WHAT IS RACISM? I took a seminar on Racism when I was a social worker, taught by a black woman, and I learned a simple truth about why white people are racists and black people are not.
Racism is the notion that one race is better than another, and it is always established by the predominant race. These predominants have the power to make laws, establish policies, and otherwise show other races that they are "better." A good case in point is the old Jim Crow system, in which [i]by law[/i] a black person may not sit with a white person, eat in the same restaurant, walk on the same sidewalk, or even use the same toilet with a white person, because legally a black person is inferior to the makers of these laws--that is, white people. Sure, black people can hate white people, but they are not racists because they are simply reacting to the white establishment that forces them to be inferior to the dominant race. They have no legal power to establish a "black-only" status in the legal sense. Black people of the time did not think themselves superior to whites, but desired only to be equal to them. Therefore no official racism by definition existed. For instance, under Jim Crow "White Only" establishments seemed desirable for non-whites, but they were powerless to do anything about it. A black person might say, "Gee, I'd love to join that country club. It looks great." The white racist tells him, "Well you can't, because you're black and inferior to me." "Okay," says the black person. "I'm going to start my own country club for black people, and you can't join because you're white." "Fine!" comes the response. "I'm a white racist. Why would I even want to join a club that's full of black people?" And that is what makes the black person merely a reactionary to the white establishment, who refuse that person something he wants but cannot have.
Of course in predominantly non-white countries it can work the same way against white people, or people of a different religion. For instance, in a predominantly Muslim country Christians are looked upon as inferior, and the establishment makes official policies to keep them inferior. In Nazi Germany, Jews were officially inferior to the Nazi establishment who made the laws.
And this is why white people are racists and black people can't be, in the true sense.
This is why white people ARE racist? I'm sure some are, and I'm pretty sure the vast majority aren't. To confound this country's past history of institutional racism with an indictment that "white people" are still all racist is just misleading. Don't confuse racism and prejudice. Racism implies that one race (or ethic group) claims moral superiority over another racial or ethnic group, and as a result engages in policies to institutionalize that belief of moral superiority. Prejudice is simply disliking someone based on unfounded, preconceived beliefs without the power to do anything about it.
There is no evidence that racism exists today on any wide scale because institutions are very vigilant to prohibit it from happening? Are there still many prejudiced white people? Sure. Might they individually be considered racists? Sure. Are all white people racist? Absolutely not.
I posted this because I am tired of the word "racism" being bandied about, and I wanted to show the definition of racism as we know it. Personally I wish the term did not exist at all--nor the notion of it.
My argument dealt more with what your professor was spouting. Blacks in the North were treated as inferiors before, during and after the Civil War even though slavery had ended in all but four states that remained in the Union during the war. Even during the time of Jim Crow laws in the South, many school systems in the North were not integrated. Boston didn't integrate until around 1969 and they had no Jim Crow laws. Your professor excused the black man's racist actions in her hypothetical example but I disagree. Reasons for acting racist are still not excusable. Everyone from the beginning has had reasons for it, and in the beginning, they seemed like rational reasons. I say it is still racism period. As for true racism having to be established by the dominant race? Nah. Institutional racism, yeah. But a person can be racist regardless of their color or whether they are in the majority or minority.
Sobxguy--I stand corrected. It was the Nazis, and I used that as an example. The way people throw around the term "racist" nowadays prompted me to write this. No, there is no more "classic" racism here in the US any more than there is apartheid in Africa. But at one time it was the law in certain parts, and that established the "dominant" race of the area to be "legally' superior to the others. Sure, there will always be pockets of those who don't like others for whatever reason, but again it is not the law of the land, especially in this day and age. I was not being sarcastic at all, but merely trying to share what I learned in the seminar as far as true racism id concerned.
@jagged seriously? denial over what? because there is a majority of one skin color still in this country, there has to be racism? i give up. fucking sheep. keep being prodded along.
Kumbaya, I did not say all white people are racists. I merely state that by the true meaning of racism it falls that white people, as the established race of influence, can practice racism by the very laws they make, whereas black people, although they may hate whites, cannot be racists in the true sense because they are not the establishment. Case in point--I'm a redhead with freckles, and I don't consider myself a racist. So it's not all white people across the board; nor was that implication my intention. Thanks for reading!
sobxguy, you proved my point by bringing up segregated schools in Boston. That is an example of racism, because it was established as policy by the dominant group, who were white. Race hatred, on the other hand, can be--and is--practiced by any number or type of people. Individuals may hate whites, blacks, Puerto Ricans or Irish. That is their personal prejudice. And you can't force anyone to like you just because you made racism illegal by law. My stand is that racism and race hatred are two different things.
Ridiculous argument and I truly hope you are being sarcastic. Anyone, regardless of the reason, who holds that another race is inferior is demonstrating racism. All your professor did was make excuse for being racist. By the way, the Nazi's made the rules in Germany and not the Aryans. Hitler wasn't Aryan nor were Himmler, Goering, Speer, Heydrich, or any of the other leaders of Germany. Hoyle was trying create an Aryan race but he wasn't himself. Aryan.
Racism - noun - the belief that all members of of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races. Prejudice, discrimination or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior.
Naughtylass, are you talking about racism as we defined it, or racial prejudice? Big difference. If all you can do is resort to name-calling, then there is no point in arguing, except I agree that there is plenty of race hatred and racial prejudice going around, but not official racism as the law of the land.
Sobxguy--Exactly my point! As I wrote, racism is the notion that one race is superior to another. In other words, it's not that I just don't like you--I'm [i]better[/i] than you! That's racism. Race hatred is that I just happen not to like black people, for instance. I explain further in my message to you.
What a freaking bimbo. Racism has not changed and it never will change. It is what it is and always will be. What a goober, you think you are so enlightened but are sitting in the dark. bbaaaaaaaaaaaaa bbaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
By whose def? The professor? That's not the one given by the dictionary and so in lies the issues I have with so many liberal arts professors these days.
Denial that racism is alive and fucking well and that black people are not fucking racists just because they are fighting to tell the world that they fucking matter and deserve the same fucking respect and opportunity as the rest of us.
You are seriously blind. I am sorry you have to live that way.
