Poll: Question for the visible minorities, have you ever wished you were white?

[Something Amyss]

As someone who lived in New Jersey for the majority of my life, I really really have a hard time seeing the kind of racism you describe.

So now I'm going to pull what Obsidian Jones did earlier and ask your background. I'm curious, because it's very easy to not see racism when you aren't a minority.

A lot of the straight white folk I grew up with were oblivious to the racism in the town. I live in an area where, despite being the north, the rebel flag is hung everywhere, blacks are lynched in effigy, and "******" is uttered more than an NWA greatest hits on loop. Muslims got the crap kicked out of them, bullied, threatened with rape, etc. But you really wouldn't know it if you asked some straight white cis person.

 

[K12]

I dunno, man. It didn't exactly help the Irish.

See you say that but after you have a few generations in the same basic culture no one can tell the difference (ever heard of the Huguenots?). Not so when you have noticeable visual differences that people can identify.

 

[FalloutJack]

I dunno, man. It didn't exactly help the Irish.

See you say that but after you have a few generations in the same basic culture no one can tell the difference (ever heard of the Huguenots?). Not so when you have noticeable visual differences that people can identify.

Oh, I know it's like that now, that being Irish or Polish or French or Slovak makes no difference these days...but a bit of history shows that even skin didn't help in olden times. It's basically the reason for this Blazing Saddles joke.


Putting aside the ancient problems of England and Ireland, there was just alot of issues in the US for a long time. Shops with signs in the windows stating they don't want to hire Irish, or ALOT of European white races. There was a general sentiment against the immigrating not-quite-a-white-guy, referred to as a Hunky.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Yes. I mean, I don?t know if this sounds like a Freudian Excuse or something, but basically, I?m black and was raised in a predominantly white area. When I became a teenager, I pretty much got bullied by people I thought were my friends for ? amongst other things ? my ethnicity. At first, I thought I was just being sensitive, but when I told other people and saw their reactions to the things they were saying towards me, I realised they were dicks and just started to hang around with other people.

So? yeah, now and then, I wish I was white. Because, as you said, I presume it?d be easier. I wouldn?t be so insecure about my appearance, and I wouldn?t have to put up with certain jokes that I feel forced to just laugh along and shrug over because it?s ?banter?. I just wouldn?t even have to consciously think about my ethnicity, and think about what other people think about my ethnicity. But it?s probably just my own problem anyway. It?s not going to change, and I?m not going to bleach myself, so I guess I?ll just deal with my insecurities my own way, eventually.

That?s why I can never understand when one of my friends used to say that he wished he could be black. Because, when he said, I just blurted out, ?Bullshit; being black is shit. There are NO negative stereotypes about white people that the majority hold, so just because you think you?d instantly become some cool Jay Z-type badass doesn?t mean that?s the reality.?

I?m not sure if I?ve entirely changed my opinion since. But yeah, it seems like everyone always wants to look like someone else, unless they?re, like, a supermodel or someone that has people telling them how pretty they are all the time. I guess one thing I can be glad about is that I don?t live in the US, which seems to have a much bigger issue with race than in the UK, where I live.

 

[Kameburger]

As someone who lived in New Jersey for the majority of my life, I really really have a hard time seeing the kind of racism you describe.

So now I'm going to pull what Obsidian Jones did earlier and ask your background. I'm curious, because it's very easy to not see racism when you aren't a minority.

A lot of the straight white folk I grew up with were oblivious to the racism in the town. I live in an area where, despite being the north, the rebel flag is hung everywhere, blacks are lynched in effigy, and "******" is uttered more than an NWA greatest hits on loop. Muslims got the crap kicked out of them, bullied, threatened with rape, etc. But you really wouldn't know it if you asked some straight white cis person.

With respect, I feel like that question combined with that quote is taken a bit out of context. My point was that Marsatlas's hyperbole about the intensity of racism in New Jersey once what he seemed to describe as when "whites" were behind closed doors. I am aware of some specifically racist things in my state, like the fact there at least at one point existed a chapter of the KKK in the area, and some specific racist areas in regards to police behavior, and casual racism of ignorant people is something I've seen first hand especially in area's I've lived where the area's were more diverse.

In short, while not directly answering your question, I think the kind of racism that MarsAtlas was describing would be more visible by white people, where as of course I recognize what what you're saying with racism not being as apparent to those who confront it on a day to day basis. And it's certainly a fair observation. I think New Jersey would actually be a good example of a place where racism is seen more by those who are not considered minorities. In that sense I think the question you asked isn't really in line with my original posts intent.

 

[Something Amyss]

In short, while not directly answering your question, I think the kind of racism that MarsAtlas was describing would be more visible by white people, where as of course I recognize what what you're saying with racism not being as apparent to those who confront it on a day to day basis.

She.

And while you might think that, I've just described an area where black people being lynched in effigy was not correctly identified as in any way problematic. Practically, I'm not inclined to believe this is necessarily so.

 

[Kameburger]

In short, while not directly answering your question, I think the kind of racism that MarsAtlas was describing would be more visible by white people, where as of course I recognize what what you're saying with racism not being as apparent to those who confront it on a day to day basis.

She.

Who? MarsAtlas?

And while you might think that, I've just described an area where black people being lynched in effigy was not correctly identified as in any way problematic. Practically, I'm not inclined to believe this is necessarily so.

I'm sorry I don't really understand what you're saying here or how it relates to what I've said. Presumably a "not Racist" white person who was in such an area where that took palace would surely recognize something like this as being problematic. Unless what you're implying is that if I am a white person then it's possible that I'm too subconsciously racist myself to identify problematic and overtly racist gestures as being racist.

I'm sorry I really feel like I might be missing the point of what you're saying. I keep feeling like the quotes you are pulling from my posts don't have much connection to the points you're trying to make.

 

[CrimsonBlaze]

My experiences with my racial identity have been a lot different than most people.

For starters, I'm Mexican American (born in the USA, but having ancestry in Mexico).

I've lived in the States my whole life and I've only traveled to Mexico purely for family vacations. As such, I've adopted the local culture of my upbringing while still maintaining my cultural roots. Despite all that, I've never once felt uncomfortable or discriminated against due to my race or ethnicity.

I believe that part of that has to do with the fact that I am fairly light skinned, which stems from one my parent's Spanish ancestry. As a result, people cannot immediately identify me as Hispanic (though I clearly don't appear to be Caucasian either). In fact, the only physical features that people tend to bring up a lot are my long eyelashes (yes, I am a guy), and my youthful appearance (courtesy of family genetics). Despite this, I have never really desired to be darker or lighter than my natural skin tone; I do get seasonal tans due to changes in weather, but I don't go out of my way to make it happen (I just love the outdoors).

The other factor is that I am a polite and courteous person. I've never rubbed off on anyone the wrong way and I've never stepped on anyone's toes. I just respect everyone for who they are and what they believe in, even if it contrasts my own beliefs, and it's allowed me to get along with everyone.