Racism: It still does exist

[DSTRen13]

Originally Posted by starang21

you think so, huh?

racism isn't limited to just "small" acts of prejudice and bigotry.

Do you believe that racism and prejudice will eventually end, then? It's depressing, but I just really don't believe that - it will change shape, of course, be expressed differently, etc., but be eradicated completely? I just can't imagine that ever happening ... maybe I am a horrible person for that

[Drolefille]

Originally Posted by DSTRen13

Do you believe that racism and prejudice will eventually end, then? It's depressing, but I just really don't believe that - it will change shape, of course, be expressed differently, etc., but be eradicated completely? I just can't imagine that ever happening ... maybe I am a horrible person for that

It's sad, but I think that the only way humanity will ever pull together is if we're face with something like an alien first contact. And even then it will be a short term kind of thing.

/not really expecting aliens. But something else so different from us would be the only way to look past skin color and epicanthic folds.

[shinerbock]

You're right, Starang, everyone is out to get black Americans. We also all know that white people are the only racists...

[bows&toes]

Good point.


Starang do you consider white people more racist then blacks, and visa versa as a general rule of thumb?

[starang21]

Originally Posted by bows&toes

Good point.


Starang do you consider white people more racist then blacks, and visa versa as a general rule of thumb?

racism is prejudice/bigotry + power to act upon it.

white people hold the power in this country and some use it to live out/further their prejudices.

people of color might be racist on a small scale, but it'll never ever compare to the institutional power difference that stands today.

a white people as a whole will never (for instance)

a. hit a glass ceiling professionally because of their race
b. have the actions of a few reflect on them because of their race

the list goes on and on.

[bows&toes]

Originally Posted by starang21

racism is prejudice/bigotry + power to act upon it.

white people hold the power in this country and some use it to live out/further their prejudices.

people of color might be racist on a small scale, but it'll never ever compare to the institutional power difference that stands today.

a white people as a whole will never (for instance)

a. hit a glass ceiling professionally because of their race
b. have the actions of a few reflect on them because of their race

the list goes on and on.

This paragraph is too funny.

Because white people hold the power they are more racist? Thats complete nonsense.

I think in a lot of facets of society colored people have it easier. With the obvious example being affirmative action. You may get a job, admission to a university, etc. you didn't truly qualify for just because a place needs to fill quotas for race. (which I think is racism)

For an experiment, ask somebody (that will be honest with you) in upper management this question. "Is it easier to fire a black guy or a white guy?" They will tell you that even in states where a company doesn't need a reason to fire somebody, they have to have ALL their ducks in a row to fire a black guy. A white guy, they don't blink twice.

Think of open and accepted racism. Is it more socially accepted to hate on the "cracker" or the "nigger"? I'm sure me typing that word alone will ruffle some feathers, but we can have government officials (LA) go on national TV and make a statement that he will rebuild a city "chocolate". What if it was the other way around? What if a mayor said he wants to rebuild the city "vanilla"?

Racism is a scapegoat many people (blacks especially) use to blame their own failures on. Not in all cases, but in my opinion most of the time.


And don't get me started on the recent attempts to get reparations for slavery. It is laughable that a generation that never saw slavery is trying to get paid for it. I think the Chappelle show did a bit on this one. Jews don't get reparations, why the hell should you?

[DSTRen13]

Originally Posted by bows&toes

And don't get me started on the recent attempts to get reparations for slavery. It is laughable that a generation that never saw slavery is trying to get paid for it. I think the Chappelle show did a bit on this one. Jews don't get reparations, why the hell should you?

They got a country ... that's a pretty nice reparation ... Anyway, focusing on things that actually happened in thiscountry, Japanese-Americans got reparations, so why not African-Americans? Just saying.

[bows&toes]

Originally Posted by DSTRen13

They got a country ... that's a pretty nice reparation ... Anyway, focusing on things that actually happened in thiscountry, Japanese-Americans got reparations, so why not African-Americans? Just saying.

You got Africa.

[shinerbock]

Starang, you are correct in part, black people at times have trouble climbing the corporate ladder. But just like there are those who have their journey stopped by a racist boss, there are those who get pushed to the top as part of minority fastracking. Affirmative action in and of itself is not bad. I have no problem with its original form of ensuring black applicants are not being discriminated against ONLY because of race. However, today's system is obviously skewed.

I'm not gonna go into the use of the racial slurs, but there is a double standard regarding other things. The chocolate city is an obvious example. Black organizations calling for a boycott of companies is another. If a white organization called for a boycott (or even existed for that matter), it would be an outrage.

While I realize there are at times limits on what black people can achieve, I personally believe their own society limits them more than white society. Black people are successful in every aspect of American life. Barak Obama was elected to Senate, and while he is eloquent and intelligent, he was marginally qualified in terms of experience. I truly believe that black people can gain opportunities just like everyone else.

Regarding the power to commit racism, I think that is at times true. At times, it is the complete opposite. The county next to mine in metro Atlanta is majority black, and they unabashedly discriminate against whites in city and county politics. Also, black on white crime, in my view, is often racism. How is a guy getting held at gun point or stabbed a lesser offense than a white manager denying a black man a promotion? You may say that black criminals don't target white people, but I think we can all agree that it does occur. However, while a black person can sue for racism after being denied a promotion or fired, a white person concerned about increased minority population and the corresponding crime increase is termed a racist.

I think the best solution to this problem is for all sides to speak up when their "side" is in the wrong. For example, people don't hate muslims, but they do get frustrated when they don't speak out against terrorism. Similarly, many white people get upset when the black community doesnt show outrage at problems among its ranks. I'm sure white people could also speak up more, although I think we can agree that there are already many white allies for black groups regarding racial injustice.

[shinerbock]

Regarding reparations, I think the problem you'd run into is that while Japanese reparations were provided a mere 43 years after the war, there is obviously a much larger gap from slavery to now. I'm not going into the effects of slavery, but it is much easier to show the damage of government action because of the shorter time frame.

[starang21]

Originally Posted by bows&toes

This paragraph is too funny.

Because white people hold the power they are more racist? Thats complete nonsense.

I think in a lot of facets of society colored people have it easier. With the obvious example being affirmative action. You may get a job, admission to a university, etc. you didn't truly qualify for just because a place needs to fill quotas for race. (which I think is racism)

For an experiment, ask somebody (that will be honest with you) in upper management this question. "Is it easier to fire a black guy or a white guy?" They will tell you that even in states where a company doesn't need a reason to fire somebody, they have to have ALL their ducks in a row to fire a black guy. A white guy, they don't blink twice.

Think of open and accepted racism. Is it more socially accepted to hate on the "cracker" or the "nigger"? I'm sure me typing that word alone will ruffle some feathers, but we can have government officials (LA) go on national TV and make a statement that he will rebuild a city "chocolate". What if it was the other way around? What if a mayor said he wants to rebuild the city "vanilla"?

Racism is a scapegoat many people (blacks especially) use to blame their own failures on. Not in all cases, but in my opinion most of the time.


And don't get me started on the recent attempts to get reparations for slavery. It is laughable that a generation that never saw slavery is trying to get paid for it. I think the Chappelle show did a bit on this one. Jews don't get reparations, why the hell should you?

colored people, LMAO.

i couldn't even get past that part, but i digress while i read your archaic antiquated, and ignorant views on race.

you obviously benefit from white priviledge, thus aren't privy to what people of color go through in america on a daily basis.

you think 40 years after the civil rights movement will even come close to erasing the centuries of oppression that white people have oppressed on people of color? are you so ridiculously stupid that you have don't think that the effects aren't still being felt today?

a white person in america can go their entire life without ever knowing or having to deal with a person of color.

you're taking minute examples and it's laughable that your mental inadequacies would ever lead you to believe that anything done today comes even close to what was done and what we're feeling today.

people of color have to deal with white people such as yourself who are chock full of foolish and ignorant view points on a daily basis, while you in all of your sheltered existence can go on living thinking that racism is just a figment of those "silly colored people's" minds.

[Bajan_Delta]

I was going to respond to that very stupid statement until I read your response and decided that I couldn't have said it better myself!! Ignorance is alive and well and kicking in the U.S. and this fool has demonstrated that.

Originally Posted by starang21

colored people, LMAO.

i couldn't even get past that part, but i digress while i read your archaic antiquated, and ignorant views on race.

you obviously benefit from white priviledge, thus aren't privy to what people of color go through in america on a daily basis.

you think 40 years after the civil rights movement will even come close to erasing the centuries of oppression that white people have oppressed on people of color? are you so ridiculously stupid that you have don't think that the effects aren't still being felt today?

a white person in america can go their entire life without ever knowing or having to deal with a person of color.

you're taking minute examples and it's laughable that your mental inadequacies would ever lead you to believe that anything done today comes even close to what was done and what we're feeling today.

people of color have to deal with white people such as yourself who are chock full of foolish and ignorant view points on a daily basis, while you in all of your sheltered existence can go on living thinking that racism is just a figment of those "silly colored people's" minds.

[mccoyred]

Originally Posted by bows&toes

This paragraph is too funny.

Because white people hold the power they are more racist? Thats complete nonsense.

I think in a lot of facets of society colored people have it easier. With the obvious example being affirmative action. You may get a job, admission to a university, etc. you didn't truly qualify for just because a place needs to fill quotas for race. (which I think is racism)

For an experiment, ask somebody (that will be honest with you) in upper management this question. "Is it easier to fire a black guy or a white guy?" They will tell you that even in states where a company doesn't need a reason to fire somebody, they have to have ALL their ducks in a row to fire a black guy. A white guy, they don't blink twice.

Think of open and accepted racism. Is it more socially accepted to hate on the "cracker" or the "nigger"? I'm sure me typing that word alone will ruffle some feathers, but we can have government officials (LA) go on national TV and make a statement that he will rebuild a city "chocolate". What if it was the other way around? What if a mayor said he wants to rebuild the city "vanilla"?

Racism is a scapegoat many people (blacks especially) use to blame their own failures on. Not in all cases, but in my opinion most of the time.


And don't get me started on the recent attempts to get reparations for slavery. It is laughable that a generation that never saw slavery is trying to get paid for it. I think the Chappelle show did a bit on this one. Jews don't get reparations, why the hell should you?

I know that this post is a few pages back but I just HAD to respond before I continue on with reading this thread.

Quotas DOES NOT EQUAL Affirmative Action; Quotas are unfair to EVERYONE.
Affirmative Action was meant to help correct the past injustices that DENIED Blacks and other minority (I HATE that word!) groups the same opportunities as the 'majority' group. If both a Black and a White applicant meet the objective criteria, why shouldn't the Black get the job/admission/etc, esp if Blacks are underrepresented? Neither applicant is more qualified than the other but, chances are, the Black had a harder time getting there due to folks with YOUR kind of attitude!

Next, any company that fires anyone SHOULD have all their ducks in a row, regardless of who the employee is! Fair is fair. Unfortunately, in the past, and even oftentimes inthe present, the Black was fired more easily because he/she often did not feel that the 'establishment' or even government would fight for their equal rights. In any instance where race plays a factor in employee performance evaluation, a neutral party should step in to ensure that fair is fair.

Finally, as far as reparations, if we had gotten our 40 acres and a mule when Emancipation came, we wouldn't even need to think twice about the issue of reparations today! Meanwhile, some families (mostly white) and many corporations are STILL living off the fat of our forefathers and denying us (see Affirmative Action discussion above) the fruits of our (ancestral) labor. However, I do not advocate for reparations for individuals but for institutions that are targeted to uplift the Blacks in this country such as historically Black institutions/schools/organizations, political awareness (NOT political parties) and economic development.

On to read the rest of this crazy thread.......

[starang21]

Originally Posted by DSTRen13

Do you believe that racism and prejudice will eventually end, then? It's depressing, but I just really don't believe that - it will change shape, of course, be expressed differently, etc., but be eradicated completely? I just can't imagine that ever happening ... maybe I am a horrible person for that

as long as there are differences in power between the races, no i don't see it happening.

[ShamikaT]

Originally Posted by DSTRen13

Do you believe that racism and prejudice will eventually end, then? It's depressing, but I just really don't believe that - it will change shape, of course, be expressed differently, etc., but be eradicated completely? I just can't imagine that ever happening ... maybe I am a horrible person for that

Nah, our only hope is that people start hating on them Arabs more than black folks.