No national anthem at Mavs game

[Dahlsim]

That is a very good explanation about how people feel.  However such thoughts don't come from a vacuum. A lot of this comes from parents, friends, the people around.  But my opinion its self destructive to allow history to make a person think that they are always at a disadvantage.  Here is an analogy imagine a dog born with 3 feet, it doesn't know it should have 4 and it lives life well hopping around.  But if an individual believes that no matter what they do they will be at a disadvantage it becomes a self fulfilling prophesy.  

On a personal note growing up as a minority in the Soviet Union I experienced racism directly.  However I was taught not to look for it but to avoid it.  I was taught that if I am at a disadvantage for getting into a certain college than I need to study twice as hard as a non-Jew.  I really think that works.

Certainly none of us really live in a vacuum.  Its the marketplace of ideas and we are all affected by it whether we recognize or not.  I used the word propaganda because its important that we understand that governments, entertainment leaders, media organizations even the big tech companies are all working to influence and manipulate public perception and behavior. 

 I was taught that if I am at a disadvantage for getting into a certain college than I need to study twice as hard as a non-Jew.  I really think that works.

That ethos is a very good one and many of us promote the same ideas here in many American minority communities and families as well you can be sure of that.   

You and I can get together and sing "make this world a better place, if you can" but just around the corner there can be a nasty war of words or even a physical war going on right in our same community and country.  
The question becomes what are we going to do about that? 

The desire of some to be more neutral and peaceful doesn't change many other people that approach a different way, aggressively.  Not everyone is going to approach racism in that way, especially if they see the opportunity to address it with political and financial power. 

Essentially, you can't always be neutral in a war if the war continues and escalates around you.  You can roll over and be brutalized but neutral eventually may not be an option. We'll all be, and are being affected. 

Dahlsim is an amazing poster with a lot of empathy and eloquence, which makes these discussions super entertaining at least for me.

Thanks for the kind words.  

If I can at least be thought provoking and entertaining at the same time, especially on important matters like racism, war/peace and why isn't Boban being used right, then that's a win/win in my book.