MagiStream

I hate racism but what i hate more is...not racism? What i mean is when people claim something is racist when it clearly isn't. For example, a video i once saw was called 'racist commercial'. Why was it labelled racist? Because it had a black person in it! And that was the only reason. Me and my friend always joke about our skin colour (i am white british and she is black african) and she just laughs at racists. Racism isn't dead but it really should be by now!
p.s-That story about baa baa black sheep is terrible-I hope they don't change it. Baa baa rainbow sheep just doesn't have the same ring to it!

warewolves wrote:Did you hear they are changing baa baa black sheep to baa baa rainbow sheep? The act itself is racist.

I wouldn't call it racist. Changing a black sheep in a nursery rhyme into any other color isn't done out of hatred towards any other race. It's just over-sensitivity and "political correctness".

Anyways, I've noticed that just about everyone's post begins with the same disclaimer, "I am not a racist. I don't hate anyone just because of their skin color. I have lots of friends that are [insert racial background]," but isn't there a little more to the issue than that? I'm sure that, while it hasn't died out, outright hatred of people of other races or ethnicities is becoming much less common; however, what of racial stereotyping? It's not blatant hatred, but such generalizations contribute to various limitations placed upon minorities, and they occur all the time. Just look at the film industry and what kind of roles people of certain races are most likely to get.

As for the topic on full-out racism and whether or not it's still around today, there seems to be a lot of focus in this thread on racist sentiments of whites against blacks and so-called reverse racism, but there are other groups that are feeling the heat right now due to various current events. I wonder what it feels like to be Hispanic or Latino living in the Mexican border states, or a peaceful Muslim citizen. It can't be too comfortable.

martinmiggs wrote:or a peaceful Muslim citizen. It can't be too comfortable.

It isn't. While not Muslim, I adopted the use of the hijab and abaya as a means of covering up my hair as it fell out owing to the chemotherapy and protecting my vulnerable skin. I wear the traditional colors in the traditional manner, covered head to foot, except the face.

There's a naval air station in the area and also a national guard reserve. We went into the local Wal-Mart and the comments started.

Racially, I am not even remotely Muslim looking. I have red hair, very pale skin, and green eyes. That, however, didn't matter. It was what I was wearing and the book I carried (a copy of TE Lawrence's Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which is about the Arab Revolt which took place during WW1). I received verbal threats and some of the men and women became physically aggressive...until they got close enough to SEE me.

Suddenly, their behavior was something for which they needed to apologize...but only because, to their minds, I wasn't Muslim. I didn't, however, get out of the situation without some well phrased advice about how I ought to dress.

It sickened me. I still don't understand why it should have mattered that I 'looked' Caucasian or Catholic or Baptist or whatever the hell they saw, but it did. I know that, had the circumstances been bit different, I probably would have been seriously hurt or even killed.

It doesn't stop there. I've had service refused me in doctor's offices, in restaurants, and in other stores because of what they think they see. I just don't get it. I'm a woman, Muslim or no, trying to protect her face and skin and preserve her modesty. What race I 'look' like shouldn't have mattered.

Personally? I can be racist, but its not like, a standard theme.

Let me just say this. I am Lebanese (from Lebanon, an arabic country), Italian, German, and Swiss.
Now, I am frequently told that I look Mexican, and that my name is Mexican.
This pisses me off. No, I am not Mexican, and my name isn't Mexican; its Hispanic.

Im also asked occasionally if I am a terrorist (seriously? Im 16...), and if I hate Jews (downside, both German AND Lebanese). No, I dont hate jews, and I am NOT a terrorist.

I think that racism is pretty stupid on the large scale, but everyone has prejudices.
I, for instance, dont know many black people. The black people I do know are awesome, so I dont see whats so bad about them. (One is in band, like me, and plays trumpet, like me, and is AWESOME at the trumpet.... unlike me.)

Now, I will not hesitate to shake any person's hand (unless they are like.... gross looking. Unclean that is), but I have always wondered if I would hesitate for non-whites. Not that there is anything repulsive about other people, its just a mental thing.

Now, reverse-racism is what gets me. I dont understand how that happens. And I hate how, just because I am primarily white, I am automatically assumed to be bad. And I dont understand how others can hate me 'just because I am white.' I understand that white people can be very stupid, and we have a long, violent history, but that is in the past. I dont have that 'in-bred' hate of other people. Neither should you.
I once asked why 'nigger' was so offensive, and was completely bitched out. And then I was told I should feel guilty for what my 'ancestors did.'
My ancestors didn't own black slaves (I say this because it is very likely they owned slaves in Lebanon once-upon-a-time). They didn't even migrate to America until the late 1800's.
So, no, I personally have a double reason as to why I dont have to feel guilty about the black people's plight.
1. I have never owned a slave, and if I ever do own a slave, it would def. not be black (that last part is facetious, I have no plans to own a slave ).
2. My ancestors never owned black slaves.

Anyway, just my take on it.

The silly thing about the term "reverse racism" is that it's completely made up. There's no such thing. Racism isn't exclusively a white vs the world type thing, and anyone from any background can be a racist.

I wonder who the heck thought up the term in the first place...

I have to say that I bet I'm a stereotyper. Which sucks, because I know what it feels like to be stereotyped. It's not too difficult to look past stereotypes, however, if you address the fact that you're doing it (even if you don't always realize it at first) head on. If you hear that a certain group behaves a certain way for a very long time, and have only seen examples that perpetuate the stereotype, then I can see why someone would be considered racist. It takes balls, and just a bit of intelligence, to step outside that box to try and see the "group" as a whole. Not everyone's alike, there is no "cookie cutter" racial behavior. Unfortunately, there are still people wallowing in that box because they're not interested in looking outside of it.

Did you hear they are changing baa baa black sheep to baa baa rainbow sheep?

That doesn't make any sense. o_0 How is it racist? Black sheep aren't very common, at least, that's how I took it.

It is, basically, an unwarranted prejudice against people with specific physical characteristics.

Not necessarily. If someone was prejudiced against, say, people with short noses, that wouldn't be racist. Call it, perhaps, "people with specific physical characteristics related to ethnicity or culture".

I believe this:

"God created one race.
People created racim."- Some chick from the Oprah Show.

Racism, dead?

I have a few words for you:

Asians In The Library.

Go on, look it up! Now tell me racism isn't dead.

I'm sure I have not encountered a stereotyper type of racist. But I knew a relative who used to praise me because I was 'fair-skinned ' compared to the rest of the family. I hate that. Its kind of a bad things for me because I can't focus on the important issues poc have in foriegn countries. I hate the beauty industry in a certain country because of its rampant racism.
Also, I have seen things said on the internet, and boy they aren't pretty.

I personally think there's a big difference between racism and stereotyping.
Many people can handle stereotypes. They're simple statements which are usually made as jokes against a certain race, religion, gender, etc. Personally, stereotypes don't upset me or anger me, they're usually jokes, mostly stupid ones, but jokes.
Full-on racism is a whole other subject. People who want to kill or hurt a specific race, gender, genotype, or anything like that? That's the real kind of sick and twisted in the world.
Think of it like this, we hear stereotypes of almost every race, though it's only offensive depending on what the race in question is, which seems rather unfair. I'd understand if a stereotype was constantly nailed into a person or a race, and it caused a lot of harm to that race, but I'm honestly more worried about people who aim to hurt others. This also includes people who use stereotypes as a way to harm or tease an individual of the target race.
As an edit:
Words like the n-word are a different story. They have a vile history behind them and certainly aren't in the same group as simple stereotypes. Whilst I don't think any words should be completely untouched, I think the use of this word and words like it should be picked wisely, and definitely not in the use of referring to a person in a spiteful manner.