BadLandsMeanie Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 I drive trucks for a living. Today in PA I was about to enter interstate 81 and a DOT officer pulled me over. I noticed he had a Bills sticker on the computer he was using in his vehicle. As he's running the info I told him I'm also a Bills fan. He asked me what made me a Bills fan being from Jersey. I explained to him why and then he told me what made him a Bills fan being from PA. We went over so much as far as history, Sammy Watkins, Tyrod and all of our hopes. We talked so much that we were on the side of the highway and he didn't even want to go over my truck. I normally get agitated when I'm stopped by DOT, and all he was doing was his job. With all that's going on with law enforcement and the African American community I hope some people that rode by got to see that a relationship can develope and all it take is level heads and sometimes common grounds. This officer was very cool and I pray more are like him or he rub off on the ones that don't care to be like him somewhat. Overall being a Bills fan finally paid off as of late. And I hope and pray that law enforcement and all communities find a way to coexist and weed out the bad on both sides. That's a very nice story thanks!
BuffaloHokie13 Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 Nice story OP. Cool to see Bills Mafia is all over the place. Jeez, cut the OP a break. Tells a nice story and people are jumping all over him. Yeah. It's the OP's perspective. I'm not going to argue just because it differs from my own. I grew up with a father in law enforcement, so I follow all the standard courtesy steps every time I'm pulled over. - Turn on interior lights - Window down and hands on wheel by the time they're at your door - Ask before reaching for or opening anything (wallet in back pocket, registration in glove box, etc.) - Try to make small talk, refer to them by Officer *insert name from uniform*
Meathead Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) Blacks have the tendency to think that every white person they come across don't like them because of their skin color and that's far from the case. thanks for sharing your story ive studied this topic on an amateur level for decades (also married and divorced a crazy black woman) and man are you correct by my estimation, black folks over-estimate instances of racism by AT LEAST 400%. that means for every 1 time they really do have do endure some racist white !@#$ being a dick, they are CREATING four more racist instances in their heads some guy cuts them off in traffic: racism. some guy doesnt nod hello as he walks by: racism. some woman clutches her purse tightly in a mixed crowd: racism. some guy votes for a blowhard charlatan: racist no wonder most black folks see racism everywhere ... they are manufacturing most of it in their minds as we continue to work hard to erase as much of the old-timey white racism as we can, we have to remember black folks have their powerful biases as well. that includes this dramatic over-estimation of perceived racism, as well as wide spread bias against whites that for some crazy reason we still hesitate to call racism Jeez, cut the OP a break. Tells a nice story and people are jumping all over him. true but lets keep in mind we as a culture just spent the last ten plus years mercilessly broadbrushing heartland whites as virulent racists by default. i grew up with those ppl, most of them indeed were horribly racist back around 1970. but that slowly improved over the next couple decades (too way too damn long) and finally flipped over about 1990. since then most whites absolutely have NOT been racist. we still saw a lot of racism simply bc theres 197 million whites to 38 million blacks, but the fact remains that whiteness FINALLY overcame their roaring bias (took them waay too long) as a percentage of population amazingly, since then its been an almost non-stop attack against whiteness as being 'racist by default'. in case you havent realized it yet, this is what fueled the election of an incompetent buffoon, a sea of pissed off ppl sick and tired of being labeled automatically racist when they know they (mostly) werent so bottom line is white ppl have a little bit of hyper-sensitivity on the issue right now, as we saw in this thread. give it some time, it will pass in due course once they get it out of their system Edited July 21, 2017 by Meathead
#34fan Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 did you work at a McDonald's drive thru recently? Do I remind you of a co-worker?
4merper4mer Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 You created where it's heading. Actually you did.
Marv's Neighbor Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 Similar thing happened to me in Richmond VA. It was a couple of years ago, can't even remember the reason, getting off an I-295 exit, but I used to take my lunch to work, in a BILLS cooler lunch bag. The kind that holds 2 six packs but mine just had my lunch. So the officer sees the bag on the front seat, and asks if I'm from Buffalo? Of course that was a YES, nice conversation from there ending in have a good day and GO BILLS.
yungmack Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 You created where it's heading.Get a grip. All he was saying was, in this day and age, with heightened awareness on tensions between police and black men, he thought that for passing motorists to see the two of them having a pleasant moment rather than a confrontational one was a good thing. That it came because of a shared interest in the Bills is why the story belongs here. Cherrybone wasn't "racializing" some otherwise innocuous, minor detail; the race aspect of this moment between a cop and a black man was the essence of his story.
JM2009 Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 Yeah but I don't go by color or race. Character is the only way for me. yep.
billykaykay Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 My brother lived in Paducah, KY whilst in the Navy. A black news personality - after his first night on the job - had a cross burned in his yard. He didn't go back for day 2. I'm a bleeding heart liberal. I know racism is alive and well in our country and I'm well aware of the strained relations between police and the African-American community. But this is a routine pullover in Pennsylvania. Let's not act like MLK's dream just came true because a white cop and a black guy bonded over the Bills. Relax Gugny. It's just a nice story.
cba fan Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) My brother lived in Paducah, KY "whilst" Welp, -since nobody else is gonna say it.... F___k tha po-lice! My brother lived in Paducah, KY whilst in the Navy. A black news personality - after his first night on the job - had a cross burned in his yard. He didn't go back for day 2. I'm a bleeding heart liberal. I know racism is alive and well in our country and I'm well aware of the strained relations between police and the African-American community. But this is a routine pullover in Pennsylvania. Let's not act like MLK's dream just came true because a white cop and a black guy bonded over the Bills. Just wondering. I see these words used more and more. Are you guys English or recent English immigrants? As to the OP very nice story. I am always happy when any driver, especially a driver who makes his living driving, does not get a ticky tack fine for some mundane reason that just a hay get this fixed next garage visit would suffice. I know DOT is trying to keep the roads safe but I hate this backdoor tax the DOT and police performs sometimes. Edited July 21, 2017 by cba fan
Gugny Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 Actually you did. Get a grip. All he was saying was, in this day and age, with heightened awareness on tensions between police and black men, he thought that for passing motorists to see the two of them having a pleasant moment rather than a confrontational one was a good thing. That it came because of a shared interest in the Bills is why the story belongs here. Cherrybone wasn't "racializing" some otherwise innocuous, minor detail; the race aspect of this moment between a cop and a black man was the essence of his story. Relax Gugny. It's just a nice story. Perhaps you didn't see my apology further downstream, which the OP accepted and kindly asked to drop it.
The Tomcat Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) Being African American the common narrative is its never a normal course of business. And there are cases where there's no such thing as common interest. Not trying to race bait at all. Just not that common where I'm from for a white law enforcement officer to have a decent convo with a African American especially after pulling him over. That's a pretty sad statement. PS...I don't care what color you are...stop by any of our tailgates, introduce yourself and you'll find the same type of people. Edited July 21, 2017 by The Tomcat
Uncle Joe Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 (edited) Nice story and much appreciated during these tense times. Yes. Born and raised in one of the worst cities Newark, NJ I am white. My Dad was born and raised street smart in Newark while his father was off fighting in WWII. He started as a coin collector for the phone company in Newark and I heard a few stories about some site visits. Later living in the burbs he went to work during the Newark riots. He wasn't going to let the snipers keep him out of his home town. Needless to say as a youth I worried about his safety. I grew up playing sports. It taught me not to judge someone by the color of their skin. One's ability and character would define my teammates and foes. Edited July 21, 2017 by Uncle Joe
dulles Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 I've been to Paducah and you sir are no Paducahan. Off topic question for you. Why to truckers, in general, do everything possible to pull over to the left when another truck is sitting on the shoulder with flashers on, but, y'all don't mind blowing by a soccer mom on the shoulder with a minimum of clearance. Most likely because of the other soccer mom's and dad's that are blocking the truck from changing lanes! There is nothing worse than seeing mindless drivers hang out beside a truck - totally oblivious to the danger they are causing for everyone else on the road.
WotAGuy Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 Nice story and much appreciated during these tense times. I am white. My Dad was born and raised street smart in Newark while his father was off fighting in WWII. He started as a coin collector for the phone company in Newark and I heard a few stories about some site visits. Later living in the burbs he went to work during the Newark riots. He wasn't going to let the snipers keep him out of his home town. Needless to say as a youth I worried about his safety. I grew up playing sports. It taught me not to judge someone by the color of their skin. One's ability and character would define my teammates and foes. And there's Uncle Joe - he's movin' kind of slow......
Uncle Joe Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 And there's Uncle Joe - he's movin' kind of slow...... Actually my moniker is a tribute to my Uncle Joe who introduced me to the Bills in 1964. WWII vet who was a navigator in B52s. RIP. No offense taken... "Who wants to break the news about Uncle Joe You remember Uncle Joe He was the one afraid to cut the cake Who wants to tell poor Aunt Sarah Joe's run off to Fire Lake" Joe's run off to Fire Lake
Cherrybone Posted July 21, 2017 Author Posted July 21, 2017 That's a pretty sad statement. PS...I don't care what color you are...stop by any of our tailgates, introduce yourself and you'll find the same type of people. I will take you up on that. This will be my 5th yr in a row making a Bills home game. I will definitely say the Bills have the best fans in the world. My family love the atmosphere and the hospitality afforded to us every time we come. Never once have I had a bad experience. It's like everybody at the Ralph is color blind. I love it and the people there.
Gugny Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 I will take you up on that. This will be my 5th yr in a row making a Bills home game. I will definitely say the Bills have the best fans in the world. My family love the atmosphere and the hospitality afforded to us every time we come. Never once have I had a bad experience. It's like everybody at the Ralph is color blind. I love it and the people there. Do you normally go to Hammer's?
Augie Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 Perhaps you didn't see my apology further downstream, which the OP accepted and kindly asked to drop it. I saw it (well done, not easy - some people just can't do it! ) and agree that now it's time for people to move on and get off your back. The OP graciously accepted and moved on, so should we all.
BadLandsMeanie Posted July 21, 2017 Posted July 21, 2017 I got stopped by a cop at a checkpoint. They have them here to get their tickets all done for the month in one day I think. So the officer saw my Bills Jacket and asked if I was a Bills fan. So I say yes I am! And he says, well how about you circle your wagon off to the side of the road right there, and he gimme 7 tickets! Bastard was a Fins fan. (This is an untrue post)
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