical American male in his mid-twenties.

Toward the end of one of our regular Sunday afternoon poolside barbecues, Isabel caught Robert's attention just as he was leaving. She had suddenly remembered that her alarm clock was on the blink. "Robert," she yelled from about 20 feet away, "Could you come round in the morning and knock me up?"

We were all laughing so hard, no one could explain to poor Isabel for a good 10 minutes. She kept going from one of us to the next, asking "What did I say? WHAT DID I SAY?

As for language and the new immigrant, one can end up in deep Water so easily. It is very easy for the English speaker who is visiting France and who only has rudimentary skills in French to announce that she is "in heat" or horny when all she wants to say is that she is too warm.

And while I was there I heard about a Frenchwoman who tried to order half a kilo of c*nts when she was in Italy and what she really wanted was figs. I myself watched a Danish girlfriend ask for poison instead of fish in a local restaurant.

An American girlfriend of mine was in Paris on an exchange visit when she was only 17. The poor kid wanted to find the train station but asked an old fart where the "war" was. He was kinda nasty with the kid and hissed at her that the "war" was over!

And there are these regional differences within a language as Isabel, etc. discovered. In England a "shag" is not a hair cut nor the length of your carpet's fibers....

[dcprincess 0]

No we haven't progressed as a society we still look at color and we are still prejudiced. We just hide it better but I'm very proud to say my children are part of a new generation who don't care and are very open-minded people, the way we all should be. I don't care about race religion or any preference of others but of course many people my age still do. Sad but one day it will all change I pray.

[Boo Boo Kitty 3]

No we haven't progressed as a society we still look at color and we are still prejudiced. We just hide it better but I'm very proud to say my children are part of a new generation who don't care and are very open-minded people, the way we all should be. I don't care about race religion or any preference of others but of course many people my age still do. Sad but one day it will all change I pray.

I agree that every generation gets a little better, which is good. I try to teach my children that everyone is equal. I do not allow them to descibe others by color, I feel it is totally uneeded and sends the wrong message.

All we can do is teach, and pray for a better future.

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

I agree that every generation gets a little better, which is good. I try to teach my children that everyone is equal. I do not allow them to descibe others by color, I feel it is totally uneeded and sends the wrong message.

All we can do is teach, and pray for a better future.

I don't know if things are actually getting better. Yes, the days are gone when a governor of a state would stand in the school's entrance way with an ax in his hand and dare a Negro to enter. Yes, the day is gone when Negro and another word (which contained many of the same letters) was so easily used by some politicians and was so easily interchanged in normal conversation. Yes, the lynchings are gone.

But, now we have the clever code words.

Now we have the subtle racisms.

At least then, there was no need to disguise intentions; people knew who their enemy was.

[j_war06 0]

See This thread does bother me somewhat. I am bothered by how everyone here took the issue and made it Black vs White, but there are other races out there that are discriminated against daily. They dont get paid as well as white people nor treated as well, and so on and so forth. When Racism is mentioned people automatically go to Black vs. White and do not consider any other races. BTW White people are NOT the only racist race out there. And yes in a discussion like this Im going to describe people by their color. They any race should be proud to be who they are, and accept the beauty in their skin tone. I just know that in highschool I was a "fat" teenage white girl, and I saw more prejudice against myself and other "fat" girls than against any race, except the one time a black guy beat up a white guy over a chicken strip......lol......true story

[Tired_Old_Man 1]

See This thread does bother me somewhat. I am bothered by how everyone here took the issue and made it Black vs White, but there are other races out there that are discriminated against daily. They dont get paid as well as white people nor treated as well, and so on and so forth. When Racism is mentioned people automatically go to Black vs. White and do not consider any other races. BTW White people are NOT the only racist race out there. And yes in a discussion like this Im going to describe people by their color. They any race should be proud to be who they are, and accept the beauty in their skin tone. I just know that in highschool I was a "fat" teenage white girl, and I saw more prejudice against myself and other "fat" girls than against any race, except the one time a black guy beat up a white guy over a chicken strip......lol......true story

"any race should be proud to be who they are" you say, but if it doesn't matter what race you are, what is there to be proud of? You might just as easily say that you should be proud of the number of fingers that you have.

"I saw more prejudice against myself and other "fat" girls than against any race, except the one time a black guy beat up a white guy over a chicken strip."

Did any white guy ever beat up a Black guy during your 4 years in high school? Or did you come from a town where all the white people were weaklings?

And the reason that Black and white are the two races people think about when race is mentioned, is that those are the two prominent races in the USA. The US Census Bureau might try to pretend that Hispanic is a race, but it isn't. The ability to speak Spanish is not a racial characteristic.

[Boo Boo Kitty 3]

And the reason that Black and white are the two races people think about when race is mentioned, is that those are the two prominent races in the USA. The US Census Bureau might try to pretend that Hispanic is a race, but it isn't. The ability to speak Spanish is not a racial characteristic.

I agree that we see Black and White most. Because that is the way it has become. Did you know EVEN 50 years ago that Italians were seen as closer to African Americans than white? What are they thought if as now? WHITE!!! Why? Because they were able to assimilate into our culture with their white skin.

The cencus is ALL BASED on false constructed ideas of race. Race as we know it is a social construct. Until good ole' Darwin there were no races identified by color. Hey guys, a powerful rich man started this......go figure!

[Wheetsin 714]

This is not about race, but rather nationality.

Actually I didn't mean it about race or nationality, I meant it as another showing of discrimination, regardless.

Damn discriminators, they should all be shot so us non-discriminators can live in our non-discriminating society. :heh: :heh:

[Poodles 0]

Well, I try to keep posting the positive things I see.

My step team did their first routine today, and they have been praised all day. Seems to help their self esteem. Now the only problem I am having is getting my girls to do their work... they want to work out their steps instead of doing their classwork!! "Watch this... and this... what if we do this??" Love it!!