John, I'm not sure what I said to make you feel like I am hopeless WRT race. I'm so baffled by it that I'm not sure the comment was directed at me (it appears to be in threaded mode). If not, my apologies in advance.

I didn't mean to make any value statement about either comment. I wholeheartedly agree with you that Obama's statement was not anti-white. Nor am I surprised by Rev. Wright's comments. Neither offend me.

I only tried to say that the reaction to those comments from the white population also does not surprise me, nor offend me. And that if a white person would have made similar statements about black people ("typical black person" or "AIDS is a black disease"), the public would've responded negatively as well, and in my opinion to a greater degree. I just believe public opinion is largely anti-racist, which makes me hopeful, but like you argued sometimes we often fail to appreciate context. I think that goes for all people, regardless of race.

like I said, I'm not at all surprised by the statements of Rev. Wright. I can place them in context: from the many conversations I've had with my friends, I know many black people actively distrust the government and white people by extension. I would assume that this feeling would be stronger in the older generations, considering they have personally been treated horribly in the past. But that's the inherent danger with statements like the AIDS-one: it only supports the idea that the government still wants to commit heinous crimes against black people. An idea I find to be unwarranted and counter-productive. For I also think it's necessary to see the experiences of black people in the right context, namely that the black people in my generation don't have the same experiences as those in the older generations.

So if one of my black friends states to me his belief in the government's intent to kill him through AIDS or drugs, based on the bad experiences of those in older generations with previous governments, I'd at least try to convince him otherwise. Through open discourse and taking note of the right context (starting with not calling him a racist or idiot, but trying to find out what made him feel that way), but I certainly wouldn't stay silent in respect to the atrocities committed by my own race in the past.

As to the matter of personal experiences, I was born and am currently living in the Netherlands, but spent my High school years in the US. Being white, I am not claiming the obstacles I faced in America are the same as those of the black population, but I found enough similarity within my own life to those of the other minority students that especially early on, my social circle consisted mainly of black friends. I found that we could relate a lot with each other on a personal level, without me or them having to look "outside of our autobiography" to come to an understanding. For instance, I know what it is like to be stopped by cops despite doing nothing illegal. Back then I had long hair and often smoked a cigarette on my walks home and there have been a few instances where I have been stopped (flashing lights, no sirens, short conversation...cop just making sure I'm not smoking dope or have nefarious purposes). I'm not claiming it's exactly the same experience (most important difference: I haven't been stopped since cutting my hair..a choice no black person has), but I know enough about how shitty it feels to have an idea of what a black person stopped on the basis of his or her race must feel like.

Though I think that "looking outside of one's autobiography" is essential to bridge the gaps between the races, I do see a danger in going overboard. You run to risk of creating the belief that all experiences of black and white people are deemed to be unrelatable. You can create the exact opposite of what you want to accomplish: that black and white people are just too different to ever fully accept each other.

I am certainly hopeful for the state of racial relations, John. I think our miscommunication occured because you've argued the case so well, and I didn't feel the need to comment on anything other than the idea that a white person would have been criticized by the public, without the proper context being applied with their situation. I hope I was able to alleviate your concerns, John. If not, please let me know where I'm going wrong.