Are Americans Racist?

Nerd

Sorry but that is a bit rich from someone that peppers his posts with pseudo-scientific mumbo jumbo

Sorry that doesn’t make sense are you saying that Islam is a genetic trait?

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So let’s see your association with people that happen to be black are - a girl you knew before you were 10 - a couple of girls you had a date with in school - and four guys three of which were/are petty thieves that you smoked weed and played video games with?

The three girls were intelligent and bright but you are not sure about the guys because when you tried to steer the conversation into philosophical and intellectual areas they responded with puzzled stares?

Do you work (do Ari, Sharif, Shawn, and Roland have jobs) have you worked with black people or ever had a black boss?

*

Can you explain what you mean by philosophical and intellectual? I mean if I was at someone’s place smoking weed and playing video games and someone started wanting to talk about dialectical materialism I’d probably look at them puzzled as well.

The thing is that showing little interest in certain subjects doesn’t mean a lack of intelligence. I have friends that are passionate about football a subject I have no interest in, I have friends I talk to about politics or history and others who I don’t because I know they have little interest in it and so on. Also if I’m around someone’s house I might not get into an argument out of politeness ( I mean did you tell these black guys about your theory that black people are inferior to whiter people?).

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What relevance do you think this has to the discussion?

 

Just Breath

Please clarify – are humans in your opinion inherently racist (genetically racist) or culturally racist (as in taught, cultivated).

In my view racism is something that is learnt – and that is why some are racist and other not – some become racist others do not – so the question really should be what teaches some humans to be racist?

 

Balbus, I'll engage with you on the data.

Uncomfortable, but salient truths regarding the potential for economic equality.

http://www.jbhe.com/features/49_college_admissions-test.html

But there is a major flaw in the thesis that income differences explain the racial gap. Consider these three observable facts from The College Board's 2005 data on the SAT:

• Whites from families with incomes of less than $10,000 had a mean SAT score of 993. This is 129 points higher than the national mean for all blacks.

• Whites from families with incomes below $10,000 had a mean SAT test score that was 61 points higher than blacks whose families had incomes of between $80,000 and $100,000.

• Blacks from families with incomes of more than $100,000 had a
mean SAT score that was 85 points below the mean score for
whites from all income levels, 139 points below the mean score
of whites from families at the same income level, and 10 points
below the average score of white students from families whose
income was less than $10,000.

East Asians - 4 twins per 1,000 births, average age when first walking ~13 months
Europeans - 8 twins per 1,000 births, average age when first walking ~12 months
Africans - 16 twins per 1,000 births, average age when first walking ~11 months

the same pattern rears its head in the way of gestation periods, age of crawling, onset of puberty, testosterone levels, bone density, and brain size.


Hitting Kids http://cdn-images.9cloud.us/71/piccit_corporal_punishment___world__343472640.gif

Current Slavery Rates http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/10/17/this-map-shows-where-the-worlds-30-million-slaves-live-there-are-60000-in-the-u-s/

Birthrate http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_sovereign_states_and_dependent_territories_by_birth_rate#mediaviewer/File:Birth_rate_figures_for_countries.PNG

Maybe partially due to all the raping going on there https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/statistics-muslim-countries-obsessed-with-womens-honour-have-one-of-the-highest-rape-scales-in-the-world/

LGBT rights http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT_rights_by_country_or_territory#mediaviewer/File:LGBT_rights_at_the_UN.svg

IQ http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:IQ_by_Country.png

 

Nerd

So I’m correct in saying that basically you’ve only really known seven black people in your live - a girl you knew before you were 10 - a couple of girls you had a date with in school - and four guys three of which were/are petty thieves that you smoked weed and played video games? And that also you have never worked alongside black people as colleagues or had one as a boss?

Oh and there is the one you are sure stole an iphone off you.

 

*YAWN*

incessantly repeating the same bullshit does not transform it into something else.
stop spamming the forums with same tired crap.

 

White people in general seem to think that they're the "standard race" somehow. White people see themselves as beautiful, while other races have their doubts. White people are beautiful, but so are the other races. What really makes me sick is this idea that other races should try to appear and behave more white -- I think it's (strangely) almost accepted as common sense that they should. It's almost like white people are saying "We're not racist, so you're free to behave more like us." White people need to take a good look in the mirror: drab white skin, strawlike hair...we're practically scarecrows.

 

So what kind of ideas can lend themselves to possible racist thinking?

Well one is Social Darwinism which seems to underpin a lot of Americans thinking especially on the right.

It promotes division, the fit and unfit, the superior and inferior and so of course could lead to black and white thinking.

It also seems in large part built on the observation of outcomes rather than trying to understand how those outcomes came about.

If a person is rich that must mean that they are better genetically than someone who is poor, because if they are rich they must be more intelligent and/or harder working and/or more moral (not becoming drunks or drug addicts etc)

It’s clear how this could end up seeming racist if the lower poorer classes happen to be from certain ethnic groups, such as gypsies in many areas of central Europe or black people in the US.

 

I think the term 'racism' or 'racist' is bandied about (9 times out of 10) by people who do not know the definition.

I can only speak for myself and what I have seen, being raised in a 80% black community, and having attended a traditionally black community college and taken an American History class taught by someone holding racist beliefs (that white people were the only ones who had ever kept slaves and all the other tenants of 'Whiteness Studies').

Racism breeds racism.
Being in that class and having a person of 'power' preaching about how evil white people were made me certainly more aware of my whiteness and, for years later, hating him and that hatred seeped into hating black people in general.

This from someone who grew up listening to Brand Nubians and Rap with my best friend, Tyrone.

I wanted to be black when I was a kid as everyone I knew who was 'cool' was black.
So anyways, my point is that if this one racist professor made me feel this way, I can only imagine what 'a lifetime' of people of authority telling you you were 'bad' would do. Not that blacks today have anything of this sort told them...

Anyways, Americans deal with race more than almost any other country on Earth.
The Melting Pot, the Tossed Salad, etc etc. It's easy to sit in Sweden, or Vermont, or some small 99% white hippie haven... and say multiculturalism is great. You've never tasted what it's like and the hatred many people have for whites.

Etc. Sorry for prattling on.
This kratom is strong and I'm feeling very...buoyant.

 

I might end up catching flack for saying this, but here goes... I THINK racism is just people either a.) being too sensitive or b.) a method of psychology that is overly-enacted as a scapegoat or to escape a certain situation by means of ignorance. Racism seems very present in St. Louis, Ferguson and the surrounding areas. I know, because I live there. People tend to use racism as an excuse to ignore those of a different skin tone because they feel they can't relate or have nothing in common or simply assume that people of another race are racist. Of course, this is an assumation of my own.

It's so common, regardless of your skin color. White people are racist towards black people. Black people are racist towards white people. I, honestly, even catch myself thinking in my head how people are the way they are and (in a way) assume that all people are like that. I don't like to think like that, and it's not me to do so, but living in such a community as this, where people are so ignorant, I can't lie and say the thought doesn't cross my mind every now and then. Maybe it's just the simple thought of a word that is widely used, accepted by some and unforgivable when used by others. I think people just need to come together and stop being so insecure. Which is much easier said than done.

The events that happened in Ferguson, in my own personal opinion, were unjust. And BY THAT I mean all parties involved. White people, black people, citizens, police force, Anonymous, KKK... EVERYONE WAS WRONG. Many people jumped to conclusions and the police force over-reacted. As much wrong-doing as I've seen going on with authoritative force over the last few years, I still respect the police force. I can't imagine leaving for work to pr... "protect" the area and not know if I'll be making it home that night or the next day. A lot of officers employed do abuse their powers though. So, like always, the coin is 50/50.

I do wonder what would have happened if Al Sharpton wouldn't have gotten involved. I agreed and liked what he said at the beginning of some of the speeches he made, but in the end all he did was severely antagonize an already extremely sensitive situation. I also agree with what most of the peaceful protesters did with their demonstrations. What I had hoped it would evolve into failed to happen though, and for that I feel downtrodden as a citizen of this city, and nation for that matter. What's happening in this country (and all over the world) every day is far beyond the Michael Brown case. It's just a shame that no one else seems to see it that way.

There's my opinion... formed into a rant and packed nicely into a nutshell. Whether you like it or not is none of my concern. I'm entitled to my own opinion. Even if it sucks.

Racism is just a simple way to slap communication in the face. I don't care what color you are or what religious beliefs you follow. We're all human and we should start acting like it.

 

GoingHome

Sorry but this comes across as a variation on the lines of….I’m not a racist but….some of my best friends are black and I like black music and you know they are so cool but…Well you know they are racists to, and like you know they hate whites and like you do know that they also used to owned slaves so they are just as guilty of that as white people…and well you know it's easy to be not a racists while sitting in Sweden, or Vermont, or some small 99% white place, but well when you actually have to mix with them, well you know….

And people read this kind of thing and they nod to themselves and say I’m not racist but you know…

 

Why, in modern times is there so much effort made to divide humans into racial groups rather than accepting the fact that all humans, regardless of skin colour or other visual characteristics are members of the same species?
I find the word 'racist' to be defined as "A person who believes that a particular race is superior to another.", and the word 'race' defined as "a : a family, tribe, people, or nation belonging to the same stock. b : a class or kind of people unified by shared interests, habits, or characteristics. c : a category of humankind that shares certain distinctive physical traits."

Based on the above definitions, it is likely that every human could under some circumstances be called a racist. People tend to associate collectively with other persons who they find to have much in common with. Politicians seem to be the only ones who gainfully employ the use of race, as at the community level and in the business world peace, productivity, progress and prosperity are not easily achievable, if at all, simply by use of visual determinants.

There most likely are, and probably always will be, a small number who could be defined as racists throughout the world. They can, and should be, shunned by those whom they live among, giving them the opportunity to change or to leave and continue to be shunned by society as a whole.

Have you ever been asked to fill out a survey which asked the question of you 'race'? Periodically, my employer used to send around surveys, and I would always answer the question 'race' with the word 'human'. Curiously, these surveys were claimed to be anonymous yet on more than one occasion I was asked by a supervisor why I answered the question in that way. So much for anonymous. Perhaps it's time everyone started to answer such questions in the same way. After all, we're all humans and each of our own best interests will only be served when we begin to refuse to be divided among each other irrationally.

 

Indie

[SIZE=11pt][/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]But as I’ve pointed out many people don’t see people as equal or of equal value this can come about due to a certain degree of Social Darwinist thinking which can colour how the situation is seen and the kind of responses given. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]If you have a tendency to see peoples social and economic condition as being a ‘natural’ outcome of their abilities, intelligence and work ethics [even their morals] then it could colour how you see such people, and if that socio-economic group is predominantly made up of a certain ethnic group then it could result in something like racism it not actual racism.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]I mean for historical reasons black households have traditionally had some of the lowest median incomes in America according to the US census, it could be very easy if you had a Social Darwinist bent to see this and conclude that this was due to black people being lazy, more criminally minded [street crime is more often done my lower economic classes and often involves violence] and can even come to see them as less intelligent than the honest, brighter and harder working people further up the economic tree, who happen to be more white. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]As said such thinking could colour the response to the issue in many ways that could be seen by those on the receiving end as looking a lot like racism. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=11pt]Seen as criminally minded and violent there could be an acceptance of them[/SIZE] being more watched and searched and since they’re presumed to be more dangerous then why shouldn’t the police and armed citizens take appropriate precautions in any confrontation (a shoot first ask questions later mentality).

[SIZE=11pt]Seen as lazy, right wing and mainly white politician’s call for their[/SIZE] benefits to be cut and such people might even think what’s the point in spending resources on educating ‘them’ when they could go to those better off and coincidentally whiter children that are more likely to benefit from it.

[SIZE=11pt]Now I’m sure right wingers will claim that they are not racist and not targeting any ethnic group, but many do seem to base their ideas on rather Social Darwinist thinking and when the group that does seem to be targeted always seems to include certain ethic groups then it’s not surprising that some might see it as behaviour based in racism. [/SIZE]

 

I find this phenomenom of people doing weird things to try to gain a trait of a different race remarkable too but...: is this really triggered by white people/the other race or just really by themselves/their own image of beauty? I thought this image that white people think of themselves as superior was withering a bit, at least I don't see them project it on other races (it maybe still appears like that if you watch mainstream tv but not in really in everyday life.. Well maybe on the job market too but that seems not a beauty issue). Finding traits in another race more beautiful seems not exclusive to non-whites at all btw. Sure some darker skinned people try to appear lighter, but the same counts for white skinned people all the time Is this because people from the black race make them feel so pale?

 

I don't know -- maybe it's racist to say that people of different races can't try to emulate other races, because inside we're all just human, so it doesn't matter if you're a black/white person or a white/black person.

I wasn't talking about tanning though or bleaching (?) the skin. Both of those things are considered normal. But if there were a way to change the skin blue, for instance, and only black people ever did it, it would be considered abnormal and savage. Whilst if white people did it, then it would be okay for black people to do it too. Maybe not the best example, but I do feel there is a double-standard going on here. More and more it seems like black people aren't allowed to have their own culture. Unless it's violent, misogynistic, and materialistic. We all have to be the same culture, for some reason, which is "prim-and-proper" with a vain, materialistic side. Whatever you do, don't do anything genuinely upbeat or positive, especially if you're black.

 

I only see that focus on the cultural characteristics you mention in mainstream media or in fashion. But it seems to me that that prim&proper, vain, materialistic style that is promoted does not really have a racial tendency, like that there is some racial aspect to it. It just the trend and it generates more money than another less vain and materialistic style. I don't see how it takes away from black culture more than other. If I try to picture it like that I feel like we white people and our culture are supposed to have always focussed only/more on vanity and materialism than others. This also seems not entirely true or really a racial thing.

 

In the US, whites do make up a majority of the population, so naturally in any medium where people are trying to reach a large segment of the population such as politics or a television host, they are likely going to have to appeal to that constituency, which entails talking and/or interacting with them in a relatable way.

However Like Asmo, I kind of disagree with you overall. Perhaps it depends a lot on where you live but I see and experience a melting pot of cultures, ideas, art, etc. Being expressed. I don't even see all white people really having the same culture, (i.e. a white hipster vs. A redneck) if that's so, then what does it mean to "appear more white?"

The success of American capitalism and the notion of The American Dream might make the American way more appealing and assimilation more desirable but that suggests something more about the system, rather than other races inherently desiring to be white.

 

...

 

Location really does matter.

It's rare for a white person to walk through downtown Greensboro, NC without having to deal with some kind of a racial confrontation on the sidewalk. That 's the second angriest group of black people I've ever encountered, exceeded only by San Francisco. The only jazz club in Greensboro does not welcome white customers.

Compare that to Warm Daddy's, a black-owned jazz club in Philadelphia. I go there every time I'm in the city. The staff and the clientèle seem to average around 60% black and 40% white. Everybody there always appears to be happy, and everybody gets along. There's never a hint of racial tension.

 

This is a rhetorical question, I assume.

 

I agree. But hip-hop, for instance...do you remember the days of positive hip-hop? I do. It was uplifting. But it was traded in for Lil Wayne and Nelly. But yeah, white culture is exactly the same.

Maybe it's just my experience, but it seems to me that black people are only treated as equals if they're poindexters or gay, or generally harmless seeming. Which, "harmless seeming" is kind of a caricature, because to me regular black people don't seem dangerous. I do sense that black people in general are viewed as dangerous.