When I was a kid, adults I encountered use the "n" word not infrequently. Those people are either quite elderly or dead. It is no longer politically correct to be a flagrant racist. White people rarely identify themselves as racist. Being racist has gone undercover. How can you judge today if you're racist, when you swear you are "colorblind?"
Here are some ways to determine, however begrudgingly, that you might be racist:
1. You think or have said that white men are the real racial victims today.
2. You think America has no racism because we have a Black president.
3. You believe the world is "colorblind."
4. You think that if Black men would just be respectful to police officers, they wouldn't get stopped, or beaten, or killed.
5. When you see two or more African-American youths on the street, you want to get away from them.
6. You wonder why "they" have more crime, or fewer fathers in the household, or beat "their" women more than whites.
7. You don't like interracial relationships, and never consider why. You explain that it's much harder on the kids.
8. You don't like "Black" names like Jamal, Andre or Mo'Ne and can't understand why anyone would choose a name like this for a child.
9. You think Affirmative Action is unfair.
10. You get tired of hearing about slavery, since it was abolished in 1865 and what's the big deal.
Many recent studies indicate while being openly racist is frowned upon, we still harbor racial stereotypes and feelings. America is not colorblind. We need to deal with racial feelings in this country. Ferguson is a wake up call.
This is silly. Am I racist based on my answers?
ReplyDelete1. White men can be victims of racism just like blacks and hispanics and asians. If you do not think it is possible for a white guy to be a victim of racism, that in itself is racist.
2. No. Nobody thinks that. Racism is not as bad today as it was 50 years ago and that is evidenced by having a black President.
3. Never heard the word coloblind
4. Who thinks that? If anyone of any color is disrespectful to a cop, they are going to get stopped. Bad cops of any color will do bad things. If you dislike this, get rid of the liberal, union endorsed laws that make it difficult to get rid of anyone performing badly in a union job (cops, teachers, other Democrat constituents).
5. Only Jesse Jackson believes this (he said so) and I fully believe he is racist.
6. What makes you racist in this sentence? Using pronouns? Or seeing facts like blacks have a higher crime percentage than other races and asking questions as to why this is? I think you think using pronouns is racist. Should we only talk in first person?
7. That thought has never occurred to me.
8. I thought Andre was a french name. Am I racist for wondering why Gwenyth Paltrow named her daughter Apple? Some names are just dumb - especially ones that are difficult to pronounce or fruit based names.
9. Affirmative Action is decidedly unfair. Giving one person an advantage over another just because of the color of their skin is absolutely unfair. Just curious, what do you think about Elizabeth Warren and her claim to being an American Indian when applying for extremely hard to get jobs where Affirmative Action would give a benefit to a non white person?
10. What if I get tired of hearing about slavery but also think it was a big deal?
Just curious, do you think people should be judged by the content of their character instead of the color of their skin? Do you think MLK was a racist? He believes this. He said it. Do you think Clarence Thomas is a racist? He also believes this and he makes decisions based on this.
This quiz is gibberish. It makes racist assumptions that you can only be racist if you discriminate against blacks...but discriminate all you want against other colors of people because that is not racist. If you look beyond the content of the questions, the questions themselves are poorly asked. Sadly this is the Democrat and Progressive view of what racism is. Its designed to make anyone that thinks constructively a racist.
If you want to know if you are racist, ask one simple question. Do you make decisions based on a person's color, no matter what color they are? If the answer is yes, you are a racist. If no, you are not.
Hear, hear! With additional commentary by me.
DeleteThere are some people who believe that racism can only be against those out of power. So since that's a loaded word now, I will speak of "racial and/or ethnic discrimination" (RD) with the definition that it is making choices or judgments based on race and/or ethnicity, no matter which party is favored or disfavored.
Many people hear "racism" and think RD. Many of the people who say racism don't mean RD. It's one of the things that keep us talking past each other.
Now for the questions.
1. Yes, whites can be the victims of RD, just as anyone else can be.
2. Many people saw the election of President Obama as a significant milestone in the country's history, but a good simile would be that it was the end of racism like Francis Fukuyama's end of history with the fall of the Soviet Union. Big change, big event, but by no means the end of the story.
3. Assuming you meant "colorblind," is the US? No. Is it better? Much. Should it be colorblind? I think so. Do you think colorblindness is a worthy goal?
4. Not in every situation, but I think that things would be better if they did.
5. Based on statistics, it is different. Clothes also indicate potential temperament, as do gait, body language, volume, and a host of other factors. It's not primarily race, but that does figure in to the equation of risk evaluation. If one side of the street had black kids that were wearing well-fitting jeans who were laughing with each other and the other had young white men flashing gang signs, cussing, and showing colors, wanna pick which side you'd rather be on?
6. Seeing statistical differences in subsets of the population and wondering about the stories behind the numbers doesn't make you racist. It makes you curious.
7. Visceral reactions are bad things to judge others about. It's what people do in response to them that matters.
8. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
9. If RD in one direction is unfair, is it fair in the other?
10. Yes, the past influences the present. But at what point does its influence become smaller than more recent events? Slavery in the United States ended in 1865. It took over 100 years to get rid of Jim Crow laws. 1968 was 46 years ago. What events are more relevant to a 22 year old? His ancestors' life situations or his own choices? What people who chafe at hearing about slavery are upset about is its use as what looks like a crutch.
Do these thoughts make me a racist? Well, they don't make me someone who primarily discriminates by race. Do the opposite thoughts discriminate by race?
Who thinks that? No. 4? "You think that if Black men would just be respectful to police officers, they wouldn't get stopped, or beaten, or killed."
DeleteGo over to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch page on Facebook, for one. You can see that all over that page. Daily. And there are plenty of other places you can see evidence of it, too. It's extremely prevalent, at least.
Hmm....surprising words from an attorney who specializes in discrimination law.
ReplyDelete"When I was a kid, adults I encountered use the "n" word not infrequently. Those people are either quite elderly or dead. It is no longer politically correct to be a flagrant racist." With these words you're implying that adults who use the "n-word" are racist, yet there is an entire genre of music (rap/hip-hop) which uses the term liberally.
"1. You think or have said that white men are the real racial victims today."
Amusing that you imply that white men can't be racially targeted victims, as I just read where a white man was beaten to death in St. Louis by hammer-wielding black youth.
"4. You think that if Black men would just be respectful to police officers, they wouldn't get stopped, or beaten, or killed."
I'm almost certain that Ferguson's Mike Brown would be alive today if he had not been disrespectful and combative toward the police.
"8. You don't like "Black" names like Jamal, Andre or Mo'Ne and can't understand why anyone would choose a name like this for a child."
I will freely admit to having had this thought. I suppose it's a cultural difference, but that doesn't make me a racist. In fact, I'd appreciate your explanation as to why a multi-generational American would select Mo'Ne for their child's name. Black Americans who have no personal connection to Africa within the past 200 years, but who grasped at African-centered school education, Kwanza, and a reclamation of their African heritage via clothing, African names for their children, etc., are unknowing victims of those seeking to keep them segregated by encouraging them not to join the greater America melting pot.
"9. You think Affirmative Action is unfair."
Affirmative action can be unfair, as was determined by the U.S. Supreme Court. Once you implement an affirmative action program, when does it cease? Does it remain in existence forever?
"Ferguson is a wake up call."
Actually, Ferguson was no big deal. Unfortunately, a young man broke the law, assaulted police, and caused his own death through his gross disregard for the law. Ferguson morphed into an opportunity for all manner of outside provocateurs to start promoting their own agenda. Angry youth, politicians, professional grifters, personal injury attorneys, the uneducated and unemployed, the list is long.
I usually enjoy your comments here, but this time you were wrong on many points. Thanks for the opportunity to reply.
I guess my ban on commenting on this blog has been lifted. In my last post I said maybe there is some hope for you. I was wrong. Do I have to agree with all ten points of your "quiz" or if I agree with one point am I racist. Can I change the race involved from black, white, to Hispanic, to Asian? If so I am screwed, I am racist against everyone. This is nothing more than you showing your over the top liberal thinking. Or maybe you are the racist, I mean who thought all these points up. Like one of the other people that commented on here, I've never even thought of some of them. There are some I have thought about though.
ReplyDelete1. There are victims of racism in all races. I don't know what makes one a "real" victim of racism.
4. Not sure if respect would stop anyone from being stopped by the police. But I'm willing to bet respect and simple manners towards authority would almost do away with beatings and killings. (That goes for all races.) More whites were killed by police in the US during that last year stats are available.
6. I don't wonder why, I know why. Liberals have created an environment that allows this type of behavior to be excused as cultural or due to economic status, and doesn't want hold anyone accountable (again goes for all races).
8. I do think there are all of silly black names. My wife works is an OB/GYN nurse and I hear it all. My favorite was Lilniga and Mililniga they are twins. Again alot of other races also use silly names.
9. Affirmative Action is unfair.
10. Slavery was a big deal, however I am tired of hearing about black slavery, Nearly every racial, ethnic, or religious group has been a victim of slavery. Oh and much more recent than black slavery Jewish people got a pretty crappy deal in Germany. I'm not saying they are over it but they were knocked down and they got back up.
So after taking your "quiz" I guess I'm racist against everyone. And according to you libs all whites are racist.
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PS. Sorry for typos or grammatical errors I typed this on a phone and didn't feel like going back and reading it one sq inch at a time.
Not only was "slavery a big deal" but our treatment of blacks and African-Americans then and after slavery and the Civil War was and is, still---I doubt you want to hear or, worse, acknowledge this---a big deal. Go watch Douglas Blackmon's "Slavery by Another Name" on PBS. You can download it. It's not very long, either. It's very instructive on how we got to where we are today.
DeleteI forgot point 2. I can't recall one person ever saying racism doesn't exist because we have elected a black president. I will say this country is way more divided racially now than before him.
ReplyDelete1204am
Though, God knows, it's not due to this President.
DeleteTo Mo Rage, I'll give you that to a degree, he hasn't done anything to ease tensions either. I think alot of it is white people are called racist everytime they turn around and we are getting tired of it. It doesn't help that probably one of the most divisive figures in the history of this country is so close to the white house ( Al not so Sharpton.) People have been called racist simply because they don't agree with the president . I mean Charles Barkley is now being called an Uncle Tom and a racist. I mean if a black dude is being called racist because he don't agree with some things going on is this country, WOW.
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When was the last time you saw or read that President Obama was with Al Sharpton?
DeleteYou are joking right, God I hope you are joking. Monday, is the most recent I remember. Are you the director of the Douglas Blackmon special you seem to be pushing it pretty hard. You sound like one of those broken records about slavery, so are you saying that slavery is the cause of high crime rate, teenage pregnancy, fatherless homes, murder rate, and unemployment rate of black males 16-29? I know, you can't believe how incredibly racist I am.
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"Unconcious racists" will say no.
ReplyDeleteOf course.
So we're damned if we do admit to being racist, and damned if we don't.
DeleteThanks.
No and that's what I did not say or suggest in any way.
DeleteLook, you're either a racist or you're not, simple as that. If someone would admit they're a racist---and it happens rarely or not at all---then I'd hope it would be followed by regret, maybe even apologies and a desire to change and be better, to make themselves better. It would be an improvement for themselves as well as those around them and society, overall.
The fact is, far too many white people are far too unaware of racism in the country. Far too many aren't familiar with our history. Many millions need to read Douglas Blackmon's book "Slavery by Another Name" or at least see the PBS special on it.
ReplyDeleteFor those who do need to see it, Google it. You can see it online. (It won't happen but hey, there's always hope).
Lynne,
ReplyDeleteDid someone tell how incredibly racist your most recent post was? Is that why you deleted it? You have got me off topic with your last few posts. I want to reaffirm my hatred for scumbag attorneys. When I thought for a sec, maybe you weren't. Ha you pull this liberal race baiting crap on me. Nice try . Attorneys suck.
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