Current Events > some lady on NextDoor posted 'Suspicious Activity' and lead with 'a black kid'

(+) Yeah! (+)

don't normally check this app, i dont even know why i still have an account. but anyway.

some post was titled "Suspicious Activity" and the first sentence was "I saw a black kid at my back door" and, initially, mentioned no other descriptors of the individual aside from race. the post then describes what she was doing and what she observed, and then at the bottom includes a full description of the individual (height, build, hair color, clothing, race, etc).

i replied to this post and asked why she felt the need to mention the race of the kid in the opening sentence of a post about "suspicious activity". i pointed out that if the kid was white, she most likely would not have included that, at least not initially. i explained that by singling out the race of the kid in the opener of "Suspicious activity" she was strongly suggesting that the kid's race was the primary motivator for her being suspicious and if her aim was simply to describe the individual, she could have included other characteristics as well.

now i've gotten like 20 notifications about replies to my comment telling me shit like "why are you making this about race? YOU are part of the problem" and "she was just describing the kid, people like you are why we still have racism" and (my personal favorite) "sounds like its time for some real introspection on your part".

why are people like this?

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People are so sensitive these days ugh

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

she was just describing the kid

This, tbh

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Gobstoppers12 posted...

This, tbh

So she can identify the color of his skin but not what he's wearing?

Suspicious behavior none the less if he was indeed at her back door.

Could go either way, really.

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Gobstoppers12 posted...

This, tbh

so if the kid was white do you think her opening sentence would have been

"i saw a white kid at my back door and it made me really suspicious"?

of course not. the way she worded things heavily implies that his race was a primary factor in why she felt the way she did. she could have said "i saw a teenager i didn't recognize" or "i saw an unknown person" or a plethora of other things to indicate why she felt suspicious.

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Why the hell are they attacking you for making it about race when you're calling out the person who initially made it about race lol

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Wii_Shaker posted...

So she can identify the color of his skin but not what he's wearing?

Giant_Aspirin posted...

then at the bottom includes a full description of the individual (height, build, hair color, clothing, race, etc).

Idk man, seems like she was just making a brief initial statement. When police give a description over the radio, they usually mention skin tone first.

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I get what you were saying. You Would have had no issue if she had mentioned he was black in the same area that she put all other descriptions.

However, i don't know what you realistically thought would happen when you replied.

Does next door allow for direct messaging? Maybe it would have worked better as a personal conversation

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

i pointed out that if the kid was white, she most likely would not have included that, at least not initially. i explained that by singling

Judging her for what she might have thought or might have done.

You found a good one to rage at. I hope it carries you through the day.

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hint: in certain areas, someone being black might be more helpful for identifying them quickly compared to they were wearing a white tee shirt and jeans

Gobstoppers12 posted...

Idk man, seems like she was just making a brief initial statement. When police give a description over the radio, they usually mention skin tone first.

I get that. Plus she probably didn't get a good look at him. It's possible.

Like I said, could go either way. Who knows? I wasn't there.

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Dat_Cracka_Jax posted...

However, i don't know what you realistically thought would happen when you replied.

realistically? a bunch of angry, white, boomers telling me that racism doesn't exist and im the problem.

ideally? OP replying with "oh goodness, Giant_Aspirin, you're right! i didn't realize how much significance my wording placed on the individual's race. i'll do better in the future"

Dat_Cracka_Jax posted...

Does next door allow for direct messaging?

tbh im not sure, but that would have probably been the better move.

Gobstoppers12 posted...

Idk man, seems like she was just making a brief initial statement.

"yesterday i saw a young man i didnt recognize at my back door" would have been just fine. it summarizes the problem nicely and gives an explanation for the claim.

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NecroFoul99 posted...

Judging her for what she might have thought or might have done.

incorrect. i was judging her for basically saying "this kid was suspicious because he was black"

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in my experience, people of a certain age claim to be the least racist and get real pissy when you bring something like this up. and often spout a bunch of other racist shit in their rage.

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People get defensive when they are told they are in the wrong.

Make a bunch of alts to defend yourself

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

"yesterday i saw a young man i didnt recognize at my back door" would have been just fine. it summarizes the problem nicely and gives an explanation for the claim.

Okay. That's how you would have worded it. That doesn't mean she said anything wrong. Skin color is a thing. It exists. It's one of the three most significant details for quickly narrowing down someone's identity (ethnicity, sex, and age).

Listen to any police show. You'll hear them say things like "white male, mid 30s" or "Hispanic female, about 40" because that's the fastest way to narrow a search window.

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

tbh im not sure, but that would have probably been the better move.

I think so. The person you're talking to would be less inclined to get defensive if they don't feel they're being put on blast in front of a group. Plus you don't have to deal with a group rallying behind her to reinforce what she did.

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Returning_CEmen posted...

People get defensive when they are told they are in the wrong.

the thing is, OP never even replied to me. all of those comments were from other people.

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Giant_Aspirin posted...

i pointed out that if the kid was white, she most likely would not have included that, at least not initially. i explained that

Giant_Aspirin posted...

incorrect. i was judging her for basically saying "this kid was suspicious because he was black"

She didnt say that. Youre saying she said that by paraphrasing and adding intent, then you proceed to tell her how she would have behaved in different circumstances

Besides, you already said

Giant_Aspirin posted...

"Suspicious Activity" and the first sentence was "I saw a black kid at my back door"

Now youre saying

Giant_Aspirin posted...

incorrect. i was judging her for basically saying "this kid was suspicious because he was black"

Which is it? The innocuous first or the blatant second? Youre judging her by your invented blatant.

All you have to go by isI saw a black kid at my back door, everything else is you.

I personally find that an insufferable behavior.

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You were definitely in the right
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Giant_Aspirin posted...

so if the kid was white do you think her opening sentence would have been

"i saw a white kid at my back door and it made me really suspicious"?

Probably. Using black as descriptor isn't inherently racist either.
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voldothegr8 posted...

Probably. Using black as descriptor isn't inherently racist either.

had she included a more thorough description of the individual in the opening remark i wouldn't have thought twice about it. if she was like "i saw a youth i didn't recognize. he was a teenage male, average height and build, black with dreads" it would have been different. but that's not how she worded it at all. it was "i saw a black kid at my back door".

i doubt she meant anything malicious by it, but IMO it really speaks to her biases

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I don't think you're wrong in the point that you're making, but I also don't think that was the right venue to make your point

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someone posted "i wonder if Giant_Aspirin is the black kid?".

and now the topic has been deleted.

eston posted...

I don't think you're wrong in the point that you're making, but I also don't think that was the right venue to make your point

yeah you're probably right for the same reasons post #18 identified. doing it on a public forum is always going to incite controversy. i kinda wonder if that's what my brain actually wanted to do (argue with strangers on the internet). but yeah i now see that i should have handled that better.

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