tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post351575869914977867..comments2024-03-02T10:57:29.133-05:00Comments on benning's Writing Pad: Another Noose; Another Rallybenninghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12883327259794768568noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post-59666297302480222482007-10-13T12:57:00.000-04:002007-10-13T12:57:00.000-04:00Look, hanging that noose on the door is an act of ...Look, hanging that noose on the door is an act of ugliness. But is it threatening enough to warrant such an intense investigation? <BR/><BR/>Some of these concerns about racism seem more like whining to me. Also, this "whining" just fuels the acts as the "whining" gives the doer(s) attention.Always On Watchhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08192688822955022541noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post-26431948384773460232007-10-12T14:36:00.000-04:002007-10-12T14:36:00.000-04:00"I did it for the wrong reason (I went where the g..."I did it for the wrong reason (I went where the girls were better - looking)," ~ That may not be the best of reasons to choose a college, but it puts you in place for an education. It's the outcome that counts, not the initial step, eh?benninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12883327259794768568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post-18438142478978840912007-10-12T13:26:00.000-04:002007-10-12T13:26:00.000-04:00Dr X: Well as a fundamentalist Christian, you can ...Dr X: Well as a fundamentalist Christian, you can guess what my feelings are regarding the field of psychology that people like Freud, Jung, Kinsey, etc. left behind. Still, it is just that claiming that the woman planted the noose herself is uncalled for without evidence, because quite frankly junk like this happens all the time, and usually when it does the targets of this behavior don't report it. Even when it does get reported, it only becomes a major media incident when the media figures that it is in their larger agenda to make it so. Even the Jena, Louisiana case: the only reason why it make national news was because the prosecutor made the ridiculous decision to claim that tennis shoes were weapons. The irony is that everyone is celebrating Mychal Bell's charges being "reduced" from attempted murder to felony assault when the truth is that the maximum sentence for attempted is shorter than it is for felony assault in Louisiana! Now Bell is back in jail, serving 18 months for his three prior convictions. Why? Because the local officials want to justify their treatment of this fellow. The real irony is that had these folks left well enough alone, he would have ultimately gotten out of jail at the end of the appeals process in a few months. Because of their making him a civil rights celebrity case, he is actually going to have to serve more time than he would have before. Does the media care? Do the civil rights groups care? Of course not. <BR/><BR/>"But, everything I've experienced, though, tells me that we can't rule out the possibility that there are no real victims here other than every serious academician and serious student whose university is being used by rallying, attention-seeking careerists who don’t give a flying flip about the mission of serious research and education." I agree entirely. The more I read about the nonsense that goes on at these elite universities, the bigger fan I am of the ones with poor reputations. I am still eternally grateful that I turned down the elite schools to go to a black college. I did it for the wrong reason (I went where the girls were better - looking), but I know that had I gone to Duke or some place like that I would be a Cornel West syncophant. (It may surprise you, but black colleges are actually far more conservative than than elite universities, the reason being that black colleges are actually trying to educate people and prepare them for the workforce. Not that you should go and send your child to one or go work at one or anything ... they have their own set of problems which are quite severe.)healthelandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02597322285407724205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post-41819902811471150762007-10-12T12:18:00.000-04:002007-10-12T12:18:00.000-04:00I would never be so arrogant as to presume I know ...I would never be so arrogant as to presume I know exactly what happened at Columbia, but I smell a rat. As a clinical psychologist who has worked in major unversity counseling centers and had way too much exposure to counseling psychologists, if I had to bet, I'd say that this has nothing to do with race. Race is simply a vehicle that serves other purposes in the counseling psych world that these people occupy.<BR/><BR/>To the person who thinks it's outrageous to wonder if Constantine did this herself, I can assure you that just about anything has been possible with these characters I've known in the world of counseling psychology. Naked careerism, jealousy and efforts to destroy competitors is rampant in a culture that gives priority to seeking position and professional notoriety over any honest academic mission. Race, gender and victimhood are merely the currency of bald ambition in that world. The smallness of these folks would exceed your wildest imagination. University counseling psychology departments are a careerist’s hog heaven.<BR/><BR/>Maybe Constantine is the victim of an idiotic stunt, maybe it’s part of an ongoing dispute with someone else, maybe a student with a personal beef did it; we can presume nothing. But, everything I've experienced, though, tells me that we can't rule out the possibility that there are no real victims here other than every serious academician and serious student whose university is being used by rallying, attention-seeking careerists (I don't necessarily mean Constantine) who don’t give a flying flip about the mission of serious research and education.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post-4104564571598894012007-10-11T21:46:00.000-04:002007-10-11T21:46:00.000-04:00Vent here whenever you wish. You didn't rant; you ...Vent here whenever you wish. You didn't rant; you just got frustrated, and don't we all?<BR/><BR/>I don't like what I see happening between the races in this country, when we all built it and have a stake in seeing her prosper. So for me, watching more folks shouting about how bad we are is depressing, and, yeah, it makes me angry. So I post about it. Among other things. But I hope you'll feel free to visit when you can and let me know what you think, too. I can only express things from my own experiences. And LORD knows how narrow they are!benninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12883327259794768568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post-49095454469855612382007-10-11T21:13:00.000-04:002007-10-11T21:13:00.000-04:00I agree that whlat happened was not Jena. The "Jen...I agree that whlat happened was not Jena. The "Jena 6" are nothing but criminals that belong in jail, epspecially the ringleader. A lot of people seem to forget that the civil rights criminal justice cases back in the day, the Scottsboro Boys and things like that, were involving black defendants that were INNOCENT. The reason why I never sued for discrimination or anything like that was precisely BECAUSE I did not want to lift a finger to empower the Marxist race traders. I was so mad at the civil rights leaders that truthfully couldn't care less about what honest law abiding black men like myself were going through that I actually became a neoconservative Republican for quite awhile. But oh well, George W. Bush cured me of that!<BR/><BR/>Listen, I am no fan of Madonna Constantine or virtually anyone else that works at an elite university in any field other than the hard sciences (and even some of those folk have agendas that grievously offend my fundamentalist Christian beliefs). Columbia doesn't care about this woman or her causes, they are just using her as a pawn to push their Marxism, and one of the reasons why she is so angry is because the light switch in her head hasn't turned on and she hasn't realized it yet. I just objected to correlating this incident with other incidents that have nothing to do with it. I will say this, at least your blog is better than some of the others that I have seen. Some "conservatives" are actually suggesting that the woman planted the noose herself. Sure, ignore the hundreds of racist incidents that actually do happen to concentrate on the few hoaxes. Others are bringing up the Duke rape case. Some are attacking her character and research, etc. I read a few of those blogs before I came to yours, and probably used yours as a venting exercise. Sorry if my comments were disproportionate to what you actually wrote.healthelandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02597322285407724205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post-62831380719128501852007-10-11T16:56:00.000-04:002007-10-11T16:56:00.000-04:00I don't recall accusing you of a single thing. As ...I don't recall accusing you of a single thing. <BR/><BR/>As for me, I managed to make it through Philly, New York City, Los Angeles, and a lot of other places without once being treated crummy for being white. Until I reached St. Petersburg. And got nailed by five young men of color. And I was simply walking between buildings in a parking lot.<BR/>And yet, I have had quite a few Black supervisors over me, and quite a few black co-workers. And I manage to not treat them with anything but the courtesy I give everyone.<BR/><BR/>Your anger is understandable, but I think it colored what you read. One incident and then a rally. That's what I wrote about. Let's tone down the umbrage until we know who did what. What happened was not Jena.benninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12883327259794768568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post-81653592349475665422007-10-11T16:03:00.000-04:002007-10-11T16:03:00.000-04:00"And don't forget that there have been some suppos..."And don't forget that there have been some supposed racial 'hate crimes' that were self-perpetrated as a way of garnering attention, deflecting attention, or otherwise causing trouble."<BR/><BR/>Of course, what you ignore is that the vast majority of such incidents WERE NOT self - perpetrated. It is only the VERY TINY PERCENTAGE that was self - perpetrated that conservatives love to talk about. What conservatives also love to talk about is black crime whenever the issue of racism comes up. Well I am sorry, but the black people attending and teaching at Columbia have no more to do with black street crime than you do. Even referencing black street crime with respect to this issue smacks of holding the entire black race collectively responsible for actions of its members. <BR/><BR/>"This was one ugly little incident that hurt feelings and nothing else. Can we stop trying to raise this to the level of Mass Murder?" You mean like the "whiners" below are doing? Or like all of the white people that file reverse discrimination lawsuits? Well, you say that you are from Florida. Funny that you did not remember that this white racist set off two bombs on the campus of predominantly black Florida A&M University in 1999. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0DXK/is_17_16/ai_57745862 <BR/>I should know ... I was attending FAMU at the time. Also while I was attending FAMU, white racists spray - painted "KKK Be Careful" on our engineering school.<BR/><BR/>Now both incidents were covered by media all over the state of Florida and also received national media attention. But I suppose that in your 22 years of living in the south, incidents that weren't "rioting against racism as a screen for criminal behavior, and a tool for political antics by some very shady characters" or that weren't "self - perpetrated" seemed to slip right under your nose, didn't it? <BR/><BR/>And no, we black folk do not run to the media or the police every time things like this happen. During my lovely time in Tallahassee, Florida, from time to time I would be walking across the campus of the "predominantly white" university across campus to make use of their superior library, I would be stopped by police and asked to provide identification. I guess that it was my own fault ... university libraries ARE "high crime areas frequented by criminals", and my "I attend the university right across the street" tee shirt and ballcaps could have been construed as gang attire, right? Even better was the time that my friends and I heard what sounded like an excellent party one night. As we approached, several white drunk fraternity boys approached us and started making angry racial remarks. Some police officers, who saw the entire incident from beginning to end, came by and said "Hey, you guys are provoking an incident by being here ... you'd better leave." Oh yes, there was also the time that I was pulled over while driving back to my apartment from my job and forced to sit in my car for half an hour with the cops shining their light in my face and vehicle, running my tag and driver's license number. The reason that they gave when they EVENTUALLY let me go: "high crime area." It was my own fault for wanting to live near my own university. But when I graduated ... black male with an engineering degree! I can just waltz right into any company I want and get a job due to affirmative action, right? Well, my experience was the opposite. I had to work fast food and other minimum wage jobs while seeking work. This one company loved by qualifications, really needed someone to fill a position right away, and were ready to discuss my salary. That is, until I walked through the door. I was told "you know, you really wouldn't want this position anyway, you wouldn't like working for this company, and with your GREAT QUALIFICATIONS you can find a MUCH BETTER job than this anyway!" and shown the door. And no, during the very brief time that I was allowed to grace their premises, I did not see any other black people. Not that it was unusual of course ... by that time I had completed several internships (which was why this company wanted to hire me until they SAW ME) and was well used to being the only black person in the room, building, or what have you. Oh yes, and this little incident came after being denied promotions and fair raises at the Wal - Mart job that I used to pay for part of my education. Boy, I can't believe that I left that out. <BR/><BR/>So no, despite all these things happening to me (and more) I have yet to contact the local NAACP or schedule a press conference. Reading people like you accuse people like me that have experienced actual discrimination of just, you know, making mountains out of molehills and advocating for criminals makes me wish that I would have.healthelandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02597322285407724205noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post-3193553925496720082007-10-11T14:21:00.000-04:002007-10-11T14:21:00.000-04:00I see it at my store often enough.You would have b...I see it at my store often enough.<BR/><BR/>You would have been a "Hate Criminal"! You racist bigot, you!<BR/><BR/>And then we're expected to accept the "black" culture? Sheesh!benninghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12883327259794768568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-15375010.post-4599875492666058072007-10-11T14:13:00.000-04:002007-10-11T14:13:00.000-04:00It won't take Jesse or Al very long, Benning. I'm...It won't take Jesse or Al very long, Benning. I'm pretty sure of that!<BR/><BR/>I agree that this noose hanging on the doorknob thingy is way out of proportion, but that's because they can't wait to notify the press and make waves! *sigh* It's getting rather tiresome to say the least.<BR/><BR/>I get offended too. I was in Wal Mart not long ago and my teenaged daughter was looking for eye-shadow in the cosmetic section. Two fat Black women came around the corner of that counter and literally shoved Jessica out of the way. Jessica just said, "excuse me." I told her, "you don't have to excuse yourself, sweety. You were here first, and no one has the right to put their hands on you." Suddenly one of the black women started hollering all sorts of insulting terms at me, some so horrendous I can't repeat here, but "bitch Honkey" was one of them. I stepped up to her and told her to shut her filthy mouth or I'd be happy to shut it for her, and both of them ran off. Thank goodness! Do you think I would have gotten any support? No, I would have wound up in jail. If I had contacted the media somehow and told them about this reverse racial hatred, they would have laughed at me.<BR/><BR/>It goes on all the time, Benning. The above is not the only incident I can relate regarding reverse discrimination, and I am getting pretty darned sick and tired of it!Gaylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02540710405153666843noreply@blogger.com