Racial tension in Chicago? (Elmwood Park, Elmwood: lawyers, buy, tenants)

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by aragx6

I think often that people who say "I have (insert race/ethnicity here) friends" don't actually have friends who are - or at least close ones.

I think however it'd be pretty hard to say someone is racist, if their closest friends actually are of another ethnicity no?

No. I don't think anyone can gain blanket immunity from racism from simply being friends with someone in another racial group. Nor can they gain it by being a minority themselves. Sadly, I've seen members of minority groups in my time make racist comments, even sometimes about people in their own group. I personally consider those comments no less racist than if a redneck in a Ford F-250 with NASCAR stickers all over it said them to me. It never really occured to me to say, "oh, he's a [insert race/ethnicity here], he can't be a bigot."

Racism is a complex state of mind where some are inclined to make blanket generalizations about groups of people for various reasons. It's not something you can cover yourself from by being friends with person Y, or being part of group X. It doesn't work that way.

[aragx6]

I'm well aware racists can be minorities. Some of the biggest racists I've met are minorities. You should hear the stuff some Asians say about blacks and Mexicans when they think they're in closed company.

And I'm also not suggesting if you a black friend then you can't be a racist of any kind. But no, I don't think that someone can be close personal friends - like hang out together, raise kids together - with members of other groups and be a true racist. The true racists I've known (my own father included) would never be friends with a black, Asian etc.

A racist believes any member of that group is so beneath them in every way, why would you want to be friends with one? Hell they can't even stand the thought of living near one, going to the same malls with them, having their children go to school with them and be somehow colored by that relationship.

Racism most often comes from ignorance and a belief (often passed down through family) that people of certain groups are completely inferior. Being close friends with members of these groups is not something a true racist would ever do. period.

[Huckleberry3911948]

racial tension, news in chicago?

[misspetite]

Racism isn't that black and white (no pun intended) that you have to be an active Klan member and exclude yourself from anything to do with that race/ethnicity in order to be considered one. Having close friends doesn't change anything. Their friends are the exception to the rule. A form of tokenism if you will.

[aragx6]

I think at the end of the day we're talking about very different kinds of racists.

The racists I (sadly) grew up with are not the type to have token anything.

And I don't think that's just about being a member of the klan, but they are the type to choose a neighborhood based solely on ethnic make up.

Anyway, I agree with you that's it's not as simple as that, and I really didn't mean for it to come across that way.

In fact, I'm not entirely sure how we got on this. I didn't really mean to.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by misspetite

LOL. A half black presidential candidate winning the state primary over a white one has nothing to do with how racist Chicago is. That's about as valid as the age old "I'm not racist, I have (insert race/ethnicity here) friends".

Well this stupid disclaimer wouldn't even be necessary were it not for the ridiculous presumption that having no friends of color is de facto evidence of being racist. So how is one to rebut that faulty presumption?

[BRU67]

Originally Posted by aragx6

A racist believes any member of that group is so beneath them in every way, why would you want to be friends with one? Hell they can't even stand the thought of living near one, going to the same malls with them, having their children go to school with them and be somehow colored by that relationship.

Racism most often comes from ignorance and a belief (often passed down through family) that people of certain groups are completely inferior. Being close friends with members of these groups is not something a true racist would ever do. period.

Not necessarily. Some define it that way out of a natural desire to have a bright line rule, though I think it’s an oversimplification of what racism is. My best Google skills show that racism is defined as “the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.” As good a definition as any I suppose.

I once had a Mexican couple say to me that “when Mexicans move into a neighborhood, graffiti, gangs and bad schools follow” -- to explain why they chose to live in an all-white neighborhood. So were they racist? Well, they were certainly friends with other Mexicans and, obviously, had family members who were part of that group. But they also appeared to believe that race accounted for differences in character and ability (propensity towards gangs, graffiti, and poor educational performance) and deliberately chose a white neighborhood because they considered that to be superior to a Mexican dominated neighborhood. Sounded racist enough to me. But I suppose it’s a judgment call. Someone else may see it differently.

I have no desire to start a debate through this one example. I just cited it to illustrate how complicated the issue really is.

[movingsomewhere]

yeah sorry for starting this thread. i know it's still america so racism should still exist everywhere. i guess i should have asked what the level of racism is in chicago. someone here said the south is far worse when it comes to racism, and i agree. almost anywhere where there is not much diversity has some form of racism. i started this thread because i wasn't too sure if chicago is a very racist town. it should not be as bad with it being the 3rd largest and diverse city in the nation. i am maryland-based and there is racism here and it's bad especially since there is not much diversity here. feel free to read threads about baltimore's problems which include racism. the racism here comes from both the blacks and whites, not just whites. i want to make sure that's clear. MD state's suburbs, though not all, share the same form of problems. i am about 15 minutes from the nation's capital (d.c.) and i've seen groups of rednecks here driving their typical pickup truck with confederate flag. 15 min. from downtown d.c. (the nation's capital). hard to believe.

[deslok]

I am an italian american with darker skin, and just moved into a new apartment building in the River North area of town. A man in the building my second day there was quite rude in the computer lab area, and even tried to fight me. When he saw that I wouldn't ( since there is a camera in the computer lab of the apt) he started calling me the n word, along with other racial taunts. (saying things such as your kind, etc..)

The building has said they can't do anything about it unless he hits me. Any ideas on what to do? This was 2 days ago.

[Avengerfire]

Did he threaten to hurt you or do damage to your property?