Racism in America

I started a thread about racism a while back, the burden of which was that racism was endemic in the white population. Snood later commented that that was more or less true in the black population, too. I am bemused by the certitude about the number of "points" this affects, but not by the proposition itself.

I also think 20 points is too high--I also think much of the racist comments on newscorp, even those comments that have nothing to do with presidential comments, is trolling.

At least I hope so.

If not, then the comments on something like being critical of the NYPD's practices of 'Stop, Search and Question' is truely disheartening.

Rap

If he were white, he might pick up a few voters. He might lose a few others. The young and the liberal seem to be a significant part of his base, and I can't see him making further gains there if were a different race. Black voters are another part of his base, maybe because of his politics; maybe because of his race. Gain or lose some points, it might end up a wash.

I believe that many people have their own definition of racism; therefore, many people are talking at cross-purposes about racism. Is racism always prejudice. Is racism always bigotry? Does racism mean we define another person inherently different, based on birth?

Personally, I think racism is poorly understood, since there is plenty of prejudice and bigotry between people of the same race. So, if that cannot be ameliorated, how can inter-race racism be addressed?

In my own opinion, racism might, for many people, be a hard-wired evolution driven emotion, that apparently preserved over eons certain tribes. It might be too early in mankinds history to think that labeling racism "bad" can eliminate it. We really only started "mixing" in the last century or two willingly; before that it might have just been the by-product of war or one group dominating another group.

This doesn’t surprise me one bit! Racism is alive and well in this country.

http://www.cnn.com/video/?hpt=hp_t2#/video/us/2012/07/27/church-bans-black-couple-wedding.wlbt

I believe a greater portion of the nation is racially tolerant today than just a few short years ago. But it is deeply ingrained in enough people to make it an issue for many years to come. The human is a territorial animal and anything that makes a group of people to be different can be used to stir a primal urge to defend oneself or act aggressively among the insecure and the bigots.

48 years its been and we still have this racism, worries me how long it will take for homophobia to dissipate, probably long afer we have marriage rights.

In my opinion, homophobia is just the other sign of the coin of misogyny, and it is related to anti-Semitism. The reason being that homophobes, I believe, glorify "the guy world" that we see in many male teenagers (known for a high level of homophobia). Homosexuality is a mockery of that guy world, in the mind of many a homophobe. So is the world of ladies. So, is the studious, restricted world in the "image" of Judaism. All just my opinion, but I think that many homophobes just glorify the guy world to the point where any deviation from it is a threat.

Until society promulgates a live and let live attitude, homophobia will be here, I believe. That may be awhile for much of the world, including the US. Let's be honest. Without tv, much of the country would just be the old early 20th century hick.