Politics Playing the Race Card

sugababyboo

mrs. charlie
This morning, I was lucky enough to make to class on time because someone on the bus decided to act like a total and complete drama queen. Ms. Drama Queen tried to pay half of the bus fare and use a student pass. Only junior high and high school students who attend public school are allowed to have and use a student bus pass. There are absolutely NO exceptions to this rule. The state wisely chose to only include public school students because Massachusetts has the most colleges in the country. If all college students were only permitted to pay the student fare (which is 50 cents, regular fare is 90), then the MBTA would be bankrupt lol.

Anyway, Ms. Drama Queen (who is African American and in her mid 20’s) stepped onto the bus flashed her student ID and student pass (which is required) to the driver (he is Caucasian) and only paid fifty cents. She is a college student. Keep in mind that I was sitting directly behind the bus driver, so I unfortunately, had a front seat to the drama. I guess for the first time, the driver noticed this and told her, in a very polite tone of voice to pay the rest of the bus fare. She rudely replied, “Call Carmen!!!” As she sat down she repeated this twice. The driver stopped the bus and again he politely asked her to pay the fare because she is making everyone on the bus late. She yelled out, “I don’t care! I can sit here all day! Call your supervisor Carmen!” So, he did but the nearest supervisor was not Carmen, it was some guy named Lou. We had to wait for over ten minutes until he came!

Lou came onto the bus and looked at her ID. He calmly explained to her that just because she goes to a state college doesn’t mean that she’s eligible for the student pass. As expected, she rolled her eyes and said that it’s not written that college students are excluded (even though it’s on ALL the schedules and the website). He sighed and told her that she can ride today but she can’t do this again. Defiantly, she said that she’s done it before (most bus drivers are oblivious) and would continue doing so. And that she was going to report them both to Carmen. Frustrated, Lou told the bus driver to not let her on tomorrow before stepping off the bus.

Two stops later, two teenagers came aboard, one was a boy and the other happened to be an African American girl. She tried to pass the driver without paying the fare. He kindly told her to leave and she stepped off. One older lady paid for her and she came back on. Ms. Drama Queen began ranting and calling the bus driver a racist and that he was prejudice! He was completely ignorant, she called him a specific orifice and she threatened to call Carmen! Finally, the bus driver told her to stop distracting him (he was almost missing stops) and that he was making the passengers uncomfortable (which was very true). After five minutes, she stopped and stepped off the bus when she saw her stop.

I’ve been taking the bus for a couple of months and the bus driver never once indicated that he is a racist. Actually, he is very polite to all of his passengers. He greets them when they first come on and tells them to have a good day when they step off. He has denied all individuals who refuse to pay the fare, not just the minorities. If Ms. Drama Queen happens to try to pull the same thing again, I will definitely come in defense of him because it is would so wrong if he were to get punished for her IGNORANCE and disrespect for the rules.

I have to make this perfectly clear, I am Cambodian American. I have unfortunately seen and experienced racism many times in my young life. So, I am in no way naïve when it comes to racism. However, I cannot stand it when individuals find any reason or excuse to “play the race card”. And, I especially hate it when it is used inappropriately. Ms. Drama Queen seemed to already have a horrible attitude from the start and I have the feeling that she is the type of person that ALWAYS has the race card up her sleeve so with just a flick of the wrist she can used it without any discretion.

Personally, I have NEVER done this to anyone! I like giving people the benefit of the doubt. And when someone disagrees with me or points out one of my mistakes, I don’t automatically assume that they’re doing so because of my race. I’m a rational person and I don’t live my life being angry at everyone all the time. Constantly being on the defensive is not living. It’s exhausting and pointless.

How do the rest of you feel about individuals playing “the race card”? Have you ever known anyone that has done so? If so, did you think he or she used it because he/she truly believed he/she was being discriminated against or was he/she just being spiteful and petty? If you don’t have an experience, then please share your thoughts on this subject.
 
I think it's disgusting. If there is anything worse than a racist, it's someone who constantly, and wrongly accuses others of racism. Kids at my school do it all the time...it's so tiring...

Jai :rain:
 
At my faculty there are often (well, all the time actually ;)) foreign students who sell stuff at the entrance, like books or food to have some extra money next to their scholarships. Most of them are Africans who sell these little books with stories, and when they stop me, the first thing they tell me is: 'don't be afraid of a black man'. This really bothers me, cuz first of all, they think I'm a racist while they don't know me at all and second I have to defend myself for something I'm not. I'm studying African/International studies, so when I tell that to them, (in reply to the, don't be afraid of me) they go: 'oh, okay, so you'll buy one'... It's weird... They really shouldn't feel that way...
 
i hate it too, especially when black Americans (not are from Africa and cannot be called African-Americans, so what exactly is the PC term?) do it. they are the most represented minority in the country!

people who play the race card are just asking for more discrimination. this generation and the last generation have put skin color behind us, and it's people who base arbitrary arguments on "racism" that foster "racism".
 
Jesse Jackson coined the term "African-American", and it is totally inaccurate. I'm not European American, iv never even been to Europe. I'm white. And as far as im concerned Black people are black, asian people are asian, and white people are white.
 
the_alliance said:
i hate it too, especially when black Americans (not are from Africa and cannot be called African-Americans, so what exactly is the PC term?) do it. they are the most represented minority in the country!

One time I used the term black and someone (who was white) was offended. So, now it's almost habit for me to say African American. Well, except when I'm with my friends and some of my family, we say black because we're not really PC, we're not offensive either.
 
If you read some rap lyrics (not all!), they are so racist against the white man. Not every white man is racist, but some are, not every black man is racist but racism exsists on both sides.I live in Bradford (UK)which has big Pakistani population. One of my Muslim freinds who is second generation Pakistanil is one of the nicest people you will meet. But i have experienced racism against me because i am caucasian from a certain section of the community.
 
I absolutely can not stand the whole race card thing...it does my f***ing head in..and i'm black. It so annoying.i'm a trainee teacher, and yes black people are underrepresented in this area. However this does not give this jerk,also a trainee teacher who happens to be black , an excuse to rant and rave and go on about racism at every opportunity...just cos he's been unsuccessful at his recent job interviews. i'm dying to tell him it's just because he is s*** and no-one wants him in their school to cook, let alone teach. :angry:

it seems that some black people think that the whole world is owed to them because of slavery..yadda, yadda, yaddda. The world is not owed to anyone...i don't see me and my other black friends moping around with severe attitude problems, mistreating white people because of something that maybe their ancestors did years ago. If you are confronted with racism in your life then you combat it with knowledge and education, not attitude....bah!!!!! :angry: :angry:
 
AliasHombre said:
Jesse Jackson coined the term "African-American", and it is totally inaccurate.  I'm not European American, iv never even been to Europe.  I'm white.  And as far as im concerned Black people are black, asian people are asian, and white people are white.
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I don't get it though. If you don't call African Americans that because they're not from Africa, then why do you call Asians Asians? Because not all of them are from Asia. My friend is Chinese, but her grandparents moved here from England.

Defining races are hard since they are mostly social constructions, not biological facts.
 
ms.katejones said:
I don't get it though. If you don't call African Americans that because they're not from Africa, then why do you call Asians Asians? Because not all of them are from Asia. My friend is Chinese, but her grandparents moved here from England.

Defining races are hard since they are mostly social constructions, not biological facts.
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Well, someone in an Asian person's family way back when had to emigrate from Asia.
 
So here's an update on Ms. Drama Queen. When I came out of my house I saw her waiting at the stop and groaned. Suprisingly, when we boarded the bus she didn't say a word and paid the full fare. Of course, she didn't apologize to the bus driver but that was expected. I guess she called "Carmen" and found out how wrong she had been. I doubt that Carmen exists and if she does, then she was completely misinformed.
 
AliasHombre said:
Well, someone in an Asian person's family way back when had to emigrate from Asia.
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umm...then wouldn't a "black" or African American have somewhere in his or her ancestory a family member who immigrated from Africa?


It seems like you've contridicted yourself.
 
Jamison said:
umm...then wouldn't a "black" or African American have somewhere in his or her ancestory a family member who immigrated from Africa?
It seems like you've contridicted yourself.
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I caught that too...
 
Jamison said:
umm...then wouldn't a "black" or African American have somewhere in his or her ancestory a family member who immigrated from Africa?
It seems like you've contridicted yourself.
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I caught that too. My family immigrated from Cambodia but I was born in America, so that would make me Cambodian American. Unless things have changed, aren't people who are born in the United States Americans along with those who become US citizens through naturalization? So, isn't someone who was born in the US (like myself) but has family that immigrated from Africa be an African American?????
 
My brother manages a cinema, and one of their rules is that you cannot take hot food (like burgers and chips) into the cinemas under any circumstances.

A few weeks ago my brother was accused of discrimination because a person said their religion forbade them from throwing food away (which was a lie anyway, because this is the second biggest religion in the world, and we know). My brother said to eat the food before seeing the movie then, and this person made out that my brother was being racist! It was just ridiculous that this person was playing up the whole religion/race thing when it wasn't even true, but they had obviously learnt that they can get their way by doing this.

I'm not racist, believe me, but this incident made me furious and I wasn't even there!!

Anyway, if it was true, what happens when they have mouldy food in the fridge? Do they have to eat it?!!!!!
 
One day at band rehearsal, a man from off the streets came into the auditorium where we practice (I go to college in Milwaukee, which is racially diverse, but very segregated). He actually came up on the stage and started talking to the students in the back rows (mostly the second flutes and barry saxes). It got to the point where the conductor stopped and asked him to leave, because he was disrupting the rehearsal. My conductor is this ancient man... white, yes, but he's never been racist to anyone. The man off the streets started heckling him, saying it was because he was black, and blah blah blah. Eventually, campus security came and took him away.

One of my friends in band is black, and she got kind of pissed. Later, she told us how she hates blacks who play the race card, how it actually makes things harder for those who don't play it. There are 3 Asian Americans and 2 blacks in our band... for 100 people, that's not a lot, but none of us ever feel discriminated in any way.
 
There have been several times that I've seen the "race card" use...well appropriately was when my sister was getting arrested for shoplifting (baby gloves) and my cousin went over to her to ask what was going on. The cop that was arresting my sister said to my cousin "Why don't you mind your own business you Asian b****!" That set my cousin off and she called the cop what he was, a racist. I just couldn't believe that he said it so publicly in front myself and the crowd of people that had gathered.

Another time was when my other sister was accused of stealing in front of the cashier (what idiot would do that?) It was the guy at the register next to us who was accusing my sister of stealing (she wasn't). When we got into the car my mother, and my sister's friend had a an argument with the guy. It wasn't my sister who played the race card, it was her white friend! She called the guy a racist and he revealed his true colors after he heard that. He unashamedly said to my sister's friend "How can you be friends with those kind of people, those minorities!" He went on a tirade about how we "minorities" are ruining the country. :angry: :angry: :angry: My mother (who is like 5ft and is a total girly girl) threatened to bash his face in with "The Club" He got all scared because she held it up (although she used all her strength, she's not very strong but she did look menacing) and he drove off.
 
Jamison said:
umm...then wouldn't a "black" or African American have somewhere in his or her ancestory a family member who immigrated from Africa?
It seems like you've contridicted yourself.
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I probably have. I guess that "White", "Black" and "Asian" are just what i say if i need to refer to someones race.
 
AliasHombre said:
I probably have.  I guess that "White", "Black" and "Asian" are just what i say if i need to refer to someones race.
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But you don't call someone who's Asian "yellow" or "tan" because of their skin color. Anymore than you'd call a Native American "red".

You use black and white not really referring to someone's race...but to refer to their skin color.
 
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