Dallas Mayor says he is more scared of white men with guns than he is of Syrian refugees - Polidicks

[quote]Mayor Mike Rawlings of Dallas, the ninth-largest city in the country, said he is “more fearful” of armed white men than of alleged ISIS moles posing as Syrian refugees during an appearance on MSNBC. “I am more fearful of large gatherings of white men that come into schools, theaters and shoot people up, but we don’t isolate young white men on this issue,” Mayor Rawlings said. He has previously supported bringing Syrian refugees to America and Dallas, [URL="http://www.dallasnews.com/news/dallas-city-hall/2015/11/17/mayor-rawlings-its-the-spirit-of-dallas-to-help-resettle-syrian-refugees"]telling the [I]Dallas Morning News[/I][/URL] that “we fall into the trap if we become xenophobic and paranoid about people in the Middle East.”[/quote] [URL]http://fusion.net/story/372294/dallas-mayor-armed-white-men-syrian-refugees/[/URL] Interview in source Very surprised to hear this from a mayor in Texas, of all places. Most of the Texan government is anti-refugee, supposedly because that there is a chance that there would be an ISIS plant among the refugees.

[quote]I am more fearful of large gatherings of white men that come into schools, theaters and shoot people up, but we don’t isolate young white men on this issue[/quote] He's misrepresenting the issue the same way people misrepresent the issue of the refugies.

[QUOTE=Ragekipz;51439570]He's misrepresenting the issue the same way people misrepresent the issue of the refugies.[/QUOTE] Which seems to be the point. My take is he is trying to demonstrate how flawed the fear of mid eastern immigrants is.

[QUOTE=Samiam22;51439541][URL]http://fusion.net/story/372294/dallas-mayor-armed-white-men-syrian-refugees/[/URL] Interview in source Very surprised to hear this from a mayor in Texas, of all places. Most of the Texan government is anti-refugee, supposedly because that there is a chance that there would be an ISIS plant among the refugees.[/QUOTE] This is the mindset at large in Dallas and the surrounding areas from my experience. Dallas, Richardson, and Denton are fairly liberal compared to the rest of Texas, and extremely diverse: many parts of DFW have booming Middle Eastern and sub-continental populations.

[QUOTE=Samiam22;51439541][URL]http://fusion.net/story/372294/dallas-mayor-armed-white-men-syrian-refugees/[/URL] Interview in source Very surprised to hear this from a mayor in Texas, of all places. Most of the Texan government is anti-refugee, supposedly because that there is a chance that there would be an ISIS plant among the refugees.[/QUOTE] It's sound logic, it'd be foolish to not be concerned about domestic terrorism when most of the attacks that have taken place in the US on the last decade have been done by psychos with access to weapons and no ties to extremist cells whatsoever, the kind of people the FBI and the NSA are not keeping tabs on. Even an ISIS plant would have a harder time committing a terror strike than a disassociated young man with a gun and plenty of ammunition, white or otherwise.

This is what i've been saying in response to the refugee issue since the beginning.

Yeah, don't be surprised that the Dallas mayor is saying this. Big cities tend to be liberal strongholds in the state, with the D/FW area, Houston, Austin, El Paso, and I [I]think[/I] San Antonio. Source: I live in D/FW.

All major metropolitan areas are generally liberal in the United States.

[QUOTE=DarklytheGreat;51439835]Yeah, don't be surprised that the Dallas mayor is saying this. Big cities tend to be liberal strongholds in the state, with the D/FW area, Houston, Austin, El Paso, and I [I]think[/I] San Antonio. Source: I live in D/FW.[/QUOTE] I think that's how it is in every state. Rural areas tend to be more conservative, urban areas tend to be more liberal.

Texas in general is a lot more tolerant than people give us credit for. My rural town has a good sized lgbt community and doesn't have any problems being gay cowboys Yeah old people sometimes turn their noses up at it but the prevailing mentality these days is live and let live

[QUOTE=nox;51439800]This is what i've been saying in response to the refugee issue since the beginning.[/QUOTE] It's a pretty powerful fear though. my family stopped me from visiting Germany because of it even though I pretty much told them I'm far more likely to die walking up and down the stairs each day than to die in a terrorist attack. I think the big difference between the two is that terrorism is a very abstract threat that most people don't know much about. But we know that in regards to domestic terrorism, we're more than likely very safe. Foreign terrorism also has an easy "solution" in many of our minds. [QUOTE=DarklytheGreat;51439835]Yeah, don't be surprised that the Dallas mayor is saying this. Big cities tend to be liberal strongholds in the state, with the D/FW area, Houston, Austin, El Paso, and I [I]think[/I] San Antonio. Source: I live in D/FW.[/QUOTE] Eh, I wouldn't quite say so. Fort worth for example I think would count as conservative. And there's still suburbs too But Texas will be a swing state with how things are going with the cities as they are right now and the growing hispanic population along with migration from other states into Texas.

[QUOTE=thelurker1234;51439891] But Texas will be a swing state with how things are going with the cities as they are right now and the growing hispanic population along with migration from other states into Texas.[/QUOTE] ahhhhhhhh Texas was blue before Bush became governor, it was a swing state before.

[QUOTE=Ithon;51439982]ahhhhhhhh Texas was blue before Bush became governor, it was a swing state before.[/QUOTE] ? The last time it went dem in 1976, when we're talking about the presidential election at least.

What is with this "white men with guns"shit, why not "citizens with guns"? Why is america so obsessed with race?

[QUOTE=wewt!;51440262]What is with this "white men with guns"shit, why not "citizens with guns"? Why is america so obsessed with race?[/QUOTE] He's making fun of people who are doing that, so he's just doing it ironically. Most of the cases in the news of school shooters are white, so that's where that comes from for other people.

[QUOTE=OvB;51439848]All major metropolitan areas are generally liberal in the United States.[/QUOTE] I'm in Alabama, can attest to this. Like a 70/30 ratio

Pretty sure this been a trend for the last 5 years or so, with PD's being worried of sovereign citizens and the like over muslim terrorists. Also sovereigns have become more popular with minorities and ex-convicts and is not necessarily a 'white' thing.

[QUOTE=Grenadiac;51439889]Texas in general is a lot more tolerant than people give us credit for. My rural town has a good sized lgbt community and doesn't have any problems being gay cowboys Yeah old people sometimes turn their noses up at it but the prevailing mentality these days is live and let live[/QUOTE] Texas is surprisingly liberal, especially if you don't live in a super-rural sub-10k-population town. There were very few outspokenly racist or sexist people at my school. Like you said, it's very much a "live and let live" situation. Caused a hubbub when some parent got pissed that a high school play had a gay kiss on stage, but the faculty (and basically the entire school) defended it. Once you break the 5-figure population limit, you really get past the shitty rural parts of Texas. I had a ton of very conservative friends, but if you didn't bother them, they didn't bother you.

Wow how progressive. Fuck off. If you're afraid of isolated instances of white kids with guns, you must be terrified of the murders that occur on a daily basis on the streets of Dallas.

[QUOTE=thelurker1234;51440056]? The last time it went dem in 1976, when we're talking about the presidential election at least.[/QUOTE] Before Bush was [I]Governor.[/I] Texas had a Democratic Governor from 91-95. Then before that there was a long period of Democrat governors from 1874-1979. Almost 100 years. Important to note, for most of that these were still conservatives.

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;51440792]Wow how progressive. Fuck off. If you're afraid of isolated instances of white kids with guns, you must be terrified of the murders that occur on a daily basis on the streets of Dallas.[/QUOTE] To be fair, Dallas has a pretty low murder rate relative to other cities and is hardly even on a "daily" basis. Personally, I am not really scared of (Properly vetted) refugees or white men (myself) in Dallas.

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;51440792]Wow how progressive. Fuck off. If you're afraid of isolated instances of white kids with guns, you must be terrified of the murders that occur on a daily basis on the streets of Dallas.[/QUOTE] Woah there lol. He's literally making fun of this mindset

[QUOTE=thelurker1234;51440829]Woah there lol. He's literally making fun of this mindset[/QUOTE] No he's not. "I'm more afraid of black men who rob and shoot people on the street, but we don't isolate blacks on this issue." It doesn't work when it's not whites being targeted.

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;51440920]No he's not. "I'm more afraid of black men who rob and shoot people on the street, but we don't isolate blacks on this issue." It doesn't work when it's not whites being targeted.[/QUOTE] Well, probably because we do tend to isolate black people on this issue.

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;51440920]No he's not. "I'm more afraid of black men who rob and shoot people on the street, but we don't isolate blacks on this issue." It doesn't work when it's not whites being targeted.[/QUOTE] [quote]we fall into the trap if we become xenophobic and paranoid about people in the Middle East.[/quote] [quote]but we don’t isolate young white men on this issue[/quote] These two quotes should have been what tipped you off. Not everything is a progressive conspiracy against whites Also by the way have you not heard all the talk of black crime and all that shit from politicians, pundits, and history?

[QUOTE=geel9;51440922]Well, probably because we do tend to isolate black people on this issue.[/QUOTE] If you act like a normal human being you're never going to have a problem with the police. Minorities even make up half if not more than the Dallas police department now. [editline]28th November 2016[/editline] [QUOTE=thelurker1234;51440934]These two quotes should have been what tipped you off. Not everything is a progressive conspiracy against whites Also by the way have you not heard all the talk of black crime and all that shit from politicians, pundits, and history?[/QUOTE] Letting everyone know what he thinks about the white mass murder then saying "haha but we don't do anything about it" doesn't make it a joke. He's another figure who is more afraid of mass shootings than shootings that occur on a day to day basis.

[QUOTE=Grenadiac;51439889]Texas in general is a lot more tolerant than people give us credit for. My rural town has a good sized lgbt community and doesn't have any problems being gay cowboys Yeah old people sometimes turn their noses up at it but the prevailing mentality these days is live and let live[/QUOTE] I went to a lesbian wedding in Sulphur Springs.

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;51440939]If you act like a normal human being you're never going to have a problem with the police. Minorities even make up half if not more than the Dallas police department now. [editline]28th November 2016[/editline] Letting everyone know what he thinks about the white mass murder then saying "haha but we don't do anything about it" doesn't make it a joke. He's another figure who is more afraid of mass shootings than shootings that occur on a day to day basis.[/QUOTE] Do you think they're completely ignoring the crime rate? You can be concerned about more than one issue at a time as mayor.

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;51440939]If you act like a normal human being you're never going to have a problem with the police. Minorities even make up half if not more than the Dallas police department now. [/QUOTE] This is an astoundingly broad generalization. While it's likely most people won't have an issue with police, some people have historically been treated unfairly. Like, I'm an average white guy and as a teenager a friend and I were cornered and questioned by police because we were walking to a 7-11 near a neighborhood that had a break-in. There was no cause to stop us other than our age and my friend being black. We stood still and acted calm and politely. We still got an air of contempt and the whole 'flashlight right into our eyes' thing. [QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;51440939]He's another figure who is more afraid of mass shootings than shootings that occur on a day to day basis.[/QUOTE] As has already been said you are seriously misrepresenting the level of violence in Dallas. You are also supposing this man's fears and beliefs based on one statement while downplaying a legitimate problem. Don't get offended because some white people do, in fact, go shoot people.

[QUOTE=Mr_Razzums;51440939] Letting everyone know what he thinks about the white mass murder then saying "haha but we don't do anything about it" doesn't make it a joke. He's another figure who is more afraid of mass shootings than shootings that occur on a day to day basis.[/QUOTE] But by relating it to Islamic terrorism, he isn't neglecting day-to-day shootings. He's condemning one form of sensationalism by drawing a comparison to another form of sensationalism.