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This thread is intended to be a serious conversation about racism. This is not your typical race thread, because there is no target to discuss. This thread isn't about Obama, Rush, etc. This thread is about what, in your eyes, makes a person a racist. Now, I've gotten the introduction out of the way, I will continue.
I was riding home from work today, just thinking, and this subject came into mind. The reason this popped into my head was simple. The other day, I was talking with a few friends, and one of my very close friends said some things I had never heard come out of his mouth before. He was using some slurs, and made some comments regarding a certain race that I felt were rather rude. Now this wouldn't seem like a hard question to most considering the information I shared. But the thing is, I have known this guy forever, and he has always been one of the most awesome guys I have ever known. He has never been the slightest bit racist, always just a friend to everyone who would help anyone, regardless of the way they looked or what their race happened to be. In my heart, I know him, and he isn't a racist. So that is why I pose this question.
What makes a person a racist? Is it someone who is generally mean spirited and hateful to people of another color? Or would you just as quickly label my friend a racist because he used some inappropriate language during a conversation you were having. Does a one time occurance justify immediately labeling a person racist? Or should we consider the person and who we know them to be before laying down our judgement?
Now I know what some of the obvious answers are. For one, most will say it depends on the situation. Second, people will say it depends on how well they know the person? Well, that's true. But let's say we are talking about people we know, because if you just came in contact with a person for the first time, you don't have any right to try to judge them based on anything you may have heard during this first time meeting. It's impossible to really know a person from the moment you meet them.
But the main thing is, I know this guy, and he's never acted the slightest bit racist in front of me before. But his comments leave me wondering if maybe he acts different when he isn't around me. Maybe, deep down, he is a racist. What do you think? How do we know who is racist? If you have any similar stories or situations, feel free to discuss them as well. OK, I have done my part. Let's see what happens.
A racist is a person who treats another 'differently' because of race. This could include instances of classic 'hard' racism, (as in, belittling, insulting, hurting, attacking, or marginalizing someone, because of the 'racist's' dislike of the person's ethnicity, or race)...or 'soft' racism, (as when a person, due to his race, is treated with EXTRA 'niceness', condescenscion, or excused from the 'normal' standards of behavior, because the racist feels the person "just isn't capable of any better behavior"...or that he's not accountable, because "that's just the way 'those people' act"..).
Racism includes ANY special treatment of a person for reasons of race. It's often confused with, (and often overlaps) the related issue of 'cultural clash', or the lack of the ability of people of differing cultures to 'read' each others' intentions.
Racism is a 'sticky' subject. It's been the cause of enormous human suffering....yet it has ALSO been used to explain OTHER misunderstandings, which are only peripherally tied with 'race'...and sometimes not at all. As such, 'racism' has come to mean just about anything a person WANTS it to mean....the "bad", the "harmful", and the just plain silly....ALL of these things have been called 'racism' by someone, at one time or another.
A racist is a person who treats another 'differently' because of race. This could include instances of classic 'hard' racism, (as in, belittling, insulting, hurting, attacking, or marginalizing someone, because of the 'racist's' dislike of the person's ethnicity, or race)...or 'soft' racism, (as when a person is treated with EXTRA 'niceness', condescenscion, or excused from the 'normal' standards of behavior, because the racist feels the person "just isn't capable of any better behavior"...or that he's not accountable, because "that's just the way 'those people' act"..).
Racism includes ANY special treatment of a person for reasons of race. It's often confused with, (and often overlaps) the related issue of 'cultural clash', or the lack of the ability of people of differing cultures to 'read' each others' intentions.
Racism is a 'sticky' subject. It's been the cause of enormous human suffering....yet it has ALSO been used to explain OTHER misunderstandings, which are only peripherally tied with 'race'...and sometimes not at all. As such, 'racism' has come to mean just about anything a person WANTS it to mean....the "bad", the "harmful", and the just plain silly....ALL of these things have been called 'racism' by someone, at one time or another.
There are degrees of racism, so one person may be actively racist and another may be passively racist. It's not a one size fits all type of behavior. You can also act in a discriminatory manner without necessarily being "a racist."
Generally, I would say someone acts in a discriminatory manner when they act solely based on the race or ethnicity of another person. When the "content of the character" of the other person is ignored and the ethnicity is substituted, that would be discriminatory behavior. A racist is usually someone who makes a point of living a lifestyle that includes discriminatory behavior, is proud of their tendency to be a bigot, or is consistently a bigot who acts in a discriminatory manner.
For over 85% of the people in this country racism is a concept. I have had white friends tell me how upset they were to learn that a friend of theirs was 'racist'. They immediately felt betrayed and some questioned whether they could continue being friends with that person. For them it is optional. To me, racism of that sort is quite harmless. It does not have any economic consequence. Job discrimination, housing discrimination, health care inequalities, etc. these have a racist cause but are often dealt out in such a way that this is not overtly known. That hiring manager who conveniently has never, ever found a minority candidate for an open position. That MD who under prescribes painkillers for minority patients. Parents who threaten to disinherit a child bent on forming an interracial attachment. These are active interventions with a racist cause and are a step up from hearing an acquaintance or friend use slurs. I have black relatives and friends who have used racist slurs against white people. None, however, are in a position to deny a white person a job, housing, health care or a mate that is of another race. As another poster said: different degrees.
None, however, are in a position to deny a white person a job, housing, health care or a mate that is of another race.
I agree with much of what you say in your post, but you lose me here. You ignore the world as it is in 2009, when a mixed race man occupies the oval office and many hiring managers in both the private and public sector are minority. There are no black or other minority parents who weren't thrilled with their son or daughter dating or marrying a white person?
You seem to take a myopic view of reality. This view that only white people can be racist or in a position to influence actions based on race is ridiculous in the year 2009. It's wrong no matter who does it.
I agree with much of what you say in your post, but you lose me here. You ignore the world as it is in 2009, when a mixed race man occupies the oval office and many hiring managers in both the private and public sector are minority. There are no black or other minority parents who weren't thrilled with their son or daughter dating or marrying a white person?
You seem to take a myopic view of reality. This view that only white people can be racist or in a position to influence actions based on race is ridiculous in the year 2009. It's wrong no matter who does it.
I agree with you there. There are no boundaries where racism is concerned. Racists come in all colors, and they are plentiful among all races. There are simply those people who hide it better than others, and those who hide behind "specialized terminology" to disguise their racism as self defense. I guess it mostly comes down to one's point of view and how you view yourself. If you have low self esteem, you are much more likely to express hate for other people, particularly other races, which you feel are doing better than you are.
Personally, I really don't think I see race as a factor when dealing with people. But according to most, everyone has a little "racist" in them somewhere. Perhaps that's true, but for me it must be on a very subconcious level, because it does not surface in my everyday life. Live and let live, everyone is equal, that's just how I feel. But you are certainly right to point out that racism is not an Anglo franchise. There are racists of every nationality, not to mention those who discriminate based on status or class. All in all, there is just too much hate out there.
And I have decided to take the path of Leisesturm and just let this one go. The guy I was talking about has been a friend for a long time, and as I said, has never exhibited any racist tendencies. Perhaps he was just blowing off steam, since he has been having a hard time finding work these days. He blames a certain race for his troubles, so this is probably why he was going off like that. Either way, I will keep being his friend and maybe next time he goes off on a rant, I will try to discuss the issue with him. Perhaps we can break the problem down a little farther than a simple race issue.
One other point to make. Just as it's wrong and discriminatory to NOT hire someone because of race or ethnicity, it's as wrong to hire someone BECAUSE of their race or ethnicity. I personally believe that many affirmative action plans and quota hiring are discriminatory in nature. Again, it's wrong to base decisions on race, and it applies both ways.
In a nutshell, if you have an issue with any one person and attest it to the entire race, I would view that as racism. Regardless of whatever statistics or past experiences with people of the race you may have had, it's irrelevant. Racism is a human feeling and all the stats in the world will never equal a personal bias.
My litmus test regarding racism has always been, if a family member or close associate of yours dates or marries someone of a different race, and I mean ANY race, and you honestly have no issue with it, aside from honestly not liking the person as a person, I would say you're not racist.
Last edited by tb4000; 08-11-2009 at 08:15 PM..
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