how could a black man not be racist?

[strollingbones]

everyone asks..can a black man be a racist? how could he not be one? given the racial history of this country? we seem to have more racial tension now than in the last couple of decades? why? is it the white's man reaction to the election of a black president? is it the fear of the blacks taking over? just what is it?

 

[Anguille]

Personally I think we all harbor a bit of latent racism inside. Maybe that's too strong a word. We all have our stereotypes, would be a better way of saying it.
It's just when we let them get the best of us and we act irrationally that it becomes a problem.

 

[strollingbones]

of course we do...we have social peers that we are comfie with...we know how the reactions will go..or as the kids say..how everyone rolls...and then there are the non comfort zones...where we are the minority...or just out of our zones...

 

[manifold]

Everyone is racist, to some degree.

But as a matter of practical reality blacks can't be racist, women can't be sexist, homos can't be intolerant, and jews can't be anti-gentile.

 

[Anguille]

What is practical reality?

 

[manifold]

Just some stupid shit I made up. Don't worry yourself about it.

 

[Anguille]

Just some stupid shit I made up. Don't worry yourself about it.

I never do.


no offense..

 

[manifold]

and then some.

 

[Againsheila]

everyone asks..can a black man be a racist? how could he not be one? given the racial history of this country? we seem to have more racial tension now than in the last couple of decades? why? is it the white's man reaction to the election of a black president? is it the fear of the blacks taking over? just what is it?

I know plenty of blacks that aren't racist....Professor Gates just doesn't happen to be one of them.

 

[Againsheila]

Personally I think we all harbor a bit of latent racism inside. Maybe that's too strong a word. We all have our stereotypes, would be a better way of saying it.
It's just when we let them get the best of us and we act irrationally that it becomes a problem.

I think we may all have our prejudices, but that doesn't mean we are all racist or have racist tendencies. My mother used to call certain people "poor white trash" and emphasized that you didn't have to be poor, or white to be "poor white trash".

To her, "poor white trash" is the neighbor I had that sent her little girl over to my house to play with my son whilte we were loading the moving van. What she should have done was ask my son to her house so the kids would be out of the way.

Poor white trash is the person that goes to the 10 items or less line with 15 items.

Poor white trash is the person that leaves the cart in the middle of the parking lot rather than returning it to the cart return or the store.

Poor white trash is the 3rd person running the red light, or the guy blocking traffic with his car.

You get the idea....it's the behavior, not the race or economic level.

 

[Annie]

IMO if there aren't artificial boundaries raised that prevent interactions with other races, few are actually prejudice by race, more so by class. What gives commonality are shared mores, hopes, and aspirations. If my neighbor believes it is ok for the their children to swear, lie, steal, I will not become 'friendly' with them, regardless of race.

However, if we do share the commonalities to maintain our property, raise our children to be good students, citizens, friends, and neighbors, we stand a very good chance of being more than 'neighbors.'

 

[Anguille]

Personally I think we all harbor a bit of latent racism inside. Maybe that's too strong a word. We all have our stereotypes, would be a better way of saying it.
It's just when we let them get the best of us and we act irrationally that it becomes a problem.

I think we may all have our prejudices, but that doesn't mean we are all racist or have racist tendencies. My mother used to call certain people "poor white trash" and emphasized that you didn't have to be poor, or white to be "poor white trash".

To her, "poor white trash" is the neighbor I had that sent her little girl over to my house to play with my son whilte we were loading the moving van. What she should have done was ask my son to her house so the kids would be out of the way.

Poor white trash is the person that goes to the 10 items or less line with 15 items.

Poor white trash is the person that leaves the cart in the middle of the parking lot rather than returning it to the cart return or the store.

Poor white trash is the 3rd person running the red light, or the guy blocking traffic with his car.

You get the idea....it's the behavior, not the race or economic level.

Poor white trash is who asks you to come inside and bust up a chifferobe.

 

[AkronGuy]

You get the idea....it's the behavior, not the race or economic level.

Bullfucking shit, that slur is pretty much like ******. Same exact thing. Poor white trash means poor white people.

 

[Big Black Dog]

everyone asks..can a black man be a racist? how could he not be one? given the racial history of this country? we seem to have more racial tension now than in the last couple of decades? why?

Good question, bones. I am no expert on race relations but I do have an opinion. Racism is a two-sided coin. Blacks are just as much racists as whites are. Everybody knows the plight of blacks in this country all the way from the days of slavery to now which is a day that a black man was elected President. So, in my opinion, the old thing about you can be whatever you want to become in this country is a truthful statement. I do not buy into the story about the black man being constantly kept from a positive destiny. The destiny of any individual, regardless of race, lies within his own desires. Obama is proof of that. Now, to more address what I think the racial problem is in this country these days. White America has done a great deal to make the playing field more equal for the blacks. In fact, at times, I feel that the whites in this country have bent over backwards to make this so. However, with that being said, the blacks don't accept what has been given and done but keep pushing the envelope wanting more and more to a point of everyday life now being tilted more in favor of the blacks than the whites. The scale isn't balanced. White people do indeed make mistakes now and then when it comes to race relations and when that happens, the blacks exploit that mistake to the fullest possible extent. Folks like Al Sharpton and Jessie Jackson only add to that problem. To sum it all up, I feel the blacks are demanding almost to the point of being pushy and not really interested in an equal playing field. With the scales constantly tilted in the blacks favor, white America has begun to tire of this situation. The scales need to be balanced out and it needs to be balanced pretty soon.

 

[Againsheila]

You get the idea....it's the behavior, not the race or economic level.

Bullfucking shit, that slur is pretty much like ******. Same exact thing. Poor white trash means poor white people.

Not in my family. I know lots of poor white people who aren't "trash". You can take it as you wish, but that's how the phrase was used in my family.

BTW, I grew up in a poor white family....just so you know.

 

[AkronGuy]

I see what you're saying again, but to me , it's on the same level as ****** would be for a black person.

 

[Anguille]

In matters of race, research shows key role for unconscious bias - The Boston Globe
"The arrest of Harvard professorHenry Louis Gates Jr. sparked allegations of racism, followed by fierce denials that race played a role in the 911 call or the police response to the report of a possible break-in at his Cambridge home.But social psychology research indicates that regardless of people’s stated attitudes about race, unconsciousracial biases can influence their behavior in surprisingly powerful ways.




That means that people who are not racist may unknowingly behave in ways that reflect racial stereotypes, even when they may disagree with such ideas.One study found that doctors with more unconscious bias against blacks were less likely to give African-American heart attack patients clot-busting medication than white patients. Another found that when participants in a computer simulation were told to shoot criminals but not unarmed citizens or police who appeared on the screen, more black than white men were incorrectly shot. Other work found that children perceived ambiguous, but aggressive behavior as more threatening if the perpetrator was black.

It’s impossible to know whether hidden bias caused Cambridge police Sergeant James M. Crowley, a white man who teaches courses on how to avoid racial profiling, to arrest the African-American Gates. But research indicates that a large majority of white people, and about half of black people, are quicker to make positive associations with white people and negative associations with black people.

....
Overall, Banaji said, about 75 percent of white people show a white preference in such lab experiments, whereas black people are split half and half between favoring black and white.
"

 

[Annie]

You get the idea....it's the behavior, not the race or economic level.

Bullfucking shit, that slur is pretty much like ******. Same exact thing. Poor white trash means poor white people.

Not in my family. I know lots of poor white people who aren't "trash". You can take it as you wish, but that's how the phrase was used in my family.

BTW, I grew up in a poor white family....just so you know.

Again I would agree. For the past 30 years at least for most Americans the faults IMO are class based, not race. Politicians get it, which is why there has been so much class warfare encouraged.

Segregation, red-lining both contributed to hiding this basic truth from many. Prejudices are based on both lessons learned primarily from parents and fear of the unknown. Even 50 years ago, with some breakdown on discrimination with hiring, one could hear that 'I don't like ________, however Mr. _______ is different than the rest of those 'no goods.' With more exposure, especially in communities, it dawned on many that their prejudices didn't hold up to their knowledge.

Well just like 'back when' prejudice did not lead most to violence, just aversion and the 'truism' that 'we should stay with our own;' classism isn't leading to violence, but does lead to separation. The vast, 95% of all economic groups in US are non-violent and want laws enforced and to live their lives in peace. However, there are 'cultural norms' that tend to be present in economic groupings. Most of the higher economic folks place a strong emphasis on education and forming 'socially acceptable' behavior. Many in the lower cohorts put more of an emphasis on making money, regardless of how. There are some cultures that find strong work ethic, whether in school or work to be 'kissing up to the system.' This makes it difficult for friendships to form, even tolerance becomes difficult.

 

[Zoom-boing]

What difference does it make what color someone's skin is?

I look at what people do - not what they say, not what color their skin is - and decide if they're someone upstanding, a pos or somewhere inbetween. I don't care what color someone is -- white, black, yellow, brown, red -- if they act like an asshole, they're an asshole; if they do the right thing in a given situation, they're a good guy.

 

[GHook93]

everyone asks..can a black man be a racist? how could he not be one? given the racial history of this country? we seem to have more racial tension now than in the last couple of decades? why? is it the white's man reaction to the election of a black president? is it the fear of the blacks taking over? just what is it?

First, not all blacks are racist! In fact I would state most aren't! Most are not like Charlie Bass and 52nd Street (sounds like a band!)

It sounds like you are apologizing or rationalizing black racism! No racism is acceptable! Whether its white on black or black on white!

Black racism isn't just targetted whites. Ask any Korean that works in LA and they will tell you they get harrassed by blacks.