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I'm saying that it is absolutely impossible to completely do away with racism and racial stereotyping.
So you are agreeing that we all should do our best to combat it the best we can? Or are you saying that we should condone it because you believe that we never can get rid of it?
I mean it seems that crime is part of being human too, so why make laws?
Your feelings of uncomfortability is something, that maybe, you should explore within yourself because based on your post, those feelings should have evaporated as people showed nothing but love for you.
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Originally Posted by Trabbz
Yea, if you want to oversimplify it, that may be the case. However, this would be no different than a black person feeling uncomfortable being the only black person amongst a bunch of whites. I have heard this from black friends if they are the only black person amongst all whites.
I am not trying to oversimplify it. I was going by your post in which you stated that Black people had showed nothing but love for you but you were still uncomfortable when you were the only white person in the crowd. If people showed nothing but love for me, I would not be uncomfortable being the only one of my race or ethnicity around them, because I have no personal experience that would make me uncomfortable. The only reason I would feel uncomfortable is if people in the group were trying to make me uncomfortable and then my radar would be going up. If I misunderstood your post then that is my error, but if I read what I thought I did, then I still contend that is something that you need to examine within yourself. The same for your black friends if the same situation applies.
Basically, what I am saying is that for many of us, I would say the majority of us, no uncomfortability was there when we were children because we really didn't know, understand or care what the color of our friends were (if we had the opportunity to have friends of different races). The knowledge of different ethnicities and races was something that we were basically taught and our uncomfortability comes with that, either through family, friends, soceity whatever. If I get older and can not break the train of thought that I was subjected to by whomever, and I feel uncomfortable around people who look different then I do without any personal reason to feel that way, then I need to examine something within myself to determine why I cannot get pass that feeling. It is not simple, it is very complex, at least working through it can be very complex and it may not be something that we can ever fully do, but hey at least we can recognize within ourselves where the problem lies.
For example, if I decide to go on vacation to Australia then I would not expect to be around a lot of black people but I would not be uncomfortable being in an all white establishment. I have been to bars in New York, Long Island and places that I went on vacation in which I was the only black person in there. Never bothered me unless there was something going on that was making me uncomfortable. On the other hand, if I was someplace and their was something going on that makes me uncomfortable, like certain types of comments being made or people trying to talk "above" me like I can't keep up with the conversation, then I would leave as fast as possible because it is not the type of place or people that I want to be around. This has nothing to do with race though, as I have been in all black places and got out as fast as possible because I was not comfortable in the environment. That's all I'm saying, that if it is the race that is making you uncomfortable and not the situation or the place, then you may want to examine why.
Combat it? Like - shoot people who are being racist? Silly -
Not all combat is physical.
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Education is all one can do. But, if someone is racist - or racial stereotyping - there should be no prosecution -
I guess I can safely say that we disagree on this. Especially when racism is taught from generation on generation and eventually becomes cultural imbedded.
My honest answer to this is I am afraid of "shady" looking people. White, black, yellow, whatever.
Some people just make me uneasy-not specific to race.
This. If a young black man wearing a tshirt and jeans is walking down our street, then I say "hello" and smile if he looks at me. If a young white man wearing a "wifebeater" and torn pants and does not look like he's shaved or had a shower in three days, then I avoid his glance. If someone looks clean and friendly, then I don't care what color they are... but if they look dirty and/or "rough," then they make me nervous, no matter what shade their skin is.
I guess I can safely say that we disagree on this. Especially when racism is taught from generation on generation and eventually becomes cultural imbedded.
If centuries of discrimination, slavery, and segregation hasn't embedded racism in American society so deeply embedded that it cannot be eventually phased out, nothing will.
I know a Black man is scared when he sees a group of Mexicans coming his way, in Los Angeles. It's rarely to ask for cigarettes.
I believe women are more likely to get scared of Black men, no need to explain why. As a man, i don't have such fears.
Whoa man, not all women are afraid of black men in California. I seen a majority of women who are confortable with them.
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So you are agreeing that we all should do our best to combat it the best we can? Or are you saying that we should condone it because you believe that we never can get rid of it?
Not all combat is physical.
Especially when racism is taught from generation on generation and eventually becomes cultural imbedded.
Hold on there!
