any people of color?

[9mmepiphany]

I think we need to be careful of drifting too far afield from answering the OP's question into a comparative discussion of other country's level of tolerance.

Many other countries don't profess an attitude of racial or religious tolerance and so aren't pertinent to this discussion

 

[JERRY]

if we were a mostly non European "looking" nation and the IRA was doing the bombings everybody who "looked Irish" would have the same bias against them. that is human nature.

a type of butter fly mimics the Monarch for a reason, so do other things in nature.....

i will add, my grandfather (Brunacini) was born in Chicago in 1915. he was italian, my grandmother (Favignana) moved to America when she was 4, she was italian as well.

before WWII they both were subject to some racism because they were italian. my grandfather was an American (army aircorps) POW for 3-4 days in italy during WWII. when he was captured by italian soldiers they cursed him for "fighting against his own people".

years later my grandfather changed his last name to sound more American (or german actually Brunner) since he had blue eyes because of the racism he suffered; he was denied promotions until he lateraled into the Airforce when it became its own branch. my grandparents were always proud of their heritage but always said they were American without any hyphons.

 

[michaelbsc]

...Jerks come in all colors and manner of dress.

Sad. But true.

 

[CZguy]

I think we need to be careful of drifting too far afield from answering the OP's question into a comparative discussion of other country's level of tolerance.

Many other countries don't profess an attitude of racial or religious tolerance and so aren't pertinent to this discussion

I'm sorry but I can't agree with this. I traveled with the US Air Force for 30 years and have borne the brunt of racism because I'm Caucasian several times. The worst was in Saudi Arabia in the mid nineties. The Saudis needed us there to keep Saddam Hussein at bay, but didn't consider us equals, and made no effort to conceal their disdain for Infidels.

I think that a great deal of the friction between races can be minimized by the way that you dress and present yourself. Some servicemen chose to dress poorly and make no attempt to understand the host culture. I dressed conservatively and made an effort to learn about the Saudi culture. Made some friends in the process too.

The point that I wish to make, is that while discrimination against the OP is bad, I wonder if he is doing everything in his power to assimilate. It's a two way street....good begets good..........bad begets bad.

I'd be delighted to shoot with the OP at my club anytime he is in my neck of the woods.

 

[hermannr]

Freedom is letting the other guy be free to be who he is, so you also can be free to be who you are.

The problem is, the politicos like control, so they will create situations where you are not allowed to be truly free. If kids were taught what freedom really is at home and in school, there would be very little bashing of other people just because they are different, because of how they look, dress, their race, religion or even physical ability.

 

[edfrompa]

Color is never a problem, we are all created equal. What matters is what is in the heart. That is where the problem lies, not in color.

 

[tarosean]

I'm sorry but I can't agree with this. I traveled with the US Air Force for 30 years and have borne the brunt of racism because I'm Caucasian several times. The worst was in Saudi Arabia in the mid nineties. The Saudis needed us there to keep Saddam Hussein at bay, but didn't consider us equals, and made no effort to conceal their disdain for Infidels.

Then a lot has changed, as I am posting from there. I see more racism between themselves (Sunni v Shiite v Shia) than toward the white man.

Course your still being blamed for your tanks disrupting the sand and causing increased sand storms.... Ha ha ha

 

[armoredman]

I'm a person of color....kind of a pinkish hue.

Remember, since Ricci vs New Haven, there is no such thing as "reverse racism", racism is racism, no matter what directing it takes.

 

[Nushif]

I wonder if he is doing everything in his power to assimilate. It's a two way street....good begets good..........bad begets bad.

The problem is that telling people to conform goes against the notion of liberty, as opposed to a democracy. It's sure democratic to vote that everyone "ought to" wear the "proper" clothing and "ought to" wear the "proper facial hair" but it's counter to us professing we're for liberty.
Sorry, but the claim that "If you don't wanna be discriminated against, be more like us" simply doesn't stick. For everyone that's not "us" it IS very real and very BLATANT conformity requirements. "I'd accept you if you were more like I want you to be" is not the sign of a prejudice free mind. Sorry.

 

[CZguy]

"I'd accept you if you were more like I want you to be" is not the sign of a prejudice free mind. Sorry.

I'm more than willing to agree with you in principle. It's just that in my experience, that just isn't the way that peoples mind's tend to work.

I'm not really sure that anyone has a prejudice free mind. For example I personally have friends of different races, but I do tend to look with some disdain on people who have a narrow outlook on life. Isn't that a pretty good example of prejudice?

 

[DefiantDad]

It boils down to DECENCY and RESPECT for the other person.

The reverse of this is to just throw the person (a human being) into a category (e.g., women).

If we were born to their parents, in their physical location (wherever they happened to be born), and subject to 10, 20, 30 or whatever years of the habits (i.e., culture) surrounding them, probably we would act and speak like them.

The question you want to ask is, if I were in danger, would this person be the type of fellow who might risk his life to help save me?

That is the only really important thing. Everything else is just cosmetics and superficial.

 

[JERRY]

The question you want to ask is, if I were in danger, would this person be the type of fellow who might risk his life to help save me?

thats one of the best definitions of being a man ive ever read....

 

[Onward Allusion]

DilboFlaggins
any people of color?
Are there any people of color on here, who carry for fear of hate crimes?

I am one, and I get the impression that the gun community consist mostly of white males. Though I have never been made to feel uncomfortable by the people here, I attribute that to vigilant moderators and the anonymity of the internet.

You would be very wrong about the gun community mostly consisting of white males. Stop by a large gun shop or even a big box sporting goods shop's firearms section. You'd get all kinds - male, female, gay, black, white, yellow, brown...etc... BTW, the mods do keep everyone in line and that's a plus. I guess that's why it's called The High Road.

I was born and raised in North Carolina I am Iranian-American, sport a long beard, and am no more a terrorist than any random Sikh. I fear is an armed or malicious bigot, far more than any mugger or home invader.

I often feel alone, I am talked down to, or ignored at gun shows and in gun shops. I have also only been to a gun range once, where the range officer didn't watch me suspiciously closer than every one else I have even been yelled at and asked to leave. I feel I constantly have to prove that I am "one of the good ones" which is just as insulting as overt racism.

Dose anyone have similar experiences?
Have you witnessed someone mistreated?

That, for a lack of a better word, sucks. I'm sorry that you've experienced these things. In every part of the world, crap like what you'd described happens. Not saying it's right, but it happens 'cause we are all wired to be suspicious of those who are different. Whether they are little green men or someone with a different style of dress and mannerism than us. I truly believe that the only way we will unite as a species is if we were invaded by aliens.

It doesn't matter if you're black, white, or brown. Racism happens to everyone one of us in one form or another. If you're white, try taking a leisurely stroll in the 'hood. I would take bets on how long it would take for you to get jumped. Conversely, if you were black, try taking a nice slow drive in an upper crusty white neighborhood. Again, I'd take bets on the time it takes for you to get pulled over by the Po-Po.

Stereotyping? Well as Daniel Tosh puts it - " it's not stereotyping if it's always true"

 

[bluethunder1962]

armoredman pinkish hue is due to a high level of alcohol content I think
I think anybody that has had anything happen to them just because of their skin color and are scared enough to have to carry because of it wheather it be at gun show,shop range post it on here and everybody in their area go with them and stand behind them when they go back. Se how brave they are then.

 

[DefiantDad]

Decent movie relevant to our discussion here. Drama.

GRAN TORINO (Clint Eastwood).

Even got a few guns in it that go bang! What more can you want?

 

[bikerdoc]

I think anybody that has had anything happen to them just because of their skin color and are scared enough to have to carry because of it wheather it be at gun show,shop range post it on here and everybody in their area go with them and stand behind them when they go back. Se how brave they are then.

Im in.

 

[p35]

Once, early in our relationship, my wife took me to a nightclub in Honolulu where I was the only white guy among about a thousand Asian-Americans (she's ethnically Japanese). Locals are the nicest people in the world, and they were more than friendly to me, but it still felt pretty weird. I think she enjoyed making me see what it felt like to be a minority.

One time I was out at the beach and a bunch of rednecks were driving up and down with Confederate flags the size of king bed sheets flying from their trucks. In our group we had me, another white guy, my wife, a Malaysian Chinese guy, and IIRC my first mixed race son. I made sure the High Power was loaded and within reach but out of sight. So yeah, I have carried for fear of hate crimes.

 

[scaatylobo]

Jewish

Not of color,but the slaughter of a 'few' million of us made the news a few decades back.

So this Jew is armed and wont be appearing in an oven near you,anytime soon.

I am a bit resentful of just pointing out the 'color' thing.

 

[Tinpig]

edited by me

 

[Roadking Rider]

People are going to be people with there own prejuices and fears. Only way we can change how people see us reguardless of what it might be is through our own actions. If I'm in a pair of dockers and a golf shirt people are going to look and think of me differently than when I'm in a pair of jeans and a T shirt getting off my Harley. To them I'm just some sort of biker they had rather not come across. It's up to me to understand that for what it is and change there views as best I can. I carry no chip on my shoulder about it. Actually I've come to enjoy showing people how wrong they can be about there fears and prejudices, that I'm sure they don't even know they have much less admit to. Many times peoples body language says more about there true feelings then there words ever could. Some people come around if they have an open mind. Some others are so filled with fear, hate and negativity of what they don't understand they never really see the world and the people in it for what it is. I feel bad for them.

 

[X-Rap]

I have seen prejudice and racism from every walk of life. It doesn't have to be color it can be as simple as a particular region one lives in. We can easily point to what insults and injustices we perceive but it's a little harder to look inside and see what preconceived notions we carry.
I can only speculate but in my experience I have seen few who didn't hold some prejudice against another based on their beliefs, how/where they were raised or ancient feud.
I am part Indian (the red ones) and have grand children who have Japanese blood, I do have some beliefs about religion, patriotism, behavior and I stand by those things but color doesn't affect how I view the same in others, behavior and character do.
I detest the hyphenated American and the protected classification it implies not because it identifies us as groups but because it serves to further the Balkanization of our country and promotes the victim mentality.
Like it or not America does have a culture and a language that is all to its own and those that bend to it will have to try hard to not be accepted and succeed here, those that fight it will for the most part suffer nonacceptance and will remain in the various enclaves/ghettos/reservations in which their old life remains.

 

[Nuclear]

The most violent xenophobia is frequently between groups that are physically indistinguishable to an outsider. Consider Northern Ireland, for example. Or the Koreans/Chinese/Japanese. Or the former Yugoslavia. Or Iraq. Please note I am NOT saying everyone in those countries are like that, but it does exist.

As to the OP, even as a "white guy", I have always found it is easier to get along if I dress as much as possible as where I am going, even if it is a family function. Just saying.

 

[fiddleharp]

Quote
One time I was out at the beach and a bunch of rednecks were driving up and down with Confederate flags the size of king bed sheets flying from their trucks. In our group we had me, another white guy, my wife, a Malaysian Chinese guy, and IIRC my first mixed race son. I made sure the High Power was loaded and within reach but out of sight. So yeah, I have carried for fear of hate crimes.
Unquote (post 119)
While fully realizing that a heavy-handed mod will be along at any moment to delete this post, I've still gotta ask: Did any of these "rednecks" do or say anything to your group? Did they even look at your group in a meaningful way?

 

[armoredman]

armoredman pinkish hue is due to a high level of alcohol content I think...

I demand equal rights for, *hiccup!*, PINKEY!"

On a more serious note, I've worked and worked well with people of all colors, creeds, races and national origins. I don't care what color you are or if you worship God, Buddha or a head of lettuce, (I confess, I might snicker when your "god" wilts), I just care; are you a decent person and can you get the job done? More importantly, will you be bringing the beer to the barbecue?
scaatylobo, glad to hear it; if more Jewish people had felt that way back then, the Nazis would have been fed to the ovens.

 

[19-3Ben]

Not of color,but the slaughter of a 'few' million of us made the news a few decades back.

So this Jew is armed and wont be appearing in an oven near you,anytime soon.

I am a bit resentful of just pointing out the 'color' thing.

I think PART of the point of the thread (not the whole thing) was that the OP cannot change his appearance to blend in with the crowd. As a Jew, it's not hard so simply remove a yarmulke (or just wear a baseball cap if you want to keep head covered) and be completely inconspicuous. A guy not obviously wearing a yarmulke or not having tzitzit hanging out could be Jewish, Catholic, Buddhist, Pastafarian, or anything else.
Going "stealth Jewish" is rather easy. I just joined the local gun club, and I don't think anyone knows I'm Jewish unless they happened to pick up the hint from my last name. I don't feel i've been discriminated against at all. that might be different if I physically stood out, like the OP.

And yes, our past is one of the reasons that I too own guns. Reading Mila 18 was rather inspiring when I was a kid. I hope that book, along with the movie Defiance inspires the next generation.