My Best Friend Is Black – White Riots

My best friend is black.  Well no, that’s not true my best friend is white.  In fact my best friend grew up in Gloucester, MA, you can’t get much more white bread than that.  The town is literally 95.7% Caucasian. The most black people she has ever interacted with is through me.  I remember having to sit her down, a stance democrat and defiantly pro-choice educated woman, after the Rev. Jeremiah Wright controversy and walk her back from voting for Romney.  Her expression was priceless when she got it, that yes America your chickens have come home to roost.  There I said it, and more than that I agree. “Violence begets violence, hatred begets hatred, and terrorism begets terrorism.”

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=208t80uceSg
[lightbox href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=208t80uceSg”] Chickens Coming Home to Roast[/lightbox]

Does the fact that I have had two black husbands, and a few boyfriends of many colors, Egyptian Korean, black give me a free pass on not being a racist? Um no, I will always carry the racist attitudes poured into my head as a child.  However, as an adult I know better, but am not perfect by any measure.  Because I have been married to two black men, wait did I tell you also two white men, I know call me Zsa Zsa Gabor, and my current log term is with a wonderful white man, Now that, that is in context having been married to black men, I contemplated the possibility that biracial children might have resulted.  I used to tell my mother that If I has a son with this one or that I would beat the black out of him. No baggy pants or rap music under my watch.   My mother says I am racist.  I say I would want my son to live.  My mother and I have also argued about t air conditioning in 117 degree Arizona heat.  She says it will make you weak.  I say it will save your life bitch. Facts are facts, Trayvon Martin makes my point.

Now that all that is out-of-the-way let’s get down and dirty about @cordjefferson, his gawker article “A Dangerous and Irresponsible Culture“, and his comments on the Author participation and MSNBC.  I was absolutely livid when I heard him say and read some justifications because his best friend is white, and he is Biracial.  He diminished this rather interesting article with this that stupid justification.  If any white person were to say it we would immediately know they are racist and whatever was about to come out of their mouth before or after that comment would show their true colors…

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_igmsrjmTPk
[lightbox href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_igmsrjmTPk”] It’s Never Okay To Say The N-Word[/lightbox]

The article brought mind a conversation I used to have rather often with Lester one of the elders of the predominately black Seattle Motorcycle Set and Seattle Magic Wheels.  There is a private punk club right next to SMW’s clubhouse almost exclusively frequented by white kids and every year they hold the Dead Baby Downhill in Georgetown.  Lester always thought that these kids behaved rather well, because no one seemed to end the night by running for their trunk to get a gun.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euAblm3IZ1E#at=16
[lightbox href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euAblm3IZ1E#at=16″]Seattle’s Dead Baby Downhill[/lightbox]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiaAofYmlno
[lightbox href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fiaAofYmlno”]Craziest Race in The World – Dead Babies[/lightbox]

This conversation would always make me feel uncomfortable because I knew it wasn’t true and it felt like he was buying into stereotype racial ideas.  Crowd behavior is heavily influenced by the loss of responsibility of the individual and the impression of universality of behavior, both of which increase with the size of the crowd.  The fact is there are Universal Triggers to Crowd Violence, regardless of the racial makeup.  Here in Seattle we have 2 great examples of white riots the 1999 Seattle WTO protests and our yearly May Day Problem, I know you think this would only go to prove @cordjefferson point however LA might beg to differ.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JXPIBsxdk0
[lightbox href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JXPIBsxdk0″]1999 Battle of Seattle[/lightbox]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WE0-8sbbCc
[lightbox href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WE0-8sbbCc”]WTO Seattle Battle Civil Unrest[/lightbox]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8p9QVK4htE
[lightbox href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8p9QVK4htE”]Violent May Day: Seattle, Washington[/lightbox]

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gCHS7CsjsE
[lightbox href=”http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5gCHS7CsjsE”]L.A. Riots – 1992[/lightbox]

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