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Eric Byler
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News Story on Bigotry in America Shocked Me Twice

Maybe it’s just me, but this brought tears to my eyes, both eyes! And it’s only a news report:

I was shocked once by the reinforcement bigotry, and shocked twice by the courage in standing up to bigotry. In the end, more people did nothing. This is how we became the America of the Bush years, an America many of us can’t even recognize at times. Acts of courage were a rarity, while the majority of us did nothing.

about 16 years ago 0 likes  12 comments  0 shares
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Hi, Eric, Thank you for sharing this video...I think I'll share it too. I am really dismayed by this kind of bigotry. I'm a writer, screenwriter, and mother of two hapas. Nice to meet you...
about 16 years ago
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ugh i can't finish watching it, not because the racism is disturbing, but because they hired a guy to act like that on purpose just to see how people would react... (calling them 'bad americans' etc). if i was one of the customers and i found out this was just staged for a candid camera report i'd be super mad...
about 16 years ago
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Hi Elena, thanks for your comment and thanks for raising two hapas (= Etchy, I know what you mean that it has a "Candid Camera" entrapment approach. The process is as painful as the results. You can feel sorry for these people, even the bigots, kind of like we feel sorry for the dudes in "To Catch A Preditor," but then again, not really.
about 16 years ago
Djbam f8 djbam
thanks for posting that, Eric. this was even more powerful for me after having read Barack Obama's recent speech which addressed America's current race relations.
about 16 years ago
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i don't feel sorry for the racists, i feel sorry for the guy who's being called Un-American or the girl who is brought to tears for the sake of a TV report...
about 16 years ago
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The sad thing for me is the sorrow behind their tears. However brave they might have been at that moment, they knew the battlel had long since been lost. Nothing can undo the shame we feel for attacking a country that had not attacked us -- simply because they share the same skin color and religion (but not the same nationality) as those who did attack us. And with the tragedy of Iraq, the torture camps, the corruption, the cronyism, the incompetence, the destruction of our economy, the erosion of our civil liberties-- all made possible by people who hate Muslims more than they love their country (or hate gays, or hate Latinos, or hate Blacks, or hate blowjobs, depending on the election year). These brave souls are crying because they feel it was to little too late. They aren't sure when or if it will end. Up next for 2008, Americans will be asked to vote for McCain if we hate/fear Blacks/Muslims more than we love America. What will be our choice?
about 16 years ago

About

Eric Byler, filmmaker, director of "Charlotte Sometimes," "9500 Liberty," "Tre," and "Americanese"

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Languages Spoken
english
Location (City, Country)
New York City, United States
Gender
male
Member Since
August 27, 2007