Soapbox Time.

[Darris Chambless]

Hello to Everyone,

Well, I did it. I made the mistake of watching "60 Minutes II" Last night and almost had to throw something through my TV screen I was so mad.

The first story (If you could even call it that) was how whites hate blacks (as 60 Minutes presented it) and a racial hate crime that left a young black man paralyzed. Here's the story in a nutshell. A young black male Marine goes to a party where a lot of alcohol is being served he and everyone else gets drunk. A fight occurs (not with him) and he tries to break it up (In my opinion an admirable and brave response) A crowd gathers around and the black gentleman is hit in the back allegedly with brass knuckles which shatters his fifth cervical vertebrae and paralyzes him. While he's down four others start kicking him and telling him to get up, but he can't. The guy that allegedly threw the crippling punch is said to have walked off with his hands in the air in a triumphant manner and yells "White Power!" and "Leave the n****r on the ground!"

That's the scenario. It is a tragedy and the boys that were involved should be punished much more severely than they were for being idiots and destroying the rest of this mans life. One was ordered to pay restitution of $9 million dollars and sentenced to 9 years in prison. The other four were sentenced to 1 year, time served and each would pay restitution equivalent to another million.

It was assault with the intent to cause severe bodily injury and should be punished accordingly. This young mans life is ruined because of the stupidity of these other boys not realizing that when you hit someone with a solid object that you can cause serious injury be it brass knuckles or a clinched fist. They probably also believe that if you hit someone on the back of the head with a baseball bat that they will wake up the next day with a headache. This is also called ignorance.

Again this is a terrible tragedy and should not be tolerated regardless of age, race, religious belief or anything else for that matter. Actions have consequences and each MUST be held accountable for them however, that doesn't hold very true in this day and time as long as you have good legal representation.

Here's my problem with "60 Minutes." Were they there to find closure? No. Were they there to uncover undiscovered information? No. Were they there to solve a mystery? No. Were they there to make sure that justice was served? No. So then what were they there for? I'm glad you asked. They were there to show how whites hate blacks.

"60 Minutes" used this as a means by which to get better ratings all the while driving a bigger wedge between the white and black communities. Was it a hate crime? I think that all arguments that end in physical violence of any kind could be considered a hate crime if it goes beyond a dispute and or pushing and shoving match. At that point don't you "hate" your opponent?

In this scenario the circumstances did lend themselves quite nicely for the "media" to create a story that didn't really exist e.g. white vs. black hate crime. Everyone involved in this was merely in the wrong place at the wrong time saying the right things to turn it into a media circus. I don't think that the assailants hated this young black man because he was black. I do think that because of the intoxicated condition that these boys were in, and the adrenalin, that they weren't thinking about the consequences of their actions let alone what was coming out of their mouths.

In conclusion: Was it a crime? You're darn right it was. Was it a hate crime? No, it was a fight that broke out at a party where alcohol was served and went from bad to worse. Was it a hate crime as it is defined by todays standards? If you bend it enough but don't break it, Yes. This young man was not attacked because he was black. He was attacked because he was in the middle of a fight when the frenzy broke out. If the young man had been white the outcome may have been the same but it wouldn't have been "media worthy." Anyone that knows right from wrong would want the attackers punished for what they had done regardless of the color of the victims skin.

What's next for media coverage "Whites hating whites with different color hair. A hate crime?" "Blacks hating blacks with feet larger than a size fourteen. An Expose" Where will it end? I can't recall ever hating anyone for the color of their skin and I'm white. With media coverage like last nights, if I were black I don't think I'd be too fond of whites myself (that is, if I were inclined to believe what the media says)

There are people of all races that have a hatred toward those that don't have the same color skin as they do. The only issue that ever comes to light however, is white vs. black. What a world we live in, eh? The media can intentionally make people hate each other and then sits back wringing their hands saying "Oh Boy!" and trying to figure out what they can screw up next.

Sorry to go on about this but it really set me off. I won't even get into what "60 Minutes" was trying to do with regard to George Bush (and failed miserably I might add) Ya'll have a nice day.

Darris "Media folk. What a bunch of self serving pansies." Chambless

PS. Personally I hate people that are A**holes. Can they be considered a race?

[Shwing]

Like the frog icon, things like this get me hopping mad. To follow in your vein, I remember watching Oprah about 8 years ago.

That was this first, and last time I ever watched it. The show was about how lightly-coloured African-Americans are hated and discriminated against by more darkly-coloured African-Americans. In other words,(not to put too fine a point on it), the Black blacks and the less black blacks hate each other... Give me a break.

At that point I vowed to never watch day-time talk shows again. Sucessful so far.

Also, if America (Technically the United States of America; as Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Panama, etc are all part of America, but I digress), is the great melting pot, then why are they called African American at all??

That would be like calling myself Scottish- Canadian, and bad you if you called me anything else. As the beer commercial states: "I AM CANADIAN" The world has gone so politically correct (the biggest mistake of the '90's) that they forgot that Most of these so called African Americans have been in the U.S. for generations, and thus, are Americans, period.

Whatever.

Shwing;-}

P.S. If you haven't heard the I AM CANADIAN rant, I'll post it. It's worth a look.

[Shwing]

What the heck this is the Just Conversation page. For you viewing pleasure follow the following link:

http://www.adcritic.com/content/mols...dian-i-am.html


Shwing;-}

[Pete Hanlin]

Now, now Darris... don't you know that you are supposed to be sensitive to issues like "hate crimes?" You are obviously a "right wing extremist" (interesting how Democrats are rarely labled as "left wing" or "extremists" or even "liberals" these days).

What do you expect from a profession made up of people who vote Democrat 87% of the time? Objectivity? Ha! I'm not even arguing the legitimacy of your points, I'm merely pointing out that the media has decided that people like you are "dangerous" and "extreme-" and they portray you as such in their news coverage so as to discredit your viewpoints (and anyone else with viewpoints opposite their own).

There are those on the Board here who are Democrats, and that is fine. Democrats have their own ideas and agendas (and the rules of probability dictate that some of them must be better than Republican ideas). That said, I don't so much mind Democratic candidates... what I DO mind is a media who is left free to mold the American mindset any way they see fit operating under the guise of "objectivity." Anyone who would call NPR, CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, etc. "objective" in their news coverage needs a dictionary.

On the subject of racial discord in America... the media has long asked the we become a society that is "colorblind." I'd say they've succeeded, because a large portion of our society see people in "black and white." From the biggoted idiot sucking on straw driving his Chevy to Jesse Jackson, we seem to be surrounded by people who "get off" on promoting racial conflict.

Too bad,
Pete "I'm preparing myself for 4-8 years of President Gore... the media will obviously assure his ascendency to the Executive throne" Hanlin

PS- Anyone who wants to go vote for Gore, go do it... just do me a favor and read the man's book on the environment (I have). This is a man who states that the greatest evil inflicted on mankind is the "gas combustion engine"... hmmm. Also, try to seek out "truth" on each candidate... not what Peter Jennings says, not what you hear on CNN, not what Rush Limbaugh preaches... get the objective truth.

[Judy Canty]

My husband and I have 3 wonderful children. Heather is 29 and from my first marriage. My husband adopted her when we married in 1980. When my daughter, Beth (19 and a junior at The College of William and Mary. Go Tribe!) was about 3, she noticed that I am white and Daddy is black. She wanted to know what she was...I told her that she was 3 and that was the end of the conversation. Her brother, Ben (13 and a freshman in high school) never even bothered to address what is now, to us at least, a non-issue. It all depends on your up-bringin'.

[This message has been edited by Judy Canty (edited 09-13-2000).]

[Darris Chambless]

Well Pete. Well Shwing,

I guess we will just have to live knowing that we have the objectivity and intellect to understand what's really going on in the world. Don't it **** you off though? ;-) I do believe that the only true minority are those like us.

The way I see it is this; When you can't see the forest through the trees you're an idiot. Plain simple and to the point I always say :-) If things continue on the way they are, I'll be glad to see the end of the world. I'm fed up with stupid people.

Darris C.

[Shwing]

Now Darris, these people are not idiots or stupid. Perhaps they are having a permanent off-day, or perhaps are simply prepossessed or predisposed towards an anti-comprehension viewpoint...

Nah, they're idiots.

Shwing;-}

P.S. remember, half the people you meet are below average.

P.S. always remember the 'Rule of Five'- that is, treat everyone as if they are five years old...

[Blake]

I just saw a piece on CNN where Clinton was supporting "hate crimes" legislation, saying these crimes were more dangerous than others. So I guess you're better off being murdered by someone whose motivation is something other than prejudice.
The kicker was when he spoke of political leaders who tried to convince a majority to blame their woes on a minority. Kinda like Gore trying to get "the people" to blame their problems on "the powerful". Talk about irony!

Blake

PS - the "RATS" ad was a disgrace... rats are dirty and smelly because God made them that way. They should not be insulted by being compared to Al Gore!

[mikeh]

I gave up on 60 Minutes long ago. Their "journalistic" tactics are one-sided, sensationalist and let's not forget - we only get to see it after they've edited it.

A few years ago some friends of mine had an unfortunate murder happen next door to them. Not only did the newspaper get the victims name wrong, but they had the wrong date and the wrong address.

Perhaps you've heard of Roberta Baskin. She's the investigative reporter who had the flap with CBS about not running her shoe expose because Nike was such a large advertiser.

She made her career by uncovering "optical scandals." I have videotapes of exposes she did in Chicago, DC and Philadelphia. The gist of the reports involved purchasing spectacles at chain optical stores and then having them "checked" by a private OD. In fact, assuming the "privateer" interpreted the glasses correctly, Baskin only reported the "failures" with no mention of all the others that were fine.

News is a business and business needs revenue. Revenue comes from advertising. Advertising needs audience. How about sweeps weeks?

The sad part is that the majority of Americans (US citizens, Shwing) get all of their news from television. I think the last number I saw was something like 85%.

[Carol D]

Well put, Judy!!!
When I lived in Dallas a few years ago, I put my daughter in a small private girls school. She was the only white child enrolled, but the only color she noticed was the blue uniform they ALL wore. The education was excellent and the girls all got along. The only issue we ever faced was from a few parents who did not want my daughter there because they thought it should cater exclusively to black girls. The principal(also a black woman), told them she would not discriminate and they shut up. Great school. I hated to to leave that behind when we moved to San Antonio.

Carol D

[Pete Hanlin]

Judy,
My son started Kindergarten a few weeks ago, and he was lucky enough to get Mrs. Romans for a teacher. From what I can tell, Mrs. Romans knows how to teach children, really loves her job, and most importantly- she likes my kid. Mrs. Romans also happens to be black.

Pierce doesn't seem to notice that... neither does he seem to notice that some of his friends and neighbors are black. I know someday he will question what the difference is between himself and others... I just hope the answer he finds will be "well, other than the fact that we look a little different, there isn't really all that much different about us."

To come to that conclusion, however, he will have to get past an educational system and a national/local media that stresses that Americans are a collection of sub-groups who prey on each other's needs and fears. A media that portrays white people as "oppressors" and black people as "victims," men as "predators" and women as "harrassed," religious folk as "close-minded" and atheists as "objective," people with wealth as "corrupt" and people in need as "cheated."

I wish him luck...
Pete

[Judy Canty]

Pete,
Keith and I began dating in 1976, when Heather was 5. We made it a point to include her in as much of our relationship as was possible and practical, including meals together whenever we could. Those meals together were the most important tool we had. The conversations were about more than what had happened in our lives that day. They were about current local and national events and how we felt about them. Our lives since then have become much more hectic, so the conversations at dinner have become more important than ever. We eat together, unlike so many of our friends who feed the kids separately, and whoever is at the table, kids, boyfriends, friends or extended family, is encouraged, kidded or cajoled into active participation. Simply parroting something they've heard or read isn't tolerated unless it can be logically supported. That's how we deal with the society of victims the various media have tried to create and it's worked pretty well for all these years. I'll bet that Pierce will have less trouble than you think, because his parents are smart enough to know the difference between emotion and rational thought.
Judy "Kids ought to come with an owner's manual" Canty

[karen]

Originally posted by Pete Hanlin:


What do you expect from a profession made up of people who vote Democrat 87% of the time? Objectivity? Ha! I'm not even arguing the legitimacy of your points, I'm merely pointing out that the media has decided that people like you are "dangerous" and "extreme-" and they portray you as such in their news coverage so as to discredit your viewpoints (and anyone else with viewpoints opposite their own).

.[/I]

Man, the things I missed while I was at the show.. Ya know boys, I hate to bring up that old "If you were running to president I'd vote for you " thing again but d****t I really think you guys could win. I am not sure who should be Prez and who should be VP and who should be spin doctor but between Darris, Pete and Shwing I think we've got it covered-actually I guess Shwing would HAVE to be spin doctor being Canadian and all-and then after you win (with the Repub/Opti platform how can you not?) we round up all those media guys and send them to Spain to repay them for all they have done to us (See Darris' thread about the tires) Whattdya think??

[Shwing]

I think Darris should be Pres, and Pete should hold all other cabinet posts (otherwise Darris would randomly smite cities at will, or embargo the Vatican- you know, with all their exports to us, ya know).

I'll happily be the backroom guy.

"Darris said What?!"

"We didn't need Azerbijakimenikazakgyzstan anyway. The Scots and Kiwis have all the sheep we need."

"Darris said What?!"

"Yes, the Vice President/ Treasurer/ Sec. State has authorized 50 million tons of snow to be airlifted to Texas to combat the Killer Bee infestation, any questions?? Oh, illegal immigrants, uh, yes, what about the snowbirds, Mr. Chairman??"

Shwing;-}

[shanbaum]

Originally posted by karen:
Whattdya think??

Opticrats.

[karen]

Originally posted by shanbaum:
Opticrats.

Nope- sounds too much like the "D" word...how about Optipublicans or Optiwhigs

Karen- yes I am "extreme" and "dangerous" and well as "registered"-to vote that is
GO DUBYA!!!

[This message has been edited by karen (edited 09-22-2000).]

[shanbaum]

Originally posted by karen:
Nope- sounds too much like the "D" word...how about Optipublicans

As the fellows from the UK will attest, that hits too close to home.

[Maria]

Optipublicans sounds good to me.....I'll have a gin and tonic, landlord.

[Steve Machol]

Originally posted by Maria:
<FONT COLOR=#FF0000>Optipublicans sounds good to me.....I'll have a gin and tonic, landlord.</FONT>

Maria, since you're in the UK - how about 'Optories'?

------------------

OptiBoard Administrator

[Shwing]

Sorry, Steve, Optories are out for Canada.

How about:


Strategic
Optical
Alliance/
Progressive
Band of
Opticians (mark an:
X

Thus, anyone can join us on the SOAPBOX.

Shwing;-]