African American
In reply to the discussion: After 10 years, I've never seen DU as crazy as it is right now. [View all]freshwest
(53,661 posts)I grew up in the south and saw the seared consciences of whites, thought things changed through the 1970s. That the people had won and we would be better.
I saw the clear signs of racist propaganda grow with Rush on the airways 15 hours on week days and thrice as much on the week ends with reruns. I kept my eye or rather my ear close. There's a saying about watching how high the water rises in the swamp, because when it gets high enough, the alligators will come out to feed. So beware.
I cut off cable after being very interested in the presidential campaign in 2008. Very soon I knew Obama was THE ONE. He had the intellect, the honesty and the humanity to lead. I cut it off watching Palin holding her klan rallies in the south. I say that because the KKK was a real presence in my life. Not in my family or friends, but you knew they were there. Always, there would be signs at work. I recall a nice, mild mannered white man who wanted to become a manager. I said he would have to go to the KKK rallies. He made an ugly face, said he didn't want to go,
But he did, he faked it and got promoted. That was in the late 1970s. There was a lot of guys complaining about affirmative action, quotas, POC and women being hired and they said they weren't qualified. Mind you, these were guys with high school educations saying that people with college degrees but doing the same work were not qualified. They took pride in harrassing and getting black people fired.
When I saw the way Palin ran her rallies, which were racist, I felt a sense of horror. I didn't want to go back there, to the past but there it was. And HRC made a comment that Obama needed to pick a VP because of what happened to RFK. I did not want to go there!
Then came the threats and some deaths during the campaign in reaction to Obama winning the nomination. I was terrified, and I am not black. I kept saying to myself, 'They're gonna kill him.'
I was invited to a celebration, a public party, as people here to watch as the vote came in, they were sure Obama would win. I was not sure. I wish I had gone. I wouldn't even watch television except on the internet. Online friends urged me to hook the cable back on to see his speech and so late that night in Chicago there it was. I turned it on and off as I have seen so many good Democrats lose elections.
Then came the election and the world wide jubilation. But I thought that joy would heal the nation, but instead I sequestered myself in my apartment for three days and wept. I looked at all of those young people, so happy, and thought, 'They don't know the past, they are not burdened with these nightmares. I am an old lady and it's time I let the good things of the future rule.'
Things were good for a while, then it built up. And I feel for sure, and am willing to be told differently, that the number of deaths by police and others is greater than it was before. Not just because of communication and news, but really more. I may be all wrong. It seems to bre building to a peak, and its purpose is - to make black people rebel? Or to commit genocide in slow motion? Why?
To me, it seems organized, not random, not rogue, but well planned. If everyone takes the path of being armed like the OC they will still lose. They don't have the money to arm their communtiy like the dominant white community. Either way, an evil agenda is being carried out.
Any thoghts?