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First off, this is not my position. Not even close.
I am arguing that people of all races, both world wide as well as here in the U.S. have the ability to be racist. The ability to discriminate based on race is not limited to the white races, but common across the human race. Furthermore, at no point have I or anyone else on this thread made the claim that "since we all do it, it can be dismissed." What I am saying is since we all do it, we cannot rightly conclude it is inherent to whites any more so than it is inherent to mankind overall.
This is inconsistent with your earlier posts. You claim in the U.S. it's a white issue, but you've completely ignored my example of growing up in a predominately Hispanic area where I was on the receiving in of racism and discrimination. If "actual acts" need to be examined, and you would willingly consider my experiences, you may be willing to conclude that it is not limited to a "white issue" in the U.S.
I look forward to hearing your thoughts on the example I provided.
Well, I pretty much already mentioned a few examples, but I'll repeat and elaborate:
I was assaulted numerous times. It took an all-out brawl on school grounds to get school officials to take seriously numerous complaints I and my parents both had brought to their attention. Even then, decisions were influenced by race and relations to some of the belligerents.
I was often referred to and addressed in derogatory slurs. Or even in the absence of an actual slur, word choice that would not be acceptable if it were a white saying it toward any other race. For example, some guys would address me as "white boy" in conversation. Imagine if I replied by addressing them as "Mexican."
My car was often vandalized in the school parking lot.
Some referred to me as "that rich white kid" because my dad ran a small business. Forget the fact that my dad has never been rich in his life and wound up closing the business with nothing to show for it but bad debt to his name.
I was asked not to join a study group because I was not Mexican.
I tried to date a girl but her father forbid it because I was white.
I tried to date another girl and faced threats from her cousins, brothers, uncles, etc because I was white.
It would have been one thing if this was a select small group. Some of the more severe incidents like the assaults were indeed. However many of the more "passive" forms of discrimination came from a wider range of sources. I don't think I need to keep citing specific examples. Suffice to say I know what it feels like to be discriminated against. Suffice to say I completely reject as ignorant the notion that racism in the U.S. is inherently a "white issue." In fact, I maintain that position is itself racist.
Well, I pretty much already mentioned a few examples, but I'll repeat and elaborate:
I was assaulted numerous times. It took an all-out brawl on school grounds to get school officials to take seriously numerous complaints I and my parents both had brought to their attention. Even then, decisions were influenced by race and relations to some of the belligerents.
I was often referred to and addressed in derogatory slurs. Or even in the absence of an actual slur, word choice that would not be acceptable if it were a white saying it toward any other race. For example, some guys would address me as "white boy" in conversation. Imagine if I replied by addressing them as "Mexican."
My car was often vandalized in the school parking lot.
Some referred to me as "that rich white kid" because my dad ran a small business. Forget the fact that my dad has never been rich in his life and wound up closing the business with nothing to show for it but bad debt to his name.
I was asked not to join a study group because I was not Mexican.
I tried to date a girl but her father forbid it because I was white.
I tried to date another girl and faced threats from her cousins, brothers, uncles, etc because I was white.
It would have been one thing if this was a select small group. Some of the more severe incidents like the assaults were indeed. However many of the more "passive" forms of discrimination came from a wider range of sources. I don't think I need to keep citing specific examples. Suffice to say I know what it feels like to be discriminated against. Suffice to say I completely reject as ignorant the notion that racism in the U.S. is inherently a "white issue." In fact, I maintain that position is itself racist.
Assaults? Vandalism? So you lived and/or went to school in a very high crime zone, where there were gangs, and who knows what else. They cause (from what I found in googling) 48% of all U.S. crime. I didn't. I went to school and grew up in a multi-cultural neighborhood, and went to a multi-cultural school. I'm a white Hispanic of Spanish background. I never encountered issues one way or the other. I suspect that bad neighborhoods are a source of every sort of problem imaginable. What city did this take place in, so I can google it?
Assaults? Vandalism? So you lived and/or went to school in a very high crime zone, where there were gangs, and who knows what else. They cause (from what I found in googling) 48% of all U.S. crime. I didn't. I went to school and grew up in a multi-cultural neighborhood, and went to a multi-cultural school. I'm a white Hispanic of Spanish background. I never encountered issues one way or the other. I suspect that bad neighborhoods are a source of every sort of problem imaginable. What city did this take place in, so I can google it?
I'm a bit confused by the direction of your response. If anything, doesn't your point this just go to show that while in your multi-cultural neighborhood, you may not have been exposed to discrimination based on your race, it does exist in neighborhoods that aren't as multi-cultural and that when a white person becomes the minority, they can be subject to the same mistreatment that most people would call racism if done by whites against another race?
Yes, bad neighborhoods tend to have more problems, but that could be used as justification to ignore anything. The fact still remains that iknowftbll was treated as inferior as a direct result of his race(the name calling), denied opportunities because of his race(the study group), had trouble getting those in charge to acknowledge his complaints, and was beaten up and had his property damaged, all because of his race.
If this was a group of white kids doing this to the one black kid, it would rightly be called racism. Changing the races around in this story doesn't change what the behavior should be called.
To blame this on the neighborhood is really just sweeping things under the rug. If I were to blame everything you've pointed out that is stacked against black children on the fact that they're in bad neighborhoods and say that there is no racial bias at all, you would tear my argument apart easily, because the neighborhood alone doesn't account for how people of different races are treated.
If this were really just a neighborhood problem, then it would have been iknowftbll and the non-gang mexicans both on the receiving end of the treatment.
Assaults? Vandalism? So you lived and/or went to school in a very high crime zone, where there were gangs, and who knows what else. They cause (from what I found in googling) 48% of all U.S. crime.
Actually, it wasn't a location known for crime higher than the surrounding area, albeit the area as a whole was no "happy valley city." With that said, you can't explain away what I experienced simply as "high crime." Crime can be a problem anywhere, but it doesn't always equate to or result from racism. What I experienced was racism. What I experienced was discrimination due to my ethnicity. My conclusion, based in part from experience is that a minority can indeed be a racist. The concept to me is intuitive, though. I don't actually believe that because of what I experienced. I believe it because I have studied history and am familiar with humankind's long and sad history of savage behavior one toward another. What I dealt with in high school was just a microcosm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Saritaschihuahua
I didn't. I went to school and grew up in a multi-cultural neighborhood, and went to a multi-cultural school. I'm a white Hispanic of Spanish background. I never encountered issues one way or the other. I suspect that bad neighborhoods are a source of every sort of problem imaginable. What city did this take place in, so I can google it?
Actually, it wasn't a location known for crime higher than the surrounding area, albeit the area as a whole was no "happy valley city." With that said, you can't explain away what I experienced simply as "high crime." Crime can be a problem anywhere, but it doesn't always equate to or result from racism. What I experienced was racism. What I experienced was discrimination due to my ethnicity. My conclusion, based in part from experience is that a minority can indeed be a racist. The concept to me is intuitive, though. I don't actually believe that because of what I experienced. I believe it because I have studied history and am familiar with humankind's long and sad history of savage behavior one toward another. What I dealt with in high school was just a microcosm.
Trinidad, Colorado, a town of less than 10,000.
I just read there are Caucasians, Hispanics, African-Americans, and Italians there. There are also gangs. There's also crime. There are also people who don't have a lot of tolerance. When I first arrived in the U.S. I got pretty beat up because I didn't speak a word of English. Apparently they didn't like that. Moderator cut: language I now speak some pretty excellent English. I'd like to kick their Moderator cut: language but I really need to behave myself. I also was pickpocketed, had stuff stolen from my apt in college, and all kinds of stuff.
What racism do you feel you were a victim of? Did anyone attempt to enslave you?
I just read there are Caucasians, Hispanics, African-Americans, and Italians there. There are also gangs. There's also crime. There are also people who don't have a lot of tolerance. When I first arrived in the U.S. I got pretty beat up because I didn't speak a word of English. Apparently they didn't like that. S**t happens. I now speak some pretty excellent English. I'd like to kick their @#$#s, but I really need to behave myself. I also was pickpocketed, had stuff stolen from my apt in college, and all kinds of stuff.
What racism do you feel you were a victim of? Did anyone attempt to enslave you?
Racism isn't exclusive to enslavement
Racism will continue to exist and be a problem until people can admit and acknowledge that racism comes from all spectrums.
If we call it racist for a white person to call a black person the "n" word or any other equivalent, why would it not be racist for that poster to have been called "whitey" or any other equivalent.
If we call racism blacks being treated differently by their fellow students, colleagues or strangers, what makes that posters experiences any different when he was treated differently because of his race?
I'm biracial and can tell you that racism DOES come from people of all races and colors.
I just read there are Caucasians, Hispanics, African-Americans, and Italians there. There are also gangs. There's also crime. There are also people who don't have a lot of tolerance. When I first arrived in the U.S. I got pretty beat up because I didn't speak a word of English. Apparently they didn't like that. S**t happens. I now speak some pretty excellent English. I'd like to kick their @#$#s, but I really need to behave myself. I also was pickpocketed, had stuff stolen from my apt in college, and all kinds of stuff.
You sound like you are in denial. It sounds like you are eager to ignore my POV because it doesn't fit your narrative.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Saritaschihuahua
What racism do you feel you were a victim of? Did anyone attempt to enslave you?
So it has to be slavery in order to be racism? Did you not read the post I already wrote? Are you willfully ignoring that which you do not wish to hear?
Racism will continue to exist and be a problem until people can admit and acknowledge that racism comes from all spectrums.
If we call it racist for a white person to call a black person the "n" word or any other equivalent, why would it not be racist for that poster to have been called "whitey" or any other equivalent.
If we call racism blacks being treated differently by their fellow students, colleagues or strangers, what makes that posters experiences any different when he was treated differently because of his race?
I'm biracial and can tell you that racism DOES come from people of all races and colors.
You're right. But discrimination can be carried out in many different ways. As a white person, not only have I never been called whitey, but it also wouldn't upset me since I've never had my ancestors enslaved. They've always been free. Why should that bother me? Explain to me why that would bother me, if you don't mind. I'm trying to wrap my head around why something like that should bug me. It's not even an insult. Let's seriously examine that.
You're right. But discrimination can be carried out in many different ways. As a white person, not only have I never been called whitey, but it also wouldn't upset me since I've never had my ancestors enslaved. They've always been free. Why should that bother me? Explain to me why that would bother me, if you don't mind. I'm trying to wrap my head around why something like that should bug me. It's not even an insult. Let's seriously examine that.
I'm not a slave and have never been a slave. Why should I feel insulted if someone refers to black people as blackies or the N word? I wasn't a slave, I've never met a slave and I never met my ancestors and I have no emotional attachment to racial epithets or slavery.
And you can't assume that just because I'm part black, my parent was born/raised in the US. If my black parent is from another part of the world, then they have little to no connection to slavery.
An insult is an insult. Regardless of history.
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I'd like to kick their Moderator cut: language but I really need to behave myself. 
I also was pickpocketed, had stuff stolen from my apt in college, and all kinds of stuff. 