Thread: Rasism in the news (US)

In my travels I have come in contact with many people of different cultures, I have never refused service, or dealt with anyone as any less important then any other customer. I have never felt myself as a bigot, nor do I now question that, in myself. What I do know from what others have told me openly , before this age of electronic eaves dropping, that race is far less of a bigoted factor then nationality. I have found, family, nationality, and social stature create far more bigotry then race ever has.
In this age of media hype, race is the easy card to excite people's interest and anger. No one has ever introduced laws or rules to prevent nepotism which, in any work environments, creates discriminatory environments.
My inquiry would be, do you really believe there is a serious racism issue in the US? Are people too eager to make an issue of incidents, that our wonderful media likes to stuff in our faces? Is it justifiable for the average citizen to fear their Muslim neighbors? If so, isn't that bigotry? I truly believe people are too sensitive and find the race card an easy one to attract attention, and I also feel way too many need attention.
Would love to hear from you guys, mostly because I do care how our global neighbors view this dysfunctional society, be patient, we are only 250 years old, we will grow up someday.

Did I spell racism wrong?.....no, not me

Economic refugees are becoming a problem world wide. I see no reason why economic refugees should expect to be welcomed anywhere outside their home country with open arms. Expecting that just adds insult to injury. These people are already expecting to be given a better life they don't deserve. They have already failed their home country.

The fact they are here proves they are not patriots. That's not a generalization, or "profiling" or other kind of racist fallacy. Each and every person who flees their homeland does so because they are not patriotic enough to stay and fight.

And if they won't fight for their home country, then why should I hope they will fight for the new one? Why should I give them the same respect as someone who would fight for my country? Or the same respect as I might hold for a patriot?

And if they won't fight for their home country, then why should I hope they will fight for the new one? Why should I give them the same respect as someone who would fight for my country? Or the same respect as I might hold for a patriot?

You're talking about refugees now. You really think that a person who is liable to be tortured or killed at any time, and their children as well, in their home country because of their religion or their skin colour or because of superstition or because they voted the wrong way in an election owes anything to their "home" country?

They might love their place of birth, but if it is dangerous for them or their family, who are we to say they should stay there? Some people are willing to stay and sacrifice themselves in such circumstances, but most people would do anything to save our kids.

Besides, Kojax, the ancestry of practically every American, Canadian, Australian, must match the same profile. Most of our roots trace back to people who were persecuted, losers, opportunists. They all left their homelands willingly, or were compelled to leave.

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Originally Posted by keeseguy

race is far less of a bigoted factor then nationality

Basically agree. Anecdote: Vancouver, Canada, is a multicultural city, yet Blacks are notably uncommon here. When I see a black person, I think, "Oh, that's an American, maybe a tourist." And for cultural survival Canadians *must* disparage all things American (don't take it personally). So I'm bigoted. But when I learn the black stranger comes from Tanzania, New Brunswick, or Italy, I'm like, "Oh, one of us."

Originally Posted by Pong

Besides, Kojax, the ancestry of practically every American, Canadian, Australian, must match the same profile. Most of our roots trace back to people who were persecuted, losers, opportunists. They all left their homelands willingly, or were compelled to leave.

Yup. My Swedish greatgrandfather jumped ship in South Australia. He was a sailor on one of those sailing ships that used to race to get back to port first with wheat and other grains. For some reason, I'd presumed when I was younger that he was dodging conscription to the Swedish navy - which I thought was a good enough reason in the first place. Reality was that he was dodging a potential arranged marriage to an American cousin he'd never met. Most of the other ancestors further generations back were escaping poverty and starvation in Ireland and Scotland. (A couple of others were either in the totally dreadful, corrupt and violent Rum Corps or were transported as criminals.)

If it was good enough for my forebears, it's good enough for others in even more extreme distress.

Racism is probably considered the worst form of bigotry in America because it smacks of the guilt of slavery.

Originally Posted by jrmonroe

Racism is probably considered the worst form of bigotry in America because it smacks of the guilt of slavery.

That's part of it. The other thing is, though the divide between black and white is much less than it used to be, many people still alive can remember when it wasn't. I can easily remember several acts of appalling racially motivated violence I personally witnessed when I was younger. People who grow up with racist attitudes rarely change their minds, at best they learn to avoid criticism by not speaking about it in public. Some attitudes can't be changed, they must be outlived.

Originally Posted by keeseguy

My inquiry would be, do you really believe there is a serious racism issue in the US?

Yes absolutely. Within three days of moving into a city in SE Texas I had to run a KKK solicitor off my porch. In the course of my military duties we had several incident with dark skinned soldiers being harassed while driving through Arkansas towns--one time four of them (driving 3 separate vehicles) stopped one rainy morning, all their equipment dumped in the road and searched under various excuses (I thought I saw a weapon etc). Some towns were notorious for their racism, always having the last room sold out for a perspective dark-skinned person, or not being able to get to their broken down car "till next week." And than there was Jasper, now infamous for its dragging death. Fork Polk, LA has had decades of problems trying to get its soldiers fair treatment on the local economy.

And it's not just my simple experiences from living in these racist pockets; studies support the conclusion, for example a recent study of school discipline that found:

"Black students are suspended or expelled at triple the rate of their white peers, according to the U.S. Education Department's 2011-2012 Civil Rights Data Collection, a survey conducted every two years. Five percent of white students were suspended annually, compared with 16 percent of black students, according to the report. Black girls were suspended at a rate of 12 percent -- far greater than girls of other ethnicities and most categories of boys."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/03/21/schools-discrimination_n_5002954.html

You'll find many similar results if you look at conviction rates, sentencing lengths etc.


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Is it justifiable for the average citizen to fear their Muslim neighbors?

No, or course not. No more reasonable than assuming the Christian next door is an abortion clinic pipe bomber.

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