Is being a racist really a big deal?

[Wells]

Wait are people seriously arguing there isn't race discrimination in our justice system?

[Orly]

Again, this is widely known. Do a web search. Plenty of research has been done on the topic. Minorities get harsher sentences than their white counterparts, and have a harder time getting employment after release.



I'm actually basing racism on power, since that is an important part of it. As a white person, a black person can call me anything they want. It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things since whites hold so much power in society. However if a white person considers blacks to be inferior, that has much further reach and influence, since whites are more likely to hold positions of power, and in many cases don't have to deal with minorities. Minorities on the other hand have to constantly interact with white people.

I've been in numerous instances where white people have expressed racist and discriminatory feelings. The most sinister time this takes place is in private meetings about hiring or promoting someone. It's pretty disgusting, and it happens constantly. If you think it's only directed at black people you're crazy. It's anyone who is nonwhite.

Yeah, a black kid calling you cracker can ruin your day. A white person who considers blacks to be scummy and criminal can ruin lives.

I think we are moving away from that quite rapidly. There are more and more non-whites in places of power, and the best example to be given is Obama. But the mentality regarding racism and the fact that having something against whites is acceptable both because their past and the fact that there's so few who find it offensive pretty much remains the same.

[Themius]

Wait are people seriously arguing there isn't race discrimination in our justice system?

Apparently we are because at some point we got transported to a world without bias.

[NeonX]

Reading some of these responses makes you feel bad for not being white

[Orly]

When it implies me or my family are/were slave owners or that general type of person, yes. I don't appreciate a black dude soft-shoeing around and calling me what I suppose is the historical equivalent of massa to discredit me as a human being, just like I bet black people wouldn't like it if I called them boy from atop a white steed.

Black people don't like slavery, any decent white person doesn't like slavery, so I don't see why the allusion to someone being on either side of it is any less offensive.

My point exactly. Being regarded as racist just because you're white and at some point in history white people thought themselves as above all other races is an act of racism in itself. People living today are in no way responsable for what happened centuries ago. Believing otherwise and hating certain individuals just because they share the same race with someone that did something wrong in a rather distant past is racism, and if you don't agree with racism you should at least be fair about it.

---------- Post added 2013-04-21 at 01:02 AM ----------

Apparently we are because at some point we got transported to a world without bias.

System? What system? I was talking about the world in general, not a certain part of the world.

[Themius]

My point exactly. Being regarded as racist just because you're white and at some point in history white people thought themselves as above all other races is an act of racism in itself. People living today are in no way responsable for what happened centuries ago. Believing otherwise and hating certain individuals just because they share the same race with someone that did something wrong in a rather distant past is racism, and if you don't agree with racism you should at least be fair about it.

---------- Post added 2013-04-21 at 01:02 AM ----------



System? What system? I was talking about the world in general, not a certain part of the world.

Oh right, there is no bias in the world.

[Deleted]

What doesn't sound right is comparing cracker to n------ and pretending that they're on the same level in terms of offensiveness. They simply aren't. On one hand you have the historically oppressed and on the other you have the historical oppressor, and when those words fly, the historically oppressed is always on the losing side of the exchange.

So why did white people get a derogatory name while those black slave traders who sold ALL those slaves for profit aren't called anything? Can we call those natively Ethiopian and Nigerian crackers too or are they mysteriously bunched up with all the other "Niggahs" because they are black and the word Niggah should remind them of all the bad things white people did to them, like showering them in wealth as they sold their brothers and sisters?

I bet my ancestors were once involuntary service people as well, or as you call it slaves. Should I also call myself Niggah to remind myself of the difficult past my ancestors had because of their social status even though I'm white?

I mean it wouldn't be offensive if I called a natively Nigerian person a cracker, right? It's the truth after all and they've done this entire slave business much longer than the white man(still doing it today).

[Themius]

So why did white people get a derogatory name while those black slave traders who sold ALL those slaves for profit aren't called anything? Can we call those natively Ethiopian and Nigerian crackers too or are they mysteriously bunched up with all the other "Niggahs" because they are black and the word Niggah should remind them of all the bad things white people did to them, like showering them in wealth as they sold their brothers and sisters?

I bet my ancestors were once involuntary service people as well, or as you call it slaves. Should I also call myself Niggah to remind myself of the difficult past my ancestors had because of their social status even though I'm white?

I mean it wouldn't be offensive if I called a natively Nigerian person a cracker, right? It's the truth after all and they've done this entire slave business much longer than the white man(still doing it today).

There seems to always be some sort of issue between some Black Americans and Black Africans so...

[Orly]

Oh right, there is no bias in the world.

I never said there wasn't. The problem is this "It's racism!" conclusion is being jumped at waaaay too fast, without checking any logical explanation that might come before it. That's the problem. You're not being better than the ones being genuinely racist, you're just at the other spectrum of it. You're the same.

[Wells]

If you can explain racial disparity in sentencing and prison population without using racism I'd love to hear it.

[Themius]

I never said there wasn't. The problem is this "It's racism!" conclusion is being jumped at waaaay too fast, without checking any logical explanation that might come before it. That's the problem. You're not being better than the ones being genuinely racist, you're just at the other spectrum of it. You're the same.

Me personally? You're talking about me... personally... you are ignorant of me. I've known you what... an hour of your posting... I may be ignorant of you as well but you are much more telling than I am.

[Orly]

There seems to always be some sort of issue between some Black Americans and Black Africans so...

Yeah, I bet some of them look at Africa now and say "Dayum, those centuries of slavery my ancestors endured didn't turn so bad after all".

Don't get me wrong, slavery is downright unacceptable, but after regaining their freedom they didn't quite return to their homelands either. Almost akin to the Stockolm Syndrome.

---------- Post added 2013-04-21 at 01:21 AM ----------

Me personally? You're talking about me... personally... you are ignorant of me. I've known you what... an hour of your posting... I may be ignorant of you as well but you are much more telling than I am.

No, I was talking in general, about people who do that.

---------- Post added 2013-04-21 at 01:23 AM ----------

If you can explain racial disparity in sentencing and prison population without using racism I'd love to hear it.

I already did.

[Themius]

Yeah, I bet some of them look at Africa now and say "Dayum, those centuries of slavery my ancestors endured didn't turn so bad after all".

Don't get me wrong, slavery is downright unacceptable, but after regaining their freedom they didn't quite return to their homelands either. Almost akin to the Stockolm Syndrome.

---------- Post added 2013-04-21 at 01:21 AM ----------



No, I was talking in general, about people who do that.

Stockholm syndrome? This is that most stupid thing I have read today.

Hey we kidnapped these people destroyed their culture for HUNDREDS OF YEARS, and took over their home continent to boot. Exactly what country did they have to return to?! There wasn't one, what culture what home was there in Africa? There wasn't one, it was taken. Holy shit....

Africa isn't some giant homogenous continent on top of that the slave trade ruined all identify blacks from those lines had.

[Wells]

I already did.

No you really didn't.

Don't get me wrong, slavery is downright unacceptable, but after regaining their freedom they didn't quite return to their homelands either. Almost akin to the Stockolm Syndrome.

This is some really delicious subtle racism.

[Rodna]

Yeah, I bet some of them look at Africa now and say "Dayum, those centuries of slavery my ancestors endured didn't turn so bad after all".

Don't get me wrong, slavery is downright unacceptable,

Then stop being a slavery apologist.

but after regaining their freedom they didn't quite return to their homelands either. Almost akin to the Stockolm Syndrome.

It's almost as though they were born in America where they have lived there for generations!

[Orly]

Stockholm syndrome? This is that most stupid thing I have read today.

Hey we kidnapped these people destroyed their culture for HUNDREDS OF YEARS, and took over their home continent to boot. Exactly what country did they have to return to?! There wasn't one, what culture what home was there in Africa? There wasn't one, it was taken. Holy shit....

Africa isn't some giant homogenous continent on top of that the slave trade ruined all identify blacks from those lines had.

You're kidding, right? Look upon Africa and see that despite 2000 years of technological evolution there are many people there who still retain their cultural ways, up till this day. Ways that are older than year 0. If what you say is true, then that should not have been possible.

[Wells]

It's almost as though they were born in America where they have lived there for generations!

Nah dude, you see they're black so they can just show up in Africa and fit right into the nearest tribe.

[Themius]

You're kidding, right? Look upon Africa and see that despide 2000 years of technological evolution there are many people there who still retain their cultural ways, up till this day. Ways that are older than year 0. If what you say is true, then that should not have been possible.

Uh huh... what you're saying is akin to this:

Okay so we kidnapped most of the french population and took over their country for the past 500 years, France is absolutely nothing how it was and the culture that was once there is now destroyed.

Okay French slavery is over why won't they just go back to France. Oh right... we kind of destroyed that country, oh well they can like go to Germany or Ireland right? It's all the same...

[Orly]

No you really didn't.

This is some really delicious subtle racism.

Believe whatever you wish.

And yes, I did. Did you even bother reading, or you're just throwing words at me? You can ask me to be more specific if you didn't quite get it, but I won't bother saying it again if you didn't even have the decency to read some previous posts.

[Wells]

You've made assertions, that's for sure.