Everyday Racism in America - Town Hall - MSNBC

Sad indeed.  I've moved around, back and forth first living most of my years in NY, NJ, to FL back to NY back to FL to NC.  Never before did I use to worry, as much, if I would be comfortable moving to an area based on my race, but, more and more lately, I check those stats to ensure there's at least more than just me that will be living in the area.  It never mattered to me before as I'd always been comfortable in my own skin when it came to my blackness, and cared less about other people's skin color plus I've mostly, lived in areas that were predominantly occupied by those who didn't have my melanin.  Now I find that I check to make sure ahead that people who look like me appear to be part of the community to some degree and they feel at least comfortable moving through the community.  

It's no fun when one of the big criteria while doing a search for locations to move to is how are the race relations in the area and that goes for anyone ethnicity.  Of course low crime is top of my list as well weather, often beaches and walkability and so on.  My relocation criteria will almost always put me in areas that are predominantly white, this I know, that's just fact, but, never entered my mind till these past years, nor did it or does it now bother me. 

There are lots of places I'd love to live, but, I know I wouldn't be welcome, so, I'll keep my happy arse targeted to areas where I'm welcome at this stage.  I know what it feels like to be alienated, at this age, I'm not in the mood to deal with that nonsense from an entire community.

If I can contribute what I've seen in recent years- in no particular order:

First, I believe this new emphasis on multiculturalism/culture has a large part of the blame-  it encourages people to 'stick to their own kind' instead of mixing in and actually knowing other people.  

Second, it might be called propaganda-  statements and viewpoints that 'don't reflect reality.'  Someone says or writes something, and it spreads like wildfire.  
One example from local news:  "Des Moines Police Know They're Biased."  Upon reading that, my thoughts:  all of them?  which ones?  are you sure?  what about the black cops, and other non-whites?  The article made it sound like every police officer had a racist slant.  

Another example:  "African-Americans in Des Moines tell of their fear of cops."  The article starts with a young-adult couple (and their small child).  Further in the article, a 69-year-old guy who 'grew up in Birmingham, Alabama' during the Civil Rights era stated it's worse now than it was back then.  
Facts:  while there may have been incidents I did not hear about, local police are not out there blowing away black people;  what is going on is (I hope this expression isn't offensive) black-on-black crime in which victims and witnesses refuse to cooperate with the police in investigations.  

Another example:  while channel-surfing, I've noticed a spot by some celebrity I'm not familiar with- a young woman remarking that every time she sends her kid off to school, she 'worries about what might happen to him if he encounters a police officer.'  I'm not familiar with the area she's from, but her statement implies cops are out there shooting Kindergarteners.  

Third, while there are bad apples in any bunch, the violence is most extreme in areas that have screwball approaches to 'authority' and 'status'-  take individuals who are already racist, put a badge on them, and it's a recipe for disaster.  

I don't get the blaming multiculturalism thing, seems to be a new catch all phrase for people to pick on nowadays.  I and my family have been mixing it up from as long as I can remember.  I've never really had a problem with mixing with different cultures, I don't see the issue there.  I don't think it should be forced, if people want to get together as people period, no need to emphasize where or how they got there just happen to be ethnically different who cares. 

Sorry, but if these are your interpretations of what you are getting out of the information given to you, I have to say, than possibly you may be viewing things from a mind that is closed to what people are actually trying to express.  We can only tell you what its like for us to live in the world at large period, it is our experience as we live it.

Please don't try to change this around to a black on black crime issue, we know that exist as does white on white crime. Black on black crime isn't the issue that is of topic causing people in general to have day to day strife on a wider issue affecting their more broader existence in this world.  Black people in their neighborhoods do deal with those crime issues, but, that's another subject of which does get discussed more often than you may know, but, lets not deflect as so often happens.  In any poor areas, the rate of crime tends to be high white or black.

 I could discuss all kinds of murderous crimes going on at levels much higher than black on black crime via government, big pharma companies, organized crime etc.  At the moment, we are talking how the racial climate feels in the now, how it feels to many Americans of all colors really.  I don't believe we are hallucinating it there is much strife today as it had been in past decades.  It would be nice if we can get things turned around.

No one is saying all cops are this bad and shooting up black people, I myself wasn't even referring to such issues.  Is it really so hard to talk hear what some of us really face when we go out in the world, the things that sometimes hamper out day to day life when we just step out the door and want to feel like we belong to the community as a person and not just a person based on the color of our skin and then pigeon holed into being categorized in anyone way.

It's easy to be dismissive if you haven't lived the experiences of being the minority in a culture where you at times feel you have had to almost apologize for your very presences at times.  It's really easy when you wake up never having to question will you be judged for any given thing based on your color. 

I've gone through much of my early days hearing you're not like them, you are so different. Always where are you from as if not from this country.  You haven't any idea how insulting that has been and those saying it thought it was a compliment, nor is it any better hearing you're not black enough, from people of various cultures including people who were good friends.   But still worse is not feeling comfortable in the country you were born in.  Horrible feeling not be able roam to about your own day to day doings feeling hinder not knowing if you will be mistreated solely based on the color of my skin.  I've experienced it and it's not a good feeling.  It's quite demoralizing to feel that way after a day of such experiences, but, sure anyone who doesn't live through such experiences can easily dismiss others feelings as being over reactions or non-existent all together because they just don't know what it's like or can fathom it really happening.  Maybe it's too abhorring a act in their minds to think such a thing really happens.  It does and quite often.

And yes, there are parents who do have to teach their sons strict rules for when they go out the door how to conduct themselves when they encounter police as to hope they always come home in one piece.  You may not understand it, but, for these mothers, it's just a fact as they have known and seen what can happen to some young black men when they're are less than upstanding people operating in law enforcement who are only happy to mistreat people black or white really.

I don't have a lot of time, but must address a couple of things.
First, with the examples I gave re: a specific location, that is the way it is in that location, and I've been here long enough to know. 
Second, though, where you said 'it's easy to be dismissive..' I am the 'minority.'  And it took many years to get to the point of no longer caring what people think.  

Some people(too many) seem to have a difficult time with understanding & empathizing with their fellow human's situation, one that if "the shoe was on the other foot" would be readily understandable.

Walk a mile in my shoes, another corny sounding but relevant concept applies as well.