I wouldn't for a minute claim that I have the same experiences as black USians, but maybe I can offer some perspective why 'personal responsibility' isn't always enough.
I grew up in Northern Ireland, scion of a long line of Nationalists. I was a country cub, so I didn't experience bigotry on a significant scale until I moved to Belfast for uni. At various times, I have been denied housing, employment and loans. I have been detained by the police on several occasions (the longest time was just over seven months), but was never formally charged with anything. While in the nick, I was refused legal counsel and communication with my family. I've had cars and motorcycles impounded for 'investigatory reasons', and always got them back in worse condition than before - and was charged for police time and trouble. And what warranted all of this? An Irish surname.
That's all it takes. I matured at a time when the RUC was around 90% Loyalist, and the targeting of suspected Nationalists was rampant (things are better now, I'm led to believe). Constant hassles by the cops, institutionalized prejudice, and minority rights a polite fiction. And it wasn't just the peelers, although they were the face of it. Magistrates, estate agents, shopmen of all sorts - if you were Irish, you were fair game for shabby treatment. Money didn't matter, education didn't matter, good manners didn't matter (as to the last, I once saw a kid of about 19 years at an outdoor cafe take a truncheon to the face for not standing up quickly enough to suit the cop) - all that mattered was that you might - just might think the Queen was a silly old bitch in a tiara.
So, take all the personal responsibility you can, by all means. But don't think for one moment that that is going to make bigotted people look past your name or your dress - or the colour of your skin.
Boru
I grew up in Northern Ireland, scion of a long line of Nationalists. I was a country cub, so I didn't experience bigotry on a significant scale until I moved to Belfast for uni. At various times, I have been denied housing, employment and loans. I have been detained by the police on several occasions (the longest time was just over seven months), but was never formally charged with anything. While in the nick, I was refused legal counsel and communication with my family. I've had cars and motorcycles impounded for 'investigatory reasons', and always got them back in worse condition than before - and was charged for police time and trouble. And what warranted all of this? An Irish surname.
That's all it takes. I matured at a time when the RUC was around 90% Loyalist, and the targeting of suspected Nationalists was rampant (things are better now, I'm led to believe). Constant hassles by the cops, institutionalized prejudice, and minority rights a polite fiction. And it wasn't just the peelers, although they were the face of it. Magistrates, estate agents, shopmen of all sorts - if you were Irish, you were fair game for shabby treatment. Money didn't matter, education didn't matter, good manners didn't matter (as to the last, I once saw a kid of about 19 years at an outdoor cafe take a truncheon to the face for not standing up quickly enough to suit the cop) - all that mattered was that you might - just might think the Queen was a silly old bitch in a tiara.
So, take all the personal responsibility you can, by all means. But don't think for one moment that that is going to make bigotted people look past your name or your dress - or the colour of your skin.
Boru
‘But it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods or no gods. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.’ - Thomas Jefferson
