Quote:
Originally posted by irishpipes
I am sorry to have offended you so much. I actually think Nagin should be commended for staying in N.O. I think that is why he got so upset the other day on the radio - he was experiencing all of this first hand and the stranded people needed a spokesperson who knew exactly what was going on.
I don't know how to ask this without making everyone's head explode, but I am going to try. I am a white person. I can't help that I am a white person. What is it that I can do that would make blacks know that I am not a racist?
Do you think that the history is so bad between blacks and whites that this could never happen?
I am not asking this to cause trouble. I am asking because I seriously don't even know where to start, and I think that racism is sometyhing that needs to be dealt with in every individual in order for it to be combatted.
However, I know that I feel frustrated that maybe no matter what I do as an individual, blacks will see me as white and therefore a racist. I realize that is nothing compared to the frustrations that blacks have endured over the many years, but I would seriously like to know. My question comes from a position of reconciliation, not hostility.
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I don't even know where to begin... First and foremost, I am a black person, but I don't speak on behalf of
all black people. I am speaking on behalf of myself because all black people are individuals. We think differently. Meaning, that just because I may feel one way about a situation, the black person standing next to me probably wont feel the same way. We are all different people with different lifestyles, complexions, opinions, upbringings, etc. Like you, we can't help the fact that we were born black. It's not like we had the option of choosing our race.
We live in a society that tells us everyday it's wrong to be black. To be something that we didn't choose to be and cannot change even if we wanted to. For this reason, many people develop a form of self hatred. Don't be mistaken, I couldn't be anymore proud of my culture and my heritage. But there are some black people who are, unfortunately, not.
You asked what can you do to make blacks know that you are not racist. First you should ask yourself why you feel that blacks perceive you as being racist. Start there. Then teach yourself to not be oblivious to what's going on around you. Understand one important thing, racism is a LEARNED behavior. There are a lot of studies that proves this. Another thing you can do is RESEARCH racism. This will help you understand the concept of racism. I also suggest exposing yourself to other cultures more. I am black, but I have friends from many different races, including white.
I think it's harsh and a broad overstatement to say " blacks will see me as white and therefore a racist. " Be careful
how you say things because it can be taken offensively. Personally, I have not been raised to believe that because a person is white, they're racist. But I do know that racism exists.