This is a library.

I'm writing a paper in the library right now. I chose to do it here as opposed to at home where I have roommates, because I can't concentrate when people are talking or if there's music (with words) on. Everything was going well until 2 black guys showed up and started chatting. Then a 3rd and a 4th black guy came by, and now it's just a big clusterphuck of ebonics (and no, they're not doing a project together).

Similarly, this happens when I go to do my work in the computer lab. Despite the huge signs that say NO TALKING, I've noticed that people never seem to abide by this rule. Perhaps most annoyingly of all, some people even answer their cell phones and carry on a loud and pointless conversation right in the lab! These people always seem to be black.

This is something that I've noticed throughout my 4 years of college, and perhaps even before that in my HS. Although there were only 2 black individuals in my graduating class, whenever their seemed to be a noise disruption in a really disrespectful situation (loud rudeness), the perpetrators always seemed to be African American.

Now I am not a bigot or a racist. I'm not intolerant, nor do I believe that blacks and whites are inherently different in character, deserving of different rights and privileges, etc. One of my very best friends is black - I have a lot of black friends - I don't discriminate, and I don't preach or live by any type of racial hate. However, these observations made by myself and others must count for something. I'm not making this stuff up, nor am I discriminatory in my observations -- It's not that I simply "don't notice" or "don't care" if white people are doing the talking. Hell, I get pissed off at them too!

The point here is that I wonder why whenever there seems to be unnecessary (and often prohibited) noise pollution, it's always coming from black people. I hate that. I'm not the only one around in these situations, and I feel that these occurrences foster unethical bigotry in other people. Even my black friends make comments like, "Of course it has to be the black kids disrupting the entire class!" I know exactly how they feel; people use the homos in @ss-less chaps frolicking about at Gay Pride Parades as the supposed representation for the gay community all the time. Ugh.

Bottom line: You can't use the actions of a few to represent or make assumptions about an entire group. Still, these actions verify and continue to legitimize unfortunate stereotypes. At least those who don't want to see homos in @ss-less chaps don't have to go to the parade to see it; in the situations that I have described, these individuals have forced us to endure their rudeness, and subsequently most people are too scared (for whatever reason - lol) to say anything, which never seems to be the case with the gays.

Anyway, I guess I'm just distracted and complaining about it :)

Haha, I have the same feelings. Blacks and hispanics always seem to be the most disruptive, loud, and erm,,, stupid members of school. But if you ever say this out loud, YOU ARE A RACIST!!!11!

I also agree with the both of you. In the cafeteria, whenever there's a big noise or someone screaming, it's either coming from a football table full of black guys or from a freshman girl table with three extremely loud and rambunxious girls. In the hallways, whenever there's screaming or yelling, I turn around, and it's a black guy doing it. I never see whites at my school doing that. I'm not racist, but there seems to be a pattern.

Seems more like a frustrated diatribe than long-term observations. haha

Poor Lwerd

At 10/18/2009 4:32:39 PM, Nags wrote:
But if you ever say this out loud, YOU ARE A RACIST!!!11!

Bingo.

At 10/18/2009 4:38:33 PM, theLwerd wrote:

At 10/18/2009 4:32:39 PM, Nags wrote:
But if you ever say this out loud, YOU ARE A RACIST!!!11!

Bingo.

Lol. L, I thought you were online "1 hour ago."

I appear offline all the time lol. The wife thinks I'm doing my paper right now; not meddling around on DDO :P

Not saying anyone here is guilty of this. But patterns don't justify generalizations, and personal observation can be biased.

For example, it's one thing to say disruptive students tend to be Hispanic or black. It's an entirely other thing to say that Hispanic or black tend to be disruptive. Even the first statement is questionable.

At 10/18/2009 5:15:43 PM, PoeJoe wrote:
Not saying anyone here is guilty of this. But patterns don't justify generalizations, and personal observation can be biased.

For example, it's one thing to say disruptive students tend to be Hispanic or black. It's an entirely other thing to say that Hispanic or black tend to be disruptive. Even the first statement is questionable.

Three people on this thread have observed the same exact thing and I'm sure you have observed the same thing. Patterns usually do justify generalizations, as generalizations are based mostly on patterns. Also, I'd like to point out that the vast majority of the juveniles and the majority of the prison population is black and hispanic. It may sound racist or wrong, but it's the truth. The truth sometimes hurts, but you have to deal with it.

At 10/18/2009 5:00:22 PM, theLwerd wrote:
I appear offline all the time lol. The wife thinks I'm doing my paper right now; not meddling around on DDO :P

What sort of punishment will you be getting when she reads this post?