What is racism?

Apone

Apone

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Having lived in a few different cultures in my life, this is something that I've become really interested in… and I think that everyone has their own sense of what it is.

I'm sure that almost everyone knows the extreme, direct forms of racism but I've actually heard that subtle racism is actually more psychologically harmful-- things like being ignored in a shoe store over and over actually have longer-lasting effects than some skinhead douchebag talking about how he wants to kick you out of his country. It's a pretty small minority that walk around with swastikas tattooed on their chests or who outwardly condemn interracial relationships, but I was wondering where exactly do people draw the line with this kind of thing.

Are you racist if you walk into a room full of people of a different race and feel uncomfortable? Are you racist if someone of a certain race sits beside you on the bus and you feel threatened somehow? What if you can't bring yourself to find anyone of a different race attractive? What if you walk around feeling guilted about things that you're not directly responsible for because they're the actions of people of a race to which you belong?

For me, racism is when you believe that being of a certain race means that an individual is automatically predisposed towards certain behaviors, and fail to recognize the human race as nothing more than individuals who are capable of making their own choices and of having their own unique personalities that aren't necessarily bound to any particular culture, background, or social construct-- including, or even especially their so-called racial identity… I don't think that the reactions beyond your control are necessarily racism because they can be just a learned behavior that is corrected by exposing yourself to things, but I do think that it takes effort to see things clearly and that in some cases being truly free of racism is actually an ongoing struggle in anyone's life.
 
I don't know if this answers your question but its my story. I come from a mixed-racial family and also married someone from a different culture then my own. So racism and prejudice is something i've dealt with most of my life. I also have family members that deal with disability issues so I see prejudice in this part of life also. Here's a story from when I was a little girl. As far as I can remember this was my first experience with racism.

I was about 5 years old walking on the sidewalk with my father down a street towards the school I went to. A group of young guys drove by in a car and with all of the windows down they screamed a host of racial profanities at my father and how he should go back to wherever he came from, etc.

I didn't understand this at the time but I do now. My father was alone on a street with his 5 year old daughter with four guys in their twenties screaming obscenities at him. I was walking ahead of him. I could see the fear in his eyes as he called me back close to him. He picked me up, held me close, and started walking faster. I asked "why are those men screaming at us daddy?". In a calm and loving voice my father said something that I wll never forget. He said, "because they aren't lucky enough to have a good education like your going to have."

I don't think I'm racist although I've had many opportunities and reasons to be so. What do I think racism is - ignorance.
 
Maybe I'm just hard wired this way, but it's obvious to me that subtle racism is more damaging than in yo face racism.


That being said, true racism does not exist. It falls in line with all other isms: hate.
 
Different races (including yours) are predisposed to certain behaviours, on average at least. For example people from India are predisposed to not eat beef. They also seem to be predisposed to owning shops or being doctors. There is nothing wrong with recognising this.

Racism isn't about labelling other races as having certain characteristics. Thats just generalisation which is quite simply unavoidable. Its how our brains work. we generalise everything. Everything (this deserves repeating). If we didn't we wouldn't be able to understand the world around us.

Racism is labelling an entire race or culture as good or bad, better or worse for no reason other than they are of that race.

Danish people are the tallest on earth. Japanese I believe are one of the shortest. If you are about to meet a Dane and a Japanese ther is nothing wrong with assuming that the Dane will probably be taller. It wouldn't be racist to assume that this would mean he can probably jump higher. It would be racist to assume this means he is superior in general, but not to assume he would be superior at jumping high.
 
Racism has two main varieties:

1. Those who think that there is no place for this or that racial variation (in appearance, temperament, abilities, etc.) in society.
2. Those who deny there is variation among races, because such a position presumes prejudicially that some variations are undesirable and therefore insulting to acknowledge.
 
I don't think it's "racist" in the hateful sense per se to feel uncomfortable in certain situations, such as the walking into a room full of people of a different race, but that sort of illogical fear that inevitably comes up in almost everyone to certain degrees in certain situations is something that should be worked on to be reduced.

I would agree with you that the subtle things are definitely a problem. It's a terrible feeling to realize you're being sized up or to have to anticipate you'll be treated differently because of race. It's contributed to a lot of my insecurities.
 
I do believe everyone has some opinions on race, but I don't think that is necessarily racism. As pointed out earlier in the thread racism = hatred for a race. There are many behaviors people think are forms of racism, such as "white flight." It is not necessarily hatred for others, but a preservation of self (safety, financial security, etc from a lower socio-economic group.)
 
Are you racist if you walk into a room full of people of a different race and feel uncomfortable? Are you sexist if you walk into a room with the opposite sex/gender and feel uncomfortable?

Are you racist if someone of a certain race sits beside you on the bus and you feel threatened somehow? I wouldn't necesaarily call that racism, rather adhering to belief in certain stereotypes. If someone sits next to you on a bus and you feel threatened, it's most likely just your self-preservation instincts kicking in. Personally, if I were in this situation, I would equate the feelings more to their presence than their race.

What if you can't bring yourself to find anyone of a different race attractive?No, it's not racism. It's called preference. I personally am not usually attracted to African Americans, but that doesn't mean I still won't show them the love and compassion that they deserve as humans.

What if you walk around feeling guilted about things that you're not directly responsible for because they're the actions of people of a race to which you belong? I'm not sure how to answer that, honestly.
 
I think it's an idea that's kicked around a lot, and for good reason; no one will define racism apart from the dictionary definition - and very few people admit to being racist (even when they're acting with racist tendencies). Even if you went to a site like Stormfront and asked if they're racists, a good chunk will say no. Instead, they'll say, "I'm not racist; I just believe that the rights of White people are being taken away." "I'm not racist; I just think a certain group of people are more likely to act up, and I don't want my kids influenced by that." "I'm not racist; I just don't associate with those people." "Some of them are okay, but most of them are ____."

I think a better compromise are "racist tendencies" or "prejudicial tendencies." The change of definition might get people thinking of why they believe certain things about others, and to confront those things. It's not necessarily a bad thing to prefer certain people to others, but ask yourself why you do; is there any just reason for it, other than believing what someone else told you? Or believing what you see on TV?

Or is it because you've not had any personal contact with folks of a different ethnicity, sexual persuasion, or gender and you're worried you're going to say/do the wrong thing?

The first, best thing is to get to know someone of a different ethnicity. Go outside your comfort zone when a new person enters your sphere of influence and introduce yourself. Be normal; don't act like a hyper puppy with a new toy. :) But allow the friendship to evolve naturally. And then, when your friendship gets to a certain point and the other person is ok with it, you can ask certain questions ("were you teased in school?" "did you ever experience racism?", etc).

Racism is ever present, and the seeds for it are in the ground. Part of the issue is not confronting racist tendencies and calling them what they are. If you treat person A differently than person B, then you have prejudicial tendencies and it's up to you to determine why that is - for your sake, and for the sake of the other person. Because I guarantee you they will pick up on it. You can't hide it.
 
I think that I am really lucky being a military brat and being raised around the same. There was all kinds of races being mixed and so forth. I am also very lucky to be of a mixed background (Mexican mother, Scottish and Welsh father. I think being mixed allowed me to not identify with either or cultures and just base things on my personality and actions. That has also allowed me to see people as people and just the person. No one has a choice coming in about what shell they would come into so why base things on the stuff we can't control. It just seems ridiculous to me and always has. I guess if you see yourself as the person you are from within, you natural base things on the person's insides. Anything else seems superficial. Those who stop at skin color seem like those who stop at bank balances and clothing....totally retarded.
 
Lisabeth said:
I think that I am really lucky being a military brat and being raised around the same. There was all kinds of races being mixed and so forth. I am also very lucky to be of a mixed background (Mexican mother, Scottish and Welsh father. I think being mixed allowed me to not identify with either or cultures and just base things on my personality and actions. That has also allowed me to see people as people and just the person. No one has a choice coming in about what shell they would come into so why base things on the stuff we can't control. It just seems ridiculous to me and always has. I guess if you see yourself as the person you are from within, you natural base things on the person's insides. Anything else seems superficial. Those who stop at skin color seem like those who stop at bank balances and clothing....totally retarded.
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There is hate everywhere, it just takes different forms. The military is a whole other world ... much like India with prejudice within the caste. You may not have seen it as a child per say, but your parents would have. My MIL boasts of being an officer's wife and as much as she would never consort with a lower rank, they all probably hated her. She is quite adamant that this was the "norm" within the military. Do you find this to be correct?
 
Apone said:
Are you racist if you walk into a room full of people of a different race and feel uncomfortable? Are you racist if someone of a certain race sits beside you on the bus and you feel threatened somehow? What if you can't bring yourself to find anyone of a different race attractive? What if you walk around feeling guilted about things that you're not directly responsible for because they're the actions of people of a race to which you belong?
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1. It is normal to feel uncomfortable in a room of people you don't know. It is certainly a tendency toward racism if you presume your feelings of discomfort are based on their race.
2. It is normal to be anxious when riding public transportation. It can make you feel vulnerable because you are not in control of where it is going or where it will stop or who will get on. However, if you become paranoid and you relate that feeling completely based on the other person's race, I would call it a racist tendency.
3. I think we fall for people who are like us. I think it isn't unusual to look at someone from a different race who looks differnt from you and find them unattractive. If you consciously choose to dislike someone because of their race, I would call that a racist tendency. I'm talking about the "he/she would be great if only they weren't (blank)".
4. You should feel something about the way history has treated people of different skin colors. Some of the shit that was perpetrated against people of color was horrifying. I call what was done to Native Americans in the US the American Holocaust. The historical attrocities have definately given the aggressors a better shot at being educated and wealthy. Now if you claim that none of it happened that would be a racist tendency.

I think there are generalities. I think there is a glimmer of truth when it comes to certain generalities. Unfortuantely, when it comes to race based generalities they more often than not are slanted in a negative way. It gives credence to the idea that they are racist in nature.

What is racism? Subtle or overt I would say it is a conscious decision to treat someone different based on their race or what you presume their race to be.
 
Sriracha said:
There is hate everywhere, it just takes different forms. The military is a whole other world ... much like India with prejudice within the caste. You may not have seen it as a child per say, but your parents would have. My MIL boasts of being an officer's wife and as much as she would never consort with a lower rank, they all probably hated her. She is quite adamant that this was the "norm" within the military. Do you find this to be correct?
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I think the norm is that all military wives pay lip service to not consorting with lower ranks, but I don't buy it. Too much experience and rumors to the contrary.
 
Sriracha said:
There is hate everywhere, it just takes different forms. The military is a whole other world ... much like India with prejudice within the caste. You may not have seen it as a child per say, but your parents would have. My MIL boasts of being an officer's wife and as much as she would never consort with a lower rank, they all probably hated her. She is quite adamant that this was the "norm" within the military. Do you find this to be correct?
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I guess some people sperate themselves from others to further solidify themselves in a certain niche. Growing up there was a obvious divison in regard of housing for officers and others. My father retired as an E 9 which is the highest ranking unlisted officer, but I was too young to note the difference except living arrangements. I think hate is based on ignorance and insecurity. Those are human flaws in every one of us. Those who see people for what they are beneath and are comfortable in their own skin and have compassion and empathy towards other humans and who don't buy into the superficial see beyond. You are right thought that it does exist. It always will I guess.
 
Hating others because your life sucks. Just out right blaming other people because of your own inadequacies. Having no option except to hate someone for who they are because your mother fucked up and slept around. Just my thoughts about it. Hey wait I'm prejudice. Prejudice against people that are prejudice. I'd love to take you all out. Just love to. :-)
 
Rferraris said:
Hating others because your life sucks. Just out right blaming other people because of your own inadequacies. Having no option except to hate someone for who they are because your mother fucked up and slept around. Just my thoughts about it. Hey wait I'm prejudice. Prejudice against people that are prejudice. I'd love to take you all out. Just love to. :-)
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u ok
 
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