Sometimes when I read about a robbery and they give the description and he happens to be black, I can’t help but first think pretty general and cynical about it. Of course I do this for all kinds of things but this one stands out for some reason. In the back of my mind I think ‘hey what do you know, he was black’. After awhile I think the right way, but I don’t do it at all for whites. I don’t mean to sometimes do it for one type of people and not another. I think it’s a habit and I think some of it’s from how I look at people when they look different than me. I don’t mean to differentiate sometimes, sometimes I don’t even think of my friends as being black. It’s just a first thought. I’m friends with the black kid in one of my classes and he’s from New York. He said he was basically scared to go into Alabama because he thinks they’re mostly racists. Is his ignorance different than a racist’s?
Our opinions are not always taught. When we notice differences in people, you start to gain your idea of that person or people depending on what the difference is. I think all racism is a lack of perception or first view generalizations based on what people think of when they see differences. They are like our taste buds, they develop based on what we learn tastes good. We can be taught what we should and shouldn’t eat, but usually it’s self-development. So when something bother’s people, they take it out on whatever seems like it’d work (and we do this with all kinds of other things). When I look at the world today, I think racism has decreased a lot. I don’t think I’ve ever met a true racist, just people who don’t like specific people in one race and don’t think about the other races because of the differences. I think most people are realizing as they see different people that the race as a whole isn’t all the same.
What do you think?
Posts: 6493 | Location: Grayson, Georgia, USA | Registered: 06-03-02
Racism in older people is caused by ignorance, and in younger people, it's because that's what they've been taught. However, once they are old enough to understand, and are still stuffed with racism, then they are ignorant, too. And so on and on. Think of race as only being one kind, (the human race), and you'll be okay. ************************************************** 06-05-03, 09:28 PM jusork Well it's hard to forget about our differences, they're right in front of me and all. I usually try respecting other people's differences though instead of ignoring them.
06-05-03, 09:52 PM honilov Jusork, is there a difference, other than color?
06-05-03, 09:56 PM jusork No. Just one difference.
You read what I thought was the reason right, honi? Because you said the opposite of what I was saying but didn't really respond to it.
06-05-03, 11:13 PM Sherasi I encounter the same situation with Dustin and Sylvan and their disabilities.
Their worth is judeged by their "normalcy" (or lack there of).
It is a very sad situation, but people are afraid of people who are different (for what ever reason).
06-06-03, 04:07 AM billmasters Jusork, I don't think racism is taught either. I recall calling someone a ngr when I was nine years old. I had every reason not to say it. My step grandfather was a black man.
But when I was your age, everything that was different was unusual. I used to thick about racism and why I would have to do a double take when I see a black person on the street. I didn't mean to stare, I just did...
Now that I'm older I don't find my self taken off guard as much when I'm confronted with the variety of people. I'm more taken back by culture and religion than I am by race and lifestyle.
06-06-03, 04:29 AM stanbee Glad to see billmasters.
06-06-03, 06:18 AM kittypal Bill a nine year old, in most cases probably doesn't realise how demeaning the N word is.
06-06-03, 06:38 AM billmasters Kittypal, That's what I was saying. The younger you are the less likely you are to understand the difference between races. You become more tolerant with age.
06-06-03, 06:47 AM Kendor Kitty, that word is only demeaning when it is said by a caucasian. It means nothing coming from another African American. That fact in itself is an epitome of racism, and clearly shows who is responsible for [most of] it.
Jusork, keep pondering. Racism on earth probably won't end until the human race is threatened by an evil race of aliens. Then we'll all unite and agree to hate them.
06-06-03, 08:02 AM kittypal Bill, I'm not sure I agree, I don't know if people do become more tolerant with age. If kids never were taught about the "difference" would we ever even recognize that there is one? When I was little I had an Asian friend, I didn't know she was Asian, she just happen to have straight black hair and her skin was a little darker than mine, etc..., but all my other friends looked different too. Someone called her a gook (I think that was it) anyway, I remember her crying and when I asked her mom what it was, she said that they were Vietnamese, I still had no clue what that was either. It wasn't until I got older that I knew about Vietnam and that there were people from different places. What I'm getting at is if no one had ever said "you should hate...(whoever)" would any of us hate one another?
06-06-03, 08:32 AM billmasters It's a touchy subject. Adults definitely become more tolerant with age but there will always be the few that choose to ignore the surrounding world because it makes them feel better about their own racist views.
Racism exists! It exists strongly and is still a significant part of American life. It affects government statistics like the unemployment rate, it affects the crime rate. Don't say you're not racist until you have looked at everything objectively and can honestly say I agree or disagree with each and every issue. Racism has been around for a long time and it will be around for a long time to come
06-06-03, 09:27 AM niccincoogol Racism will NEVER be nonexistent. That's a pessimistic, but honest assessment. There will always be pockets of morons, at least in the U.S., that cling to those ridiculous, outdated schools of thought, like the Confederate idiots, and believe that one race of people far excels beyond any others.
One awful story of this attitude comes from the last place I worked. This guy gave me his "island theory", an idea that's actually been repeated to me by others since - it's so beyond comprehension, it's just nauseating. You could probably guess - he thought a perfect solution to many of the world's problems would be to "take all the people with health problems, all the criminals, all the homosexuals, all the minorities, and stick them on an island somewhere far away to all live together, so the rest of us (read: white, straight, law-abiding, healthy folks) can live in peace".
How do people with attitudes like this live past the age of 16????!!!!! Mad Mad Mad
06-06-03, 12:06 PM kittypal I'm not sure how true this is, but I have heard that even in the black community itself racism is existent, that the lighter skinned blacks sometimes look down on the darker skinned blacks, this I don't get at all! I don't even know that I would really say we are all guilty of racism, more like stereo-typing people.
06-06-03, 12:20 PM dogspit Most people will give you plenty enough reason to dislike them without having to worry about something as insignificant as the color of their skin. Just give them time ! I have found some univeral truths with people:
-They have a tendency to judge people on their looks, be it skin color, hair style, clothes, or weight...it just seems to be human nature.
-Jerks come in all colors and creeds...as do those who enrich our lives.
06-06-03, 12:26 PM Koz I have to agree with dogspit.
A jerk is a jerk, no matter the beliefs, gender, color, or any other physical or mental attribute.
06-06-03, 01:52 PM KINDO I have discussed racism with many people and the one person with a clear understanding was my Professor. He said it is human nature that we look for ways to differentiate ourselves from people around us as well as wanting them to conform to our standards. The easiest and most obvious differences are race and creed.
He told me of his youth in Idaho. Everyone in his community went to the same church. They all thought of themselves as cowboys and dressed in western clothing. That is all but my professor who wore the the style of clothes he admired on MTV.
He put up with a great deal of teasing from many in his congregation which gave a few boys licence to corner and beat him. One showed him a knife and made threats against him if he didn't start wearing cowboy boots to church.
In that community, they were all the same - all white, all farmers or ranchers, all thought of themselves as old west cowboys and conformed in their dress and by listening to country music. They had to look for small things like his style of dress to differentiate him. As soon as he moved away to a larger more diverse city to attend college, his style of footwear didn't matter to anyone anymore.
06-07-03, 11:26 AM clarebear No child is born a racist.
06-07-03, 12:48 PM honilov Right on, Clare. They are taught.
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
Posts: 6656 | Location: Land of Lincoln, USA | Registered: 07-04-02
So "racism is caused in older people by ignorance and in young people by what they've been taught." That's a very interesting statement. If you're taught it's a bad thing, and if you're not taught it's a bad thing, too, huh? In fact, no one knows what racism is "caused by" in people of any age. I was never taught to be a racist (we didn't have any minorities in our circle of acquaintances, except women). All people who are racists, young or old, are that way because they've been taught to be that way. Age doesn't have anything to do with it. To the extent that I am racist it's because of my experience in life, not because I'm ignorant. That's what taught me - not only racism but a lot of other things.
Catty
************************************************** 06-07-03, 02:14 PM stanbee Humans, we forget, are animals.
Animals fequently ostracize others which exhibit superficial difference, even physical weakness for the strength and preservation of the species
In our "will to power" we forget there is one race of humans, w variations, descended from ONE female ancestor. Tribalism exisits nevertheless.
Race is an unscientific idea perpetuated, I believe, in the 19 th century to rationalize group chauvinism ( tribalism)etc.
We encourage and seek those who look, behave, think similarly. If you are "x" religion, skin color, eye shape, country, city and on you are happy to see other xists succeed and may resent yists who outperform those similar to you in sperficial appearance or particularly, group ideology
For example, if a wild bird is taken from a flock and the wing is painted the members of the group may attack, kill or simply not accept it into their group. Even handling a wild animal may taint it.
...ad nauseum
06-07-03, 04:18 PM cattywampus A very good response, stanbee. I saw on TV yesterday that they are close enough to establishing "one man" as well as "one woman" to call him "Adam."
Catty Wink
06-07-03, 04:34 PM Kendor Adam and Eve?! What color were they?
The supposition that all the variations in humans, be it skin color, or bone structure, or whatever, came from one pair of humans is paradoxical when considering the same believers usually also denounce evolution, the very process that would allow for these variations.
[This message was edited by Kendor on 06-07-03 at 05:19 PM.]
06-07-03, 04:36 PM jusork I really don't think it is usually taught. We don't learn every single thing from other people. We develop things sometimes(as I explained how in my first post). Like we learned the vacuum makes a loud noise on our own. Nobody told us that. As you grow, your hate for the sound of that vacuum could also grow.
06-07-03, 05:42 PM honilov Jusork, these teachings are getting thinner and thinner, as the older generations die out. I understand your point of view, and it makes a lot of sense. Whether they admit it or not, I bet a lot of these older people were told (as kids) by their parents, not to play with certain kids, because of race. I've seen interviews on TV, where young adults said that they thought 'that' was the way it was supposed to be, and as they got older, they found out that one race was good as the other. Even tho racism will always exist, people are a lot more intelligent to the fact that all people are equal. (or at least pretending). That's why you see more and more mixed marriages, relationships, and just friendships, nowadays. There are a lot of personal stuff that I know about this, but as young as you are, I won't burst your bubble. I'm glad you have the decency not to be a racist, and you have really gotten your point over in this thread. Peace Bro.
06-07-03, 09:23 PM cattywampus What? Jsork, you believe that people are born racist? I don't think so! You are born knowing nothing but how to suckle and to startle when let go of. Everything else is learned afterward. Everything we learn afterward comes to us through our senses, via our environment or other people. Dreams may seem outside our regular experience, but they are made up of common elements. Unless God speaks to you directly, all you know is what you have learned through your senses.
Catty Cool
06-07-03, 10:11 PM stanbee The maternal DNA traces back to a hot climate, therefore darker skin for UV protection. Creationism and evolution converge, according to PBS.
The dark skinned scion of the original parents migrated South to Australia then North to Russia and Europe. New climates & mutation are thought to be responsible for the charateristic variations.
The ur-father traces back to the ancestors of a man living in Turkey, if Imemory serves. For genetic reasons the Father, so far , cannot be traced as far back as the mother.
06-08-03, 10:08 AM jusork No Cwampus, I don't think they are born racist. I don't think being taught is the only reason either. Sometimes I think it's just what assures that it continues (because the parents wouldn't say anything is wrong with it but they don't have to teach it is ok to be racist). I believe it is mainly developed, as you say, via our environment (what we see, our differences and how you perceive them).
06-08-03, 11:32 AM cattywampus And if that isn't "being taught," what is?
Catty Cool
06-08-03, 11:55 AM kittypal So darker skinned people were the first people and lighter skin was a mutation? Is there a good site to learn more about this, it's very interesting!!!
06-08-03, 12:07 PM jusork Well they help you to learn how to ride a bike, eat, stand, drive, go to the bathroom, etc. I don't think to be racist you have to be told by someone that certain people are unworthy. But for those who are, I guess it would be like how to ride a bike etc. I think most racism from the beginning to the 1960s was caused mostly by it simply being 'how it was' and because it was expected.
06-08-03, 07:40 PM honilov Jusork, what exactly do you mean by unworthy, in regards to racism?
06-08-03, 07:56 PM jusork I think I meant what you probably think I meant: inferior, unequal. Someone doesn't always tell you a people are inferior for you to believe it.
06-08-03, 08:09 PM kittypal Jusork, it is still learned, you may not be told in the exact words "hey, so and so is inferior" you learn it through a society that treats people unequally.
06-08-03, 08:23 PM jusork Yeah that's what I mean. Not always directly. You can learn through perceiving others. But I think there are many others who learn by self-development, without anyone else around you being racist. But usually, if it's like that I think the other people just don't say anything is wrong with believing that way and don't have to be racist.
06-08-03, 08:26 PM honilov Okay Jusork, just so I can understand where you're coming from...there can be people in your own race that are unworthy, as well as the opposite race. Right?
06-08-03, 08:35 PM jusork Yeah. They probably aren't thought of the same way. And I think a racist would just call them stupid(or whatever is wrong with them) people of their race. The unequal race is usually seen as 'other people' I think because they are different.
06-08-03, 08:48 PM honilov Thanks Jusork, you are way cool. Smile
This message has been edited. Last edited by: DorianGreyed,
Posts: 3826 | Location: Olympia, WA, USA | Registered: 06-04-02
We could learn a lot from crayons: some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, some have weird names, and all are different colors ...but they all have to learn to live in the same box.
Posts: 5305 | Location: The Motor City | Registered: 06-03-02
To be taught the differents of color is by the people you love most, your parents. Then comes a time when you as a person must be the one to decide what is right and what is wrong.
Strikes me as a bit scarey that a lot of the above posters rely on TV or the Internet for their accepted viewpoint here. This is exactly the kind of institutional,unobtrusive form of delivering prejudice that one can find. I find this fascinating and wonder how many of our behaviours are the result of constant prejudice hidden silently behind class-structured Education, media and national newsgroups.
Posts: 9 | Location: Kent-Coast UK | Registered: 12-07-03
