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Atticus

(15,124 posts)
Fri Jul 8, 2016, 07:14 PM Jul 2016

As a 67 year old white man, let me address this to my fellow Caucasians: [View all]

you cannot both remain silent about institutional racism AND call yourself a person of integrity.

As a much wiser man once said: “History will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.”---Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

No demographic has a monopoly on either good or evil. No race is free of its haters, but none is without its saints.

Again, from Dr. King: “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.”

Think about it---hard---, OK?

89 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Very true. Brickbat Jul 2016 #1
Who says that we are? R. Daneel Olivaw Jul 2016 #2
No one was accused of anything. nt babylonsister Jul 2016 #20
... R. Daneel Olivaw Jul 2016 #36
I wonder whom atticus believes he/she is lecturing, here at du Doctor_J Jul 2016 #82
Wait ... a Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. quote used in its proper context? ... 1StrongBlackMan Jul 2016 #3
LOL! Right? Squinch Jul 2016 #11
Why would you think we are silent? 840high Jul 2016 #4
As this is the 2nd "Who, me?" reply, I guess I'll respond. Atticus Jul 2016 #8
+1 ... 1StrongBlackMan Jul 2016 #14
I did and do more than 840high Jul 2016 #29
Being "good Germans" alfredo Jul 2016 #35
It doesn't clear anything. R. Daneel Olivaw Jul 2016 #37
When was the last time you heard or saw zentrum Jul 2016 #19
Word! The textbooks disturb me; babylonsister Jul 2016 #21
The lies we were zentrum Jul 2016 #24
Yea, but babylonsister Jul 2016 #25
Texas Text Book review board Protalker Jul 2016 #54
Hosted a Spanish boy in 1998 Marthe48 Jul 2016 #33
A visit to a museum in Canada revealed the same thing to me. Chemisse Jul 2016 #55
This is great. I really think many people's perspectives spooky3 Jul 2016 #58
I was always very cheap. A shirt had to be around or under 10, shoes under 20. lol. I am a believer seabeyond Jul 2016 #60
I agree with Bernie Sanders' stance on reparations. Nye Bevan Jul 2016 #38
You assume people here are and have been silent? enough Jul 2016 #5
(facepalm)---See # 8 above, please. I assumed nothing. nt Atticus Jul 2016 #10
Yep. It's the "Not all" monster. Squinch Jul 2016 #12
Here is what us 67 year old White men can do. safeinOhio Jul 2016 #6
I support ... 1StrongBlackMan Jul 2016 #17
So melman Jul 2016 #30
If what I wrote means that to you ... Yes. 1StrongBlackMan Jul 2016 #32
I'm not sure why you think joining means anything other than joining. athena Jul 2016 #71
Because I am an African-American, who had been involved with ... 1StrongBlackMan Jul 2016 #85
That's interesting. athena Jul 2016 #87
Oh, absolutely ... The vast majority of whites that join organizations like the NAACP ... 1StrongBlackMan Jul 2016 #89
It does. It means standing behind in support, while the one with the experience speaks. seabeyond Jul 2016 #45
It's sad that you took that from the other poster's post etherealtruth Jul 2016 #49
Men often want to take the leading role in Feminist org or voice. It is interesting. Nt seabeyond Jul 2016 #52
And I give the same caution to men with respect to Feminists ... 1StrongBlackMan Jul 2016 #86
And since white listen to whites. And man listens to men. The HUGE gift being given to us... seabeyond Jul 2016 #88
Another suggestion I read on FB (I know...), was apparently from a white man AllyCat Jul 2016 #44
That assumes all stops/detentions are for the purpose of harassment. Marengo Jul 2016 #53
I don't think so. puffy socks Jul 2016 #57
Interfering with an unknown LE situation seems a bad idea Marengo Jul 2016 #68
Yeah. Its probably just asking for trouble and won't likely help. nt puffy socks Jul 2016 #69
i think better is to talk to other white people about racism in their community JI7 Jul 2016 #18
I agree. Peers listen to peers, not those on the outside. It is the Christians job to talk to seabeyond Jul 2016 #46
And at school board meetings. zentrum Jul 2016 #23
I agree, dpatbrown Jul 2016 #83
Walking into a store today Marthe48 Jul 2016 #84
I am a lowly receptionist, too old and two decades out of the work force, and need my job. seabeyond Jul 2016 #7
I understand your situation and certainly find no fault with your actions. Atticus Jul 2016 #15
I feel do feel I have to speak up. It is hard, never easy. Not for me. But, I do. seabeyond Jul 2016 #22
I often ask a question GulfCoast66 Jul 2016 #31
Mostly it is while coddling ego, gently nudging to be heard. Sometimes it is a simple, seabeyond Jul 2016 #47
I have a sneaky tactic. On the rare occasion someone dares to say something racist tblue37 Jul 2016 #39
"I imagine you don't realize that I am black." BumRushDaShow Jul 2016 #40
Doing family line my husband found that his aunt was registered mulatto in New Orleans seabeyond Jul 2016 #48
Someone posted that video on DU before BumRushDaShow Jul 2016 #50
+1. Nt seabeyond Jul 2016 #51
Quincy Jones' daughter Rashida is lighter than I am, because my Sicilian half tblue37 Jul 2016 #72
BTW, my dad, first generation Sicilian-American, changed his VERY Italian first tblue37 Jul 2016 #73
The Salvatores that I knew BumRushDaShow Jul 2016 #77
I have cousins named Salvatore who go by Sonny or Sal, but Dad went full Anglo on his name. My older tblue37 Jul 2016 #78
I hear ya BumRushDaShow Jul 2016 #80
Did you ever see the movie "Too Wong Foo, Thanks for Everything--Julie Newmar"? tblue37 Jul 2016 #74
I remember when that came out BumRushDaShow Jul 2016 #79
K&R etherealtruth Jul 2016 #9
Very true. Rex Jul 2016 #13
One of my dearest friends is a black woman (yeah, I know how that sounds) who likes Squinch Jul 2016 #16
I love this. Those on the receiving end of prejudice are the experts on prejudice. TryLogic Jul 2016 #59
Isn't that fascinating. And so true. Logical and reasonable. Kinda an obvious, lol seabeyond Jul 2016 #61
Awesome post. Something that I think I instinctively knew but never consciously looked at till Squinch Jul 2016 #67
I've never been known to be silent. raven mad Jul 2016 #26
I don't think there is anyone on DU who would disagree or who needs prompting to do the right thing elias7 Jul 2016 #27
I think you are very naive to think a political group as large as DU Joe Chi Minh Jul 2016 #42
Perhaps I am naive elias7 Jul 2016 #62
Absolutely. And I say that as a 55 year old white man. Ken Burch Jul 2016 #28
One small step for.... creoledna Jul 2016 #34
Perhaps I've missed something lupinella Jul 2016 #41
This 61 year old white guy COMPLETELY agrees with what you say in this post! MarianJack Jul 2016 #43
Another 61-year-old agreeing. Chemisse Jul 2016 #56
Every little bit helps. It is what creates a whole. seabeyond Jul 2016 #63
Another little bit. Chemisse Jul 2016 #64
Yes. And when we raise our children well, they grow up with it, seeing it done in seabeyond Jul 2016 #65
K&R smirkymonkey Jul 2016 #66
Excellent post, and I think that all of us could do better at speaking up against injustice. WIProgressive88 Jul 2016 #70
Thank you for saying what needs to be said lunatica Jul 2016 #75
Very simply, well put. RiverNoord Jul 2016 #76
A tactic of the Right is to intimidate other whites into silence by claiming to be in the majority. Spitfire of ATJ Jul 2016 #81
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