Donny Deutsch asks his guests: "Am I racist?"

CNN's Piers Morgan Live ^ | July 25, 2013 | Jason Kurtz

[2ndDivisionVet]

Ten days since the six female jurors rendered a "not guilty" verdict in the highly divisive George Zimmerman trial, the topic of race remains as polarizing as any in America.

With a live studio audience hanging on every word, this evening guest host Donny Deutsch asked a very provocative question: "Am I racist?"

Filling in for Piers Morgan, the television personality and "Today" show contributor had begun his inquiry by admitting that if he were to see a young, African-American male in a hoodie walking down his street, he would pause. Deutsch noted that such an occurrence would be out of context, hence his hesitation. But, he asked Star Jones, does that make him a racist:

"You would not be showing racism by just thinking it, but what you would be showing is implicit bias," explained the lawyer, and former "The View" co-host. "This is what this conversation has generated. Implicit bias is that when, because of what you've been programmed to think, when you see a young African-American man in a hoodie, or in some jeans, you immediately start to think this silly statistic that there are more Black men in jail than there are in college, when that's absolutely not true."

Seated beside Jones, "HuffPost-Live" host Marc Lamont Hill spoke to Deutsch's initial question:

"I don't think you're racist, however, I think that assumption would be racist..you have to come to terms with the fact that the assumption is racist. So many White-folk and Black-folk–there's plenty of Black folk that see a Black person in a hoodie and have the same kind of pause," he explained. "I teach at Columbia University, all my kids walk through the campus with hoodies on. Winter time, White folk wear them with shorts and hoodies. Ain't none of them robbing nobody."(continued)

[Impala64ssa]

"I teach at Columbia University,
Stop right there! That's all we need to know. Remember, this is the same diploma mill that hired freind of 0 and supposedly reformed terrorist Kathy Boudin.

[randog]

Especially the ones with the “I’ll never get a descent job” tattoos.

I like that description. That and "human refrigerator magnets".

[Impala64ssa]

When I see white punks with hoodies on(wiggers) I’m actuaaly more guarded. The White punks seem to think they have something to prove and there for can be more dangerous. Especially the ones with the “I’ll never get a descent job” tattoos.
Also, based on my admttedly anectodotal, unscientific observations, whether it was my old place in NY or down here in FL, both neighborhoods fairly mixed, whenever some knucklehead pulls up alongside me cranking out the hip-hop, thumping away with the bass turned up, 3/4 of the time it's some WHITE punk in a rice burner trying to act Black. CORRECTION trying to act the way he THINKS most Black people act. Fixed it.

[boop]

I thought of that too.

Someone comes into a convenience store looking like that, I'd have my finger on the silent alarm button the whole time.

[Ann Archy]

It USED to be called COMMON SENSE!!! Since 90% of the crimes are committed by YOUNG BLACK MEN, you would be STUPID NOT TO BE AFRAID!!!!

[Cronos]

"I teach at Columbia University... Ain't none of them robbing nobody."

a person who teaches at a university saying "Ain't nobody"...? really? double negatives....

[Fresh Wind]

“They said there are more black men in college than in jail......I find that hard to believe.”

That’s because it’s not true, and King Obomba continues to repeat that lie. It may have been true years ago, but no longer.

Even liberal NPR says it’s not true...

http://www.npr.org/2013/04/23/178601467/are-there-really-more-black-men-in-prison-than-college

[albie]

This is a stupid argument. If someone is banging my head against the concrete, am I a racist for defending myself?

[rbg81]

This is not racism, it is discrimination, which is a universal survival technique.

---

One of the key social goals of Liberalism is to short circuit basic survival instincts and common sense. Why? Simple: those devoid of such things are easier to dupe and exploit.

Sadly, they have been surprisingly successful at this.

[rbg81]

Why would anyone wear a hood indoors? Could it to be they want to conceal their face for some reason?

They call crooks “hoods” for a reason.

[equaviator]

I might even pause if I came upon a young, hoodie-wearing black male in a wheelchair!

[kevkrom]

Best counterpoint I’ve seen yet is to turn the question around on the racist libs by asking what they would think if they saw some white kid wearing “stars and bars” coming at them?

If you look like a thug, dress like a thug, and act like a thug, people are going to treat you like a thug, no matter what your skin color is.