Racism alive and well in "blue" Northern VA & Washington, DC

[bertha katzenengel]

"I am NOT a racist -- I just don't believe that people like that deserve a brand-new condo living among people who can AFFORD to live there."

That's what she said. The condo in question is in Alexandria, VA, which requires Section 8 set-asides in all new housing. The building is a nice one. A VERY nice one, to hear this woman, "Linda," speak.

Her sister lives in the building and described the "family" -- Linda used air-quotes -- that just moved in down the hall: a black woman, with three kids, "all with different fathers I'm sure and she probably doesn't know who the fathers ARE. She's obviously on welfare, too, like all of them . . . ."

Nothing I said was of any use. Every comment I made was shot down.

Well, they have a right to go for something better. "Not in a brand new condominium. You know it'll be trashed in three months." And, "Not in Alexandria. They belong in the ghetto; they have no right living there."

We work with scores of black people, you think they're all on the dole, using section 8? "Well, not ALL of them are like this . . ."

If I tried to remember every round in this serve & volley, I'd just get as furious as I was during the conversation. But it ended this way; she finally gave up, although she conceded nothing:

"Oh, I forgot how liberal you are. I never should have brought it up."

[electropop]

1. You're a librul and Linda is a pig.

Ask her if they teach her this garbage in church.

[bertha katzenengel]

2. She's Catholic but doesn't go to church.

I am constantly amazed by this woman. In the last five years, her father died (cancer), her brother died (suicide), and in May, her mother died (old, got sick, became well then suddenly died for no apparent reason). You'd think those things would have some effect on the woman.

Yet she has NO empathy WHATSOEVER. Mrs. V. said that is a sign of a sociopath. I'm not sure I'd go that far, but damn, there is something seriously wrong with Linda.

[Terran]

4. She needs to be told flat out:

"Linda, you are a racist." Racist white people these days can't stand to be called on their racism. Watch her try to deny it. There's no point in trying to argue with her point for point; her entire outlook is based on irrational racism, and as such is utterly debased and corrupt. You need to make her aware of that.

[LiberalEsto]

5. People who hate others secretly hate themselves

They target others as victims in order to feel superior, because they have such low opinions of themselves. I've seen this time and again.

I think a lot of lower-income white Rethugs are filled with hate and racism because their own lives suck. They feel threatened because they perceive themselves as having only a very small piece of the pie, and they think people of other ethnic backgrounds threaten that piece of pie.

In order for Democrats to reach out to these people, we need to teach them that the pie is much larger than they think, and that a big nation like ours should be able to give everyone a bigger piece, if we could only limit the mega-share currently given to corporations and CEOs.

When people spend so much time obsessing about what others have, it's usually a sign that there is something tremendously lacking in their own life.

[KG]

3. Racism: alive and well in EVERWHERE!

[SlackJawedYokel]

6. I've encountered something similar with my mom

back in Louisiana.
She keeps bringing up how ungrateful "they" are.
How they slap the hand trying to help them.
Not realizing just how slanted the situation and the perspectives of the people telling the story really are.
Not to mention the disinformation, urband myth-making and outright lies being told to perpetuate the barely concealed racism.
(The first was some chain-letter e-mail she sent me, obviously a fraud, and stories "they" were pooping on the floors of the Centroplex in Baton Rouge... the disturbing thing is how easily she wants to believe these things are true, never once being skeptical, at all.)

White Louisiana is actually *happy* "they" are being relocated out of state... and honestly, a part of me is as well.
At least there is a possibility they can escape the simmering racism and abject poverty and possibly even move to states with real social programs that are capable of helping out.
Louisiana is a poor state made poorer now and that sort of poverty is fuel to the fire for racism to come out of the closet.

As to your friend... ask her why she cares so much.
Seriously, why does it seem like this is something she has to get so emotionally invested in?

Reminds me of something Spike Lee attributed to his grandmother... about how crabs will claw one another in their effort to get out of the bucket.

At some level people like "Linda" feel like they are being screwed because they didn't get any "free stuff".
Doesn't even occur to them that they should be thankful *they* didn't lose everything.

Sigh.

Cletus

[Nikki Stone 1]

7. I always thought NOVA was red

It was very Republican when a friend of mine lived there years ago.