Very Scared of Racism

[Nimzovik]

Racism is indeed an* industry*. People create their careers from assuring the races are at odds with each other. The urban lexicon’s term for such is Democrat if I am not mistaken.

 

[livingwordunity]

Racism is indeed an* industry*. People create their careers from assuring the races are at odds with each other. The urban lexicon’s term for such is Democrat if I am not mistaken.

 

[TRH1292]

If it helps, after reading your post, I don’t think you’ll ever be the person ‘running the entire hospital.’

If you are intending that comment the way I took it, then that was extremely rude and uncharitable.

 

[starshiptrooper]

I used to work in a hospital as a Volunteer, trying to prepare for medical school, and one time I had to bring water to this elderly white couple, and they asked me if I was Vietnamese ,and when I said yes, they asked me if I was communist (!)

The only experience that couple ever had with the Vietmese or Vietnam was probably a result of the Vietnam War. So they would naturally think of Vietnam and communism together.

and they also said, “Wow, this young man will probably be the doctor running this entire hospital one day” (this was a reference to the stereotype that asians are super smart!?

I am probably being unsually dense, but I do know that quite a few of the stereotypes associated with Asians are positive, (smart, good at math, they can all fight like Bruce Lee,) so why do you have a problem with that? I would be amused if people thought I was a martial arts master who could solve complex equations in my head while fighting 20 mooks.

 

[vz71]

I don’t know what I am trying to ask, it is just very scary for me to hang around people are white. Who knows if they are racist? Who knows if underneath their smile they are secretly racist? I was hoping that you could please help me with this.

Fear is a poor excuse to avoid something.

 

[Pug]

NguyenKimPhat,

In my experience racism is more visible in certain areas or situations. In most situations there will not be any obvious issues. There are a few Vietnamese families in my parish and all goes well for them while at worship, apparently. You’d have to ask them, though, if anyone has ever cornered one of them somewhere privately and said something hateful. That type of encounter seems to happen to too many people at some point in their life, over a variety of issues, not just race. It is confusing and scary when hatred is directed at you.

Is it a special problem where you live? In my neck of the woods, about 6 or 7 % of the local population is some type of Asian, so perhaps their experience is different here.

The only situation I personally find scary locally is if I were to encounter a group of young, loitering males who are clearly looking for something entertaining to do, since we do have active gangs with the occasional shooting. That is what scares me locally.

 

[Et_Cetera]

You all know the song… “Red and yellow, black and white, they are precious in His sight”…
It’s true. Not only are racists a minority, I believe they are a shrinking minority.

I’m a white woman with three children. Two are of dating age. My daughters have brought home fellows of different races to meet me. I don’t care about the race of their beau. I care that the fellow is kind, respectful, intelligent, has a good sense of humor and has a plan for some kind of useful career. I think there are more people like me who honestly look at character than there are who just look at race by a decently wide margin.

Good post.

I hope you’re right about racism shrinking.

 

[Boatswain2PA]

Unfortunately I predict we will all be seeing a great deal of extreme racism in the next few days when George Zimmerman is acquitted.

 

[CompSciGuy]

Dear CAF,

I am wondering if anyone else has felt the same way I have felt. Lately, in the news, I have heard of a southern chef, named Paula Deen, who has been accused of racism against black people. I watched an interview where Paula Deen apologized and cried, but deep down inside, I feel this scared feeling whenever I see that interview. And then, I watched Life on the Rock (EWTN) where they were talking about Father Kapaun, and one of the really old white men said, “Father Kapaun pushed the Chinese (Korean?) soldier out of the way and helped the American soldier up.”

I don’t know, but when I heard that, I felt irked inside, because I myself am an Asian (Vietnamese - American)… and it is just that stereotype surrounding white folk - that many are racist and superior … I know that this is just a stereotype - and that we cannot generalize about every white person - and I know that not every white person is racist - but there is ongoing, underlying sentiment that a lot of Southerners and white people/Republicans are racist.

I used to work in a hospital as a Volunteer, trying to prepare for medical school, and one time I had to bring water to this elderly white couple, and they asked me if I was Vietnamese ,and when I said yes, they asked me if I was communist (!) and they also said, “Wow, this young man will probably be the doctor running this entire hospital one day” (this was a reference to the stereotype that asians are super smart!?

I don’t know what I am trying to ask, it is just very scary for me to hang around people are white. Who knows if they are racist? Who knows if underneath their smile they are secretly racist? I was hoping that you could please help me with this.

First of all most white people these days are not racist. Second of all even those who are are typically not dangerous. The worst that will typically happen is they will make silly comments like they did above. Whatever you do, don’t assume people are racist from the get-go (like when they say you will probably run the hospital one day, that is supposed to be a compliment). Assume the best in people. And remember that if you assume that white people are racist then you effectively become what you fear: a racist.

By the way I am white.

 

[KathleenGee]

Likewise, we have ‘holes’ in us. We don’t think we are vulnerable to any racism if we have not been tested, whatever what end of the stick we are on.

So it is better to ask the Lord to close up any receptacles that receive unwarranted injuries, and let Jesus Christ alone be our righteousness and the source of our self-esteem. This is all part of the process of ongoing conversion.