How racist is America?

How racist is america was the question asked by CNN in its poll. According to the results, 49% of black people said it was a serious problem while only 18% white people considered the same.

[url=http://www.cnn.com/exchange/ireports/topics/forms/2006/12/racism.html]Source[url]

This poll is a very good example of why racism is still so prevelant. We can be racist sometimes to others without even realizing it. If only 18% of the white people feel its a serious problem compared to the half of the black people interviewed then maybe white people dont realize it as much as black people do. Adding to the fact that black people and other minorities are usually the ones to be discriminated against more than an average joe white male.

White people should become more aware of the racism in their neighbourhood. I saw a documentary on television once, where they showed the black people getting denied entry in a club. They were given excuses like, wrong shoes, or club full, etc. while the next white person in line was allowed in without a problem.

Some white people probably dont even realize that discrimination is taking place all over them. A hightened awareness could help in lessening the problem.

And blacks and other minorities have to accept the fact that not all of us are alike and we all are racist sometimes. Lot of the times we seem to give preference to someone from same race or religion. At times we are also openly racist against other races.

TV shows and movies give very good examples which are not exaggerated but it actually is that severe. Like the movie 'Crash' gave a very good view of people from different races and walks of life and how they reacted with other characters.

If we became more aware of the other person's culture and way of life and actually tried to befriend some one from a different race than us, we can really heighten our understanding of them and help in eliminating stereotyping and discrimination.

Best way to fight something is to understand it completely and possibly experience it.

The above link also gives a form to fill out with which we can send our thoughts on this issue to CNN. They will post a selction of those. CNN will also be showing a 1 hour special on 'Racism' on tuesday night at 8 pm ET.

Frankly since crawling out of my happily insulated hole in the wall and into the anti-christ's new toy, ie. the internet, I've been shocked at the level and tenor of anti-semitism, entrenched classism, sexism and racist attitudes towards people of color.

I didn't realize how ignorant people could be on such a wide scale in such a wealthy age. Leading me to often ponder that windbag Winston Churchill's statement that the best argument against democracy is a 5 minute conversation with a voter.

What happened to the education system? Percy Byshe Shelly, that champagne socialist was right, when he foresaw the erosion of ettiquette with the rise of the worker. Course the bad apples tend to stick out and I've noticed this more on other boards, the racism. The sexism is pretty much accepted everywhere more openly.

Bad time to be a black woman. Has there been a good time in awhile?

When the barons of Edwardian England began losing their wealth and the industrial age enrichened previous peasants, aristocrats were identified by their manners.

Now it is only money that seems to delineate class.

It's as self-satisfied and barren as Sparta. Who are the helots, blacks, single mothers anyone left struggling at the bottom of the historical pile.



[edit on 14-12-2006 by clearwater]

how can someone measure racism? You cant just count hate-crimes since the definition is too vague. You cant count on lawsuits because money is to be made. You cant count anything people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton say because theyre just tragedy pimps. The last thing they want to see is a racism-free society. Theyd loose their influence, power and money.
You cant gague whats in someones heart when they say something or do something. You cant count on peoples experiences because some, thanks to the tragedy pimps, are hyper-sensative to EVERYTHING.
Its completely manufactured and there is no scientiffic way to measure it.
Its all crap. You cant translate relative experiences and reactions into hard numbers. Its just not possible.

Personally, Id say true racial hatred is the lowest its ever been but P.C. culture and tragedy prifiteering from hate-crimes, law suits and sensationalism has made it al much louder and "in your face" whether its genuine hatred on the grounds of race or a joke between friends.

And anyone who pulls that "if you joke about it you really mean it" garbage is full of it.

When did this country, this WORLD, become so full of whiny little bitches?

Originally posted by silencer
How racist is america was the question asked by CNN in its poll. According to the results, 49% of black people said it was a serious problem while only 18% white people considered the same.

I find these results interesting. I'm not arguing with the results as I have no means to know any better, more questioning them. But I would like to see more specific information about how the poll was conducted and what the questions were...

And as a woman, if I saw a poll that asked if women get paid less than men, I'd be inclined to vote yes. In general, a man, seeing the same poll, might be inclined to vote no.

That would tell very little about what the truth of the matter is.

Secondly, as a white person, I know that racism is alive and well in America, and I also know that many white people either deny that fact or really don't know about it. So those people would vote that racism is dead or whatever. I have also encountered many black people with a chip on thier shoulders about racism and interpret every negative action in life as some form of racism meted out to them by whitey. So whether they experience true racism or not, they would vote that it was a serious problem.

Thirdly, this poll seems to deal just with white-on-black racism. I'm not sure about that since I haven't seen the poll, but generally when people think of racism, they think of white people as the ones with the 'racist' behavior. I'd like to see the same people's answers to a black-on-white or white-on-arab racism...

I guess my main thought here is that while the poll indicates something, I'm not sure how accuate it is. I'm sure that more black people see and experience racism than white people and I'm sure that more white people deny or are ignorant about racism than black people, but I don't trust the numbers on this poll for the reasons given. I think if we all talked about it more (which is another problem entirely) that those numbers (18% and 49%) would come much closer together.

I am not buying what some including CNN seem to be selling. I checked the link and nowhere does it show the actual survey they alledge took place.



Link Used

AS anyone can see there is no survey given nor are there any demographics given, therefore I take this as hype to gather viewers.

Frankly I do not think that everything is as racist as many blacks like Jackson and Sharpton would have you believe simply because they cry foul each and everytime a black person is accused of anything.




[edit on 12/14/2006 by shots]

One more thing I though of while at the dog park...

If you ask an individual white person how much racism there is in America, because they don't practice individual racism themselves, they're likely to give a low rating.

Blacks are more likely to give a higher rating because they are more often victims of institutional racism, which is a much larger problem in America today than is individual racism.

That may account for part of the discrepancy in the numbers.

How racist is America? As has been pointed out, it depends upon who you ask. Having seen it, I'd say America is racist, or at least has elements in it that practise racism. To say America is by and large a racist nation, because of the actions of a portion of the population is misstating the reality. Yes, there are elements within America that practice racism.

I suppose I disagree more with the title of the thread than I do the actual content. Racism is there for anyone to see who cares to take the time to see it.

America will always have elements of racism in it..

The first thing that needs to be addressed here is that the people who should cry "racism" here in the states almost never do.. There is no group that has been any more discriminated against than the Native Americans have.. I mean, hell, if one wants to be technical about it,Europeans, African Americans and Asians shouldn't even be here..

Yet, no one ever even mentions Native Americans when it comes to discrimination..It's always against blacks, hispanics,whites or asians... That to me is the real travesty.

Do I think it's nearly half as bad as some would have everyone believe. Nah... Racism is nothing now compared to what it was 40 to 100 years ago...

[edit on 14-12-2006 by SpeakerofTruth]

Is America racist? To an extent , yes. Is this a symptom of just America? No. America is truly of melting pot of races and as such racism creeps up more to the surface here than other places.

Travel around the world enough and go outside of the tourist areas and you will see it in all countries. Name a region of the world that doesn't have racism, there aren't many. Some are better than others in dealing with it ie Canada, while others aren't ie Sudan. But the racism is still there. At least in America some of us try to confront and deal with it while in other regions it simmers till it explodes in violence. Will it go away, sadly probably never entirely and it is a two way street that self perpetuates.

This is a good question.

My answer is that no one is being denied an education because of their race. Many under represented minorities, however, do not seem to value education.

No one is being prevented from getting a loan, buying a house in any neighborhood based on their race.

Everyone here in the US is free to succeed or fail on their own merits. If you fail, you fail regardless of your race. If you succeed, once again, it is regardless of your race.

If you encounter a racist in this country, you can pretty much just ignore them and go on with your business.

The only thing holding people back is themselves.