Racism, Ignorance, and How It Really Is

Is one a racist for seeing the world the way it really is?

Is one a racist for speaking the truth no matter how politically correct it may be? Even if one does not use racial slang/terminology to degrade another race or individual?

The way I see mankind, human life in general, is that we have hunter gatherer instincts that are imbedded in our dna. This stems from the early days of the human race.

It is evident to me because of the human need for competition. One's need deep down to be the best that he/she can and should be. To be better than the next person. To bring home the bigger steak for dinner, or in todays society be on the winning team. Whether that team is racial, religion, sports, hunting and so on.

I feel that I sit amongst a bunch of hypocrites that all want equality and fairness for all people/races of earth or the galaxy. The only problem is that these people want to make more money than you/me, judge themselves amongst others, sit with their race(whatever race it may be) at gatherings, and talk behind peoples backs.

How can there ever be equality for all in a lifestyle such as this? I know that not all people are like this, but the majority are, whether you, or the next guy wants to admit it or not. If you think not, then why do you buy the Nike's, that team jersey, the new car, live in the nice neighborhood instead of the cheaper subdivision,,, etc?

It seems that everyone is so caught up in their own little ignorant lifestyle that it becomes part of them and they do not even rally know it. For example, One might say they want equality but they go to a NAACP meeting and do not go to any other meetings with mainly other races. Or one may speak of not being racist but thay judge people by the neighborhood they live in, or the way they wear their clothes.

By ignorant lifestyle I mean that they are so caught up in the everyday routine of "keeping up with the Jones's" that they forget, fail to realize, or are unaware of other peoples struggles and that they live their life also.

The race issue is one that will never go away. It is obvious to me, because I believe that I can honestly say that I see it for how it really is.

Feel free to chime in. I am sure that I will get some inflamed responses, but that is not my intention. My intention is to see if others, such as me see it for the way it really is and do not count on a pipe dream of equality. I am in no way a racist. I have many mixed friends and friends of other racial backgrounds. I do not discriminate against others and I have no problem sparking up a nice conversation with people of other races. I do not have a problem with helping others of another skin color. If you need help just ask.

Is it racist to speak the truth?

I also would like to add that I believe that the only reason race is still an issue is because of the media. Whether it is the tv news, internet, and newspapers. The outlets keep it fresh in everybody's minds that they are different than everybody else.

Without the constant reminder of such diversity, I believe that humans as a species could possibly work to improve the lifestyle that we all want(or most).

Which is equality.

Nobody should be considered better than anybody else, but it is the way in which we live.

reply to post by RealSpoke


That is how it should be.

I like Morgan Freeman, one of my favorite actors, and the words he speaks is exactly how I feel.

Thank you for contributing that clip.

Originally posted by liejunkie01


Is it racist to speak the truth?

edit on 31-3-2012 by liejunkie01 because: spelling

edit on 31-3-2012 by liejunkie01 because: grammar

I suppose it depends on what your "truth" is. I think a lot of people think they're speaking the truth about things which they are not speaking the truth about. I am not saying you are wrong at all - I just think you should be careful about labeling things as truth simply because it's what you think is true, however. It causes a lot of problems because everyone thinks they are just speaking the truth.

reply to post by liejunkie01


If only the human mind was programed like some of our counterparts(insects,some animals etc),there would be none of the above.I think the same way as you have for a long time and will never figure it out....damn human nature will never change unless our dna is reset for better functioning purposes.I can't stand the way people can be so immoral and unethical....Oh well,take care and prosper

reply to post by spacekc929


I guess it comes down to the word perception.

I do not see world peace happening.

Others do see it happening.

We live in a society where the majority rules. One thing I noticed is when the media crams racial issues into our lives the majority of people seem to get inflamed. This inflamation the turns into more hatred and "profiling". Which in turn, turns into a never ending cycle of hatred and disrespect amongt our fellow man/woman.

Thank you for your insight.

Originally posted by SarnholeOntarable
reply to post by liejunkie01

 

If only the human mind was programed like some of our counterparts(insects,some animals etc),there would be none of the above.I think the same way as you have for a long time and will never figure it out....damn human nature will never change unless our dna is reset for better functioning purposes.I can't stand the way people can be so immoral and unethical

....Oh well,take care and prosper

I am not saying that I am an 'angel"(for lack of a better term, I am non religous). Lj01 has had some hard times dealing with life. All I know that is I want a better world for my children and their children.

But it seems that we are in a reversal of moral standards and ethical issues.

No, the truth is not racist.

However, the fear of being accused of racism or being called a racist keeps many people from speaking the truth.

In my personal opinion, racism as we know it today is an invention of people who don't want to be held accountable for their actions, appearance, attitude, lifestyle, etc.

I'm going to speak what I see as truth, and let's see how many people immediately pop up and accuse me of racism.

If I see a person who is white like me doing something annoying/assholish/stupid in public, I'll probably call them on it, because that's just the kind of grumpy mean old woman I am.

If, on the other hand, I see a black person doing the exact same thing, I'll keep my mouth shut because I don't want to be called a racist.

Pretend I'm the manager of a fast food restaurant. If a white kid shows up to apply for a job in dirty, torn up clothes with greasy hair and a bad attitude, I can tell him I'm not going to hire him because of his attire, cleanliness, and attitude. If a black kid does the same, I probably won't be so honest because he may claim that I object not to his attire, cleanliness, and attitude but to his color.

That isn't to say that there aren't some people who are (or were) real racists, but in today's world it seems to me that some people use the "race card" to their advantage, making people afraid to speak the simple truth if the subject happens to be a minority because they might be accused of being racist.

I don't care what color you are, if you're acting like a jerk I'm not going to like you. The white kid who has his bass turned up so loud it's rattling my windows will get just as dirty of a look from me as if he were a black kid. If there's a group of boys lounging at the corner being loud and obviously looking "tough," I'm going to cross the street to avoid them no matter what color they are. But if someone saw me do that and the boys just happened to be latino or black, they might call me a racist.

The truth is, we mostly judge people by the things they DO, the things they can control, which includes how they dress, talk, personal hygiene, piercings, tattoos, hairstyle, etc. .. but we are often accused of judging people for things they can't control, like the color of their skin, because some people object to being "judged" for things they can control but don't want to control.

It's one aspect of the overall epidemic of lack of personal responsibility and accountability.

reply to post by hhott


Very well said

I have to say that I agree and I really do not know what to add at this moment. It is getting late and my brain is getting numb from the print on the computer screen.

Thank you for your insight

Seeing the world for the way it really is a subjective experience. Indeed, on a subatomic scale - a scale unseen to the human eye - the world as it really is seems to be far less solid than it appears to be for any human seeing that world "as it really is". This is just one of the many problems that come with seeing the world "as it really is".

In terms of racism, there is an interesting essay by Jose Vasconcelos called the La Raza Cosmica or The Cosmic Race. Vasconcelos argues that the mixing of the races is a natural proclivity, and that there are many elements of the Mexican culture (a mixed race of people) that suggests that because of their mixed race they are more open to continue the mixing with even more races. He argues that this will eventually lead to a single cosmic race that very well may put an end to racism.

I have no idea if Vascncelos is correct in his hypothesis but it is worth reading.

In terms of "equality", I believe that the legal principle of equality under the law has been bastardized and usurped by Marxists and other philosophers, dropping the "under the law" maxim only to impose equality in general upon us.

Every human, regardless of race, religion, or creed, is naturally equal under the law and that equality stops there. Some men grow old and keep a full head of hair, some lose their hair early on. Some women have larger breast than others and some people are more athletic than others, this is the basic inequality of humanity, but all of us are equal under the law.

Originally posted by liejunkie01
It is evident to me because of the human need for competition. One's need deep down to be the best that he/she can and should be. To be better than the next person. To bring home the bigger steak for dinner, or in todays society be on the winning team. Whether that team is racial, religion, sports, hunting and so on.

The only reason why you want this, is because you've been taught to want it.

The need to derive self-worth solely from a sense of superiority to others is sick, and demonstrates a fundamental lack of self-worth, or an understanding of how to truly acquire it. It is narcissism; it is not healthy human behaviour. Psychopaths want people to think that it is normal for everyone to be like them, but it isn't.

Learn to compete with yourself. If you're able to make progress on your own previous best for something, view that as a source of self-worth. That way you avoid conflict with anyone else in the process, as well as genuinely improving yourself.

Racism is alive and well in certain places. The most racist of those places BY FAR can be found at your local housing projects, or ghetto.

If you have a different skin color than them, you will get KILLED if you take a stroll there. And the media will not make a PEEP about it. But when its reversed...

If you cannot come to reality with that, take a walk there right now... they'll be taking your 'rose-colored-glasses' to the hospital as that will be the ONLY thing left of you...

reply to post by liejunkie01

Is one a racist for seeing the world the way it really is?

Yes. Pretty much anything that does not match up to the liberal world view is racist or bigoted and MUST be censored.

Originally posted by liejunkie01
I also would like to add that I believe that the only reason race is still an issue is because of the media. Whether it is the tv news, internet, and newspapers. The outlets keep it fresh in everybody's minds that they are different than everybody else.

Without the constant reminder of such diversity, I believe that humans as a species could possibly work to improve the lifestyle that we all want(or most).

Which is equality.

Nobody should be considered better than anybody else, but it is the way in which we live.

It appears there is a large faction within the African american community that is breeding racism into their childrens, cousins , grand kids, ect heads that the white people of this country as a whole are all practicing a hateful , oppression of the African American community. And as a result white people have been victimized not only emotionally but physically. You see African Americans do things severely hateful towards white people based on the difference in color more often than the other way around and like the person I quoted stated the media does play a huge role in justifying the anger of African Americans. But it's not just the media it's the elders and the intellectuals within the African American Community like I stated earlier. And If you think about what they are doing to get a leg up on everyone you will realize its quite brilliant. The african american intellectuals and elders demonize whites building hatred toward them within their community claiming white people are all out to oppress their kind. This causes conflict which often results in someone getting hurt. If its a white person there will be no media attention and if it's an African american it's big time news. They ralley their forces and this is yet another validated way for the to claim the whites are out to get them. Very rarely does a white go out and kill or attack a black based on their difference in color of skin. But when it does happen they take advantage of the sensationalism which gives that false impression. And as a result they can convince white people to live in a cloud of self hatred brought on by clever social engineering. And it also justifies the need for programs which are rediculously racist in their favor for example: Affirmative action which is counter productive and only served one purpose discriminate against white people and allow less qualified people to become employed instead. It's just rediculous. Whoever is more qualified should get the job whether white , black , brown , or green. That's just one of many programs designed to oppress the whites in this country. It's just plain silly to claim blacks need to handicap the whites inorder to level the playing field. African American people are smart people and can accomplish whatever any other person can who wears a different colored skin. The people within African American communities who preach such hatred and distain so spitefully against white folks should be ashamed just as much as any white folks should be if they speak with hatred toward blacks. My point is the intellectuals who have been manipulating and brainwashing hatred causing a false sense of reality within their people's minds in order to receive special treatment at the expense of whites have taken the wheel from MLK's hands and decided they would throw away everything that great man stood for because they see a shorter route to their finish line and apparently don't mind running down large groups of whites while getting there at the same time yelling at them for being in their way.
It appears they don't want equality. They want to make innocent people suffer , struggle , and become drowned in self hatred. The silly thing is with the media always there to sensationalize an event that was horrible and realistically happens not often at all and white people are becoming influenced in supporting their own decline.

Frankly, racism is one of those issues that's kind of complicated. I get nervous when I see people in "gangsta" clothes. This seems racist on the surface, but the truth is that I get this way whether white, black, or whatever.

Interestingly, I get even more nervous when I meet somebody with a hardcore redneck style of being. Hardcore rednecks are very scary (I should know, I grew up in it). Again, it's not about race, it's about the culture.

It's the same thing with Muslims and Christians. I'm not worried about the religion or the race; I'm worried about if they're from a specific cultural background.

I mean, it seems to me that because I worry about gangsta culture or because I worry about certain kinds of Muslims that I'm racist. The thing about it is that I think it says a lot about society when people automatically associate a certain culture with a certain skin color. It's part of what's going on with this Trayvon Martin case. Zimmerman is blatantly not Caucasian, but your typical gun-toting neighborhood watch zealot is going to be white, so people automatically run off at the mouth about that.

reply to post by AnIntellectualRedneck


I have a penchant for making points through the telling of personal experiences or stories, so please bear with me:

I once had the opportunity to work for a veterinarian who was a licensed wildlife rehabber. We saw many wild animals such as owls, hawks, eagles, raccoons, crows, opossums, turtles, etc. I noticed some very interesting behaviors while doing this work, especially among the more intelligent creatures such as the owls, crows, and raccoons. When exposed to a human who was not trying to harm them, they seemed to become confused and reacted in odd ways. We were often able to handle large owls, eagles, and hawks which, after a time, remained calm and non-aggressive. Doc explained to me that this is because their survival instincts - and their early life lessons - teach them to sort living things into two categories - predator or prey. Although we have "eyes forward" and may have initially been identified as predators, repeated interactions in which we did not make any attempt to harm them but were obviously too large (and controlling no doubt ) to be prey left them puzzled and confused as to how to react to us. Fight or Flight failed them.

Although we distance ourselves from the "lower" animals, we, too, have these instincts which are augmented by our own life lessons and the lessons we learn from our parents and teachers. Although we do not live in an "eat or be eaten" world, our success - and sometimes our survival - still depends at least partially on being able to identify other humans as "predator" or "prey". Yes, we have many other categories and many choices on how to interact with strangers and other people we encounter, but the initial assessment of a human we don't know often includes, whether consciously or subconsciously, a determination on whether or not they are a potential threat.

Such assessments are frequently aided by an evaluation of how the person is dressed, body language, "markings" such as piercings, tattoos, gang colors, and hairstyles. And we all know this - we grow up with it. If you see a woman on a street corner wearing shiny high heels, fishnet stockings, a miniskirt, and a plunging neckline, what do you think? Of course you do, and most of us would probably say that if she doesn't want us to form that opinion of her, she shouldn't dress like that. If you see a man in Florida wearing a sun hat, sunglasses, white pasty stuff on his nose, a loud Hawaiian shirt, bermudas, sandals, and a camera hanging around his neck, would you feel guilty for immediately assessing him as a "tourist!"? Of course not, and if someone tried to make you feel bad for it, you'd probably say that if the man doesn't want to be identified as a tourist, he shouldn't dress like that!

So why is it that we think we should feel guilty, or are made to think that we should feel guilty, for basing initial assessments of people on things like dreadlocks, piercings, shiny jackets 3 sizes too big, exposed underwear, pants crotches at knees, gang tats, gang colors, unlaced shoes, muscle shirts, hats on backward, mohawks, spiked hair, and so on and so forth? Hey - if you don't want us to think you might be a "gangsta," a thug, or a threat, then don't dress like that!

But modern political correctness and "racism" try to tell us that we shouldn't judge people based on how they look, and try to make us feel guilty or bad if we do. And it's BS, because our basic instincts and our experiences tell us that, in order to survive or avoid trouble, we must be able to assess people for the potential of being a threat, and quickly, when we see them. Walking through the world in rose-colored glasses thinking that everyone around you is a wonderful, kind, loving person who would never want to hurt you is how you become prey.

So fine - call me a racist if you want. I'm still crossing the street when I see you all decked out like a gang banging thug with your boxers showing, and what's more I refuse to feel bad about it. If you don't want me to avoid you or be a little afraid of you, then don't dress like that.

reply to post by hhott

Hey you old racist you... I loved both of your posts! You made some very good points regarding human behavior, and did a hell of a good job of explaining them.

See ya,
Milt

I see my thread got moved to the rant section.

That figures.

This is why I am no longer partaking in the racial issues here on ATS.

This was not a rant.

It was an hones question because i felt like I needed some clarity on the issues i have brought up.

Now I guess it is a rant to ask a question

This will be my last reply to this thread.

My question is not a rant.