(Disclaimer: I am fully aware that this can be a really really hot button issue for some of those among us, so I wanted to approach it in a very positive manner, and let you all know right off, that I wanted to simply explore how certain of us see it one way, while others see it a different way. I'm continuously curious that people can have such vastly different views on such an often times emotional topic)
So my premise is, that there is a large faction of Americans who still hold race to be an important factor in American life, while others have completely moved on and don't think anything about it. I wonder if those who are sensitive to race know that a large portion of the country no longer thinks about it, and likewise, I wonder if the portion that doesn't think about it, considers that an equally large portion does. And are those portions the same size?
I myself, don't consider race to a large degree. I'm not naive though. I know if you're white, or chinese, or black, or indian, etc. etc. But if you're an upstanding citizen, smart, and you work hard, I genuinely don't care what race or religion, or even what age or sex you may be.
So I feel like I'm impartial. Perhaps that's biased considering I am myself, but I really think I am.
So on that note, being of the portion that has moved beyond racial tendencies, I look at the group opposite of me, and wonder why they still think racism is such big deal. But before I go further,,,,
Would we not all agree, that in order for racism or sexism to be completely eliminated, it would take both sides to understand that it no longer exists, or rather exists in minimal and insignificant portions.
Clearly it does exist on some level, but I'm of the full belief that racism has been relegated to a small minority of people. It's never going to be gone. You need to know that, and the reason is simple if not inappropriate, and that's it's just that we know that we're different. It's dumb I know, but we're dumb as a human race. Maybe I should explain it like this. If your city were going to be attacked, who would you save first? You would save yourself or your family first. If you had time, you would get your extended family, and then your friends. If you had time after that you would get other close acquaintences and neighbors. But just ask yourself a few things. How many of those groups exist outside your race? Probably not many. If you're white and live in a trailer park, are you running to the next Country Club to help evacuate? If you're black and live in the city, are you heading for the suburbs to get a bunch of middle class white guys out? What I'm trying to get at, is that there is an order of operations, a way you classify yourself, and it starts with those things closest to you, and ends with groups you are loosely associated with. The reality is that you just don't associate yourself with members of other age groups, races, or religions to near the same degree that you do people within your group. Is that racism? I think racism implies hate, and the above scenerio is not imbued with hate.
I'm white myself, and if I hear a white person utter racist commentary that's inflamatory, I usually disregard them as being an idiot, and I want those who would feel insulted by those comments to do the same. Clearly racists are too emotional connected to the subject or too dumb to get over it, that shouldn't been given the honor of getting angry over whatever it is they said.
And racism exists in all cultures and amongst all racists. It's not impossible for a black man to be racist. It's not a province of white people. The Japanese dispised the Chinese, made notable in the 40's. Muslims are prejudiced towards jews and visa versa. The Nazi's, the Russian's over catholics in Eastern Europe, Indians over lower classes of their own society, etc. etc. It's everywhere. The question is how we address it.
I feel it's time in America, as I'm an American, that we need to really start looking at moving beyond this, and from my view the next step has to be taken by those who feel oppressed. The Al Sharptons, and Jesse Jackson's of the world have to stop promoting finding racism, have to stop selling it, in order for their own people to get past it. Now, perhaps you feel that it exists more strongly than I give it credit for. Even so, you would have to say that you can't just live in it, but rather move yourself beyond it.
Look at Bill Cosby for example. A great potential leader of the African American Community, but largely ignored. His message is for those of his racial background to make a stronger effort to educate themselves, and to stop from harming themselves with drugs and violence. He wants his people to attain all of the success they can, and he understands that it must be earned, not given. He's a respectable man. Would he say that if he didn't believe it? Ask yourself if it's more likely that his solution is best, and if those who choose not to listen to him, choose to listen to Al Sharpton instead, because it's easy to have a crutch to explain your short comings. Ask yourself if Jesse Jackson is really helping, or dibilitating his people, similar to how a parent would raise an ignorant child by telling them that it's ok not to do their math homework because it's too hard. Don't we learn through trials?
I'd just point out that there are many respectable African American members of American society. Who doesn't love Tiger? George Foreman? Colin Powell? Bill Cosby? Will Smith? Oprah? Chris Rock? Michael Jackson? etc. etc. etc.
The point I'm making there is that there is a vast difference between respectable and disrespectable actions and they're not based on race. I hate stupid white people. I really do. I hate trashy white people who act like idiots, who can't tell me who the president was 10 years ago, or 20 years ago, who can't point out Italy on a map, who can't multiply 8x8, who get thrown in jail for starting bar fights, who think it's funny not to pay their rent while funding their pot habit. It's dumb, and it has nothing to do with race.
But when it happen to be a member of an different race, suddenly those aspect get confused with racism. I mean I don't like the things listed above that anybody does, and when a chinese guy, or a black guy, or a mexican guy does them, I don't like them then either.
The problem is, that a larger percentage of minorities do these things. Like Plaxico Burress taking a gun to a club, or Michael Vick Dogfighting. Hey, with Timothy McVay blew up a building, or that idiot KKK dude shot people in DC I was all for anybody who wanted to bash those guys. They're dumb, and so were Vick and Burress. It's not a racial issue.
But I think what white Americans want to see, is less of the Vick's of the world, and more of the Oprah's. We're actually desperate to more Will Smiths (who don't have to cuss to sell records), and we're frustrated that we keep getting more Terrell Owens. We really want to live side by side with a respectable minority community, but many of still see too large a population of those who don't respect themselves, and don't want to respect civil society. That makes it hard to be respectful back. It'd be like trying to be friends with your inlaws family when you knew 3 quarters of them where heroine adicts. I mean, you really want to get to know your inlaws, but damn if they aren't insane.
So that's what I'm saying. I think we're at this point in the country where we have to take one more step, and this time the step isn't going to come from the white community as it has in the past. And mind you, it needed to come from the white community in the past. But it's been 40 years. The next step has to be taken by the minority community themselves.
What are your thoughts?
Originally Posted by Che
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