"Fly over country" middle America is too busy working to be like the east and west coast, but they are trying to convince us otherwise.

Good post. I find the general public more affable than some people on THF. I was insulted and stalked on here for simply posting my Auto insurance rates. Just one example.

I see people as people and then divide them into good and bad. The racism I see is mostly the sneaky hidden kind and it's most often in the very liberals that will call me a racist because I refuse to make a special category for people of color. That attitude is racist in it's very concept.

Great post and I wanted to add my 2 cent.

I too don't see racism as many want us to believe exists but I feel racism clearly exists. Some racism is blatant and yet some very overt. I have been called the "N" word by police, by white men at a football game and even by young black men who thought it was okay. I've also even been told that "you people need to stay where you're from" and been spit on by white men who thought they could while playing in the TX vs OU football game. I have many more examples that I can give, but my point is these incidents did not change my outlook on life and it doesn't afford me the opportunity to think that policemen or white people as are whole are racist. We encounter respectful and disrespectful people each day, but I don't just automatically assume that they are racist or thuggish, entitled or oppressed. Some of them were just not raised the way I was. I treat all people the way I'd like to be treated, simple as that. I feel our prejudices come into play everyday. It could be when a black man see a white man in camo with the "don't tread on me" t-shirt or when a white man sees a black man with corn rolls and saggy pants. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt until they prove otherwise, White, Black, Brown, Donkey or Elephant. I know prejudices and racism both exist, however may manifest themselves differently to you simply because of the community in which you live.

Lots of great insight and comments....much appreciated...

Be a cop in a big city for 24 years and you will see and experience all that stuff you hear about from the media. They actually only report a tiny fraction of what people do to each other because they only know what we release to them. Today is my one year anniversary until retirement. When it happens, I will be moving to my ranch and leaving the troubles of the intercity to those who occupy it and the next generation who try to maintain it.

I have seen both sides of this, racism toward non-white colors and racism toward white skin folks. It goes both ways.

The majority of the racism i see is in private communication where “no one is around” so they tell you how they really feel, which tells you their heart, despite how they may act in public and be so nice to other folks.

I have watched all white basketball teams get completely jobbed out of games by non-white refs when playing against a team with even one non-white player or coach. And I mean completely jobbed. Ugly type one sided reffing.

It goes both ways. Most of the time it isn’t outright blatant racism, it is subtle and quiet.

Yall haven't met me................I'm everything the media portrays and more

Never experienced anything more then words, and words dont matter to me. I'm fortunate to have been around all kinds of people growing up. I feel comfortable just about everywhere. My house looks like the UN when we have get togethers. I feel the more people from different backgrounds hang around each other, the more they can appreciate each other. Most of all realize that we are basically all the same. Just trying to make a good living for ourselves and our children.

Hookem48, are you saying you played in the red river shootout?

There must be victims in order to create a market for news reporters and politicians who make money taking care of their needs.

Yes, there are fortunes being made in one way or another from all those groups you mention.

I'm a minority and have only experienced very few insults as a result of genetic make up. Words hurt if you let them and in my household you had better have a thick skin because we speak sarcasm fluently. Now, I have experienced many insults as a result of my profession but that's all in a days work.

I forgot one of the most obvious racist things I have personally heard...I was told I was the wrong race when applying for a scholarship and had I been that race I would have gotten a full ride, but since I wasn’t, I was only eligible for a partial.

I went somewhere else to get a full scholarship.

Yeah, I don't think that is racism. What scholarship did you apply for?

Was supposed to be a university based merit scholarship, different standards for different races. It wasn't the fact they had different standards that I call racisms, it was the fact the lady actually said, "well, you get this much, but if you were a different race then you would have a full ride"...that is discrimination and in my mind racism. Now don't get me wrong, I wasn't super upset about it and I didn't get bent out of shape over it, just moved on and found someplace that offered merit scholarships without the racial profile.

One can argue that merit based scholarships are in themselves racist as folks of color don't typically do as well on standardized testing and what not, but I think it is more a issue of SES than race. Different argument.

SA, what would you call it if you were told you would get something if you were one race and you didn't get it because you were a different race? Isn't that the definition of racism?

I'm with you, just would call that racism, more like discrimination.

I hope one day we can get passed the different standards for different race thing. At some point they have to level the playing field back out. Hopefully its sooner then later.

Most likely you were a victim of an affirmative action quota and not racism per se. Does that make affirmative action itself racist? Maybe, likely or whatever word fits... very complex topic at a minimum.

Charlie

I don’t think you can compare any other profession to the men in blue or DHS. (Unless it’s the lost luggage department at American Airlines-I’m sure they catch it) The rest of us see mostly guarded conversations.

Per definition, discrimination and racism is the same thing.

Uhmmmm, I dont think so.

I did, 89-92. Happy to say we never lost to OU!

My man! Been to the last two, got my tickets for this years game. It's an awesome atmosphere, and I couldn't imagine what it's like being on the field for that, or walking through that tunnel. We are a huge longhorn fans in my house, my wife, and son are UT grads. Very cool!

Not trying to be a dunce, but to understand....whats the difference? I have always thought them one in the same...

do you consider systemic racism = discrimination vs personal racism= racism? Really just trying to understand.

Stop gushing, yOU.