Does anyone else think Al Sharpton is a racist?

[Cossack]

I have no clue loudnotes, I think I heard you were Asian once, but I have no idea how to tell ones race through their posts.

[(SiX)Ben]

I'd have said white, the reason is because I'm white... But I seem to remember hearing you say something about being black... or maybe that was another jn....

Ben

[Brain]

i dont have a clue loud. i guess i always visualized you as a neardy cs major

[tasty]

you know, this is going to sound silly, but i also think pop culture and even their own race keeps many african american familes down. When I listen to rap, much of it is about booty, basketball, and fast cars.

cookie i agree with everything you said except this. I don't think its fair to call rap "black culture"? its just another stereotype really. Obviously it is made/consumed largely by black people, but there are a large number of black people that don't like rap, and there is also a large body of rap that is about political/social/fun things. This is the same type of stereotype as middle eastern people that look at stupid shit like Enron, McDonalds, and Vin Diesel and think "American culture", or people to say that country music is white culture.  All this sort of stuff adds to the whole race stigma.

[Mr. Lothario]

     "Economic affirmative action" is a better idea by far than racial affirmative action, for the reasons noted by several other posters. However, this does not mean that affirmative action is ever a good idea. Humans, as a race, like nothing better than to find differences between "us" and "them", and then get upset about them. Emphazising or manufacturing major differences is hardly a good idea. Emphasizing: "these folks have a different color skin..." Manufacturing: "...so they get free stuff." Yes, there are class differences. But it is incredibly short-sighted to hope that waving a magic "get into college" wand is going to erase those differences. If you'll forgive me for dusting off a favorite old chestnut of mine, "if you plan for a year, plant corn. If you plan for a decade, plant a tree. If you plan for a century, educate the people." The root of most differences in class in America is the educational system. Poor kids (and even a lot of non-poor kids) are getting an incredibly slipshod education. The root of most of the other class differences is discrepancies in wealth. But if the former is overhauled, the latter will close up. It certainly won't be a miraculous, all-of-a-sudden change, but it will happen. Affirmative action should rightly be a temporary stopgap measure until major, fundamental changes can be made in the educational system, among others. Unfortunately, affirmative action is seen as an end unto itself, and so things will improve far more slowly than they would otherwise.

[EUR_Zaitsev]

Hazard saying you would be stabbed is racist through stereotyping. Its saying all blacks would stab you because they are all stupid or something. Yea theres a united negros fund and bitch all you want about how its not fair but maybe its a drop of compensation from what we owe of an ocean from slavery. Furthermore your statement trying to be black is racist because it suggests that some actions peopel take represent thier color/ Say if a white listens to rap and you call that trying to be black then your saying only blacks can listen to rap which means people have things they can and cant do based on thier color.....racism. Now your either very stupid or very....Trent Lott but your statements are wrong and they are racist

[EUR_Zaitsev]

If Al Sharpton is in fact racist and you guys want to complain about it how about all the white racists? Nobody curses the KKK anymore, Nobody looks at United States immigration laws (basically blacks cant get in from other countries even after touching Soil). Its not like its unilateral and all of us upper middle class whites cant bitch about it because we dont have the right. The stupidest thing Ive heard in this post is perhaps the comment about sueing over affirmative action! then the US gov gets sued to hell on slavery.

[Mr. Lothario]

     I have an admission to make: I don't own slaves. In fact, I've never owned slaves. With a heavy heart, I have to say that I'm not personally responsible for any aspect of slavery. And you know, I've never systematically oppressed a people, either. I guess I need to try harder in the future.

     Saying that present-day whites owe restitution for slavery is one of the stupidest concepts I can think of. You know, I'm a redhead. Somewhere in my genetic makeup are either Scots or Irishmen, or both. Both of those peoples were oppressed by the British. Well, shit, those Limeys owe me some compensation for the hardships they inflicted on my people! Who cares if it happened a few centuries ago, right? We all know the descendants of people who did something are just as responsible for it as the people who actually did it. While we're at it, let's go bomb the Spanish for killing the Aztecs and the Italians for crucifying Jesus! Yeah, we'll teach them not to have ancestors who did something reprehensible!

     Yes, there are big problems in our society. But artifically propping up entire classes of people is not going to fix them.

[Cossack]

I know what you mean, I am part Tartar, I think I should get some compensation from the Russian Government for years of opression. Now that is just lame, the government paying restitution for past opression? You know that would bankrupt the treasury. Well why not, Germany is still paying restitution to Israel.

[jn.loudnotes]

I'll agree with you all there.

And I'm actually a pretty average white male American.  (Originally my family immigrated from Austro-Hungary in the early 1900s.)

The reason I asked, is that I wanted to emphasize the lack of any differences between any of us in race.  There's really no way to tell is there?  So it's only an issue of looks, and thus superficial at that.

[cookie]

cookie i agree with everything you said except this. I don't think its fair to call rap "black culture"? its just another stereotype really.

yeesh, i never said all african american people like rap. I claim merely that it is produced largely by african americans aimed at the body of african americans... i mean look at the videos, it's obvious who their target audience is. And please, find me some educational rap that african americans actually listen to.

[tasty]

As far as educated rap that black people actually listen to:
public enemy
black eyed peas
del tha funkee homosapien
tribe called quest
de la soul
mos def
common
the roots
dead prez
prefuse 73
aesop rock

all use creativity and innovation to make hip hop that isn't all about money, drugs, hoes, etc? some is political, some is just fun, but most all of it is pretty good music.

[cookie]

all use creativity and innovation to make hip hop that isn't all about money, drugs, hoes, etc? some is political, some is just fun, but most all of it is pretty good music.

Rap and hip hop are not the same thing  

[EUR_Zaitsev]

US gov has given restitution to native americans kicked off thier land. And Hip hop and rap are NOT the same thing annd godo list tasty i listen to a fe on there

[cookie]

dear god no the US hasn't given anything close to restitution for the Natives.. but oh well thats teehee

[tasty]

hip hop and rap, thats nitpicking??some of the peeps on the list are defined as "hip hop" (black eyed peas, the roots) others are definetely rap (public enemy, del, dead prez)

so to cookie i say and