Is race really a big deal in the US?

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   bsscorpio8posted 14 years ago

   Racism is still thriving; it just isn't fashionable. One of the worst things to be called today is a racist. Racism is not dead, it just smells funny.

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      kimberlyslyricsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      

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   IntimatEvolutionposted 14 years ago

   Sadly, I think it is.  My son recently invited his childhood best friend to come and stay with us for a week.  He lives in a small town about 75 miles away from us.  From the moment that child got here, it was Chink(?)this, or wet-back that...  He had a word for every minority group.  After only a few hours of him being here, I finally had to sit him down and explain to him how my household condemns such vulgar language and racism.  The kid is only 15.  However, he is apparently learning it somewhere.  Because my son is not like that at all.  I could see that it was even making Zach uncomfortable. 
   
   We live in a larger community, and are around and working side by side people of all nationalities.  I think that is what makes Columbia Missouri the great city that it is.  However, Zach's friend comes from small town USA, and clearly they do not like anybody other than the white race.  Seeing how 99.999% of the town are white.  It breaks my heart.

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   ahostagesituationposted 14 years ago

   Hi, Kristin!  I think I want to comment on the 'mixed relationship' question.  The demographics in this country are unique.  We are very racially mixed as a whole, but due to community support, many racial groups are concentrated in specific areas of a specific state or city.  At times large groups from a certain country have migrated to the country together specifically for support. I can tell you where the "Russian neigborhood" is in my area, or where there the highest concentration of Punjabi speakers are.  So, while America is very racially mixed, we can be very racially divided.  This question of mixed relationships is specific to the area of the country you live in to a degree.  I've been in more then one mixed relationship, and it really did depend on where we were. I could talk about this all day, but dating out of your race certainly can be a problem here.

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   logic,commonsenseposted 14 years ago

   I know in my circles, race is a bigger deal to blacks and Hispanics and Asians than it is to Caucasians.

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      kimberlyslyricsposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Hey  you, and in a multicultural society that Canada is so proud of, Canadians are now a minority, I would say the same thing. 
      
      And I take my own responsibility, having black family and friends, I hear what they say and am currently working on a hub titled, I'm tired of feeling guilty for being white', 
      
      It addresses all these views, hell I had even been a jew for 5 years when I married until divorced, I guess my point is like yours every race has a percentage of people who are against another race.  But it has become so obvious it's ridiculous,
      
      I'm not a cracker, though get called one, well I'll finish up  in my hub and talk about what drives me to fear whom.  That's all racism is.  Fear of the unknown.
      
      Cheers to all races but logics
      
      lol
      
      j/k
      
      agree with you and needed to be said

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         logic,commonsenseposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         I am beginning to think logic is close to becoming a extinct race!     (I know what you meant)

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   ktarcusposted 14 years ago

   From the outside looking in I see the main problem is one of segregation by your own politicians and media folk, over here in the UK we have ethnic minorities and small enclaves of single race populations but we do not classify people as being Black Englishmen or Hispanic Brits while all reports from America include such things as A BLACK AMERICAN OR AN AFRICAN AMERICAN this that or the other surely until you can get over the colour of a persons skin and just call everyone AMERICAN without a prefix there will always be a problem.

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      Jim Hunterposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That is how the different races refer to themselves.
      
      I am just American.

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      bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Unfortunately, when you set out to destroy a race of people, one of the only ways for the people to regain some sort of identity is to attach the suffix of said "minorites" in order to establish pride and solidarity.

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         ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Oh Lord.  If we were really out to destroy you, why would we allow you the same rights as other citizens?  You can vote, right?  You don't have "separate but equal" facilities anymore do you?  You can apply for any job you want to, right?  Why is it we seem to pick on the blacks and not the Japanese or Chinese?  You can, after all, tell who is of Asian descent as much as you can someone with African or Anglo-Saxon descent.  So what is the difference?

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            bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Who is we? I am talking about the past.Why would anyone have a problem with hyphenated names.Why? Is it threatening? You need to go back and revisit history.Hyphenated names goes back to identifying culture, thus the summer festivals. The Italian Festival (enjoyed by Italians and Italian-Americans alike) the Polish Festival (enjoyed by Polish and Polish-Amaericans alike)and so on. Once again, who is the "we" you mentioned when you stated, "If WE were really out to destroy you..."
            
            The hyphenated names are not for "you". After all, what's in a name?

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               Jeff Berndtposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               "Why would anyone have a problem with hyphenated names.Why? Is it threatening?"
               
               No, it's not threatening, but to a white person who fears the looming end of white privilege it's probably dead scary.

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                  bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  What's in a name?

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               ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Nothing is in a name.  It's stupid.  I could call myself a Mexican-American, but I don't.  I'm an American.  Just that.  American.

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                  bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                  That is your perogative, although you have Mexican-Americans who do not mind to refer to themselves as such.
                  
                  "A rose by any other name, is still a rose." Read: An American by any other name, is still an American.
                  
                  VIVA MEXICO!!!!!!

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                     ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                     The problem I have with hyphenated names is that it separates us into groups.  When you do that, it's very easy to be manipulated into fighting with the other groups.  That's one of the ways the plantation owners kept both their slaves and the po' white trash down prior to the Civil War and why there were so many white and black sharecroppers in the South after the War.
                     
                     You might be interested in the difference of the standard of living between people of the North and South in the antebellum US.  I'll have to dig up the reference, but there was a guy who traveled the North and South pre-Civil War and noted various differences between the sections.  The main point was that the South lagged far behind the North when it came to standard of living.  Not only because of the slaves but the effect slavery had on the poorest of whites as well.
                     
                     The gist of all this is that the plantation owners used the fact that the rural poor in the South might be poor, but at least they weren't black.  This kept two groups who should have been allies, separated and at the mercy of the large plantation owners.

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                        bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        I know about that; today, we call that classism, and it is well on it's way to being in full effect, hyphenated names or not.
                        
                        We are separated by our culture that is handed down from generation to generation,though we are still mixed in the"melting pot" of America, we still hold onto to that which makes us unique.

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                           ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                           Classism is a bit different.  It's hating someone because of social class.  Which is kind of stupid in a (somewhat) meritocratic society.  I'm not so sure we need to hold on to our uniqueness.  Look at the things that the black community has brought us from music, dance, to science and technology.  Black heroes like the Tuskegee airmen occupy the same place in our legendary as the Big Red One or the Marines of Guadalcanal. 
                           
                           If anything this insistence on "uniqueness" is keeping the Mexican people, for one, segregated and soon to become second class citizens.  How easy would you find it, for example, to assimilate into a culture, say Japan, without knowing the language, customs and history of the people?
                           
                           Heck my  mom got her citizenship and knows more about America and her history than many native Americans.  Like I said, I may be of Mexican descent, but I'm an American first and foremost.

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                              bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                              The example you gave was classism in the guise of racism, the politicians of those times were pitting the poor blacks against the poor whites, even though they were both poor, at least the poor whites were not black.
                              
                              My grandmother's grandfather was from Mexico, and her father's first cousin was Frederick Douglass. Even though racism is still prevalent in America by ways of subliminal conditioning, it does not affect me. Hold onto your uniqueness bro; VIVA LA RAZA!!!! (The RACE, not the organization)
                              
                              I believe that you do know that this is very deep, had it not been for wars of destruction, most of the Southwest would still be considered Mexico, war is always destructive; no matter what the cause. Remember though, there is ALWAYS a offender, AND, a defender.

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                        bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                        Differences in standards of living = classism.

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                           Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                           The difference is not a racial problem or even a social problem. The problem stems from a lack of knowledge and wisdom of life.
                           
                           Race has nothing to do with it.

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                              bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                              Race is a tool; used to control the ignorant, keeping us at odds with one another.

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                                 Cagsilposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                 It's not a tool. It's a manipulation tactic used by the educated elite to enrage those who don't know any better.

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                                    bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                    tool |toōl|
                                    noun
                                    1 a device or implement, esp. one held in the hand, used to carry out a particular function : gardening tools.
                                    • a thing used in an occupation or pursuit : computers are an essential tool | the ability to write clearly is a tool of the trade.
                                    • a person used or exploited by another : the beautiful Estella is Miss Havisham's tool.
                                    • Computing a piece of software that carries out a particular function, typically creating or modifying another program.
                                    2 a distinct design in the tooling of a book.
                                    • a small stamp or roller used to make such a design.
                                    3 vulgar slang a man's penis.
                                    • informal a dull, slow-witted, or socially inept person.
                                    
                                    device |diˈvīs|
                                    2 a plan, scheme, or trick with a particular aim : writing a public letter is a traditional device for signaling dissent.
                                    
                                    
                                    Semantics, semantics. You know what I am talking about; you are agreeing with me nevertheless.

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                                    bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                    Speaking of tools, can anyone tell me why it has to be blacksmith? Why can't it be brownsmith, or whitesmith? LOL!!!!

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                           ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                           Sorry, but that's not right.  You're always going to have differences in individual standard of living because people have different abilities and skills.  I'll never be a major league pitcher or basketball star, for example.  Classism is dividing people into arbitrary groups for the purposes of defining some social construct.  Upper, middle and lower class for instance, or king, aristocracy and peasant for another example.  What makes classism evil is that is can be and is used to keep people in those groups, no matter their skill level or ability.  In that way everyone suffers.  By all accounts Fredrick Douglass was a remarkable man.  The great evil of slavery, had it survived, was that such men as he or men like George Washington Carver would never have been known to us.
                           
                           The idea that racism is subliminal or somehow unconscious, is crap.  Sorry to be so stark about it, but the very idea that human beings, thinking rational beings that we are being pushed around by unrealized wants and needs is just stupid Freudian crap.  Racism is something that is taught as well as something that can be rationalized.  In the end, no matter what class, culture, race or other artificial group you put yourself or others in; the fact remains that we are all, first and foremost, human beings.

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                              bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                              Classism is arbitrary huh? Kind of like rascism, right?
                              
                              Dude, it is ALL freaking arbitrary!
                              
                              Yes, we are all human beings who have free will to pontificate and rationalize about ARBITRARY SHIT!!!!
                              
                              You can no more prove that, had it not been for slavery, we would have never heard of George Washington Carver, no more than you can prove that women menstruate because Eve bit the apple.

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                                 ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                 Did you even read what I wrote?
                                 
                                 
                                 
                                 You might try reading a little more about what is black and white on the page, rather than filtering through your (racist?) preconceptions.

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                                    bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

                                    Did you even read what I wrote?
                                    
                                    
                                    
                                    Classism is dividing people into arbitrary groups for the purposes of defining some social construct.
                                    
                                    I'll never be a major league pitcher or basketball star, for example. Arbitrary.....
                                    
                                    The great evil of slavery, had it survived, was that such men as he or men like George Washington Carver would never have been known to us. Unproven....
                                    
                                    Yea, I read what you wrote. I shall stop now.

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   lrohnerposted 14 years ago

   Sure, there are pockets of folks spread across the country that are total racists. There are also pockets of folks that believe we should legalize marijuana, impeach the president and allow people to walk around with loaded guns. Those few, however, certainly do not speak for me or the majority of Americans. That said, if a tornado came through town today and killed a black family, you can be sure that Al Sharpton, the NAACP and a host of others would be on the news tomorrow claiming that racism caused it. Whatever floats their boat, I guess. They gotta make a living somehow.

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   MSMonroe47posted 14 years ago

   Yes race is a major factor in American society and has been since the being.  Some of the behavior is blatant, while other actions practically transparent.  There are everyday actions that people take for granted, which impact our understanding of race relations.

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   lrohnerposted 14 years ago

   Wow, this thread took a turn. I'm an Irish-American and I will keep the hyphen until I die. I am very proud of my heritage. That said, how did the hyphen thingee turn into something racist?

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      ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

      It's not racist, well maybe it is a little.  It's one thing to take pride in your heritage, it's another to use hyphenated names to divide us into little groups.  That's why I prefer American of Mexican descent in my case.  If you want to keep the hyphen, by all means do so.  In the case of Mexican-American, all to many of those consider themselves part of La Raza.  You'll be hard pressed to find a more racist group of people.  They also advocate the secession and return of the Southwest to Mexico.  No think you, I'd rather not live in a place where you have to give an actual bribe in order to get anything done.
      
      So I might be a tad emotional about the whole hyphen thing, but I think I have a good reason.

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         lrohnerposted 14 years agoin reply to this

         Sooo, Mexican-American for you becomes La Raza? Don't know what it is, but your heritage is as much American as it is Mexican. You should never be ashamed of either, and if you are, then they've won.

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            ledefensetechposted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Oh I'm not ashamed by any stretch of the imagination.  There is, however, a subset of my mother's people who want to shred this nation to correct some wrong that happened decades ago.  Personally I'm glad the Southwest is part of the US and not Mexico.
            
            To be clear, La Raza is a Hispanic organization.  They exist only to rip the Southwest from the US and "return" it to Mexico.  Personally I think that if they ever succeeded, they'd just secede and form their own nation.  They're also racist and hate white people more than the New Black Panther party does.  You have no idea how much contempt I hold members of La Raza in.
            
            FYI, La Raza literally means The Race in Spanish.

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               bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Most become haters, especially if they were the victim, and not the perpetrator. Such is the effects of hate.

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               bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

               Gee, where does hate emanate?

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            bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

            Very well said!!

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      bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      That's what I say!!!!

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   lorenzo nealposted 14 years ago

   Does racism exist, I say yes! However;I believe that racism is simply something that is promoted to keep those in power there. In many cases today, racism is tossed around whenever convenient for non-whites to get their way or out of trouble. The wealthy want to stay wealthy and the disenfranchised are easy bait for foolishness of racism.
   As a young black man, I've experienced discrimination and the intimidation from people of other races,so I will say that there are people in this country who still harbor racial animosity from every racial group because every racial group has been discriminated in this country- poor & Irish whites, Asians, Hispanics and of Racism is only racism when someone else calls it that. Right now, its the media promoting racism to stimulate news stories, but in reality, most Americans are not racist, simply ignorant and misguided.

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      bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

      Racism's three best friends: ignorance, misinformation, and promotion.

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    Moonchild60posted 14 years ago

    These were certainly interesting comments. I think the media is just that. Media.  They entertain, and that includes the news.  That is why they don't report "real news" because sensationalism sells and important relevant facts happening in the world bore the American population which by and large get bored with REAL news and wouldn't watch it. 
    Does racism exist?  Of course it does.  It is usually under the radar though anyway.  Example: I live in the Hamptons, very famous for the wealthy and famous people that come here.  My husband creates gardens out here.  He has some hispanic workers, a couple of black workers and a couple of white workers.  Interesting fact: Our wealthy clients would prefer black or white workers over hispanic workers, claiming they cannot communicate with the hispanics.  But they have accused our workers of various things happening at their homes simply because they are hispanic and don't trust them. Our neighbors complained because of all the hispanics in the street in the morning getting ready to work, it clearly made them uncomfortable.  These same people would say in conversation with their friends "I am not at all prejudice". 
    My first husband was from India. When we had our son we moved from an all white neigborhood to a racially mixed one so my son would fit in and be with children of all races.  My youngest son from my second marriage is jewish.  For me this has highlighted anti-semitism in this country.  Especially since we are in a predominantly christian area.  Most people ARE prejudice, they just don't know it.  They should ask themselves a few questions: Do you have any hispanic or black friends?  Not work acquaintances, good friends?  Do you have a habit of saying "Why do "they" do that? act like that?  talk like that?"  Grouping "them" together as one?  Have you ever gotten uncomfortable because you were the only person in a group of "others" not of your race?  When you meet someone and find out their last name is "Stein" or "Goldberg" is your first thought 'oh, he/she is jewish".  Think about it. Because people usually were unaware both when I was with my first husband and my current husband that they were Indian and Jewish, I am privvy to people saying things that they would not say in front of me if they knew who my husbands were.  Trust me, people are prejudice and actually believe they are not.  They simply are unaware of the things they say and how it reveals who they really are.

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    Greek Oneposted 14 years ago

    sorry I jumped in so late into this chat...
    
    but I just wanted to see... are white people still being suppressed in the US?  I was planning a trip later this year, but I don't want to head down if I am going to be persecuted.

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       bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

       It is a new trend that is starting to make headway; you had better head down before the trend REALLY catches on.

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          Greek Oneposted 14 years agoin reply to this

          should I prepare for my trip by tanning?
          
          I heard a lot of Palin supporters warning about this kinda stuff when Obama took over!

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             bsscorpio8posted 14 years agoin reply to this

             No. Go directly to Alaska.

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    Ralph Deedsposted 14 years ago

    For some people race is a "big deal" in the United States. Read the linked story about the Flint, Michigan, serial slasher, described as a "muscular white man, who has attacked and stabbed 13 black men, killing five of them if memory serves.
    
    "In fact, there's concern throughout Genesee County as police search for a knife-wielding man who has attacked 13 men since May, killing five....
    
    "All the victims have been black men, and the attacker is described as a younger white man with a muscular build. The victims have tended to be vulnerable -- some with slighter builds, some older and each walking by himself..."
    
    Read more: Flint police search for serial slasher | freep.com | Detroit Free Press http://www.freep.com/article/20100806/N … z0vqwSpWFq

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