Redneck Throws A McDonald's Cup At Me From A Pick-Up Truck

It has been 3 weeks since my return to the USA.  While my return has been remarkably pleasant for the most part, today there was an incident that reminded me that the proverbial 10% bigot rule still holds true.

I am in Orlando, Florida which is a medium sized city with a majority minority population.  While I was jogging today just after sundown, noticed a full McDonald's cup wizz past me.  I then saw a beat-up pick-up truck speed by with two occupants inside.

My impulse was to run and catch up to the truck at the red light.  But I then realized that this is America.  The goobers in the truck might have a gun and being a black man, the eternal redneck excuse the blackie having attacked them first was a possibility.

I the cup did not hit me, and I decided that these rednecks likely are miserable and wanted to spread their misery to someone else.

The larger issue is that this type of thing is bound to be on the increase in America.  The economy has abandoned menial laborers like these two and that, coupled with a President of African descent is bubbling over in some of these people.

As Gerald Celente says, "When people have nothing to lose, they 'lose it'."

The Curious Case of Racism In Puerto Rico

After living and working in PR for some years, I am still always perplexed when a friendly Puerto Rican brings up the issue of racism and how it does not exist in PR.  Perhaps this is an attempt to try to portray PR in its best light, or it could be wishful thinking.  Whatever the case, it could not be further from the truth.

So what accounts for this disconnect of whether PR is racist or not?  I believe most PR have an overly simplistic notion of what constitutes racism.  Sure, the KKK does not exist in PR, there is no history of lynching, and the mixed population of people get along relatively peacefully.

But what the Puerto Rican misses is that its variant of anti-black racism is WORSE than that of the US mainland.  How could I say that, you ask?  Well, racial discrimination is an everyday phenomenon in PR.  This finally was brought to light by Reggaeton star Tego Calderon who hails from Loiza, PR, the town most associated with black Puerto Ricans.  Calderon wrote that racism is worse in PR because it is universally denied.

This denial comes in the form of Black Puerto Ricans claiming there is no racism, yet they consider themselves white on self-identification forms.  It comes in the form of Black Puerto Ricans claiming there is no racism, yet they usually do not even consider attending university in PR as it "is just not for them."  It comes in the form of Black Puerto Ricans claiming there is no racism, yet they know that the highest paying professions and most lucrative jobs are reserved for "Los Finos," or the white elite Puerto Ricans.

One other fallacy in Puerto Rico is the "We are all Puerto Ricans, whatever our color so we have not racism here."  This may be true, but most Americans consider themselves "all Americans" regardless of color, but that does not preclude the existence of racism there.  The family of all Puerto Ricans still has a color caste system that treats people differently according to color, regardless of their status as a Puerto Rican.

Yet another fallacy from the island is "Puerto Ricans are not racist because most of us have some level of black blood."  How ridiculous is that notion?  Adolf Hitler is said to have Jewish ancestors, yet he was more anti-Jewish than any other person in history.  Further, many white Americans have native American and even African blood, but that never stopped them from killing natives or discriminating against blacks over the years.


From a personal standpoint, a friend of mine came to Puerto Rico as a manager of a pretty big organization.  His status as an African American was a bone of contention when he began instituting changes in an under-performing institution.  He was resisted tooth and nail, falsely accused of managerial misconduct, and even stereotyped as creating fear in the office.  After a tumultuous year, my friend had enough documented evidence to begin firing people and replacing them with high performers with integrity.  But his ordeal of insubordination from a few subordinates was based on his skin color as most whites in PR could not handle a black person in a position of authority over them.


Finally, when a PR gentleman proudly boasted to me how PR has no racism, I asked him, "Could a black Puerto Rican ever be elected Governor of PR?"  He thought for a moment, and said, "Probably not, I see your point."


So for all of the racist history of the US mainland, African Americans are well represented in the middle and upper classes, attend university in the thousands and increasingly obtain advanced degrees.  They have multi-millionaires who are not associated with sports or entertainment, and even the current President of the USA is African American.  In contrast, black PR languish in isolation on the island and they are shunned from partaking in the means of social mobility reserved for non-blacks there.

There is indeed racism in Puerto Rico, and it is high time to stop the charade down there.  Having said that, black Puerto Ricans themselves have the onus of stopping the denial and starting the move to educate themselves and build institutions that increase their progress.  Until that happens, they will remain the ridiculed demographic group that does not realize that the joke is on them.  

Killed Someone? Just Blame It On A Black Man!

Amanda Knox is back in the news as her freedom to blame innocent racial minorities for her heinous crimes lies in the balance.

Knox is the typical American female spoiled brat who now faces a life sentence for her role in the murder of her British roommate Meredith Kercher.

Knox sealed her own fate when she concocted several different versions of the what happened the night of Kercher's murder. Most disturbingly, Knox tried to implicate a local African business owner, Patrick Lumumba, of the crime but he was released after law enforcement officials cleared him and Knox's story changed. For some reason, the American media all but ignored this detail about Knox's bigoted act in an effort to preserve sympathy for her.

This case is controversial because Knox is a relatively attractive, affluent, and white American female who is presumed to be innocent of such crimes by other Americans. Europe tends to be more realistic in their approach to judging women, and they tend to let the facts be their guide.

It is a forgone conclusion that Knox will be convicted and sent to prison for a long time. This case gives Men's Rights Advocate like me a sense of justice when American females get their due for heinous crimes that they may have gotten away with in the USA.

It also serves as notice to other American women that they cannot participate in crimes, implicate innocent people, change their stories and expect to be let off the hook like in the United States.

May the soul of Meredith Kercher rest in peace when Knox is finally locked away for good.

To Be Successful, Male, and Black: Common Perceptions.

In my estimation, roughly 50 to 80 percent of people anywhere in the world are neutral at the sight of a black man who appears polished and successful. However, the other 20 to 50 percent tend to fall into one or more of the following categories:

The Inspired Onlooker: These will see you as an interesting person to get to know, or a paradigm to emulate. These people are well-intentioned and the females are most open to dating black men. Think of these as the "Wow, a successful black man, he must be a remarkably intelligent and charming individual to get where he is today" crowd.

The Validated Onlooker: These individuals may be very successful themselves or well on their way to being successful. They see the successful black man as a validation of their view that all people can make it given the right opportunities and life choices. Think of these as the "We are all the same given the right circumstances in which to thrive" crowd.

The Patronizing Onlooker: While not ill-intentioned, these individuals only see you through the lens of stereotype. This is the person that does not pick up on your behavior, dress, and mannerisms, but your skin color. These individuals may seek to develop rapport with you by uttering some hip hop slogan, or by abruptly patting you the back as if you are some athlete who just scored. This is the "I wonder which he is, an athlete or entertainer" crowd. In my experience, this type seems to be most prevalent in Asian and East European countries and those with high poverty rates.

The Resentful Onlooker: This is a person of which you should be wary. They may simply watch you with an expressionless demeanor, or they may actually engage you in conversation in an effort to discover what you are all about. Whatever the case, they do not like you as you remind them of their own failure and insecurity. They are the "How in the world can this black guy have his stuff together, and I can't?" They need to be let off the hook by learning that you are a cheat, a fraud, or a fool and that is what they seek to discover by interacting with you. They may try to provoke you with some verbal slight or insult to gauge your reaction, or they may simply watch your every move. They represent the disingenuous, smiling stranger that you know has an ulterior motive.


The Self-Preservationist Onlooker: This is the most dangerous of all. This is the person that seeks to destroy you or your well-being because his/her world view does not comport with what you represent when compared with what they represent. Your very presence is interpreted as a threat to their relevance. These individuals range from the unemployed, to the lonely skinhead who wants you out of his country because women pay more attention to you. But, more often, they are the black female co-workers who sees you as a challenge to their positions in the organization. Just as the skinhead seeks to destroy your physical being, the black female self-preservationist onlooker seeks to destroy your reputation, your respect in the eyes of others, and your place as a credible contributor in the organization. Whether it is by luring you into conflict or setting you up for termination, this person wants you demolished as a threat to her social position.

It takes experience to quickly determine if someone embodies one of the above profiles. Sometimes people exhibit elements of more than one profile, and yet others can drift from one into another with time.

The Muted Condemnation of Murderer Raymond Clark

The nation was captivated with the disappearance of Yale grad student Annie Le. I recall seeing interviews with Yale students that they always felt they had to be careful in the Yale university "neighborhood" and now they feel that way more so.

Now that it is has been established that the killer was white, preppy Raymond Clark, the outcry has been muted to non-existent. It is obvious that this is not the face of the killer in the minds of most Americans.

Now that we know he is white, it is interesting to hear the rationalizations about why he resorted to killing her. Mental illness, extreme distress, etc, everything but out and out evil.

Consider for a moment if the killer would have been non-white. We would have seen an outcry for the killer's head immediately. I don't think that Annie Le would approve of the pass granted by the court of public opinion to Raymond Clark. I hope that the courts do their job and put this individual away for the rest of his life. The misery he will endure in prison will be far greater in duration than the pain he inflicted on poor Annie.

The Thinly-Veiled Bigotry Towards President Obama

Three recent events are the bigotry I predicted for President Obama the night he won the election. The explosive health care "town halls" designed to undermine the success of the President's initiative on emotional grounds, the anger at the President's plan to address school children, and the visceral "You lie "outburst of Representative Joe Wilson during Obama's health care address to Congress. How dare Obama win the presidency and deign to expect to accomplish anything! An accomplished Obama further whittles away at the white supremacist agenda so every effort must be made to undermine his success and dignity in their minds.



There are some Americans who refuse to acknowledge the dignity of the office on racial grounds alone. This begs the question. Would these recent occurrences have taken place if Obama were white? Surely not. As time goes on, a subset of these collectivist half-wits will get used to Obama's presidency. But most of these people will remain entrenched in the benighted mentality that they don't even know afflicts them.

Fortunately, most Americans are not moved by this nonsense and recognize it for what it is worth. But any suggestion that America is no longer gripped by it's white supremacist past falls upon deaf ears when this stuff continues.

Professor Gates And the Cambridge, MA Police Matter

The dispute between Henry Louis Gates and arresting Officer Crowley took an uptick when President Obama joined the fray. Now, legions of cops are lending their support to Officer Crowley in light of all the heat he is taking.

What the media is missing are the true issues that are going on here: Gates' lack of civility to the Officer and the American rebuttable presumption of black guilt. Had these two factors not been at play in the incident, there would likely have been no arrest and no explosion into a larger debate on race.

Professor Gates is a man of high esteem. He therefore likely has a bit of a chip on his shoulder that rubbed the investigating officer the wrong way. Any one with common sense understands that an officer has considerable discretion to arrest or grant a warning. If you insult or show disrespect to an officer, you will likely be arrested when the officer could have used discretion to not arrest you.

As for Officer Gates, he is American, born and bred, and he likely embodies the notion that blacks represent a criminal risk higher than that of whites. For those Americans without keen skills of discernment, like the neighbor who called the police when she saw a "black man" (Gates) fumbling on Gates porch, ANY black man is a criminal risk, not just the obvious ones.

Officer Gates extra scrutiny of the black Gates and Gates' arrogance that he was somehow immune to the extra scrutiny gave rise to this matter.

Both men are digging their heels in and maintain the error of the other party.
Yes, America does still have an obsession with caste and stereotype. To the extent that we deny it exists is the extent we will be disappointed when incidents like this rear their heads.

Oh yes; President Obama, stick to health care reform and the economy. You should not be in the weeds on issues of this nature!

The Meltdowns Of Asian American Men

They appear on the news every now and then. Individuals like the Korean Virgina Tech gunman, the Filipino arrested by the FBI for a series of racist death threats, and most recently Jiverly Voong who opened fire on an Immigration Service Center in upstate NY. What is behind this string of incidents where Asian American men have unleashed murderous wrath on innocent people.

Let me begin by saying this is not an anti-Asian American rant. In fact, I acknowledge that the vast majority of Asian American men are hard-working, law-abiding, and upstanding citizens. But what is afoot here? I believe that some Asian men increasingly view this society as unjust and unfair to them who try to do all the right things.

Men's rights advocate, Winston Wu, is legendary for his diatribes against the social isolation to which American society relegates all but a few Asian men. They are expected to live up to unrealistic "positive" stereotypes, shunned by most America women as poorly endowed, and left on the sidelines unless they are needed for calculus advice or engineering services.

While none of the above justifies lashing out in violence, I believe the plight of Asian male isolation is at the root of this trend. Asian men are feeling the frustration of being confined to their stereotypical role and their pent-up misery is unleashed in the form of violence.

All we can hope is that this trend has come and gone. What we need to do is examine what role we play in helping to alleviate this frustration.