Are Americans Racist?

Yes and It was due to the long blood and divisive wars of religion in Europe that caused many like the American founding fathers to call for the separation of church and state.

As someone who is left leaning, I have a tendency to be inclusive in my thinking – in my view we are ‘all in this together’ and so discrimination against one person or group is discrimination against all. I believe everyone should have equal access to decent living conditions, everyone should have equal access to good education, everyone should have equal access to healthcare, and everyone should have equal access to assistance when it is needed.

This ‘socialist’ approach can be a challenge to conservatives whose influence, in lots of ways, can be built around patronage and the ties to a tribe, be that national, ethnic, religious or class. It is also disliked by those on the right that promote a individualistic or Social Darwinist approach, we are only a community second first we are individuals competing against all the other individuals, its divisive and seems designed to create a ‘them and us’ mentality, the haves and have not’s, the deserving and undeserving , the winners and losers. And the Social Darwinist spin on that is that all individuals achieve or don’t the positions they occupy in the socio-economic tree on merit and as explained above could lead to something a lot like racism.

I think that the prejudices and bias should be attacked and barriers between groups brought down, and that could be begun though education every child should get the same education together, rich or poor, black or white, catholic or protestant, shia or sunni, jew or gentile – people can be taught what they want outside of school but inside they are taught the fundamental truth that we are all humans and we are all in this together.

 

I understand all that, but as a moderator, you must admit sometimes your wording and perspective are very often "baiting" at the least, as you even acknowledge that the title could have been different.
I only mentioned Australia as it was fresh in my mind and as an example that America isn't the only place with some harsh racist attitudes among some people.

As far as racism being so prevalent that it could "end the union" is really as ignorant and ill-informed as it sounds, and says more about that particular person's attitude than it does the country as a whole
I would have hoped you had enough discernment to grasp that those remarks were ludicrous and that such a thread as this wouldn't be necessary.



but it is a good trollish topic as race issues always are.

 

Gas

Yes in hindsight it could have been different, I’m sure we have all thought that something may have been put better after we’d said it or are you claiming you have never thought that because you always say the perfect thing first time?

So you only brought up Australia to highlight something about America – I could ask why your target is always America/Americans? Is it maybe because this is a place where mainly US politics is discussed?

Maybe if this forum was more Australian we would be discussing the political issues of Australia?

Are you suggesting you think any discussion of race issues is unnecessary and so should not be undertaken because it is too ‘trollish’ - that sounds a lot like you would like to limit what subjects can and can’t be discussed?

I think the post has thrown up some good posts and insights into the subject that I at least have learnt from.

 

Here is an interesting article -

[SIZE=12pt]The new treat: ‘Racism without racists’ [/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]http://www.cnn.com/2014/11/26/us/ferguson-racism-or-racial-bias/[/SIZE]

[SIZE=12pt]It’s about how people who wouldn’t consider themselves racists can make race based decisions about people that could be considered racist. [/SIZE]
One experiment showed how racial bias can shape a person's economic prospects.-

Professors at the University of Chicago and MIT sent 5,000 fictitious resumes in response to 1,300 help wanted ads. Each resume listed identical qualifications except for one variation -- some applicants had Anglo-sounding names such as "Brendan," while others had black-sounding names such as "Jamal." Applicants with Anglo-sounding names were 50% more likely to get calls for interviews than their black-sounding counterparts.

Most of the people who didn't call "Jamal" were probably unaware that their decision was motivated by racial bias, says Daniel L. Ames, a UCLA researcher who has studied and written about bias.

"If you ask someone on the hiring committee, none of them are going to say they're racially biased," Ames says. "They're not lying. They're just wrong."

 

I think you may have misconstrued my point completely.

no, race issues can and should be discussed, but around here it is often just throwing chum into the waters.

and all your political posts would not come across as so trollish if you actually focused on issues in your own or other countries as well sometimes. Americans do not have a monopoly on Hip forums as you suggest.
It is the relentless "America bashing" (regardless what you think, that is the impression the reader gets from you) that tends to make you come across as insincere and simply looking to ruffle some feathers.

But on topic, I often catch myself making unconscious assessments based on race, as discussed in the linked article, and I laugh at myself over it.
I don't think people spend enough time evaluating their own behaviors, reactions, emotional triggers, motivations, etc, in short, many folks are very ignorant of themselves.



and while I obviously do not say the perfect thing the first time, I always strive to communicate exactly what I intend to the best of my ability in these forums, and certainly usually know how it will be received by the audience reading it, always have, always will.

 

Personally I wish there was a more international bent in a lot of these discussions; one problem is Americans have a tendency to be unconcerned with issues that aren't directly connected to the United States and aren't generally very knowledgeable about the political happenings of other nations. Even when a thread is started specifically about other countries Americans will often contribute as if the subject were about the US anyway. This can make attempts to have conversations concerning internationally diverse subjects on a forum frequented by many American folks problematic. I'm not saying it's impossible or hasn't happened, however.

 

I too have noticed this tendency among some, but certainly not all Americans. Put it like this: if you spent some time on here you could probably, as an outsider, get a fair cross-section of political opinion in the USA. You see references to things that simply aren't reported in European media, and can then check them out if you're so inclined. I don't think the same could be said for an American who wanted to know more of what's stirring in the UK.

If someone started a thread about racism in the UK - 'are the British racist?' it would probably not get that many replies.

Although racism seems to me to be something that maybe inherent in just about everyone, US and UK racism are different phenomena. Neither is very pretty, and both probably stem from the same regressive ignorant mentalities. I deplore racism - as Noxious said, I even occasionally detect a hint of it in myself. If I as a non American criticize American racism, I don't see any problem with that, as I'm perhaps even more critical of it over here. All nations are racist in some way. The Chinese have their version, Indians have theirs. It's all quite shitty.

 

I just out of prison and the majority of the people there are not racist. Maybe 3% of them are and most people just think they're stupid.

Even people who wear swastika's when they're on the street are not racist when they are face-to-face with people.

I am white. I am not racist, but sometimes I am jealous of other ethncities that seem to have better genetics in certain ways.

Like you could see a 50 year old black man who looks like he's 30, and I think what I will look like when I am 50, probably something like a prune.

 

I can fully appreciate that, even if it is a little derogatory towards Americans.

I think a lot of non-Americans have a skewed perspective based on a lot of lame stereotypes and media portrayals, just as many Americans make the same error towards those of other countries.

 

Racism is the "natural" way and it takes time to learn that it's not how it should be.

Tribes, countries, ethnicies and divided by race,

Historically, multiethnic states (like the United States) are rare and generally did not work due to the racial divide.

The Arabs played a key role in destroying the power of the Ottoman Turks during World War I because they did not want to be ruled by them.

Look at the racial strife in this country dating back to ever since the country existed. Look at the Rwandan genocide and the massacre of Armenians in the early 1900s.

Or even the difference between British, French, German, Russian, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese whose minor genetic differences were too much to overlook and caused them to compete with each other as different nation-states.

Being "not racist" is a new AND GOOD idea.

Just 100 years ago, a person in this side of the world would probably not even know what a native of Papau New Guinea even looked like, let alone seen pictures of them and had the ability to travel and see them and talk to them online.

The massive communications systems being built are bringing the world closer together. (to state the obvious)

Bring that same Chinese or Indian person to a place where they are not majority and I bet they will be less racist.

 

No.

There is racism.

But no americans aren't racist.

It's the media and also certain people don't wanna let go.

Yea some people are racist but as a whole... no.

 

I tried to like this post but reached my quota. Listen to this man on this.
It's all it is.

And to be un-pc... some black people are mad about the past. and can't get over it. But honestly I've never run into then either so maybe that's all media and HW too.

 

Karen, I see it in my almost (month and a half til) four year old...never once has he asked me why someone has black or brown skin.

It's kinda crazy to me cause he asks me about everything. Changing Ella's diaper "is that her peepee?" "no, girls have..."... just... everything... that man has a stick to walk. Yeah he has an injury in his bones. Never once has he mentioned skin color or acted different. Never. Maybe it's cause I let him see all kinds of people all the time...when I can.. but it's never come up.

It all comes from the parents or later...and later makes me wonder if kids see OTHER PEOPLE's racism.

 

Don't pm me again.

Sorry I answered you seriously. Just don't bother. I can see why you have two stars.

 

A baby can be made to be just about anything a person controlling that baby desires. A blank slate, so to speak. The desire to eat, the desire to live, the desire for closeness

to a mother are already "in there." The rest of it is all social/ learned knowledge and in the way it is presented to the growing person, it manifests.

The sooner a person developes critical thinking skills , the sooner he/she will shed deleterious, inculcated ideation.

 

Seems like if the US really was a nation of racists, that there would not be as much diversity as there in in the country. Sure seems like a lot of legal protections are in place as well to prevent as much as is humanly possible. One thing we do have in the US is this prevailing idea that only white Americans can be racists. Which is precisely why so much racism exist in spite of the substantial strides white Americans have made in terms of acceptance. Most Americans aren't racists, but anyone can be one. All it takes is hate. And if you hate people for their color, even if they're white, you're a racist. If you deny it, you keep racism alive for another generation. ANYONE can be a racist.

 

The Constitution of the State of Florida was rewritten in 1968. Why do you think that was?

The law is not racist, but that doesn't say anything about the attitude of the people. That might be on an individual basis and depend on the person's upbringing, personality, or childishness.

I really don't know many racists, and that includes the 4 years I just spent locked up. Even people that CLAIM to be racist, don't act like it 24/7.

You will often see a person with a swastika playing cards with people of every race. It's hard to be racist when it's face to face 24/7.

But for some reason, it seems to be okay for people to be racist towards white people. I heard that in China, they think we're all stupid.

 

I am not sure that the U.S is necessarily more racist than anywhere else, but I really do not know...I mean it would seem it is still an issue, as it exists but thought that was a worldwide thing not really unique to the U.S. But I do not think racism alone would 'bring down the republic' there are lots of other problems in this country that are threatening to do just that as well. Also I think it depends on the region, like some areas seem to have more problems with racism than others...it seems worse more in the south-east, I live more in the west and not really as prelevent at leas that is the impression I get.

 

Are europeans continentist?

(This thread would tend to support that conclusion.)