Racism - yeah, it's real (Iowa City, Colo: sales, crime, credit)

[Lodestar]

I was just thinking about raising children. When a kid acts out, you don't go trumpeting it about in his presence to everyone you see or you'll increase the behavior. If you want to downplay the amount of bad behavior, you deal with it quietly and give it as little public attention as possible.

I think it is this recognition of the very human tendency to see bad behavior everywhere when it is publicized everywhere is what people are referring to when they say racism may be better handled by dealing with it in a more quiet manner.

When we have public figures and widespread publications seeing racism when another, less damaging, explanation may exist there is a trend for others to do the same. Does this increase the problem or decrease the problem?

Laws against discrimination are on the books. Multiple organizations exist to deal with the violation of those laws. Let the people whose job it is to analyze these situations do their work and fix the problems. We're reaching a point of mass hysteria about an ancient and stubborn issue with which, until recently we were, slowly perhaps, but gradually making progress.

[UKWildcat1981]

I heard Iowa is a really tolerant place for minorities, they don't have that many of them but every Iowa resident I ever met was really cool and progressive and down to earth but racism can happen anywhere.

[green_mariner]

Originally Posted by UKWildcat1981

I heard Iowa is a really tolerant place for minorities, they don't have that many of them but every Iowa resident I ever met was really cool and progressive and down to earth but racism can happen anywhere.

Well, I can offer my father's experience. He is Black, and a Midwesterner. He worked in Iowa for a time. I didn't have any major issues as far as race goes. He wanted me to go to college in Iowa, but in-state tuition suggested that I should stay in Georgia.

[green_mariner]

^In addition to my last post, I had to consider some of the things I've heard. I keep hearing things about the racial disparities for Blacks in Iowa. Statistically, that might be. On the other hand, my father did fine in Iowa. He is also an educated man. One thing I have to consider is this. How will it be according to the individual? The individual is the #1 thing that is seldom discussed.

[Lodestar]

Originally Posted by green_mariner

^In addition to my last post, I had to consider some of the things I've heard. I keep hearing things about the racial disparities for Blacks in Iowa. Statistically, that might be. On the other hand, my father did fine in Iowa. He is also an educated man. One thing I have to consider is this. How will it be according to the individual? The individual is the #1 thing that is seldom discussed.

The populace of the small cities and towns is largely Scandinavian and, by nature, progressive. Most places seem to encourage diversity and are proud to be able to claim that it exists in their location. In my own experience, having little or no experience growing up with other groups I had very few preconceived notions (stereotypes) to hinder me.

As far as how this will be for the individual it would depend. I suppose on how comfortable he is in groups of people different than his own race.

There would still be that tendency to treat him as more than equal, as special. "Look. I have a Black friend." That could be uncomfortable for some.

I think people in my small city will, trying to error on the side of fairness, be extra fair to people of color. No one wants to look prejudiced.

[gia1990]

People deny or ignore racism most likely because they don't face it. It's hard for someone who has been discriminated against to just let this issue be forgotten. You can't just put this isuue aside because you disagree or because you don't face the issue, but of course there'll be those that get mad for bringing such topic up.

[fezzador]

Iowa exemplifies the "live and let live" manta more than nearly any other state. For the most part, the people there aren't inherently racist, but if a black guy or family moves to a small town the white folks living there might feel a little uncomfortable, or at least wonder what they're doing in such a small town as opposed to a larger city.

Iowa is a small and traditionally rural state that's always had a small black population. But that's not unique because most other Midwestern states were much like Iowa a century ago. Iowa, unfortunately, is playing catch-up with its regional peers because only recently (the past 25 years or so) has their prize pony, Des Moines, started to make serious strides towards "big city" territory. DSM is only now becoming what cities like Indianapolis and Milwaukee were like many decades ago. For the most part, the vast majority of African American Midwesterners live in an urban area and Iowa is sorely lacking in that department. It's improving, but still has a good ways to go.

But I will say this. Be careful what you wish for, because once DSM hits "big city" status (i.e. 1M metro), along with it comes big city headaches, and the potential for embarrassing incidents will only increase.

[tollfree]

They might not be aggressive with their judgment in Iowa how they are in some traditionally southern states to anyone who even slightly defies the status quo, but they'll definitely let you know if you aren't "one of them".

It can be a cult.

[Lodestar]

Originally Posted by RonnieJonez

They might not be aggressive with their judgment in Iowa how they are in some traditionally southern states to anyone who even slightly defies the status quo, but they'll definitely let you know if you aren't "one of them".

It can be a cult.

I don't think that's racism or a cult, though. That's pretty typical human nature anywhere you go. In my day soldiers and hippies didn't get along too well. You could say the same today for liberals and conservatives.

People make a mistake when they believe that everyone who doesn't think like them must hate them.

[johnrex62]

Originally Posted by Jjury15

It was my assumption that by saying to "forget it" and to "let it fade" was essentially saying to ignore it --

Well, there you go. Remember what they say about assumptions.

Originally Posted by Jjury15

what on earth could that mean? Don't ignore it? Tackle it head on?

Forget it mean to forgive and quit reliving it over and over. It is a thing that has occurred and cannot be undone. It does not have to be repeated and it does not have to control you.

Originally Posted by Jjury15

Replace "ignore" with "forget" or "fade away" and my message remains the same. Maybe you haven't been a victim of racism, but those extremes aren't that extreme and happen every day, and I will not forgo this fact because it's an extreme to you and you, oh Mr. Privileged, felt like it shouldn't have been included.

Since ignore is your choice of word, replace it with whatever you wish. it is not part of my message, so I don't really care.

Everyone has been a victim of racism. Not everyone allows it to define themselves. People look at me and make assumptions, usually incorrect ones. That is their problem, not mine. It allows me to outthink and outperform them when they assume I am only capable of certain things.

I will grant extremes occur daily. Not to everyone or really in any statistically significant quantities, but enough that they count. Do you want to live your live covered head to toe in laminated kevlar body armor because someone was bitten by a poisonous snake and that means that it could happen to you too? Do you wish to be required to receive every vaccination known to mankind regularly because such and such disease has occurred and that means you could possibly catch it somehow? You live your life on the probable and likely, not the potentially possible.

Of all the violent crimes perpetrated in the US each day, how many are actually racially based? Sure, a lot more of them could be viewed as racist if someone wants them to be, but the vast majority of these are still simply crimes that happened to be conducted by or to someone of a different race than the other person. Maybe the aggressor makes a racist statement in the midst of the crime. Did that actually mean the crime itself was only because of race anger? Or was it because in the heat of the crime the anger brought out whatever means of assault possible. Do you ALWAYS mean everything you say when lost to anger or fear? Did you REALLY mean that you hated your mother and wished she would die when she sent you to bed when you were young? Or were you like most of us and just lashing out in anyway you thought would hurt at the time?

Originally Posted by Jjury15

Tell that to those who live it every single day almost every waking moment of their lives and those who lost loved ones because of these "extremes" that apparently are so rare they're suddenly a non factor.

Does it really matter why someone has been lost to violence? Does it make it better to live in hate of a race group instead of accepting that life sometimes sucks and someone was injured or killed for whatever stupid reason?

The extremes you brought up do happen, but infrequently compared to the vast majority of violence that occurs each day. Defining yourself and your relations by these extremes is a colossal waste of time and energy. It is bad enough that crap happens without rolling up your sidewalk and living in the crap for the rest of your live. Wash it off and move on.

Originally Posted by Jjury15

Also, by past do you mean.. the past year? When a rash of racial crimes were highlighted amongst a variety of other racial crimes that never see the light of public news stations?

By the past I mean starting 1 second ago starting now....now....now....now....now....now.....now.... .now. Get it? Once it is history it is in the past. Who cares about what is reported or how much is not reported? You want something to cease to exist? Stop glorifying it. Stop worshiping it. Stop encouraging it. STOP IT.

Stop it and it will become history. Relive it and keep it alive and it stays the present.