"Negro" in the historical context.

DaemonSeid · #1 03-19-2010, 09:24 AM

sigh....next thing....it will be 'colored'.

Let's add 'Oriental' while we are at it.

so 56000 had a hand in this out of how many million?

Really...

naraht · #2 03-19-2010, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaemonSeid

sigh....next thing....it will be 'colored'.

Let's add 'Oriental' while we are at it.

so 56000 had a hand in this out of how many million?

Really...

My neighbor still uses 'colored', but he is 84. He is definitely *not* racist. After his second wife died about 5 years ago, he dated one of the in home care-givers for his wife for about two years. She didn't mind before referred to as colored, but she is in her 60s.

DrPhil · #3 03-19-2010, 10:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naraht

My neighbor still uses 'colored', but he is 84. He is definitely *not* racist. After his second wife died about 5 years ago, he dated one of the in home care-givers for his wife for about two years. She didn't mind before referred to as colored, but she is in her 60s.

Is he not racist because he's friendly and fucks the in home Black care-giver?

*chuckle*

"Some of my best friends are Black."
"Some of my best servants are Black."

naraht · #4 03-19-2010, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Is he not racist because he's friendly and fucks the in home Black care-giver?

*chuckle*

"Some of my best friends are Black."
"Some of my best servants are Black."

Given his prostate issues, I *seriously* doubt it. And the relationship did not really start until his wife died. My neighbor broke it off because he didn't want to be a burden to her as he got older. (He figures his next wife is going to bury *him*).

Also, He was a mechanic during his career and considers the person who first taught him in that field (who he talks about fondly) was a Colored man who rented from them.

DrPhil · #5 03-19-2010, 10:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naraht

Given his prostate issues, I *seriously* doubt it. And the relationship did not really start until his wife died. My neighbor broke it off because he didn't want to be a burden to her as he got older. (He figures his next wife is going to bury *him*).

Also, He was a mechanic during his career and considers the person who first taught him in that field (who he talks about fondly) was a Colored man who rented from them.

So?

What does any of this have to do with whether or not he's a "racist?"

You should've just said he's a product of his environment and avoided the racist/racism issue.

naraht · #6 03-19-2010, 12:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

So?

What does any of this have to do with whether or not he's a "racist?"

You should've just said he's a product of his environment and avoided the racist/racism issue.

Sigh, dating an african american who helped him through the death of his wife apparently makes him someone who screws the help. Talking fondly of the african american who started him on his career doesn't count one iota toward him not being racist.

If that's your world, I'm just glad I'm not living in it.

DrPhil · #7 03-19-2010, 12:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naraht

Sigh, dating an african american who helped him through the death of his wife apparently makes him someone who screws the help. Talking fondly of the african american who started him on his career doesn't count one iota toward him not being racist.

If that's your world, I'm just glad I'm not living in it.

You are living in it.

You could've easily made this woman's racial designation a last consideration. Instead, you volunteered his romp with her as support for why he's not racist and how she loves it when he talks dirty to her "colored negro ass." (

I kid, I kid.)

She's relegated to "an African American who...." and "the African American who...." You did that. He probably did, as well, since an elderly white man dating the help is always an ice breaker. However, I did not do that.

epchick · #8 03-19-2010, 01:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by naraht

He is definitely *not* racist.

Just so you know....everyone is at least a little racist.

Gah i'm a genius

naraht · #9 03-19-2010, 02:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epchick

Just so you know....everyone is at least a little racist.

Gah i'm a genius

Makes more sense than most of the other responses.

PiKA2001 · #10 03-19-2010, 02:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by epchick

Just so you know....everyone is at least a little racist.

Gah i'm a genius

No, everyone is a lil bit prejudiced.

DrPhil · #11 03-19-2010, 02:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

No, everyone is a lil bit prejudiced.

Yep because "racist" comes with majority power dynamics that not everyone has access to.** It is not synonymous with bigotry and prejudice.

**But, when access is granted to majority power dynamics for whatever reasons and for any length of time, it's the "same romp, different elderly man."

APhiAnna · #12 03-19-2010, 08:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DrPhil

Yep because "racist" comes with majority power dynamics that not everyone has access to.** It is not synonymous with bigotry and prejudice.

[Warning: hijack...not that this hasn't been hijacked already.]

I've heard this argument a lot, and to an extent I agree with it. Racism as defined in the dictionary is broad enough to include all hatred of race, but in academic contexts it differs from prejudice in that you have to hold power to be racist.

I agree that culturally, politically and commercially, whites are the majority power in this country and you could make the argument that by withholding opportunities from other races they are racist, and that the other races do not hold that majority power so they cannot be racist.

What is the nuance I am missing though...say a white person wants to join a group, organization or even just wants to belong in a more intangible aspect of society and is rejected purely because of their race? For example, what if after years of service a white person wanted to run for deacon of a historically black church, join a culturally Chinese dance group or pledge a Latino fraternity? Are these not institutions where a different race is the majority power? Obviously they would have to be qualified in all of these cases and we as whites should not expect an "automatic pass"...we have to be just as qualified. But if the congregation decided that they did not want a white deacon in a historically black church and that was the only theoretical flaw (ie, equal time spent in the church, positions held, etc), how would that not be a majority power of one race withholding from another...aka racism?

I am not saying I disagree, I just want to know what nuance I am missing that would differentiate one majority power from the other...this argument seems to be theorizing that power majority only matters at a macro-level and not a micro-level to be racist, and I am not sure I understand why.

preciousjeni · #13 03-19-2010, 09:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl

You have to remember this was in the day when a lot of people still believed that tampons devirginized you. I guess you really don't want to hear about my grandma's day and WASHABLE, REUSABLE pads. There were a lot of older women who never used stick on pads or tampons...just wasn't what they were brought up with.

Just like older black people saying "Negro" instead. I can't believe the tangent merged into the original topic!

I currently use washable, reusable pads and a diva cup. They're really no worse than cloth diapers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by APhiAnna

What is the nuance I am missing though...say a white person wants to join a group, organization or even just wants to belong in a more intangible aspect of society and is rejected purely because of their race? For example, what if after years of service a white person wanted to run for deacon of a historically black church, join a culturally Chinese dance group or pledge a Latino fraternity? Are these not institutions where a different race is the majority power? Obviously they would have to be qualified in all of these cases and we as whites should not expect an "automatic pass"...we have to be just as qualified. But if the congregation decided that they did not want a white deacon in a historically black church and that was the only theoretical flaw (ie, equal time spent in the church, positions held, etc), how would that not be a majority power of one race withholding from another...aka racism?

Society-at-large encompasses the church, the dance group and the fraternity. These groups still operate under the established system.

DrPhil · #14 03-20-2010, 10:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by APhiAnna

Racism as defined in the dictionary...

The dictionary is for surface level, layperson information and is akin to wikipedia knowledge/understandings of the social world.

Preciousjeni answered your question that has been answered many times on GC.

Also, remember that white people aren't seeking membership and acceptance into nonwhite academic, professional, and social networks 99% of the time. The relatively rare occasion that whites do, they are either accepted or not accepted--but, it's with the understanding that the outcome of that rare occasion is a temporary, momentary inconvenience that is a drop in the bucket of white privilege and overall social advantage. This applies across social class because people are more aligned by race and ethnicity than they are social class.

Ever heard of the term "slumming?"

Munchkin03 · #15 03-19-2010, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

No, everyone is a lil bit prejudiced.

Clearly, you haven't seen Avenue Q!

"Everyone's a little bit racist
Sometimes.
Doesn't mean we go
Around committing hate crimes.
Look around and you will find
No one's really color blind.
Maybe it's a fact
We all should face
Everyone makes judgments
Based on race.

Ethnic jokes might be uncouth,
But you laugh because
They're based on truth.
Don't take them as
Personal attacks."