First racist experience

The first racist experience that I could remember was sometime during the 1970s. I was probably around 11 or 12 years old. One day my mom had discovered that someone had spray painted the "N" word across our front porch. We did scrub it off and cleaned it up. We never knew who actually did this.

A racist coward did it.

There are many "ignorant" individuals, who are very educated. Likewise, there are many,, many uneducated individuals, who are not" ignorant", in the least way.

Now you do.

Wow. I already know this exists in the US, but you put it perfectly. Humans are engineerd to conform. Its in our DNA because we use it to adapt to our environment. A zebra can't have red stripes just because he disagrees with black ones. The pressure to survive is not left with the animal kingdom. Without diversity, this is bound to happen.
I was speaking with a Jordanian friend of mine about Trump. Yes, they know him there, the Muslim world watches us closely after Iraq. And we discussed the "ban." My opinion was the more muslims and more mosques we have, the better the country is. You dilute extremism that way. The more exposure people have to diversity, the less they fear it. Its not easy...even scary sometimes. But what did our forefathers give to us, through sacrifice, and a view that did not conform with the way its always been. They are rolling in their graves right now to listen to what we are becoming. Everything they hated about the old world.

I am going to tell you of my first racist experience that I am guilty of feeling.

I mentioned before, I grew up in deep south LA. In my time, (I have been gone over 20 years now), I never met a mexican, or a Latino. I met my first Jew when I was 21. Black, white, and vietnamese is pretty much the racial stucture at this point.

I moved to CA where I all my co-workers were black. I am very comfortable with black people. I grew up with them, enjoyed their spirit and their differences to me. I was not scared of black people. Even was the only white girl in a night club in Oakland with my black girlfriends. I have no racism towards blacks at all.

Fast forward a couple years, and my future hubby and I move to Tucson, AZ. Now, its new diversity of people I have NO experience with. I was scared of Mexicans. I admit it. I didnt understand their culture, their language, their upbringing.

My hubby and I pulled up to this grocery store in the middle of ghetto Mexican neighborhood. If it had beed a black neighborhood, I would not have cared about locking the doors. But here? He went in the store, I stayed in the truck and locked the doors. I didnt u derstand the people. Therefore I didnt trust them. Is that racist?

Prejudice is to (pre)judge someone without really knowing the person. The reasons may be based on race/ethnicity, gender, religion, age, sexual preference, or any one of infinite reasons. Racism is a specific prejudice which entails (pre)judging someone based on their race without really knowing the person.

So fearing an entire culture is prejudice, sorry...I can't see the difference. I thought racism was acting on a prejudice, not just thinking about it. I locked the doors to the truck. Was that racist? Being worried and not acting, fearing the unknown, or a stereotype, but doing nothing. That prejudiced. Acting on that prejudice, mostly in fear or anger...rascist. Help me cuz thats how I understand it.

Thats assuming your prejudiced thoughts are not spreading words of hate, then that becomes racism...because you are slurring, or damaging the innocent based on personal or learned bias alone.

No it is nothing to do with racism. It is that we feel unsecure in a situation where we do not know the rules.
As a rule we feel best around people who are like us - and that has nothing to do with race, colour or nationality. It has to do with behavior and same interests or what ever.
Twice it has happened in Denmark that a Dane asked if he could sit at our table. Left when he heard I was Swedish. National discrimination
I know a young woman who worked in London and when the boss
found out she had a German passport she was put in another department. He did not like Germans. National discrimination
And a white American who in the 70ies got a job at a German university but had to leave as some of the students refused to have an American at their university. National discrimination
This is all white people against white people.

The history about the Irish against Irish in early America was well known.

Someone can have prejudice or racist views without acting on their views. Hypothetically if someone were to believe that all black and hispanic men were thugs, gangsters, thieves, and drug dealers and that person kept his views to himself and never acted on his views, he would still be a racist.

Most people probably have some degree of racism or prejudice within them. The question is why? There are all kind of reasons why. It could be from your personal experience. If you grew up in an environment where it was common practice for minorities to be picked on and mistreated by cops, you would understand why that person might believe that all cops are bad. That person's prejudice of cops would have grew out of his personal experience. Things you see on the news, tv shows, movies, and music could shape your views of a particular group of people. The environment might also shape a persons view. For example if you were driving through an older, run down, and neglected neighborhood late at night might cause you to lock your car door because your gut tells you that this neighborhood doesn't look safe.

Most people probably have some degree of prejudices or racism. The difference would be the degree or level of a particular prejudice. The difference is how someone act upon a specific prejudice. Excuse the pun, but racism and prejudice is not always as clear as black and white.

I'm irish american.

tell me what you are talking about.

Here: http://www.racismreview.com/blog/2010/03/17/irish-americans-racism-and-the-pursuit-of-whiteness/

I'll look at that tomorrow, but if if you are saying the irish were racist, well, duh.

Interesting Real Music. But, I disagree with your definition of racism.

Ok, let me explain it as I understand it.

Prejudice- in innate fear, stereotype or ingrained thought about someone different then you, but inaction. "I fear and distrust you because I dont know your race, but you still get the job." That prejudice. Personally I dont like you, but it does not effect your life.

Discrimination- I dont like you, so therefore I wont give you a job, or a loan, or let you live in my neighborhood.

Racist- not only do I not like you, but I will teach others and spread the word not to like you either.

I believe everyone is prejudiced. Its how we act that defines us!

A- Humans are all tribal. B - What's so important about one's first racist experience? There are people that experience racism every day. C - In my opinion, this thread's question is just plum silly at best; at worst it might be offensive to those that experience racism every day, in my opinion.

The reason I asked is because I believe the way to healing is exploring how we became who we are to begin with. What our influences were and why. Over and over again, I hear we need to have an "honest" discussion about racism. I am willing to meet that challenge, and hopefully learn something from it.
I dont find the topic silly at all. Many people here have gotten off their chest their experiences with racism, either a victim or a witness. Even understanding it is a question. To consider a topic on rasicm as "silly" is just burying your head in the sand.

Btw, the point you bring up about those experiencing it daily finding it offensive. Are you kidding me? Those are exactly the people I want to hear from! Lay it out! Help those that may not even realize they are being racist understand it.

No; are you kidding me? People know when they are being treated in a racist way. Have a nice day. Bye-bye.