I must confess: I am more afraid of other white people than black people

[samwisefoxburr]

I used to live in fairly wealthy area of town occupied by mostly white people. The only black family I can remember (although there were most likely others, just didn't know a lot of people outside our own little street, unless there was a child going to school) were pretty much like the Huxtable family on The Cosby Show. They had a nice house (better than ours actually) two cars, nice kids who studied hard at school, etc. Two doors down is a family that has a driveway so long that the only reason they would walk to get the mail is if they needed to get exercise (we also went to their house on a field trip in elementary school, their daughter was in my class. Next door is a three story house, the father is a doctor, their daughter went to school with me (and they voted Bush, shame on them). And Tony George, the owner of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, lives just down the street.

That being said, I moved in with my dad earlier this year, who lives in a part of town that is mostly black, and certainly not as wealthy, although I wouldn't say it is a bad part of town, just not as good as where I used to live.

Shortly after I moved in with my dad I get my first anti-bush bumper sticker (Bush Keeps Lying. Soldiers Keep Dying). At the time I still worked at the Blockbuster in Carmel, where it seems pretty much everybody is rich, republican, and white.

Anyways, one day I was driving to work, and I notice a guy in his pick-up truck is giving me the finger, I felt so scared. I even contemplated getting a gun, even though I am anti-gun. Ever since then I feel scared (or at least a little nervous) driving anywhere on the east side of Michigan Road. I try not to make eye contact with people in other cars.

I'm just thankful that I work in a factory where the majority of the people are minorities. And let me tell you, most everyone there hates Bush and they are vocal about it. If they so much as hear his name they will tell it like it is, on how he stole the election and how he is shafting the economy, the war, etc. And just today I was stuck on a line with some religious women who said that the book Revelation was talking about Bush! I don't know what would've happened had I been stuck working at Blockbuster near, during, or after the election.

Sorry for ranting on like this, I just found it strange that I am more afraid of my own race than other races. But I guess it's because I live in Indiana.

[Neoma]

1. interesting but not rare

same way with me (sept i still live in a white community!)
but i like getting to know people before being afraid of them.
(unless they have a confederate flag on there t-shirt etc)

[eleonora]

2. Indiana sucks

I hate this place. People are just dumb and selfish over here. I don't put any sticker on my car because I know it'll get keyed: too many violent pro-bush rednecks around here.

[4morewars]

3. As you should be !!!!

Any time I have gotten screwed in this life, it was by other white people. And it's not because I've only been around white people, I lived most of my life in NYC, and now live in Detroit.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

18. i am terrified of blacks...

all of them...they all scare me...every last one...why? because the two times i have been robbed in my life it was by black people. One of them held a gun in my face and took all the money from the cash drawer in the convenience store i was working in...he was well dressed but he was black...now when i see black people i am scared...and it's not because i am not around them...i work with them everyday and they scare me...

tP

[Brundle_Fly]

21. if anyone puts a gun in your face

you will be scared, I had a young 20 something (white) do it to me....I think you just have to accept there is bad everywhere.


AND GOOD!

[ProdigalJunkMail]

23. just pointing at the OP and that they have the SAME issue

it isn't about race...it is about loser individuals. I am NOT scared of blacks in any size, shape or form...it is just ridiculous that race is even mentioned in this manner...

theProdigal

[InvisibleBallots]

37. Black People Love Us!

http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/

"We are well-liked by Black people so we're psyched (since lots of Black people don't like lots of White people)!! We thought it'd be cool to honor our exceptional status with a ROCKIN' domain name and a killer website!!"

[tjdee]

4. Don't let that one guy spook ya.

Though, as a black woman, I am slightly more frightened by whites (and by whites I mean older rural/suburban whites), as some of them hate me on sight for nothing I've said/done. If I were a big hefty man who could kick some ass, I may feel differently.

[msgadget]

5. Take off the sticker

until you're ready to defend it against people like the guy in the truck. No shame in living to fight another day.

[Lorien]

6. I found that to be true while I was canvassing

I've always gone to school and lived in multi-ethnic neighborhoods, so I never thought much about differences between racial groups. But when I was canvassing, I found that my stomach got queasy when a white person (especially a man-and redneck types were the worst) came to the door. I was most relaxed around black people (on average, they were the nicest people that I spoke to). I started to feel really guilty about being so biased against my own race, because I never felt prejudiced one way or another towards any races. I guess it's just the ugliness of the political climate that has caused me to distrust those that make up the majority of Bush's* base.
:shrug:

[crispini]

43. When I was canvassing, I'd get really nervous

when going up to a house that I perceived as "redneck." Until I realized that about half the time, these ol' redneck guys were union men. Then I started feeling not quite so nervous about these houses.

[murielm99]

7. We had an elderly aunt who worked as a nurse in India

until she was in her forties. She came home to take care of her mother during her final illness.

She inherited her family's home, and stayed there. The neighborhood slowly changed to African American. After her mother died, she worked in a clinic that had mostly African American clients. She spent her whole life around people of color.

She said she felt uneasy around white people unless they were family. Their behavior was different and threatening to her.

At her wake and funeral, I saw how much her neighbors cared for her.

[indigobusiness]

50. Your story is a window

into the real quality of life in the USA.

Thank you. How insightful!

Your Aunt must have been a wonderful woman.

[Jack_DeLeon]

8. I'm scared of dangerous minorities...

whites are the minority in my neck of the woods, and the dangerous ones scare me. :P

J/K I try not to be scared of anyone or anything. Being scared IMO doesnt help any, however if I feel there is danger I will be cautions, try to keep good situational awareness, and hopefully will be ready for whatever needs to be done if it needs to be.

edit also fwiw, I think its silly to be scared of one "group" of people over another group, all people can be equally as dangerous, certainly no race is free from muderers or criminals.

[Forkboy]

9. I'm scared of the whole damn species

We've shown a penchant for banality and violence throughout our existence.

[NuttyFluffers]

10. oddly enough, same here.

they are the only group of people who, in some members, you can see in their eyes and posture that they live and die on priviledge and arrogance. too many of them, they look at people and have a belief, nay, *know*, that if they wanted to they could go rob you, beat you, rape you, even kill you, and most likely get away with it in the vast majority of this country, possibly world. it scares and angers me, and i'm white. it's a trend that needs to end.

[fujiyama]

11. I remember hearing a song

I'm afraid of Americans
I'm afraid of the world
I'm afraid I can't help myself

I don't remember anything else about the song but I'd say those lyrics apply.

If I stay in this country, I'll likely buy a gun. My view on the second amendment has changed a LOT over the last four years.

[NuttyFluffers]

14. "I'm Afraid of Americans" by David Bowie

on the album Earthling.

great song.

"no one needs anyone, they don't even just pretend... johnny's an american.
/refrain/

johnny wants a brain, johnny wants to sip on a coke, johnny wants a woman, johnny wants to think of a joke... johnny's an american.
/refrain/

johnny's in america, johnn looks up at the stars, johnny combs his hair and johnny wants pussy and cars... johnny's an american, johnny's an american

i'm afraid of americans, i'm afraid of the world, i'm afraid i can't help it, i'm afraid i can't.... god is an american... god is an american...
/refrain/"

[datasuspect]

29. "god is an american"

americans nowadays are pretty scary

[genieroze]

48. Oh my gosh, me too.

I always said I don't care who owns a gun just as long as they don't hunt people. I never likes guns even though my dad was a hunter and always had a hand gun next to his bed. I was always afraid to go near it, and the fact that my dad was a big (physically huge) Navy man told me not to go near it, worked. I just asked my husband if maybe we should think about getting a gun for protection. It's like the whole world is going nutty and with the economy in the toilet it's just a matter of time when we might get robbed. I felt this way during Reagan as well but not to this extent.

[readmoreoften]

12. Oddly enough, I feel the same way.

Back when I was a white speck living in an all-black ghetto I was never afraid of my neighbors. But when I'm driving through the south with my partner, I'm literally afraid for our lives and our bodily integrity.

[Piperay]

13. I hear ya

I'm white too and find I have more in common with minorities than my own 'kind'... they're the ones who scare me. :-(

[leftofthedial]

15. this exact topic came up earlier tonight

at a meeting I attended.

[ellie]

16. Me too

I am very wary of white men. I just don't trust them. I run through a desolate 4,000-acre park every day and am not afraid unless I come across some random white man, standing around in the woods. What is he doing? I hate being afraid of these people, especially since I am white myself.

[lateo]

17. Small world...I worked at the BB in Carmel long ago.

Howdy fellow Hoosier!

[H2O Man]

19. I try to judge people

mainly on hair color and length.

[vetwife]

20. its not the color of the skin..Its the color of the heart. People used

to be afraid of the Indians..Native Americans. I am afraid of no color of person. I am leary of the color of the heart.

[H2O Man]

26. I'm not sure, Vetwife:

I just am not comfortable around short-haired men. I mean, if one moved into my neighborhood, I'd be a bit anxious. I wish I were so open-minded that I could say that some of my best friends have short hair. But that would lead to the real question: would I allow one of my daughters to marry a short-haired man? At this point, I'm sticking with my belief that we need a Constitutional Amendment to outlaw marriages between short-haired men and my daughters.

[radwriter0555]

22. oh SHIT! I'm supposed to be afraid of people 'cause they're BLACK???? Now

that just pisses me off. Why didn't I get the memo? Are there RULES to this? Like, can they be ANY shade of black? or does it have to be REALLY black?

What if they have blue eyes?

Kids, am I suppposed to be afraid of black kids, and what is the age cut off? Does it matter if they're girls or boys?

DAMMIT I need the RULES!

**running around in circles, waving arms, shrieking in panic**

So since I'm the ONLY white chick on my block, what SHOULD I DO?

[datasuspect]

24. i trust black people, poor people

more than i trust white people and rich people.

sitting here thinking: in the 10 years i've worked in corporate america (the last 4 - 5 in support capacity for executives) i've NEVER had a black boss.

weird . . . but there is no racism in america, right?

[InvisibleBallots]

27. This whole thread reminds me of this:

She came from Greece she had a thirst for knowledge
She studied sculpture at Saint Martin's College, that's where I caught her eye.
She told me that her Dad was loaded
I said in that case I'll have a rum and coke-cola.
She said fine and in thirty seconds time she said, I want to live like common people
I want to do whatever common people do, I want to sleep with common people
I want to sleep with common people like you.
Well what else could I do - I said I'll see what I can do.
I took her to a supermarket
I don't know why but I had to start it somewhere, so it started there.
I said pretend you've got no money, she just laughed and said oh you're so funny.
I said yeah? Well I can't see anyone else smiling in here.
Are you sure you want to live like common people
You want to see whatever common people see
You want to sleep with common people,
you want to sleep with common people like me.
But she didn't understand, she just smiled and held my hand.
Rent a flat above a shop, cut your hair and get a job.
Smoke some fags and play some pool, pretend you never went to school.
But still you'll never get it right
'cos when you're laid in bed at night watching roaches climb the wall
If you call your Dad he could stop it all.
You'll never live like common people
You'll never do what common people do
You'll never fail like common people
You'll never watch your life slide out of view, and dance and drink and screw
Because there's nothing else to do.
Sing along with the common people, sing along and it might just get you thru'
Laugh along with the common people
Laugh along even though they're laughing at you and the stupid things that you do.
Because you think that poor is cool.

[datasuspect]

28. uh . . . okay

not sure what you are getting out.

no one is really fetishizing poverty.

i was born into poverty, not privilege, was lucky enough to get a college education and am now poor again.

"poor is cool?"

dunno. never thought of it that way. a reality, yes, but "cool?"

no. sounds like you are trivializing something here.

[InvisibleBallots]

32. you don't get the point?

We have a thread full of White liberals talking about how they "trust" Black people more, and middle class yuppies telling us about how much they "trust" the poor. 100% self-righteous bullshit if you ask me. Smacks of paternalism, doesn't it?

If yall trust the poor so much, come on by the neighborhood with a fat wallet tonight.

[datasuspect]

33. i grew up in a ghetto

and live in one as an adult. i live in a mixed race ghetto right now where the white to black ratio is about 2:10.

never had a problem.

how do you know the people here are middle class yuppies?

i've seen more compassion in a working class (poor) bar than i ever have seen in a corporate office.

[InvisibleBallots]

34. how do we know?

"how do you know the people here are middle class yuppies?"

I'll leave that as an exercise for the reader.

"i've seen more compassion in a working class (poor) bar than i ever have seen in a corporate office."

Boardroom isn't the place to look for compassion, that's for sure.

[H2O Man]

35. Gosh are you right!

Darned poor people! The only way they can afford to live in slums is from stealing from middle-class folks like you and me. And they love ghettos! Just look how they crowd into every little apartment. Luckily you have a keen insight and grasp of those people.

Same with blacks. Thank Goodknee you exposed them! Is it our fault their ancestors wanted to come to this country so badly that they chained themselves to our ships to get here? You never hear this fucking middle-class yuppie shit-heads talk about that in terms of National Security, do you? Thank goodness that you bring the common sense of Jesse Helmes to DU.

[InvisibleBallots]

36. that's a funny little rant, H2O Man

I'm not sure what it has to do with my post, but anyway. Are you poor? What do you know about it?

[H2O Man]

38. No, no! Not me!

I'm not funny: You Are!!! Man, you got the gift! The natural-born talent! You sure did expose those silly DUers who are trying to reduce prejudice and hatred! Put 'em in their place! Ha!!!! Don't tease us, baby! Keep that God-given .... No! even God ain't that funny! It's you! It's all about you! I'm here at the edge of my seat just a'waitin!

If you do want to be serious about "poor," then you don't have the upper hand. I used to wear the McCourt's hand-me-downs. I was always jealous that Frankie ate higher on the hog than me. But let's get back to were you reign supreme: down-puttin' humor!

[InvisibleBallots]

40. thanks, H20, no one gets my humor except you

Now, let's all get back to talking about how cool poor black people are! That will help reduce prejudice - poor black people are standing behind their keyboards, waiting for us to take the lead!

[THUNDER HANDS]

25. I'm more afraid of Native Americans

I've never actually seen one in person, but if I ever do, I bet they're gonna kill me. :scared:


j/k

[Kingshakabobo]

54. It's the Dutch that REALLY scare me.

:scared:

[skypilot]

30. I just HAVE to ask.

So, what did the book of Revelation say about Bush according to your nutty coworker?

[ArkDem]

31. The white devil can not be trusted.

[InvisibleBallots]

41. all the cayenne pepper makes it very, very spicy!

http://www.greatbritishkitchen.co.uk/recipes/starters/whitedevil.htm

[ArkDem]

51. That does look pretty tasty. You need to send that link to

The Nation!

[CatWoman]

39. Indiana -- brimming with racism and corn fields

I was born in Virginia, raised in New York.

I was in the Army - stationed at Fort Harrison (Indianapolis).

One day I was riding my bike, minding my own business -- and a carload of rednecks rode by me and they shouted "Nigger" at me out of the window.

One of my many unpleasant memories of Indianapolis.

[HoosierClarkie]

44. I am so sorry that

happened to you. :hug:

I lived by fort harrison and went to school with a lot of kids with families in the military. I felt the most comfortable around them. I am still best friends with one of them. Yes she is black and I am white. Unfortunately, she was called the "n" word on several occasions. I can't pretend to imagine how that felt for her, but she is the most forgiving person I know. Anyway,I think the reason why it is so racist here is because people come here to get an education and then leave. Now we are a state that is filled with uneducated bigots and people who are "lucky" to get one of the few good jobs here. It is very disturbing.

[murray hill farm]

42. i think you get yourself in trouble..

trusting or not trusting based on color of skin. Some white people will hurt ya..some black people will hurt ya. Some white people will help ya..some black people will help ya! Some people will hurt ya and some people will help ya..no matter what their skin color or background or financial status.
Given that...i do know what you mean. I just bought a little house in Brunswick, GA. I am white..and bought the little house in an all black neighborhood..and i am much more comfortable in that neighborhood..than i could ever be in an all white neighborhood in the same area. I think it is because the neighborhood is a poor family neighborhood...and i am more like these folks than i am like the white folks in the areas wealthier neighborhoods. I live in Mexico most of the year..and like the more simple life that there is here...and that life style is more reflected in the black neighborhood that i bought into in Georgia. People do not have much money...buy very little...work two and three jobs at burger king or mcdonalds..and are not part of that rush, rush, rush to accumulate wealth..since its not going to happen anyway. So, they are close to each other..help each other..have gardens in their yards..share even food. So, it is the lifestyle..the sense of community that is what makes it so appealing to me.

[superconnected]

45. I don't know any blacks

none. My best friend is Asian, and I work with plenty of asians, and people from the eastern block and also india, they're great. There just aren't any blacks here. I remember a few in the buliding at my last job - it was a sky scrapper that had thousands of people, and I remember 2 or 3 black people in the 3.5 years I worked there.

I'm afraid of the whites. Specifically the gun lovers and extreme right -the ones that would KILL in the name of God.

I'm also a bit afraid of SUV's with those support our troops ribbons on the back. I think it's because I stereo type them.

From the little I've ever been around blacks, I just can't remember them ever scaring me. I don't think I have a stereo type of them being anything but normal like oprah or montel williams. I do remember Montel Williams being called a white black, on the web in the mid ninetys.

[genieroze]

46. That's why I don't use bumper stickers.

I live in a Rethugakin county. I have a "support our troops, bring em home magnet" but that's it. I still get some dirty looks and when confronted I tell them that I have two nephews in the military and I don't want them coming home in a casket so back off. Since most of these hypocrites don't know anyone or don't have relatives in the military, they can act all noble.

[SmokingJacket]

47. I'm afraid of SCARY people.

Who cares what color?

[indigobusiness]

49. I'm afraid of all of you people...

and every one of your shadows.

[H2O Man]

52. There are some

shadows here.

[indigobusiness]

53. Everyone

has shadows.