Racism and America

[TheGame]

I have a fairly simple question. Regardless of the result of the presidential election.. Do you think the end result of the election itself will promote more unity among people, or do you think it'll ignite some old flames and cause heavy racism to get a national stage again?

[Bond]

No. I believe my generation has moved beyond racism. In fact, as a country I believe we have moved beyond racism. It will always exist in some pockets of the country, but that is simply the side effect of having such a diverse nation. I believe we are now divided more by class than by race, which, of course, isn't a wonderful thing either.

[BreakABone]

This got me a little upset saw this on a friend's facebook status.

[Name] wants to know who the heck the black dude is on the news at the McCain rally?! I really hope McCain paid him because if he's for real that's sad

I don't know if what talking about, but the fact that it is assumed because you are black you naturally support Barack Obama is something I have seen way too often. Vote for the guy because you agree with his stance and policy, not because of the color of the skin.

Same thing with voting against him.

[GameMaster]

Let's talk Bond's response a step further.

Which would be greater for the country right now:

• More racism and less classism

• Less racism and more classism

Ideally, there would a choice that said less of both but let's be real here.

[thatmariolover]

Originally Posted by Bond

No. I believe my generation has moved beyond racism. In fact, as a country I believe we have moved beyond racism. It will always exist in some pockets of the country, but that is simply the side effect of having such a diverse nation. I believe we are now divided more by class than by race, which, of course, isn't a wonderful thing either.

I disagree. Racism is certainly more prevalent in certain pockets of the country, but it is hardly limited to them. Racists are of no single place, class, or creed. I do firmly believe that assassination will be a fear in the upcoming election, should Obama win. I can only hope that there will be extra measures to ensure his safety because of it. Heck, he hasn't even won and there's already been one highly publicized attempt that was foiled.

I live in Minnesota, where I generally consider most people past racism. And yet just the other day, a girl at work is telling me how she'll never vote for Obama because he's black. When I told her how awful that was she said that it didn't matter. Nobody in her household was going to be voting for a black president. But Sarah Palin! Oh, she's just the light made flesh apparently. When I asked her what she likes about Palin she couldn't offer me a single thing aside from that she's a woman and we need a woman in office. She then tried to placate me, assuming she could appeal to my democratic preference, saying if Hillary had gotten into office she would have voted for her.

Bigotry and ignorance is everywhere.

But to respond to the original question, I think it will do some of both. Not a particularly exciting answer, but I think it's right. In the end if Obama does well, the racists will say it's because he had so many white people under him to fix his mistakes. If he crashes and burns, racists will say that we should have known better and that it was to be expected from a black president. And everybody else will just look at it as another president, good or bad. In the end, I don't think it will change a whole lot for people whose minds are already made up. But I think it could make a significant difference to kids who haven't had their minds made for them yet.

[KillerGremlin]

Originally Posted by Bond

No. I believe my generation has moved beyond racism.

kind of agree

Originally Posted by Bond

In fact, as a country I believe we have moved beyond racism.

There's no way you can defend that comment.

Originally Posted by Bond

It will always exist in some pockets of the country, but that is simply the side effect of having such a diverse nation.

until humanity morphs into a monotone yellow-brownish race thousands of years from now

Originally Posted by Bond

I believe we are now divided more by class than by race, which, of course, isn't a wonderful thing either.

agreed

Originally Posted by BreakABone

This got me a little upset saw this on a friend's facebook status.

[Name] wants to know who the heck the black dude is on the news at the McCain rally?! I really hope McCain paid him because if he's for real that's sad

I don't know if what talking about, but the fact that it is assumed because you are black you naturally support Barack Obama is something I have seen way too often. Vote for the guy because you agree with his stance and policy, not because of the color of the skin.

Same thing with voting against him.

i blame the media partially for canonizing obama's campaign and saying things like "he will win the majority of the black american's vote"

Originally Posted by GameMaster

Let's talk Bond's response a step further.

Which would be greater for the country right now:

• More racism and less classism

• Less racism and more classism

Ideally, there would a choice that said less of both but let's be real here.

the most impoverished people in this nation are black and Hispanic, so if you remove social class....you start to remove racism, imo

[Seth]

BET isn't even owned by black people. There's a reason why racial stereotypes and profiling endures. It's perpetuated through mainstream culture. As long as there's monetary interest in keeping ethnic groups in relative poverty, racism and ignorance will continue to flourish.

[Happydude]

BET - black EVIIIIIL Television

[Jason1]

If Mcain gets elected, then yes it will ignite some old racisim claims. And rightfully so, no way in hell Mcain should win.

Oh and Bond, your claims that we have moved past racism is laughable. Open your eyes buddy. Racism is alive and well.

[Bond]

Well, I suppose it depends upon how you are forming your own view on racism. If you are basing your opinion on mainstream national news, I would agree that race is still a prominent issue in our society. If you are basing your opinion on first hand experience of living in different parts of the country, then I think you might draw a different conclusion.

We will obviously never completely move beyond racism, but I do believe our generation is, more or less, beyond racism. Not beyond classism. And perhaps not beyond sexism.

I've lived in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin throughout my life. I have also traveled fairly extensively throughout the South. I have not traveled or lived for an extended period of time in the West or Mountain region of our country, but from my experience living in the Northeast, Midwest, and South, I do believe we have moved, or at least moving beyond racism. There will always be pockets, there will always be more racism in the South due to extenuating circumstances, but I believe we've made much progress.

What can I say? I'm an optimist.

[Happydude]

Originally Posted by Bond

Well, I suppose it depends upon how you are forming your own view on racism. If you are basing your opinion on mainstream national news, I would agree that race is still a prominent issue in our society. If you are basing your opinion on first hand experience of living in different parts of the country, then I think you might draw a different conclusion.

We will obviously never completely move beyond racism, but I do believe our generation is, more or less, beyond racism. Not beyond classism. And perhaps not beyond sexism.

I've lived in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Wisconsin throughout my life. I have also traveled fairly extensively throughout the South. I have not traveled or lived for an extended period of time in the West or Mountain region of our country, but from my experience living in the Northeast, Midwest, and South, I do believe we have moved, or at least moving beyond racism. There will always be pockets, there will always be more racism in the South due to extenuating circumstances, but I believe we've made much progress.

What can I say? I'm an optimist.

I would have to agree with Bond here...i think our generation as compared to past generations has improved greatly when it comes to racial matters. I believe (or would like to believe) that future generations will eventually fade out racism completely if this issue continues to advance at the rate it is now. I mean only decades ago were black people (not just african-americans, but rather ALL black people) were being used as slaves for generations. So the progress is staggering now as compared to before, and i would like it to proceed at the same rate, or faster even.

I would say the same could be said about sexism. Classism, however, is a completely different story and will never change. It existed 10,000 years ago, 2000 years ago, exists today, and will continue to exist in the future as it is human nature to classify people from poor to rich. Now, the same point - human nature - could be argued about racism and sexism, but the fact that those two 'isms' have actually changed, drastically mind you, within the past 75 years would, IMO, invalidate that argument.

just my $0.02

[BreakABone]

I guess it depends on how you see racism I guess.

While I would say it is not as outwardly shown in this day and age, you still find people who are distrustful of a certain race or group of people.

I can still go in a store in this day and age and get followed around because it is expected of us to steal or something.

I still know people fear me when wear a hood even if it is just to cover my head from the cold.

And well working where I work, I find that Jewish people are still untrusting of a lot of people. I don't want to make a generalization on all of them. But I flat out once had a resident tell me she was disgusted that she had to eat off of plates and forks that non-Jews used.

[BreakABone]

I know will say the location, but hey its proof.

[Teuthida]

Originally Posted by BreakABone

And well working where I work, I find that Jewish people are still untrusting of a lot of people. I don't want to make a generalization on all of them. But I flat out once had a resident tell me she was disgusted that she had to eat off of plates and forks that non-Jews used.

I could see that. Dunno about the folks where you work but the really religious ones go to yeshivahs where all they come in contact with are other Jewish kids. Segregation sucks. Although an orthodox friend of my mother's daughter did drop out of school, dye her hair blue, then shave it, got a tattoo (which is forbidden) and gave up her dreams of being a vetenarian to work in a bike shop...so there's hope yet for some.

I live in one of the most diverse areas of NYC...according to wikipedia...and a lot of the time I'm the only white guy around. Sometimes I get weird looks...but that might just be because according to my girlfriend I dress like a mugger.

When I was younger (and not as pale as I am now) I usually got mistaken for being Hispanic. My first girlfriend who was Filipino seemed geniunely disappointed to learn I wasn't Puerto Rican like she originally thought I was.

I do have a Chinese friend who I'm sad to say is a bit racist towards non white and non Asian folks...well, towards less Americanized Asian people too.

My roommate from college was extremely self-conscious about people thinking of him as a terrorist for how he looked.

So yeah, racism isn't gone.

EDIT: Just remembered another. I was in LA about three years ago and while driving around three mosques were pointed out that were vandalized with broken windows and racist graffiti. So racism isn't tucked away in a few pockets of America. It's everywhere, even where folks are suppose to be the most liberal.

[Professor S]

I think we need to be realistic and look at racism through the prism of history.

Is racism gone? Of course not, but it never will be. Ever. Our brains cannot process every individual we meet or face we see separately, and it must group individuals by categories to allow for cognitive thought. They are called "social schemas". That doesn't mean that we are all destined to be clansmen, it just means that we will always group people together who look or act similarly, and we will always prefer to be around people like ourselves. Just look around at a high school lunchroom if you don;t believe me.

The key is that we have come a long way as a world culture in rejecting malicious racism; the habit of lumping all of the worlds ills on one group or another. is it gone? No, but the fact that a black man is about to win the Presidency says a lot about how our group mind has changed.

I think America has changed enough that racism across the world has become the true issue. Anti-semitism is rampant throughout europe and the middle east, and entire ethnic groups have almost been wiped out in Africa and Eastern Europe in just the past decade or so. Several nations still allow slavery.

America is not the home of racism anymore, and quite honestly, it never was the sole source as you might have been made to believe.