What's on your mind today?

[billy rubin]

speaking of spartacus, old kirk douglas finally augered in at 103.

hell of a career

[xSilverPhinx]

Why did I kick myself for thinking the way I did?

Why are you saying that, you ask? Read on.

I was on the bus just now on my way home from the lab, listening to music. As the bus passed a construction site it stopped to pick up two brown guys -- possibly in their early twenties, unkempt in their general demeanor. I was sitting near the back of the bus and as they brashly moved passed me I thought, no, I was certain, that they were going to rob everyone who was sitting in that vehicle. They just fit the stereotype of the so-called "chicken thief" so well...

"Should I get off at the next stop?" The more fearful side of me thought. Suddenly I was very aware of my cellphone on my bag in front of me.

"Don't be ridiculous, you're just being prejudiced," another part of me thought in reply. "They're the victims of your racist thinking." 

"Yeah, maybe I am," I conceded as I was disappointed in myself for thinking that those two brash, unkempt, young, brown men were going to rob everyone. I decided to stay put.

Still, I hid my cellphone inside my bag and just stared outside the window as the bus carried on its way. A few minutes later, the two guys got off, as as they did a young man who was sitting behind me shouted hysterically that they had robbed him. They had taken his cellphone, his bag and his shoes.

[No one]

Argentium:
Why did I kick myself for thinking the way I did?

Why are you saying that, you ask? Read on.

I was on the bus just now on my way home from the lab, listening to music. As the bus passed a construction site it stopped to pick up two brown guys -- possibly in their early twenties, unkempt in their general demeanor. I was sitting near the back of the bus and as they brashly moved passed me I thought, no, I was certain, that they were going to rob everyone who was sitting in that vehicle. They just fit the stereotype of the so-called "chicken thief" so well...

"Should I get off at the next stop?" The more fearful side of me thought. Suddenly I was very aware of my cellphone on my bag in front of me.

"Don't be ridiculous, you're just being prejudiced," another part of me thought in reply. "They're the victims of your racist thinking."

"Yeah, maybe I am," I conceded as I was disappointed in myself for thinking that those two brash, unkempt, young, brown men were going to rob everyone. I decided to stay put.

Still, I hid my cellphone inside my bag and just stared outside the window as the bus carried on its way. A few minutes later, the two guys got off, as as they did a young man who was sitting behind me shouted hysterically that they had robbed him. They had taken his cellphone, his bag and his shoes.


Instincts play an important role. That being said, I witness this thought process quite regularly. It is difficult not to be swayed towards negatively branding those that so competently favor a certain archetype.  Everyone is culpable of such an offense.

[xSilverPhinx]

Argentium:
Why did I kick myself for thinking the way I did?

Why are you saying that, you ask? Read on.

I was on the bus just now on my way home from the lab, listening to music. As the bus passed a construction site it stopped to pick up two brown guys -- possibly in their early twenties, unkempt in their general demeanor. I was sitting near the back of the bus and as they brashly moved passed me I thought, no, I was certain, that they were going to rob everyone who was sitting in that vehicle. They just fit the stereotype of the so-called "chicken thief" so well...

"Should I get off at the next stop?" The more fearful side of me thought. Suddenly I was very aware of my cellphone on my bag in front of me.

"Don't be ridiculous, you're just being prejudiced," another part of me thought in reply. "They're the victims of your racist thinking."

"Yeah, maybe I am," I conceded as I was disappointed in myself for thinking that those two brash, unkempt, young, brown men were going to rob everyone. I decided to stay put.

Still, I hid my cellphone inside my bag and just stared outside the window as the bus carried on its way. A few minutes later, the two guys got off, as as they did a young man who was sitting behind me shouted hysterically that they had robbed him. They had taken his cellphone, his bag and his shoes.


Instincts play an important role. That being said, I witness this thought process quite regularly. It is difficult not to be swayed towards negatively branding those that so competently favor a certain archetype.  Everyone is culpable of such an offense.

That's just the thing, I felt bad for thinking that way but in the end I was right -- they didn't rob everybody on that bus but they did take one kid's bag and shoes. I feel a little torn between thinking I was wrong to judge based on a stereotype and knowing that in the end I had correctly judged who what kind of people they were.

[No one]

They were bottom feeding filth, fuck them! You were right.

[xSilverPhinx]

They were bottom feeding filth, fuck them! You were right.

That they were!

[billy rubin]

it's always a bit depressing when you give in to your prejudices and then they turn out to be right.

[xSilverPhinx]

it's always a bit depressing when you give in to your prejudices and then they turn out to be right.

That's true. 

But soon after the fact, something really cool happened that restored my momentary loss of faith in humanity. Some people on the bus chipped in so the boy who had been robbed could buy a pair of flip flops and pay for a bus ride home. I thought that was awesome. 

[No one]

Sadly, oftentimes it takes people behaving at their worst to stimulate humanity's better nature.

[xSilverPhinx]

Sadly, oftentimes it takes people behaving at their worst to stimulate humanity's better nature.

Unfortunately it is.

[No one]

Humans suck!

[xSilverPhinx]

Humans suck!

Not all humans! 

[No one]

Persons are good, people, are not.

[Dark Lightning]

Persons are good, people, are not.

Indeed. Meet people one on one, they're OK (mostly- I know some people who are assholes in their own right, all alone). Get a crowd of them and they're just assholes.

[Bad Penny II]

As the bus passed a construction site it stopped to pick up two brown guys -- possibly in their early twenties, unkempt in their general demeanor. I was sitting near the back of the bus and as they brashly moved passed me I thought, no, I was certain, that they were going to rob everyone who was sitting in that vehicle. They just fit the stereotype of the so-called "chicken thief" so well...

"Should I get off at the next stop?" The more fearful side of me thought. Suddenly I was very aware of my cellphone on my bag in front of me.

"Don't be ridiculous, you're just being prejudiced," another part of me thought in reply. "They're the victims of your racist thinking." 

"Yeah, maybe I am," I conceded as I was disappointed in myself for thinking that those two brash, unkempt, young, brown men were going to rob everyone. I decided to stay put.

Still, I hid my cellphone inside my bag and just stared outside the window as the bus carried on its way. A few minutes later, the two guys got off, as as they did a young man who was sitting behind me shouted hysterically that they had robbed him. They had taken his cellphone, his bag and his shoes.

You didn't feel wary just because they were brown, there was other stuff going on.
Projecting a  threatening presence would serve them well when they demand peoples stuff. 

OK, the old fav, confirmation bias.
Do you think you have fears of brown people that turn out to be unfounded but aren't given any significance?