Worst Racism You've Encountered
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One of my mates is welsh and I make sheep jokes sometimes, Or come out with the phrase "Wales isn't a country!" All in good taste though.Matthew Wilson said:
Actual racism I don't see much of, any use of the word "******" is more used as a term for "brother" at my school (more of an affectionate term really), there arn't any flat out racists.
My mates granddad did say once "Oh shit the zulus' are invading" after seeing 3 black guys walk past the house, It was so offensive it was almost funny.
Personally, I feel fortunate that I haven't bee discriminated against well enough to notice. The "worst" thing I can remember is some douchebag in a car randomly yelling "******" at me while I walked along the side of the rode that he sped past.
I know from observation, though, how racist and discriminatory other African Americans can be towards each other. I lived in a part of (surprise, surprise) Alabama where that particular African American community still had a victim mentality, and it was popular to call any individuals with college degrees or who--God forbid--spoke proper English, "Sellouts" or "trying to be white." I don't live there now and I'm never going back if I can help it.
I also used to live across the street from a man who had a really light skin tone, but because of his own self-loathing for being African American he would project hatred on everyone else in the neighborhood who was dark-skinned. It's a terrible, lingering stigma from back when racism was so much more than what it is today in certain parts of the U.S.
I know from observation, though, how racist and discriminatory other African Americans can be towards each other. I lived in a part of (surprise, surprise) Alabama where that particular African American community still had a victim mentality, and it was popular to call any individuals with college degrees or who--God forbid--spoke proper English, "Sellouts" or "trying to be white." I don't live there now and I'm never going back if I can help it.
I also used to live across the street from a man who had a really light skin tone, but because of his own self-loathing for being African American he would project hatred on everyone else in the neighborhood who was dark-skinned. It's a terrible, lingering stigma from back when racism was so much more than what it is today in certain parts of the U.S.
Seen some fairly bad casual racism here in Australia , some people don't even get when they are being derogatory, even in fairly relaxed/ progressive scenes (dude a hip-hop warehouse party casually called a Somali guy "black boy" nearly had his head kicked in, lucky the dude was rational), the worst though was in rural WA, I was working at a pub there and had to leave the room after this dude started ranting on about "shootn fuckn abbos" made me feel physically ill
The only real mainstream racism left in the USA is against white people. It's done in the guise of political correctness and/or out of an engrained sense of entitlement among minorities, combined with the fact that the "white majority" has become the de-facto reason used by people to justify why they haven't succeeded, or to justify their own behavior.
What is mistaken for racism right now is at the worst bigotry based on behavior. The problem most people actually have with blacks, hispanics, and others is more the culture surrounding them, than any intristic trait that prevents them from rising above it. A lack of assimilation into society so to speak.
Perhaps the biggest problem we're facing in society right now is the whole "git rich or die trying" attitude. The whole "war against racism" having been won long ago, but now as even guys like Martin Luthor King Jr. said, the HARD part is here, and that is for the people to embrace those oppertunities and fit in now that the options exist. The thing is that a lot of minorities equate "equality" as an "even share of everything" as opposed to representation in keeping with their general numbers, and the same oppertunities that other people have. The general attitude among minorities is that they are being oppressed if they aren't in the top 1% of society, or for every member of the majority shown should be one member of THEIR minority no matter how many people of that sort there are within society. Few want to do the hard work to become educated, get a job, and fit into the normal (and sort of depressing) rut that everyone else does. The basic attitude being that if they can't have the things that the absolute creme de le creme possess, then it's because of racism and oppression, and they are entitled to be criminal, and anti-societal to try and take those things by force since they deserve them. The basic idea being that it's better to be face down in a gutter dead, having tried to take those things and failed, than it is to head out and quietly work a 9-5 job full of stress, while getting periodically chewed out by soomeone of a higher economic bracket... you know like the actual majority of people. That being "normal life".
I tend to consider the points that Bill Cosby has made, and gotten a lot of flak about, over the state of racism in the country, at least in accordance to education (he has a PHD in Children's Education). The big problem here isn't that anyone is being discriminated against or kept down, it's that nobody wants to take the oppertunities. People have been literally lining up to give minorities things, especially blacks, and yet constantly wind up having their hands slapped away. Becoming educated and fitting in is seen as a sign of "selling out". People donate computers, textbooks, and all kinds of materials by the truckloads to schools in poor minority area... it's a popular charity, and the people there simply destroy, or steal these things, while doing everything in their power to resist taking the oppertunity that was being fought for by so many people for so long.
In short, while there might be some senior citizens running around who are the product of another age, and some fringe groups who are racist, as far as the mainstream goes it's dead. Racism is something you actually have to look long and hard for to REALLY find, as opposed to a default state of being. The few racists out there are used mostly as an excuse to avoid having to face reality, and justify not fitting in, rather than being an actual societal force.
Now, I will also point out that you have to understand that just because something has racist trappings does not mean it's actually racist. In most cases when you find Nazi crap or whatever, it's a bunch of kids trying to get a rise out of people, rather than any genuine belief in that dogma. The very fact that people will scream "OMG" and make a big deal, contrary to all common sense, is exactly WHY people do it, and really if people would just get over it and stop "feeding the trolls" societally, I think things would chill out substantially. Of course it doesn't help that a lot of minorities WANT this kind of thing to be real, largely because it justifies not fitting in.. which is of course the hard part. It's easier to have an enemy to throw yourself against, than have to go out and be polite to everyone working in low end jobs like most of society.
I'll also say that just because you hear the infamous "N word" it doesn't mean the person using it is racist. It's an insult like any other, and when your pissed enough you use anything that you think is going to hurt. Genuine belief doesn't figure into it. Just like when you call someone "gay" or whatever, you don't nessicarly believe that the person is literally a homosexual. Black people use the term all the time, and it's only considered to be "OMG racist" if someone who is white happens to use it.
Interestingly that like the "F" word the "N" word can have entirely differant meanings depending on context, and how it's used. Take a look at how the black culture uses it, incidently that means that the context when ANYONE uses it can also be greatly varied.
The point here is that just because you heard someone use the "N" word, even offensively, or saw someone doing all kinds of Nazi crap, doesn't mean you encountered racism. If you saw some 80 year old guy hobbling along, okay well maybe HE was a racist, ditto for someone who was in say Veitnam or Korea and just never got over it (for what are probably some understandable reasons) but that's hardly mainstream. Ditto for if you happened to say run into a bunch of guys from the KKK or Aryan Brotherhood... they are again Fringe Elements. Your "racist" island in say "Second Life" or "Minecraft"? That's probably done just so it will get the reaction your giving. After all if it was really being built as some kind of racist clubhouse, the people involved wouldn't be advertising it. A racial militia group plotting lynchings, or some kind of mass murder isn't going to sit around and annouce "HEY WE'RE PLANNING HATE CRIMES!!!!" especially not in a public place where it will be noticed. You see that and it's some kid who isn't even remotely racist sitting there laughing going "heh heh, I can't wait to see what a rise this gets out of people. It will be rich" just because of how stupid people will be with their overreaction.
Such are my thoughts.
Now, racism IS a problem globally. Look towards ethnic cleaning attempts in Africa and Asia, or the whole thing between Arabs and Jews in The Middle East, or how Asians in say China or North Korea look at the white people dominating the western world. That's racism. Of course the thing is that the people who cry out against racism are only willing to do so when it comes to a nice, safe, enviroment where the racists are a tiny minority that can be presented as something else (making them seem more impressive). The actual racism? Well that's a BIG issue, and would involve doing all kinds of morally ambigious things that would involve people dying in great numbers, and is furthemore a battle we might actually lose (as opposed to having already won).
China is for example a major global threat, whether people want to accept it or not, people would rather try and live in denial by saying that China isn't racist, xenocidal, or has all these scary cultural policies and ideas for that reason. Hammering some KKK member on the fringes who really can't fight back anymore is something else entirely. A lot of people who talk crap now probably wouldn't have done so, back in the OLD days when the KKK was actually a force, and there was a decent chance that speaking against them would get you and your whole family murdered. the people who spoke out then were fairly brave, the people who do it now that the conflict is more or less over, the Klan is no longer a "Secret Society" but well known, and their resources and infrastructure gutted, combined with almost no membership, well now everyone is really brave about kicking them when they are down.
Want to prove your some kind of crusader for equal rights among humanity, support war efforts against the actual racists for those reasons. Sure, we might get our butts kicked (there is always a risk) but that's kind of the point, and why it's a big deal. Stop trying to drop more bombs on the ashes of a battle that has already been won, and get in on someone else's glory after the fact (especially seeing as the actual major battles were won beore a lot of the people decrying racism in the US were even born)
What is mistaken for racism right now is at the worst bigotry based on behavior. The problem most people actually have with blacks, hispanics, and others is more the culture surrounding them, than any intristic trait that prevents them from rising above it. A lack of assimilation into society so to speak.
Perhaps the biggest problem we're facing in society right now is the whole "git rich or die trying" attitude. The whole "war against racism" having been won long ago, but now as even guys like Martin Luthor King Jr. said, the HARD part is here, and that is for the people to embrace those oppertunities and fit in now that the options exist. The thing is that a lot of minorities equate "equality" as an "even share of everything" as opposed to representation in keeping with their general numbers, and the same oppertunities that other people have. The general attitude among minorities is that they are being oppressed if they aren't in the top 1% of society, or for every member of the majority shown should be one member of THEIR minority no matter how many people of that sort there are within society. Few want to do the hard work to become educated, get a job, and fit into the normal (and sort of depressing) rut that everyone else does. The basic attitude being that if they can't have the things that the absolute creme de le creme possess, then it's because of racism and oppression, and they are entitled to be criminal, and anti-societal to try and take those things by force since they deserve them. The basic idea being that it's better to be face down in a gutter dead, having tried to take those things and failed, than it is to head out and quietly work a 9-5 job full of stress, while getting periodically chewed out by soomeone of a higher economic bracket... you know like the actual majority of people. That being "normal life".
I tend to consider the points that Bill Cosby has made, and gotten a lot of flak about, over the state of racism in the country, at least in accordance to education (he has a PHD in Children's Education). The big problem here isn't that anyone is being discriminated against or kept down, it's that nobody wants to take the oppertunities. People have been literally lining up to give minorities things, especially blacks, and yet constantly wind up having their hands slapped away. Becoming educated and fitting in is seen as a sign of "selling out". People donate computers, textbooks, and all kinds of materials by the truckloads to schools in poor minority area... it's a popular charity, and the people there simply destroy, or steal these things, while doing everything in their power to resist taking the oppertunity that was being fought for by so many people for so long.
In short, while there might be some senior citizens running around who are the product of another age, and some fringe groups who are racist, as far as the mainstream goes it's dead. Racism is something you actually have to look long and hard for to REALLY find, as opposed to a default state of being. The few racists out there are used mostly as an excuse to avoid having to face reality, and justify not fitting in, rather than being an actual societal force.
Now, I will also point out that you have to understand that just because something has racist trappings does not mean it's actually racist. In most cases when you find Nazi crap or whatever, it's a bunch of kids trying to get a rise out of people, rather than any genuine belief in that dogma. The very fact that people will scream "OMG" and make a big deal, contrary to all common sense, is exactly WHY people do it, and really if people would just get over it and stop "feeding the trolls" societally, I think things would chill out substantially. Of course it doesn't help that a lot of minorities WANT this kind of thing to be real, largely because it justifies not fitting in.. which is of course the hard part. It's easier to have an enemy to throw yourself against, than have to go out and be polite to everyone working in low end jobs like most of society.
I'll also say that just because you hear the infamous "N word" it doesn't mean the person using it is racist. It's an insult like any other, and when your pissed enough you use anything that you think is going to hurt. Genuine belief doesn't figure into it. Just like when you call someone "gay" or whatever, you don't nessicarly believe that the person is literally a homosexual. Black people use the term all the time, and it's only considered to be "OMG racist" if someone who is white happens to use it.
Interestingly that like the "F" word the "N" word can have entirely differant meanings depending on context, and how it's used. Take a look at how the black culture uses it, incidently that means that the context when ANYONE uses it can also be greatly varied.
The point here is that just because you heard someone use the "N" word, even offensively, or saw someone doing all kinds of Nazi crap, doesn't mean you encountered racism. If you saw some 80 year old guy hobbling along, okay well maybe HE was a racist, ditto for someone who was in say Veitnam or Korea and just never got over it (for what are probably some understandable reasons) but that's hardly mainstream. Ditto for if you happened to say run into a bunch of guys from the KKK or Aryan Brotherhood... they are again Fringe Elements. Your "racist" island in say "Second Life" or "Minecraft"? That's probably done just so it will get the reaction your giving. After all if it was really being built as some kind of racist clubhouse, the people involved wouldn't be advertising it. A racial militia group plotting lynchings, or some kind of mass murder isn't going to sit around and annouce "HEY WE'RE PLANNING HATE CRIMES!!!!" especially not in a public place where it will be noticed. You see that and it's some kid who isn't even remotely racist sitting there laughing going "heh heh, I can't wait to see what a rise this gets out of people. It will be rich" just because of how stupid people will be with their overreaction.
Such are my thoughts.
Now, racism IS a problem globally. Look towards ethnic cleaning attempts in Africa and Asia, or the whole thing between Arabs and Jews in The Middle East, or how Asians in say China or North Korea look at the white people dominating the western world. That's racism. Of course the thing is that the people who cry out against racism are only willing to do so when it comes to a nice, safe, enviroment where the racists are a tiny minority that can be presented as something else (making them seem more impressive). The actual racism? Well that's a BIG issue, and would involve doing all kinds of morally ambigious things that would involve people dying in great numbers, and is furthemore a battle we might actually lose (as opposed to having already won).
China is for example a major global threat, whether people want to accept it or not, people would rather try and live in denial by saying that China isn't racist, xenocidal, or has all these scary cultural policies and ideas for that reason. Hammering some KKK member on the fringes who really can't fight back anymore is something else entirely. A lot of people who talk crap now probably wouldn't have done so, back in the OLD days when the KKK was actually a force, and there was a decent chance that speaking against them would get you and your whole family murdered. the people who spoke out then were fairly brave, the people who do it now that the conflict is more or less over, the Klan is no longer a "Secret Society" but well known, and their resources and infrastructure gutted, combined with almost no membership, well now everyone is really brave about kicking them when they are down.
Want to prove your some kind of crusader for equal rights among humanity, support war efforts against the actual racists for those reasons. Sure, we might get our butts kicked (there is always a risk) but that's kind of the point, and why it's a big deal. Stop trying to drop more bombs on the ashes of a battle that has already been won, and get in on someone else's glory after the fact (especially seeing as the actual major battles were won beore a lot of the people decrying racism in the US were even born)
::Sheepish look:: I must have been clicking around too much between posters...I thought you were some dude from Northern Australia for some reason...Icehearted said:I'm originally from Long BeachXanian said:
Yeah...being an American minority in LA with an American accent sucks. If you had any other English Speaking accent you'd probably be cool.
Well, there was this guy in high school we used to call "Black". Not ****** or anything else. Just black. And we called him that not because of the color of his skin. (Seriously, it's very hard to find a black person in Poland. In my whole life I seen three Polish black men and two of them were on the bus).
We called him that because he used to wear black clothes all the time. Later on it devolved in some primitive racist jokes about plantations and slavery but we all took it in good humor and than always went off to play football or get some beers...
So yeah... Erm, I do not think I experienced any racism in my life. Towards someone else or myself. But mayby that's because I never actually talked to one!
Also I'm laughing quite hard at people percieving Second Life as a mekka for racism. I highly doubt anyone that visits that place now-days and says such racist slurrs would have a moral spine to stand up and even face a man of a different race... Seriously that place is messed up. I remember when back in 2004 or somethin' people percieved it as a start of first real Virtual Reality... From what I heard that place is now overrun mainly with furries and people looking for hot night of typing "I PUT IT IN U"...
Why am I ranting on Second Life again? Erm... Carry on.
We called him that because he used to wear black clothes all the time. Later on it devolved in some primitive racist jokes about plantations and slavery but we all took it in good humor and than always went off to play football or get some beers...
So yeah... Erm, I do not think I experienced any racism in my life. Towards someone else or myself. But mayby that's because I never actually talked to one!
Also I'm laughing quite hard at people percieving Second Life as a mekka for racism. I highly doubt anyone that visits that place now-days and says such racist slurrs would have a moral spine to stand up and even face a man of a different race... Seriously that place is messed up. I remember when back in 2004 or somethin' people percieved it as a start of first real Virtual Reality... From what I heard that place is now overrun mainly with furries and people looking for hot night of typing "I PUT IT IN U"...
Why am I ranting on Second Life again? Erm... Carry on.
I guess I've been the target of so-called "reverse-racism". I grew up in an immigrant-rich neighbourhood and had a few taunts thrown my way. Nothing violent and it didn't happen often. Still makes me mad =/
But the closest I've gotten to witness white-on-any-other-skin-colour racism IRL is when my brother-in-law made a tasteless joke when I was a kid. I was shocked and told him off with a twelve-year-old's righteous rage. Otherwise most (white) Swedes are too afraid to say anything that might be seen as racist. Then again, we voted a neo-nazi-affiliated party into our government. Which sucks donkey-testicles.
Why can't people just get along? Sigh.
But the closest I've gotten to witness white-on-any-other-skin-colour racism IRL is when my brother-in-law made a tasteless joke when I was a kid. I was shocked and told him off with a twelve-year-old's righteous rage. Otherwise most (white) Swedes are too afraid to say anything that might be seen as racist. Then again, we voted a neo-nazi-affiliated party into our government. Which sucks donkey-testicles.
Why can't people just get along? Sigh.
As a white individual who believes that racism against black people has ended forever and ever, I feel qualified to say how hard it is to be white. I mean, there's so much racism against us nowadays that it's unfair.
You have black history month and black pride, but when me and a couple of friends try to have a pro-white movement, dressing up in pointy hats and bedsheets, suddenly we are the racist ones!
On top of that, once, I noticed a black person getting away with being racist to a white person. Clearly this is entirely the wrong way round! I mean, I'm just going to randomly ascert that this happens on a much larger scale and ignore all examples of white people getting away with being racist against blacks (because, as we know, racism against their ilk has ended forever and ever).
Of course, this institutionalised racism is everywhere, not only are us white folk not allowed to say '******' (even though we invented the blasted insult) but we aren't even allowed to dominate society and discriminate against lesser races. Honestly! It's political correctness gone mad!
You have black history month and black pride, but when me and a couple of friends try to have a pro-white movement, dressing up in pointy hats and bedsheets, suddenly we are the racist ones!
On top of that, once, I noticed a black person getting away with being racist to a white person. Clearly this is entirely the wrong way round! I mean, I'm just going to randomly ascert that this happens on a much larger scale and ignore all examples of white people getting away with being racist against blacks (because, as we know, racism against their ilk has ended forever and ever).
Of course, this institutionalised racism is everywhere, not only are us white folk not allowed to say '******' (even though we invented the blasted insult) but we aren't even allowed to dominate society and discriminate against lesser races. Honestly! It's political correctness gone mad!
I think what you mean to say was "if a white guy makes a racist comment, nothing happens, but if a black guy makes a racist comment, white guys complain about it on the internet".kortin said:
Being a white male is such a drag.darkman80723 said:
I believe N.W.A wrote a very succinct song on this very subject.THEJORRRG said:
Believe me LA is way better than where I am. At least out there NONE of what I listed (and most of what I didn't) ever happened to me.Xanian said:::Sheepish look:: I must have been clicking around too much between posters...I thought you were some dude from Northern Australia for some reason...Icehearted said:I'm originally from Long BeachXanian said:
Yeah...being an American minority in LA with an American accent sucks. If you had any other English Speaking accent you'd probably be cool.
I didn't know that. Well, that's some progress I guess! But I think my point about BET is valid, quality notwithstanding. Although today the acronym should maybe be BASWKET (Black and Suburban White Kids Entertainment Television).Nocturnal Gentleman said: