Is there still racism in America?

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WilT

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I would like to think not but I had a friend share with me stories on how he was treated as a black man. He feared the police more than he did his neighbors. When he left I joked about him a little then I thought to myself am I being a little racist myself or my joking of him (which we do quite often to one another) is mostly just fun bantering. :confused: Anyways racism is wrong because we should be tolerating one another whether we are rich or poor, black or white, Spanish or Vietnamese, deaf or dumb, young and old, Catholic or Hindu. With Love in our culture, there shouldn’t be any room for racism. [SIGN]God is Love[/SIGN]
 
Yes, there is still racism in America. Sure, it is better than it used to but we have real reasons to fear/dislike police and others in power.

A producer for a tv show was walking through Beverly Hills a few weeks ago and the police assumed he was a criminal. They hand cuffed him and took him to the station. Numerous stories of black unarmed men being shot while white men with guns are talked down.

The fact that black convicts tend to get longer sentences for similar crimes is an issue too. And let’s not forget the crack vs cocaine issue.
 
“Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism
and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to
dehumanize a large group of people, to deny
their humanity, their dignity and personhood.”

― Coretta Scott King
 
WilT said:
I would like to think not but I had a friend share with me stories on how he was treated as a black man. He feared the police more than he did his neighbors. When he left I joked about him a little then I thought to myself am I being a little racist myself or my joking of him (which we do quite often to one another) is mostly just fun bantering. :confused: Anyways racism is wrong because we should be tolerating one another whether we are rich or poor, black or white, Spanish or Vietnamese, deaf or dumb, young and old, Catholic or Hindu. With Love in our culture, there shouldn’t be any room for racism. [SIGN]God is Love[/SIGN]
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In a way, I think racism has expanded due to the influx of immigrants into the U.S. People now reveal racist thoughts and feelings, if not necessarily behaviors, about a wider group of people. Due to nondiscrimination laws, however, at least overt racist behaviors have declined.
 
Yes. But it was getting a lot better. Unfortunately there’s a whole grievance/victimization industry that’s sprung up which has a vested interest in perpetuating or at least convincing the public of greater severity than reality of racism. It’s gotten particularly bad the last few years. It constantly attributes to racism a lot of things coming out of the breakdown of the family structure-- and that has affected mostly black americans. Although, the increase in single mother families and out of wedlock births is increasing amongst caucasians and the same downsides are increasing. Greater physical, sexual, verbal abuse. Increased drug and alcohol abuse. Far greater chance of being involved in or a victim of violence.

There are a lot of hopeful signs though,
reason.com/blog/2014/09/03/study-people-more-likely-to-shoot-white

this study indicated folks are quicker to shoot a white person than a black. Out of greater conciousness of racism, and it being so important to not be racist that even in dire straits it affects folks thinking.

The huge increase in the acceptance of inter-racial dating, marriage and relationships is a very positive development. The more widespread that becomes the better off we’ll all be as a society.

The much greater participation and acceptance of minorities in the entertainment and sports industries. Far more minorities in leadership positions in industries, the government both civilian and military.
 
There’s always going to be a bit of racism. It’s in our brains to trust strangers of our own race more than strangers of other races. This goes away when you get to know the person but there’ll always be a tiny bit of racism. The amount of racism in America is far too high though. We like to think that racism is dead beyond the odd joke but it really isn’t, it’s just less obvious now than it was in the 50s.
 
WilT said:
I would like to think not but I had a friend share with me stories on how he was treated as a black man. He feared the police more than he did his neighbors. When he left I joked about him a little then I thought to myself am I being a little racist myself or my joking of him (which we do quite often to one another) is mostly just fun bantering. :confused: Anyways racism is wrong because we should be tolerating one another whether we are rich or poor, black or white, Spanish or Vietnamese, deaf or dumb, young and old, Catholic or Hindu. With Love in our culture, there shouldn’t be any room for racism. [sign]God is Love[/sign]
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Of course there is-there is a lot less than when I was a kid and will be even less a generation from now. Anyone who thinks racism is not far less than before never traveled in the South in the 50s and early 60s.
 
styrgwillidar said:
Yes. But it was getting a lot better. Unfortunately there’s a whole grievance/victimization industry that’s sprung up which has a vested interest in perpetuating or at least convincing the public of greater severity than reality of racism. It’s gotten particularly bad the last few years. It constantly attributes to racism a lot of things coming out of the breakdown of the family structure-- and that has affected mostly black americans. Although, the increase in single mother families and out of wedlock births is increasing amongst caucasians and the same downsides are increasing. Greater physical, sexual, verbal abuse. Increased drug and alcohol abuse. Far greater chance of being involved in or a victim of violence.

There are a lot of hopeful signs though,
reason.com/blog/2014/09/03/study-people-more-likely-to-shoot-white

this study indicated folks are quicker to shoot a white person than a black. Out of greater conciousness of racism, and it being so important to not be racist that even in dire straits it affects folks thinking.

The huge increase in the acceptance of inter-racial dating, marriage and relationships is a very positive development. The more widespread that becomes the better off we’ll all be as a society.

The much greater participation and acceptance of minorities in the entertainment and sports industries. Far more minorities in leadership positions in industries, the government both civilian and military.
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“There are a lot of hopeful signs though…this study indicated folks are quicker to shoot a white person than a black.” LOL I understand what you and the study mean, but it made me chuckle nonetheless on first reading. It’s not just Black and White (and Hispanic) as in the old days. Today there is plenty of anti-Muslim-American sentiment as well.
 
Non-American joining in here.

I was down in Florida for a holiday once, and I took the lazy river at some resort somewhere - I was talking to my friend who was with me, and I then got “the looks” and a 12 year old boy looked at me and said “oh you’re after me lucky charms are ya?”, making fun of my accent. I also got criticised for not knowing that there’s different types of fried eggs (because here we just put them on the pan to our preference) and then a few other things, like asking for the jumpers (jumper = sweater) and I really had no idea.

Not racism, but xenophobia maybe? I’m not sure.

When I was there I also saw the way that men and women of Mexican or any Southern American descent were treated a bit as if they were a lower class. That could’ve been just me. I think most western countries got a bit of racism everywhere. It’s learned, and sometimes hard to rub out, unfortunately. The sooner we all realise that each person is just as much a person as the one across from them, whether they’re from East Anglia or Ethiopia, a Maori or American.
 
I would also suggest that there is a significant amount of anti-white, anti-Asian, anti-Hispanic, and anti-Semitic racism within the Black community, stirred-up by the aforementioned “grievance industry” and assorted racial bomb-throwers who exploit incidence of violence to perpetuate a narrative. This was not the case 50 years ago, and neither were anti-police, anti-women “music” big career opportunities. Decades of “affirmative action”-driven racial quotas (whether formal or informal) have also not helped relations.
 
Yes, there is still racism. Also, reverse discrimination is also there, though some try to deny it even exists.
 
Anyone who thinks racism is not far less than before never traveled in the South in the 50s and early 60s.
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I agree, it caused a good deal of us from the North and South to take another good hard look ourselves and our own cultural preference, prejudice and overall political, spiritual and world view. Much hate is learned behavior and is taught unfortunately, we all have seen it, still the collective conscience seen a transformation, it took a step forward. It showed a good deal of us what is not only possible, but the realization we are all in this together. Its not exclusive to the black-white issue either. White America has its own inner cultural, nationalistic spiritual views also. Or further with other cultures who call America home.

There’s always another narrow minded view attempting to upset the experiment of the Constitution. In fact I believe there are constant attempts at creating unrest to create civil war and again not just with black-white but in many areas of cultural and spiritual.
 
There will always be some form of racism, or a mistrust, pre-judgment, unequal treatment of others who do not share our color, ethnicity, sex, religion, disability, etc. Just watching my cats has taught me how low we can be at our lower animal nature.

My cat had a crush on the older female calico cat and he always followed her but stood respectfully or carefully at a distance. But when the calico had surgery and came home with a bandage on her spine, he would jump at her and attack her wound. I have seen humans do the same. Taking advantage of a perceived or real difference or weakness.

We will always have a tendency toward racism unless we teach otherwise. We also want to avoid it getting institutionalized or government approved. We cannot deny the institutionalized racism that happened throughout our world and country; but we must also look for it in other ways.

The Irish and African Americans, both recipients of discrimination have also treated their own people with the same disregard. The world: Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia, etc. is full of warring tribes fighting their cousins. There is a long history of this kind of cruelty throughout the world from race to race, religion to religion, class to class as well as within each race, religion and class.

We need to see our divisive and cruel tendencies, avoid cruelty and division, and learn about the bigger world.
 
theCrow said:
“Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism
and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to
dehumanize a large group of people, to deny
their humanity, their dignity and personhood.”

― Coretta Scott King
Click to expand...
There are similarities, but basically, I think “homophobia” is quite different than racism. A race is something you were born as. While one can be born with SSA tendencies, acting out on those is a behavior that goes against what Christianity ascribes to.

(Whether the person acts out on these or not, I think it’s gotten excessive. If you are a Catholic/Christian, you can probably now be accused of “hating” and being a “homophobe” for just simply trying to practice your faith, not participate in what goes against it.)

With racism, Christ seemed to encourage us to be good to those of different creeds and areas. He sent his disciples throughout the world. Whereas, I don’t think Christ would have approved of acting out on homosexual tendencies.
 
I know some one that has spent the last several years studying certain social issues in the USA that I’m sure has something to say about this. I’m going to get her (name removed by moderator)ut and post it in a message.
 
theCrow said:
“Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism
and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to
dehumanize a large group of people, to deny
their humanity, their dignity and personhood.”

― Coretta Scott King
Click to expand...
Black Pastors: Comparing Homosexuality to Civil Rights Fight is ‘Distortion’ of History

“A person’s sexuality and sexual preferences, however, are not their state of being, or even an immutable aspect of who they are, as race is,” “The truth of the matter is that it is merely activity in which they engage. The state has no responsibility to promote any person’s sexual proclivities, whether heterosexual, homosexual, or otherwise.”

christiannews.net/2014/05/18/black-pastors-comparing-homosexuality-to-civil-rights-fight-is-distortion-of-history/
 
LoyalViews said:
Not racism, but xenophobia maybe? I’m not sure.
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There’s xenophobia in America. The public messages teach people to be xenophobic to certain types of people. At one point in American history it was Catholic immigrants that were not to be trusted. There have also been messages that set bias against Mexican immigrants. Many of these messages paint a picture that is far different from reality but accepted/believed. I get the feeling often time people are repeating the messages they have been taught, expressing the biases that they now carry, and not checking their biases against reality.
 
ClearWater said:
Yes, there is still racism. Also, reverse discrimination is also there, though some try to deny it even exists.
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All you have to do is hear some of the ‘race huselers’ that run around shouting ‘racest’ and ‘racism’ when ever someone looks at them cross-eyed. 😛 😃
 
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