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I am hearing alot of posts about schools and other things. I am going to put in my own experience. I am an African-American male who grew up in the outer suburbs of metropolitan Atlanta(about 45 minutes from the the Georgia-Alabama border). I went to elementary school in a diverse area(mix of African-Americans, Hispanics, Indians, Whites) for 4th and 5th grade. I never had to deal with racial issues. Sure, I ran into a few fools, but it didn't compare to what happened when me and my family moved. I can understand why my father moved. The area we were living in was rather sketchy and there was a murder on our street. My father didn't want his children to be around that stuff because he grew up in the inner city. He didn't want his children around it. The area wasn't quite as dangerous as where he lived, but he wasn't taking any risks, especially for his children. At the time we lived a short drive from Atlanta(10-15 minutes on a bad day). He got a house 45 minutes away. He figured it would be peaceful because it was out in the rural areas. He didn't know much about the place either. We had our own backyard and everything. It was a nice house and we got MORE house for the money. Well, it took spending 6th grade-12th grade out there for me to learn this: Predominantly White doesn't automatically equal safer and nicer. Worse things actually happened to me out there. When I was in the 6th grade, some of the kids at the bus stop threw my backpack up a pine tree. Someone stole my baseball cap. I got it back, but I still don't know who stole it. One kid tried to poison me with silica pellets(the stuff you find in shoe boxes). This is still the only place where a teenager shot me with a paintball gun in broad daylight while getting off the bus. This was just from 6th grade. I remember two guys who knocked me off of my crutches on purpose(I was obviously injured). I took it to the principal's office(with my father's help, we both did). Because the perps could easily lie and no one else was going to tell what happened, they got off free. I might argue that racism could have had something to do with why justice was not dealt properly. I later found out the principal had dealt with other Black students unfairly. She later resigned. All of the incidents I mentioned came from White students. As the African-American population increased, some of my tormentors were African-American as well, particularly in high school, though the first time I was ever beaten up in a classroom, it was at the hands of two White students. In my high school, there were some racial issues. Let's just say you had a clash in cultures. The Confederate flag issue made things even worse. In my sophomore year, the principal told the school no one was allowed to wear Confederate flag t-shirts to school. I can't tell you how happy I was about this. However, some students were angry. There were fights in school surrounding the rebel flag. Eventually the principal gave up and let people wear it to school.
I would argue that racism comes from bad parenting. Where else would the child learn how to be racist? A child can pick up bad habits, but it is up to the parent to discourage them. I could easily be a racist, but my parents were teaching me not to hate anyone. I took it to heart and I don't hate anyone. I take people as individuals.
Some racism is inherited and some is developed over time. Some racism is taught by one generation to the next, but if you took a group of middle school kids who were not racist in any way they would still groups themselves according to something. There would be some intermingling, but once kids reach a certain age they start grouping themselves, regardless of outside influences. It's not a far leap for one of the groups to start making fun of differences between them and the other group. What I'm trying to say is that it's more natural than you think. It comes from our tendency to group ourselves and then to compete with other groups. Racism is a tendency that must always be fought against, it's not just something that happened in the U.S. in the last 150 years. It has been around for thousands of years.
I guess you're right about people always look for differences and harp on that, but I think you got the terminology wrong. In terms, there was no racism thousands of years ago because the concept did not exist. You are speaking on rivalry between different ethnicities and nationalities(which by today standards could belong to the same race). Even within same ethnicity, there was colorism. China had a light skin ideology in place long before they came across Europeans. One thing for sure, colorism and ethnocentricism are much older than racism.
A room full of 3 and 4 year old children and there is no racism.
Racism = bad parenting, upbringing
I disagree. Racism develops from personal experiences during ones lifetime. After all, how many teenagers willingly follow what their parents tell them to do? How many teens persist in being friends with or dating that person that their parents disapprove of them spending time with?
When my little sister was in second grade, the one kid that was mean to her was a black boy whose family had been imported to our neighborhood by a group of well meaning people who paid the down payment on the house they eventually defaulted on and trashed.
And in middle school, all the METCO students except two of them, were hostile and mean kids. The girls were particularly mean and would insult the fat white girls in gym class.
Basically, negative stereotypes develop from long time personal encounters and observations. I've known several really quality black women and men, but the majority of the black people I have encounters were ones that I was put off by their city ghetto ways and speech patterns. And honestly, I see this as less them being black, but more that I don't care for urban inner city culture and style. I don't find people that act ghetto to be hip and cool. I am horrified that there are so many baby mommas and daddies, and that it doesn't bother them to live like that and raise kids that they can't afford, and to raise their children so poorly. And I don't feel that my tax dollars should go towards supporting that irresponsible lifestyle.
And if I were a parent, I wouldn't tell my kids not to associate with blacks, however I would tell them that it's not acceptable to be baby mommas and daddies. And I would tell my kids that getting a good education is the first priority in their young lives, not looking for romance. And sex should be reserved for love and that sex is not a sport. And I would emphasize the importance of birth control methods. And in my family, being on welfare or Section 8 vouchers is totally unacceptable. So of course, I wouldn't want my children to be around kids whose families were fine with having babies out of wedlock, or collecting welfare or being on Section 8. I wouldn't want my kids around lifestyles that I go against my family's values. And if they are taught that it is shameful to be on welfare, then as far as I am concerned, that will help them always work hard to avoid being in that situation.
And I would not have any objection to a child of mine dating and marrying a black person as long as that person was good spouse material. Any children must be born and raised within a marriage. And if that person treated my child and future grandchildren right and was a hard working honest and responsible human being, it doesn't matter what the colour of their skin is. I refuse to have my children turn into baby mommas and baby daddies. And they must be able to function as adults without help from welfare or any other government handouts.
My mother brought me up as being anything but racist, she railed against it. My grandmother was extremely racist and we all just laughed at her for being basically old and out-of-touch. I've had friends of practically every racial background.
People want to make racism seem as if it is based on anger or ignorance, but in reality racism is neither. Racism really comes from an understanding that, humans are not equal, and that humans from more distantly dissimilar backgrounds tend to be more unequal than humans from more similar backgrounds. And that humans are tribal in nature, and tend to self-identify themselves as being part of certain groups based on ancestry or physical attributes. And that this cannot be overcome by simply trying to state idealistic and ignorant drivel, such as "all people are equal".
Furthermore, I personally believe people become more racist as they age, especially into their adulthood. Because they become much more rigid in their view of the world. Especially if they have children of their own. Because it is their job to sort of mold their children and the world that their children are exposed to, to basically be the best for them. And while they are hesitant to be racist or bigoted, they understand that the best place for their kids to be, is as far away from "diversity" as can be found. They may not want to acknowledge it, because it is basically a taboo in society now. But they really feel very queasy on the prospect of their daughter bringing home anyone of another "race". And while there are a few people who are truly untouched by racial bias, it is an extreme rarity of about 4%(from statistics I have read). It is no where near the norm. It makes about as much sense expect racism to disappear, as it is to expect every single person in this country to acquire a doctorate degree.
I don't even understand the supposedly "ignorant" label fixed on people who have basically acknowledged evolutionary theory as truth. I recognize that humans are imperfect. I understand why blacks dominate many professional sports. And I understand why they tend to fail at standardized testing. I understand why Asians score better than whites. I understand that Asians are short. I understand cancer and disease survival rates in different groups of humans. I understand lactose intolerance. Basically, I understand the world around me. I am not ignorant. And I am very racist, because while it is no guarantee, it is an extremely reliable mechanism to predict potential.
That isn't to say that I am hateful. I am respectful of all people, if you were a black man working in my place of employment, I would treat you like anyone else. But in the areas where I need to make judgements, I must take "race" into account. I need to basically discriminate based on race, just as I might discriminate based on sex, age, appearance, or socio-economic background. I would be a fool not to, and so would you.
And really, the most foul part of this whole situation we have found ourselves in... A friend of mine always quips, black people can live in white neighborhoods, but white people cannot live in black neighborhoods. Sad but true.
Last edited by Redshadowz; 03-21-2011 at 09:35 AM..
I disagree. I think its entirely possible to be in an environment where there are enough negative experiences with people of a different color for an individual to create their own opinions.
I've experienced enough of the world to realize there's idiots of every colour, not just a singular race.
Sure, some may have exclusive bad experiences with race A, but if they feel all member of Race A act the same, that's them being stupid and racist.
If they were mature enough, they'd realize that not all of Race A's members act like idiots.
A room full of 3 and 4 year old children and there is no racism.
Who knows? Where does becoming a criminal start? Many places and many enviormental situation lead to bigotry. I know you are talking rasism, but bigotry is an extention of racism and even worse.
Of course family attitudes are a start, school situations, neighborhoods, all kinds of enviormental surrounding can lead to bigotry. A personal experience is another possible cause, being attacked by a group can result in one forming an opinion about certain groups.
I would argue that racism comes from bad parenting. Where else would the child learn how to be racist? A child can pick up bad habits, but it is up to the parent to discourage them. I could easily be a racist, but my parents were teaching me not to hate anyone. I took it to heart and I don't hate anyone. I take people as individuals.
I agree to a point. I grew up overseas and went to an international school (people from all over the world). It wasn't till I moved back to the U.S. that I saw racism, bullying, etc. It simply wouldn't have occurred to us at my international school.
However, as a young adult, I purposely went to a particular place to learn and work with a specific race of people for a period of three years. In those three years, I came to totally loathe and despise that culture...it stood for so many things I couldn't stand...that educational and vocational EXPOSURE to that race and culture made me racist against them today.
Those guys on their way to clan a meeting? Door to door recruitment?
Those two guys in the foreground don't represent me. If the Klan members in the background met me, they would still think of me as an inferior. Racism is a pathology about control and a means of de-humanizing people.
I've experienced enough of the world to realize there's idiots of every colour, not just a singular race.
Sure, some may have exclusive bad experiences with race A, but if they feel all member of Race A act the same, that's them being stupid and racist.
If they were mature enough, they'd realize that not all of Race A's members act like idiots.
As a thinking and seeing person, I do realize that there are idiots and amazing people in ALL races and cultures. And I do feel that it's alright for me to dislike anyone that embraces the ghetto urban culture lifestyle. I don't like whites and Asians that speak ebonics or act like some sort of gangsta thuggie. I don't respect baby mommas and baby daddy types from any race.
And right now, unfortunately the majority of blacks that I encounter are of the ghetto culture type. And the majority of ghetto culture types that I see day to day are black. And as soon as what I see changes in any way, I will be sure to quickly adjust my personal data banks. BTW one of my favorite part time co-workers is a young black woman going to college with a double course load. I feel that she will go far in her field of study, and I highly doubt that any employer will ever hold the colour of her skin against her. She is a class act, always with a smile on her face and a positive attitude, and a very hard worker.
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