I saw this quote on the Walmart thread and this may possibly be the straw that broke the camel's back. I've been a member of this board since 2004/5 (can't remember). As the country has grown more polarized, so has this board. As a conservative university, its constituents I'm guessing if measured, would be fox news watchers as a majority, or align with views held on fox. I on the other hand am in the minority in both views and demographically. I actively seek out news that at least appears semi-neutral, like npr or the economist. I find "news" that is actually just live opinion pages (Fox, MSNBC, CNN and what ever the hell OANN is), detestable, and destructive because there exists an extreme shortage of critical thinking in America.
I can remember my very first brush with racism. My family was going to the rodeo in Houston at the dome, and I had gotten separated from my mom in the parking lot walking up. A truck stopped with two white guys in it and the guy on the passenger side said "The dome is that way you stupid ******". I was 5.
I graduated from A&M in 1992 (Bucky was a part of my Econ Major class). I had an amazing time at A&M.
Not long ago, another black male wrote about his experience and he had experienced harassment I believe at the hands of CS PD. The lone issue along racial lines I experienced while at A&M was when I was running late for class, and ran down stairs from my apartment (lived at Timber Reeks), got in my car and turned out of the parking lot and was pulled over by cops who asked me what was I doing at those apartments. Told them I lived there and he saw my textbooks on the seats and let me go. So was I looking for a reason to claim victimization in that instance?
After graduation, I moved back to Houston. My buddy from A&M was going to South Texas Law school. Me and a couple other friends used to meet him in mid-town at bar called Emo's. It played all the grunge music, beastie boys, Cypress Hill that i enjoyed at the time, plus LOTS of interesting people watching. Another friend from A&M was the bar manager's roommate, a guy name Jimmy, who was as country as all get out, great guy. We used to hang out there after the bar closed. So one time when I was leaving there, I was headed to the Heights for a bite to eat at a late night tex-mex place. All of a sudden I'm getting pulled over on Montrose. Cop approaches my car with his weapon pointed at me. I had my hands on the steering wheel and when I saw the gun, I quickly raised my hands. I think back on that incident now and I get still get a shudder thinking about how this asshole could have used my sudden movement as an excuse to shoot me. He said I had ran a red light. Problem with that statement was that I knew the area like the back of my hand, and took back streets away from Emo's and didn't go through any red lights. For the sake of argument, lets say that I did run a red light. Have any of you had a gun drawn on you for running a red light? If any of you know me, I'm preternaturally calm, and soft spoken and present as educated. So when a policeman asks me questions, it takes about 3 seconds to figure out a) I'm not a threat and b) I'm fairly well educated. So this guy said he would let me off with a warning (again for running a non-existent red light) So was I looking for a reason to claim victimization in that instance as well?
Graduated in 92 like I said, right during the recession. I wound up taking a job with Walgreen's sweet management trainee program. I was working at the one off Green's road near Greenspoint and the police had set up an operation to pull people over for whatever reason and see if they had warrants. I was pulled over because my inspection sticker "looked like it had expired". I'm getting pissed off all over again as I write this. Once again, I guess I looking for some good old false victimization because its soooo fun!
Once I was running late to a company golf tournament at Cypresswood in Houston. I was running late and was speeding. Cop pulled me over and said "What as the hurry?" I was thinking to myself, "Hope he just gives me the ticket quickly so I can go." I told him I was running late for a tee time. He looked in the back of my SUV and saw my clubs and said "Slow down, and hit'em straight", and let me go. So I'm not one to say all cops are bad. I can't tell you how much I hate generalizations.
I was walking with my wife who is white (Canadian), in The Woodland's in the market street area, and my wife was looking for some store like Williams Sonoma or something like that. A white woman was walking towards us and when she saw me, she grasped her purse. My wife said did you see that? I said of course, happens all the time.
It even happens with black people towards other black people. My wife was going to St. Joseph's hospital in downtown Houston. I dropped her off and then went and parked. My wife was at the coffee shop just past the security desk. A black lady security guard stopped me and asked where I was going and could she see my id. An older white lady rolled right past, not a word. My wife came over and she told the lady, "You didn't ask for my id".
I was home a couple years back for my father's funeral, and one of my best friends who is white, and crazy successful, asked me what I thought about the confederate statues coming down. I said take every last one of those mutha f'ers down. He said really? What about history? I told him that is what history books are for. Why should my child have to crane their neck upwards to look at some crappy statue of a person that would have considered me property, would have sold my child, could have raped my daughter with impunity and I would have been lynched for loving a white woman. My wife and I went to Germany a few years ago and went on walking tour of Berlin. The guide commented how where the bunker where he died is now a parking lot, and there are no statues of him anywhere because they do not want to glorify what he represented. Research how many of those confederate statues were built during the early 1900's and the 50' and 60's which were periods of extreme racially tension (Jim Crow and Civil Rights movement). So they weren't built to honor, but to intimidate. If I'm somewhere and I see a Rebel flag, my first reaction is to become well aware of my surroundings, and keep my head on a swivel. I'm sure if you are white, you will have never known the anxiety this symbol causes to varying degrees in black people.
While I get how message boards can easily fall into a group think, or similarly like facebook (which I don't do thank heavens), people tend to be in groups of like minded individuals with shared views and serve to only reinforce beliefs they already hold, so it is very predictable how certain topics will be discussed on a message board of a predominantly conservative school.
When a racial issue pops up on the board, I usually don't click on it, because 9 times out of 10, its going to go the same way. I'm consistently disappointed by the fact that college educated individuals cannot hold discourse and revert to stereotypes and generalities. So for the guy that said BLM is always looking to be victims, I say to you, my son could be pulled over for no reason because of the color of his skin, and like many other black people wrongly detained, he might be extremely annoyed at this fact and if he doesn't speak kindly to this person who has wronged him, then now he could be viewed as a threat. You don't have to teach your children how to react when being pulled over by the police, you don't have to tell your child to not sign anything if they are taken to jail.
So for you to generalize what BLM means would be no different than me saying "Well if you voted for Trump, you are a racist." To me, BLM means that I'm afforded the same respect and treatment by police and society as a white person, not more, but equal. I won't have to worry about my children once they reach the age to drive.
I live and work in Saudi with my family. When Trump was elected, that day, my daughter came home and said another child on the bus said she couldn't go back to the US because Trump doesn't like black people. You won't know how heartbreaking that is to hear your child have to experience feeling less than because of the color of her skin.
So I may be invited to leave by other board members which fine. I'm just exhausted at our society in general not being able to rise above and be better. We do not seek to understand the other side. We make assumptions about the other side instead of just frigging asking someone who doesn't look or think like you or wasn't raised like you, what they think about a situation. For black people falsely accusing a white person of racism, I hold them in as much contempt as an actual racist, but don't be so basic as to immediately assume a black person that says they experienced something is making it up, or run to the message board to post every racial story. So when you saw what happened to George Floyd, you saw an atrocity. I saw myself or my son.
I joined this board because I love A&M sports. I was at the U of H game when Wallace held Ware's helmet up in the air and the crappy Hurricane Bowl. I wish Mark would create a separate board that only contained sports. Sorry for the manifesto, but that comment just tipped the cart over on something I've been feeling about this board for a long time.
I hate losing, and it feels like our country has chosen sides and that's it. So for people that threaten to move to Canada whenever they don't like something, its not a threat in our house but a legitimate conversation. The Okanagan is a strong contender for a retirement place.
I wish all my Aggie brothers and sisters well. I pray for you and your families, and I pray for our country and the world.
Gig em,
Class of '92
I can remember my very first brush with racism. My family was going to the rodeo in Houston at the dome, and I had gotten separated from my mom in the parking lot walking up. A truck stopped with two white guys in it and the guy on the passenger side said "The dome is that way you stupid ******". I was 5.
I graduated from A&M in 1992 (Bucky was a part of my Econ Major class). I had an amazing time at A&M.
Not long ago, another black male wrote about his experience and he had experienced harassment I believe at the hands of CS PD. The lone issue along racial lines I experienced while at A&M was when I was running late for class, and ran down stairs from my apartment (lived at Timber Reeks), got in my car and turned out of the parking lot and was pulled over by cops who asked me what was I doing at those apartments. Told them I lived there and he saw my textbooks on the seats and let me go. So was I looking for a reason to claim victimization in that instance?
After graduation, I moved back to Houston. My buddy from A&M was going to South Texas Law school. Me and a couple other friends used to meet him in mid-town at bar called Emo's. It played all the grunge music, beastie boys, Cypress Hill that i enjoyed at the time, plus LOTS of interesting people watching. Another friend from A&M was the bar manager's roommate, a guy name Jimmy, who was as country as all get out, great guy. We used to hang out there after the bar closed. So one time when I was leaving there, I was headed to the Heights for a bite to eat at a late night tex-mex place. All of a sudden I'm getting pulled over on Montrose. Cop approaches my car with his weapon pointed at me. I had my hands on the steering wheel and when I saw the gun, I quickly raised my hands. I think back on that incident now and I get still get a shudder thinking about how this asshole could have used my sudden movement as an excuse to shoot me. He said I had ran a red light. Problem with that statement was that I knew the area like the back of my hand, and took back streets away from Emo's and didn't go through any red lights. For the sake of argument, lets say that I did run a red light. Have any of you had a gun drawn on you for running a red light? If any of you know me, I'm preternaturally calm, and soft spoken and present as educated. So when a policeman asks me questions, it takes about 3 seconds to figure out a) I'm not a threat and b) I'm fairly well educated. So this guy said he would let me off with a warning (again for running a non-existent red light) So was I looking for a reason to claim victimization in that instance as well?
Graduated in 92 like I said, right during the recession. I wound up taking a job with Walgreen's sweet management trainee program. I was working at the one off Green's road near Greenspoint and the police had set up an operation to pull people over for whatever reason and see if they had warrants. I was pulled over because my inspection sticker "looked like it had expired". I'm getting pissed off all over again as I write this. Once again, I guess I looking for some good old false victimization because its soooo fun!
Once I was running late to a company golf tournament at Cypresswood in Houston. I was running late and was speeding. Cop pulled me over and said "What as the hurry?" I was thinking to myself, "Hope he just gives me the ticket quickly so I can go." I told him I was running late for a tee time. He looked in the back of my SUV and saw my clubs and said "Slow down, and hit'em straight", and let me go. So I'm not one to say all cops are bad. I can't tell you how much I hate generalizations.
I was walking with my wife who is white (Canadian), in The Woodland's in the market street area, and my wife was looking for some store like Williams Sonoma or something like that. A white woman was walking towards us and when she saw me, she grasped her purse. My wife said did you see that? I said of course, happens all the time.
It even happens with black people towards other black people. My wife was going to St. Joseph's hospital in downtown Houston. I dropped her off and then went and parked. My wife was at the coffee shop just past the security desk. A black lady security guard stopped me and asked where I was going and could she see my id. An older white lady rolled right past, not a word. My wife came over and she told the lady, "You didn't ask for my id".
I was home a couple years back for my father's funeral, and one of my best friends who is white, and crazy successful, asked me what I thought about the confederate statues coming down. I said take every last one of those mutha f'ers down. He said really? What about history? I told him that is what history books are for. Why should my child have to crane their neck upwards to look at some crappy statue of a person that would have considered me property, would have sold my child, could have raped my daughter with impunity and I would have been lynched for loving a white woman. My wife and I went to Germany a few years ago and went on walking tour of Berlin. The guide commented how where the bunker where he died is now a parking lot, and there are no statues of him anywhere because they do not want to glorify what he represented. Research how many of those confederate statues were built during the early 1900's and the 50' and 60's which were periods of extreme racially tension (Jim Crow and Civil Rights movement). So they weren't built to honor, but to intimidate. If I'm somewhere and I see a Rebel flag, my first reaction is to become well aware of my surroundings, and keep my head on a swivel. I'm sure if you are white, you will have never known the anxiety this symbol causes to varying degrees in black people.
While I get how message boards can easily fall into a group think, or similarly like facebook (which I don't do thank heavens), people tend to be in groups of like minded individuals with shared views and serve to only reinforce beliefs they already hold, so it is very predictable how certain topics will be discussed on a message board of a predominantly conservative school.
When a racial issue pops up on the board, I usually don't click on it, because 9 times out of 10, its going to go the same way. I'm consistently disappointed by the fact that college educated individuals cannot hold discourse and revert to stereotypes and generalities. So for the guy that said BLM is always looking to be victims, I say to you, my son could be pulled over for no reason because of the color of his skin, and like many other black people wrongly detained, he might be extremely annoyed at this fact and if he doesn't speak kindly to this person who has wronged him, then now he could be viewed as a threat. You don't have to teach your children how to react when being pulled over by the police, you don't have to tell your child to not sign anything if they are taken to jail.
So for you to generalize what BLM means would be no different than me saying "Well if you voted for Trump, you are a racist." To me, BLM means that I'm afforded the same respect and treatment by police and society as a white person, not more, but equal. I won't have to worry about my children once they reach the age to drive.
I live and work in Saudi with my family. When Trump was elected, that day, my daughter came home and said another child on the bus said she couldn't go back to the US because Trump doesn't like black people. You won't know how heartbreaking that is to hear your child have to experience feeling less than because of the color of her skin.
So I may be invited to leave by other board members which fine. I'm just exhausted at our society in general not being able to rise above and be better. We do not seek to understand the other side. We make assumptions about the other side instead of just frigging asking someone who doesn't look or think like you or wasn't raised like you, what they think about a situation. For black people falsely accusing a white person of racism, I hold them in as much contempt as an actual racist, but don't be so basic as to immediately assume a black person that says they experienced something is making it up, or run to the message board to post every racial story. So when you saw what happened to George Floyd, you saw an atrocity. I saw myself or my son.
I joined this board because I love A&M sports. I was at the U of H game when Wallace held Ware's helmet up in the air and the crappy Hurricane Bowl. I wish Mark would create a separate board that only contained sports. Sorry for the manifesto, but that comment just tipped the cart over on something I've been feeling about this board for a long time.
I hate losing, and it feels like our country has chosen sides and that's it. So for people that threaten to move to Canada whenever they don't like something, its not a threat in our house but a legitimate conversation. The Okanagan is a strong contender for a retirement place.
I wish all my Aggie brothers and sisters well. I pray for you and your families, and I pray for our country and the world.
Gig em,
Class of '92
