Can whites be victims of racism?

Of course they can.

Racism, or any form of bigotry, comes down to a fear of that which is different.

How that fear comes about is different for everyone who suffers from it... Parents. Media. Schooling. ...or any combination there of.

Root out that fear, and the hatred will follow. But as long as people choose to be ruled by their fear? You are going to see bigotry.

No, unfortunately White people are taught to hate themselves by a ridiculous and pathetic society and therefore we are seen to somehow 'deserve' any violence committed against us.

This is on account of our ancestors being press-ganged onto ships, who were then forced into forcing slaves onto those same ships. Those slaves incidentally were purchased by the same kind of wealthy c***s that were responsible for forcing white people onto those ships. Of course the slaves were also purchased from Black slave traders, a small detail which is seldom mentioned in this politically correct world.

The real white self-hate began to occur after WWII though, where suddenly all white people were guilty by association after the Nazi's got a bit OTT with the whole racial superiority complex.

reply to post by WhiteAlice


I can see your point and to a point I agree. Where I disagree is that the racism isn't against individual whites per say, its more or less directed at the entirety of the race. Things such as affirmative action where many qualified (white) people are passed over for an under-qualified minority. Or the double standard that a white person has to watch what they say around minorities, but no one gets up in arms when a black person calls a white person a cracker.

Now before people jump off the handle at me for affirmative action, I understand why it was implemented, but I feel that it is no longer necessary. Most workplaces are pretty diverse and if a racist CEO wanted to "whitewash" his company, he'd have to restructure most of it. I'd also like to add that I'd have no problem seeing a white person passed up for a job by a minority if the minority was equally or better qualified for the job.

Of course white folk can be victims of racism - prejudice is common to every colour and creed.

The problem is, non-white folk are subject to it - both openly and implicitly - more than 'average'. In the West at least.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


You echo my opinions on affirmative action. At one time? It was desperately needed, and necessary. Now? I would argue that its necessity is much less than it once was.

Totally unnecessary? Not quite, unfortunately.

reply to post by KingIcarus


True, white people aren't subjected to it as much as other skin colors but does that mean that it should be ignored or made light of? Do the white people affected by this hate not suffer? Just because it is uncommon, doesn't mean it can be ignored.

There are many examples of racism against white people and between white people.

Mugabe and co versus the white farmers in the blighted Zimbabwe is black versus white.
Scottish racism to the English is white versus white.

I lived in Birmingham, UK for a stint and the big problems were between the black, Pakistani and Indian communities.

Regards

Originally posted by KingIcarus
Of course white folk can be victims of racism - prejudice is common to every colour and creed.

The problem is, non-white folk are subject to it - both openly and implicitly - more than 'average'. In the West at least.

Of course non-white people are going to be more victimised in white countries. The difference is that generally speaking, most racism that occurs in the West is verbal or institutional. In places like South Africa white people are dragged out of their homes and mutilated. That's the difference. Yet the media will not report on it.

Originally posted by Krazysh0t
reply to post by KingIcarus

 

True, white people aren't subjected to it as much as other skin colors but does that mean that it should be ignored or made light of? Do the white people affected by this hate not suffer? Just because it is uncommon, doesn't mean it can be ignored.

MLK had this wonderful vision of an America where skin color carried no real weight. In his dream, people were held to account based on character... in other words, a colorblind society.

The irony here today is that even those who worked personally with Dr King, Jesse Jackson, for one), are some of the worst purveyors of baited racism. Moreover, we have a black president that applies his own race to subjects like Martin/Zimmerman, in absolute, undeniable contrast to King's dream.

So... how in the hell are we ever going to rise above race as a nation when those in such positions continue to feed from, and endorse it as a means to an end?

Originally posted by Krazysh0t

Here is the definition of prejudice:


c : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics

In answer to the question title of this thread...(Can whites be victims of racism?)...the answer is...yes.

I quoted the above definition of racism; because that is what happened to me.

I was standing at a bus stop waiting to go home from shopping at Kmart...it was early afternoon...and there were 2 bus shelters at the bus stop...when I first got there I was standing alone in one of the shelters...a couple minutes later...a group of young black men (there were 6 of them)...walked into the shelter that I was standing in and started saying some very racist. insulting, and threatening remarks to me; I would tell what all of the remarks were... but some of what they said might be against the T&C's.

What I can tell you is that one of them kept patting his side; and then with his hand making a gun gesture; another one said; "don't open your mouth; I got a knife right here that I clean my fingernails with ...."

I said nothing and moved to the other shelter and before they could follow me; the bus arrived and I got on to safety. Thankfully they did not get on that bus with me.

That was a very scarey experience for me.

reply to post by redoubt


This is a good question and one that needs to be addressed if not nationally, at least in this thread. This public faces are touting their race in front of the nation, promoting indirectly promoting racism against white people and no one speaks up against this. I can see how some in the black community can feel that white people are getting a taste of what they've felt for generations, but again we return to the cycle of hatred. Why would you wish on another human (especially one who didn't contribute to past racism) the same intolerance that you or your ancestors experienced?

reply to post by Krazysh0t


We know what we must do... we know that skin color is the most shallow means of judging anyone or anything... on the same level as politics.

We know that should we ever rise above ourselves and realize Dr. Kings dream, we will have a far better place to live.

The question before is is... why not? Why have we not done this?

reply to post by caladonea


Wow what a story. I feel for you. That would be a very tense situation for anyone. The sad thing is that if the skin colors were reversed, that story could gain widespread attention and those individuals would be tracked down and sentenced to some race related crime. Yet because you are white, no one cares. I bet if you went to a media outlet and told your story you'd be laughed right out of the building too.

This double standard is a small tumor growing in our midst. If it keeps getting deliberately ignored or downplayed, eventually it will grow into a very dangerous tumor. All big social issues end up that way do to neglect and kicking the can down the road. Widespread hatred for blacks didn't spring up overnight, small bits of racial intolerance were compiled over generations until it was so ingrained that you couldn't call it anything but hatred. It took over 100 years to tackle that issue and the ramifications of that hatred still effect many today.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


The most obvious of effects of racism are felt by the individual though. While the racism itself has little to do with the individual and is a dislike for the entire race in particular (generally based on misinformed stereotyping), it is definitely individual felt. We lived out there for 7 years and the racism that we experienced, while perpetrated by a handful of people, was significant enough to alter the way that we perceive ourselves. My son deliberately avoids his hair lightning in the summer to keep it "dark" because he prefers it that way and I still on occasion see myself as an alien when I look in the mirror because of my fair hair and green eyes. Both of us have this strange coveting of the way that my daughter looks, who is half Nat Am. We'd rather have the brown hair and dark eyes. Neither of us felt that way before we lived on the rez. Only after. In a way, it's kind of like the doll test where the little black child was given the choice of two dolls--one black, one white--and asked which one she'd prefer to be. She picked the white doll. It's a weird little phenomena that my son and I discuss from time to time. We basically formed an aversion to our coloring and it shattered our self images. It's even more ironic because we are a very good looking family. It's weird and kinda sad. I imagine this is what that little black girl felt in the doll test. While racism targets an entire race, the most dramatic effects are, without a doubt, on the individual.

In regards to no one speaking out about when it occurs with whites, I have to agree somewhat but I also condition in it a little bit. People rarely stand up to bullies of any cloth in defense of another. While the attacks my son suffered at school were somewhat dealt with by school officials, my son was really forced to adapt. I'll never forget the afternoon that I was at the school helping prepare for a school function and my son and a handful of Nat Am children were playing hide and seek in the gymnasium. One little native boy was refusing to come out and my son called out "Charles, you better come out or else you're going to turn into a bilagaana!!". Bilagaana means white man. The native mothers around me burst out laughing and then it got kind of awkward as it sank into them that my son had just utterly played that little boy and the moment Charles came booking out, it uncovered the racism that they tried so hard to hide. They said nothing and just got very quiet for the longest time. We rarely got apologies and we learned to gauge what we construed as racism as those deliberate and malicious attacks on our persons or property. All the little stuff, we tried to overlook including the time my daughter's great aunt told her grandmother right in front of us in regards to her son dating a Hopi--"well, at least he didn't bring home a white girl". Ouch.

So I agree, notmuch does get said on the subject of the racism that whites may experience but I think that has more to do with a lack of frequency, the tendency to not stand up to bullies, and the perception that only minorities can complain about it. Thing is, anybody can become a minority the moment the majority tables are turned. I just think that society tends to focus more on the larger issues than the smaller ones but maybe I'm being too kind all the way around.

Your CEO comment totally made me think of A&F CEO Mike Jeffries, btw, lol. He's a total cretin.

Of course whies can.

Remeber that whites have been through a lot also in the sense of having racism thrown at them, as well as being enslaved.

Originally posted by Krazysh0t
reply to post by KingIcarus

 

True, white people aren't subjected to it as much as other skin colors but does that mean that it should be ignored or made light of? Do the white people affected by this hate not suffer? Just because it is uncommon, doesn't mean it can be ignored.

Of course not. White/Black/Asian folk etc should be treated equally. MLK was entirely correct in his grand speech... character >>>>> colour etc.

However, it's important to note that ATS is largely Western. The treatment of white folk in, say, Nairobi or Cairo is little more than a distraction - using (theoretical) racism there to justify our own is entirely fruitless.

It's similar to the endless posts on here that complain that you couldn't build a Catholic church in downtown Islamobad, That might be true, but acting the same just continues the intolerance. "Pakistan is backwards in places, lets be backwards too as a response".

It's just plain stupid in my view. Nothing will get solved under these circumstances.

Affirmative action can work for whites as well!

My daughter got her place in nursery, because she was a minority! (and she's white)

reply to post by Krazysh0t


"Can whites be victims of racism?,"

No. White people are white....

reply to post by defuntion


How does that makes sense?

Please explain.

reply to post by WilsonWilson


Yes it can work that way too. I have witnessed it myself when my best friend was accepted to Coppin State, a mostly black college, through a minority scholarship. But my opinion on the matter still stands, if my friend wasn't qualified (like not having adequate SAT scores or GPA being too low) it would be just as wrong as if it was a black person going to Harvard through AA who was under qualified.