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Am I Racist?
Posted by TheBlackCritic • 12/31/08 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Topics: african americans, blacks, racism, racist, the black critic, whites
What exactly does it means to be a racist person? If a person doesn't date White men or Black men or Asian men, etc. exclusively because of their race, is that racist? Can Black people be racist against their own race? If a White person has countless Black friends, or a Black person has numerous White friends, can they still be racist. Is it true, as many folks have told me of late, that everyone has elements of racism in them?
I have attempted to grapple with these questions in my own life with a Blog Post called AM I RACIST? ( theblackcritic.com/?p=1007 ). It's easy to point fingers at some White person stringing a noose across some oak tree and claim that he or she is racist. It's easy to hear the hatred dripping from the tongue of some Black person who screams out "death to Whitey." But it's harder, much harder to take a look deep inside ourselves and attempt to tackle the racism that just may linger somewhere deep inside our hearts and minds and subconscious. This is what I attempt to do...successfully or unsuccessfully, I attempt to take a very honest and probing look at my own imperfections.
If you are bored and feel like commenting, please let me know if you think I am racist or not. I am hoping to get the perspective of people outside my cardboard box.
theblackcritic.com/?p=1007
Thank You,
NightShade
www.theblackcritic.com
User Comments
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Not dating a person of a certain color is not racist because everyone has the right to exercise his/her romantic preferences. Racist is when the reason to discriminate is too flimsy and whimsical it actually offends.-
Just wondering--mostly because I still haven't fully grasped the full definition of the word--if that means that a person who meets to virtually identical people, with the only difference between the two being race, excludes or refuses to date that person solely because of his or her skin color, isn't racist in your eyes? Were the KKK members who didn't commit crimes but railed against anyone who had interracial marriages not racist?
I wonder if someone could point me to a definitive guide to what's racist and what's not--what's, as you say, just romantic preference, or even social preference, maybe. I don't know--yet...I'm still searching for the definitive answer. -
Try your question a different way: a person who meets two virtually identical people, with the only difference between the two being hair colour, excludes or refuses to date that person solely because of his or her hair color, is that racist? Or, let's substitute height...I know tall women who won't date men shorter than them.
If a person's "turn ons" don't include a different skin colour I wouldn't necessarily label it racist (although it definitely could be)...but I would label it as being really shallow...just like the hair colour dude or the height-fixated chick.
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racist -
Lets just look at this quote...
"In my lifetime, there have been several times outside some random club or inside some late night breakfast spot, where I have witnessed a White dude either beating on a Black woman or raising his fist and threatening to do so. And each time, without the slightest hesitation, I intervened–with, to be honest, a feeling of racial obligation to do so. Yet, far more often, I have witnessed Black men whopping upside the head of Black women. And to be frank, it actually depends on the situation whether or not I intervene"
And you actually question your position?-
Even using the most Utopian perspective of America, I think most people are able to understand that the dynamics in a White vs Black confrontation has extra added dimensions and nuances that add to the situation than one that involves White vs White or Black vs Black. I'm not sure if you are saying you don't recognize these extra layers of complication, or if you happen to think the problem exists but only in some clear cut, simple "one plus one equals two" type of way. But I assure you racial issues in America are no where near as "cut and dry" as your comment suggests. Things as simple as the definition of beauty is so layered with racial overtones that it takes scholars to dissect even a quarter of the layers intertwined in it. Add to that a confrontation, and becomes squared several times over.
I'm not defending my "position" or actions in any way--I have no idea yet how to take my actions. I am merely making sure you are not inventing a world where racial issues are uncomplicated and devoid of these extra layers. That world doesn't exist outside our imagination. -
Would you say the same thing if someone made the statement.
"I'll intervene if a black man hits a white woman, but may not if a white man hits a white woman." -
Would I say the same thing--meaning what? Would I still say that race relations is a very complicated thing in America that has a lot of extra layers--of course. Saying that something is complicated doesn't mean I am endorsing the behavior. Gang violence and crime in America is a very deep and complicated problem--that don't mean I endorse crime or gang violence. You can't solve problems if you don't understand it. That's the mistake folks have been making for decades now--example, the fake war on drugs--trying to give cut and dry solutions to multi-layered complex problems. Then we sit back and wonder why nothing the government does actually works. Simple: they have a strawman understanding of the problem, they have no clue what they are actually dealing with. How well would someone be able to come into your home and give out advice on what you and your family should do, if they don't know your situation and circumstances, or understand your problems?
The mistake I felt like you were making was not in your classification of the action as racist--and i do not disagree with you there, as it very well may be racist actions. My response was merely to point out that there is much more to the racial dynamics in America than what meets the untrained eye.
I thank you for your input, sincerely.
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When you make decisions based on race, and nothing else, you are racist.
To come up with reasons for why this is not racism because a,b,c,or x is a way to justify it.
To justify it based on "complex racial relations" may make you feel better about yourself. But in the end, such a decision would prove the point.
Is any person completely non-racial, I find that hard to believe. So i guess the question you are really posting is what decisions you can make because of race and still maintain some kind of a majority concensus that it would be the "normal" thinking pattern.
But in the end, any act, thought or statement, that is based on race alone, is in itself racist.-
I guess I'm still trying to figure out where I said or made the claim that it isn't racist--one way or the other. I merely make the claim that race relations is a very complicated issue in America. How that translates into any of the things you just posted is certainly unclear to me. If it's racist: ok. If it's not: ok. I don't know--hence me asking for outside opinions.
The only declaratory statement I make is that race and racial issues are multi-layered and complicated--a problem that we can't use simple, cut and dry solutions to.
If it's racist, i will attempt to deal with it and make progress. It's probably rare to hear someone say "i don't know" online, so maybe that's why my position may seem unclear. So allow me to repeat it, for clarity: I don't know the answer...I'm merely seeking the answer.
The only think I know for certain is how complicated race is in America. -
Side Note: I love the clean, clear-cut design and template for your blog by the way. Is there a base template you use, or did you design it yourself?
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THank you, it is a fairly heavily modified template. can't remember what the original was called. But i can look around and see if i can find it.
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I was responding to the example of dating a guy or girl, with the color of skin becoming an issue. With romance, there is much more leeway to assert the person's preferences. That's all I'm saying. Since it's purely a heart thing, say, you are not attracted to blacks, then you have every right not to date even a girl as gorgeous as beyonce, or a hunk the likes of Tiger Woods and it would be unfair to have you labelled racist. Racist is when the distinction or discrimination is meant to offend.
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I think that calling a group of women basketball players "nappy headed hoes"
is racist and insultive and they had every right to remove that idiot from radio.
If you don't like someone fine but you don't need to insult and bring the other person down
cause you have an issue with them and to do it in public with thousands of people listening to your radio program. Try to have some respect, they are people too.
When you think about it, he had some nerve implying that a whole race of women are nothing more than panty dropping whores and that they can't possibly be respected members of society.-
I am not saying I disagree with you, I just want to ask a quick question in regards to your comment about "nappy headed hoes." Has there ever been a time in history when folks didn't insult each other? Just wondering if folks are starting a fight with human nature nowadays--like, for instance, if we waged a war on folks being "rude" in public. I'm just curious, actually, as many of the things I read now seem more like human nature than anything else--some people are just going to be ignorant, no matter what.
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i'm a stickler for definitions when discussions like this occur, because when definitions are blurred, false arguments are certain to arise. so my answer to your question is that, while you are not a racist, you most likely carry some subconscious prejudices just based on your own suspicions through self examination.
here's why:
racism is typically the oppression of one race of people by another race of people through discreet and nondiscreet systems, politics, economic and any other organized means. a racist is one who participates in that oppression as an oppressor. based on that definition it is hard for me to imagine any black american being racist, no matter how prejudiced they might be against white americans. for example, during my early teen years, i was beaten up a number of times by black kids just for being white. i'd say they were quite prejudiced, but not racist. although i've never even considered doing the same, i did make sure my son went to a "good suburban" public school, which by the way had few, if any blacks. by doing so, in a way i participated in systemic racism through an skewed educational system that limited black access through economics (wealthy suburban town), and those that did attend i probably expected to, well, behave. therefore, sadly i'd have to be considered a racist, born not from an overt hatred of people of color, but rather from my subconscious prejudice/fears to what a good school looks like.
hope this doesn't muddy up the discussion, but terms and definitions are so important to this particular discussion. thanks for the opportunity to express them.-
As a stickler for definitions, lets make it very clear that this is YOUR definition of what racism is.
You say "any other organized means" which in extension of your argument would mean that blacks can't organize? which both you and i know is silly to even argue.
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If you are looking for something, you will probably find it. You are looking for racism in yourself which means that you acknowledge differences based on skin color. By definition, that is racism.
That may not be a bad thing. Racism works both ways. Some people see a difference and work towards repression and others see a difference and go to the other extreme.
The important thing is that you have acknowledged that you see the difference. From there, you can work on how you react to it. -
I think racism may be too strong a word for most of these examples - like cranelegs I think that prejudice better describes them. But essentially I would answer yes to all of the questions in your first paragraph. If you make your decisions about interacting with people based on their skin color then you are acting on prejudices, no matter the color of your own. You make no mention of Latino or Asian or mixed-race issues, which strikes me as creating a very black and white question, if you'll pardon the pun.
I do think everyone has some prejudices, however. No matter how hard you may try to regard skin color as an accident of birth and as meaningless in the wider scope of things, negative or positive personal experiences tend to color your view of people.-
Now we are getting into a farily interesting concept.
Prejudice.. To pre judge something. Or to make a decision based on partial information. In this case that partial information includes race.
Prejudice isn't something bad, it's something that we use every day, all the time to make a decision. Based not on what things are like, but what we assume they are like from past experiences.
I don't take I-95 during certain times because I assume it will be a parkinglot. I don't check every traffic report before making that decision, I simply use a use the prejudice I have on the conditions for that road on certain times.
There are certain parts of the city that I avoid, especially at night. Not because I know for certain that something will happen if i do go there, but because i know that the crime rates there are higher and therefore the risks are higher. Again this is prejudiced, but based on certain facts that color my decision to take another route.
Again, if someone tells me that a white, black, and yellow man are going to run a race, and tell me I have to pick the winner, I know that over 95% of both long and short distance world records are held by blacks. So knowing nothing more than the races of the contestants, I'll pick the black man.
Prejudice is something that is extremely useful, and isn't in itself a bad thing. It only becomes bad when you assign more or less weight to a certain criteria than it's actual worth.
We make decisions on partial information all the time. Those that wait until they have 100% are the ones that are always too late. -
But basing your travels around town on crime rates is more objective than deciding that, if the majority of the area's residents are not of the same skin color as you, it isn't safe. That's only true if you actually have looked at crime rates for the city, though, and not if you're assuming them because of the race of the local residents. There are no clear-cut lines, unfortunately.
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racism is a very complicated issue. I think like the blackcritic everyone has a little racism in them. I will give u an example.
I was in the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. The lady checking me out was black. The lady behind me was black. My girls were tired and winey so the lady checking me out was kind of rolling her eyes at me and throwing my
groceries in the bag. She was trying to get me through there as quick as possible (I can't blame her I was sick of hearing fussy kids too).
I made a coment under my breath "I'm sure ur kids are angels too" I had stood there long enough and my temper finally got to me.
I was at the lazy susan trying to get my bags into the basket when the girl slung it around and nailed me in my back.
I told her to go get the manager and that's when the black lady behind me chimed in and started saying she didn't hit u white girl.
anyway I know had I been black that never would have happened.
ps wal-mart looked at the video and gave me my groceries for free-
interesting, though, as I posted above, i sometimes wonder if those are more likely to be examples of human nature and human ignorance at play--meaning, paint all the characters white, give them the same personalities, frustrations, and characters, it seems reasonable that the scene may have played out the same way. I'm not sure I'm convinced folks are not just as rude and disrespectful to their own race as they are to others...though, to be honest, I'm always prepared to be convinced.
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@ the blackcritic
If my situation was turned around and I was the checkout lady that hit the black lady and the and the lady behind her was white and she said she didn't hit you backgirl. Do you not think that that would be racial.
You say because the lady was black who hit me was just being rude,but I assure you coming from MS It would have been a huge racial issue.
My point is race was brought into the disagreement even when I didn't think it was a racial issue.I thought is was over my fussy kids. It turned into a racial issue when the lady behind me said she didn't hit you WHITE GIRL.
I didn't say to either of them your being racist when they clearly were.
I didn't even ask wal-mart to give me my groceries for free. The only reason I even stayed to make them view the video is because I wanted the lady behind me to see that the girl did hit me. I was trying to prove a point to her that race had nothing to do w/ it. She still didn't get the point because her last words at the store to me were "let me catch you around town alone WHITE GIRL"
Now back to the lady that actually hit me. The store manager (who was hispanic) point blanked ask me if I wanted the checker to be fired.
I said absolutly not,but I do think she needs to learn how to treat people
no matter what color they are or if they have fussy kids.
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Racism is a tough one. I think racism comes from fear, plain and simple. I think racism is stretched way beyond what it really is by over sensitive people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. It's ok to embrace people's differences and our own, but to draw away from someone because they are something you don't understand comes from fear and that is what fuel real racism. If you find that you have a tendency to do this, it only means your a racism if your not willing to investigate further. It's hard for me to date white men, because I remember being taunted by the white boys in my class in school for being different, darker, having kinky hair and such. But that is FEAR and it dosen't make me a bad person. Racist people are just people who need to be healed and educated.-
You're right. You explained it very nicely. It is fear and they do need to be healed and educated:) -
Interesting. Thank you
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i'd like to think that majority of racism stems from ignorance...it gets dangerous when people are stupid and refuse to gain understanding.
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I used to speak about racism a lot more. Till I met up with some Berkeleyites who did a workshop at Harvey Milk Institute in San Francisco. They set these ideas as their axioms:
1. All racists are white.
2. All whites are racist.
3. There are no exceptions.
The best a white person could be, according to them, was an "ally." And if racism was an evil to be destroyed, the only logical thing to do was to destroy white people. I walked out pretty fast. I never went back to Harvey Milk. And I never looked at other people the same way again.
I stopped dating outside my race for years. And I left my job, supervising a maintenance crew in Oakland for a seniors complex that was 98% black. It wasn't that people of other races didn't turn me on. They do. And I do enjoy the flavors of other cultures. But at the same time, I would have this nagging fear that because I am "white," bitterness against my race would blow up the whole relationship in my face. So I became a "racist" because the definition was inescapable, because my race was unilaterally charged because of the abominations of whites in the past.
So are you a racist? I assure you, I am not going to say anything. -
I dated a white guy whose parents and grandparents were on a quest to break us up because I'm not white. His grandpa was a pastor and they were all intense church going people. They used the Bible to defend their reasoning that races shouldn't mix. Is this racist? I would say yes.
I hear people say, "I'm just not attracted to Asians" or whatever race it is. I think that's different than hating or disliking an entire race of people.
Although I've seen attractive people in all races...but that's just me.-
That's the most dangerous type of racism...using the Bible to defend ignorance.
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www.timwise.org/ these might help.
Or read anything by Michael Dyson
www.amazon.com/Debating-Race-Michael-Eric-Dyson/dp/0465002064/ref=sr_1_4?ie... -
Dr. M. L. King said, "Judge people by the content of their character, not their skin."
If people TRULY followed this creed, we wouldn't have to worry about whether or not we're racist. -
Discrimination that disparages the rights of others is the line to cross. Otherwise being non-racist doesn't mean you can't be selective about your personal preferences. -
Gran-Torino watch the movie-
that was a great movie...he started out racist, but gained understanding
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Hey! where's TimeThief on this one????
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