Racism

Nobody has a thought? A thumbs up or a you got it wrong? I'd really like a conversation on this. You can expand this to trans or any group tbh that is whispered about among like humans.

Be patient. You may get some responses.
Give it some time. You just posted a brand new thread.

1. Racism is a complicated subject with no easy answers, but I am happy that you want to start a conversation.

2. I don't believe that there is any one reason for racism.

3. I believe the cause and source of racism varies.

4. I also don't believe there is any one easy solution to end racism.

5. I'm not even certain if racism can ever be ended entirely.

5. But, I do believe that racism can be reduced or lessen.

#4 caught my attention. I wonder often if racism is inherent in our survival instinct. Not the type of foolish racism we see today, but an instinct to be weary of those unlike us. Like a survival instinct that has to be overcome by knowing and trusting. I don't believe racism at its basis level is evil, but we are beyond that these days. We know each other and still make choices that are nonsensical. I do feel fear when in municipalities largely black, yes I said it, I don't know why tbh. Part of my posting here is to understand that. I've never had a bad experience with a black person in my entire 50 year life, yet I look around and feel fear...why??? What is it that makes me feel that way. "I have friends that are black", but yet I still feel fear. Why and more importantly, how do I overcome this...I am certain that I'm am not alone in this black or white, chinese or muslim.

Agreed.



Can you elaborate exactly what you mean?



1. One way is to learn and study history. One way that can be done is by learning history in school.

2. It is important to learn the good and the bad in our history. That is how we learn more about ourselves as a people and as a society.

3. Also, when we learn the good and the bad in our history, I hope we can learn to not let the bad history repeat itself.

4. Another suggestion is we as a society become more eager to learn about other cultures.

5. When we learn to see each other as human beings, I would hope that would result in less hate and less racism.


Maybe you haven't. But, you have seen racism.

1. I don't know the reason for your fear.

2. I suspect that it might have been ingrained in you from how you may have seen black people
portrayed in movies and television.

1. Sometimes the fear you feel may have more to do with the neighborhood and less to do about the race.

2. This is just one possible insight.

I think that I refused to believe that it was real. I grew up in a small white town, then joined the military. The Air Force was, in my experience very "don't care what race you are". So all of the hatred seemed odd to me once I rejoined civilian life, but then it confronted me.

1. Being in the Air Force exposed you to different cultures and different races.

2. I believe just as important as being exposed to different cultures and different races was making new friends.

3. I suspect that you made friends with different people with different backgrounds. Especially when you are in the military.

absolutely. I don't believe that black people are largely, by populus, criminals but based on media it's a dichotomy. Perhaps it is true, but the question is why...it isn't because of our color imo, but yet because we force it so it is. I believe it's because of decades of pushing aside people...forcing folks to struggle. I am lucky to have never had to face racial impediments in my life. I interview people all the time for jobs and I struggle. "I ax". "you be". it's hard to choose somebody who isn't ESL. it's a very weird position to be in.

1. It may be true that the media has been known to have portrayed black people in a negative light.

2. But, I don't believe that black people are bad. I also don't believe that black people are criminals.

3. Black people are no different than any other race.

Definitely. My primary experience with black people has been with "cops" or HLN. Yet, I do believe that there is a culture of crime; whether that be white trash trailer parks or the "slums". What I don't know is whether the shows target slums or not. I mean if you were to follow a cop in my home town on a trailer park surveillance all the time, you'd be scared. It just seems like we have created a culture of you will never earn it, so take it. That really bothers me. It bothers me because it might be true and then we are screwed.

No responses at 3 in the bloody morning!

Some of us have to sleep.

The World does not revolve around you.

In prehistoric times various groups lived in what is now known as the Middle East, Egyptians, Hittites, Sumerians, Hebrews, Assyrians and others.

They all looked very different, and would style their hair and dress to accentuate those differences.

That meant one could easily tell whether the group coming down the road was friendly or hostile.

Back when we were separated into different tribes being aware of the differences made sense and was a matter of survival, not any more.

Look at what's going on in Ukraine, Russia is trying to make out Ukrainians are the same as Russians which is why they're invading.

Ukraine would have been better off next to a country that claimed to be totally different.

In many cases the problem is more one of "colorism". A dark-skinned Dravidian could experience more discrimination than a light-skinned African-American. "Race" is a social construct, not a scientific fact.

I think for at least some people, it's a lack of knowledge of anything outside their small town or ideological bubble.

In 1979, I was a freshman in college. One of my suitemates told me that I was the first Jew she had ever seen in person.

This girl wasn't from the sticks. She was from just outside of Providence, Rhode Island --- and all of Rhode Island is maybe an hour to an hour and a half from the borders of Connecticut and Massachusetts. She went to a decent high school and was the salutatorian of her class.

We are still friends, BTW. She was genuinely curious about me and my background.

In the late 90s I worked as an auditor for a large insurance company. I handled the south, and traveled with a few separate CPAs. One was a young woman who had gone to Liberty University (Jerry Falwell's school). Again, I was the first Jewish person she had ever met. She didn't really understand the difference between Jews and Christians until she asked me what Jesus meant to "my people". I think she finally got it when I told her it was the same as what Muhammad meant to her.

As late as 1999, in rural Georgia, we would see tee shirts for sale at the Cracker Barrel that said, "Jew him down!"

Even now, I know people who have been asked if we had our horns removed. And I have seen plenty of antisemitism on A2K as well.

And that's just good old fashioned casual antisemitism, against a group of people who often are a kind of invisible minority. If I say nothing, and don't wear a Star of David, people often don't know. In 2018, the CEO where I work asked me how my Easter was. I told him it was Passover.

To this day, in a company of ~60 or so people, only two of us are Jewish, and there's one Muslim guy. Christmas is a day off. Yom Kippur is not (in all fairness, we have unlimited PTO, so it doesn't truly matter these days).

On the other hand, there's a larger proportion of people of color at my job than in the general population of the US. The company is committed to DEI (I wrote the DEI statement). So, there's an effort being made.

The point I guess I am kinda dancing around is that even educated people who are making an effort have an undercurrent of not necessarily hate, but definitely ignorance.

This is the case even in as connected a world as we live in now. A person can hit Google to learn that Jews aren't born with horns-- yet there are plenty of people who don't bother to find out. They aren't even intellectually curious. Same with crime statistics or demographics or anything else where people make assumptions based on race, religion, gender, etc.

Yet a lot of people don't test their assumptions. And they don't stop self-segregating. Why is that?

"I think for at least some people, it's a lack of knowledge of anything outside their small town or ideological bubble. ..

They aren't even intellectually curious. Same with crime statistics or demographics or anything else where people make assumptions based on race, religion, gender, etc.

Yet a lot of people don't test their assumptions. And they don't stop self-segregating. Why is that?"

Yes, I agree. A lot of people aren't curious about anybody but their family and friends. They don't want to try any food but what they're used to. They don't want to be 'different'.

And that goes for a lot of people from other backgrounds. It's rare to find a Lebanese, Sudanese or Pakistani in a French, Mexican or Italian restaurant. In fact, I've never seen it and I eat 'ethnic' food all the time, at home and out.

1. As a black man, I do recall incidents of racism directed toward me.

2. I was once pulled over by the police, not for speeding or any moving violation.

3. He pulled me over to ask me where I was going?

4. That is quite odd to be pulled over for that reason.

5. I also remember a few occasions of being racially profile in stores.

6. There have also been other incidents I've experience racism.

7. I do believe the degree and level of racism may vary from city to city, neighborhood to neighborhood, etc.

Statistics show that black people are prone to criminality. I grew up in housing projects and everybody that has grown up around black people can confirm the statistics match the experience.

1. There is also (Structural racism).

2. There is also (Institutional racism).

3. There is also (Systemic racism).