This experiment shows how racism today works. (gun, world, security)
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I've never gotten a free pass, nor a slap on the wrist in the court room because I've never been arrested. I was followed around the store by a pickpocket - she was white, working with a saleswoman - who was white. I've been followed around the store by sales people.
I don't believe that there is one company that doesn't realize that anyone they hire is a "chance". Employees do not come with a guarantee. I've been on interviews where I was told I didn't have the experience they were looking for. Maybe that was an excuse because I wasn't a busty, bubbly young girl, or maybe I really didn't have the skill sets to match the position, or the skills I had wouldn't transfer. Did it ever occur to you that you really don't have the experience?? Do you really think that a white person gets a job offer for every interview they go to?
Since you fail to respond to my question, which I have repeated, clearly you hold "racism" towards whites as you claim whites hold towards blacks. Is this a case of "it's OK for me, but not for you"? Nothing like a racist calling another person a racist.
It's not just a matter of if it's happened to you. It's a matter of frequency. Everyone gets turned down for a job or told they're not what the store is looking for. But when it happens again and again and again and again you start to ask questions. It's not like white people never get ID'ed. Black people just get ID'ed ten times more. It's not like a white person never gets followed in a store. A white person that "looks sketchy" to the store owner is probably going to get followed in the store. But Black people get followed around ten times more. And they don't even have to "look sketchy" to justify being followed. Racism isn't an isolated factor.
All decisions in the real world are a result of many factors that are simultaneously at play, including but not limited to race, attire, age, gender, etc. It's not like people go "oh, she's Black, can't hire her, sorry" but they might subconsciously have higher standards for her resume and overall behavior. This same dynamic is constantly reinforced in the Black community. Have you ever seen a Black person come crashing down like a ton of bricks on another Black person for using the word "ain't"? Have you ever seen the level of "looking proper before leaving the house" that is often expected in many Black households? It's all these little instances of white-on-black and internal self-policing that amount to racism.
Racism is still in the real live world, intertwined with decisions that are equally based on qualifications, personality, image, etc. But that doesn't deny that it exists. It is only one of many factors, but it is a factor nonetheless.
Of course racism exists, but I think part or a lot of the problem for white folks is, it is imposable to tell whether the black guy walking behind you is a decent person or a ghetto thug looking to do harm. This is the human nature of self preservation and there's not a decent black person alive, who wouldn't do/behave in the same manner in the same situation.
It has to be difficult for decent blacks in particular, young black males to live down this stereotype, but you also have to give white folks a little leeway also. It is sad decent blacks are judged by ghetto standards, but until this behavior disappears or is at least at a minimum, racism in this form will continue. Is it really racism or just self preservation?
I have said before that I do not want some white person hurt or killed by some thug because they didn't want to seem racist. If I walk by a lady black or white or other and she locks her door or watches me I don't give any reaction because I would not want her to be in danger later from someone that means her harm. I know they are out there and they count on this to help them with victims.
The part I'm concerned with is normal situations. I have seen many blacks in schools,on the job,in stores get treated more harsh for the same mistake,or violation. Blacks get wayyyyy more time for the same crimes than whites. Are fired more often and so forth and so on,even when the acts are the same.
I'm white, and it's sad to see so many other white people getting all defensive and making excuses for this video. Instead of dismissing it as liberal propaganda to make white people feel bad again, or it's fine because blacks have higher crime rates, maybe we should look at how our prejudices play a role in what we think in situations that are otherwise identical. That's the point.
One time when I was with my ex, the same security guard that offered me help (blind white person) then proceeded to accuse my ex of stealing (Black woman) and followed her around in the store.
I often say this humorously but on a deeper level it's true and kind of sad. Despite being totally blind, I know if someone is Black the second they get 1) followed in a store, 2) ID'ed for no reason, 3) accused of stealing. But in making fun of the stereotype, there's a deeper truth there. Black customers do get followed/ID'ed/accused of stealing more often. You don't even need shows like this with set up scenarios to see it.
Just spend some time around people of color. I don't mean going for lunch with your Black co-worker either. Actually socialize with and integrate yourself with people of color, and even if you're totally blind, you still won't be able to miss it. I can tell someone's race by the way other people treat them. I don't even need to see their skin color. That's how pervasive racism is and the saddest part of all is that it's the kind of soft racism that doesn't make it into the court and that often rides the wave of another excuse (like "Black crime rates are higher" or "well most Latino people are illegal" etc.) so people can continue to deflect, deflect, deflect. Soft racism is the hardest to overcome precisely because it's so hard to pinpoint and anyone who doesn't want to see it can easily come up with nine million other "excuses" for why they engage in it too.
We're all a little racist--and when I say "all", I don't mean "white people". Everyone is. It's in the air we breathe. But instead of turning a blind eye (no pun intended, lol) we need to examine ourselves. Instead of watching this show and criticizing the methods used, why not take something away from it? Next time you see a Black guy trying to open a CD and you assume he's probably stealing it--catch yourself. Next time a Latina woman walks into your store and you assume she is illegal--catch yourself. Ask yourself what made you think that? How can you overcome the conditioning that has led you to believe that?
I'll admit there are times I have had thoughts like that. It's hard not to because we are all conditioned like that. I've assumed that someone with a "Chicano" accent spoke Spanish, and started speaking to them in Spanish, only to find out they don't speak Spanish at all. I've assumed someone was Black based on the way they spoke and then later found out they were in fact white. Now I consciously try not to make those assumptions. Sometimes I might make that kind of an assumption, but then I catch myself and realize how irrational I'm being. People have done it to me. Chinese speakers and Spanish speakers often assume I don't speak Chinese or Spanish just because I'm white and wouldn't be interested in those languages. They've said insulting or racist things about me in those languages. At first I judged them but then I realized they're no different from me. We all do it but instead of denying it, we should acknowledge it and work to change it.
Let me clarify for SB. I do not have racist feelings against white people. Yes blacks can be very racist and yes it should be called out. I do think blacks get the shaft when dealing with conservative republican tea party white people. I do watch for patterns. I have been profiled and mistreated at work by whites that I know would have acted differently if I were white. Many friends and family members have been treated this same way.
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Is it really racism or just self preservation?
