Are race relations better or worse under the President?

[renocat]

With the Selma anniversary in my opinion things seem more polarized.  More hate.

[star seed 7]

I'd say they are better than 1960

[Dugout DickStone]

Better

[wetwillie]

Kanye has not said Obama hates black people so we are likely much better off.

[AST]

Not that Oklahoma is a bastion for tolerance but it appears racial tension is still high at OU under the current regime

[Cire]

They'd be better if republicans weren't so racist all the time

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

I'd say the worst since the civil rights movement.

[Dugout DickStone]

I'd say the worst since the civil rights movement.

Huge surprise here.

[MakeItRain]

Since the 60's things are obviously better, since 2009, worse.

I'd say the worst since the civil rights movement.

You'd certainly know. Tell your people we don't want a turf war, we'd lose. We still only make up 14% of the population I'm not sure what you're scared of.

[Cartierfor3]

on the internet and tv news and stuff worse, but from my IRL experiences, its a little better all the time.

[star seed 7]

on the internet and tv news and stuff worse, but from my IRL experiences, its a little better all the time.

yeah.  i think racial injustices get brought to light much more often right now, which may make it seem "worse". this of course makes the ksuw types uncomfortable because they want these things hidden and to go on their merry way

[Cartierfor3]

Example: on the internet, people freak about about stupid crap like a storm trooper or Annie being black. IRL lil' CF3 told me after he saw the new Annie "Dad now I've seen 2 Annies. One with brown hair, one with red hair." Each generation progresses a little further than their parents in terms of how race is viewed. IRL I encounter less division by race than I did 10 years ago.

[star seed 7]

the new annie didn't have red hair?  wtf

[MakeItRain]

on the internet and tv news and stuff worse, but from my IRL experiences, its a little better all the time.

yeah.  i think racial injustices get brought to light much more often right now, which may make it seem "worse". this of course makes the ksuw types uncomfortable because they want these things hidden and to go on their merry way

No, it's worse because it's worse, you'll want to trust me on this one. There are people who truly think that electing Obama is the start of something bigger. They think black people won't get convicted of crimes. Racists that weren't previously scared of black people now are and scared people do desperate crap. Electing Obama makes the work of white supremest organizations easier because the message that they have been preaching since segregation ended, "we're losing our country to them," seems like it's much more real and immediate.

[Headinjun]

Only the middle aged crowd thinks it's worse.

Most of us get along fine and have a better understanding of backgrounds and life experiences. 

Anybody who thinks it's worse already had a problem to begin with. 

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

on the internet and tv news and stuff worse, but from my IRL experiences, its a little better all the time.

yeah.  i think racial injustices get brought to light much more often right now, which may make it seem "worse". this of course makes the ksuw types uncomfortable because they want these things hidden and to go on their merry way

No, it's worse because it's worse, you'll want to trust me on this one. There are people who truly think that electing Obama is the start of something bigger. They think black people won't get convicted of crimes. Racists that weren't previously scared of black people now are and scared people do desperate crap. Electing Obama makes the work of white supremest organizations easier because the message that they have been preaching since segregation ended, "we're losing our country to them," seems like it's much more real and immediate.

Well, I'll agree with you that things are worse since Obama was elected, and at least part of that is because his election has riled up the racists. But I also think Obama and Eric Holder haven't helped matters with some of their racially charged comments and actions.

For example, Obama always feels the need to publicly express how things like the Zimmerman and Brown shootings are about race. "If I had a son, he'd look like Trayvon..." Really? That's great. Would your son attack some bad person cop-wannabee when asked "what are you doing here"? Probably not. Would your son rob a convenience store and attack a cop? Probably not - so stop making it about race.

Another example: when there are reports of break-ins in a neighborhood and neighbors call the police to report seeing a suspicious individual peering into a house and trying to force their way into the front door, and the police respond and demand that the suspect show some ID, and the suspect is outraged and gets into a verbal altercation with the police because he's the owner of the house, and the police arrest the man for refusing to show ID, don't go in front of a national audience and petulanty intone that "the Cambridge police acted stupidly." The Cambridge police did their job, jackass - it's not always about race.

Don't get me started on Eric Holder - he has repeatedly claimed that political opposition to Obama's policies is at least partly due to race.

All of these actions cause a great deal of racial resentment.

Then consider that President Obama is the most polarizing president in history, even moreso than GWB. Part of that polarization is between whites and blacks. Over 6 years in office, Obama's approval numbers have sagged dramatically across every demographic - except one. Guess which group remains steadfast in their support (despite, ironically, being disproportionately harmed by the stagnant economy and his immigration actions)? That's right. The disparity is so bad that SNL spoofed it. This also leads to resentment.

[CNS]

Hard to speak on this anywhere outside my own bubble, but it seems to me like informal segregation is as prevalent now as it was twenty yrs ago.   

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

Just another example of in today's papers of how Holder and Obama gin up racial tension. NYT: Threats to Voting Rights Remain, Selma Gathering Is Told

Yes, requiring an ID to vote is a deliberate effort to disenfranchise black voters... You'd expect that kind of claim from the lunatic left - not from our chief law enforcement officers who are supposed to care about everyone being disenfranchised by illegal ballot stuffing.

So are race relations worse? Yeah, they are. A lot of reasons why.
1. The economy is stagnant and black people and other minorities are worse off now than they have been in a long, long time.
2. Police are being militarized like Seal Team Six with all the surplus military gear our Big Brother Government wants to provide, inflaming situations like Ferguson.
3. Our President and AG are constantly running around blaming things on racism, then accusing us of lacking the courage to have "an honest dialogue about race," and the libtards constantly attribute political opposition to Obama as racism.
4. Oh, and there's at least some genuine racists who don't like having a black president and AG.

[CNS]

I think those four things all have merit to an extent, but #4 makes up a very large part of it all in that many ppl are still very very racist, they just have developed a certain filter in public. 

[Cire]

Can you guys even imagine the white midwestern butthurt that is coming our way in 20 years or so when they are the minority and brown people are running the government?  Civil war?

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

I think those four things all have merit to an extent, but #4 makes up a very large part of it all in that many ppl are still very very racist, they just have developed a certain filter in public.

Do you have any evidence to support that? I think a number of things refute your claim. For one, the right is just as opposed to white liberals such as Hillary Clinton, John Kerry, Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, etc. as they are opposed to Obama. It's about policies - not skin color. Moreover, the "Tea Party" - often pointed to by libtards as Exhibit A of racist opposition to Obama - has enthusiastically supported a number of black conservatives (Ben Carson, Allen West, Mia Love, Tim Scott, Condi Rice, etc.).

So no, I don't think racism is nearly as big a factor as the other things I've pointed to. I would also argue that for every person blindly opposing Obama/Holder due to race, there are just as many if not more people blinding supporting them for the same reason. The steadfast approval rating among black people, despite sagging approval among all other demographics, supports this.

[MakeItRain]

I think those four things all have merit to an extent, but #4 makes up a very large part of it all in that many ppl are still very very racist, they just have developed a certain filter in public.

1,2, and 3 are total bullshit. K-S-U-W is trying to make himself seem tolerant but his views on these things mirror the racist wack jobs he decries in #4.

1. The economy isn't stagnant and minorities are not worse off, this is a blatant lie. More people are on food stamps and most people on food stamps are blacks and browns, right KSUW?
2. So cops killing people as if we're in a civil war is the fault of the negro running the country but not the fault of the people pulling the trigger? No doubt cops in tanks make matters worse but it is not why people distrust cops, its ridiculous to take that isolated incident and attribute that to eroding race relations. There have been no tanks in NYC, Cleveland, and Madison, how's the relationships between the PDs and the citizens in those places right now?
3. The biggest load of crap there is and frankly it's an embarrassment that you, CNS, said it has some merit. Whenever Holder and Obama talk about these issues they are discussing them from the perspective of being black men. Instead of taking what they are saying on merit or using them to have a greater understanding of what the hell they are talking about people like KSUW freak out about reverse-racism. Yes, when those guys talk about an issue from their perspective and people shout them down because they shouldn't talk about those things from a perspective of race is in fact, racist.
4. I don't know for sure but I'm guessing that KSUW has a much more narrow definition of the people in his #4 than I do.

[michigancat]

I enjoyed reading this, and I think everyone who has a genuine interest in race relations in America and can act like a grown up should read it, too:

http://www.theatlantic.com/features/archive/2014/05/the-case-for-reparations/361631/

[K-S-U-Wildcats!]

Wow MIR. Maybe dial it back a few notches. Let's go point by point...

1,2, and 3 are total bullshit. K-S-U-W is trying to make himself seem tolerant but his views on these things mirror the racist wack jobs he decries in #4.

1. The economy isn't stagnant and minorities are not worse off, this is a blatant lie. More people are on food stamps and most people on food stamps are blacks and browns, right KSUW?

NAACP President Ben Jealous, and the Census Bureau, beg to differ.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/jan/28/naacp-president-black-people-worse-under-obama/
http://www.nationalreview.com/article/378087/black-americans-are-worse-under-obama-deroy-murdock

2. So cops killing people as if we're in a civil war is the fault of the negro running the country but not the fault of the people pulling the trigger? No doubt cops in tanks make matters worse but it is not why people distrust cops, its ridiculous to take that isolated incident and attribute that to eroding race relations. There have been no tanks in NYC, Cleveland, and Madison, how's the relationships between the PDs and the citizens in those places right now?

See bold - that was the only point I was trying to make there. But I think it is fair to say that the cops are getting more trigger-happy as conditions continue to deteriorate in rundown, crime-addled communities.

3. The biggest load of crap there is and frankly it's an embarrassment that you, CNS, said it has some merit. Whenever Holder and Obama talk about these issues they are discussing them from the perspective of being black men. Instead of taking what they are saying on merit or using them to have a greater understanding of what the hell they are talking about people like KSUW freak out about reverse-racism. Yes, when those guys talk about an issue from their perspective and people shout them down because they shouldn't talk about those things from a perspective of race is in fact, racist.

Ok. That's your opinion, but I don't think you're looking at this very rationally.

4. I don't know for sure but I'm guessing that KSUW has a much more narrow definition of the people in his #4 than I do.

That's probably true, but only because you've indicated in your third point above that you are much more willing to attribute opposition to Obama/Holder to racism. Ironically, your willingness to freak out and paint people who disagree with you as racist sort of affirms some of what I've been saying. You're a perfect example of how race relations have deteriorated. I'm trying to have that "honest dialogue about race" Obama/Holder are always asking for. You're just screaming "raaaacist."

[CNS]

1. I admittedly haven't read anything on this, but remember hearing an NPR podcast not too long ago that made mention of something to the effect of the middle and lower classes losing ground and minorities in those groups in those two classes especially losing ground.  It was a little while ago, I have no clue which podcast it was, but I don't listen to the same ones as KSUW prob does.

2. I absolutely think police getting military equipt is part of the problem.  Police need to be as relatable and personable as possible to those they serve.  An armored humvee and swat gear not only doesn't accomplish that very well, but it also attracts ppl who want to play guns and war more than it attracts ppl that want to serve and protect, imo.

3. This is the biggest stretch in that I don't believe that the govt is causing racism.  However there has seemed to be a lot of calls for a discussion on racism followed by nothing.  Honesty,  as a white Midwestern who doesn't feel racist,  I am not even sure what that means.  It's a huge issue and a national problem.  A lot of ppl are open to discussion, but it's not happening and seems like no one even knows how to do this, only keeps saying it needs to take place.

4. KSUW,  I wasn't speaking specifically to the right.  I was speaking to the fact that my daily experience is that many ppl are still racist, but that it is below the surface and not on their sleeve.