Forum Activity for @javalizard

OK so let's do this, here is an apple.. you hear I hate apples eat an orange!

I never said anyone deserves to be harassed, but rather if one is then they shouldn't be offended. When you purposely choose to go against society there are some consequences. Being in Australia is different than the USA, so take things with a grain of salt.

No by reaching a mutual end means you can accept what they say as their point of view, in truer words, tolerance. One doesn't need to betray anything to tolerate another. Why would I judge you? That is an assumption. You are totally entitled to your opinion and world view. However don't read into things, that is one reason this thread is so long. If you read again when I was mentioning mutual end, it was in regard to helping people understand your point of view.

Brad Spitt said:

@ lizard 'It is not illegal for whites to look dirty, have dreads, piercings, do they get picked on and harassed? :::You bet but what would you expect? :::'
What is that ment to mean? You saying because i have dreads,tats,piercings and dont follow conventional way of living i must bedirty and i deserve to be harrassed?

Just because others in a part of the world cant wear baggy pants ect in their country/city i must accept everything else because others are not being treated good either? I ask please dont be so presumptuous as to thinking because i dont care any longer about racial bigots,that i have not studied certain racial groups and religions ,and not just in books either. My studying,questioning,reasoning over months in persondidnt make them any better either but what i get from what you said to me is ' I must reach a mutual end' with them? is that to agree to what they say and betray my own beliefs and accept that hate and racism(dont matter what race you are) is acceptable? Thats bollocks man!! You can judge me,thats fine,i dont agree with you but nobody is ever right in this zionist baylonian world. Love and Peace.

@Brad, Just because you don't care about those ideaologies doesn't make them go away. It is about caring to understand those systems to reach a mutual end. Madiba was a perfect example of this in South Africa, just look at the Springboks!

@Sunflower, this mans rudeness pales in comparison to how you treated your mother, to me. If this whole message of dreads is love and all that spiritual crap, then respect the person who provided and birthed you.

@Doogie, again this isn't about dreaducation, why everyone on her thinks every wants or needs dreaducation about a look. Could this gentleman say things differently? Most assuredly, however the crux of his missive, if you just read it critically, he thinks they don't look good on whites, and there i a certain type of white person with dreads, those are his "non-racist" remarks.

@Dready Dharma, I wish I knew the details of your first experience, but I don't, simply sorry you had to, went through and setting up to go through it again.

Overall guys we need to look at this with a balanced view. If you think young black men with gold teeth, baggy pants and such look ridiculous, and that blacks should just pull their pants up, and stop talking all gangster, guess what you are repeating this guys same sentiment but in a calmer way. If you ever have said you wish they would pull their pants up, or made an idle threat to do so, same thing. American whites, blanket statement, do not realize how many subtle racist things they say and do, this is a generalization. But when a hint comes back they blow up. Racism is as ingrained in our society as McDonalds. Does this mean every white person is racist, NO, are all blacks and hispanics racist? Yes! from a certain point of view.

When we classify that we have no work in America due to illegals, which illegals are we talking about, when we say things like I wish they would stop having so many babies, or whites will be bred out of majority. There is an implication of a stigma/stereotype against one race. So before you start screaming racism please, take a moment, evaluate your speech, the speech of others, the speech of media, the laws of the land, and you will see that this guy follows suit, the only difference is he is talking about whites.

It is not illegal for whites to look dirty, have dreads, piercings, do they get picked on and harassed? You bet but what would you expect? But it is illegal in many parts of the country for blacks to sag, wear their hats a certain way and the like. Harassment is one thing laws are another, in the broad scope of comparison this is a opinion, albeit, uninformed. HOWEVER there are many uniformed opinions about how blacks start their dreads and maintain their hair in this forum.

So then how can we be like Madiba ( Nelson Mandela) and find a middle ground. In the realm of racial reconciliation it states that we cannot ever fully let go of our stereotypes, but when we come to the table we must set aside the idea that we are all standing socially equal but remember that we are created equals, yet still have many differences. If you all want people to be accepting of you and this journey then don't be disrespectful back, don't fight, don't be rude. Becasue instead of fighting for these self entitled rights, you are actually creating another thread of friction.

That is fine, but sadly a huge factor. There are some who act violently, yes assaulting someone is wrong, cutting their hair too! I should have said I agree with you there. But, there is always a why. Finding that gives better understanding to the crime I think. Not make it right but sheer understanding.

taye said:

I am not sure what race the people having their hair cut were.....I don't think like that...so I never question it. My issue was that it happened to people. What color their skin....never even crossed my mind.

Noodle, I am actually a Libertarian. What we are seeing is a difference between my USA mindset and yours. Two different world views hey!

@Taye about assault with dreads, I'm assuming these are whites getting their dreads cut, correct? Well if Rastas are doing it then it is obvious that they are taking offense to Whites doing what they are doing religiously. As much as we want to say Rastafariansim as an all loving movement, it is founded on afro-centric, Black salvation and restoration and black nationalism. To be honest it was a quite racist religion in its inception. Since everyone likes Bob, how many times did he sing about racial harmony? It was mostly about Black unity, Get up stand up was against white religion and teaching, crazy bladheads was against white. The faith has globally evolved but in the Caribbean not so much in places. When living in Guyana my professor was ridiculed out in town every day, in the same country he grew up in! But seriously in America that is just a open threat, we make them all the time. How many times have you heard, if I see someone sagging I'm going to pull their pants up? It is very common to vent with a threat and not act on it.

But Noodle, racism is actually on the rise in the USA, can't pinpoint why but it is. Racial attacks are on the rise too. We are not enroute to e better tomorrow globally. If you are a conspiracy person, this is on purpose, but the ideal of everyone sitting down loving each other won't happen, it doesn't happen in most communes, or monasteries. This is a limited answer, but as I say in every post, culture, it plays a big thing, as well as world view. I think a good way to start a post one should give age and location.

I come from a 33 year old bi-racial world view in America and lived abroad and am military related. I am a minister, civil rights activist, soccer coach, pysc minor, life coach certified, post traumatic stress therapist, and father, a racial reconciliation speaker, and well those are the world view shaping things.

I hate liberals and conservatives who abandon comparative logic in their pursuit to fight for what they believe in. If we want an open minded world who will accept messy hair, then we must in turn accept a response from the world we are rebelling against. I've been in some places where I've been called a nigger, and the person wasn't being racist he actually thought you called black people that. Are white more sensitive when racism happens to them in the USA? Yes, because they are not used to it. Do blacks cry racism? Yes, because they are sick of it. And from their point of view they are right, and from another they are wrong. Comparative logic would point out the authors reference to college kids, and that he sees certain things as belonging to a race, and he sees something just simply not looking good. Those are his main points, everyone went off an how they felt when they read it. But his world view says that whites don't look good with messy hair and they are trying to be something they are not. Was it ignorant, yes, is it his opinion ? yes. If we are open minded and loving should we be upset? No, we should feel sorry and then seek a way to over come a stigma so that others can see what dreads mean to an individual.

It was not a literal threat, would you feel that way if the person who wrote the article was white?

taye said:

Bravo Noodle-Doo!! Very well said. Buttrulymy biggest issue with the article/letter is the lastsentence. Cutting someone's hair is an act of violence. It is considered an assault. Because of this letter...I am going to pay way more attention to who is sitting behind me on the bus. This has given me a fear that I have never had before. That was a serious threat and it gives other people with his mind setsimilarideas. Just because someone does not like my hair does not give them ANY right to threaten to cut it....just like it does not give anyone who does not like my clothes the right to tear them from my body.

How can it be racist if everyone thinks that way? Most white people I know feel the same way as this guy. My Father in law, an ex black footed hippie, thinks this guy is spot on, though cutting someones hair without consent is wrong.

@ ToTheAnkles and Joshua Perez

It isn't about sides, but thank you for trying to offer the median view point as well.

As much as we want people to accept us for who and what we are however we wish to express that we must still live in social responsibility. People are totally pissed about this, but how is this different than everyone hates blacks sagging, or now laws preventing sagging?One group primarily sags, and every rags on them for it. But that isn't racist to most people. In this guys opinion he was stating that, to him, whites shouldn't dread.

hair envy example Byonce. Horrible, talk about not knowing history, try growing up told your skin color is evil, that you are not pretty because your hair is kinky, no barbie dolls look like you, no disney princesses look like you. Black women are not trying to look white! They are stuck in a society that declares their natural state as ugly, they just simply want to be beautiful. According to social norms.

We want to fit in and be acceptable. I have met many professional blacks with dreads, they wear suits, their dreads are tight and nice looking. I've not met any other race that fits that description. Most others I meet are hippy looking, and I know the natural dread process and all, but in truth it does not look good socially. And being able to accept that is one thing, that your hair may just not look good. But expecting others to be all loving about it, not going to happen. And to me honestly they look dirty, does that mean I won't accept them or talk to them? Nope, do I think less of them? Nope. Can I see beyond the stereotype? Yes and no, it is always there I just chose to move beyond it.

Now let's see if we could draw parallel racist statements. Blacks shouldn't dye their hair blonde, it doesn't look right and it is silly... wait not racist just an opinion.

What makes it appear racist is that he says all white people, in my first comment I stated that all black, mexican, asian people may not look good in a certain style. With taking what he is saying at face value ... I give up,If you find this letter racist, sorry. I've talked to 20 people and shared this post and they all think both parties are silly, but side with the person writing the letter. They think he has a valid point of those types, and thinks people declaring racist are overboard.

Noodle-Doo

I'm sorry you don't understand I am not defending the latter as in saying he is right, I am saying his perspective is quite normal and isn't racist. I am shocked that in this forum adults are telling kids to tell their parents to fuck off, or telling spouses to do what they want. If dreads are to be loving and open people keeping peace should be a big thing. And when you don a particular lifestyle you must be ready to face those consequences. Being open minded is one thing, doing your research another. But expecting the world to have the same values and concepts that you do is not just. Most people still believe everything they see and hear on the TV, to tell them that they are wrong and get all pissed off when they give off the rhetoric shows that we, yes we, are the ones who still need to deepen. Obviously he doesn't know dread history, duh. So why get pissed when he is making a social commentary?

By the By, he isn't African , I sy he, the writer, isn't African. He is black American. And I do stress that we not read into what he is saying, but maybe simply accept that he is talking about stereotypical college kids in his area.

Racist, no, rude and exacerbating a stereotype, yes.

Ironic that in the country of known origin they joke and tease with ignorance

christina bird said:

i think its fucked up that so many african people think dreadlocks are from africa. dreadlocks have been an important part of ancient indian culture and were also worn by buddhists.

but then who cares where they come from any way. fuck these racist jerks like him. pathetic. i pity that dude.

i've had people in india behave in a really fucked up way too when i had my first set of dreadlocks calling me jamaican n making fun of me but they're plain ignorant and so stupid.

i guess dreadlocks are something people for most of the time are always gonna have some kinda preconceived notions attached to n no matter what there's always some one or the other judging dreadheads.

True not racist but stereotypical, but as I said chances are he runs into stereotypical white college kids.

True story, last night a lady at church was telling me her son did the same thing, went to college, spring break in mexico came back with dreads, rasta stuff, reggae music, and dirty. She said, " No, no, no white boy. Go shower, cut your hair you look like a stupid ass." Coming from the same woman she says she loves my dreads. I think when we run into the majority the minority always gets the shaft. Oddly enough I haven't run into a white person with dreads since 1999, so other than the photo gallery my only impressions are the same type the person writing the letter complained about. So this forum has been quite the interest for me.

But that being said we, I guess who are more aware of stuff, should always conduct ourselves with higher standards so that we become the norm.

KnotLady said:

perhaps not quite racist...but vERY STEREOTYPICAL. and thats wrong. i dont care how many poser fucks hes run into. he probably was too disgusted to actually talk to those 'dirty white kids" to find out what they were actually like, so he needs to look at the attitude of his heart and ask himself if hes holy enough to reign that kinda judgement on people who might have actually been intellectually stimulating and bathed regularly.
i get it. i dont like it when i see super manicured dreads that are probably full of wax and the person probably thinks my dreads are inferior. but i would not tell them that they shouldnt have dreads. i would just hope they found this site or actually listened when someone told them the truth about over manicured dreads...
JavaLizard said:

Just wow.
I understand feeling hurt by it, but what he said wasn't racist. And in America Bob is black, as a mixed race guy with mix raced kids, we are black. Racism and stereotypes are a hard thing to live with. In his round about way he was simply saying whites don't look good with dreads. Blacks didn't look good with the high cut flat top. (That was a horrible phase) he was simply pointing out a look, perception.

As a black person, who is mixed but since we live in America I'm black, I'm very accepting. But just because someone says whites shouldn't have dreads, doesn't make them racist. I bet he would say Mexicans, Asians, and others if he ran into them. It sounds like he runs into the familiar rich white kid wanting to rebel. It is more a social type casting. It is annoying yes, like when my white niece is like, dude grow a fro, yeah you'd look awesome with a fro.

In truth all black men shouldn't shave their heads, some blacks shouldn't grow a fro, some white should sport a high and tight, etc., some times we ought to consider there is a fashion side to things as well. Not every man can or should grow a beard. I know the fashion side doesn't get brought up a lot here in a non negative view, but it is something we all have to accept, when we don't look good society sees that.



the Barrellady said:

First of all, this person, whoever wrote that article is such a racist. Second of all, this person, is very ignorant on the history of dreads.

Bob Marley was of mixed race, his father was a White English Jamaican and his mother was an Afro-Jamaican. This is a quote from Bob Marley , "I don't have prejudice against meself. My father was a white and my mother was black. Them call me half-caste or whatever. Me don't deh pon nobody's side. Me don't deh pon the black man's side nor the white man's side. Me deh pon God's side, the one who create me and cause me to come from black and white"

A man so full of love for everyone, sang with his inner soul, and wanted this world full of love, and yet there are still comments that separate us. IGNORANCE and SHAME ON ALL RACISTS, no matter who it comes from.

How did this person even come to the conclusion that Caucasian dreads are dirty? That we don't brush our teeth even. I think that they crawled out from under a rock in a cave and met up with a "White" roomie who was just as filthy as them due to living in that cave.

Prejudice comes with ignorance, Why do they assume we like Reggae so much that we want to be a Rastafarian? Why do they assume we never wash? Why do they assume anything? Because that ignorant person has not opened up their heart to Human Beings. Because they never sat down with a Dreadie with long, beautiful locks to have a chat and a cup of coffee. Black or White, there are Dread Heads out there that are filthy, due to homelessness or whatever, but it is not a Caucasian thing only, it is a down on your life thing.

I hope that if that person has children , the children will be able to one day teach them what love is all about to fellow human beings. The comments do not piss me off, they truly break my heart. LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE If everyone had this for one another, the world would be such a better place.

Yeouch! Point taken JavaLizard! I can deal with the name calling way better than sticks and stones.

Though I much prefer thai sticks and stoners... :D