If the following statement is 100% true...
it has NOTHING to do with color/race at all. Your white friend can be one, your dog, or your goldfish. Its more just a spot holder for the word person.
Then why does this statement apply?
I certainly wouldnt suggest using it around us. I think you would have had more of a chance to be hit than earlier in the post.
However, the way they were using it is likely different from how you would use it. When we use it (and I dont use it.....much.....and not around white people)
Because its the context of the usage. I know white people that do use it around their black friends, and there are no issues, I would be willing to bet that Eminem uses it around his close group of friends. Some Hispanics use it with each other, I know Paki/Indians that use it, but they grew up and are part of a culture that uses it. But I doubt they would use it around blacks they arent familiar with because they know the word and what could stem from it given the wrong circumstance.
On that same note a character like Uncle Ruckas in The Boondocks would likely risk physical harm if he was real despite being black. (youtube to understand what I'm talking about)
I try to teach my son not to use language in public that is loud and obnoxious. This kid's mom may have, too. He clearly didn't pay attention. Teenagers...
I don't have a black kid profile. Thug profile. I see hundreds of black kids who don't look or act like thugs.
What is a thug? Are you implying that the kid likely was a criminal? I think it is important to get the definition of such a term because it can mean different things to different people. If your definition or description of thug is what the kid was doing, then to you he'd be a thug. If my definition of thug is a violent criminal then based on your anecdote he wouldnt reach that threshold. He'd be a teenager displaying little tact.
That is exactly what profiling is. I don't see a need for it either. It happens automatically in reaction to certain behaviors or styles. I guess I'm a very bad person because it happened to me another time when some geeky looking kids got on the train. The first thing that went through my head was "Big Bang Theory." Then they reinforced the stereotype by deciding an argument over candy with Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock. I'm not making this up...
I am saying that I think it is controllable. I dont think youre a very bad person at all by reading your posts, even this one. Rather the opposite. You already stated you were able to see past all that you saw as negative to determine that this was just a kid acting up. All I am saying is that it is fixable. I've had to do so with me profiling police. So, even though I remain suspicious in every dealing, I tend to give the benefit of the doubt until shown otherwise.
Am I supposed to feel guilty because I am the same color as someone who lynched someone? Generations removed from mine? How long do I have to hold this guilt?
This reminds me of one of my favorite comedians Bill Burr
but no, its not to make anyone feel guilty, its to show that despite our history and predispositions even in cases that extreme, if we can NOT profile people, then I think its possible for you (and everyone else too)
And again, I do it to depending on the place Im at and the circumstances. There are places here in Chicago where I have to profile blacks/hispanics by what color theyre wearing, any particular logos or symbols they may have on, which way their hat is turned, etc and reconcile that with what I may have on... and it could be life or death if a mistake is made. Sometimes I have to determine whether a white guy's bald head and black boots means more than whether he likes his head shaved and likes army boots, or is there something else behind it. But I am willing to give the benefit of the doubt, all while choosing options to remain safe. Nah mean?