Can whites be victims of racism?

To start with I would like to say that this thread is NOT about the Zimmerman trial. Yes, it cause me to write this thread, but I do not wish to discuss the details of that case here. Please direct these discussions to one of the thousand Zimmerman threads. Second, this thread is about racism please please please keep the discussion civil, I am not writing this to try to race bait or offend anyone, I am just trying to clarify some misconceptions about what is and isn't racism.

The reason I am writing this thread is because while reading some of the many threads and posts about the Zimmerman trial it has come up on more than one occasion that the actions of the media and certain black community leaders such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson are racist against white people. Not to mention the actions of emotionally involved black individuals who are posting things to their Facebook and twitter that amounts to taking revenge on the whole white race.

Now when these things are pointed out, the detractors usually say that white people cannot be victims of racism because they didn't go through years of racial persecution like the black community has. Or that it's not as bad. This is pure lunacy. Here is the Merriam Webster's definition of racism:

1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race

2: racial prejudice or discrimination

www.merriam-webster.com...

Here is the definition of prejudice:

1: injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights; especially : detriment to one's legal rights or claims
2 a (1) : preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge
b : an instance of such judgment or opinion
c : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics

www.merriam-webster.com...

The reason I posted these two definitions is to show what the definition of racism says and more precisely DOESN'T say. For instance there is no caveat at the bottom of the definition saying that in order to be a victim of racism one must be a member of a race that has been persecuted for a long time. Nor does it definition different levels of racism. All actions of racism are equally hateful.

For a closer look, let's look at definition 2c of the prejudice definition. This definition mentions hostility. Most often hostility between two individuals results from dislike or hatred of the other person. Yes hostility can result in a disagreement between friends and family, but this isn't what the definition is talking about. This hostility is irrational. Friends and family generally do not have irrational dislike of each other.

To get to my point, this means that white people can most assuredly be victims of racism just as any other race can. It is just as equally hateful and irrational as the more traditional forms of racism. In fact by perpetuating it and then denying or downplaying its severity you are continuing the cycle of hate for more generations to experience. One must rise above the hatred if one truly wishes to end the hatred. This means that the person has to recognize racial intolerance directed at themselves as well as racial intolerance from themselves. They have to be able to admit to the wrongdoing so that they can stop it.

In the end I am not telling you to start liking other races. Sometimes ingrained hatred is just hard to overcome. What I am trying to say is not to vocalize your opinions. Let the younger generations come to their own conclusions about different races. By no means am I suggesting that there aren't any white racists left. There are plenty of them. Heck I've seen some posting on this site. However, the real problem is that there are just as many if not more black racists in this country, and the media and public is letting these racists be loud and hateful without reprimand just because their hatred is directed towards a race that has traditionally hated the other races.

You are trying to insert common sense into Race Relations.

You are absolutely correct. Except you left out the obvious "Sins of our Fathers".

We are just supposed to bend over and excuse and except any type of behavior.

As for any common sense on this issue...That ship has sailed.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


There are racist in every skin colour, and there are victims in every colour.

This is how i see it.

The minorities voice are not taken seriously by the majority, thus for them it would just be all talks and no bite. but the reverse would be enormous because it is the majority speaking against minority. It would look like discrimination.

Its seems unfair but that's the different between being an individual from a majority and an individual from a minority.

reply to post by Krazysh0t

Can whites be victims of racism?

First, racial prejudices are, in my opinion, one of those darker aspects of the human condition. Each of the races of our species began separately and was almost undoubtedly, one of the first ways we built community.

As time passed and we spread out, our tribal instincts kept us divided by race. Then after many millenia, we evolved, so to speak, to replace much of the racial stuff with what we today identify as nationalism. Instead of clustering around things like skin color, we chose a flag so that we could begin to unite under broader aspects.

From there, as some older divisions began to fade, new ones sprang up by way of the various religions... and as such, wars were not just between tribes and nations, but between muti-national armies against multi-national armies based on differences in the gods they worshiped.

Then came politics... ugh... which could almost be called a form of de-evolution, lol. More divisions than ever before... sometimes combined with nationalism and religion.

But, it all began tribally with the races of mankind and in answering your OP query, yes; racism is a multi-lane human highway... no race is beyond displaying racism and no race exempt from being a victim.

IMESHO, that is

If a white man is severely beaten by a black group simply for been in the wrong area of town it would be impossible to claim you was racially attacked but if it was the other way around and a black man was beaten in a white part of town the police would be all over it,and it would probably be on the news and in the paper for the next month.the white man is now a second class human being we have less rights than the rest.

the white man will be forced to sit at the back of the bus if things carry on as they are,its a complete joke we can not fight back on the same level as we are attacked or its just pure racism if we aren't the ones getting an ass kicking.

Originally posted by SupersonicSerpent
If a white man is severely beaten by a black group simply for been in the wrong area of town it would be impossible to claim you was racially attacked but if it was the other way around and a black man was beaten in a white part of town the police would be all over it,and it would probably be on the news and in the paper for the next month.the white man is now a second class human being we have less rights than the rest.

the white man will be forced to sit at the back of the bus if things carry on as they are,its a complete joke we can not fight back on the same level as we are attacked or its just pure racism if we aren't the ones getting an ass kicking.

edit on 24-7-2013 by SupersonicSerpent because: (no reason given)

edit on 24-7-2013 by SupersonicSerpent because: (no reason given)

edit on 24-7-2013 by SupersonicSerpent because: (no reason given)

Have you been attacked my a mob of black people? How do you know the police wouldn't do anything? Where are you hearing these things? I think someone has you all riled up for all the wrong reasons.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


Have you ever been to Harlem?

How about Chicago?

Racism run rampant all over hells creation. It is something that we are programmed for as we are growing up. Hell even OUR Government is racist. Our enemies are different races and our government programs us to Not accept our enemies else you will be labled a traitor.

We are in a no-win situation with an attitude like that. I think it is going to take many more generations to eliminate racism from our gene pool.

Could you imagine the Mantra we would have if we all pulled together as a team? – Pink Floyd

reply to post by redoubt


This is a good point. It comes down to the group mentality as well as the personal idea of wanting to be better than your peers. When a group of people get together that are similar this idea can spread throughout the group. Now the whole group wants to stand out and be better than their peer groups. Eventually, they make up falsehoods or generalize commonalities into stereotypes to further make their group stand out. As these things are repeated over and over again soon younger generations end up believing these things.

This isn't just a racial thing either, you can see this in anything from nationality to social class to even what sports team is your favorite or what class/race you picked in World of Warcraft (believe it or not there is digital racism in WoW, I've experienced it when I played).

Absolutely!

ButterCookie shares a real world example of why the perpetuation of racism occurs:

"See, slavery left mental and physical scars on blacks, so much to the point that all generations behind it are automatically affected by it. There is nothing that can be done about this, so blacks will always need assistance. White people also a deficieny that makes them evil and want to dominate the world. They only pretend to be over this feature, but it will always be there."

From this post

According to the thought processes behind this line of reasoning, blacks (and its odd that this doesn't seem to apply to other minorities in this person's eyes) can't help it nor can whites. It's built in to the genes.

Sounds a lot like eugenics to me.

And people fall for it...

Are you only talking about racism in America? How white does someone's skin have to be for them to be considered white? Are the Irish considered white? If they are, then yes white people can and have been victims of racism in the form of slavery and prejudice.

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum


Another good point, to expand on my last post that appears right below yours. It would be amazing if the entirety of humanity came together as one group to share the commonality of being the same race. However the only way I'd see that happening is if there was an alien race interacting with ours and we needed a reason to hate them.

reply to post by muse7


It is a known fact that some police precincts throughout the U.S. avoid certain areas in their jurisdictions because of certain elements. That is why those certain areas have the highest crime rates on the planet.

Have you ever heard of 8-Mile?

How about Racine Avenue in Chicago?

There are many many many more.

reply to post by Krazysh0t


Of course whites can be victims of racism... anyone, regardless of race, can be victims of racism. There is no such thing as "reverse" rascism. I do think the term "racism" is absurdly misused in today's society. It is now just a punch line, or talking point. It is used to change the subject when the losing member of an argument cannot articulate a rational counterpoint. It is used by the establishment and their complicit media lapdogs to divide the people and keep us from finding common interests. Progressives have been the most racist people in America since the early 20th century, but they would have you believe that they are the saviors of the minorities, specifically blacks, in America. Woodrow Wilson was one of the most racist Presidents in American history, and yet go to any "hood" in America and you will most certainly find a school named after him. Margret Sanger invented birth control and helped found Planned Parnethood in BLACK communities as a means of EXTERMINATING them from the face of the Earth, and you will find one in almost every "hood" in America. Did blacks of the 1960's and before have cause to hate whites? Sure they did, but generalizing all whites as racist or "the Man" is just as racist, and fighting ignorance and evil with even more ignorance and evil never works out well for either side.

I am a white man, and, for example, if I went into a bank in order to apply for a loan, assuming I am fully qualified for said loan, and the loan officer is black, and he doesn't give me the loan because of his disdain or contempt for white people then I am a victim of racism. It is no differnt than if the races were reversed in this same scenario.

The Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons of the world NEED racism in order to remain relevant. Do you really think for one minute that either one of them really want racial equality? Of course not, because then they would lose their source of influence, power, control, income, and relevance.

In my opinion, we are ALL created in the image of God, or for you Atheists out there... we all evolved from the same rock fungus... point is we all come from the same place, and race was created by those in power in order to divide, conquer and control the minds of weak and ignorant people.

reply to post by DeepVisions


Yes you are correct, I considered bringing up this point in my OP as well. It's not just the Irish that were discriminated against either. Many different immigrants were discriminated against by other immigrants who immigrated from other countries. Heck there was even discrimination from Protestants against Catholics

www.lifeintheusa.com...

The founders of the United States, like the early population, were almost entirely of Protestant background. Catholicism met much resistance in the United States until sheer numbers forced its integration into American society. A deep anti-Catholic sentiment, inherited from Great Britain, existed in colonial America. Some colonies had laws restricting or banning Catholicism. The settling of the colony of Maryland by English Catholics was perhaps the only exception. At the time of the Revolution, Catholics made up just over one percent of the American population. While the First Amendment to the Constitution guaranteed freedom of religion, it did not compel Protestant Americans to accept Catholic newcomers. Protestants resented Catholicism on theological grounds, often making fun of and belittling Catholic religious rites and customs. The common Christian link between Protestantism and Catholicism meant little.

reply to post by ShadellacZumbrum



Every town has them. Hell I grew up in the Capitol city of West Virginia and there was a part of town on the "West Side" that a white boy had best not be caught in after dark. Fact. People can get all p!ssy if the want to....I don't care...facts are facts.

I bore no hate, but I knew they did...so I made sure to steer clear of places I knew I was not welcome.

reply to post by Damian65


While in the other part of a town in a different city, the opposite happened.

reply to post by OptimusSubprime


Heh just thought of a new logical fallacy. Appeal to race fallacy.

But yes you are right, there is no such thing as reverse racism. To even call it that suggests that it is a different type of racism and therefore subject to difference rules and stigmas. All racism is the same and all of it should be spoken out against.

reply to post by redoubt


I agree. I would go even further and say society is made to create division. How else would you explain. Religious leader enticing it's followers to prosecute other religions. Communities pinned against neighboring communities. Political parties against political parties. East vs Ouest. Country against Country. Most of one group know nothing of the other. Much less have direct contact with them. So were does this hatred spawn from? It can't all be just because. I suspect this hatred is, for a lack of a better word, artificial. Natural, healthy rivalry pushed to a point of hatred.

I'd say that, in the US for the most part, whites are generally not victims of racism as they tend to be the prevalent race within most areas. However, in areas where minorities are more prevalent, there is a distinct chance that a white can become a victim of racism. We used to live on a Native reservation where the native population was over 98%. Both my son and I are very fair colored. Although most of the Nat Am were really very accepting and great, there were a few that were clearly racist. We had no Christmas presents from my family one year because a woman working at the post office chose to make them all disappear and she was very obvious in her dislike of me. My son was beat up by three boys at school for his fair skin and neither of us will ever forget going to the movie theater one night and sitting by a family with a boy close in age to my son. My son sat down by the boy, who nastily hissed out, "get away from me, WHITE MAN!". His parents were horrified ($10 he learned it from them though) and I just pointed out my arm and said, "now is that really white, looks little more yellowy to me..." and defused the whole thing. Overall, most Nat Am that I ran into were fantastic. There were just a few that were not.

So yeah, whites can experience racism without a doubt. Any racial group can. Racism is ugly and ignorant. Better to measure the value of a person by who they are on the inside than the color of their skin. One of the things that I told my son is that, even though we were experiencing it, we were actually the lucky ones because the moment we moved back home, the odds of us experiencing again were slim. For those Nat Am, leaving the reservation would guarantee that they would encounter racism. Most of the time, whites don't experience it because they tend to be in the majority in areas.

reply to post by WhiteAlice

For those Nat Am, leaving the reservation would guarantee that they would encounter racism. Most of the time, whites don't experience it because they tend to be in the majority in areas

Perfect! It sounded better because you actually had the experience.