Blog Catalog Discussion: Are your parents racist?

RTBjr73 on 'Are your parents racist?'

RTBjr73 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:07:33 -0500

My Dad and Step-mom are not racist. My dad did twenty years in the Air Force. All he saw was the color of your uniform. That rubbed me the right way (I spent time in the Navy).

My biological mom, was/is a racist. To this day I still remember her saying "There is nothing wrong with black people or Mexican people, they just need to stick to their own." (She always said crap like that when my dad wasn't around).

Thank goodness I decided to listen and admire how my dad carried on with his life.

Sidebar - I have heard that it is easier to hate than NOT to hate. I have always found it easier to get along with people than to hate them. Hating is a LOT of hard work, in my mind.

RTBjr73 on 'Are your parents racist?'

RTBjr73 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:00:14 -0500

@MarkPogue

Because you coomen sense, cognitive thinking, and using your brain on more productive ways than most.

calais50 on 'Are your parents racist?'

calais50 — Mon, 28 Apr 2008 11:32:32 -0500

My parents are racist. I have to give them props for growth because they're not nearly as racist as they used to be. They used to say it is immoral to date outside your race. Now they say it's NOT immoral but they do find it distasteful. Funny thing though, they only seem to be racist against black people. If one of their daughters were to come home with a black boyfriend, they would be totally against it. If one of their daughters came home with a Latino boyfriend, they would only be against it if he was Catholic. I don't get it...

JillSaxon on 'Are your parents racist?'

JillSaxon — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 18:25:57 -0500

"I think Black people are the most racist people."

This is interesting.

bapped on 'Are your parents racist?'

bapped — Sun, 27 Apr 2008 17:40:46 -0500

making a statement about a group of people's stereotype doesn't have to make you a racist and it doesn't have to be considered a racist comment. everyone's different. people of different nationalities are different just as much as i'm different from my brother. i think we need to stop associating the word 'racism' with pointing out the differences between groups of people and sometimes making harmless jokes. no one should be offended by a joke. however, when jokes are meant to be hurtful and are intended to cause harm, or when a comment is said and it's full of hate, that constitutes racism. as jessica said previously, you sommetimes associate certain feelings with certain groups of people. it doesn't mean she's racist to be fearful of a group of black men standing at her door. noticing differences between people is part of human nature. it's obviously not right to be condescending towards someone else because they're different than you, which is why racism (hate) should be abolished. can't we all just get along?

JessicaBurde on 'Are your parents racist?'

JessicaBurde — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 07:25:45 -0500

Thank you, I work hard to keep it that way. Nice to know the work is paying off.

gmoney on 'Are your parents racist?'

gmoney — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:12:40 -0500

gmoney on 'Are your parents racist?'

gmoney — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:12:16 -0500

what a very honest view point

JessicaBurde on 'Are your parents racist?'

JessicaBurde — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:08:06 -0500

My parents would say they aren't racist, and they aren't in a big way, but occasionally they would say things that were subtly racist.

I can sort of understand why, even if I don't agree with the things they said. I try not to be racist, and I believe that racism is wrong, but I get more nervous seeing a group black men standing in front of my door then a group of white men. It's not 'fair' of me, and I never say anything about it my kids, in hopes that they will grow up less prejudiced then I am, but it's the way I feel.

SolReka on 'Are your parents racist?'

SolReka — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 22:03:43 -0500

Do bears poo in woods

My Dad is, but he is of that generation (UK, 65 years old) - old school beliefs, white is right and all that ballony.

I think black people are the most racist people. The sooner we stop talking about racism the sooner we can move on and unite as one.

I don't care if you're black, white or purple. You are still a human being in my eyes. That's all there is to it.

Racism is a result of centuries of tyranny and oppression put in place by the totalitarian regimes.

clioandme on 'Are your parents racist?'

clioandme — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:55:56 -0500

Jafabrit writes, "there doesn't seem to be much difference from having racist held beliefs" --- Yeah, that term just seems like window dressing to me. And the window dressing is ugly.

jafabrit on 'Are your parents racist?'

jafabrit — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:33:47 -0500

I read the wiki entry on racialism and there doesn't seem to be much difference from having racist held beliefs. "One racialist position is the controversial claim of a measurable correlation between race and intelligence. Less controversial observations on correlations of e.g. race and height or race and disease are strictly speaking also racialist positions."

Intelligence, and many diseases are not based on race but on where a particular race lives, their dietary options,geography, economics, temperature, cultural and religious conditioning etc. Likewise you state "some culture are not made for coexistence" but that has nothing to do with race and everything to do with cultural conditioning, hegemony and an homogeneous society whose fears are exploited and breed intolerance, bigotry and racism.

ttiger on 'Are your parents racist?'

ttiger — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:12:09 -0500

Racialism is an emphasis on race or racial considerations.[1]

Racialism entails a belief in the existence and significance of racial categories, but not necessarily in a hierarchy between the races, or in any political or ideological position of racial supremacy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racialism

wehireu on 'Are your parents racist?'

wehireu — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:54:46 -0500

Not intentionally. It is easy to say things in this world that is the way life is.

herpower on 'Are your parents racist?'

herpower — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 12:22:08 -0500

Yes my mother is against people of color... and she's not vision impaired... I'm Black.

ttiger on 'Are your parents racist?'

ttiger — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 10:36:43 -0500

as i write in another threat i considered myself as a racilist and not a racist
i mean, some culture are not made for coexistence and wil lead to a perpetual fight and shout because those culture and way of thinking are too different

jafabrit on 'Are your parents racist?'

jafabrit — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 08:11:08 -0500

I have some relatives I love dearly but I hate their attitude about race and I can understand and respect why my husband wants nothing to do with them. I certainly have no problem denouncing their attitude but I have had a lifetime with them (wasn't aware they had negative race attitudes until I was older) and can't just not love them.

As for my parents, not an issue. We lived in London and most of my classmates were Indian, west Indian, Vietnamese, African, so I was exposed to and enjoyed people of all cultural and ethnic backgrounds.

I think in response to ttiger complaint, there is always a danger that when one is exposed to a particular group in a particular setting there is a tendency to assume that is how all people of that group behave. If our only experience with a group is in dealing with them as migrant workers (I am thinking Turks in Germany, Irish in England, Mexicans in America) or as customers in a particular setting then unfortunately many people narrow down their understanding of a people based on their limited experience/exposure with them.

Trouble making in clubs/bars is not limited to one culture, or one race so I think trying to say ALL people of one race cause trouble makes me want to groan, and say WOW too.

clioandme on 'Are your parents racist?'

clioandme — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:17:58 -0500

So ttiger, you're saying because you've had these experiences, that all black people are like this? Seems so when I read phrases like "all the main trouble . . ." in the first line and "they" in the seventh line and . . . And all of that in this particular thread that asks a different question.

I'm with gmoney. Wow. Seems like you are expressing and attempting to justify some latent racism, even though in the fourth line you demonstrate that you think racism is wrong.

gmoney on 'Are your parents racist?'

gmoney — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:59:36 -0500

wow really........

ttiger on 'Are your parents racist?'

ttiger — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 00:47:03 -0500

im working in a nightclub for many years now and all the main trouble/fight are coming from black people, they always searching for trouble or trying to talk to girls that are already with another guys.if a girls refuse to be or sleep with them they automatically call her a racist (if she's not attracted by dark skin male doesn't mean she's a racist WTF !). those same black guy always coming at my DJ boots asking for their shitty rap/hip-hop song and the club rules are NO HIP HOP! rock , techno, industrial all kinda music but no rap/hip-hop and related music!
but they don't understand and always coming at me asking for their song and i have tell them so many time that we don't play that music at our club..

if i ever go to a black r'n'b club i ll never go to the dj boots and ask for metal or industrial music!!!!but they are to stupid to understand that basic rule!

the manager begin seriously thinking to not let them enter the club anymore

gmoney on 'Are your parents racist?'

gmoney — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 22:20:12 -0500

what a honest answer

gerri50 on 'Are your parents racist?'

gerri50 — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 01:08:59 -0500

They are not fans of white people. I can’t lie about that. They have had really bad experiences from the days when English Colonialists ruled Zimbabwe. I guess for them and a number of other people it is really hard to forget some things.

gmoney on 'Are your parents racist?'

gmoney — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:10:58 -0500

great point

dreesyach on 'Are your parents racist?'

dreesyach — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 00:04:11 -0500

Naay, why should they?! and thanks GOD for that..

I think racism is just a fear, when people felt that their superiority was being threatened, they reacted. This fear is fuled by truly ignorant and selfish people.

cooper on 'Are your parents racist?'

cooper — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:45:13 -0500

No, but I do have people in my family I find to have racist tendencies.

gmoney on 'Are your parents racist?'

gmoney — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:03:22 -0500

I like the quote......

inform4free on 'Are your parents racist?'

inform4free — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 23:01:16 -0500

Nah my folks are way cool, they dont see in colors! Although my dad has a tendency in his old age to say "Cotton picker" when he messes something up. I usually say "Hey old man, quit that shit!" to which he replies.."Errr? What did I say?"
I read a bit on the Obama/Wright stuff, was wondering when that would emerge in this campaign, truth is I don't see what his being black has to do with anything, If I were currently living back in the states the man would get my vote straight up, based on him, not his skin type!

Great quote by Mitch Hedberg for you all; "Some people say "I don't care if people are white, black, purple or green". Ah hold on now... purple or green? You gotta draw the line somwhere. To hell with purple people! Unless they're suffocatin'... then, help 'em!"

ttiger on 'Are your parents racist?'

ttiger — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:43:34 -0500

my parent are pretty unaware about that issue, they have never been confronted to race/ culture issue.
myself in not racist id rather say im racialist meaning : i think some cutlure are not make to live together. (not all culture are the same and some have fondamental difference and will always be in fight together)

gmoney on 'Are your parents racist?'

gmoney — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 22:37:44 -0500

genopianist54 on 'Are your parents racist?'

genopianist54 — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 06:02:48 -0500

Nope and Nope

gmoney on 'Are your parents racist?'

gmoney — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 19:56:54 -0500

I think we can have discussion that are open, real and honest

filmasia on 'Are your parents racist?'

filmasia — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:41:27 -0500

they don't care about it

ender on 'Are your parents racist?'

ender — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:27:07 -0500

yeah, it's a good thing my dad doesn't have anything to do with us. neither my choice of spouse nor my sister's would go over well with him.

Anok on 'Are your parents racist?'

Anok — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 11:23:30 -0500

It was and still is stressful for me too, Ender. Considering I married one of the people my parents so adamantly hate and fear.

Makes family get-togethers a little on the rough side...

soarkaios on 'Are your parents racist?'

soarkaios — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:33:15 -0500

Nope they're not.

ender on 'Are your parents racist?'

ender — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 10:03:09 -0500

i'm jealous, gmoney. that's awesome that you weren't raised with that. i know for me, it was stressful to have to be around it.

kaybday on 'Are your parents racist?'

kaybday — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 09:57:49 -0500

Gmoney, me too. This was a really enlightening discussion and it was done with civility. What a nice statement about us BCers.

gmoney on 'Are your parents racist?'

gmoney — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:24:54 -0500

I want to thank everyone for a open, honest and for the most part mature discussion on race.

I personally don't remember my parents being racist or stating racist remarks.

gmoney on 'Are your parents racist?'

gmoney — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 00:15:25 -0500

that is a pretty cynical view.... I am glad that I still have some hope left in my heart.

Tigress on 'Are your parents racist?'

Tigress — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 19:45:15 -0500

My parents were not racist and they did not pass along any racial hatred but I do know of things they faced and I am surprised there was not more bitterness.

I don't know what to think of Rev. Wright because I only saw one clip of one sermon. To me there is a difference between someone being paid to be on the radio with America listening saying something racially stupid and someone standing among his congregation saying something stupid that winds up being shown to America.

From what I've seen of Obama and heard him say I find it difficult to believe that he would belong to a church that spewed anything like that on a regular basis. I'm sorry but it doesn't make sense.