How White People Think

How white people think | Abagond
http://abagond.wordpress.com/2008/02/09/how-white-people-think/
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How white people think

Sat 9 Feb 2008 by abagond (http://abagond.files.wordpress.com/2008/02/whites.jpg) Much that goes on in the hearts of white Americans is a mystery to me. They do not think like me. What follows is my take on those in the broad middle in 2008. Some are better than this, but some are far worse: Almost all white Americans are racist. The truth is it is very hard to grow up in America without becoming racist no matter what colour your skin is. Blacks are racist too. Whites seem to think that so long as they do not join the Ku Klux Klan and do not use certain words they are not racist. They are blind to their own racism because it does not affect them. White people barely think about black people. It is like in those television shows where everyone is white except the judge. Most live in an all-white world, like on Friends. Most do not even see themselves as white they are just people. After all, they do not speak English with an accent, eat special foods or observe strange holidays. Everyone else does, but not them! White people generally give each other the benefit of the doubt, but they do not extend it to blacks. If you are black you are constantly doubted in their eyes. They think you are: less moral than you are, less hard-working than you are, less talented than you are, less trustworthy than you are, less honourable than you are, less intelligent than you are,
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less rich than you are, less well-read than you are. You have to be twice as good before they can even begin to see past your blackness. Whites might think you are better at dancing or sports, that you are even cooler than they are, but do not be fooled: at the very same time they will also think you are more violent and immoral than they are and have less education and money too. Rather than giving you the benefit of the doubt on these points until they find out more, like they do with well-dressed white people, they will just assume. If you are different from white people, they seem to think there must be something wrong with you even if they cannot say what. And if you are black, they seem to think you were born with a crack in your soul. There has been progress: the whites who look at me with hate in their eyes are mostly older ones. To some degree younger whites are better at hiding their racism, even from themselves, but it seems like the old heat is gone from them. But things like certain rap videos do not help: they play right into the worst ideas whites have about blacks as being violent, oversexed, ill-mannered and not particularly bright. Neither does the near invisibility of the black middle class help. Nearly half of black America is now middle-class something you would never know from watching television. I hope my grandchildren will not understand this post. No one should have to. See also: All whites are racist (../2008/08/06/all-whites-are-racist/) black people as monkeys (../2009/02/25/black-people-as-monkeys/) Race in America (http://abagond.wordpress.com/2006/10/07/race-in-america/) white people: colour-blind racism (../2008/05/31/colour-blind-racism/) Whites are still racist (http://abagond.wordpress.com/2008/06/05/whites-are-still-racist/) Why white Americans are racist (http://abagond.wordpress.com/2008/02/11/why-white-americansare-so-racist/) The hearts of white people (../2008/04/18/the-hearts-of-white-people/) How whites misunderstand blackness (../2008/05/13/how-whites-misunderstand-blackness/) There is absolutely nothing wrong with being black (../2008/04/17/there-is-absolutely-nothing-wrongwith-being-black/) The black middle class in America (http://abagond.wordpress.com/2008/02/13/the-black-middleclass-in-america/) Posted in 2000s, America, race | 199 Comments
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199 Responses
Girl on Sat 9 Feb 2008 at 01:32:32 I think a lot of that is changing. I got to a school that is around 50% black and 50% white. I love the diversity!! North Springs!! In the end were all just people. By the way I love Obama.
Stephanie B. Thank you for this important post. Stephanie B.
on Sat 9 Feb 2008 at 01:50:13
abagond Thanks. It was something I just had to write.
on Sat 9 Feb 2008 at 19:30:01
jewaira on Sun 10 Feb 2008 at 06:03:30 I wonder how much of these stereotypical misconceptions are a result of the media portrayals of blacks?
Gorgeous Black Women on Sun 10 Feb 2008 at 18:43:48 So right on. So many people act like you have to be a klan member to be racist. When Ive called people on their actions, they go on the defensive. People have called me on my own issues. I know its not intentional. I dont go on the defensive. It leads to self-reflection and I become more aware of my own biases. Ive found that people of color have an easier time admitting to it. I completely agree that it has to do with the society were in. Its partially the media as jewaira stated, but it also has to do with how you see people of other groups being treated and the respect given to their histories. I am African. I went to middle school and high school in this country. The treatment of Native Americans and Antebellum U.S. were glossed over and I had to go out on my own and do research on my own to learn about these things. We learned a great deal about the Holocaust in U.S. History and World History but for some reason, that whole placing Japanese-Americans in internment camps bit was little more than a footnote. We can call people on their ugly past but we cant face our own. I live in a very diverse New England city and Ive never been around so many racists in all my life.
abagond Jewaira and Gorgeous:
on Sun 10 Feb 2008 at 20:48:23
I kept trying to write a reply to your comments but I cannot say it in a few sentences. It will need a post of its own: Why white Americans are racist
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Thanks for your comments.
Stephanie B. on Sun 10 Feb 2008 at 23:21:54 I agree with GBW. Bigots and racists are present in communities that claim to be liberal. And, yes, white liberals have racist/classist viewpoints as do white conservatives. They tend to blame the other group for their racism while denying that they ever harbored racism in their minds and hearts. Hollywood and the whole left coast are prime examples. Every year, people of Color complain about stereotypical portrayals of us while the executives tell them to shut up and Im not racist. These mentalities are far more damaging than the ones conservatives spew out. At least with them, what you see is what you get. With liberals, they go the whole mental gymnatics on how tolerant they are but in reality theyre not. Steph
abagond on Mon 11 Feb 2008 at 01:15:32 LOL. White liberals are far more dangerous than the KKK these day. They have not yet had their Bull Connor moment where they are shamed in front of the world for their racism.
SK on Sat 16 Feb 2008 at 16:13:25 Interestingly, it seems that the author has overlooked her own biases in her editorial. The word they when applied to a group at-large indicates prejudice and bias. In this article, it is unclear to whom she is referring when she uses the word they. One can assume she means white Americans. If this is the case, replace they with white Americans. Once youve done this, replace the stereotypes that the author has placed on white Americans with the stereotypes that she believes have been placed on black Americans with every they statement, then replace they with black Americansand BOOM! You have an article about how the author is prejudiced in her own judgements. In simply adding a sentence at the beginning of her editorial, some are better than others, some are worse, she believes that she has given herself an out, but in reality, she has excused her own prejudice, just as she is accusing others of doing for centuries. This article is yet another reason for the continuing problem in this country. The author believes she is helping to solve the problem. In reality, she is helping to propagate it. Vague words like they and you people open the door for the continuing ignorance we see day-to-day. I will not argue that a problem exists. I will argue that the author of this particular editorial is part of the solution. Before you throw your stones at a particular group, be sure you do not live in a glass house.
abagond Thanks for your comment. I will try to make my post clearer.
on Sat 16 Feb 2008 at 16:49:21
abagond on Sat 16 Feb 2008 at 17:14:17 I think I see your point: racism is where we think of another race in general terms, which is just what I did here with white people. So the very thing I say whites are doing I am doing too!
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But if most white Americans are racist, how else can I talk about it? I have to talk about them in general and use the word they.
SK on Sat 16 Feb 2008 at 17:35:24 Its a very difficult problem to get around, isnt it!? Now we see why stereotypes are both dangerous and difficult to avoid. I think this is why we find that many people slip into them. To some degree, I believe it can be attributed to a measure of laziness. We dont want to be so wordy as to say, Ive noticed this behavior in my own life, or, Boy, do I loathe it when this happens to me, or, I wish I saw less of this behavior from everyone. No one wants to be treated badly, or viewed as less-than. Its unfair. It makes a person angry. It makes a group angry to be viewed a particular way because one person did something that got a lot of publicity. It takes a lazy group to decide that all people who look like someone who did something will behave the same way. This idea applies to white people, black people, all people. We must all be so careful to remember that people are individualsnot colorsnot groups. This is especially difficult when we aim to be efficient and succinct in our writing, but it is necessary, especially if we aim to make a difference. Though I am mixed (Caucasian and Native American), I look white. It sincerely bothers me to be lumped into a group that does not extend the benefit of the doubt to another. It also bothers me when people assume Im just white. I dont feel white. I dont particularly feel anything else, either. I just feel like a person, and if you and I meet face to face, I hope that you will take me on my own merit, and the merit of our one-on-one relationship, rather than any preconceived notions of they or white Americans. I believe you will. Just the fact that you are thinking about this makes me believe in you. Your response was thoughtful, insightful, generous, introspective. Youve displayed the wisdom of an open mind. You are the kind of person that I hope to one day meet, because I think you will change the world.
abagond on Sat 16 Feb 2008 at 21:13:01 Well, thank you. I do hope I can see you, and everyone else I meet, as an individual and not assume anything bad about you till I know otherwise. In spite of my own racism. That said, I do think all Americans are racist. That means me. That means you if you grew up here. It is not just a few bad apples making everyone else look bad. It is not just lazy thinking on my part or anyones. I wish it were that simple. It goes way beyond that. You cannot build a country on land robbed from Native Americans and work it with black slave labour and think you are going to come out of that clean. Think of how many lies white people had to believe in order to live with themselves after crimes like that, good Christians that they were and wanted to be. And the lies are still there, weaker but still there. And they affect not just whites but blacks too. They affect everyone. They have become too much a part of what this country is. Martin Luther King helped to shame whites out of some of those lies, but others remain. White racism hurts blacks, but it hurts whites too: lies eat away at your soul till you can no longer live straight and proud.
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marko on Thu 21 Feb 2008 at 22:10:37 a very good point indeed. this is also the case in the north europe and is not limited to blacks only, but all non-white people be it asians, middle easterns, africans, latins, etc.
abagond on Fri 22 Feb 2008 at 00:01:58 Wow. That is bad news. That means white racism is not simply a hold-over from the days when they kept slaves.
Tara on Mon 24 Mar 2008 at 22:56:53 Where I live here in Oregon, people are very racist but will vigorously claim they arent, Im very familiar with those kind of people. Almost forgot to tell you, but Im white. It hurts my soul that this is what people assume most white people think like. Maybe most do, but not all; and if people say racist crap in front of me, you better believe I say something about it. One of my children is of mixed race and I grew up with a slew of cousins whose father was african american and honestly, I do not view the world in just terms of white as your post says. My ancestors were shameful, they held slaves. Your readers have no idea what it feels like to be a white person who is terribly and deeply ashamed of their ancestors for that reason, that not all of us view the world as white folk plus everyone else. I am very sad because despite what I have written some of you will still just assume Im racist in some way just because Im white and that Im in denial about it. All people are beautiful, all. That is what is in my heart. I have some of my own experience with strangers sneering at me, being cruel, and being denied things, and assuming Im lazy with low morals because of my appearance because Ive weighed over 300 pounds for the past 7 years because I developed a tumor in my pituitary gland. Why would I do the same to others to be as hurtful as people have been to me?
abagond on Tue 25 Mar 2008 at 23:41:33 I started the post by saying some whites are better than this, some far worse. I was aiming for the broad middle. Many whites who are less racist have a reason in their personal history, like you do. Or Jack Kemp.
Dumbo on Sat 29 Mar 2008 at 15:04:18 I love it when balck people or white people depeneding on the article tells you that the other race of people think a certain way. For instance. This article. If this is written by someone who is black they sure seem to know a lot about how white people think? Thats odd there whole premise is that white people dont know how black people think, yet they are experts on white people?
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It works in reverse. White people claiming to know how balck people think. Know one knows how anyone thinks. Your not mind readers. Its the stupedist argument in the world.
abagond on Sat 29 Mar 2008 at 20:01:14 It is understood that I cannot read minds. Most readers understand that this is not an exercise in clairvoyance. They know that I am working backwards from what white people say and do to what they seem to think. They also know that it is merely my opinion, how I make sense of it, not the gospel truth. I cannot read your mind either, but judging from your comment you seem to be trying to tear apart the post because you do not want to have to take it seriously.
macon d on Sun 4 May 2008 at 04:07:40 Well, Im a white person who took the post very seriously. I look for sincere black analysis of the ways of white folks all the time. Thats because Ive come to understand that black people, especially, understand a lot about white people that they dont understand about themselves. Black people have to DEAL with white people every day, and doing so is often dangerous. That means that black people have to STUDY white people, just as their ancestors did. That means black people know a lot about common tendencies among white people. So when black people talk about white people, white people should step the hell back, and listen.
abagond on Sun 4 May 2008 at 07:45:25 Right: blacks cannot afford to fool themselves about the nature of whites. Whereas whites lie to themselves to maintain their overblown self-image.
Hmmm on Tue 3 Jun 2008 at 23:09:15 I cant imagine a more harmful attitude towards ending racism in this country than the one expressed in this post. You act as if white people in this country were somehow forced from on high to abandon slavery, but all still harbor our deep seated racial hatreds. The facts are that many thousands of very passionate white people have for over a century in this country dedicated their lives to the idea that we are all equal human beings. Worked, fought, bled and yes died to bring this country where it is today. And you say All white people are racist. No black person forced white Quakers to be abolitionists, white farmers to open their homes to the underground railroad, white soldiers to fight to end slavery, or white students to join freedom marches. These people sacrificed of themselves, because they believed it was right.
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Yes the attitudes you talk about exist. If you honestly believe that theyre universal that I pity your cynicism. Yes there are racist whites, unfortunately your post proves there are racist blacks.
Incognito on Tue 3 Jun 2008 at 23:15:04 This may be the most racist article I have ever had the displeasure of reading. The article offers broad, sweeping and unjustified claims with not one whit of support All white Americans are racist, They are blind to their own racism, They think you are less moral then you are, and they think you were born with a crack in your soul. This is hateful propaganda that does not support itself with evidence. In my opinion, the lack of evidence offered is fundamentally because of a lack of substance to the claims. One interesting comment in the article is that younger whites, who do not look at [the author] with hate in their eyes do so not because they are not racist, but because they are better at hiding their racism. Such an assumption betrays the authors racism more than the rest of the article, which is saying something.
abagond on Wed 4 Jun 2008 at 00:26:15 My aim in this post was not to end racism, to prove that whites are racist or even to spread hate. It was to state as truthfully as I could how most white Americans seem to think about blacks. Sorry, but the truth is not always pretty.
abagond on Wed 4 Jun 2008 at 00:26:21 I am racist. So is everyone who lives in America long enough. Racism comes out of every television set and every newspaper. It is everywhere. Do not fool yourself into thinking you have somehow escaped it.
abagond on Wed 4 Jun 2008 at 00:27:17 In my experience those who think they are not racist are often the worst ones.
abagond on Wed 4 Jun 2008 at 00:29:32 Abe Lincoln was one of the greatest Americans who ever lived, but he was still racist. Read enough of his writings and you will see.
abagond on Wed 4 Jun 2008 at 00:33:18 Whites who grew up since the 1960s are much better at hiding their racism than those from Jim Crow days. Read about it here: http://abagond.wordpress.com/2008/05/31/colour-blind-racism/ colour-blind racism
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Hmmm If you dont want to end racism, why say anything about it? What purpose does stating your hateful truth serve?
on Wed 4 Jun 2008 at 01:39:18
While I wouldnt go so far as an earlier respondent to say this is the *most* racist thing Ive ever read (there are still plenty of the KKK folks out there, or militant ethnic cleansing african tribal leaders) theyre certainly right that you dont present any shred of evidence. Ill also point out that youre mincing words now by saying things like most when before you said all. I think you really need to ask yourself What am I accomplishing here? Because if youre trying to promote some greater truth, all Im seeing are inflammatory falsehoods.
abagond on Wed 4 Jun 2008 at 04:33:40 I am not mincing words. The post was not about all whites, but the broad middle. That is the most. But, yes, all whites in America are racist. Some are worse than what I said in the post, some are better but still racist.
abagond on Wed 4 Jun 2008 at 04:53:49 Sure, I want to end racism. As a blogger I serve that end by telling the truth as best I can. If people are not straight about what is going on, then nothing is going to change. You want proof? Fair enough. To me it is as plain as day, but I understand how most whites cannot see it. I will present some proof that whites are racist in a future post. Probably sometime in the next few days. That way my inflammatory falsehoods, as you call them, will be at least inflammatory possibilities. I will put the link to that post here once it is up: http://abagond.wordpress.com/2008/06/05/whites-are-still-racist/
Monique on Wed 11 Jun 2008 at 09:37:06 I am half White, half Mexican, I never knew my white father and I grew up with my mexican mother in a very diverse border town. I look white though. Every single one of my close friends is mixed when it comes to race. Am I too a racist? I think your argument is becoming obsolete. I am quite young I think (only 18), and I really honestly think so long as there are mixed people like me and those around me race is not an issue.
abagond on Wed 11 Jun 2008 at 09:54:40 I hope it is becoming obsolete, but I am not holding my breath just yet. If you are mixed you will be less racist, but you will still be racist if you grew up in America or lived in it long enough. It is just too much a part of how America breathes and thinks.
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abagond on Wed 11 Jun 2008 at 09:58:58 The whiter you are and the younger you are the more likely you are to think racism is not a big thing because you have not been affected as much. What I wrote in this post is something I have been telling my friends for years. Some of them did not believe me till they left school and had to go out and work. Then they saw how right I was. Then they sang a different tune.
Olivia on Fri 4 Jul 2008 at 05:54:12 Not long ago, there was this Australian girl on YouTube. She said she wasnt racist, but that it is just facts that black people havent invented anything, helped anyone(or themselves) and are worthless- along the lines anyway And she denied being racist Needless to say, shes no longer on YT
Joyce on Mon 20 Oct 2008 at 01:05:11 I have to say that I resent this account of how white people think, because I am a white person, and I do not think like this. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt white, black, asian. On the other hand I dont automatically assume a white person is trustworthy, any more that I assume a black or asian is trustworthy. People earn my trust; its a process. I would not give anyone the keys to my house black, white or asian until they earned my trust. And I wouldnt give anyone my ATM password white black or asian unless I had good reason to. I wouldnt invite anyone into my house asian, black or white thats just dumb. I WOULD call 911 if I saw your car broke down, but I probably wouldnt let you in my car white, black, or asian unless your life was in danger, or you had kids that needed it. I treat blacks and asians.and middle eastern peoplethe same as I treat whites. You are stereotyping whites, just as you resent being stereotyped. How can you justify that?
abagond on Thu 23 Oct 2008 at 03:59:00 As I said at the beginning of the post, not all white people are like this some are worse, some are better. But please do not fool yourself. I do not know how many times I have heard white people say that they are not racist and then say something flat-out racist two minutes later. With a straight face. The thing is most whites are too blind to their own racism to see it. Some of the least racist white people are those who readily admit their racism. Because they see it and know it and know that it is so much a part of their conditioning that it is hard to escape.
abagond on Thu 23 Oct 2008 at 04:04:29 If you are interested, there is a test you can take to see how racist you are. It is called the IAT. The
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beauty of the test is that because it is based on automatic reactions, you cannot fake it.
Jason (white) on Sat 22 Nov 2008 at 00:38:11 hmmm I think I kind of see what youre saying. I can surely say my dad was racist, but I not so much. Though, I still have that small racist thought in the back of my mind every once in a while and often not as bad as what you described in your post. I dont want to be racist and I try not to intentionally think in a racist manor. You are right. It is just how America is.
Davida What is this IAT test?
on Sat 22 Nov 2008 at 01:27:22
abagond on Sun 23 Nov 2008 at 04:10:32 The Implicit Association Test. It can tell from your reaction time how you feel about a subject like, say, asparagus or black people (or white people). The beauty of the test, according to its creators, is that even when you know how the test works, you cannot beat it at its own game.
Davida on Wed 10 Dec 2008 at 02:52:57 Started to take the IAT test but had a problem It seemed to be slanted to make people racist why would they put the option to choose black featyreson the same size as BAD where you indicate bad things? It has been proven people often will react to what they see first before what they hear or think. If they remember the african option under bad it causes an unconcoious connection. Try standing in front of a group of people tell them to pinch their right thumb and pointer finger together then tell them to put their thumb and pointer finger on their chin but point to your cheek. Almost all the people will put their fingers to their cheek. They are not dumb they just follwed their eyes first. And hoping to prove people associated african features with negative thoughts and putting options that are BAD with options for black people and options that are Good with white peoplewell I just have to question the test.
Davida on Wed 10 Dec 2008 at 02:54:17 wow typo city thats why would they put the option to choose black features on the same size as where you indicate bad things?
abagond I am not sure how good the IAT is.
on Wed 10 Dec 2008 at 09:54:57
Davida on Fri 12 Dec 2008 at 10:03:48 it seemed to be rigged toward racist results..at least from my perspective
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abagond on Sat 13 Dec 2008 at 01:08:28 The creators say it is better than any other test for racism out there. But even assuming it is better, how can they tell that? By what independent measure?
dsgruntled on Thu 18 Dec 2008 at 05:14:08 Please , please , please ..not another Black , Hispanic , or what ever telling me what white people think!
Afromantic on Mon 22 Dec 2008 at 11:26:14 I do agree with you that as long as someone lives in America, theyll have racist attitudes. Im into asian dudes hardcore and I just discovered this like two years ago. In the black community, were brainwashed into only liking our ownjust like with every other ethnic community (whites included). Ive never actually experienced racism although Im 19, but I have seen people act wrongly to others. Its a sick thingand I live in NY so youd think everything would be fine but it isnt. Racism is alive and well and its kicking everyones ass. I hope Obama really comes throughwe need it^^
abagond on Mon 22 Dec 2008 at 23:36:51 Some people do not experience racism till they get out of school and start working and living on their own. Friends of mine who doubted what I said about how racist America was only began to see what I meant once they got out of school. When you are young your parents, teachers and others try to protect you from much of what goes on. But if you are black and live in New York, you know it is out there, like you said.
Little Joe Thanks.
on Fri 6 Feb 2009 at 03:26:49
Votes on Sat 28 Feb 2009 at 14:43:06 I have gone to school with and worked around white people all of my life. Theyve given me more financially than any African-American person has other than my mother and father. I am an African-American woman, who happens to be intelligent by American standards. White people in the corporate world treat me well when my hair is straight and tend to shy away from me when I wear braids. I have to speak a certain way to gain their respect no ebonics. When they are wrong about something, they dress up their wrongness with fancy words; they seem to have this creed that you cannot admit that you do not know what you are talking about. When their ignorance is exposed, they get very silent and quiet or they change the subject, because they believe they must be the best. There are benefits to being white, African-American, or any other race. Dont get me wrong, I love all people. White people have helped me out a lot, when Ive found some AfricanAmericans to be not so helpful. Usually when white people do wrong, it is because they were taught to do wrong. You just have to know how to deal with them. Some African Americans want to say we are the way we are because of colonialism and slavery. The British and other caucasian nations tried to conquer all people and countries, but everyone fought back except for Africans. We were easily persuaded by false notions as in the Tutsi/Hutu crisis in Rwanda. We sold each other out in slavery African kings selling the children of their African enemies to white people. African countries have more languages than any other countries in the world, which means we naturally dont work together.
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I dont want to live in Africa. White people stick together and look out for each other, but whats wrong with that. African-Americans need to adopt the same characteristics. Ive found that AfricanAmericans that I know are looking for the easy way out not all of them, but most. The ones who do want to attain economic independence lack the fortitude, perseverance and wherewithall to pull it off not all of them, but most. And black people, please stop beating your children, because it does something to their brain and makes them stupid! Hell, we cant even live together as husband and wife! Ive thought about and decided that if I could be born any race I wanted to be, Id be Japanese or Chinese. They are strong, smart people that instill good values into their kids at a young age. They are loyal to each other, even though they punish harshly, but it is for the common good. Most are not overly beautiful [to me] or overly unattractive, but good sound people. All of the ones that I have met are generous, love to serve, have a wonderful work ethic, and I just love em. So there.
Svaha American Colors: The Spin on Skin
on Sun 29 Mar 2009 at 02:31:35
The United States is uniquely ignorant in its obsession with race. All societies have institutionalised prejudice in one form or another; older societies have gone through many cycles of creating and dismantling hierarchies as various coalitions wrestled with the economic and social spoils available. The idea here is to consider the American case as an anthropological absurdity rather than a comparative assessment of its moral status vis-a-vis related prejudice. The first thing that struck me as absurd about American popular and institutional notions on race is its conscious connectivity with skin color. In reading through anthropological texts, the orthodoxy suggests that genetic differentiation intra-species was superficial (in terms of nose bridge structure/hair texture/skin color) and that the quasi-science of race nevertheless was defined in some non-superficial matrix : Austric, Caucasian, Mongoloid, etc., based on climatic and other adaptive contexts. In the US, the census and many employment documents show a pervasive sense of politically/socially defined race categories exclusively and ignorantly based on skin color! So racial categories are white/black/yellow, etc. The sense of self/other is eurocentrically derivedso, the polite phraseology for blacks is african-american, whereas for whites, it is not european-american. So people from the Indian subcontinent who may be Caucasian or Mongoloid are called Asians (race category!). Thankfully I have not seen a category of brown/yellow in census documents; perhaps a young society cannot think in a less simplistic dimension than black/white in formulating prejudice hierarchies. There is a definition of freedom and equality that seems inconsistent with the above, but is savagely upheld as being true despite the commonality of superficial race discourse across American society. A typical American is quite content to comment negatively on European or Asian (old society) class and caste hierarchies as laughably sophisticated prejudice in opposition to his/her own sense of freedom/equality in American society. The next moment, that same naive citizen will speak in the most ignorant manner about race categories in terms of skin color. This is ingrained at all levels in language, media, government, and in personal lives. A society founded on the massacre of native populations, and the systematic enslavement of other human beings must naturally be racist, but what is amazing about American racism is its focus on skin color as a defining characteristic of race, in defiance of all scientific and anthropological evidence.
Desiree
on Wed 6 May 2009 at 02:14:53
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i do agree with everything you say although i dont feel like black and whites are the only ones
BernieGoldberg on Sat 30 May 2009 at 20:47:22 Go no further than But things like certain rap videos do not help: they play right into the worst ideas whites have about blacks as being violent, oversexed, ill-mannered and not particularly bright. Except, please leave out certain. There are no good rap songs or videos. White people are sick of the thugs in rap and hip-hop. Sick of the Kayne Wests, the fitty cents, the Ludacises, and all the other pigs that pollute society. Stop whining about racism. Its your own fault for the way youre perceived. Last week it was morbidly humorous to white America to read about another dead rapper, Dollah. A quick search of the songs he wrote and was affiliated with generated no suprise or grief to his death. This crap is shoved in our faces daily. If YOU dont like it, YOU need to change it and stop stirring up the whitey/cracker/racist drivel a la Jeremiah Wright. The blogs from black America on the web are pitiful. Oh poor us, wahhhh, 400 years of oppression, blah blah wahhhhhhhhh. . . Talk about get over it, last I checked, its a fact theres blacks in every leadership position in the private, public and governmental sectors. But you bloggers and friends want a free ride instead of earning things like equal respect. Its easier to use the word hater on a daily basis and cry to each other on the Internet and in the ALL BLACK churches. You devote thousands of hours co-miserating with each other about whitey, and Friends episodes, etc. Its really sad. A side note-During the last election race, Charles (Thats why I hate white people-ESPN)Barkley, a previously staunch Republican, supported Obama. And whitey is racist??? Its an outrage that Obama was elected purely on racism by people hypnotized by contributing to history instead of voting on a candidate who had a shred of substance and experience, instead of professional teleprompter reading and a smug, bitter wife. Gotta love reading how, as MSN put it, she was grooving to Fergie shaking her derriere with her young daughter one night recently at 11:00 pm at the WHITE House. Yeah, *snaps* you go First Girl Sista. Hows you momma likin da free ride wit you and Barry on Penn Ave????? Once more, you wonder why white America has a poor perception of blacks, when the half-white Prezs momma-in-law is living on the taxpayers dime a heartbeat after hes elected? Pathetic. But, Id vote for a credibleblack man like Michael Steele, Alan Keyes, Lynn Swann. If you dont like the way white folks think, then change. Oh, one more thing-If you are black you are constantly doubted in their eyes. They (ALSO)think you are: Probably and statistically likely to have been raised by an extended family member or members, instead of one stable mother and one stable father, accent on the abandoning father. Like Obamas muslim adultering father. Truth hurts. I know you all cant help it, but at least try.
abagond on Mon 1 Jun 2009 at 04:20:57 Wow, you just proved my point. Most black people I know are nothing like what you see in rap videos. In the entertainment industry white dollars rule. So whites gets just the image of blacks that they want. Whites are the main ones who buy hip hop music. Whites have been consuming black entertainment that makes blacks look bad since at least the early 1800s. It is as American as apple pie. And there are always blacks who will happily fill their pockets supplying what whites want.
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Also note: McCain also got more than his share of racist votes.
Avery on Sun 7 Jun 2009 at 05:42:52 I am a white male. You do not know me, I do not know you. So please, do not make judgments about someone you have never met by giving them a label, and I extend to you the same respect.
muse on Mon 15 Jun 2009 at 03:26:31 Your analysis in this post is head on. Like expected, some commenters wont like it but like you said sometimes the truth isnt pretty. Im only 28, I have a Masters degree and have travelled outside of the US, but I still have a nagging feelng at the back of my head that I have to be twice as good for others to see past my blackness. When I tell people that I want to travel to places like Thailand and Iceland, I can see the surprise in their eyes( I get this from both whites and blacks) Its sad, but this has been my experience. When I lived in NYC and worked as an editorial assistant, an older woman in the building asked if I were the maid. She didnt see that I was college educated, working on my Masters, but all she saw was my skin. A white male friend said that maybe she thought that because I was young while another white female friend said it was definitely because I was blackand really how blind is my friend? Would she had asked this if I were white? Truthfully I think it was a mixture of both. When I was in grad school (I majored in Creative Writing), I got the sense from some of my classmates that they wanted me to write about black topics because Im black. I know for example, one of the stories from my story collection deals with a married couple and infidelity. The wife is black and the husbands white. Someone from my writers group, who was black, wanted to know how this couple had to deal with being an interracial couple in society. I responded that the whole point of the story is the husbands infidelity and focusing on the interracial aspect would deter from the point Im making. That is when I realized that in the 21st century, were still obsessed. I hate to say it, but I get a little annoyed when I see separate African-American literature interest sections in the book stores. Why cant it be included with the rest of the fiction books? As Im now completing my novel, Im considering using a pen name so no one can guess my ethnicity or gender and draw assumptions. One of my friends who is Indian said that her editor suggested that she write about Arranged Marriages when she really wanted to write about finding love in 21st century America. I know that if the writing is good it shouldnt matter, but truthfully if ones name bears a certain ethnic ring to itbe it Jewish, Spanish, African, Asian, people will have preconceived notions. What I like about this blog is that it deals with the issue of race in a thought provoking, analytic way. Something that is really hard to find these days on the Internet. As you know you will have critics, but keep up the good work. Continue speaking the truth.
abagond you said:
on Mon 15 Jun 2009 at 16:52:15
I get a little annoyed when I see separate African-American literature interestsections

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in the book stores. Why cant it be included with the rest of the fiction books? I hate that too! Thanks for the encouragement.
abagond Avery:
on Mon 15 Jun 2009 at 16:57:51
I am a white male. You do not know me, I do not know you. So please, do not make judgments about someone you have never met by giving them a label, and I extend to you the same respect. White people want to be seen as individuals, the way they see themselves, but too often they do not see blacks that way.
dave on Thu 18 Jun 2009 at 08:05:43 abagond, how many white people have you actualy know and love to get into thier hearts and souls like you think you do. you are influenced by negative people who hate for no reason and you are trying to figure out a math equation that there is no answer for. there is a collective of european ancestry in america that can never be totally figured out and if you took the family tree of every one of them you would eventualy find some of your own ancestors both black and white. stop labeling people based on thier skin color because it is wrong most white people have already figured that out, now its your turn.
Leah on Fri 19 Jun 2009 at 13:39:03 You are wrong. Not every white american is racist. Ive never seen people for the color of their skin, NEVER. I guess it might be the way I was raised or my religious beliefs but Im white and Ive always ignored stereotypes. My husband is black and cherokee, my neices and nephews are mixed with black/cherokee and white, one of my sister-in-laws is asian, and well all like best friends, there has never been any tension between myself and another race. I think that is blogs with posts like these that are keeping racism alive because YOU are telling black americans that they should be weary of all white people because deep down they are all racist, you are not allowing society to move on from the mistakes that were made so loong ago. I do agree with one thing though, my children and grandchildren will not be able to read this and understand, they will not be black or white, they will be people, people who are color blind when it comes to other human beings.
michael on Wed 15 Jul 2009 at 18:20:58 Racism is a form of hatred (duh). God created us and we are to think on Him. To constantly dwell upon hate leads to more hate. American slavery was born out of hate. Stereotypes are born out of hate. The only way to combat hate is to LOVE. Its not popular. Its not easy. But its the only way. Christian first. White Second.
Kat
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Colorblindnesslovekumbayarainbow coalition???? Im sure the black and latino kids were feeling the love and being color blind when they were kicked out of the swimming pool. We dont need to be color blindthats IMPOSSIBLE. What we should do is acknowledge differences in people without placing a VALUE or inferiority/superiority complex. Thats the solution and it takes work. Hoping folks would wake up and love will get us nowhere because the world doesnt and has NEVER worked that way. People want things to get better, you have to work at it EVERY day, instead talking about colorblindness and kumbaya lets fight social, economic, and political INJUSTICE where you see it because thats what is ultimately the most important to people especially to the historically downtrodden and most vulnerable of our society. But some folks are too busy covering their eyes paying lip service.. singing kumbaya. Oh wellthe march continues
blahblah on Sat 18 Jul 2009 at 19:23:47 bullshit. the younger generation is still racist just better at hiding it? how the fuck do you know if their hiding it or not? when blacks accuse the majority of white people as being racist that is the pinnacle of racism. playing the race-card, the blame-game.. so old. it worked in the 90s but whites see through it now. black people have admitted this to me before. seems like the only way some blacks will forget about racism is if they get richer or more powerful than whites. but they cant because its selling-out. another excuse.
alwaysright101 on Wed 22 Jul 2009 at 05:50:54 abagond, i pretty much agree with all that you said. good post!!! very true!!!
alwaysright101 id like to add, closet racists scare me more than loud and proud.
on Wed 22 Jul 2009 at 05:55:38
the closet ones can put into dangerat least with the loud and proud ones, you know what to expect. im curious if you ever did a blog on white people that like to say im not racist and then say some of the most racist things. or how about when they say i have black friends as if it makes it okay to say something hateful.
Nubian on Fri 7 Aug 2009 at 11:41:53 White people should be ashamed of what they did to blacks. Then it kills me to see how they try to copy us all the time. Pathetic
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Black&German on Fri 7 Aug 2009 at 13:42:01 But things like certain rap videos do not help: they play right into the worst ideas whites have about blacks as being violent, oversexed, ill-mannered and not particularly bright. Ugh. Those horrible rap videos. I hate when Im in a club and they start playing videos up on some gigantic TV screen or projector. I just want to hold up a sign: Dont leer at me. I am not like that. Although I must say, theyre starting to replace the BW on them with WW. Some black women have complained about this and I just say: good riddance to bad rubbish! Why on earth would BW want to be in such trash?
Niki on Sat 22 Aug 2009 at 22:36:09 Im a little offended that it seems specifically directed at America, its not unique to the U.S. Im sure certain countries are better, others are worse, its just specifying America makes it seem like we are worse. We may be worse in constant claims that we are not as bad or we are a cultural mixing pot and theres no racism and all the other BS but I still feel like you ought to mention that its not just us.
abagond on Sat 22 Aug 2009 at 23:14:31 I never said whether other countries were worse or better. The post is about white Americans because I live in America. In some ways America is better than most (a black president), but in other ways it is among the worst in history (genocide, race-based slavery). Even now blacks are dehumanized to a degree that most countries reserve for military enemies. For more on that see the following post on the stages of genocide and think about where blacks are (and have been): http://abagond.wordpress.com/2009/04/16/the-eight-stages-of-genocide/
Antony Very well said. Thank you for pointing out.
on Sat 12 Dec 2009 at 02:18:17
Herb on Sun 17 Jan 2010 at 17:43:54 I am white. I am a man. Both of which makes me a racist in your eyes. But the truth of what I believe is that racism is a sickness of humankind. We ALL tend to believe we are better than our neighbor, and even our brother. Unfortunately, I dont see the ability to change our thoughts happening anytime in the near future. True, we are brought up with undertones of racism, whether outright or unspoken, but the desire to accept people for who they are and how they act is my choosing. Your words here tend to be more inflammatory because you choose not to offer any solution. Standing on your soapbox as you have, only seeks to incite others, rather than offer ways to change. To quote Martin Luther King Jr.: Lifes most urgent question is: what are you doing for others? How do you answer this question?
chigodo on Mon 18 Jan 2010 at 20:54:59 I live in England where racism isnt the intense problem that it is in the USA thank God. Looking at
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this post it makes me afraid to come to the USA for fear of automatically being seen to be a racist just because I am white.
Aiyo @Chigodo
on Mon 18 Jan 2010 at 21:06:17
I live in England and racism there is very much a problem but it is very subtle.
chigodo Yep I agree with you Aiyo. But nowhere near the level of the USA.
on Mon 18 Jan 2010 at 21:17:41
I just dont like the idea of landing in the USA somewhere and automatically being labelled racist because Im white. Isnt that racist? Treating differently based on race?
abagond Chigodo:
on Mon 18 Jan 2010 at 21:19:13
You would most likely not think it was an intense problem if you lived in America either because you are white.
chigodo on Mon 18 Jan 2010 at 21:24:48 I dont know about that; perhaps that is right, perhaps that isnt the case. That point put aside, do you think it is fair that I would be branded racist because I am white?
mynameismyname I disagree, Abagond.
on Mon 18 Jan 2010 at 22:33:24
The U.S. is up there with Brazil and South Africa in being the most racist. All three countries have a not-so-subtle race-based caste system and were founded with hateful racism. Having a black president doesnt alter the racism that is inherent in American society.
chigodo on Tue 19 Jan 2010 at 00:58:02 White People? Such a generalisation. Wow! There is a lot of hatred here without much clear thought.
abagond Mynameismyname:
on Tue 19 Jan 2010 at 04:04:01
I did not mean that racism is not intense in America I meant that Chigodo would not think it was intense if he came to America because he is white and therefore would not be directly affected by it much.
abagond
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Chigodo said: I just dont like the idea of landing in the USA somewhere and automatically being labelled racist because Im white. Isnt that racist? Treating differently based on race?. Well, yes, you should give everyone you meet the benefit of the doubt. Even if most white people are racist that does not mean they all are or are racist to the same degree or in the same way. You have to take people one by one. On the other hand MOST of the whites I have come across fall within the above description. Some are worse, some are better.
abagond Chigodo said:
on Tue 19 Jan 2010 at 04:28:36
White People? Such a generalisation. Wow! There is a lot of hatred here without much clear thought. To notice racism is not racist, it is not hatred, it is not unclear thought. Meanwhile MANY whites tend to see themselves as individuals, not as white, and turn a blind eye to what whites as a whole do to those who are not white. It avoids general statements about race but in so doing it is turning a blind eye to racism.
tulio on Tue 19 Jan 2010 at 04:31:16 I think a big barrier to whites understanding the nature of white privilege is that racism has traditionally been defined as a form of hatred. Racism often includes hatred, but not necessarily. In fact Id go so far as to say that most whites that are racist dont even hate blacks per se. When no slappz says that most blacks get their doctorates in black studies and sociology, I dont think hes coming from a position of hate. Its a position of ignorance. When a white employer pays a black less for the same job, I doubt its even done on a conscious level. Theres just an almost built-in lower expectation of blacks, a lower value put on them in general. That white employer who passes over a black for a raise or promotion in most cases probably doesnt even hate that black employee or blacks in general. Racism is so strongly associated with the word hate that whites feel that as long as they dont hate anyone, they cannot be racist. Racism and hate dont need to go hand in hand and more often than not, they dont. Racism should be seen rather as an unspoken system of privilege where worth and reward correlates to race.
abagond on Tue 19 Jan 2010 at 05:35:21 I agree: for most whites it is not a matter of hatred. The sort of whites I am talking about in the post do not HATE black people. They just doubt them and look down on them, like No Slappz does, though very few are as conscious about it as he is.
laromana tulio says,

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Racism and hate dont need to go hand in hand and more often than not, they dont. Racism should be seen rather as an unspoken system of privilege where worth and reward correlates to race. laromana says, Excellent definition of racism.
Mira on Tue 19 Jan 2010 at 11:52:07 To be honest, I dont think white people think about black and other non-white people that much. And when they do, many of them theoretically dont have anything against black people. In theory. In reality, however, it doesnt work that way. It seems its always easier to see someone as an individual if he or she is white. Its much easier to give him a benefit of the doubt. Its much easier to see someone as a stereotype if theyre not white. Its much easier to forget about this persons achievements, much easier to interpret anything bad to the fact the person in question is black. If one black family moves next door, white people like it, because it means diversity. If 10 black families move, it makes white people uncomfortable. If there are 10 people in the room, and only one is black, white people see it as a positive thing and diversity. If there are 10 people in the room, and only one is white, said white person will feel really, really uncomfortable. If a black person wants to be their casual friend, white people like it, because its diversity. If a black person wants to marry their child, white people feel uncomfortable. On the other hand, white people want to be liked by black people, simply because it proves they are not racists. (None of this is my experience, but various Internet experiences with people of all races speak volumes).
Mira on Tue 19 Jan 2010 at 12:04:19 I dont think most white people even know what black genitals look. Hence all the disrespectful questions. True, white people see dark skin as dirty, because white peoples skin is brown or dark only when its dirty. But for some reason they dont think their hair, if brown, is dirty.
Mira on Tue 19 Jan 2010 at 12:25:56 I think its more fear of getting dirty. Like I said, white persons skin is brown only when its dirty. So I guess they dont want dirty hands touching them. On the other hand, dirty can mean many things. Theres this sexually dirty stereotype about black people.
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Even those who date black people sometimes seem like doing it because they want to be wild and getting dirty, not because they fall in love with a person who happens to be black. Not all people, of course. But those who dont date people but their race are not doing it for honest reasons.
wesley on Tue 26 Jan 2010 at 09:25:48 okay, Im white, 17 years old, and Im very intelligent for my age, born and raised in Vallejo, California, which is a very diverse bay area town. and i have NEVER had any such idea that simply because somebody has dark skin that means that the person is dirty, that is outrageous and ignorant to say the least, and i am quite insulted by all of this material on this page. And to this Abagond person who wrote the article, who also said, Meanwhile MANY whites tend to see themselves as individuals I would think that everybody sees themselves as individuals, as everyone should. anyway YOU ALL PLACE BLAME ON RACE AND CREED, whereas it is all about the INDIVIDUAL PERSON, YOU CANT BLAME AN ENTIRE ETHNIC DEMOGRAPHIC FOR ANYTHING (Thats what the Nazis did). you are behaving as if HERESAY IS CONCRETE FACT, by saying things like, i heard some whites say this before and using it as ammunition in your argument. really ignorance like this is why such prejudice is flourishing in America, because all the extremists and hatebreeders have to preach their half-emulsed slander to the world.
abagond on Tue 26 Jan 2010 at 11:39:34 But your sort of thinking makes it impossible to talk about racism because: a) It will insult white people and b) It is racist to talk about the racist behaviour of white people.
Thad on Tue 26 Jan 2010 at 12:26:58 I dont think Abagond (or anyone here with the possible exception of a handful of loons) is blaming a whole demographic, Wesley. DESCRIBING a social situation is different than placing individual blame. Racism is social, first of all. To ascribe blame would be silly and counterproductive. To discuss how it works, who it benefits, how it can be dismantled, the blind pointts it creates in both black and white people that seems to be much more the thrust of this blog than the cry of Bad honkey! No Wonderbread!
abagond on Tue 26 Jan 2010 at 23:14:30 I did not write this post for white people. My aim was not to blame them or even to make them look bad. It was more like field notes, my own observations and how I make sense of them.
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Kunta on Sun 31 Jan 2010 at 03:41:31 Found this blog, about 6 hours ago. I have to tell myself to stop because its nearly morning now! Great job, abagond.
Tacicia on Sun 31 Jan 2010 at 23:25:46 I wish this was everywhereall of your posts. Some of my fellow blacks in Canada seem to think this has passed away. Although it is not as obvious as it is in America, its still here. I definitely want to see more of your work.
Amy on Wed 31 Mar 2010 at 20:24:35 Wow! there are certainly no shortage of opinions on this topic. Its clear that racism is still abundantly available. Every side of the spectrum has valid points and yes I believe that everyone is a racist. Not only white people, but everyone, every race. There is no reason to deny statistics of who makes more money, lives where, is more/less violent etc. there is a definate reason to talk openly and communicate with each other about our differences. It is clear that many people fear other races. People are afraid of what they dont know and culturally and typically races and beliefs are handed down from parents to children for many generations. Black people dont trust white people because generations ago white people had control and in a lot of cases abused that control which led to fear and the passing down of opinions based on that fear. White people have a sterotypical fear of black people because they have been taught to ignore thier differences and act like racism doesnt exist in order to be politically correct. Rarely will you hear a white person in any public place speaking out loud about a black person because of the fear of being offensive at the mere mention of black people. Its no secret that blacks are discriminated against in the work place more than whites are, but that doesnt mean that there are not times in which whites are not discriminated against by whites in the work place either. That being said on the housing front, the majority of low income public housing is made up of black americans in the town where I live and although the housing authority does not discriminate when a white person is of low income and wants to take advantage of these programs they are often met with much resistance from the community. Black people do not want white people living in their neighborhoods any more than white people want black people living in their neighboorhoods. The bottom line is we are all equally human and if everyone would talk about their fears to each other instead of hiding and pretending they dont exist maybe we really could put an end to racism. Its okay to dislike something about anyone and even to classify and generalize because black people and white people ARE different. All races have things that they should be ethnically proud of and historically appalled by. Individually a person should not be ashamed of their race or previous actions of their race, but only embrace their individuality and learn by the mistakes of the past.
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Lead by example and confront your fears. Everybody in every race wants to be accepted for who they are and not live in fear.
ColorOfLuv @THAD
on Wed 31 Mar 2010 at 20:59:45
You said, Racism is social, first of all. To ascribe blame would be silly and counterproductive. To discuss how it works, who it benefits, how it can be dismantled, the blind pointts it creates in both black and white people that seems to be much more the thrust of this blog than the cry of Bad honkey! No Wonderbread! LMAO !!! (Bad Honkey! No Wonderbread!) Literally LMAO at work.. must. focus.. must concentrate
E. Abagond,
on Tue 15 Jun 2010 at 15:20:31
I see racism all day everyday by all races even black. Its certain things that we hate about ourselves by never explore why we hate. Its because your contantly told by one avenue or another that your bad, immoral & ghetto. But whenever i go on Youtube and look anything pertaining to Black People specifically I see comments made by other races that always have something to do with Nigger or Monkey. One person viewed a video of two children talking and smiling to the camera and he wrote to me Congratulations on your 2 monkey pets. It bloew my mind. They seek us out just to call us names and It seems that Youtube would do a better job noticing and filtering the undeniable racism that is running rampant.
Kim on Fri 23 Jul 2010 at 02:48:54 Wow, i just found your blog today, and this is the first post i have read, it is wonderful! Two years ago, I, a white person would probably have taken offense to it, not because i have never had a racist thought, but because I have ALWAYS made it a priority not to let myself judge people on thier skin color, And because even though I am white, I have felt unfairly judged on a class basis. On one occassion when i was a teen, I answered a knock on the door of my mothers house, who owned a rooming house, it was a gentlemen that she chose not to rent to, her decision was not based on race, but on her own issues of class. He had come to double check that for sure the room had been rented, and i was forced to tell him it had (though it had not) and i think he could read the discomfort in my face, and he politely asked me, if it was because he was black that i was lying about the room (he saw my guilt written all over my face). I said no, not to think that it was racial because two rooms in the house were rented by black men, who were (and 25 yrs later, still are) like members of my family. (Hard working and hard drinking) He clearly did not believe me, about either his race not being the issue, or that half the rooms in the house were occupied by black men, but he was polite in his disbelief. The thing was, he was right to pick up on prejudice, there was prejudice against him, but black was not the issue, this young man was a law student and exuded brains, success and self assurance. The people my mother rented to in her house were very decidedly working class. She was afraid this young mans studying and opera listening, moderate drinking of fine wines and whatever elitist, intellectual and otherwise intimidating things he would doubtlessly be up to, would interfere with the party atmosphere of the home. I felt bad for years that he had not believed me, angry at him for
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misjudging my moms motives, when he was so obviously intimidating in my ghetto world, because he was going somewhere, not because he was black like half the other people in our world. And I was angry at myself that i had been too embarrassed of my own family to just fess up and say, hey dont sweat it you are just too good for us. The incident really affected me cause I always wondered if he resented me as a racist. I brought that up to say, that REALLY some of us are not looking at your skin. And that some of us see you as MORE accomplished, MORE successful, as more whatever you feel that you must prove you are. And a couple years ago, i would have thought that MOST of us white people werent looking at your skin to judge you. Today not so much. I am livid at the overt racebaiting going on in US politics and television, it is bringing racism I never saw before to the surface. I can concede now, that maybe I never saw it because I was not looking for it. And that I guess, is a luxury of being whiteBut now i see it everywhere. Before, I would get angry when black friends would tell stories about racism they had been subjected to, and would condemn the incidents as wrong, but i wrote them off as freak occurences, perpetrated by racist redneck mouthbreathers, and not normal white folks. I noticed that news coverage usually consisted of stories about black people who did not resemble any that I had ever met, but I wrote that off as journalisms disgusting if it bleeds it leads credo I can tell you that no not ALL white people are racist, but certainly dont blame you for thinking we are. I have noticed lately that people like myself, who I equated to be the norm, are more rare than I thought. The capacity of white americans to refuse to see psuedo scandals like what passes for news on most networks today, as naked racist propaghanda is astounding. ACORN, Rev. Wright, Van Jones, Dr. Gates, Shirley Sherrod etc.. and the ability of white america (liberal and conservative) to completely deny the existence of, or downplay racism within the media or the political parties and condemn Jealous for even mentioning it within the tea party context is shameful. The lack of white anger over the behaviour of racist whites is REALLY disturbing to me, I feel like walking around yelling at people (and i have done some yelling) And even among the proudly non racist of us, for the Shirley Sherrod story to today be about OBAMAs mistakes in prematurely firing her and NOT about how racist national news would have to be, to believe without questioning or even feeling like they needed to fact check. A story that an NAACP cable televised speech would be about how one black woman finally gets her revenge on crackers, and NOT about how to better peoples situation is even MORE shocking to me. It flies against all common sense. And because of that, I can only believe that it is racism that would make anyone with a pulse see the clip and not wonder what the rest of the speech said, and not REALIZE, instinctively where it was going. And that the likelihood it was ACTUALLY about refusing to help white people was almost non-existent, and that it needed verification before publishing. But that was not the case, it was disseminated rapidly and thouroughly, and when the collective embarrassment hit the media that they were dead wrong and should gave known it all along, instead of having a collective soul searching and apology, they all got to work covering thier own incompetence by deflecting blame to the Obama administration, who frankly, should have been able to trust that the entire national media infrastucture had checked out the story. All that being said, I am hoping that a crack will surface in the racist norm and people will be able to see it for what it is, and on the bright side, blogs like yours and the ever more blatant atmosphere of television might make that happen. We can hardly go around thinking that all blacks are like (insert rapper name here) When Shirley Sherrod becomes the most visible example of blackness out there, right? Or am I naiive? Anyway, sorry for the run on sentences. and Thanks again for the blog.
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Dan Sanders on Sat 28 Aug 2010 at 19:14:20 Love your support towards the way we should know how demonic spirits live!
Mr. Li Abagond,
on Sat 11 Sep 2010 at 18:50:13
I am not black or white. I am Chinese and was not born in the United States. I believe I can offer your post with quite a unique perspective. I definitely fit into the individuals whove traveled from another country and lived in America for awhile. Ive been here since I was 8 and am currently 23. Ive probably been here longer than quite awhile. The point of the matter is, your point about the racism in whites is correct but perhaps if looked at in a new context can help you distinguish what you feel and what you understand. Feelings are created by a procedural occurance of speech and behavior in social interactions. We first process behavior cognitively through the interpretations we established from our past memories, conclusions of human behavior from meanings cataloged from our many virtual and physical interactions with people. These interactions joggle various conscious interpretations from our past either validating or invalidating our past conclusions. Those that validate it probably do not stay in our conscious for that long and only further adds validity to our conclusions. Those interactions that invalidates stay in our conscious and propel us to cognitive dissonance. And, as more frustrated we get from going through dissonance, we strive to find evidence that helps our minds decide one way or the other about one or several conclusion-rousing interactions that weve gone through. Abagond, what youve written here about white racism and their ubiquitous almost concurrent denial that they do not think racistly is actually very possible and Ill tell you why. What we consciously conclude and what we think through behavior conveys two messages. Behaviorally, we tend to act in ways that benefits our wellbeing and stray away from behaviors that would actively endanger it, most people do anyway. A minority behaves in ways that hurt themselves, but most human beings arent that stupid. Behavior is rooted in emotions of fear and pleasure, serotonin and dopamine. These hormonal chemicals are much more powerful than cognitive thought. Our thoughts accompany and support hormone release. Behavior is learned powerfully through observing people we turn to for safety and comfort, as long as the MAJORITY of older whites behave one way, a stare, a look, an abrupt command which are faster than conscious thought, the next generation of their children will conclude those behaviors as justifiable and good. We are a people that behave with a pack mentality in groups of 3 or larger. I dont believe people are automatically racist but behavior is stronger and faster than conscious thought. When I first arrived in America, I had never seen a white person or a black person face to face ever. I was as you can probably label fully color blind. Ive lived in a society, mainland china where 95% of the people look like me and speak mandarin which was my first language. Imagine your black and you lived in Africa with no TV that broadcasted any of the media you receive here and never have met a white person or a person of any other color then your own in your life. In addition, you live in a society, culture and surroundings that all have the same exact color as you. In that situation, you are not cognitively aware of any other race, color or ethnicity as these words actually do not correlate real well in a society where no physically distinguishing features exist in literally every single person you meet, hear about, read about or watch on TV about. Because, race, color or ethnicity are ultimately attempts to describe a physical trait that is distinguishable. I am a psychologist and cognitive scientist so there are actually studies that prove our perceptual systems are really sculpted through a mixture of observing behavior and then processing concepts cognitively. All of this basically means, I never thought like you did racially because that was not in my sphere of thoughts, meaning when I lived in china, I had no thoughts that distinguished physical differences. What I am really advocating for is that racism as a behavior is actually a learned perceptual system and thought process. I actually identified a list of behavioral
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traits that indicate you COGNITIVELY differentiate physical differences in people through interpretations of human behavior and active expression of thoughts or behaviors. I can of course offer you this list upon request. All this basically means I am a source of unfettered judgment and can tell you whites behave racistly but so do blacks, Asians and Latinos; we just deal with it in different ways depending on where were from, once weve learned the concept of racisms. Since racism is learned behavior, we all learn it from each of our perspectives based on how the concept applies to us. So when I moved here, all the stereotypes I heard, read or visually shown on TV seemed bizarre to me, especially the ones that supposed applied to Asians. At the time I didnt know that these stereotypes would translate to behaviors. Mind you, there were stereotypes that were sentiments of admiration and jealousy as well as ones said in condescending and mocking manners. What shocked me most was these judgments were made in the first place and applied to an entire race of people distinguished only by physical features. There are plenty of non-hardworking, lazy and terrible mathematicians in Asia. The fact is there are no racially specific character traits that define any way race. Ive seen exceptionally criminal behavior from Chinese people that are commonly thought to be only committed by blacks in America and Ive seen blacks behave in ways that few Chinese can emulate, Nelson Mandela comes to mind. The fact is, racism is simply a particular viewpoint. The people who behave according to those viewpoints is really what the world needs to be cautious about. The greatest thing about racism is that it has a role for all human beings because it literally includes every race. No matter what race you belong to, you fit into a category that racist theories classify and this only happens though if you identify with several additional concepts first. The first concept is if you identify safety and comfort with other human beings outside of your parents or caretakers. And the second is if you identify morals as indicators of receiving safety and comfort with other human beings. Remember, our physical reactions are stronger and simpler than our thoughts. We may formulate thoughts based on observations and experiences. However, our behaviors are stronger indicators of fear and pleasure. The problem is when putting a label of good or bad judgment on it were really making a mental distinction to support a moral. Only after associating good morals with good behavior and thus deserving of safety and comfort that we identify even ridiculous behaviors as justifiable behavior. Remember, in our minds, justifiable and good behavior are synonomous and valid for action. Behaviorally we respond to pleasure and fear very simply and very homogeneously across all races but because we get smarter and form cognitive associations, we form associations based on how others have verbally expressed them and depending on what you read, you recall certain bad or good racial interactions because again youre making a mental distinction in your mind. Most people who are able to express themselves as you have are privileged, meaning youve achieved the luxury of disputing what is behaviorally expressed. Kudos to you because I think its important, but I do want to let you know, racism is not inherent, it is learned. There are two Chinese pop stars that are white. They were born and raised in China and actually hate coming to America because they feel less at home then in China. They believed all white people treated Chinese people the same as they did and when they found out that they thought differently than them and when they interacted with whites in Europe and America, they expressed a disconnect and felt more at home in China with mainland Chinese. This reflects my point that feelings are stronger and simpler then conscious thought expressed verbally. Sometimes we experience discomfort and a feeling of not being settled, it is simply because we experience fear. We do not feel safe and out of harm. That was the reason why these Chinese white pop stars wanted to go back to China, because their feeling of safety was greater with the moral values that were espoused since their birth. Referencing the concept of identifying good morals with good justifiable behavior, whites in America identify with prejudicial behavior as justifiable thus good behavior and reproduce it because we strive safety and comfort from those that provide that to us who in this case are white, as white parents makes white kids and that cycle repeats. Notice I used good and justifiable interchangeably because when we behave, our mind simplifies those concepts as one because our feelings are not as
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complex as our cognition. When you have white kids that were raised having safety and comfort from white parents and Chinese people, depending on the level of safety and comfort which we dont know at this point they receive, they will experience a certainty and a sense of safety as white kids do in America. The only difference is the racial backdrop that surrounds theyre environment. This one and only factor determines theyre conscionable behavior at any given moment. Change someones environment, their behavior will subsequently follow.
islandgirl on Sun 12 Sep 2010 at 04:28:48 Whats interesting is that some of white peoples superiority is not expressed in words, but in body language and attitude. Does anyone notice how some work on their time and space without any regard to anyone else. For instance, when you see that they are going to leave their parking space, but will stall for a while because they see someone else waiting for the space? Most of the time, others will see someone waiting and go ahead and pull out. But I noticed mostly whites do not. Also, when you are at the store, they will occupy the isle with a cart and they will stand in the middle. When they see someone trying to get by, instead of moving, theyll just stay there. Also, Ive noticed that when people do courteous things for them, like holding the doors, ect. they dont even say thank you. They not only do this with people of color, but even with other whites. This seems like a very narcisistic, arrogant and superior attitude. Again not all white people, but Ive noticed this a lot.
E. on Sun 12 Sep 2010 at 05:07:53 I have noticed that White People must put you in catagory so they can figure out how to treat you. Also once they have made there mind up it is little that can be done to reverse their course of action Hence look at the state of Native Americans, Africans, African Americans, Hispanics, Caribbean People, and Asians. At one point in history these people were happy thriving ang prosperous. They handled there own disputes and the Village raised mentally stable happy children. Colonialism came and told them they were immoral heathens and that they needed to repent. Up until that point these people of remote places had committed no such sins and where swindled and beaten out of their Land, Wealth and Dignity. And thus far have no way of getting it back.
RDKirk on Sun 12 Sep 2010 at 06:48:49 Amy >>Black people dont trust white people because generations ago white people had control and in a lot of cases abused that control which led to fear and the passing down of opinions based on that fear. << Generations ago? The last two generations of whites who grew up under apartheid (the War Generation and the Baby Boomers) are STILL RUNNING THE COUNTRY.
RDKirk tulio says,

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Racism and hate dont need to go hand in hand and more often than not, they dont. Racism should be seen rather as an unspoken system of privilege where worth and reward correlates to race. This is very true. Look, for instance, at Thomas Jeffersons letters about slavery and the character of black people. Not a shred of hate visible in anything he saysbut he also asserts that black people are inferior. He claimed Benjamin Bannekers work as his own, he specifically discounted the poetry of Phyllis Wheatelyin fact, he makes a specific point of discounting any black person of his era who could be pointed out as disproving his theories of black inferiority in all areas. Mira says, In reality, however, it doesnt work that way. It seems its always easier to see someone as an individual if he or she is white. Its much easier to give him a benefit of the doubt. Its much easier to see someone as a stereotype if theyre not white. Its much easier to forget about this persons achievements, much easier to interpret anything bad to the fact the person in question is black. Also true. In the 90s in the US Air Force, we discovered something interesting. White supervisors tended to remember work problems of their subordinate non-whites and women when it came time to write their performance reports, but tended to forget the same kinds of issues with white males. For instance, a white male supervisor would remember that a particular woman called in sick every 28 daysbut would forget that a white male subordinate came in late every Monday after payday, and got little done until after lunch. The supervisors themselves were not evil men. This factor was discovered only because those men were honest enough to keep journals, compare their journals with their memories at the end of the year, and then honestly report the findings that surprised even themselves. They shocked themselves. Islandgirl says, Also, Ive noticed that when people do courteous things for them, like holding the doors, ect. they dont even say thank you. They not only do this with people of color, but even with other whites. This seems like a very narcisistic, arrogant and superior attitude. Again not all white people, but Ive noticed this a lot. I will say that might depend on where you are. In the small midwestern town where I live, white people tend to be very polite in those kinds of overt ways, even to blacks. A white man older than I will indeed take a step back and say, Excuse me, sir, to me and will hold a door open to let me enter ahead of him. There is a great deal of variation in that aspect. I had great hopes for society until this last couple of years. Now Im pretty sure that I wont see a post-racial American society until possibly just before I dieif I live to be 102 like my grandfather. Im now convinced that the Boomer generationwhich grew up with apartheid as the condition of normalcywill have to die away completely before this society becomes post-racial.
Jasmin Islandgirl,
on Sun 12 Sep 2010 at 16:58:35
Interesting comment. It seems like many White people grow up with the phrase excuse me
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lacking from their vocabulary. Theyll either try to squeeze past (in an impossibly small space) or just stand there until you move. I am a stickler for good manners, so Ive been known to give public etiquette lessons. Someone told me that theres a book (it might be by Beverly Tatum, but Im pretty sure its not Why Do All the Black Kids) that talks about White dominance of spaces, which leads to a disregard of others personal space.
King @ RDKirk
on Sun 12 Sep 2010 at 17:47:40
Hey RD, do you have a source for that US Air Force accounting of unfair reviews, based on race? Thats just the sort of thing that Id like to be able to point to when talking to people who believe that ALL significant racism has ended. Id appreciate it. Thanks.
islandgirl Jasmin,
on Sun 12 Sep 2010 at 23:52:35
I am also a stickler for manners! It seems that the words excuse me and thank you were not taught to some people. Youre not the only ones who gives etiquette lessons. Once I was at the mall and noticed a black boy (about 8 years old) with his mother holding the door open for a white woman. She walked out without saying thank you or even acknowledging him. The mother went off on her and told her that she is trying to teach her son some manners, but thinks its extremely rude and sad that an adult doesnt recepricate good manners. Maybe its a sense of entitlement? Ive never thought that this could just be a culturally thing regarding personal space, but maybe youre right! I think I will look that book up. Seems very interesting.
Paisley on Mon 13 Sep 2010 at 01:21:39 An incident happened to me today in Marshalls. I was standing at the the opening of one of the stores tiny cookware isles waiting patiently while a middle-aged white woman with a shopping cart made her way up the isle, looking at items on the shelves. As she pushed her cart forward about to exit into corridor, she looked directly in my face and abruptly stopped where she was, pretending to look at the items on the shelves near where she was standing. I, tired of the idiocy, asked if I could get by, and her response was that she hadnt noticed me waiting there. Yeah, right! This person was standing two feet away from me and looked dead in my eyes theres no way she couldnt see me. What they dont seem to realize (or care about) is that, while theyre intentionally delaying you, theyre also frittering away their own time. I guess in their own one-dimensional minds, its well worth it.
Mira islandgirl and Jasmin,
on Mon 13 Sep 2010 at 10:03:45
Yes, the sense of personal space (or any space for that matter) is cultural. What is considered
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too close in one culture is perfectly ok in another. I had no idea though, that is different for black and white Americans, and, if nothing else, Id think that blacks would allow people to go nearer than the whites. But to be honest, I am not sure if what youre talking about is about cultural differences of personal space. Its often about whites not treating blacks as important. In a way, its similar to different experiences a hot young woman gets and a middle-aged, unattractive one. Everybody, both male and female notice the first one, but they barely notice the other. PS-The sense of time is also cultural, btw.
lizisms on Wed 22 Sep 2010 at 18:45:27 Abagond, I agree with a lot of what youve said (in this post and many others) but I do not agree that people of color can be racist. My definition of racism is power + prejudice. People of color to not have the power to exert their prejudices over others the way White people are able to. Because so many of our systems are institutionally racist, there is no way for any person of color, no matter how popular or violent they may be, to have the power a White person has to carry out practices that enforce their prejudices. For example, I do not agree with Mr. Li, despite his background as a psychologist and science. Prejudice is a learned behavior; racism is not. All of us have prejudices we are raised with them, we are intrinsically taught to adopt certain biases through family, friends, media and society. But prejudice is not the same as racism and the semantics of this sensitive discussion should not be confused. If anyone is looking for a good way to articulate these terms, Dismantling Racism by Joseph Barndt is a great start. Thanks for sharing your writing and thoughts, Abagond.
E. Lizisms, Excellent comment .
on Wed 22 Sep 2010 at 18:55:10
Thaddeus on Wed 22 Sep 2010 at 19:10:59 My definition of racism is power + prejudice. People of color to not have the power to exert their prejudices over others the way White people are able to. Nice stock answer, Liz, straight from the 1980s Afro-American studies schoolbook. But riddle me this: what is power? You seem to have a very narrow view of power, one which has been thoroughly critiqued since then 1980s bythinkers such as Foucault. In the first place, you seem to think of it as an object which people HAVE. In the second place, you seem to ignore the vast majority of power which occurs on a daily, grass-roots level. Certainly, black people as a group excercize little power over whites as a group. But they DO often excercize power over other blacks and peoples of color and that power is very pften based on prejudice. What you Americans coyly call colorism, for example, is simple racism and is certainly in
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most instances a case of prejudice plus power. When black Americans look down on black Brazilians or Africans as backwards and lazy, this is another excercize in prejudice plus power. When black Americans turn in illegal immigrants, it DEFINITELY is an excercize in prejudice plus power. So even if we were to take your formulation at its dogmatic root, it is quite simply wrong: blacks do excercize power in a prejudiced way. You are correct in separating off prejudice from racism, but it seems to me that the key to this dividion is that prejudice is a psychological artefact while racism is a socio-political artefact.
LOVELY on Thu 23 Sep 2010 at 22:27:56 Going down and reading everyones or atleast most of the responses it seems to me that most of our society is ignorant to the core understanding of this situation. If youre familiar with Birth of a Nation and Birth of a Race you probably understand my point of view. Im glad to know that our societyy is becoming MORE aware of the racism that is going on through out the country, but sadly its just a small percentage, and it is not just with one race but its with in every race out there. I am not white nor black, i do not intend to know what it feels to be either or but I am Mexican, and I am looked down upon 1. because I am a women and 2 because I am part of a minority. Saddly racism beging from one self and blowing it up so that those who are around us end up feeling and thinking the same. Stereotypes of the black community is what bugs me the most. I grew up in a ghetto neighborhood where it was latinos and blacks, and we all grew up with respect for one another, not because of the gangs nor because of our root but because we are humans. Birth of a race is a beautiful response to Birth of a Nation because it takes us back to our religious beliefs, although theyre many people who are not christians somewhere in their bible says the same concepts. We all came from God, your god, my god but it was god who created everything Someone asked for a solution to this problem, well the solution is education. I believe that if you educate yourself eventually this problem will died down, and im not simply talking about book education, im talking about life eduacation. How many people does one talk to a day? It is endless. Instead of trying to rip this post apart, take it for what it is, an opinion of information gathered. Instead of trying to argue that not all white people are like they say they are lets try to make it known. It is our fault as part of society, to let the media exploid humman race they way they do. I could name endless examples but what for, we should be able to read this and absore it and better ourselves.
D All people are different, you are ignorant.
on Tue 12 Oct 2010 at 01:38:12
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DMH * less moral than you are, I dont think that. * less hard-working than you are, I dont think that. * less talented than you are, I dont think that. * less trustworthy than you are, I dont think that. * less honourable than you are, I dont think that. * less intelligent than you are, I dont think that. * less rich than you are, I dont think that. * less well-read than you are. I dont think that. Im white and youre wrong.
on Tue 12 Oct 2010 at 01:40:21
Herneith Im white and youre wrong. Therein lies the problem!
on Tue 12 Oct 2010 at 01:50:47
Y LMAO @ Herneith
on Tue 12 Oct 2010 at 03:07:52
anonomus on Wed 20 Oct 2010 at 21:38:33 and by the way if you are holding a grudge of what happened OVER ALMOST 150 YEARS AGO to people that you dont even know who had the skin color of black doesnt mean WE NOWADAY WHITE PEOPLE DID ANYTHING you are just and when i say you i mean everybody all a mixed up socioty of loosers who cant forgive and forget thats why god putus all on this earth was to be good and kind to one another not by the color of our skin but who we are in the inside.
jas0nburns thats a no-no anonomus. read this. http://www.derailingfordummies.com/
on Wed 20 Oct 2010 at 22:48:37
jas0nburns @DMH
on Wed 20 Oct 2010 at 22:51:01
Its not about you specifically. Seriously try to hold on to that thought when you read posts about white people. Just because you dont do something yourself doesnt mean it isnt a white tendency.
Nicki on Sun 14 Nov 2010 at 19:41:57 If those are really your opinions, I feel sorry for you. There are industrious and lazy people in every race and ethnicity. There are honest people and criminals in every race and ethnicity. Sure some people are racist, but anytime you say all people are a certain way, you are just being
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racist yourself.
Rochelle on Sun 21 Nov 2010 at 16:48:08 Those of you who think that racism does not exist are the reason why it does. The truth is that all white people have been exposed to the racist views of their ancestors (the slave owners). Therefore I find it puzzling as to how some people can argue against the fact that most white people are racist. And they are racist to some degree whether they think they are or not. If they have grownup as a white person they do hold some racist views. It is not the people who understand and accept that there is still racism in society that are the problem. It is those who deny it that are! They have been brainwashed into thinking that they are not racist and that their attitudes are perfectly acceptable. These are the people that do not want to change. They have not been on the receiving end of their prejudice; it does not affect them so why should they care. In order to live at peace with their beliefs they have either convince themselves that they are not racist in any way, or justify them by clinging on to any negative experiences that have had involving black people. Things will never change as long as white people continue to deny their racist attitudes. I am black woman and yes I can admittedly say that I am racist to some degree, I acknowledge this and do my best to change. However, having to deal with ignorant white people on a daily basis does not make it any easier.
E. Nice Comment Rochelle.
on Sun 21 Nov 2010 at 19:48:06
Vea on Thu 9 Dec 2010 at 04:57:55 Im a black female the color of chocolate. Im educated and will agree with this article and say racism is alive. Especially in the work place. Some of the comments posted by white people here are not based in reality. The article states,White people generally give each other the benefit of the doubt, but they do not extend it to blacks. This is not a racist article its simply about how whites think. I got a little emotional when I read this because I understood entirely where the writer was coming from. I feel as if I have to watch what I say most of the time when Im around white people. I cant be my true authentic self when Im around white people because it may scare them.
Usagi on Thu 9 Dec 2010 at 18:49:03 I dont disagree with it but I think its really naive and small-minded to that ONLY whites act this way. Im gothic, an atheist, and of east african descent. I get judged looked down upon from being different. Some of the most ignorant judgement homophobe anti-thinking xenophobic bs things Ive heard came straight from black and white peoples mouths. What creeping it that they basically said the same thing in different wording.
Human on Wed 22 Dec 2010 at 17:14:04 Racism To judge someone or a group of people based on the color of there skin.
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This thread is RACIST. Clear and Simple. We all bleed red and breath the same air. Maybe we can stop celebrating what makes us different and celebrate what brings us together. I will not look at you at a black woman, but as a woman. A human being. So please, If you are going to judge some one. Do it by the way they act or hold themselves in public. Not by color. I am white, a medic, a human. Would you think I would ever treat any patient different because of the color of their skin? No. I learned to love my fellow man but only hate those who do bad, not who was born different.
abagond Human:
on Wed 22 Dec 2010 at 18:21:10
You say you are not racist and yet you want me to turn a blind eye to white racism. How odd.
jas0nburns @ abagond,
on Wed 22 Dec 2010 at 18:31:49
I just dont understand how WP can overlook the coincidence that we are the only ones who ever say stuff like human just did. I mean shouldnt that tell you something? Only white people say that sh*t! Take the hint already. @ Human If everyone is human to you why cant you take the word of POC that racism exists? Could it be because you dont trust them? But why? Theyre your fellow human beings and were all the same right? Why dont you celebrate our togetherness by actually listening to someone who isnt white?
abagond @ Human:
on Wed 22 Dec 2010 at 19:11:23
Just curious: Where did you learn to talk like that? Is there like a course you can take or a book you can read? Or is it something your parents or teachers taught you?
JGreyden I call it the missionary mentality.
on Wed 22 Dec 2010 at 20:09:33
Its not some wisdom that he came up with, after years of experiences. I would say this pseudo-philosophy was a necessary condition that he had to develop in order to barely do his job.
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Human Abagond.
on Thu 23 Dec 2010 at 04:47:45
I grew up around many races. I have friends of all color. My best friend is black, my fiance is hispanic. My co workers at the fire house are of many different ethnics. I am not blind to the world around me. Racism is very real. I understand your frustration. I been treated different as well and called many names and looked down upon. I grew up in a hispanic community and judged for the color of my skin, not because of my actions. I also understand that every race has both been subject to racism and feeling of superiority. I wish many could think the way I do. Imagine a world without racism, without hate. I am not trying to shun you in anyway. Speak your mind, never let anyone stop you from doing so. Just know that I was a bit offended by your post. I do not feel I am superior to anyone in anyway. I just want to live life and be happy and help my fellow man. My brothers and sister. My fellow Americans. My point Maybe take a second chance and look at the world around you. Yes there is racist hate mongers out there, but there are plenty of loving caring people as well. Like I said before in my earlier post. We are all human beings, people. We breath the same air and bleed red. I am not trying to make any personal attacks towards you or anyone else. Just speaking my mind. I hope you have a fantastic Christmas and New Years. JGreyden That is a low blow. I do my job very well and love it. I am currently over seas assisting our military with medical support. The last thing that is on my mind would be this thread. I stumbled upon it while I was doing a search for a computer game called white and black and just amazed how people have been subjected to racism. I am not trying to correct nor tell you that the subject at hand is wrong. I now have a label on my head because of the color of my skin but not because of my actions. I understand you only have a one track mind but you know the harsh cold reality. This is a 2 way street. Dont you think others of different races feel the same way you do? So instead of sitting on a computer all day and crying poor me how about you let your voice be heard. I praise Dr Martin Luther King. The man followed his dream and spoke his mind. So while I am at work today barely doing my job as a Lead Medic, supervisor of 3 camps and half a country. Maybe you can re read my comments I have posted. I am not, in no way attempting to change any ones mind. I am not trying to shun anyone. I am not trying to say who is better or point fingers. I just want everyone to live at peace with there fellow man. The real reality, It will never happen So, I leave on that note and will remove myself from the mailing list. I shall shun myself for I know attempting to speak peace to anyone is a troll fight waiting to start. Happy Holidays everyone and Happy New Year.
Usagi on Thu 23 Dec 2010 at 07:40:19 I agree with Human. I have noticed that people in general dont like to hear about the bad in ones group and will justify their groups actions. Abagond, I can tell you that I have had many Blacks like down on me for being gothic or not being a Christian or for having any blackness. How is it any different than when whites or other look down on me? At the end of the day, its still degrading. Human beings are petty and ones with low self image will try to find ANYTHING thats different from yourself to feel special. I believe if this country was segregated, there would still prejudge.
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JGreyden on Thu 23 Dec 2010 at 08:55:37 @Human Oh, Forgive me, Human for i have sinned. Why dont I follow MLK lead, you say ? Hmmm Seriously, my intent was not to diss the quality of your work. I should have used just instead of barely. But the fact that you work with the military where that kind of generic mindset is encouraged only confirms my suspicions .
Human on Sun 26 Dec 2010 at 07:17:11 JGreyden, Thats right. I am also paid $230,000 A year to do so. Imagine that?! lol
irish on Mon 3 Jan 2011 at 02:02:00 My edGod that is so sad. Why does everyone have to be white or act like a white person. Surely people can be liked, accepted and respected for being themselves. Whatever your background attempt to be a good person and stop thinking in colours.
irish I take it that this site is just a joke.
on Mon 3 Jan 2011 at 02:03:45
3997 on Thu 6 Jan 2011 at 06:09:18 Its not often that you can find a post like this one, that hits you right in the gut. The problem is that we as blacks should not care what whites think of us and we should strive to return the perception that they have of us, right back at them. Im not talking about leaving the country or anything like that but we should demand strong communities, families and relationships from our own people. Why has this been unsucessful in the past? Simply put! Uncle toms. Weve been our own worst enemy since slavery ended. Now that we can afford a middle class life style most blacks i know think that weve made it! They no longer support any African American movements, political parties or association so long as they are prospering as a individual. This is not a rant i am merely asking the Black readers here to open there eyes to what most white Americans already have there eyes open to. Please do not relate this to friends or family members who are white but to total strangers! And witness, witness the soft core racism that many whites American will portray towards you.
abagond 3997 said:
on Thu 6 Jan 2011 at 07:53:05
Now that we can afford a middle class life style most blacks i know think that weve made it! They no longer support any African American movements, political parties or association so long as they are prospering as a individual. I agree with that.
David
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on Thu 14 Apr 2011 at 02:12:02
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To Those People Who Have Written Comments or Will Write Comments, Please do not use your derriere to think with. I have read all the writings and it is nothing, but a bunch of moaning and groaning of imbeciles trying to be scurrilous towards others. For the intellectual or analytical, there is only one human race. There are other ethnicities. Also people see the faade of superficial people in their behavior. A person is known for his or her character with good intent. So if you want to act as a dilettante in life, you will have a spiraling life. Dilute bad thoughts and take it from there. Also, saying white people is not correct, caucasian is correct. The whole human race is albino under the pigment of the melatonin in the skin. I hope I have enlightened some people.
e-dub on Thu 14 Apr 2011 at 02:56:50 Interesting topic but it misses the point, it points out the racist inner thoughts of white people and fails to distinguish how black people are any different. It appears to be rousing case of a distinction with out a difference. Everything said here is equally true when you reverse black for white and white for black.
alicia on Mon 30 May 2011 at 17:37:15 I can give you some personal factual reasons why white people in my family are racist. My aunt was raped at gunpoint by two black men while in college. When I was in high school our house was burglarized by some black kids who lived up the road, while doing so they threw our cat out the second story window for kicks. They got a year probation. Several years ago, I worked in a retail store with a 8 month pregnant black lady. One day she punched me in the face behind the counter, supposedly as she would claim in court for no other reason than she was hormonal. She was found guilty in court because it was all on tape but the black owner of the store would not fire her beacuse she already had 4 kids whose various fathers were in jail. I was expected to work along side her after being assaulted without provocation. When the majority of traumatic events in ones life involve people of a certain race, it tends to skew ones thinking. I can totally understand why a black person who was treated unfairly at work or harassed by white police would distrust or even dislike white people in general before he got to know them. Why cant a white person feel the same way?
King @ alicia
on Mon 30 May 2011 at 18:43:06
Im genuinely sorry to hear of your ordeals. Nobody deserves to be victimized. Heres the takeaway. I actually have been harassed by White police officers, especially as a teenager. I was accused of cheating on my english papers, in high school, for no other reason than that the writing was deemed too good for me to have written it. Ive had to leave certain restaurants, more than once, because no waiter ever came to my table. The guy who broke my car window and stole my stereo, years ago, turned out to be White. I have heard similar stories from Black friends and family all the time that I was growing up. And then, of course, I can open up a history book and read about years of systematic terrorism, intimidation, and cruelty, to a Black population that was effectively helpless to prevent it, or fight back. And yet, I work with White people everyday. Some of them I count among my friends. Ive had friends of mine marry White guys. And I dont hate White People collectively for the actions of the White
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individuals who have done me wrong. Each new person that I meet gets a fair chance to make an impression based on their own character and values. It doesnt matter what has happened to you in the past, or who was responsible for it. There is no understandable excuse for racism. None.
The Cynic @Alicia
on Mon 30 May 2011 at 18:57:28
Matari on Mon 30 May 2011 at 23:35:29 And then, of course, I can open up a history book and read about years of systematic terrorism, intimidation, and cruelty, to a Black population that was effectively helpless to prevent it, or fight back. True, but also true is one doesnt have to open a history book to read about systemic racism. It is STILL very much in the here and now, although its a bit more refined than yesteryear. Many of those who are deemed as other see and experience it in its countless and ever changing forms. @ Alicia Why cant white people feel the same way? White people have never experienced systemic-institutional racism. This is basically known as white privilege. The privilege is usually invisible to a great many white people. So when you speak about why cant white people feel the same way it is NOT THE SAME thing. Its like comparing a pumpkin to a grape seed. Racism goes well beyond individual (and group) acts of meanness. Perhaps youll believe and understand it better if you hear it from a white guy: Racial bias on the part of black folks, even the most vicious and unhinged bigotry on their part, is pretty impotent. King Samir Shabazz hates white people and thinks cracker babies should be killed. And yet what kind of power does Shabazz have? None. He is in a position to kill no one, and if he were to try he would go to jail. Forever. Thats not power. Power is when you can deny people jobs, housing, health care, decent educations, or their physical freedom via the justice system, thereby
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wrecking their lives. And there are virtually no black folksand certainly no black folks wearing berets, fake-ass military uniforms and carrying nightstickswho can do any of that. But there are white folks in positions to do those things, and who do them with or without bigoted intent regularly, as I have demonstrated in previous essays and books. Tim Wise http://newspaperrock.bluecorncomics.com/2010/07/white-racism-is-worst-racism.html
Black America on Wed 22 Jun 2011 at 09:26:01 Your a fool, the things you learnd are nothing more than racist sterotypes. Take a step back and see my son, we are all but one. Your false statements do nothing more than stir the pot of haterd. Its people like you who will destroy the earth and the remaining good people on it.
deuce on Sat 6 Aug 2011 at 21:01:10 whats wrong with being a racist in america anyway? this is a free country or is supposed to be. hehe. a person should feel free to be what ever they want. if they dont want to hire/socialize/support a black/white/texan that should be their right. hell, it would seem people in all races like slavery as long as they personally are not the slave. abagond, you are a grand wizard, and i love you for it. express your self, and if you wanna look in one direction then i say march on .
King @ Deuce How about stop signs and crosswalks?
on Sat 6 Aug 2011 at 21:07:07
Varisa on Wed 24 Aug 2011 at 00:55:25 I agree with you. Very insighful written! Thank you for sharing! Im Asian Im been looked at with so much hatred by a dark-skinned kiwi not too old, not too young but I just opened the door for her to show that I dont have anything against you, having a open-hearted see if she has any friendliness in her so. Shes been so caucasianized. With the brown hair. Discriminates other races and sizes But true, nobody shouldve taken it that way. It shouldnt ever be an understanding. If only the history had justice? Had The Secrets scrolls distributed to all of us evenly, then maybe there would be more equity in the world.
Michigander on Mon 5 Sep 2011 at 18:37:49 OK, here is my experience, and I know this will make me sound like one of those white racists you describe, but please do hear me out. I grew up in Eastern Europe (I.e. only saw Blacks on TV), and moved to Michigan about 5 years ago. As a born-again Christian, I firmly believe that we are all the same (we all bleed red), and I was aware of the prejudice against the black people in the States, so I decided firmly to not follow the crowd, and make my own observations. I should mention that I speak non-accented English (gifted in the area of languages) so the white folk who dont know that I wasnt born here act completely normal around me, and some even talk against the damn foreigners, which to me just sounds funny, but thats another topic.
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Well, after 5 years of living in a Michigan town with a fair sized black community, this is what I observed: unlike Asians and Latinos in Michigan, who are for the most part culturally well adjusted, blacks speak with a separate accent, which, I believe, makes it really hard to treat them as the rest, even if its subconscious. I compare it to talking with someone white from out of state, like Alabama, or New England, even though American, they just dont sound like your people from the Midwest, and you just tend to view them almost as foreigners. Besides the accent, most blacks tend to stick together, and rarely mingle with whites. for example, I have a buddy who is heavily into magic card games, and goes to a local shop to play in tournaments. He says there is only one black guy who is into the stuff, while there is a lot of Latinos, Asians and Arabs hanging out there along side the whites. I know, that might be a seemingly insignificant example, but I think it illustrates the point. OK, now comes the touchy stuff I worked with a few black guys, and have a black uncle-in-law. At first I tried not to notice this, but, eventually it really started to bug me how obsessed these guys were with racial issues. Kinda to the point of seeing racism where it didnt exist, and constantly bringing the history up, almost trying to swerve every conversation in that direction. For the most part, the white/Latino/Asian crowd I hang out with never brings this stuff up, one way or another, so this really makes the blacks stand out more than other groups (and frankly, its kind of annoying). So, basically the feel you get with all races except for blacks here in Michigan is that we all view each other the same, and the skin color, seems as meaningful as the eye color, or the hair color that is not at all. The one exception to the mentioned experiences I had with blacks was a half-black guy I went to college with. He spoke white, was a regular computer nerd, and never stood out from the crowd. So I guess its his speech and the way of life that make him more acceptable to the rest. So all in all, I still want to believe that Im not a racist, mostly because of the way I relate to Latinos and Asians. I honestly think that the black community needs to take some steps, and integrate into the mainstream culture in order to be treated like others.
leigh204 @Michigander:
on Mon 5 Sep 2011 at 19:55:47
I honestly think that the black community needs to take some steps, and integrate into the mainstream culture in order to be treated like others. I may not be black, but your comment doesnt jibe with me at all. Black people are constantly criticized for whatever they do, actually, no matter what they do and yet people like you have the nerve to say the black community has to take steps to be treated like others in order to fit in? Are you for real?
James Diggins on Tue 13 Sep 2011 at 08:37:19 I hate white people! You are right they think they are so much better than everyone else. It is almost irratating because you know how these people feel, but they have to keep their feelings to themselves. Sure they cant come out and say how much they dont like blacks or any other race. If white people dislike blacks so much, then why are there white trashy women always after black men? Why cant they leave black people alone? Why are they always trying to be like black people?
LawyerJen
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on Sat 17 Sep 2011 at 02:16:45
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It is time for us to leave white America. We have Atlanta. Baltimiore, DC, Philly, detroit. Let the whites and mexicans have the rest. Until we have freedom we will be slaves. Dont buy white!! Dont buy Chinese! Rise up. Support youre community!
Parfum Bleu Forty million Blacks crammed into 5 cities? I dont think so.
on Sat 17 Sep 2011 at 05:07:22
Parfum Bleu on Sat 17 Sep 2011 at 05:09:34 Make that 4 cities and the District of ColumbiaI think Ill stay in NYC.
deuce on Thu 20 Oct 2011 at 19:58:08 here is a website that cracked me up. http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/. sry if it doesnt post as a one-click link, i dont know how to do that. if you have to type it in, im sure your fingers wont notice.
Jamal I hate all white people because that are all prejudiced haters.
on Thu 12 Apr 2012 at 07:03:11
aki on Sat 30 Jun 2012 at 16:45:14 lets be honest, every single issue that anyone faces on a global scale in the 21st century, must be seen in its proper political social and economic context, with this in mind what global system has absolute control over the political social and economic systems of the world? the global system of white supremacy racism. if you and anyone is honest it is clear.
aki on Sat 30 Jun 2012 at 17:14:11 prejudice and racism are different things, yes some black people are prejudice, i may be one of them in many ways. yet black people can not be racist. racism is a system that has the ability to control the very ability of another person to provide for families to secure empolyment housing proper education proper healthcare controls the media distribution of wealth policy judicial system the water the food the resources the very structure of the society in which we live. what group of people have that control and why? colonialism.
James Johnson on Mon 16 Jul 2012 at 22:47:19 I think we should always share our feeling,openly and honest! I am a person who hates when someone call me a raciest. I have been discriminated on all my life,I know how most whites think because,I have study them for the reason noted earlier in this article,to servive.I use to work with one white man his first name is fred,when ever i had a event at my house he would come always alone,so one day he gave a bad report about me that was a complete lie,when I confronted him I call him a raciest,his first reply was how can you call me a raciest,all the parties Ive been to at your house,that what I wanted him to say because all the parties he have had at his house,I have never been invited,he could not explain that,I was the person who made that department run I was a supervisor who train him to be over the department.this is a small example of thing we put up with as
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blacks.And we already know that how racism is displayed, but denied by the whites.But because I reject racism,and fight it does not make me a raciest,I have been jail,shot at,ran from my home,fired from job,denied the right to bye a gun, not because I am a crimnal,but because my skin is black,and what funny I was a deputy sheriff when my right to bye a gun was denied,so the N.O.L.A. SHERIFF dept.allowed me to carry a gun under their name,but I could not carr it home!.Their is one thing that might make me a raciest,if a white person has no handicap,and can not be on top in life,I consider that to be a lazy person,because nothing stands in their way!
dee jay on Tue 17 Jul 2012 at 08:21:39 prejudice and bias are not equivalent to racism.Racism will never go away because blacks will not let it go away.If racism went away we would have nothing or no one to blame but ourselves for our problems and shortcomings.There would be no room for this type of biased and idiotic article. The author appears to be the real racist here..How you would begin to know what all white people think about blacks is beyond me. I think your article did what you set out to do and that was to paint a stereotypical painting of all whites as being racist and us blacks being a helpless and unsuspecting victim. what you did was let the world know that you yourself are a racist and want other blacks to follow suit. Yes, i am sure there are racists in America but to try and put that on an entire race of people is just racist. So if you are looking to clean up racism in America it would be best to start with what is in your own heart and mind.Matthew 7:5 You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brothers eye
Dave Enamu on Sat 21 Jul 2012 at 21:45:16 DAVE. Im English and black, I lve in England, it seems to me that to say all white people are racist is a wild statement. I am married to a white woman (as are lots of black americans women and men are ) my wife isnt racist. Though there is a conseption that white people and other people of colour ie, asians, indians, japanese etc,place themselves above black people. This I believe was exported around the world from America by white americans, up until WW2 when americans came to Europe there was no colour bar over here, granted there werent alot of black people living here (though it can be traced back hundreds of years that black lived here, even in roman times.) However getting back to my point that racism was imported here by white american forces personel, my mother who is white and obviously married a black man (my father) has told me stories of American Gis causing racial tension in towns and cities where they where based and English people defending black soldiers even to the point of being called nigger lovers something they had never heard of before the americans came here, unfortunately it took hold and there is an element of white superiority, this is endemic in the police force and the armed forces. Even so I still dont agree that all white people are racist. I could go on about this for ages but Ill stop now. Sometimes you can perceive something that isnt there, maybe you should really listen to what you are saying, if what you are saying is what you believe then all people regardless of race are RACIST.Are they really.
chante on Sun 19 Aug 2012 at 08:28:28 Im not gonna give you website links and cold hard facts but what I will give you is my own individual opinion. Im not gonna blame Caucasian, African -Americans, or any other race, ethnicity or creed. Its not my place because as a young black woman I am above no one. So here me out. I think everyone has their biases, prejudices, and racial tensions /anxieties really. No
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ones completely to blame or completely innocent. We all had our radical leaders, and when I say we I mean people of all colors, whether they were spouting peace or war whether it be mental, verbal, or racial. History is written bu the winners and when comes down to the New World people of Anglo decent won, with whips, ships, and my goodness prejudice and discontent for those who were different! People dont like truth, and since Caucasians won the so called war , the full and honest to God truth will never be known unless we master time travel . So the Americans of today only know what our ancestors left us or forgot to cover up and when it comes down to it, white folks failed when it comes to being race friendly to those who dont look or act like them. And things such as Jim Crow laws, segregation, lynchings, Kkk etc has given white Americans a bad image. Sad yes but its true, and groups like the Black Panthers, as we like to say here in NYC, Brooklyn made the situation more hot! Yes the Black Panther have good intentions, Im all for black is beautiful, Im black and Im proud! But as a nation built of immigrants and immigration, whether forced or not we need to stop the BS -ing (LOL) !! Yes respect and understanding will be fundamental to stop foolish racism, bias, and misconceptions on everyone who makes America well America, BUT!?! Everyone in the New World (or the Americas) since I have no clue about peoples of African decent in Europe, Africa, and Asia struggles with race well enough to really make a difference, has to seriously understand that by moaning and groaning and writing blots about one another will help. As a society America is lacking in the area of discussion and as a society we must progress. How? No one knows jonone here (none that Im aware) has precognitive foresight so only time can tell. This as a blog was interesting and you hitnon some very risque points /topics, not all will agree but people talk or in this case type . That fact wont ever change. So for all the people who feel that blogs and vlogs will help I say keep doing what your doing. Cheers to you abagond, if this helps and you feel it helps others who are of Colorado and have been subject to Caucasian racism, then keeps doing this! Its likely youll never meet me and im not Jesus, Buddha, Zeus or any God or thing you may hold in exclusive high regards. Im not asking anyone on here to take my opinions seriously if you dont want to. I am asking for all to consider my logic on such a hush -hush subject. That maybe we just gotta let things take their course and hope, pray, and wish like hell society and humane views on such things that are quite low and petty compared to things that will affect all humans like global warming, etc. I follow a notion that goes like this fight for what you believe in as it dont necessarily have to ne right but when things are fine and simple leave things as they are . Its human nature to over complicate things if you ask me, and since a lot of people of all race and creed seems to follow nothing can be simple so we have create more and look underneath the underneath thus creating more problems for everyone and thing, things like racism and cultured hare survive. Since the thoughts of Europeans who settled America were these slaves we took forcefully couldnt possibly be human since they dont talk, dress, think, or act like we do! And the vicious cycle continued and became more. Everyone is different, generalising a whole ethnicity, race, or culture would be illogical and founded on quite idiotic and depending true acts of human cruelty or not. I have said my piece. Please dont judge or berates for giving my own opinions, everyone is entitled to opinions. Thank you for taking the time for reading this.
chante on Sun 19 Aug 2012 at 08:37:36 Spell check is a B! Please excuse typos and the such when I said the the stuff about moaning and groaning and blogs its supposed to not help. At least not the whole of the situation. Thank you.
Herneith on Sun 19 Aug 2012 at 16:28:30 Of course there isnt as much racism against blacks in England, they are too busy kissing white buttocks! Kerchief heads are alive and well and international it would seem. I have
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figured out a way to end racism; Lets all get together and collectively kiss the white folks buttocks, maybe theyll stop being racist! Can I hear a collective Yes sah, massa, yes sah!
resjan @ D Enamu
on Sun 19 Aug 2012 at 16:51:47
Just b/c SOME Americans are more open (although not open enough) about race than the British does not mean they are more racist. Having lived in various countries, including the US and UK, I can attest that Britons are equally (if not more) racist. Since Britons have not had to confront race issues as much, I THINK they are many years behind. The British remind me of many southern Americansvery polite, but reticent as to race. And, I disagree with you that blacks are as racists as whites b/c African Americans, on the whole, have NEVER treated European Americans iniquitously.not even close!!
Dave Enamu on Mon 20 Aug 2012 at 15:59:05 Well Ive really got something going. I did say that there is racism in England, but you are obsessed with it you cant have a conversation without it being mentioned. To say that we kiss the white mans buttocks is crap, we walk tall we dont bow to the whiteman you black Americans even give into them by calling yourselves nigger, that would never happen here, also to say black is beautiful and you are proud to be black just shows that you feel inferior, Im black but Im proud just to be me not because Im black you dont hear whites saying they are proud to be white(well Ive never heard anyone say that) just be proud for who you are not for what colour you are. What you need to do is to show some dignity hold your head up and show them that we black people are better than that. We have had a tormented history but we have come through it all stronger and for the better. Remember the song Something inside so strong by Labri Sifri, and think of Nelson Mandela he suffered but survived and isnt bitter, if you let their comments bother you then they have won if you join in their game they will win. Black people have been on this earth longer than whites, remember they descended from us and thats their problem they cant accept that.So dont think Im a yessa man just beacause Im not shouting about whites, name calling gets you nowhere.
resjan @Dave Enamu
on Mon 20 Aug 2012 at 19:34:49
Blacks dont give into them by calling [themselves] n___. This is what you, like many others misunderstand. SOME (certainly not all) African-Americans have taken ownership and possession of that word, which used to be used by whites only. Now, whites in America are afraid of using that word in public (particularly if blacks are present). Only blacks in America are permitted to use it, and they have changed its definition beyond the scope of its original derogatory meaning (e.g., thats my n___ can also mean thats my friend). Now, I personally dont use the word (like most other Americans I know), but I do respect that SOME African-Americans have taken ownership of it from whites. Also, I caution you about falling into the habit of stereotyping all African-Americans, and you certainly have no right to lecture them on dignity and perseverence, as many African-Americans have shown evidence of both.
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D Enamu on Mon 20 Aug 2012 at 22:07:20 resjan, as you state that you dont use the N word yourself shows that you are as uncomfortable about it as I am, as I dont know any black Americans I only get my views from blogs such as this and they seem to say that there is an obsession with racism (maybe you can enlighten me Im open to suggestions) and by saying things such as black is beautiful and Im black and proud seem to me to be a little sad, now maybe not all black americans say these things but the impression I am getting is that it is quite common.I feel that if you have to say these things then you are giving in to racists, you are what you are just be proud of yourself.
resjan @D Enamu
on Mon 20 Aug 2012 at 22:56:38
I dont get your point. I choose not to use the n word, but it has nothing to do with comfort. There are many words I feel comfortable using but do not use. For example, I choose to use the word, drunk over inebriated, but I am perfectly comfortable using either word. In other words, the n word is simply not a part of my day-to-day vocabulary. Black is beautiful and Im black and proud are not commonly heard in African American conversations these days, but I personally dont think theres anything wrong in saying either. Black is beautiful was popularised in the early 60s when the institution of segregation and denigration of blacks was alive and well in America, and blacks were fighting for basic human rights. The legendary Godfather of Soul James Brown had a song, Say It Loud, Im Black and Proud in 68. In subsequent years we saw huge achievements in the African-American community, and blacks en masse began to embrace their natural features and heritage.
D Enamu on Tue 21 Aug 2012 at 00:16:01 resjan, My point is that if your contempories use the N word to each other so to show whites that it isnt offensive anymore and that it has been given a new meaning then why dont you and all black Americans use it. My feeling is that you dont because it still offends. Im not trying to start an arguement here I just dont understand that by using a word that offends most black people in the world can be justified by using it to other black people, why not use sambo or uncle tom as well, does saying coloured offend thats what white people used to call us. Im sure these achievments would have happened anyway- though it was an alright song I dont think James Brown can take the credit (joke) well maybe he can There isnt anything wrong in saying Black is beautiful I agree, so long as its said in the context I have a black car and it is beautiful (no really I do have a black car) Im glad to say the phrase never took off over here Im also glad you say its not said so much over there. Well its late over here and Im going to bed Ill say goodnight my friend or should I say my nig no maybe not.
B. R. I like your post, Chante
on Tue 21 Aug 2012 at 00:49:42
Resjan and D Enamu, you both make some interesting points (Resjan, I almost said a similar thing that you did on another thread at almost the same time you did)
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There is something coming out on these threads, a distinct differance in opinions from across the oceans. Europe and England are saying they dont really agree with or want the aproach of America as far as the issues of race and racismnow this is an observation, not saying who I think is rightI have my own opinion , which I dont need to state to make this point, but, it is interesting to note that this is happening in a notable way on these threads.
resjan @D Enamu
on Tue 21 Aug 2012 at 01:33:58
You still dont seem to understand. Blacks who use the N word are not using it to show white people anything. They use it for their OWN PURPOSES. I knowits something many white Americans dont quite understand either. Im sorry, but All African Americans dont talk the same way. Personally, I dont use that word b/c I find no reason to use it. Its just not a part of my culture, unlike some people who use it regularly. Yes some people may get offended by the n word, but that has nothing to do with MY choice if to use it (I cant speak for others). I hope you understand the context out of which black is beautiful et al came. Prior to the 60s, blacks were the subject of scorn in America, were legally oppressed, blacks constantly called names, mocked on television and film etc. So black is beautiful et al were quite appropriate for that time IMO.
Aeoden on Tue 21 Aug 2012 at 02:31:31 First offIm white. Second, I cant necessarily disagree with nearly everything you are saying. It IS shameful, and Ill be damned if I havent caught myself having those kind of thoughts. The thing is, this is a learned reaction. I grew up in a racist area with absolutely no one that lived there that wasnt white. So, you mostly just hear stories. Other peoples racism. You hear sterotypes and every terrible racist joke you can think of. So then, when you find yourself talking to someone of another race, you have to reconcile all these things that youve always heard with whats right in front of you. We live in a cannibalistic culture. Thats the long and the short of it. And everyone fears what isnt exactly like themselves. Thats human nature, unforetunately. But that doesnt mean we need to actively abide by it. Racism is fear, in a nutshell. So, what will it take to shake this fear? Lots and lots of time. These things are usually passed on by people who simply dont know any better and stick to what they were taught by their own parents. Its ignorance. And as much as I would like to say that you can cure ignorancein most cases you simply cant. So, the one thing we can do ismuch like any seemingly incurable diseasedont pass it on. This goes for everyone. Dont teach your children the hatedont pass on the fear. Reaching people with those deeply ingrained racisms simply does not work. I see things where Iran states that Israel is an afront to their being. In other countries, these racisms are considered normal. There is no talks of how it is wrong to hate others. Its everyday life. Here in the states, hate crimes are one of the most abhorrent things imagineable. We ALL agree on that. Were ALL on the same page that racism is bullshit at the end of the day. And that consideredmaybe were on the right track. Dont mistake meits still going to be a long road. But
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weve two choices. We either admit how things are, and travel this road togetheror we just sit here and let the grass grow around us.
Dave Enamu on Tue 21 Aug 2012 at 06:06:07 Done this one, I think Ill call it a day though we speak the same language something is lost in the interpretation.
watchingtv on Sat 8 Sep 2012 at 20:01:49 Ive read quite a bit of this blog before reading this particular article, so I think that I get where the author is coming from. I agree with a lot of the authors points and found a lot of the other posts really interesting (people should read them before just commenting based on this one post I think as they are very varied). The main feeling I get after reading this particular post is sadness that the author has experienced such racism, and believes that the majority of white people in the US are racist (it may be true but I have no idea as I cant read everyones mind). Having lived around the world since I was a kid, I have seen that people everywhere can be prejudiced against people who are different from them. Some of that is racism, some is class or religion based, or even just nationalist. I have even lived in the US for a short time and met a white person who expressed racist views about black people quite openly to me (Im white from UK originally), which was very surprising and made me very embarrassed as they assumed I would agree. I also met other people who were appeared to be more subtly racist against me as I am white. I hope that people can get something positive from reading this post. You have to experience racism to realise that it is totally useless. I will try to be less prejudiced generally after reading this I assume that I am quite open to everyone but I guess I do feel more comfortable with people that I can identify with. Hope this makes other people reflect rather than just react.
Qspace on Sun 9 Sep 2012 at 07:21:42 Almost all white Americans are racist. Is that not stereotyping? Or does the almost makes that an observation.
Rene on Sun 9 Sep 2012 at 23:31:09 i a so dumbfoundedthis article is 100% correct. i have never lived in the united states. but living in poland for a very long time of my life where there are a just a few black people, this is so true. i am only 21 years old but through my teenage years, living here this issue affected me really bad. i am african. They always think they should be better than u in every single way and so i have to proof everything i do to be extra ordinary before it is recognised by them. This article would be understood by only africans, african americans and and africans in the diaspora. underwise, white people will read it a thousand times but will never undrstand or agree to it. but the truth is, that is the truth.
Rene on Mon 10 Sep 2012 at 00:06:34 No one should take it personal. i am not viewing it as racism. but the question is, with my experiences and how it affected me as a growing kid, how will i not agree to another black person sharing the same experiences? no one would believe me, but i consoled myself, by sayingoh these people, that is how they are..it was the only way i delt with it. i was only a teenager. i hate sharing this experience now that i am an adult cuz i have already dealt with it. i like white
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people cuz i grew up with them. those, i am better-looking than, cant take it cuz i am black, those i am richer than , the same. those i am more intelligent than, cant take it as well. cuz subconciously, they think it is not pssible. they shd at all cost be more intelligent than me, better looking and richer. i dont call them racist. i call them subconscious racist. cuz it might not be their fault. i wish they all read this article to conscientise them.
LegendInMyMind on Thu 27 Sep 2012 at 06:09:31 To be quite honest with you, the extent to which I judge a person based on their appearance is the way they are dressed combined with the way they are carrying themselves. You can tell quite a bit about a person from this observation. If I see a black man wearing a South Pole jersey with shorts down to his shoes and his ass sticking out, Im going to be thinking hes unintelligent, classless, and shady. Im not going to be saying to myself I think Ill get to know this guy, see what kind of person he is before I make up my mind, because hes showing me what kind of person he is. Hes effectively wearing his heart on his sleeve. Unfortunately, the black race really does nothing to dissuade these misconceptions about themselves, as a race I mean. I dont judge every black person the same way, I look at how they are carrying themselves, indicative of how they want to be seen. Likewise, I dont give every white person the benefit of the doubt. I dont associate with white trash, never have, never will. Most white people of class and intelligence are like I am. You dont know how we think, except in one regard: that we dont think of ourselves as white, we just think of ourselves as people. We dont act on behalf of our entire race, we dont have spokesmen, and even though we have been known to oppress, we also happen to be the traditional liberators. Theres one thing holding black people back: black people. Stop making excuses.
Josh Go ontell me more.
on Thu 27 Sep 2012 at 14:57:57
l on Wed 19 Dec 2012 at 06:40:19 LOL @ all these white people replying, trying to hide their white guilt. YOU people have no idea what its like to be a person of color yet you act like you do. You guys have no idea what its like to gawked at, followed around, questioned or stopped for no reason. Or have to deal with glass ceilings.
Kal on Sat 23 Feb 2013 at 17:02:31 Please do a post on why white people think or feel the need to come to blogs like this to either derail, act angry because we have to validate or feelings about them to them or spew hate
Herneith on Sat 23 Feb 2013 at 17:56:44 Everyone needs a hobby. These white folk who resort to this behaviour do so because of this. They should take up knitting or gardening. But they need some ego boosting. Hence they resort to these types of posts.
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Caffeine & Nicotine on Sat 23 Feb 2013 at 20:47:07 Its mostly the simpleton whites who feel that Blacks have absolutely no right NOT to love, worship, adore and speak admiring of whites. These types become confused and enraged when Blacks are not busy blaming each other for the effects of white racism.
Caffeine & Nicotine *admiringly
on Sun 24 Feb 2013 at 01:21:36
Lynette on Sun 10 Mar 2013 at 19:29:25 Wow. I stumbled upon your blog while killing time this weekend. I have been on the recieving end of racism, generalizations, and snide remarks about the colour of my skin. I have been taunted for dating people outside of my race. WHY are we still on this colour foolishness? How long am I going to be punished and stereotyped based on the pigmentation of my skin? Why do people hold me accountable for heinous things that other whites in history have done? How do people expect the world to change if we just trade hate all of the time? There are actually published research studies that indicate that whites are now the most discriminated against race in the entire world. I have never judged someone based on the color of their skin, ethnicity, or culture. Why is it happening to me all the time? And why is it that you think its ok to generalize all white people, as in your articles about how white people think? WHY does one race have to be better than the other? Im pretty sure if we both cut ourselves, wed bleed the same blood.
abagond @ Lynette I did not say ALL white people. I was very careful about that.
on Mon 11 Mar 2013 at 01:01:46
Dee This is nice. Thoroughly enjoyed it!
on Thu 14 Mar 2013 at 16:32:14
tt Average african-American IQ: 85. Average IQ of a white American: 102
on Mon 15 Apr 2013 at 18:00:12
This is why you guys fail so badly in society its not your fault, youre just stupid.
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Adeen on Mon 15 Apr 2013 at 19:24:12 @TT I guess you have nothing better to do than insult the intelligence of Blacks. Many Blacks have made it and become successful in the world. And IQ doesnt prove whether or not someone is stupid or smart. Maybe you are the stupid one here.
King of Trouble on Tue 16 Apr 2013 at 07:25:45 @Adeen, I feel these people think if they shout it loud enough it will eventual become true. Still it is his fault he likes to be ignorant.
mary burrell @tt No sir the ignorant and stupid one is you.
on Tue 16 Apr 2013 at 09:32:57
Susan Rhodes on Tue 21 May 2013 at 22:57:11 I think to some degree the authors opinions about the number of racist white (almost all) is biased. I have gotten to see it from both sides for over half my life (Im almost 60). That being said, I would put that number at about 2/3rds of those who self identify as white. Our country is, however, moving backwards in this regard since the election of a black president has brought the sheets back out of the closet for many. There are 2 types: those who acknowledge it and the majority who are in self-denial about it. When we do not learn from history, we are doomed to repeat it. Sadly, for the United States its already started in this arena. Even sadder when you realize that the concept of race was made up and doesnt exist biologically. There are no different races of people. Its all been a lie. People just refuse to see it.
jane on Thu 23 May 2013 at 20:10:12 I think that racism is a disease a son of the disease of ignorance.if someone of a different race I be it even if just one or two people you hurt you are then infected and you can choose to do one of two things try to heal it but always have a small scar of racism or embrace it. My step dad is a different race than me. Hed call me the little white bitch and it was hurtful he tell me I was responsible for the plight of his people becuse I was white and would beat me for it. i thought but Im six I had nothing to do with that at all.his family treaded me the same way. Now when I see a person of his race I think oh Im a white bitch to you huh. And when I hear about the atrocities committed buy white people I think you blame me and I had nothing to do with it. But yet I look at my brothers as my equals they are the same race as my step dad they look identical. I try t to assume colored people are more like my brothers than my step dad but it is hard.it came around in a big circle from my experience with being harmed for my race. Mabey that can give you some insight into being a white person. God bless.
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jane on Thu 23 May 2013 at 20:40:41 While some white people would be afraid to admit to a story like mine becuse they dont want to be demonized by the word racist hence the thou protest a little two much I feel as we could all heal from this discussion so feel free to think of me in anyway you please Im not racist but I have racist thoughts sometimes I am human.
jane on Thu 23 May 2013 at 20:56:16 Although not all white people have gone though what I have . some arent infected.so society sees it as being always deliberate not always the case.however sometimes sadly it is.they embrace and spead the pain.
Nope. Not at all. on Mon 24 Jun 2013 at 01:21:05 This article is completely false. You just writing it, proves you more racist than those you accuse. Your not only insinuating that all whites are terrible. Your also saying that theyre basically simple minded. While yet contradicting how blacks are not. I dont think that white people are racist. Nor do I think all black people are. But based on what I see as a Native American. Is that almost all have a hate for white people. Like they should be blamed for the actions of their ancestors. Once again. Im Native American. I see many things in south bend. But whose to blame? Yourself! Open your mind Quit blaming whole races for the imperfection of the world. Its only the same thing your accusing them to be. Just because you have color. Doesnt mean your opinion on the topic is the right opinion. Nobody knows about being treated badly, like my native. And still yet. Not blaming a race. Its the individual you can tell that is. Like the person who made this article. Quit blaming the white race for your attitude. Isnt a black man president? How could all whites be so racist. If a black man is president. Open your mind. Once again. Im Native American.
Youre an idiot on Mon 24 Jun 2013 at 17:03:11 Just FYI. The things that you listed are NOT racism. Thats called prejudice and it comes from the area you live in. Ive lived near the IN/MI border my entire life and when I was growing up, there werent many black families in the area. The ones that were in our area, were great. BUT since there werent many families, if there was a large group of black people, it was almost a garuntee that something bad was gonna go down. They would come from south bend and other local areas where gang activity was normal. As they have added more government housing in our area, we have had more and more riff raff come into our town. In all colors. The government housing did open a doorway for a lot of black families to move into our area from Chicago and south bend. Because it was better here for them. But when troublesome relatives, friends, baby daddies and others followed, our town went to crap. What we have now, instead of the nice respectable black families who once lived here, are gang banger wannabes and thugs and their baby mommas who live solely off the government. This HAS made me prejudiced. At 17 I went to Georgia for a few months and had a lovely case of culture shock. I felt like a minority there in comparison to the amount of black people that live there. It took a few weeks before I adjusted but also was a big eye opener. I didnt have a problem with the race, but I was so used to the kind of black people who lived in my area, I was immediately wary of them. There just werent many respectable ones around my hometown. Growing up, I had a doctor who was a large black man. I saw him for over a decade and loved him to death. I never had that feeling with him because he never looked like someone who would be out to cause trouble like the majority of blacks in the area. I have a few black friends and they are all awesome. However, even THEY see things the same way as I do in this area. Every single black friend I have, is
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married to a white person because its hard to find nice respectable black ones here. 3 black women and one black man who feel the same way as I do. And again, this isnt racism. Its prejudice. I dont hate all black people but I am wary of ones who dress, act, and talk a certain way. Because those are big flags around here.
Lexis on Tue 16 Jul 2013 at 09:22:16 Anyone that says blacks are poor I always say Yeah thats exactly why my grandparents have a house that is almost a million dollars, right or Thats why my grandparents house cost more than your paycheck
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