Let’s consider some math. Assume 10% of all whites and black harbor prejudice against members of the other race. And to make the math easy, let’s imagine the population is 90% white, 10% black, and let’s imagine that people in positions of power to make decisions that can affect others’ lives (police officers, teachers, politicians, loan officers, employers, jurors) are also 90% white, 10% black – and 10% racist across the board. Now let’s ask the question – who bears the brunt of racism, blacks or whites?

Well, statistically then every time a black person has to apply for a job, loan, permit, college, etc., there’s a 9% chance that they’re gonna get an unfair disadvantage (and a 1% chance they’ll get an unfair advantage, dealing with racist blacks). For white people, there’s a 1% chance of being the object of racial hostility, and a 9% chance of getting racial preferences. So even if people of all colors are equally likely to be racist, it’s a serious problem for minorities, and not really much of a problem at all – in fact, on average it can be a bit of a boost, usually not recognized – for members of the majority.

Of course, this is oversimpified, and as you point out, when whites aren’t in the majority locally things can turn out differently. But, by and large, being a victim of racism is not going to be a significant, persistent factor in the life experience of many whites in the same way it is for most blacks.

So, I have no hesitation in saying that white-on-black racism is a much more serious problem socially than black-on-white racism, even if they are both equally wrong from an individual moral standpoint.

Or he may not have known about those scenarios.

This just further shows the hypocrisy of the ‘tolerance’ movement, be it ideological, racial, gender, whatever. You exclude those with opposing views.

Me, I tend to embrace opposing views – the so-called ‘top of your lungs’ philosophy. Heck, I even brought in a contributing author over at SWGAPolitics.com that I tend to pretty vehemently disagree with, simply because he has a lot of time to devote to Lee County politics that I simply don’t have, and it is an area that I’ve wanted more coverage in for a few months now.

1) I was replying to MSBassSinger’s comments saying that white people weren’t racist anymore after the 1960’s, giving an example to suggest that he should open his eyes a bit.
2) They are segregated by the *white parents’* choice. According the the NYT, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/24/magazine/24prom-t.html :

“When the actor Morgan Freeman offered to pay for last year’s first-of-its-kind integrated prom at Charleston High School in Mississippi, his home state, the idea was quickly embraced by students — and rejected by a group of white parents, who held a competing “private” prom.”

and a similar situation is described in Montgomery County, Georgia. I find this appalling. I never said I thought it was illegal or unconstitutional; it just makes me sad that people are such jerks. And it goes to show there are plenty of white racists out there still, maybe not the majority everywhere any more, but enough to make it tough on minorities. A parent who is unwilling to even let their kid celebrate graduation with classmates of a different race for one night is obviously not going to be completely impartial and fair in their professional and business dealings with members of that race.

Back to my original, original point – most Democrats, I think, share a similar point of view on this to mine, and wouldn’t want to vote for a candidate who belongs to a group that discriminates based on race. I honestly don’t know whether most Republicans do as well, but nothing here on this thread has suggested to me that they do.

They are segregated by choice in those towns, not by government mandate. MONUMENTAL difference.

Individuals have the right to free association – and if that means a group of people choose not to associate with another group pf people for whatever reason, so be it.

Why?

“White people – North and South – learned from the 60s to put away racial hatred and to judge a person based on that person’s character.” That may be true of most white people, but it sure as heck isn’t true of all of them. You do realize that there towns in this state where high school proms are segregated, right? The ones organizing the exclusive proms are the white parents – and a lot of them were born after the 60’s.

“The loss of votes could come from African-Americans who take offense at the Masons’ behavior, or it could be white liberals laden with white guilt. Hence the title of my post.” You’re not making sense here – the title of your post refers to African-American votes, which in common usage would mean votes cast by African-Americans. But I’m glad to see that you agree with me that these accusations, left unanswered, would hurt these candidates with white Democratic voters as well.

Still, the fact that you specify that only white liberals would care about these accusations (again, if they weren’t answered and exposed as being non-issues – which I’m not arguing) suggests that you don’t think they would bother white conservative voters. Am I understanding you correctly? I don’t want to put words in your mouth, even though you haven’t afforded me that respect.

tsk tsk tsk.

The proper response was:

“Yeah, but I nailed your sister.

…and your mother.”

That said, most Masons I know are good and decent men, and do a lot for their communities. They aren’t heretics. My dad was a Mason, and it disappointed him a little that neither my brother nor I would become Masons and wear his ring. But, for some of us who try to do our best to be more like the men that Scripture teaches us to be, secretive organizations like the Masons or Congress don’t feel right for us to choose for ourselves. For those that do enter Freemasonry, I certainly offer no judgment. That is for God alone to know and ultimately judge.

African-Americans are the most important voting block in the Democratic primary. Barnes, Poythress and everyone else who is seeking the Democratic nomination for Governor desperately want to get as large a chunk of that demographic as possible. Thus, Barnes and Poythress cannot afford to get tagged with being part of an organization that excludes African-Americans. It doesn’t matter whether or not the Masons are such an organization – it’s all about appearances. Clearly this is preemptive CYA as Barnes and Poythress cannot afford anything that might be used to question their loyalty to African-American issues. The loss of votes could come from African-Americans who take offense at the Masons’ behavior, or it could be white liberals laden with white guilt. Hence the title of my post.

I can’t help it if you twist the title’s meaning to trot out the ‘ole tried and true “All Republicans Are Racist Pigs Who Should Be Rounded Up And Sent To Re-Education Camps” meme. That’s obviously some sort of personal problem you need to deal with.

Take things in perspective. Opposition to the Voting Rights Act and Civil Rights Act in the mid 60s was purely due to racism, and at least in part (without justifying it) to the societal memory of Northern carpetbagger racists abusing black voting during Reconstruction. Opposition to renewing the Voting Rights Act today is just common sense – it is not needed, and represses the voting rights of all. The impediments to a person voting because of color are no longer there, not systemically, or in any other way.

You wrote: “that they would find something offensive about a candidate being a member of an organization that excludes black people”

But most liberal Democrats and many Rockefeller Republicans would be fine with a candidate that belongs to an organization that excludes white people, men, or Christians – especially Christian white males. Racism and sexism cuts both ways.

To be honest, racism will no longer be an issue in this country when people of all colors realize that 1) we have no reason the feel guilty for, or to hate others because of, what happened decades and centuries ago to others, and 2) most of what people label racism today isn’t really racism, but a clash of cultures (and their inherent mores) – the expected outcome of multiculturalism. White people – North and South – learned from the 60s to put away racial hatred and to judge a person based on that person’s character – a very conservative, Biblical concept. When the segment of blacks and Latinos who are also racists learn to do the same thing, and stop playing the race card, this nation will be so much better for it.