Are you a racist, but not be aware of it?

[uscitizen]

I do not even like NASCAR.

 

[The Gadfly]

As to the original question, I doubt one who would actually ask that question can be truly racist without being aware of it. First of all, there's nothing inherently "racist" about perceiving such racial differences as skin color; in any normal everyday interaction, it's frankly ridiculous to claim that we "don't see" color. Of course we do; the question is what we do with the fact. A true racist, meeting a stranger of a different race, will see the skin color as "other", and think first of the stranger as belonging to another race, and thus automatically possessing whatever traits he rightly or wrongly attributes to that race. That prejudgment (prejudice) is an essential component of racism; in effect, it's forming an opinion about an individual based solely on a group identity, as opposed to waiting for the individual to show who he/she really is as an individual, through conversation and/or actions. Real racism judges and draws an immediate conclusion based solely on the perceived racial identity of the other.

The non-racist sees a racial identifier, notes it in passing, but forms no judgement about what this reveals about the other person. Rather than "not seeing" , for instance, skin color, a non-racist looks beyond it, and sees an individual person; any conclusion about that person awaits further interaction with him/her. That is in fact "judging by the content of their character" (as revealed in conversation and behavior) and "not the color of their skin" That is clearly (in my judgement) NOT racist at all.

I suppose it is possible for true racism to become so ingrained and reflexive in some people that they identify a person as belonging to "another" race and immediately jump to their own preconceived opinion of that racial group without any conscious thought; but that sort of person does not later then wonder "was that racist of me"- I can't recall ever knowing a real bigot who would even question his/her own beliefs to that extent, much less care what the answer was.

There does exist, as Mini14 pointed out earlier, a human instinct that makes us a bit "on guard" and suspicious when meeting another person who doesn't look like us. In our far distant past, when humans were hunter-gatherers living in small groups or tribes, that was a useful survival mechanism; another human who did not appear to be "one of us" was fairly likely to be an enemy competing for the same scarce resources for subsistence. I suspect there's a little of that primitive instinct left in all of us, to one degree or another. This generally does no real harm, as long as we are aware of it, and understand that in modern conditions it's not so useful. These days, we do better to pay attention to the expression, demeanor, and body language of an individual or group of individuals we encounter, and the conditions in which we do so, in making a rational decision as to whether someone appears to be an actual threat, or not. Common sense applies here; wariness of behavior, body language or demeanor, especially in potentially hazardous circumstances ( a dark street with few people around, for example) that would put us on guard if the person(s) in question looked like us, instead of another race, is hardly racist; no one should be made to feel compelled to "prove" one's "non-racist" credentials, at unnecessary personal risk.

 

[Montrovant]

There's a huge difference between noticing or being cognizant of differences between people and racism. Using someone's race as an indicator to pick them from a crowd is no more inherently racist than using their gender is inherently sexist.

Even if you occasionally find yourself having thoughts you think are racist, it does not make you a racist person. If you recognize the racist nature of the thoughts and they aren't part of your beliefs, that is perfectly understandable. Pretty much everyone is exposed to racism of some sort as they grow up, be it from family, friends, peers, what-have-you. Even if you want to, the things you grow up with can be hard to completely purge.

I've certainly had thoughts or reactions that would be considered racist. I usually mentally berate myself for it immediately after they happen, but don't feel too concerned that I'm a racist person; I have no trouble getting along with family and friends of different races, nor any problem discussing race or racism with them, so I figure I'm probably good

Mini14, I disagree that racism is human nature. I think it's broader than that. Human nature is to notice differences in others and often to deride or attack them for those differences. It could be race, or religion, or nationality, etc. I don't think the specific difference is the issue, merely that there IS a different and we too often fear or hate what is different.

Isn't it kind of strange that you would have to berate yourself for naturally occurring thoughts?

Perhaps it's different for you, but not every thought that pops into my head is something I would consider reasonable or moral.

 

[Douger]

I'm not racist in the least bit.
I hate idiots and assholes.
I hate Zionists, *******(not black people), and Jews ( Zionists that think they are the chosen)
No racism here. ( add murkin exceptional-ism to the above list. I hate those idiots)

 

[Tank]

Did all the whites move out of Detroit because of black skin or black crime?

 

[MikeK]

What exactly do you mean by racist? That word means different things to different people. I once heard a young girl who called a talk-radio program say, "My father is racist against cats."

I think you know exactly what is being meant by it.

Do you? I wonder why you believe that.

I know what my dictionary says it means and I know what I think it means but, as you've indicated, the word is "thrown around way too much" and so its meaning has become distorted.

I think of racism as absolute intolerance of or hostility toward anyone extraneous to one's own race. But I know there are some who are intolerant of only one particular race while accepting of others.

Some people prefer to associate only with members of their own race but harbor no dislike or aversion to members of other races yet this preference is thought of by many as racism.

What do you think it means?

 

[Wingsofwind]

An acquaintence of mine was at the post office the same time I was. It was a very long line of people. All "white". She came in and saw the line and we commenced to talk back and forth with numerous people between us. She said she was moving to Sedona Arizona and I said lucky her..it is beautiful there. We just jabbered, as acquaintences tend to do when they see each other. She then said "I hope there are more black people there than here" and I was surprised..so I said "huh?" and she said "well, since I'm black, I'd like to be around more blacks". The first thing that came to my mind and then immediately came out of my mouth was "OMG!!! You're...BLACK? And all this time I thought....OMG! You ARE black! There goes the neighborhood!" and she busted up...along with everyone else in line.
Then I hugged her goodbye before I left the PO.

Was she racist for saying that? Was I racist for making a joke out of it and laughing along with her?

No, I don't think that makes either of you racist. I find it more like you two were making jokes of those who are racist.

Also, I don't think she was being racist to want to be around her own race. It's a natural feeling for some people to feel out of place when they are the only race of their own in a group.

 

[Wingsofwind]

There's a huge difference between noticing or being cognizant of differences between people and racism. Using someone's race as an indicator to pick them from a crowd is no more inherently racist than using their gender is inherently sexist.

Even if you occasionally find yourself having thoughts you think are racist, it does not make you a racist person. If you recognize the racist nature of the thoughts and they aren't part of your beliefs, that is perfectly understandable. Pretty much everyone is exposed to racism of some sort as they grow up, be it from family, friends, peers, what-have-you. Even if you want to, the things you grow up with can be hard to completely purge.

I've certainly had thoughts or reactions that would be considered racist. I usually mentally berate myself for it immediately after they happen, but don't feel too concerned that I'm a racist person; I have no trouble getting along with family and friends of different races, nor any problem discussing race or racism with them, so I figure I'm probably good

Mini14, I disagree that racism is human nature. I think it's broader than that. Human nature is to notice differences in others and often to deride or attack them for those differences. It could be race, or religion, or nationality, etc. I don't think the specific difference is the issue, merely that there IS a different and we too often fear or hate what is different.

Isn't it kind of strange that you would have to berate yourself for naturally occurring thoughts?

Perhaps it's different for you, but not every thought that pops into my head is something I would consider reasonable or moral.

And this is natural also.

Happens to me too, but don't tell anyone.

 

[Grace]

There's a huge difference between noticing or being cognizant of differences between people and racism. Using someone's race as an indicator to pick them from a crowd is no more inherently racist than using their gender is inherently sexist.

Even if you occasionally find yourself having thoughts you think are racist, it does not make you a racist person. If you recognize the racist nature of the thoughts and they aren't part of your beliefs, that is perfectly understandable. Pretty much everyone is exposed to racism of some sort as they grow up, be it from family, friends, peers, what-have-you. Even if you want to, the things you grow up with can be hard to completely purge.

I've certainly had thoughts or reactions that would be considered racist. I usually mentally berate myself for it immediately after they happen, but don't feel too concerned that I'm a racist person; I have no trouble getting along with family and friends of different races, nor any problem discussing race or racism with them, so I figure I'm probably good

Mini14, I disagree that racism is human nature. I think it's broader than that. Human nature is to notice differences in others and often to deride or attack them for those differences. It could be race, or religion, or nationality, etc. I don't think the specific difference is the issue, merely that there IS a different and we too often fear or hate what is different.

Isn't it kind of strange that you would have to berate yourself for naturally occurring thoughts?

Berating/exploring/thinking. I don't find it strange at all. Obviously you do. Sorry about that.

 

[Grace]

Why are you convinced that racism is a bad thing?

I don't like boxes. Or labels. People are people.

Uh huh. And yet there's got to be a limit to that principle, eh? Are you a "man" or a "woman"? Do you consider it to be a "label"? Would you consider dating a "person" regardless of their sex "label"?

That's pretty much a silly question. Sex of a human being isn't a skin color.
Insert eye roll here.

 

[Wingsofwind]

I don't like boxes. Or labels. People are people.

Uh huh. And yet there's got to be a limit to that principle, eh? Are you a "man" or a "woman"? Do you consider it to be a "label"? Would you consider dating a "person" regardless of their sex "label"?

That's pretty much a silly question. Sex of a human being isn't a skin color.
Insert eye roll here.

I think he was trying to say that the race of a person or their sex is not a label but rather facts about a person.

 

[Grace]

Maybe so. It's late and my eyes are beginning to cross. But his "tone" is pretty much loud and clear...so to speak.

 

[The Gadfly]

Uh huh. And yet there's got to be a limit to that principle, eh? Are you a "man" or a "woman"? Do you consider it to be a "label"? Would you consider dating a "person" regardless of their sex "label"?

That's pretty much a silly question. Sex of a human being isn't a skin color.
Insert eye roll here.

I think he was trying to say that the race of a person or their sex is not a label but rather facts about a person.

Perhaps. Of course, the problem is not so much the facts themselves; it's what one does with those facts that causes the difficulty.