Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Racism has many different definitions. Historically, it has been defined as the belief that race is the primary determinant of human capacities, that a certain race is inherently superior or inferior to others, and/or that individuals should be treated differently according to their racial designation. Sometimes racism means beliefs, practices, and institutions that discriminate against people based on their perceived or ascribed race. ...
Racism is one of the forbidden topics for white people like me to discuss in our society. If you are black you can talk about it whenever you like but white people must be silenced. There is plenty of evidence suggesting racism still exists but most of this evidence supports black people are racists too.
After the Colts beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, the racist comments started about two black coaches being in the Superbowl. Who cares? We are taught to separate people’s actions from their race. You cannot hold an entire race responsible for the failures of the few; likewise, you cannot credit an entire race for the successes of the few either.
Could you imagine the outrage last year if we would have celebrated Bill Cowher winning the Superbowl; NOT because he was the winning coach but because he was a WHITE winning coach? Can you imagine talk shows discussing the topic about how great white coaches are? There would have been lawsuits filed all over the place. People would have been fired; the whole thing would have been very ugly. So why do we tolerate this behavior from black people?
Stephen I. Cohen is a Democratic Representative from Tennessee who recently tried to join the black caucus. His membership was refused because he was white. Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, had circulated a memo telling members it was "critical" that the group remain "exclusively African- American." Other members, including the new chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., and Clay's son, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., agreed.
I thought we were all equal? I thought we could no longer have private clubs excluding people based upon race? Can you imagine what would happen if Stephen Cohen tried to start a white caucus or any other federally funded group which excluded blacks? I’ll tell you what would happen to him; he would be kicked out of the House and probably ostracized from our society. He would be labeled a racist and never be allowed to hold a position of leadership again. So why are we tolerating this same behavior from Rep. William Clay?
What is with this whole “African-American” label? Are any of these people actually from Africa? My ancestors were from Germany but I am an American, NOT a “German-American”. I cannot imagine being so consumed with my race that I had to label myself as such. Aren’t people who are this consumed with race a racist?
If I spent time introducing myself as a German-American and joined exclusively German clubs which only allowed Germans, isn’t that a racist? What I just described is Nazism who are notorious racists. A racist organization is one which seeks to instill power in one race while excluding other races. This just defined the NAACP, the Black Caucus, Neo-Nazi’s and a host of other groups. The only difference is the Neo-Nazis preach violence but they all have similar intentions. Groups should exist to help all mankind and not focus on any one particular race. In a “racially neutral” society where we are all equal, we are not supposed to notice or care about race or the advancement of one race over another. If we do then we truly ARE racist. Right?
Should institutions like these be considered racist?
• A college scholarship fund which only helps one race.
• A society which only accepts one race as members.
• A caucus which seeks to help only one race while excluding all other races.
• A person who only helps people of one race.
These should all be defined as racist. Yet these examples are accepted in our society when they only contribute and seek to further the causes of racism.
We are naïve if we believe racism will ever be completely eliminated. The best we can achieve is a majority of people who are NOT racist. This becomes very difficult when the very people who are complaining about being mistreated because of their race, continue to condone racism within their own ranks.
At some point we have to ask ourselves what does a society free from racism look like? The answer is simply a society where people and organizations help all people and do NOT give precedence over any one race. When somebody fails or succeeds, it is seen as a failure or success of that individual and has nothing to do with their race. When we look at someone we should not even see their heritage but we should notice their personal charisma, accomplishments and failures and judge them accordingly. Even if we do raise our children properly and teach them these values, as long as we allow racism organizations like the Black Caucus or the NAACP to endure, we will continuously fail.
Unless we learn to separate race from individual achievements and failures, and we learn we are all Americans regardless of our heritage, we will never be rid of racism. So don’t celebrate the fact that two black coaches going to the Superbowl, just celebrate the fact that two incredibly talented and intelligent coaches are going to the Superbowl. If you notice their race, then YOU are the racist.
Racism is one of the forbidden topics for white people like me to discuss in our society. If you are black you can talk about it whenever you like but white people must be silenced. There is plenty of evidence suggesting racism still exists but most of this evidence supports black people are racists too.
After the Colts beat the Patriots in the AFC Championship game, the racist comments started about two black coaches being in the Superbowl. Who cares? We are taught to separate people’s actions from their race. You cannot hold an entire race responsible for the failures of the few; likewise, you cannot credit an entire race for the successes of the few either.
Could you imagine the outrage last year if we would have celebrated Bill Cowher winning the Superbowl; NOT because he was the winning coach but because he was a WHITE winning coach? Can you imagine talk shows discussing the topic about how great white coaches are? There would have been lawsuits filed all over the place. People would have been fired; the whole thing would have been very ugly. So why do we tolerate this behavior from black people?
Stephen I. Cohen is a Democratic Representative from Tennessee who recently tried to join the black caucus. His membership was refused because he was white. Rep. William Lacy Clay Sr., D-Mo., a co-founder of the caucus, had circulated a memo telling members it was "critical" that the group remain "exclusively African- American." Other members, including the new chairwoman, Rep. Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, D-Mich., and Clay's son, Rep. William Lacy Clay, D-Mo., agreed.
I thought we were all equal? I thought we could no longer have private clubs excluding people based upon race? Can you imagine what would happen if Stephen Cohen tried to start a white caucus or any other federally funded group which excluded blacks? I’ll tell you what would happen to him; he would be kicked out of the House and probably ostracized from our society. He would be labeled a racist and never be allowed to hold a position of leadership again. So why are we tolerating this same behavior from Rep. William Clay?
What is with this whole “African-American” label? Are any of these people actually from Africa? My ancestors were from Germany but I am an American, NOT a “German-American”. I cannot imagine being so consumed with my race that I had to label myself as such. Aren’t people who are this consumed with race a racist?
If I spent time introducing myself as a German-American and joined exclusively German clubs which only allowed Germans, isn’t that a racist? What I just described is Nazism who are notorious racists. A racist organization is one which seeks to instill power in one race while excluding other races. This just defined the NAACP, the Black Caucus, Neo-Nazi’s and a host of other groups. The only difference is the Neo-Nazis preach violence but they all have similar intentions. Groups should exist to help all mankind and not focus on any one particular race. In a “racially neutral” society where we are all equal, we are not supposed to notice or care about race or the advancement of one race over another. If we do then we truly ARE racist. Right?
Should institutions like these be considered racist?
• A college scholarship fund which only helps one race.
• A society which only accepts one race as members.
• A caucus which seeks to help only one race while excluding all other races.
• A person who only helps people of one race.
These should all be defined as racist. Yet these examples are accepted in our society when they only contribute and seek to further the causes of racism.
We are naïve if we believe racism will ever be completely eliminated. The best we can achieve is a majority of people who are NOT racist. This becomes very difficult when the very people who are complaining about being mistreated because of their race, continue to condone racism within their own ranks.
At some point we have to ask ourselves what does a society free from racism look like? The answer is simply a society where people and organizations help all people and do NOT give precedence over any one race. When somebody fails or succeeds, it is seen as a failure or success of that individual and has nothing to do with their race. When we look at someone we should not even see their heritage but we should notice their personal charisma, accomplishments and failures and judge them accordingly. Even if we do raise our children properly and teach them these values, as long as we allow racism organizations like the Black Caucus or the NAACP to endure, we will continuously fail.
Unless we learn to separate race from individual achievements and failures, and we learn we are all Americans regardless of our heritage, we will never be rid of racism. So don’t celebrate the fact that two black coaches going to the Superbowl, just celebrate the fact that two incredibly talented and intelligent coaches are going to the Superbowl. If you notice their race, then YOU are the racist.
Labels: Politics
posted by DarthImmortal at 11:07 AM
4 Comments:
AMEN! AMEN! AMEN!
I live 10 miles from the notorious town of Vidor, Texas and couldn't agree with you more. Vidor is considered the biggest racist town in America because it is an (almost) all white town.
My city is more than 50% black and we have a school district that continues to favor the black students when it comes to districting when there has been no lawsuit over race against a school district in 20 years or more.
I see that race is playing too big a part in our lives these days. From black to white, from Arab to Asian, we focus too much on race and not on people. When is this country going to get past it? I guess never.
My children are being taught that what a person looks like on the outside is not as important as who they are on the inside. I never refer to kids in their school as "that black boy" or "that Asian girl". They are all just boys and girls and I have noticed that my kids do the same. I set the example for them. As long as we as parents set the example, our children will learn.
This is what I am doing to make sure that race isn't an issue in my children's lives and relationships and I hope that more people start doing the same.
WOW! It sounds like you really get it and you are teaching the correct values to your kids. Let's hope others learn from your example and will help stop all forms of racism, including reverse racism.
Thanks for the great comment!
I think that as white people, we need to be really careful that we're not being blind to something MAJOR that we just don't notice because we don't HAVE to. I've learned a lot from my friends and teachers with backgrounds in critical race theory (friends of various races, including white friends) about how it's easy for dominant groups to ignore oppression and sincerely believe that it doesn't exist -- because (1) they do not "value" people based on race (they're not overt racists, which by this day and age is the majority of US citizens) and (2) they only see incidental benefits like affirmative action, but miss the very real ways that racism affects the everyday lives of nonwhites.
As for the African-American label, I think that's more a relic of the 90s than anything. There was a time when people were afraid to use any words traditionally associated with putting down black people -- including the word "black." Black isn't a word to fear. It's just that, as with any term, it's important to make sure we're not being derogatory in our usage of it.
As for why it's important that black people succeed -- think about it. If you woke up one morning and world was turned on its head, and suddenly you inhabited a world where WHITE people used to be considered property, WHITE people had only recently gotten basic civil rights like the right to sit in the front of the bus, there had never ever in the history of the country been a WHITE president, and there was only ONE white senator... how would that make you feel? I mean, really and truly, try to imagine this. Try to imagine feeling like an outsider, like the people who are like you and who look like you only succeed if they're the exception to the rule (and if they can avoid prison, which is tough to do as a white person in this hypothetical world). I'd think you'd be pretty excited to see people "like you" succeed. To finally, FINALLY have a role model. To realize that, in spite of the evil and unfairness and injustice in our history, people like you ACTUALLY HAD A SHOT at making something of yourselves. That wouldn't make you a racist. It'd make you human.
And as for white people not being
"allowed" to talk about race... well, isn't that what we white people are doing right now? :)
Law fairy,
I agree with you completely when you say it is easy for dominant groups to ignore oppression. We have all seen examples throughout history. Where we disagree (I think) is how we instill new values and implement changes.
The worst thing you can do is further segregate society by creating racially segregated clubs and programs; even ones which disallow the dominant group. It is also hard to change behavior when you label yourself as different (African American instead of simply American). I think you change behavior by creating groups where all races come together to work out differences. Unfortunately quotas and affirmative action will again only create more negative feelings within the races. You cannot force different races to mingle but you can educate the new generation.
There hasn’t been a slave in America in more than a few generations. In fact, if you look at history more white people have been slaves than black people. Although racism continued to be a major problem within our country into the 1980’s, the past couple of decades we have seen it nearly eliminated. A perfect example is how black people now dominate the music industry because they are respected artists. These CDs are purchased by all races.
One of the major problems with black people is the destruction of the family. How can you raise multiple kids in a single parent home with no father, no income and expect those kids to become educated. It is difficult to escape from poverty but not impossible. School districts within these areas are horribly underfunded and only compound the problem. The primary way government can help black people escape poverty is to change the tax laws which fund schools.
Personal Property Tax laws need to be changed so all schools within a state receive the same dollar amounts to fund each district. Poorer school districts are located in areas with lower property values, so they can never get adequate money to educate children. If you educate the poor you will find they will escape poverty. Affirmative action, quotas and segregated groups will only compound the problem. At the root of the problem is education; fix that and everything will heal itself.
Trying to build an argument by putting me in the minority would be difficult. I can tell you that when I was a boy we were dirt poor and on food stamps. At the end of the month the rent money was not always available so we were always behind on bills. Since neither of my parents graduated from high school, they instilled in me the importance of an education. Thanks to a government grant, my dad finally attended a trade school about the time when I was in high school and used that education to finally get out of poverty. Those same government grants exist today. So the same break my dad got is still available for people of any race.
How did we get into poverty? During WW2 German Americans were not treated very well at all. My family lost everything during that time but we don’t dwell on it today; it was generations ago. So my family did experience extreme prejudice but we got out of it through education and hard work. We didn’t need famous role models either, we idolized each other.
Getting out of poverty was a long and difficult road. I paid for my own college and worked full-time while I attended school (as did my brother). There was no hand out for us; we created our own opportunities through hard work and dedication. It is a constant struggle even today. You have to continue changing and remain educated on new processes. So you have to work at being successful and that has to be taught. I know you understand this being a lawyer and you know about discrimination being a woman in a male dominated field.
As far as white people being able to talk about racism, if I was a nationally syndicated columnist and I tried to publish this post in my newspaper, I would be railroaded out of town if the article would even be printed. I would probably be labeled as a racist and never be able to get another newspaper job again. This is why I’m DarthImmortal.
Thanks for your awesome comment.
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