Ever notice how white this forum is..

[Packo]

I get it every day in the news media and elsewhere. All you hear is Black this, Hispanic that, Asian what ever, white blah blah blah. It's multiculturalism at its best. What I meant to say is that we concentrate WAY TO MUCH time in this country to a persons color. I hear it until it comes out my ears. The very people that don't want to be looked at as "minorities" etc. are the very ones saying black this, hispanic that, etc. etc. etc. They refer to themselves as "people of color". They make issues out of anything and relate it to color. If Beau wouldn't have made it more than clear that he's of Hispanic and other origins, I'd of never known, and as I said, don't care. I can't even use the user name Paco without it seeming "insensitive" cause' I''m not a certain color. All this "color" crap drives me crazy. Cause' I believe something is silly, doesn't make you such, just the thread but I stick buy what I said sis and still love ya' and have never asked your color.

Tom

[Beau]

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[Beau]

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[vetgirl]

"I am everyday people"

[vetgirl]

I'm getting old and my memory sometimes fails me but, I think that was Sly and the Family Stone.

[frisco-kid]

My grandfather said there's only two kinds of people: The Irish, and those who wish they were Irish . So... all this discussion is moot.

Yeah, I don't know why there aren't more minorities on here. Or, maybe there are and they aren't saying so. I guess we'll just have to settle for you for now, my Brown Bro, Beau. Well, we do have a Polack. It still boggles my mind that we now have THOUSANDS of registered members on this forum, and only the same handful of people that continues to post. What's up with that ? Any Nam Vet knows that it was a multi-racial Armed Forces that served there.

One of my best friends at Ft. Bragg was a black dude named Murphy. When I first met him, I told him that he didn't look Irish. He said that was because he was a "Smoked Irishman", and I obviously never met one before . We were Buds from then on.

When I lived in Seattle, one of my co-workers was a Mexican from Phoenix. One day several of us are commenting on how we don't have any "Brothers" working with us. I told Rick he was the closest we had to a Brother. With a big grin, he says "Yeah, from the waist down" .

Beau, you know me personally and know all of this was said with humor, and not as a racist. I bring these stories up as a reminder that we shouldn't take ourselves so damned serious as we slog through the lives that we find ourselves living. Besides, we're all Americans first. That's our real bond and common denominator. Whatever we happen to "be" beyond that is secondary. It's fine to be proud of your ethnic roots, but never feel superior or inferior because of them. Well, except us Irish. We ARE superior . So, where are all these other thousands of other members? SPEAK UP!! HELLOOOooooo!!!

[SEATJERKER]

...and it don't matter a damn what color dey is...
...spoke to my buddy yesterday out in AZ. "LUCKY", and he is as he made it 25 years I think, and made SR. Master SGT, now retired pulling in all them big bucks...
...remember when I got to PCS, and he had a couple stripes to my one, and the guys would say...
..."shhhhittt, now we got a damn white yankee, from NY, and a damn black yankee from Conn, but it's good to be close to only one person that you served with, he's a little strange as he got hit in the head with a seat after it fell off a b-4 stand, and hit him on the head, but all in all, he's black as the ace of spades, and he's my friend,... now black people with 357's, I have a problem with them...
Santiago was a bronx boy who was cool, everyone buying bikes, and he wanted to ride so bad with us that he bought one with an "automatic" cause he just couldn't figure out how to shift, man did we bust his stones...
...Brothers will always be brothers, white, black ,green(you army dudes), don't mean shit what color you are, we all bleed red...

[Andy]

Arrow: I thought the intent of your original post was to say; the rumors of 30% KIA were black and 20% of the KIA were Hispanic are false. It seemed you were also saying the rest of those who served were not all drafted white boys with an IQ below 90. Did I get that right?

Beau: Sorry guy, you still look Italian to me. I know you?ve put up with lots of crap in your life which is all wrong. I recall the father of a sweet little girl forbidding his daughter to date me because of my last name (they were old English and had money). Being called Alphabet all the way through Basic and AIT was less than enjoyable. (It would have gone on but causing grief to a guy with an attitude and a 60 is a bad idea.) Living in an area where things like this matter, I?m not Catholic and not Jewish, which accounts for less than 2% of the Polish community. Did you ever consider that cops are not welcome guests at lots of parties? Prejudice takes many forms.
Do not change your name. However I could point out my favorite driver was named Beau or Bow or however you?d spell it. He lost both leg when running over an anti-tank mine and that memory still haunts me (driving down that path was my idea).

Ask Doc Fred or Packo - I really did look like a minority group member when I was working as a detective. People were always walking up to me speaking Spanish. If you look like a duck and walk like a duck, people think you are a duck.

Stay proud of your heritage and make sure Mogley is aware of where she came from but also remember aint no one on this site who was a fortunate son. Besides you sound a lot more like a surfer dude and make a lot more money than any migrant farm worker I ever met.

One last point to all, in Vietnam all the guys I met were the same color, green. We had a saying back then that still applies today. Same mud, Same blood.
Don?t mean to preach (that?s Keith?s thing). Just wanted to share an opinion.

Stay healthy,
Andy

[Arrow]

my reference to many colors includes the culture (music, food, literature, perspective on life). That is what we are missing here on this forum.

Andy et al. That's all this thread was about, I used the first quote as jumping in place it really had nothing to do with the what I was trying to say with the exception that I have no idea how accurate the stats are that are quoted there.

All the phrases in the world "same mud, same blood" will not change the fact that we are a people of many colors and cultures and because of it our history and the way we view history and our part in that history is not always the same. All I was asking is where are my black brothers and sisters, my red, brown and yellow? So shoot me. BTW have always believed that there is only one race on this planet and that is the human race. "He made of one blood all nations to dwell upon the face of the earth." But to say that within the human race there is no difference in culture and perspective is sheer ignorance. And not to invite that exchange of culture and perspective is even more ignorance. And not to enjoy the difference leaves life very dull and empty.

You all go on now and make something out of this that was not intended. I have no idea how we went from a simple question to all this defensive reactionary exchange. Maybe it is true about men being from Mars and women being from Venus. I know our bodies are a whole lot more beautiful than yours. Maybe our brains are also. (just kidding guys) (well about the brain part anyway) (I think)

You all wear me out. But I love you everyone. sis

[Beau]

Originally posted by Andy


Beau: ...Besides you sound a lot more like a surfer dude and make a lot more money than any migrant farm worker I ever met. ....
Stay healthy,
Andy

I was not going to trip back, before someone started mentioning that they are 5 % Cherokee Injun --- but that hurts man, that really really hurts so bad, it makes feel so sad ... like needles and pins (sound like a surfer dude, like Jan and Dean ?) oh, Sweet Jesus.

Whats her name is right, she only posted about the lack of "diversity" here. My emphasis was on the lack of Chicanos at my work spot ---- not the Afro's, or Smoked Irish Midgets though --- or the Chinee or Flips.

"My people," in a contemporary sense, are missing and I am getting quite lonely and surrounded at work, and in my town. But then, my own mother (pure Latina from Phoenix) --- has Spanish, French, and a little Mexican/Indian in her blood, and does look more European Spanish than Mestiza.

Yes, I do make much more than Farmworkers and I wished their lot would change (better hygiene out in the fields --- Day Care and or consistent education for their children --- I never worked the fields, only stayed at "Camps"when I was a boy: very hard lives for them). There is one painting by Van Gough that speaks of the European poor (perhaps Irish), it is called "The Potatoe Eaters" --- very disturbing picture.

That hurt "sound like a Surfer Dude" ... made me cry again. But, that beats crapping ones pants --- maybe not: ever see the Homeboys, in any community, walk around with their pants low and the underwear showing for about a foot --- like my Bitnam Vet, Gyrene friend said "...they can walk and crap at the same time" to which I said "sounds good."

Surfs Up