Quote Originally Posted by OngBonga View Post
I disagree with pretty much all of this. Yeah I get angry from time to time, that's not hatred, anger is something that we all feel sometimes. Resentment? Not sure about that one. Who do I resent? I certainly do not resent anyone for their skin colour, and I don't resent anyone who tries to tell me how I should behave. I just ignore them.

And you bring up discrimination... Discrimination can work both ways... I am being discriminated against because I am white. If someone says to me "You can't say that because you're white", that, my friend, is discrimination, plain and simple. How is it ok to discrimiiate against the white man, but not the black man? Is that what equality is?

And real racism has everything to do with hate.



I don't agree that it's ok for some people to say nigger and not others. I believe that equality means everyone is equal, and should be treated so. And yes, I get angry from time to time, that's a whole different thing to hatred.
I mean, I have to assume you're just being deliberately obtuse about this. What you describe has nothing at all to do with discrimination but merely the observation of common sense behavior and common decency. Discrimination is the practice of unjustly depriving someone of something (the use of water fountains, choice seats on a bus, a job) because of skin color/gender/religion etc. The fact that it is not acceptable for a white person to call a black person a "N-word" does not deprive them of anything.

Let's get serious. You know this of course, unless you're truly socially inept and unaware. Let's say you are out on the town with your mates, your best friend, your brother, whatever. You are busting each others' balls and refer to each other by various colorful names (dickhead, wanker, cocksucker, etc.). Now this may be considered impolite in certain circles but at your local pub, it's pretty much the norm and everyone understands this. But if a complete stranger comes over to your table and calls you the same names, then you are going to have a different reaction.

As for the Black Police thing, I agree with some points you make. Yes, there should indeed be a body that ensures fairness in the workforce, but having a club for just black people does exactly the opposite. The body should ensure fairness for ALL, not just those of a certain colour. What about the mantally handicapped in the Police force? If they're white, they don't get represented by the NBPA. What about the women? Or the Irish? One doesn't have to be black to face discrimination.
This should also be on the list of white people's "problems." Surviva makes good points but I'd go further. In the workplace, minorities of any type face certain obstacles. When you are talking specifically about the police force (and I am going to make a broad assumption that police departments in the UK operate similarly to ones in the U.S., and that the dynamic between white and black officers is similar) these obstacles can be fairly monumental.

We'd like to think/hope that our societies are true meritocracies, but in same cases it just ain't so. People in any field sometimes get promoted, better salaries, better assignments, preferential treatment of various sorts, because of who they know. This is particularly true in many police departments, which often feature the classic buddy networks; also, police departments are notorious for sweeping internal problems under the carpet. Furthermore, minority cops face particular challenges/pressures from their own communities as well as the neighborhoods they serve or might face difficulties in dealing with superiors from a different ethnic background.