Why is Everyone a Racist???
So this little post might get controversial, but let me remind you of something here. I am not a racist, and a large chunk of my family is african. Not african-american either, I mean the real deal from the motherland. My post though, is on a lot of the issues that a good amount of us “white folk” have to think about. Where do we draw the line on responsibility for things that happened in the past?
Slavery was a horrible time for black people. Let me get that out of the way immediately, because its not an excusable issue. In addition to that, the oppression and racism that happened over the next hundred years isnt excusable either. The thing is though, is I’m personally having a difficult time knowing where to draw the line in regards to personal responsibility regarding that issue. Let me explain a little family history.
My sets of grandparents came over from Sicily and Ireland in the early 1900’s, so right off the bat you can eliminate my lineage from the slavery issue. We didn’t have a cotton plantation, hell my family was dirt poor. So I can rightfully eliminate myself from the slavery issue. Like I said before as well, My family is extremely diverse. I don’t know a single “racist” person towards anyone in my family, considering we are quite a large melting pot of different cultures.
The thing that gets divided here, is that it seems to always be White vs. Black. The thing that were forgetting though, is that its so much more complex then that. America is the melting pot for all cultures, and the color of someones skin is seriously undefined here. You can meet a “white guy” on the street one day, but talk to him and find out hes from russia and just came here. Does that make him a racist from the (IRONICALLY) racist stereotype that all white people are racists?
Heres a little history. So black people have essentially an inherent resentment against white people. Chris Rock said it nicely in one of his routines, when he said “For black people, America is like the rich uncle who paid your way through college……..but he molested you.” In a way, I think hes exactly right. But I dont think that gives him or other african americans to immediately judge every white person on that same basis.
If African Americans have the right to hate me based on a pre-conceived notion that I’m an heir to slavery, should I hate them because of what happened to Sicily in the past???
Thats right. Africans came and sacked Sicily, and oppressed sicilians for 2 decades. Does that give me the right to hate them for what happened a thousand years ago? NO. The whole basis of racism and stereotyping is condemning someone for and completely unjust reason. I’m not going to condemn my black friends because of something that happened to my ancestors that long ago. Just as I hope that they accept me for who I am, not what they may think is in my families past.
I truly hope that one day, we can come to a point in our society where we don’t even use the words “black”, “white”, “asian”, etc. Maybe someday, we just use the words “people”, “person”, and “friend”. We are trying to break down the walls of all forms of segregation, but we are keeping the labels that automatically define and separate us. Lets knock em down.
Your mom’s a racist ya whiner!
You are a racist ya whore bag.
Shut up ya dumb mom hating whore bag licker.
Based on what I’ve read I truly see why the racial dynamic could never be addressed properly. The vast majority of white people, including the writer of the above post, display that the white perspective on racial views is so incomprehensible from the view point of a person of color, any person of color.
Racism will remain a constant thing in our society until people stop throwin around labels for everyone..i.e. african american..cuban american..I mean does a person who lives in Africa call themselves an African African..NO.!! Everyone being so P.C. and trying to label ones race.is a big part of this issue..people..there really only is one race..The HUMAN RACE.!! YEP!!
People, wake up. Racism ends when we take each individual as they are. Each individual has a history, and a past, and a family story. All anyone wants is to be respected and appreciated for what they are. The problem is people today are too lazy to find the joy in their own lives and their own story and their own history to get past the hateful rhetoric that has perversed our social fabric for too long in this country. When we as individuals work out our own issues to the point where we are no longer scared to explore and share in other people’s journeys without having to rely on crutches, the healing will begin.
Im sure I will get slamed for this.But some of the points that were made in the above story I agree with. I am a white southern female I do not hate anyone becouse of their skin color. I do dislike people that think every white person from the south are racist or part of the KKK. I agree that slavery was cruel and NOBODY deserves to be owned in anyway. All of our ancestors went through many trails in their time . For years women couldnt vote we were seen as a way lesser form of men. At some point you have to let go of the past and get on with the life and freedoms you have now.
I don’t believe that there will ever be a time when there won’t be bias based on personal feelings and experiences. Yes, we all have history. It is the ability to set aside those feelings and make the decision based on an individual’s contribution to make the world better. I have always tried to measure my actions by not just wwjd, but also “what would mom think”. We are all on this rock together. Perhaps we ought to be concerned more about survivability as a species rather than the color of that species.
I totally agree with you. Thank you for re-stating this message in your blog.
A “racist” is a “racist” no matter what color or ethnic background he/she is.
Do I have to base my opinions on other people based on their freaking DNA? How boring! Yes, the study of DNA can be interesting in an anthropological study (are Apaches related to Chinese?), but in everyday life…do I care. No!
Should I only hang out with people with the same DNA? What a drag!
Do I have to believe the same things you do because we have the same DNA? Not!
Black power, white power, asian power, latino power, ad nauseum is racism. “Black Entertainment Awards” sounds like “White Entertainment Awards” to me…just the name itself speaks volumes. “Black is beautiful” is a racist statement, just as saying “white is beautiful” would be, since just by saying this, you are telling anyone who is not fortunate enough to have the right DNA that they are not as beautiful as you and should never even think that they could be.
How boring, how racist, how backward. If ANY race thinks they are the best, they are wrong. We’re all just humans born with a unique mixture of genes…so what, is that impressive, no. Leave it behind.
What DOES interest me is:
1. Where were you born.
2. Where did you grow up.
3. What are your special gifts/talents?
4. What kind of music and art do you like.
5. What are your beliefs and opinions. (political/religious/philosophical, etc.)
6. What have you experienced in your life to bring you to these conclusions.
7. What places have you visited and when.
8. What interests you most.
9. What do you want to do and accomplish while you are still alive.
10. Last, but not least, are you a kind, caring, understanding, open minded individual that has the wisdom to realise that your views have been shaped by your own unique personal experiences and because of this fact, I or anyone else is not required to believe and act as you do.
Peace.
-Why are most black males better at basketball than white ones?
-Why do black people commit more violent crimes than white people (per capita)? Check FBI’s racial breakdowns on arrests and prison populations.
-Why are black neighborhoods usually high-crime, ghetto neighborhoods?
-Why does real-estate value fall drastically when black people move in to a white neighborhood?
-Why is it that the first thing a black person does when he gets enough money is move out of his black neighborhood?
-Why are even black taxi drivers reluctant to pick up black male passengers in NYC?
-Why are black people, on average, poorer than white people? Is it because our “white” America is racist and perpetually keeping the black man down? If America is keeping black people down, why is the richest woman in the world a black woman? Oprah. If black men are being kept “down”, why is the next president of the US probably going to be black?
-Why are white people, on average, more educated than black people, even with all those black college scholarships like the United Negro College Fund and many gov’t programs that give financial aid to blacks only?
-Why do white people, on average, have a higher IQ than black people?
I want to be not racist, but it’s not easy. It’s hard to ignore facts and statistics. If I am racist, it’s only because everything I see and read around me has made me so. Despite what I’ve said, when I see a black person I still give them the benefit of the doubt and assume he/she is a decent person. Why? Because if I were black, I would want to be treated that way.
Rant back at me: digitalgenesis2000 at yahoo.com
For Anonymous:
Blah Blah Blah. How about you come walk around Walmart with me(not just any Walmart, the one by my house) me and then re-read what you wrote.
If you have a dog that keeps turning over your trash cans, bites you every chance he gets, and shits on your porch regularly, you’re not really going to want to be around that dog or others like him.
Not just because he’s a dog, but because of his behavior and his cultural and moral differences.
What people fail to realize is that almost everyone sucks. This is why we’ve become a “Chicken-Shit” society. Everyone is looking to blame someone whether it’s blacks, whites, hispanics…..yada yada ya. We all just think we are too perfect and that it has to be somebody else’s fault and there has to be a reason why people suck. Look if we all really need our own category, can we all just be Americans if we live in a America, or is that going to offend the Native Americans? Get the drift?
Only Blacks can be racist,its a fact.If they can call each other a nigga,its ok,but if a white calls them a nigga,there is a race war brewing.Next boat leaves in the morning
I love the whole slavery issue. How the “white man” was the cause of it. Has anyone taken the time to look at “who” sold these slaves? It was Chiefs of the tribes, the local governments, fathers, brothers etc. etc. All of those people being black Africans selling other black Africans to white people. When are those people going to have some responsibility in the slavery issue? (I personally have never owned anyone, nor has anyone in my family lineage. But we have to pay the cost for what someone else did, white and black people both were the cause of slavery). They were not sold to just the Americas, they were sold to people all over the world. But it seems that in the U.S. racism against blacks is more prevalent. Why is that? One question you need to ask yourself is, who benefits by keeping racism alive? Minorities benefit! How? Through tons of government sponsored programs, college programs, using the “discrimination” card etc. etc. If someone wants equal rights(which minorities have more than whites) then lets have them. But lets also have equal benefits regardless of race.