Everyone knows a racist. They’re everywhere. People that have no real reason to hate other races, they just do. They say awful, hurtful, and hateful things. When you call them on it, instead of presenting an argument, they attack you, calling you a sympathizer, or, as in this case I’m about to display, a sheep. Like there’s some war going on that only they are aware of.
Yesterday, a guy named Brett Chapman (on Facebook, so that MAY not be his real name) posted a very racist comment publicly on a photo of a black man eating a hamburger. I sent him a message calling him out on being racist. It may have been a bit over the top on my part, but I’m a passionate guy. He replied today. As you’d expect, he spouted hate at me, then false facts to “support” his belief that black people are, in his own words, “sub human”.
I’m actually going to post the entire conversation here.
The conversation started Friday.
Me:
Be proud.
Dick.
He didn’t reply until the next day. When he did, he had the predictable ‘attack him’ mentality.
I am proud. I’d rather be racist than a white brainwashed sheep that kisses nigger butts
Don’t be proud
Faggot
I, of course, felt compelled to reply.
Me:
Your race doesn’t want you.
Seriously, if you’re going to be ignorant, I know I don’t want to be responsible for you.
No it doesn’t want you, but the blacks in North Preston might
Maybe you can smoke crack with them and cash your welfare cheques together
Me:
That doesn’t even make sense.
I can’t believe a person can still be as ignorant as you.
Have a nice life, dick.
Now, I fully intended to ignore him after this, as I knew there was no reasoning with him. He is clearly damaged. But then he said this:
Yeah it does make sense, you’re just as stupid as them so you don’t get it. Most blacks collect welfare and use the money to buy crack and smoke it.
Go lick some black butt you white sheep
You Lardarse
Now, I’ve never been called “Lardarse” before… except every day of elementary school… and jr. high school… and high school… and, well, you get the picture. So I replied, more curious than ever what makes him so hateful.
Me:
You have no idea how the world works.
And your jokes are the same as a 2nd graders. Again, be proud.
He takes the bait. His response doesn’t blatantly say it, but the subtext I read here is “I’m scared of them” essentially.
Dude I know exactly how the world works, you have lived too long with rose colored glasses on. Walk through Uniacke square, North Preston or North end Dartmouth up around Pinecrest at night and see what happens?
I’ve worked as a correctional officer and see all the scum that comes and goes, and trust me, it is mainly black
You’re a sheep bud. Be proud.
I just don’t get this attitude. At all. He kept calling me a sheep, but he had it backwards. Education and understanding make me a free thinking shepherd. Having knowledge makes you powerful. This guy, lacking the aforementioned knowledge, was really the blind follower.
Me:
Likely because people like you don’t give them the same opportunities because the color of their skin.
You’re the sheep. As far as society is concerned, you’re the black sheep at that. Ironic…
This is where he reverted back to blanket racist clichés without facts, and more personal attacks on me.
Yeah right, opportunities are based on qualifications not skin color. Even with all the free handouts blacks get, they still couldn’t get their act together to save the slice of watermelon on this planet.
Figures you would be on their side, go back to your self hating flagellation you liberal
You should have been the load of sperm your dad shot down your mom’s throat instead of in her cunt.
Yeah. He’s an idiot. I guess I’ll break the news to him.
Me:
Yeah. You’re an idiot. This conversation is over. You’re clearly one of the few remaining broken brains in this country.
Until you realize that as human beings we are all on the SAME side, you’ll forever be a piece of shit not worth talking to.
Have a nice life.
At this point, I was TRULY done speaking with him. Especially when his reply was this:
Black are sub human, why do you think they share so many simian like characteristics still? Wide flat nose, sloped forehead and protruding jawline, small ears, smaller cranium.
Later Mark
I didn’t reply. And that’s where this conversation ended. But I’d like to continue that discussion here.
Seriously, folks… in this day and age, how can ANYONE be this ignorant and backwards to think that this is based on race? No offence, but Spryfield has some predominantly white neighbourhoods with equally poor inhabitants, that rely on welfare, have drug issues, and the rest. It’s not a race issue. It’s a circumstance issue. We need not fix the “race” problem to get rid of hoodlums and crime… we need to fix the “poverty” problem.
I’m proposing a movement. Starting right here, right now. We can call it “IRONIC TOLERANCE” and the basic mantra should be “The only thing we don’t tolerate is intolerance”.
WHO IS WITH ME?
M A
MARK ADAM 
not me, wow what a childish waste of time
To be clear, waste of time because racism is okay with you?
Or waste of time because you don’t think it will make a difference?
Maybe it’s a waste of time because the only reason the exchange existed was for the sole purpose of you wanting to cause an argument. The title of this post is a joke when the first thing you do is start with insults.
Ask yourself: what did you really expect to achieve from this? Is this anything more than acting self righteous and indignant and then turning around to put it here in a self aggrandizing display of “look what I did”?
I started the post explaining that my reaction was over the top. I really didn’t expect him to not only reply, but take pride in his act.
It may have been too strong a reaction, but if we DON’T call these people out on their actions, they get a pass.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.”
Interesting quote. I prefer “Love begets love”.
You can leave your house every day with either love or anger in your heart.
It appears your friend Brett made his decision and then so did you.
But let’s go back to your quote. If you want to be a good man, what are your steps to bring forth positive change? Focus on the positive here Adam, instead of looking for confrontation and piling more anger on top of anger. You say your passionate, then be passionate in helping your community grow past small-minded people.
Or you can just spend your time looking for a fight and chances are you’ll find one.
Well, to be honest, I don’t think I was ‘looking for a fight’ so much as stirring the pot.
Change starts one person at a time.
Positive change happens when people decide they won’t stand for injustices like this. For the record the PUBLIC comment he made on a photo of a black man eating a cheeseburger was his ‘decision’. I feel I was well within my right to tell him of my displeasure.
It was after the conversation was over I thought I needed to share what just happened. To bring awareness to this subject. To start a discussion.
The way I talked to him aside, this guy (and people like him) need to be called out. They need to be told that people aren’t going to stand for that kind of behaviour anymore.
I stand by it.
I’d use different words in future, sure. But I’d still call bullshit and start the conversation. And I hope that anyone else that’s tired of this attitude existing in this day and age would do the same thing.
I think that a movement against ignorance would be more successful. If you make transparent the adversity minorities suffer, I feel it would be more successful at explaining to people – particularly people with the mindset of others like “Brett” – that criminal activity and the prevalence of minorities in the justice system is in itself a systemic problem intertwined in social inequality, poverty, socially reinforced assumptions, a result of capitalism, and a result of “majority” verses “minority” (in size of the population, not in importance).
The issue with racism and its never-ending grasp on society is that the “points” that people such as Brett see –the prevalence of minorities in the justice system and their higher-than-average arrest rates – are directly intertwined with all of the problems I mentioned. It’s going to be a steep uphill battle against the reality of “more blacks are arrested and incarcerated than whites” until you can clearly define the reason why these numbers exist.
It’s this type of ignorance that perpetuates the judicial and unequal treatment of minorities; if a judge sees 8.1 times more burglary cases involving blacks, the assumption coming into the case (once he sees the defendant) is “oh, another burglary involving a black person”. As much as a judge is supposed to, do they really take into account the socially “accepted” practice of arresting more blacks than whites for the same crimes? Do they really think about the sentencing the same way for both races (since on average blacks spend 10% more time incarcerated than whites do for the same crimes)?
Instead of asking “Why do you think that blacks are more likely to commit crimes than whites?” I think you would be better off to say “We KNOW that blacks, on average, commit more crimes (of most types) than whites. Let’s talk about why and what we can do as a society to repair this disparity.” (I say most types of crimes because embezzlement, organized crime, and other “business” crimes are predominately performed by white people.)
To be clear, I’m not condoning ANYTHING that racist idiot said to you. My position on disgusting people – extreme racists, murderers, sex offenders, etc – is to not acknowledge their existence. They don’t deserve the publicity and, unfortunately, are too far wrapped up in their ignorance to ever be unravelled. What I said was directed to the rest of the “passively racist” people who are uninformed about WHY they are racist and WHY these race differences exist.
I’m.. confused at best here Adam. Although I don’t require an answer – this was your crusade and I was merely trying to help – I’m somewhat surprised that the post saying “you’re a waste of time” was the one you chose to respond to, and not the one saying “Here’s a way to help your cause”.
Focus on the REAL problem. Racism “isn’t the problem”. What I’m saying is that there are REASONS people are racist, and those are the misconceptions that need to be fought against. When someone says “There are more blacks in prison than anyone else” THAT’S where your battle starts. “Do you know WHY there are so many minorities in prison? Do you know what our society is doing to keep them in there?” You can’t fight idiots but you can shine a light on the issues with our modern society.
Racism IS taught, but it’s taught by our entire society. The justice system is weighted by all the things I pointed out before, and all of those things are keeping minorities down.
“Not being racist” isn’t enough. If you want to change the minds of others, you’re going to need to uncover what’s causing that racism. For some, like Brett, I’m sure it’s because they’re idiots. For the rest of the world it’s for almost subconscious reasons; reasons that have been placed there over decades of mistreatment and injustices.
Don’t be a bumper sticker activist. “End war!” “Stop racism!” “Love everyone!” If you want to make a change, make some noise against the REAL problems causing a society-wide epidemic of racism. THEN you’ll get a response.
——
As an aside, I’m leaving my name of out this not because I don’t believe in what I’m writing, but because for some reason merely saying “There are more minorities in prison” immediately makes you racist. Everything I’ve said is NOT meant to perpetuate racism or point out that Brett was “right”. The only reason Brett was “right” is because as a collective we’ve all decided that the injustice of keeping minorities down is still okay. We might have abolished slavery, dismantled apartheid and fought for the rights of minorities, but we’ve LOST that battle so far. Racism is more engrained in society than a simple “Spread the word; stop racism!” can possibly unravel.
If you truly believe in your cause, start rallying around the FACT that there are more minorities in prison. Start rallying around the FACT that black males are going to receive 10% longer prison terms for the same crime that a white male commits. Start rallying around the FACT that police profile black males as criminals, judges are more likely to convict based on skin colour.. there are a lot of injustices for you to choose from. In most cases racism is the result of these, not just a result in itself.
All your comments are valid, and I’m inclined to agree on almost all fronts. Hence why I didn’t reply originally. I have nothing to add, nor argue.
You have made some very good points here. Which I appreciate greatly.