dont contort my words to your benifit. no i'm saying i've never heard a black person say something so ignorant. in my experience i've found them to be more open minded, and reject right-wing propaganda. I am very aware that statistically, the rates of marijuana use among blacks is lower than that of whites, particularly in my home state. it just shocked me to find that someone who's ancestors fought against slavery and racism, to go turn his back and start supporting an ideal which was born in racism.
If you do a little research, you'll find that the illegalization of marijuana had more to do with the anti-mexican (and later anti-black) sentiment of the southwest states, than it's supposed dangers. around the turn of the century racist authorities in the southwest had a "mexican problem", yet could not find a way to legally start rounding them up and deporting them. so they began a campaign to make their lives very uncomfortable. among many other measures, marijuana was banned in the border states. not implying any stereotype of nowadays, but back in the day it was thought that all mexicans smoke weed, so banning it would mean banning mexicans. what great logic!! deeeeeer. but, ironically, they saw results. there was also a problem - since it was only illegal in a few states, there was no real problem with the supply. so, the SW states went on a campaign and as a result, one by one most of the states pass bills. But still, that wasnt enough. so in 1916 the federal marijuana tax act was passed, and the FBN (federal beurou of narcotics, since changed to DEA) headed by henry anslinger went a on massive propaganda and extermination campaign. (A.K.A "reefer madness".). thus, making it seem like marijuana is the devil's weed and will make you go mad. there was another problem with the U.S and weed - for the longest time, hemp was very difficult to process, thus making it a worthless competitor against cotton. but in the 30's, a machine was invented which actually made hemp much more cost-efficient to grow. a complete transition from cotton to hemp was predicted, but there was a problem. The Dupont family (then and still one of the richest families) owned the majority of the cotton and textile industry, along with all the chemicals and whatnot which are used to process it. They also happened to in bed with the half the house of reps and the white house. and Hemp would put them out of bussiness very, very quickly. . guess what happened next. A very simmilar thing happened with cocaine. there was one incident in chicago when a coked-up black guy took a few dozen bullets to die. when it was published in the paper, mass hysteria ensued, people were scared that their guns wouldnt stop a coked-up black guy who is (of course) trying to rape all the white women in sight. so, cocaine was also eventually made illegal
and same story with opium and the chineese in california. it was O.K untill white women bagan frequenting opium dens, and before there was an explosion of chineese immigrants.
and please, please, dont get started anymore on the whole racism thing. i can go on and on and on about all the racism and anti-semitism i experienced at HLA from both students AND staff. even the dress code at HLA is racist. i remember when a particular black student came, and a few weeks into forming he got his clothes in the mail. i was watching when he was talking to his counselor, and his counselor was trying to explain why his clothes were innapropriate. this kid came from inner city detroit (how his parents paid for hla i dont know), and had the standard popular inner city clothes. not to be racist (white people are probobly bigger customers of these clothes), but these were your standard stereotypical "black" clothes - stuff from ecko, fubu, sean jean, etc. the counselor couldnt come up with anything exept for why they were innapropriate exept for becouse they were "imagy". image of what? a black person? so instead this kid had to go out with his counselors and they bought him a whole wardrobe of the preppiest clothes ever - the gap, AnF, hollister, eddie bauer, etc, all on his parents money. why? becouse at HLA no image but the "preppy white boy" look is accepted. the kid was robbed of his individuality and identity. unfourtunately there is this notion throughout the south that any black person dressed in baggy clothes must be a gangster, just like there is the notion that people with tattoos and long hair take drugs or that any muslim is a terrorist. it is simply not so. but the people in power, they try to make things look non threatening, so they change things. they tell you what drugs you can or cant take, tell you what to wear, how to act, etc. this way of thinking is integral to the NATSAP idealogy.
