Racism in general

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The recent thread on racism in Australia has lead me to commence this thread on the topic in general -- I sought an old thread to resurrect, but none was in the recent list, so here I go.

The thing that really bothers me is that when most people think of racism, they instantly think of a WASP oppressing someone with more melanin. That torques me off.

Why, you may ask? Because racism is rampant in some parts of the Orient, with Chinese hating and looking down on the Japanese, the Japanese feeling the same toward them, Laotians spitting on Koreans, etc, etc. There also tribes in Africa who hate each other for reasons analogous to race -- one example, the TsuTsis (sic) and the Hutus.

So what is Depaara saying? The thing that burns my butt is that whenever the topic comes up the underlying thought is that "if only it weren't for the racist policies of those dang Whites were eradicated, the world would be frigging Utopia"

I am not saying whites are never racist (which would be stunningly stupid), I'm saying it is not a 'whites only' trait.

 

It is not that whites have a monopoly on racism, it is just that, because of whites' economic prowess---i.e. our (I'm white) social supremecy---our racism is much more painful for others to bear. Of course, the notion of "whites" is quite hazy and nondescript, but it is obvious enough that those lying on the paler side of the skin tone spectrum can throw the word around as if it is an absolute adjective (or noun rather).

 

The examples you give are probably not the best. For example, the Tutsi were elevated to power by the Dutch (?) and ruled over the Hutu for many years -- there were many abuses of that power. There was a lot of animosity built up from all that abuse. It is difficult to list race as a reason for tribal wars. Quite often it is simply about the land or hunting grounds (just as it was in America), or in more modern examples -- power.

Japan has been a bully for generations. They have a history of taking what they want from whoever was nearby. They've enslaved the Koreans and Chinese (most recently during WWII). Once again generations of abuse have resulted in hatred. Perhaps the Japanese were racists to begin with, but I believe they were more like opportunists.

Unfortunately, the white man probably patented the whole racists thing. Those with darker skin were thought to have come from vile backgrounds (at least according to Christianity). The whites hunted darker skinned people, believing them nothing more than animals.

You certainly are correct, though. Even if the white man patented racism, many from all races appear to have latched onto it with fervor.

 

My simple opinion is that racism is SO utterly pointless. It wastes so much time and effort. I may sound like a real hippy here, but people are pretty much all the same! Why can't we see that and just get on with life?

Aaaargh. It's so frustrating.

 

Aye, HB, I agree with you. It is quite pointless. But it occurs because whites look different from blacks, who look different from chinese, who look different than latino americans, etc. Because people look different, it makes them feel different, and thus, discrimination pops up. Personally, I treat everyone the same, and have no problem with any race. If you are a good person and happen to be non-white, I'll still like you...

 

Explicitly you will.

Stereotypes are pretty much embedded in nearly everyone (and especially if you are a white, middle-to-upper-class American). You can use reason and the goodness of your own heart to tell yourself that racism is bad bad bad and that you aren't a bad bad bad racist, but more than a few experiments show that when people are presented with an image of a black or Hispanic person, they are less likely to have positive thoughts come to mind.

Obviously, I'm not saying that racism is somehow justified. But bear in mind that you can't just will your stereotypes away. Part of the reason we keep stereotypes may be because it saves time - if you're on the college selection panel and it's three in the morning, chances are you're more likely to show some disfavor to blacks and Hispanics.

Who knows - evolutionarily, there might have been an advantage to develope an us vs. them mindset. Perhaps it's just one of those things that's part of human nature, which doesn't make it pointless, but might make it a bit more understandable.

 

....You may say I'm a dreamer. But I'm not the only one......

 

Nothing is more annoying and disheartening to the liberal soul than to have one's negative racial stereotypes reinforced - the same stereotypes that one consciously tries so hard to combat, and deny.

 

I hate racism, it makes me sick when people are discriminated against for something they have no control over. Especially when it's not even a 'bad' thing. It's ridiculous and small minded.

 

I don't like racism of any sort, not just white racism. I don't like affirmative actions too much, either. I like equality but removing the race field from parts of forms to fill in that describe someone's appearance is just moronic. Making up differences and divisions is bad, especially if inferiority is involved, but I don't like pretending there's no difference.

 

.... there is good and bad, in everyone ......

 

Did someone actually say that racism was for whites only? If someone did then that was obviously completely absurd and silly. The thing is though that I'd claim that most people on these boards would be qualified as "white" and in the nations they come from the white race is more or less dominant. This makes racism from the white a lot more relevant since they are in the top position to enforce their racist beliefs. This of course only applies to the western world, in other places other races might as well be in the dominant position.

 

LKD,

Because the White Christian Straight Male is the most loathed and hated creature on earth. It also happens the fact that people nowadays despise the idea/image of successful, victorious, superior - not talking solely about racial superiority. So it is just natural that they promote the weak, the failed, the feeble etc.
Considering the White Christian Straight Male is perceived in the light of success, of triumph and domination, he is regarded as the vile being responsable for the failure of the others.
The typical anti-White double standard being applied. Of course people will say I am BSing, but this is just the consequence of leftist rhetoric being spread; or does anyone think it is the conservative right pushing this image around?
No ammount of self-hating propaganda will ever convince me to act as a liberal though. I know what my ancestors have built up for me - and how much they have suffered, mostly in the hand of others!!! - and I won't fall into this stupid pro-minority hysteria. This is a trend, and like all others, it shall come to pass.

 

Simple, really; in most western societies, it has been white folks who've done the oppressing, because in most western societies, white folks are--and have always been--the majority, and the minority (usually) has a hard time oppressing majority, while the reverse is not true. Ergo, when a westerner thinks of racist oppression, white folks come to mind.

 

Absolutely. It seems that racism depends, mostly upon whose ox is being gored. The hard, cold reality is that the white race controls the levers of power in the West. Thusly, it is always easy to paint it as the ultimate "racist race." Nothing could be further from the truth.

Slavery was rampant in Africa at the time of the slave trade here in America. And many African countires, especially in the north, dealt in the slave trade. I'm not attempting to trivialize white racism, particularly in the South, here in America (but it is not exclusively there either). But I am saying that it is not exclusive to the white, western race. But there are many who need to have their own houses in order before they start trying to wipe clean those of others.

The real slaves in almost every society have been the women, IMO. The worst part of this condition, is that almost all societies buy into this in some way or another. It is accepted as a matter of course.

And, of course, everyone knows it's in the Bible.

 

I think we're kidding ourselves if we believe that only one group is racist, or inherently more racist. There will always be more and less tolerant people. What annoys me is that "racism" is technically a value-neutral word, but can't be used as such.

I think the reason why white Christian males are cast as "more racist" is because typically, in nations and colonies, the rules were set up to their specifications. In short, that structural racism (of an unconscious nature) is built into many social systems. That is almost inevitable, and it's a stretch to label it as racism unless you can demonstrate a causal link between race, the law, and disadvantage. Race-specific advantage is easier to see, and easier to address.

I think it's fairer to call it introspection in most cases - although there are certainly groups that seem to be intent much less considered or unbiased assessments of situations. That goes both ways; some far-right groups are utterly incapable of introspection, while some far-left groups seem to be keen to reinvent the "noble savage".

 

Racism stems from any situation where a greivance between two peoples leads to hatred and contempt. This includes a perception of superiority, competition over resources (food, space, etc.), or even the idea that one people ought to rule over another. This is so ingrained into the social fabric that not even the liberals can change it...

 

They do? I never knew that.

The rift between Japan and other countries of Northeast Asia(China, Korea) does have a lot of history behind them. And it is true that Koreans look down on Japanese and vice versa. But currently, racism here usually results because Koreans and Chinese people see Japan still swaggering, even after the Second World War. Prime Minister Koizumi's visits to the Yaskuni Shrine is seen as a prime example of Japan's continuing dream of total dominace over Northeast Asia, and people will continue to see Japanese people as 'Japs who invaded us' unless they let go of this attitude.

Not that I agree with all this, but that's the general atmoshpere here, I think.

 

Racists and bigots are vile people. Unfortunately it is cool to be racist towards Asians and Arabs. How many 'Chinese' jokes do you see on the joke thread alone? or people here calling for "the entire middle east to be carpet bombed"?

In the UK, its cool to be hostile towards Irish travellers, calling them 'pikies' and 'gypsies', which are very hurtful. In the US we read about Indians being attacked because of '11th September'. There should never be exceptions.

 

To me, even refering to people having different skin colors as different races is slightly racist.