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If by "racist" you mean can minorities be bigoted, then then the answer is yes. Plenty of people, of all races, are bigoted.
However, if by "racist" you mean can minorities make life more difficult for whites because of their racism, the answer is usually no. Minorities are rarely found in positions where they can exert much power over whites. Collectively, minorities also lack the numbers to make their dislike of whites felt.
For example, stores or restaurants that becomes popular with blacks are often avoided by whites. Whites are often uncomfortable in the presence of black people, and tend to avoid venues and situations where they are likely to be outnumbered. This can have a devastating effect on businesses, because white people are both more numerous and (usually) have more money to spend.
However, if black people choose to stay away from a store or restaurant for whatever reason, that is unlikely to negatively impact the business. As a group, blacks have neither the numbers nor the spending power to make or break most businesses.
Usually and Rarely are not Never. The fact that they can sometimes make life more difficult for whites just further proves the point that they CAN be racist.
Usually and Rarely are not Never. The fact that they can sometimes make life more difficult for whites just further proves the point that they CAN be racist.
Uh..okay. I am sure why you see a disagreement here.
Uh..okay. I am sure why you see a disagreement here.
I think you left a word or two out of your response.
My point simply was that the original question is "CAN minorities be racist" as in "is it possible." Even under your second meaning, by your own admission, you said they are "rarely" in a position of power and "usually" cannot be. That does not mean that it is impossible for minorities to be raciest.
If you said minorities are "Never" in a position of power, then we would have disagreed and I would have gone down that route. But even you acknowledge that "some" minorities are in positions of power. Those people can be racist. Therefore, the question is answered. Yes, they can be racist.
If by "racist" you mean can minorities be bigoted, then then the answer is yes. Plenty of people, of all races, are bigoted.
However, if by "racist" you mean can minorities make life more difficult for whites because of their racism, the answer is usually no. Minorities are rarely found in positions where they can exert much power over whites. Collectively, minorities also lack the numbers to make their dislike of whites felt.
For example, stores or restaurants that becomes popular with blacks are often avoided by whites. Whites are often uncomfortable in the presence of black people, and tend to avoid venues and situations where they are likely to be outnumbered. This can have a devastating effect on businesses, because white people are both more numerous and (usually) have more money to spend.
However, if black people choose to stay away from a store or restaurant for whatever reason, that is unlikely to negatively impact the business. As a group, blacks have neither the numbers nor the spending power to make or break most businesses.
The assumption that someone needs to be in a position of power, to be able to make life difficult in a racist manner, quite frankly, is preposterous. The numbers are not needed either.
For racial reasons, or religious reasons, a massive difference can be made, by a very, very small number.
i really dont understand this whole idea that minorities cant have power. Power is not absolute and a powerful person in one place can have none elsewhere.
a popular black peraon in a majority black setting has alot more power than an unpopular white person in the same setting.
a black lawyer or politician has more power than a white homeless man. Many major cities in the US are majority black.
i myself (white) once attended a 80 percent plus black school. Most of the staff was also black as was our principle, one of my teachers was racist and routinely got away with openely harrassing white students and inciting violence against them. I also lived in a mostly black neighborhood. The only white students that didnt get extorted and bullied every day were the girls and the few white boys that were very scary and very good at fighting.
society as a whole is alot different and alot more in your favor, but there are places in this country where nobody in there right mind would want to be and be white because of racism against whites.
anyone that has the power to inflict physical or psychological harm on someone weaker has the power to be a racist because the system is not an individual and we dont live in north korea, it doesnt control our every move an thought.
Last edited by richardlong; 06-28-2014 at 08:46 PM..
To say minorities can be racist against Whites, is racist in and of itself, because its veils the experience of minorities, in favor of the experience of whites.
Everyone one can be prejudice, and we all can discriminate - which is acting on that prejudice - but minorities can not oppress whites, therefore can not be racist.
i really dont understand this whole idea that minorities cant have power. Power is not absolute and a powerful person in one place can have none elsewhere.
a popular black peraon in a majority black setting has alot more power than an unpopular white person in the same setting.
a black lawyer or politician has more power than a white homeless man. Many major cities in the US are majority black.
i myself (white) once attended a 80 percent plus black school. Most of the staff was also black as was our principle, one of my teachers was racist and routinely got away with openely harrassing white students and inciting violence against them. I also lived in a mostly black neighborhood. The only white students that didnt get extorted and bullied every day were the girls and the few white boys that were very scary and very good at fighting.
society as a whole is alot different and alot more in your favor, but there are places in this country where nobody in there right mind would want to be and be white because of racism against whites.
anyone that has the power to inflict physical or psychological harm on someone weaker has the power to be a racist because the system is not an individual and we dont live in north korea, it doesnt control our every move an thought.
A black lawyer is acutely aware of the fact that he/she operates within a white dominated structure, and will therefore adhere to the "rules" and ensure that they will not be seen as hostile to this power structure. Look at Obama, president and yet he is deathly afraid of doing anything that might be construed as helping blacks.
So how much power does this black lawyer have to enforce any bias that they will have towards whites? Indeed it is quite likely that they will favor whites, over even fellow blacks to protect their position within the power structure.
I get it that you are white, so aren't acutely aware of the fact that the power structure is white, because you view whiteness as normative.
Your examples focus on black criminal behavior. A teacher inciting violence is a criminal. The remedy is easy. Arrest those guilty of such behavior, and in any case, given that 80% of the crime committed by blacks is against other blacks I very much doubt whether those blacks, engaged in crime, are committing these acts based solely on an animosity against non blacks groups.
To say minorities can be racist against Whites, is racist in and of itself, because its veils the experience of minorities, in favor of the experience of whites.
Everyone one can be prejudice, and we all can discriminate - which is acting on that prejudice - but minorities can not oppress whites, therefore can not be racist.
Racism is not about oppression, it is largely about blind hatred, but can have come about out of learning, or experience.
It's not just about black and white, there are all the shades in-between. There can be white on white, or black on black. It's all still racism, we need to stop being blinkered to it though.
Yes, minorities can hate whites/other minorities and believe in racial superiority/inferiority based upon race.
Didn't know that it is rocket science or a great debate on whether or not an individual can have racist views...
I think it's pretty ignorant to insinuate that only whites can be racist. Let's keep in mind that there are other countries, America is not the only country in the world. There's racism all throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America. From minorities to other minorities or minorities towards whites or whites towards minorities.
There's also colorism within every community. White nationalists believe that only Caucasians of Nordic descent with fair skin are white and they dislike Mediterranean whites. There's the light skin-dark skin debates within the black, Latin and Asian communities.
Minorities may not typically hold the power to actively discriminate but they can still have their beliefs.
And people are entitled to racist beliefs and morals, whether white, black, Latin or Asian. It's not illegal or immoral to have politically incorrect views, as long as you aren't harming anyone or acting (or your views are acting an obstacle) as an obstacle in their life
This topic was threatening to derail another thread, so I decided to start a new one. For purposes of this discussion, I'd like to ignore the fact that race is an obsolete construct outside of forensic anthropological usages; the fact that "African American" and "Hispanic" are technically ethnic groups; and the fact that "White", "Black, and "Brown" are colors instead of races. We'll just go with common usage and try to use a little common sense.
The purpose of this debate is to defend or attack the following statement: It is possible for members of a minority population to be racist.
From the other thread, in response to someone describing acts of [possible] racism by minorities:
Part of my reply, quoted from the dictionary:
In reply to me, from the same person as above:
Discussion
I disagree with the quoted statements, and will defend the opening statement. I believe it is possible for a member of a minority race to be racist.
Perhaps it's an issue of semantics, but part of the issue is the difference between racism and racial discrimination. Racism only requires a personal belief, not specific actions or systemic problems. A minority who believes that "all whites are racist" has met all the requirements to be a racist himself. Racial discrimination, on the other hand, is acting on racist beliefs through some sort of power to discriminate. And yes, this can be a member of a minority in power. The African American owner of a business could commit racial discrimination by refusing to hire a "white" employee because he thinks that all whites are racist.
Racial discrimination doesn't require the power of government to exist, nor is the presence of "systemic problems" a prerequisite. It only requires just enough power to cause harm to another person or group of people.
Incidentally, historically, this country (and pretty much every other country on the planet) has also used gender and ethnicity (or country of origin) for proxies "to decide who had the right to vote, who counted as a full person, who was trapped in slavery, and who got to use which bathroom where". Ask a woman in the early years of this country who was subjected to an arranged marriage with a drunkard husband and who could not legally vote whether or not she was "free". Legally, she was not a "slave", but neither was she "free". Native Americans were never owned as slaves, but they were subjected to many of the same discriminatory practices as were African Americans. And pretty much any major influx of immigrants (Irish, Italian, Chinese, Hispanic, etc.) were discriminated against as well.
I do concede that African Americans were by far the worst victims of class-wide racial discrimination in this country. Native Americans and women were also treated quite poorly, but being stolen from your home country followed by literal ownership/slavery followed by Jim Crow laws trumps everything else. However, just because African Americans were the worst victims of racial discrimination doesn't mean they were the only victims, nor does it mean that African Americans are exempt from being accused of racism or unable to commit acts of racial discrimination themselves.
Everyone has some sort of "racism" (if it can be called that) - for ex., I think Spaniards and Cubans are the most awesome humans on the planet. That doesn't mean I go around discriminating against others.
The perpetrators of discrimination shouldn't try to convince others that their victims are also discriminating against them. It's absurd and laughable.
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