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Debate Info

27
61
Yes No
Debate Score:88
Arguments:99
Total Votes:105
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 Yes (20)
 
 No (38)

Debate Creator

Amarel(5669) pic



Are Black People Oppressed in the U.S.?

Yes

Side Score: 27
VS.

No

Side Score: 61
2 points

Hello again, A:

Yeah, I have a little more to say... If you live in a city, you have a black neighborhood.. Black neighborhoods are NOT as nice as white neighborhoods.. If you NOTICE that and BELIEVE that black people are NOT oppressed, you'd have to CONCLUDE that they live in those shit holes because they WANT to.. Or, you could conclude that black people are FORCED to live that way because they live in a racist nation..

excon

Side: Yes
FactMachine(430) Clarified Banned
3 points

It's not so much that they live in a racist nation, but that they are still suffering the effects of segregation and poverty and lack of education and economic inequality even though those things are no longer structurally reinforced, they've still left their mark on the black communities.

Side: Yes
Athene(41) Clarified
4 points

Most of this stagnation and social decay comes from a culture that has been forged by policies passed by left wing administrations in the past.

Side: Yes
3 points

Or, you could conclude that black people are FORCED to live that way because they live in a racist nation..

And as if by magic, millions of blacks don't live that way, and millions of whites do live that way. The whites who live that way must be FORCED to live that way.

Libs say poor, white, uneducated, trailor trash rednecks voted Trump into office. Now poof! You act like these poverty stricken whites don't exist. It's amazing really.

Side: No
Eloy(190) Disputed
1 point

Libs say poor, white, uneducated, trailor trash rednecks voted Trump into office. Now poof! You act like these poverty stricken whites don't exist. It's amazing really.

You seem unaware of depressed city black neighborhoods. Undoubtedly, there are millions of impoverished white people in cities as well as rural locations.

What is needed is investment from the government where corporations cannot do this.

Side: Yes
2 points

Black neighborhoods are NOT as nice as white neighborhoods

I used to live in a shit house. I went out and made more money. It's not your fault that I lived in a shit house. It was mine. Their problem is they continue to pass down a culture of victomhood, failure, violence, and excuses. Conservative blacks keep doing just fine and getting along with whites. Why? They choose to. Any questions?

Side: No
marcusmoon(576) Clarified
2 points

Hello Excon,

If you NOTICE that and BELIEVE that black people are NOT oppressed, you'd have to CONCLUDE that they live in those shit holes because they WANT to.. Or, you could conclude that black people are FORCED to live that way because they live in a racist nation..

Or you could conclude that the predominant culture in neighborhoods is what makes it awful, and that if some the same people who make their neighborhoods suck were to move to the suburbs, they would make those into "shitholes", too.

These things have nothing to do with race, but everything to do with culture, and with individual choices.

The "shitholes" you refer to are made that way by some (NOT ALL) of the residents being variously criminals, litterers, vandals, etc.. By the same token, nicer neighborhoods are made that way by the culture and efforts of the residents. (This is why there is alternately decline or gentrification of neighborhoods.)

The race of the residents is irrelevant, but how well the individual residents keep up the properties, make even modest improvements, and make the place safe (or not) is of ultimate importance.

- The bars on windows in crappy neighborhoods did not bring the crime or cause the neighborhood to be crappy. The local criminals are the cause of that.

- There is no oppressive group of White people bringing garbage into the hood and spreading around the streets.

You are right to imply that, in general, individuals do move to nicer neighborhoods when they can, regardless of race. (That is why middle class and suburban neighborhoods tend to be more racially diverse than inner city neighborhoods.) Importantly, they also tend to have a much higher percentage of high school graduates and a lower rate of single parenthood.

What keeps people in bad neighborhoods is lack of financial options, but the primary reasons for the lack of options is poor decision making, and failure to graduate high school.

There is no "racist nation" forcing them to stay and live that way. That is ALL individual choices and their predictable and natural outcomes. The high school graduates go to college or get jobs, and then move away.

Side: Yes
1 point

Black neighborhoods are NOT as nice as white neighborhoods..

And white liberals stay as far away from those neighborhoods as is humanly possible. They like to show "compassion" from afar while never actually helping anyone themselves, even despite the fact that the left has monopolies on the culture through academia, Hollywood, and the mainstream media. They think the right should wave its conservative magic wand...

Liberal compassion consists of someone else paying, someone else sacrificing, and someone else doing the work. Then they pat themselves on the back for supporting something that feels good, while not actually doing anything.

White libs are quite the unicorns. They claim whites have privilege, yet never give their homes, money, or time to blacks. Why? Because they don't actually give a shit. They simply like to look like they give a shit.

Side: No
1 point

If you NOTICE that and BELIEVE that black people are NOT oppressed, you'd have to CONCLUDE that they live in those shit holes because they WANT to..

1)If you believe that Muslim women are not oppressed, you'd have to conclude that they wear burkas and live as third class citizens because they want to.

2)A man becomes a druggie, an alcoholic, a deadbeat dad...and lives in a shitty house? That'd be? His damn fault.

Side: No
TzarPepe(763) Clarified
1 point

I've known some pretty raggedy white neighborhoods.

Merriam-Webster defines race as..

"a class or kind of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics"

Who determines what shared interests, habits, or characteristics determine a race?

Don't hate too much on people who are hung up on race. They don't know any better. Race is made up. The people who make this stuff up? Probably eugenicists or something. What are their standards? Who cares what they think.

Side: Yes

Ver very stuupiid. You ask on a totally white dominated website if blacks are being oppressed.

Are you okay? is this a debate at all?who do the blacks say oppress them? you ask the accused bully if he indeed inflict pain on his victim?

What do you expect?? to be the winning side... if you were intelligent and trying to be objective you would at least make this debate a perspective debate.

So if blacks are truely being oppressed you think it will just go away or clean from history of reality by some stupid comments ??

You need to go for shopping………………on the market... purchase....wisdom...and intelligence.

shopping spree

Side: Yes
Amarel(5669) Disputed
2 points

You ask on a totally white dominated website if blacks are being oppressed.

There is nothing that precludes black people from enjoying this website.

you ask the accused bully if he indeed inflict pain on his victim?

There is no evidence that this website, or any particular member of this site, is the "bully" in question. If you think that a bullies is defined by the color of their skin, then you are the problem.

if you were intelligent and trying to be objective

If I were trying to be objective then I wouldn't worry about the color of the skin of the people making their case since facts require no racial quota.

you would at least make this debate a perspective debate

Oppression has an actual definition. Whether a person is oppressed is not simply a matter of their personal perspective, it's also a matter of fact.

So if blacks are truely being oppressed you think it will just go away or clean from history of reality by some stupid comments ??

Yes. I truly thought that if I posted this debate, then people could end oppression by a few of us talking about it for a little bit. (I know you don't understand sarcasm, that wasn't for you).

Side: No
jeffreyone(1383) Clarified
1 point

(I know you don't understand sarcasm, that wasn't for you).

Wow. you must really think of me as the most isolated hostile troglodyte on the surface of earth. You think i can't tell someone being sarcastic, you really think i must be that extremely dumb and you extremely intelligent than me....jesus...

because what?..location? i really don't wanna go there....

Do you know how many times i have been sarcastic towards many on CD especially JatinNagpal,mint tea, dermot, mack and minttea many times accused me of.....how many sarcasm debates i have created targetting gays, atheists and racists? even darwin? At least google can tell me what it means (for preservation of your moronism sake) ....oh jeez!!.

Damn you dumb.

And yes i truly believe you meant this

Yes. I truly thought that if I posted this debate, then people could end oppression by a few of us talking about it for a little bit.

and you weren't being sarcastic.

I only made you realise how naive and childish minded you really are(thank me) and you use sarcasm as an escape route.....

if that isn't it as i say then what is the truth?(you already said it right?)

There is nothing that precludes black people from enjoying this website.

As it stands now, blacks the opposite side and most vital contributors of this topic donot find this website fascinating enough to fill out the sign up form, so you can't have a two sided opinion debate.... the hustle is between Black and White Americans unchangeable and none can be left out this debate.......this is not a suitable platform for your kinda debate.

I am juggling naive and dumb choose one. If greedy take two....makes it three ;greedily, dumb and naive.

If you think that a bullies is defined by the color of their skin, then you are the problem.

It seems you still haven't gone for the shopping i recommended for....because you can't process simple analogies to identify characters and their roles in proper relation to your own topic..sad thing.

If I were trying to be objective then I wouldn't worry about the color of the skin of the people making their case since facts require no racial quota.

The topic has a colour tag ; Black. So there are colours everywhere, it's a colour party....but my problem is there is not even one of the hosting colour(black) here to give us an outline of what is really happening in this event...seriously?

Side: Yes
Dermot(5736) Disputed
1 point

So tell me Jeffers who's oppressing blacks on this " white dominated " site ?

It is indeed a debate so why don't you .... debate ?

Surely if it's a yes /no debate people's particular perspectives are revealed ?

Do you ever actually debate without resorting to mocking anyone's intelligence who disagrees with your assertions?

Side: No
Mint_tea(4641) Disputed
1 point

Well, if this free site is mostly white dominated then you have the opportunity to bring your side to the table in an informative manner. Perhaps instead of ad hominem attacks you could address the actual topic of the debate?

After all, all of us can only see the sides we are personally familiar with, maybe you can bring to the table some information in a fashion suited for debate and reflection.

Side: No
jeffreyone(1383) Clarified
1 point

I'm neither black american(alleged oppressed) or white american(apparently, alleged oppressor).

I'm a neutral like a judge. And i'm playing my role well.

Setting structures and fair standards.

I dislike both black and white americans for very different reasons and applaud them for very different reasons.

Who am i?

Neutral!!

Side: Yes
1 point

I really have a hard time answering 100% to either side.

Yes, I think there are still some MAJOR issues with our country and racism.

How much of that is based off what we see in the news? I'm not sure.

I think there are some instances where a person is held back because of the color of their skin or gender. The black friends I have are all hard working individuals who have fought hard to get where they are and have had grief given on both sides. Some blacks will looks at another black person and actually accuse them of being "too white" because they are successful or working towards a degree. What?!?! Likewise I've heard complaints from friends who have had comments passed to them about how they should be thankful to be anywhere in life because "whitey" gave them a chance. Again...what?!?

Generally I think a good portion of what holds anyone back is themselves. Outsides sources can certainly bring a person down but if they have the gumption to better themselves then they need to do it. It's much easier to say they didn't get something because they were oppressed because the other option would be to actually work their behind off and fight tooth and nail to get something better in life.

I just...really dislike saying "blacks" or "whites" but for description purposes I used it, I do apologize if the wording is crude, really I think oppression is something all races both get and give at some point.

Side: Yes
Amarel(5669) Clarified
1 point

Very much on an irrelevant side note. I don't think there is anything particularly offensive in saying "blacks" or "whites" as a matter of brevity. Even so, using the words bothers me as well. I think it's because we are categorizing people by there skin color, and nothing more. As if President Obama shares a character or identity or experience with a south side gang banger because....pigmentation. Yeah right.

You make every effort to illustrate the role any individual will play in their circumstances. I think this is correct. It also opens the door for dialogue, which the loudest in the media don't seem to be interested in.

When a black person at Yale says you cannot presume to know the black experience because of your white privilege, they are presuming to know your white experience while denying their own privilege (if their at Yale, they are privileged). They are further presuming there is a "black" experience. As though New Orleans culture is the same as New York culture. These sentiments which lump black people together by the color of their skin and fails to recognize their individual natures, are presented as a means to fight racism, while maintaining the same illegitimate premises of the racists, that pigmentation makes the difference.

End Rant.

Side: Yes
1 point

I think it's because we are categorizing people by there skin color, and nothing more

That's it exactly. We are so much more than just the color of our skin.

which the loudest in the media don't seem to be interested in.

I would argue that it is because what sells. Nothing sparks more anger and investment than a negative reason for why things are the way they are if there's someone else to blame. A headline saying "If you work hard you can achieve much" won't be as remembered or incite fury like something that suggests maybe a person's situation is because there are outside sources working against them. Where as most of us would say, "well work to fix it" and then actually fight to fix it, others would be more content to sit back and cast blame.

The term "white privilage" is so over-used and degrading it's ridiculous. I could spend five paragraphs just about a conversation I had with someone who actually lorded over me that she was black and "I couldn't possibly know what struggles she's had and any struggles I've gone through are nothing in comparison"....she was seriously trying to compete over who had it worse in a topic that had nothing to do with race. But immediately she jumped to "oh you're white you have no idea". It boggles the mind sometimes.

Side: Yes
-1 points

Hello A:

Yes.. I'm surprised you haven't noticed..

excon

Side: Yes
-1 points

Everyone is oppressed in the US so by extension all of the negro slaves, I mean the POCs are as well. The privately owned "federal" reserve has been controlling the US economy creating massive debt for their own profit and making economic slaves of everyone from the poorly endowed pasty neanderthal white devil cro magnon albinoid cave man to the raisin headed bumper lipped shitskinned bobbling bumbling monkey brained cotton picking niggers.

Side: Yes
Amarel(5669) Disputed
1 point

cotton picking niggers

You don't get to use this language in my debates you low piece of shit.

Side: No
1 point

Your action makes sense. Racism is disreputable. There is nothing more to be said.

Side: No
4 points

A hard working, reliable, and godly person with black skin has a better chance at making it than most people.

All the oppression that blacks face in America are psychological. Look at what the mass media pushes out onto black people. Look at how the mass media represents black people to everyone else. Besides that, if the government isn't supposed to discriminate, why do they ask if I'm black when I do government paper work?

What ticks me off the most though is the music. All the best musicians I know are black skinned. There are a lot of really good musicians who are black. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that on the whole, blacks in America have greater musicianship than whites. I'm not saying this has anything to do with skin color, it is merely an observation of correlation that I have personally witnessed. But all this aside, why is it that the music the mass media uses to represent "Black culture" is devoid of instrumentation? Bothers me a lot. Maybe more than it should.

Yeah, there are a lot of psychological and sociological forces that weigh particularly heavy on blacks in America. That said, a reliable, hard working, and godly person with black skin has a better chance at making it than most people. I say that because there really is a heavy societal pressure placed on people with black skin. You're told you aren't really black if you act in a certain way. You're constantly having the devil whispering in your ear things that are intended to make you feel envious and entitled rather than blessed and empowered. It's really easy to fall into that racist mentality if you are black.

God made us all different, not the same. Not everyone with blonde hair is the same. Not everyone with black skin is the same. These are not qualities that truly matter when it comes to the character of an individual. Where does skin color really matter? Dealing with the sun. Maybe whether or not you use lotion. Hah!

I look forward to the day when we can all get beyond race all together.

Side: No
Athene(41) Disputed
2 points

I am praying at the moment that you do not consider artists of rap or hip hop to be among any kind of master musicians.

Side: Yes
TzarPepe(763) Clarified
2 points

No, I am referring to people who play external musical instruments. I am expressing my frustration that rap and hip hop is what the mass media rams down people's throats as being "black music".

Couldn't be further from the truth. Is hip hop popular among blacks? Without a doubt. It happens to be popular with people of all skin colors. There is a lot more "black music" than that though. Music that actually has real people playing real musical instruments. Real people playing real musical instruments that happen to have black skin.

I don't care about Jimmy Fallon, but he somehow managed to get The Roots to play on his late night show. The Roots can play anything. Those guys are legit. Real musicians.

Side: Yes
3 points

Well let's look at the meaning of the term Oppress .....

oppress

[uh-pres]

Spell Syllables

Synonyms Examples Word Origin

See more synonyms on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object)

1.

to burden with cruel or unjust impositions or restraints; subject to a burdensome or harsh exercise of authority or power:

a people oppressed by totalitarianism.

2.

to lie heavily upon (the mind, a person, etc.):

Care and sorrow oppressed them.

3.

to weigh down, as sleep or weariness does.

4.

Archaic. to put down; subdue or suppress.

5.

Archaic. to press upon or against; crush.

Explore Dictionary.com

I don't believe they are and if so who's doing the oppressing ?

The laws of the U S apply equally to all the citizens of the U S so is the government oppressing them ?

Are whites oppressing them ?

Are they oppressing themselves ?

In every country in every part of the world minorities always claim they're being victimised or oppressed if things are not going as well as they anticipated ; it's the game of victimhood to constantly use race as an excuse to make the case that it's not your fault you cannot get employment , a better education , or a better car .

Incidentally I read a report in the Guardian last year that stated a sizeable amount of American whites feel they're being oppressed ; so if a sizeable amount of blacks and a sizeable amount of blacks feel they're being oppressed I guess it's back to a level playing field again

Side: No
2 points

Thank you for defining the term. Usually that is argument enough in this matter. If you glance at the other side, you'll see that people think bad circumstances MUST prove the existence of oppression. It's a lazy explanation used for political purposes.

I was hoping this debate would develop a little further with people citing the statistics on racial disparities in various sectors. For example, blacks are sentenced more harshly than whites for the same crime on average. This seems pretty bad on it's face but has non-oppressive, non-racist explanations, such as the criminal history of the offender being accounted for by the judge and potential that higher crime areas create harsher judges. This would mean judges in black areas would be harsher in general, creating a national disparity, even though the individual judge is harsher to criminals across the board regardless of race.

Unfortunately, I don't expect this topic will get too far.

Side: No
1 point

You're welcome 👌. It's a great debate topic and I agree with your assessment as in people thinking bad circumstances must prove oppression ; unfortunately when you argue against this type of reasoning you're called a racist because its the easy way out of actually providing an argument .

I've heard that argument several times regarding harsher sentences for blacks and again did some research into the matter and what you say is again spot on .

The police in the U S get an awful time , it seems at times to me reverse racism is at work when one sees the many decent white cops being portrayed as racist thugs because of the actions of others , again it's the easy way out just to brand all whites cops as racist thugs .

I hope the topic does get far as it's well worth debating

Side: No
excon(18260) Disputed
0 points

people think bad circumstances MUST prove the existence of oppression. It's a lazy explanation used for political purposes.

Hello again, A.

People like ME think that.. If it's the lazy explanation, I'd LOVE to hear what your rigorous explanation might be...

I'm a simple man.. When I look around, I see black people living under bad circumstances.. In my simple mind, there's only TWO explanations for that.. They either live that way ON purpose, or they're oppressed.

I guess there's a 3rd option.. That would be that black people are SOOOO LAWLESS, that the prisons are overflowing with them, and THAT'S why they live the way they do.

excon

Side: Yes