Why racism is propagated

Racism is alive and well in America. It does not exist as many people think it does, in the form of overt discrimination in employment and education as it did in the 1950's or racial violence. While there have been a few isolated incidents of this type of discrimination in recent years, it is not the type of racism that alters the fabric of society. This type of overt racism is condemned by all but the most fanatical extremists.

Today's racism is highly pervasive, but more subtile. For example, virtually all white people have a fear of Black people they do not know. They may feel the Black people they know are alright, but they are affraid of strange Black people. They will clutch their purse tighter when a Black person they do not know is in the same elevator as them. White people are ashamed to admit they have these attitudes, but as many people of color will attest, this is true.

The reason why these attitudes exist is that they are implanted in people to control them. Fear of Black people and other minorities drives people to do strange things. They buy homes in far away suburbs to avoid minorities, which leads to real estate developers, home builders, oil companies and auto makers making more money. (Oil companies and car makers benefit as people who live in far off suburbs will drive more to commute to their jobs in the inner city.) On the political front, people who fear minorities are more likely to approve of and allow the government to have more police powers to crack down on the "threat" minorities pose.

Just my two cents about racism. Your thoughts.

I still believe that racism can and has turned into violence, even in this day and age. Though I would have to disagree with all whites having a little bit of racism towards blacks. I would say the majority are not racist, and the very few who are will either hide it or speak freely about it, much like any race. Racism in the south, is still strong. Living in north GA, you can find many racists, especially in Hall County, where people flaunt their racism with statues of people with "black face" makeup in their yard and nooses hanging from their trees.

After 9/11, violence towards Arabs and Middle Easterners has increased greatly, counting for a large majority of hate crimes committed in the US is present years.

[edit on 4-1-2007 by DJMessiah]

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
Racism is alive and well in America. It does not exist as many people think it does, in the form of overt discrimination in employment and education as it did in the 1950's or racial violence.

I do agree with your basic premise as I don't think this will ever change but I will add that racism as far as employment is concerned is alive, thriving, and takes place every single day. Just as caucasions may clutch their purse in the presence of minorities, Executives and companies wishing to preserve a "certain image" will do everything they can to make sure their high paying jobs are not taken by minorities. A few things for you to think about.
1) Back in the 50's, 60's to keep minorities out of certain positions a high school diploma was needed and as more blacks acquired their high school diploma, then for a lot of these same positions you needed some college courses and then a Bachelors degree. Back then, some minorities were still not allowed on certain campuses.....Now more minorities are receiving their Bachelors degree but are finding out that employers are looking at their degree more to the likes of a high school diploma so now more people are going on to get their masters and what your finding is that even educated white people are getting squeezed because as more people graduate college, the more jobs they ship overseas and the harder it is to find a good paying job. Good paying meaning a salary that is rewarding and comparable to your time, effort, and $$ attending undergrad/grad.
2) Employers are getting creative in how they illegally pre-screen potential employee's. Many times, online applications for many companies include questions about race which is illegal. They are presented in ways that seem innocent (such as affirmative action, statistics, ect.) but to think that companies do not ultimately use this info to prescreen is ridiculous, otherwise they would wait until the interview to find out what race you are. Just because of the larger number of graduating minorities, you will find many of them in high profile positions which is great but to think that racism doesn't go on in the "employment arena" is presumptuous at the very least.
3) I think that it is easier for a black or minority woman to excel in a corporate setting simply because most white executives do not fear their jobs will be taken by them in comparison to educated black or minority males. Also giving black women nice corporate jobs gives them the assumption that they don't need black men or men period which by our history has been a conspiracy in itself: "keeping minority men in a confused/degraded self dignity/poor esteem state of mind" Remember that woman could not receive foodstamps back in the early AFDC days if a man was in the home meaning "they" can't take care of you and your family but the goverment can" and it's still that way now to a certain extent.
4)Racism today is done quitely through city, state, and federal laws. I could go on forever about the existence of this type of racism but just as the country is clueless as to the patriot act and other newly instituted bills, if you search you will found THOUSANDS of laws and provisions that silently target minorities in every segment of society from education to banking.

The bottom line is that I encourage everyone to get educated....no one can take that from you and as far as racism goes. It will always exist in one form or another. Even if we were all one race, we would find some other way to discriminate against one another. It's up to every person black and white to raise the bar and realize that we are all Americans, bleed red, and all have something to good to offer.

Yes, others can view these issues from a different pov but they are made in reference to the orginal comments

Racism in employment is actually exacerbated by anti-discrimination laws. It is very difficult to fire a Black person in America. If you fire a Black person for any reason, no matter how justified you were in firing him or her, he or she will have a prima facie case against you in court, meaning the burden of proof will be on you the employer to prove you did not fire them for racist reasons.

This being said, a lot of companies will put Black people in positions where there performance will be irrelevant, like bureacratic departments. That way, if the person is underperforming, the company will not be severely harmed if the person underperforms. If Black people are put in positions where there performance is critical to the success of the company, and the person underperforms, the company will not be fire and replace the worker easily.

There will always be racists of all colors and persuasions. But what I see in contemporary culture today is "prejudice" [pre judge] across the spectrum of races and cultures. This imo is human nature, to size up your opponent as our tribal heritage is still strong in our conscienceness.
This may be a mild form of racism, sexism or any ism you choose.

Hate in general is propagated by the powers that be, as a divided populace is much easier to control and manipulate.

And your job, should you decide to accept it, is to live and let live.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
For example, virtually all white people have a fear of Black people they do not know. They may feel the Black people they know are alright, but they are affraid of strange Black people. They will clutch their purse tighter when a Black person they do not know is in the same elevator as them.

How is this stereotype, that all white people are afraid of black people, any less racist than that of what white people are considered for?

If I am walking down a strange street late in the night, and I walk pass five large black men, I would be a little uneasy. I would be awkward and holding my breath to find myself out of the situation. Is that racist? No! Why? Because if I were walking down that same road, at the same time, and the same five men were passing, but they were white, I would still be uncomfortable.

It has nothing to do with race. Women clutching their purses as people pass is not an indication of racism. It is an indication that we are inundated with rapes, murders, robberies, assaults, etc., through the media. What we as a society have done is manipulated these facts and slapped on a racism tag on it.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
White people are ashamed to admit they have these attitudes, but as many people of color will attest, this is true.

Can we stop with the stereotypes? Honestly, do you think you can sum up an entire race with one sentence? Stones, glass house, enough said.

Sorry, I hate to knock you off your politically correct high horse, but a lot of White people feel uneasy about Black people. This is not to say these people are all bad, but rather they have been conditioned to feel that way. If virtually every white person had no qualms with minorities, why would are so many white people putting themselves through hellish commutes just so they can live in lilly white suburbs miles away from where they work?

Once we acknowledge the prejudice exists, we can then examine who or what put that prejudice there and why. It is ironic that this racism is doing more to hold White people down, by making them flee to suburbs and live in fear, then it is holding Black people down.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
Sorry, I hate to knock you off your politically correct high horse,

No need to apologize. I like to get off and stretch the legs from time to time.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
but a lot of White people feel uneasy about Black people. This is not to say these people are all bad, but rather they have been conditioned to feel that way.

I agree with you, and nowhere in my post did I disagree. However, you fail to get past your own stereotypes. Yes, some white people have a problem with minorities. Just as blacks, or any other race, have a problem with whites, or any other race. My problem is that you use terms like, everyone. No, not every white person has beefs with blacks.

Do you believe there are black people who have a problem with white people? Also, do you believe it can be justified since whites may have a problem with blacks? Will be do the what came first, chicken or the egg, dance? They oppressed us, so we are within our right to do it back?

Racism does exist. It exists everywhere. But your narrow approach to this issue is where I vent my frustration. You point fingers at whites and proclaim them to be the ignorant. Yet you fail to acknowledge the racial tendencies of every other race that exists.

It is human nature to judge. To some degree, we are all racist. We all have prejudicial thoughts of someone. Whites are no more of the problem than anyone else.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
If virtually every white person had no qualms with minorities, why would are so many white people putting themselves through hellish commutes just so they can live in lilly white suburbs miles away from where they work?

Maybe they like the scenery? How can you base your thoughts on these assumptions? Every white person who lives in the suburbs, has to be racist, since they commute miles to work. Rather than the obvious fact they want their children to grow up in a quiet neighborhood, where they have the opportunity to be kids. No, they must be racist trying to avoid the wretched minorities. Please, that is a tad bit ridiculous.

That notion itself is racism. Prejudicial thoughts. Maybe you'll join me on my horse later? The light is much brighter up here.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
Once we acknowledge the prejudice exists, we can then examine who or what put that prejudice there and why. It is ironic that this racism is doing more to hold White people down, by making them flee to suburbs and live in fear, then it is holding Black people down.

Are you reading this? Once we acknowledge the prejudice exists... What did I just do? How can you fail to admit that these prejudices, racial thoughts & acts, all exist in society's, that contain more than white people.

I say again, Rocks, Glass House.

[edit on 4-1-2007 by chissler]

1. Even if not all whites harbor these prejudices, a large number do. These prejudices did not magically appear, but were systematically put there.

2. When people move to the suburbs because they "like the scenery" the want to "live in a nice neighborhood" or want to avoid "drugs and gangs," are these not thinly veiled ways of saying they want to avoid minorities? Remember, people are not just moving 10 minutes away from downtown so they can live in the suburbs. People who work in cities like San Francisco and Los Angeles are literally spending 4 to 6 hours a day commuting to live in suburbs, while comparably priced homes closer to work are available, but in predominantly minority areas.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
Racism is alive and well in America. It does not exist as many people think it does, in the form of overt discrimination in employment and education as it did in the 1950's or racial violence. While there have been a few isolated incidents of this type of discrimination in recent years, it is not the type of racism that alters the fabric of society. This type of overt racism is condemned by all but the most fanatical extremists.

Today's racism is highly pervasive, but more subtile. For example, virtually all white people have a fear of Black people they do not know. They may feel the Black people they know are alright, but they are affraid of strange Black people. They will clutch their purse tighter when a Black person they do not know is in the same elevator as them. White people are ashamed to admit they have these attitudes, but as many people of color will attest, this is true.

The reason why these attitudes exist is that they are implanted in people to control them. Fear of Black people and other minorities drives people to do strange things. They buy homes in far away suburbs to avoid minorities, which leads to real estate developers, home builders, oil companies and auto makers making more money. (Oil companies and car makers benefit as people who live in far off suburbs will drive more to commute to their jobs in the inner city.) On the political front, people who fear minorities are more likely to approve of and allow the government to have more police powers to crack down on the "threat" minorities pose.

Just my two cents about racism. Your thoughts.

What? That is disgusting.

So its just white people that are inherently racist and should be ashamed of themselves?

There are built in prejudices in society, yes..since the dawn of time in-fact. Every person on earth, from whatever race, will feel more confident around their own. There is scientific proof behind this.

Why have you singled out white people in your rant. And then you have gone on to suggest it is a vast corporate conspiracy.

There is a massive problems with crime within black communities, due to low educational attainment, communities concentrated in poorer areas etc (and don't try and claim that white teachers fail them, i've seen teachers spat at daily and they've still tried their best to give kids a right to an education)

In my experiences there are a lot of people from ethnic miniorities that are more outwardly racist, as they are allowed to be by the PC brigade.

I'd like to mention that many suburbs in London for instance, and probably in the U.S are home to minorities too. I personally live in an area in london that was famous for being very White, very Christian and quite affluent (good schools, including a very famous public one, lots of parks, good quality housing stock, excellent transport links etc). It is now almost 50-50 with regards to White British and 'minority' and will probably soon become a minority majority borough

[edit on 4-1-2007 by Peyres]

[edit on 4-1-2007 by Peyres]

Where do you get your information? Not to mention your ability to duck any issue I try to question you on.

You fault whites on racial tendencies. Yet I am curious if you are reading your own opinions towards our race. Racism is racism, it is always wrong.

How about rereading one of my posts and acknowledging some of the points &/or questions I have proposed to you.

Let's take a look at the current political state of the country.

First Muslim? Buddhist? Woman Speaker of the House? First Black Governor of Massachusetts?

Is this a hoax or are we taking a step in the right direction?

Systematically nothing. You are venting on the white race on false assumptions and failing to acknowledge your own errors.

Rereading my own post, I thought I should clarify that, obviously, I am speaking of the American government. I have used the term we even though I am not American, but I am a human being. The steps made today were very large, and as a non-American, I still feel like smiling.




[edit on 4-1-2007 by chissler]

Originally posted by Peyres
[
What? That is disgusting.

So its just white people that are inherently racist and should be ashamed of themselves?

There are built in prejudices in society, yes..since the dawn of time in-fact. Every person on earth, from whatever race, will feel more confident around their own. There is scientific proof behind this.

Why have you singled out white people in your rant. And then you have gone on to suggest it is a vast corporate conspiracy.

There is a massive problems with crime within black communities, due to low educational attainment, communities concentrated in poorer areas etc (and don't try and claim that white teachers fail them, i've seen teachers spat at daily and they've still tried their best to give kids a right to an education)

In my experiences there are a lot of people from ethnic miniorities that are more outwardly racist, as they are allowed to be by the PC brigade.

[edit on 4-1-2007 by Peyres]

You are right in that many problems that exist in the Black community are self inflicted, and that many minorities harbor racist attitudes, and yes a double standard does exist. I am not speaking about racism in general, but a particular type of racism, an irrational fear of Black people and other minorities. The fact some Black person can call me a honkey or cracker with little risk of censure, or that a particular Black person is poor because they chose to drop out of high school is not what this thread is about.

This thread is about the White person who travels spends four hours a day driving, because consciously or unconsciously, he is trying to avoid Blacks, Hispanics, Arabs, or other minorities. This thread is about the white person that is willing to give up his rights and live in a police state, out of fear of being a victim of a crime perpetrated by minorities like Minority gang members or Islamic terrorists.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
For example, virtually all white people have a fear of Black people they do not know.

What?

I'm with Chissler and Peyres here. I was thinking the other day... Whenever a person starts a phrase with "White people have a tendency to..." or something like that, think about the other side of the issue. Substitute it with "Black people..." or "Hispanics..." and see how far you get. Check out the double standard. Evaluate whether or not the statement you're making is indeed a form of racism.

Because when you decry the evils of racism with statements such as the one above, it's twists the mind of people who don't share your world view.

Oh, and here are a couple of LOVELY threads that delve quite deeply into the subject of how people feel about racism.

Why is Race Such a Taboo Subject?

What can we do to Address Race-relations and Solve Racism?

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
I am not speaking about racism in general, but a particular type of racism, an irrational fear of Black people and other minorities.

You might have mentioned this in your first post...

This thread is about the White person who travels spends four hours a day driving, because consciously or unconsciously, he is trying to avoid Blacks, Hispanics, Arabs, or other minorities.

Again... not even mentioned in your first post.

It would be more clear (and you might not get so much flak) if when you use the word racism, you define what it means in this context.

You can not take this narrow approach on the issue, attempt to point all of these fingers at one race, without expecting to face hard facts about the true content of racism.

You are attempting to focus on a minuscule aspect of racism, in order to fulfill some urge, to accuse a specific race of wrong doing.

Originally posted by chissler
Where do you get your information? Not to mention your ability to duck any issue I try to question you on.

You fault whites on racial tendencies. Yet I am curious if you are reading your own opinions towards our race. Racism is racism, it is always wrong.

How about rereading one of my posts and acknowledging some of the points &/or questions I have proposed to you.

Let's take a look at the current political state of the country.

First Muslim? Buddhist? Woman Speaker of the House? First Black Governor of Massachusetts?

Is this a hoax or are we taking a step in the right direction?

Systematically nothing. You are venting on the white race on false assumptions and failing to acknowledge your own errors.

Rereading my own post, I thought I should clarify that, obviously, I am speaking of the American government. I have used the term we even though I am not American, but I am a human being. The steps made today were very large, and as a non-American, I still feel like smiling.




[edit on 4-1-2007 by chissler]

What issues have I ducked? List them and I will tackle them. Admittedly, I am focussing on only one type of White on Black racism, and not because I necessarily feel that it is hurting Blacks or other minorities, but because it is harming whites. The racism is being used to control Whites.

The problem is people are looking at racism and measuring it through old paradigms. While the representation of Blacks and other minorities is not always proportional, members of all groups have access instititutions and employment that they did not have 50 years ago. For you to say that Black people are holding office, or entering professions, or studying at universities in unprecedented numbers is measuring racism by the old paradigm of institutional access or legal rights.

Today's racism is, as I said, more subtle. It is about suggestion people get through the media. Its goals are different than in the past. It is not necessarily about keeping Blacks or other minorities down, but rather aimed at influencing and controlling majority populations. The goal or racism in the early 1800's was to justify slavery, a vital component to the economy at the time. It kept Black people down for the benefit of Whites. Racism today is being used to primarily control the behavior of White people. It is being used by a small group of wealthy elite to keep large numbers of white people down.

There is a part of America that not many foreign tourists do not get to see, because frankly, it is not fun to see and they would find it appaling. There are suburbs far from the urban centers where every single house is the same color. Committees go around the neighborhood enforcing rules like what types of flowers people plant in their yards and what color people who live in these communities may drive. To say racism does not fuel the growth and existence of these communities is a little naive, as the communities are designed to emulate a WASPy ideal.

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
This thread is about the White person who travels spends four hours a day driving, because consciously or unconsciously, he is trying to avoid Blacks, Hispanics, Arabs, or other minorities. This thread is about the white person that is willing to give up his rights and live in a police state, out of fear of being a victim of a crime perpetrated by minorities like Minority gang members or Islamic terrorists.

Count me in then. I moved out of a major city to avoid blacks because the numbers are there to show there is a problem. It's not my problem to figure out or rationalize, I'll just move away to protect my family and my interests. I don't want to become a statistic. You can label me whatever you like but at the end of the day I'm much much happier and feel a hell of a lot safer because I don't live near a lot of minorities. It's about choice and I choose to avoid the problem rather than become a part of it. Also last time I checked I didn't forfeit any of my rights I just chose a safer environment.

brill

[edit on 4-1-2007 by brill]

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
For example, virtually all white people have a fear of Black people they do not know.

What?

I'm with Chissler and Peyres here. I was thinking the other day... Whenever a person starts a phrase with "White people have a tendency to..." or something like that, think about the other side of the issue. Substitute it with "Black people..." or "Hispanics..." and see how far you get. Check out the double standard. Evaluate whether or not the statement you're making is indeed a form of racism.

Because when you decry the evils of racism with statements such as the one above, it's twists the mind of people who don't share your world view.

Oh, and here are a couple of LOVELY threads that delve quite deeply into the subject of how people feel about racism.

Why is Race Such a Taboo Subject?

What can we do to Address Race-relations and Solve Racism?

Racism, or any behaviors that are or can be labeled racist are complex and broad. Somehow in the past 50 years Racism became the ultimate evil in society. We need to isolate all these behavior and phenomenon and judge them individually.

Not all acts of "racism" are equal in morality, amorality, or immorality. For example, we would all agree that ethnic cleansing campaigns like those of Nazi Germany or Rwanda are very evil. We would also agree that brutal lKKK ynchings were very immoral. On the other hand, when a White woman clutches her purse a bit tighter when a Black person gets on the elevator with her, the act is far less immoral. It would be irrational and illogical to compare this woman with Hitler or the KKK. In fact, there are many things one can do that are far more immoral than clutching ones purse tighter like punching someone (irregardless of their race) or stealing from someone (irregardless of their race.) We need to step back, take a chill pill and realize that not every form of racism is highly immoral, and in some circumstances racism can conceivably be amoral or immoral.

When I accuse the White masses, whether they consist of 10% or 99.999% of the White population of the type of racism I am accusing them, I am not saying these particular people are highly immoral for their acts. To the contrary, I feel these people are only slightly immoral, if not, amoral, for their attittudes. If any major blame is to be placed, it is on those that create these attitudes in these people. The only blame I am placing on the masses is that they may not have been critical enough in examining their own prejudices.

Don't get me started! As someone who hires and fires I have quit hiring some groups because it's easier to avoid problems than deal with them.Should be enough said but it's not. The last laborer I had made 18$ per hour and missed 56 working days last year and then got mad because he didn't get any raises. I told him you keep missing time your ovdiously not here for the money. 4 working days later he called me and said he would be in the middle of next week. I told him human Recources cleaned out his desk and took his computer the day before. He blew up and made threats. DUHHH!!! Go to work!!! what part of that don't people understand!!!


AAAHHHHHH!!!!
mikell

Probably the least racist white man you ever met.

Originally posted by brill

Originally posted by hotpinkurinalmint
Count me in then. I moved out of a major city to avoid blacks because the numbers are there to show there is a problem. It's not my problem to figure out or rationize, I'll just move away to protect my family and my interests. I don't want to become a statistic. You can label me whatever you like but at the end of the day I'm much much happier and feel a hell of a lot safer because I don't live near a lot of minorities. It's about choice and I choose to avoid the problem rather than become a part of it. Also last time I checked I didn't forfeit any of my rights I just chose a safer environment.

brill

First, I think you should be aprreciated for your candor. It is needed and contributes to this debate. The wonderful thing about the internet is someone like you can speak candidly without fear of reprisal.

I will not label you anything, as the "racist" label is too loaded, and the evils it represents do not apply to a person such as yourself. At the end of the day, you are a probably good person who is doing what you think is best for yourself and your family. You probably do not advocate enslaving all the minorities, or ethnicaly cleansing them, or any other atrocities, thus it would be unfair to compare you to KKK members, Nazis, and other like people.

What I do question is how you evaluated the risks. Perhaps when you weighed the pros and cons of moving to the exurbs, the cons of living within earshot or gunshot of minorities was given too much weight. Perhaps this was fueled by the strereotyupe of the Minority thug we are constantly bombarded with in the media. We should all question how the stereotype is created, and how and why it is presented?