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Do you care about racism?
Posted by gmoney • 10/10/07 • Subscribe to this Discussion [RSS] • Report This Topic
Tags: gylon, racism
This is a simple question. Do you care about racism? Do you think about it on a daily basis or do you even care because you belong to a majority group?
User Comments
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the fact that anyone would feel the need to ask these questions haunts me.
so, yeah. i care about racism. a lot.
and pretty much on a daily basis. -
As a gay man who has been much educated by gay women in learning to recognize and tease out issues of class, privilege and status in learning to Hear where they were Coming from, I suspect I probably think More about social statuses which can confer or deny privilege, including Race, than most 43 year old white men in America. But, no, I can't say either that I 'think about it everyday'
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that I 'don't care because I belong to a majority'--(sometimes, in some ways but not at all in others).
Imho, your question is too simple to get a really meaningful answer. Hope this helps. -
I find that in simplicity there can be a complex answer. I am simply looking for responses and I would rather let someone answer the question than lead them in a specific direction.
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not to be argumentative, but do you not see how much you have already pointed your respondent where to go in the framing of your question? If examined on any but the most superficial level Racism is a very complex issue that is not meaningfully discussed in a simple up or down format. I am at once thrilled to see someone daring to tackle such a potentially interesting and difficult and potentially hurt-making issue and more than a little disappointed that it does not appear that we are asking any of the questions that would lead us to actually talking meaningfully about racism.
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all i can do is think about several of my blog posts ... i'm not sure how i can discuss this issue in a discussion forum ... i'm too long winded and the issue is so complex.
and i like to think at least some of those posts bordered on eloquence and i'll not say them as well or persuasively in another online context.
at the same time, i seriously doubt i'm done writing about it on the blog either.
(i'm obviously rambling and need sleep ... particularly since i typed "boreded" for "bordered" at least twice and had to think WAY too hard about it when typing "bordered" correctly) -
I've always thought you trod a little too close to the boreded line endy.
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ender, post the links. there is shameless promotion and there is sharing what you have to contribute. this is definitely the latter
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okay, you twisted my arm. some of these are personal stories ... some are commentary.
www.coyotethunder.com/RedMonkey/archives/2005/06/something_durin.html
which was kinda continued here:
www.coyotethunder.com/RedMonkey/archives/2005/08/duh_klan.html
www.coyotethunder.com/RedMonkey/archives/2006/04/test.html
about the Jena 6:
www.coyotethunder.com/RedMonkey/archives/2007/09/the_multicolour.html
www.coyotethunder.com/RedMonkey/archives/2007/09/eating_crow.html
www.coyotethunder.com/RedMonkey/archives/2006/11/id_or_leave_nah.html
there are probably others ... that was a fast search thru my site.
oh ... and a fast series on discrimination:
www.coyotethunder.com/RedMonkey/archives/2007/01/adopting_discer.html
www.coyotethunder.com/RedMonkey/archives/2007/01/louder_than_wor.html
www.coyotethunder.com/RedMonkey/archives/2007/01/book_learning.html
www.coyotethunder.com/RedMonkey/archives/2007/01/what_is_the_val.html
okay .. i babble on WAY too much ... but hopefully some of you will find some of that interesting.
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I live in a diverse, but nonetheless somewhat segregated city, Washington, DC. And I teach history. Of course I think about racism. -
I do not believe, nor think about it.
I'm Italian and Irish, was married to an Israel have a child That is Italian Irish and Jewish.
I grew up with all races and didn't know from color nor flavor till I was older, and I found out that there are idiots from every walk of life. That is how I see people, as what they are and not what they wear.
We can't use it as excuse to just hate someone. If someone causes you grief, you have to look at them as what they are. This day and age, I still can't believe that people would even use it as a crutch to hide their own issues with themselves.-
So you do believe in racism and think about it? But does it affect you? I would have to say that it is not a crutch...... it is a reality, maybe a perceived reality but it is a reality, right?
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It's a shame we have to care about racism. The odd thing about it though, no one is born a racist, they become one, usually influenced by their upbringing. It's too bad we haven't found a way to stop that from happening.
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Well ignorance is learned or taught...... look at our view of muslims in this country now. That is based on complete ignorance. So yes I agree it would be great if we could stop it from happening. But how do we stop it from happening?
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there's the real question. i wish i knew the answer to that.
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That is a loaded question Gylon.
I don't think about it because I don't see people that way. However, if I was confronted with racism, even if it was not me, I would either knock it down or, depending on the situation (eg. passive racism like a tattoo), help a friend think about it differently.
It wasn't relevant to your last show, but I was born with a curable handicap (it took ten years) ... and it did cause discrimination. It's not the same, but there were similiarities.-
Tonight I was at a symposium at UTSA, a local college here in San Antonio.
The symposium was on what is it like to be black, white, hispanic or asian.
The group that was holding this symposium on "race" is predominantly black. Now the forum was open to anyone and everyone, but it was 85% black, 10% other minorities and maybe 5% white.
The conversation of the group focused on black issues as it pertains to racism but the purpose was to open a dialog that crossed all ethnic or color barriers. Unfortunately the there was not enough people from the "majority group" to have true dialog.
So driving home I was thinking to non-minorities, really care about racism if it does not affect them and if it was topic like affirmative action would the group had got a better turn out of the majority group. -
i soooooo miss the austin/san antonio area ....
dunno what to say about the turnout. affirmative action is really a slightly different topic, though. yes, years of racism have created a need to level the playing field, but the specific method of leveling that field is not really the same thing as racism.
could still be quite a productive symposium and certainly valuable conversations.
just not exactly the same thing. -
Gylon,
Good point, but be careful. Maybe it wasn't the topic.
Would "Bridging Cultural Barriers" drawn a different crowd?
What you communicate will change the audience because the terms mean different things to different people.
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I care about the effects of Racism.
There is no place on Earth where it is not felt, and that is sad. It's like a disease.-
very well said
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I think about it a lot. I'm raising two children and although someone said racism is usually caused by upbringing, it's not always the case. I know I'm raising my children in a certain way. They have no idea about the differences between people in regards of religion, race or anything else. But what happens when they go to school. What happens if I'm not around and someone makes an offhand remark that sticks with them. People that know me know better than to make racist comments in front of me, it just doesn't happen. End of. As a result, I have no idea what people in my life think about things like that, therefore I have no idea what my children might hear in their presence.
Ireland is full of ignorance and racism. It's only in recent years that seeing people with different coloured skin has become commonplace. That's being caused mainly by a large amount of refugees arriving in the country. That in itself has caused a lot of misgivings and outright objections. People are still getting adjusted to the changes really. My first job was government funded and my first real wake up call at the amount of ignorance amongst the adults in authority in my country. At times, I was incredibly ashamed at the mentality of my superiors. They made their feelings clear and I made enemies by making certain that EVERYONE had the same chances.
My children are going to attend schools that are full of children whose parents are from many different countries, a fact that I am enthusiastic about. But at some stage, the question of race is going to come up. Someone is going to hear something at home and bring it to school. How can I stop this? How can I protect my babies from that? Simple things like that can start a lifetime habit. I don't even know how I was immune to it so that is why I think about it a lot. I don't know how to help and I don't know how to stop it.-
That was just too long and it still didn't express how I feel.
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thank you so much for the heart felt input. I think people are afraid at times to open up. thank you for the long response
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after sleeping on this, the question becomes. How do we combat racism....?
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I don't behave like Dick Tracy going around to purposely sniff it out... but yes, it does occur everyday. Combat racism? I dare not even think about it.-
why don't you dare to think about combating it or finding a solution. It starts with discussions like this and better education.
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It is a crutch, people use it to make themselves feel better than the others that are different from them,
all this politically correct crap is nonsense. As I said see people for who they are. I had lost family on 9-11, you never see me talking down to a Muslim, only Bush.
People just want an excuse to whine. People have said many things to me about
what I was growing up. Who cares, those are people I do not share my time with.
You asked the question, I gave my answer, I do not believe, except that it's a waste of everyones time. Thinking your better is just a ego booster.
I know it's out there, and it's their problem. They need the help in that area. I have friends from all walks of life, if they screw me, I drop them, very simple, has nothing to do with how they were born, has to do with how they treat other people.-
Rozie818,
let me throw some things out to you and explain them to me.
he JUNK below, I can go on and on about, but it is reality of what we see in our society. The things listed below are not things to whine about.....
Nothing below makes me feel better nor does it give me a crutch.
When you their problem, who is they, the minority group and not the majority group
*************** Hispanics******************
* Latinos as a whole remain the most underrepresented group on television. Although they encompass about 12.5% of the national population, Latinos only account for 2% of characters on television. Furthermore, when they are represented on television, they are portrayed in unfavorable roles such as janitors, drug-dealers, and perpetrators of crime.
* Latinos are more likely to be seen in mug shots than non-Hispanic whites. Latinos were 10% more likely to be featured in stories about judicial and crime news, news of riots and demonstrations, and accident and disaster news than whites.
* Stories in which Latinos are the victims of violent crimes are less likely to appear on primetime news.
* In "reality" shows such as Cops and America's Most Wanted, Latinos were more likely to be portrayed as criminal perpetrators than non-Hispanic whites. Very few Latino officers were featured in segments of Cops.
* Latinos have historically been portrayed as having difficulty speaking English.
* Kingpin, a Hispanic version of The Sopranos, has been described as "one of the most violent and sexually explicit television shows ever to be shown on a broadcast network" (USA Today, 2003). Throughout the show, Latinos are brutally violent and often pictured as glorified drug dealers. Latino males are stereotypically portrayed as the "Latin Lover," the "greaser," and the "bandito". Latina women are portrayed as deviant, "frilly señoritas" or "volcanic temptresses," while Latino families are often portrayed as unintelligent, passive, deviant and dependent. [3]
************* blacks **********************
* Most black people are not poor and most of America's poor people are not black. On TV Blacks are shown as poor in numbers twice as high as reality. Blacks actually account for 29% of America’s poor, though most would guess this is 50%. [4]
* Because blacks tend to be stereotyped as criminal, most are surprised to learn that African American youth are significantly less likely to use tobacco, alcohol or drugs than whites or Hispanics. [5]
* Although blacks are stereotyped as dirty, African Americans are more concerned about cleanliness than whites.[6] Blacks spend more money on cleaning supplies and comparable amounts on personal care products as whites. [7] Black women engage in more feminine hygiene practices than whites. -
Well said Rozie818! Racism is an ego booster -
yeah I feel so much better about my ego when I read a story about a noose being hung from a tree or on a black professors door. I get a bigger ego boost when I speak to a woman and she looks at me and then grabs her purse because the color of my skin. Man my ego is feeling so great right now..... I think I am going to go dress up in black face and dance a jig
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I'm confused, did you read my post #1 that was in the 1950's - I was born between two 2 cultures that hated each other.
So talk about, what is happening now and your personal view. I have to say, I still don't believe in racism, never will.
It's just a stupid view from people that want to hate.
The skinhead that hates the Jews, still hates the guy next door who parks in his driveway.
Throw all the stats you wany Al Sharpton lives in my area, who hates more than him
We really don't hate, we want to hate. -
wtf? What kind of question is this. Some people are just stupid.-
what is the problem with the question?
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I do agree with you that people that HATE use it as a ego booster. Maybe I understood you wrong. I thought you meant that people are receiving the racism are the ones getting a ego boost. Sorry for the mis understanding
I don't hate, no reason to. I love all people regardless of skin tone.-
I'd suggest that you have that backward, GMoney. I think that people who feel in desperate need of an ego boost hate because of it, and that those who have little to feel superior about but a strong need to feel superior are likely to turn to something like skin color as the basis for a sort of "well, at least I'm not..." feeling.
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I"m sorry I just can't hate before i know.
here is an example how I feel
newsmaze.blogspot.com/
somebody broke into my car/ found not a dime and yet they didn't destroy nothing-
hate is not even a word that I use. The words that we use frame our perception on our reality.
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The words that we use frame our perception on our reality.
there is your problem "WE"
you have to be you. Not them, us or we.
You keep including yourself within a group, maybe include yourself as me, myself and I -
I am saying the words that "we" use, we meaning all of us. We are all in this together. YES the words I use frame my overall perception of the reality that I am in!
I have to make a change, before I can help we can make a change. I use we, because this is about we........ not just me. I am not selfish enough to believe that my actions don't affect the people around me. Thus that makes a we........ ok I am confused now
To me I like to think that I am a "change agent", meaning I am not looking to change your mind, yet I want to bring up topics to make people think. -
I have biracial children so I do care about racism. So far no one has been stupid enough to say anything to my face about my children but if someone ever did, I don't know how I would react. I am like a momma bear when it comes to my babies.-
I have a family that looks like the United Nations. We do not think of ourselves as different. Just diverse, intelligent, talented and extremely interesting.
In truth, we are each of us (all citizens) about six people away from the other, as far as biological relationships go. Scientists have already proven this and the fact that our ancestors came from Northern Africa and the Middle East. We are all related.
It should be enough that God loves each and every one of us. -
what a beautiful thought, Teresa. That's rather how I feel about my own family, which I am sure is very, very different from yours.
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Zmoney
I guess u think that everyone on the planet has to deal with racism. lol they see it but don't have to deal with it.
I have a few close friends in Europe and as for the one in Ireland, he doesnt have to deal with racism, because there are more of him than the eye can see. Maybe that's why he married a African American lol. -
If everyone decided once and for all to drop the fear that binds so many of our world's citizens into categories, then perhaps we could rise above the stupidity of it all. Racism is purely a way to hold power over people. A way to separate us from each other. Why don't we look at one another through eyes of love and embrace the beauty we all have within.
Our Creator has made a beautiful world for us and we would enjoy it so much more if we stopped allowing government to keep us separate. We are all God's children.
Wouldn't it be absolutely boring if everyone and everything were the same color and texture? I would go out of my mind without the variety that was handed to us. We must become full of love and dissolve any feelings unlike that of love. I say preach tolerance, understanding, joy and love. Key ingredients to a richer and more beautiful life.
The next time you are asked to fill out a form stating your race, then I suggest you write in the word, HUMAN.-
i avoid answering that question whenever possible ... and gender. they mean sex, not gender. there aren't enough choices there for gender.
alas, i'm railing again. -
Beautiful comment, Theresa. My mother once said that if only one looked at how beautiful bi-racial people often are, it would be quite clear that God had intended us to mingle.
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Greetings gmoney
Racism? It's still the Cancer of modern day society. What a shame we waste so much time on it.
Regards
Biobob-
Yes it is a waste of time, but I am happy to see that people are giving there opinions on this subject
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I think of it, well, not on daily basis, but... It's a stupid thing, so out... -
I am against it. I don't think about it daily because I do not see it daily. I experienced it first hand in jr hs though. -
This thread inspired a post about why I don't think about racism--and why I have no idea whether or not it's the right approach. whatswrongaroundus.blogspot.com/2007/10/race-what-race-everybody-looks-same...
I don't think I've ever asked for comments before, but I'd love to know what people think about this; it's a real conundrum in my mind.-
You don't have to ask. It was a great post. I cannot comment now, but I will. I had a similar experience with my son. He was taken aback when first introduced to the concept of Martin Luther King, Jr, overcome with guilt that was not his to bear.
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Say:
"NO RACISM" -
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lol... Forgot to spam your sites with your first comment, huh?
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