RACISM IS ALIVE AND WELL IN PORTLAND
[Re: “The Great Divide,” WW, Feb. 4, 2009:] Racism thrives in the City of Roses. Portland is not black-friendly. I have not met an African-American in Portland who has not experienced racism, either at work or school. Part of the problem is the local media. The word on the streets is that if you are a black man in Portland, you are not welcome to live here.

“Mel”
via wweek.com

YOU THINK THIS IS RACISM?
Where do people keep coming up with this shit? As someone who grew up in Milwaukee, a town so racist that in many parts you’re literally putting your life on the line if you chance walking while white (2 dead friends to prove it), I have to laugh at the wide-eyed naiveté. There’s a lot of sheltered people out here that don’t understand racism well enough to identify it. Spend an afternoon hanging out in the northside of Milwaukee or southside of Chicago maybe. It would be a painful but effective way to give yourself some needed perspective. You’ll learn what it really feels like to be unwelcome.

“Bill”
via wweek.com

DON’T SHELTER OUR KIDS
[Re: “Behave or Be Gone,” WW, Feb. 4, 2009:] I laugh hysterically at things like this, because all it does is provide an unrealistic approach to the real world, and we wonder why some people have trouble adjusting to not getting what they want.

Seriously, sports are about building character and learning about yourself, and one of the most important lessons to learn is that you will encounter people better than you, and you may work really hard at something, but get your @$$ handed to you. Some people may not like you simply because you are wearing the uniform of the other team, and will yell at you a lot, but it’s just a game. I think sometimes groups like the OSAA try so hard to protect kids from the world that they end up making things worse in the long run. Why don’t we just change everyone’s mascots to the Wildcats so everyone is equal, everyone gets a trophy because everybody wins, and why bother keeping score anymore because it just doesn’t matter?

Granted, my high school sports career was during times where I didn’t pay a fee to participate in sports, but at the same time, why are we trying so hard to protect kids from the real world?

“GK107”
via wweek.com

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