[Dionysus]

That was very accurate.

Originally posted by FuzzieAlum
The problem with racism, as silly as it may sound, isn't so much that really obvious stuff, the KKK and the swastikas, etc. I think most Americans believe that is "wrong," and overt racists like that really are a minority group. I don't mean to belittle that kind of problem - these people can do real damage - but their kind of racism isn't considered acceptable by most people. And in that sense we have come a long way - I just don't see slavery being legalized again, for example.

The bigger problem is the little, pervasive racisms that people who aren't experiencing them don't even notice. Like that study that obviously "black" names were a detriment on a resume. Or using phrases like "JAP." Or saying things like, "I don't think of you as [insert racial group here] - you seem white to me." Because they are subtle, many people won't notice unless they're directly affected. It's not as obvious as, say, slavery, or wearing a KKK robe. The problem is I think that lots of people think that unless they've noticed something themself, it doesn't really exist.

I try at least to think that if most of a group are perceiving something, they're probably not mass hallucinating. I don't always agree when an individual says something is racism, but on a mass level, if 4 out of 5 dentists agree, so to speak, they're probably on to something.