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[CindyLouWho]

Ahhh no.  From listening to Tife speak of his family, they will never win.   I don't think genetics has a whole lot to do with any of it either.  I, too, feel we are more a product of our environment.  Learned.  We see others react.  We here others say things.  They may seem slight, very minor but to a small child, they are not.  It all starts from the day we are born.

[lifefeedsonlife]

I like the dog analogy. I also like the casserole analogy. My dog also likes casseroles so there's gotta be something to all that. (So much for being intellectual.)

Anyway - geneticists hypothesize we're all decendant from the 'direct' ancestors of the Khoisan tribes of Africa. When you look at their features, it's not too difficult to imagine a wide variation within the species occurring rapidly from there. (Roughly 50K years.) Just like certain breeds of dog (who can be VERY different) are descendant from wolves. THAT variation happens quickly too. I believe there is a specialization between races (just as there are among dog breeds) but I don't think that necessarily makes one race superior to another as a whole. (Though I would say the best basketball players are NOT Jewish.)

So - what causes racism? Prejudice is the seed of racism. Simply put - prejudice is pre-judging. Judging without facts, Judging based on a limited number of facts or erroneous information. However - there are some sad truths that can lead to racist thoughts or beliefs - like the fact that more blacks per capita are in the penal system in the US . . . ergo blacks tend toward more criminal activity. Right?

No - that's correlation, not causation (lack of educational / vocational oppotunities and poverty are the leading causes of crime) - but most folks don't differentiate between the two. So - to them - all blacks are bad.

Interesting thing though. Bh's casserole analogy is what the genetic tendencies of the species are heading toward. With no place left to migrate to and specialize in due to our spreading societal strucure, folks are "interbreeding" again and we're all gonna eventually look like the Khoisans again.

==================

An aside.

(Did I tell this story already?)

Our daughter has a son who has a black father. The young lad is a couple months old. One day we were babysitting him and had to run some errands, so we packed up all the kids and went to WalMart. So - there's the Redhead pushing our two pale skinned redhead kids in the cart through the store and I'm trailing behind her carrying our dark skinned, dark haired, broader nosed grandson. As we wade into a crowd of people gathered in a section of the store I look at my wife and loudly say:

"Ya know - I still don't think he's mine."

The crowd quickly dispersed with wide eyed looks and whispers. She looked at me and rolled her eyes.

She loves me a lot that one.

[shortcircuit]

LMBO!  Life, sometimes you're just too much.   

[CindyLouWho]

You're bad.  That's too funny.

[lifefeedsonlife]

Back to Murtha. You know - maybe after 17 terms as a Congressman (34 frickin' years goin' back to Abscam for heaven's sake) he might be thinking of hanging it up after all and just decided to say what was on his mind. I mean he coulda said: "Screw you backwoods bastards - I've been representing your sorry asses for 34 loooong years and I just want to say I hate you - you racist bunch of pr!cks!"

He did apologize today though. I pictured it as something like Larry the Cable Guy's apologies. "I'm really sorry constituents and I know I shouldn't make fun like that and god bless the little . . . " Ooops! Wait a second! What does Larry the Cable guy say right there?

*sigh*

Do you think dogs or casseroles have a sense of humor about themselves? Cuz we sure could use a better one about us.

[Kimmi]

I will say this and it is just one opinion from one person who left Western PA.  Overall my up bringing was way more racist than anything I've encountered in this area of the south. 

[TiFeMb]

...a thousand good people that you pass by.

I always focus on the positive & it really is more like 10,000-1. Down here. Thanks for the kind words Pinball. My DW is special. teaches our kids manners & grace and loves on those two kids like there's no tomorrow. Because I work so much, I try to meet them when they are at the park or a store somewhere. I always sneak up on them and just stand there until they realize I'm there...My daughter ALWAYS screams LOUD "AAAAGHHHH!!! and they both gang tackle & hug me. I love the way other parents watch like it is some kind of abberation.

I want that to be the norm, the same way I want families to be able to live comfortable on one salary if they want to so momma can nurture the bambinos until at least Kindergarten or farther. Then lets see the change in attitudes from these kids.

Life: OMG I have to tell my wife, 

Down here interracial couples are so common, I never hear the word "interracial".

Mr.Ripley: Thanks for your input too, I have said many times before, this is what forums are capable of doing, and the people here are the greatest. I have grown immensly because of the support here.

[shortcircuit]

Ya know, The more i think about this, Life, The more I'm waiting for one of these days the redhead to open up and pull the reverse number on you.  I can see if now.  Redhead and life walking through Wally World.  Redhead cuddling grandbaby and looking at Life loudly declaring, "Ya know, I just don't think he's mine!"

[NightmarePatrol]

Well, there's no reason that we can't coexist peacefully. I do believe that what Life said about the Khoisan's. I do think that we will eventually reintegrate into a single race many years down the road, but I don't think we'll reappear as the Khoisan's currently do. I think there will be some marked differences. People adopted over time and adapted physical characteristics that helped them cope with their environment. When re all eventually reintegrate globally the results will be interesting. None of us will live to see this happen, but I'd love to know how it turns out.

For now, I can only be responsible for my own behavior.

As far as Murtha goes, I don't know what he was thinking.

[bighair80s]

i think this sums it up...
now mind my asian neighbor sent this to me in an email (she speaks very broken english too) ... cracked me up...  its a joke  get it?

Why It's Important To Understand English

I had a bunch of Canadian dollars I needed to exchange, so I went to the
currency exchange window at the local bank.

Short line.  Just one lady in front of me - an Asian lady who was trying to
exchange yen for dollars and she was a little irritated . . .

She asked the teller, "Why it change?? Yesterday, I get two hunat dolla fo
yen. Today I get hunat eighty?? Why it change?"

The teller shrugged his shoulders and said, "Fluctuations."

The Asian lady says, "Fluc you white people, too."

[CindyLouWho]

That's hilarious!