As Long as I'm Avenue Qing: Are You a Little Bit Racist?

[Jenny A]

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I am a little. Once upon a time, long, long ago when I was freshmen in college a young woman described a good choice for our study group. He's wearing a red sweater she said. Well the student center had over a hundred people in it. Red was in. And the room was 95 % white. I couldn't see him. He was black.

Ah ha! Racist. But if color didn't matter, why didn't she just say he was one of the only three black men in the room.? I hate this gotcha. Race for identification isn't racist. Pretending you don't see skin color may not be racist either, but it's silly, because you do.

Anyone skin color blind? I don't believe you.

A little racist? How can you help it?

The moral question is how do you act?

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I try to make sure any would be victims of my racism does not suffer in anyway whatsoever on account of my racism. My racism is not their fault.

I agree that that is the best way to proceed. But if no one suffers from your racism, i.e. if it's only in your head, not your actions, then there are no victims.

I am sometimes more than a little bit racist. I strive for no victims. On that count I mostly succeed. I bet you do too.

[TaraJo]

Is it racist to think Steve Harvey is a scumbag? If so, I'm racist.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=az0BJRQ1cqM

[Thumpalumpacus]

I definitely agree. Theory of mind and empathy goes a long way here. I watched a video that was posted by a friend on Facebook. The description was something along the lines of "Cop shoots black guy for no reason" so I knew going in what to expect and what my response was expected to be. Normally, I stay away from watching these things, but for whatever reason I watched this one.

I'll break it down: (this is from memory)
(Ended up being pretty long)

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The dash cam shows the front of a gas station. The black kid, maybe early 20's, pulls into the gas station and into frame. He hops out of his vehicle and attempts to walk towards the store, but before he can, the cop hops out and tells him to stop. Already we know this isn't a normal stop, because the kid has just pulled into the gas station to buy something, or whatever business he had. He's visibly surprised by the cop, as anyone would be in this odd situation. The cop tells the kid to produce his license and the kid taps his back pocket, then turns and leans into the car to retrieve it. The cop starts yelling and opens fire while running in front of his car and behind the kids vehicle. Luckily, the kid is only shot in the leg, and he drops. I think the cop ends up being fired.

So, apply the theory of mind and empathy to both situations.

The cop says the kid dove into his car, that's why he opened fire. On a second viewing, it does look like he moves quickly into his car, but it's clear that he was just eager to comply in the strange situation. He pats his back pocket, pauses for split second in thought, and realizes he left the license in the car and reacts almost at the same time. And so the cop is obviously wrong and he's an asshole and the video gets the expected emotional reaction.

But...

Because I had a fearful experience, I can also relate to the cop. Granted, the cop shouldn't have "pulled him over" while the kid was already out of his car; he basically fucked himself right there. He put himself in an uncontrolled situation. Also, he should be held to a higher standard in an uncertain, possibly dangerous, split-second situation than I would be held in my situation, but I still can't help but to apply the emotions I went through to the cops situation. It can only be speculated that the cops heightened emotions were the result of his own stereotyping of this kid, but it's probably a safe bet. So, when I put myself in the cop's situation, with my sense of equality, my views of racism being extremely wrong, would I have fared any better, or would my strongly held beliefs fall to the wayside?

This, of course, is an extreme example and may not be the best way to measure yourself, but my experience with it has definitely caused me look a little deeper into myself.

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Thankfully, most racial situations don't approach that level of danger. But the insidious nature of the problem means that you have the enlightened literati on both coasts congratulating themselves for their enlightenment vis the flyover states, while at the same time racism remains a problem -- most often subtle, but too often blatant -- problem all across America.

It's an old cliche from the environmentalist movement to "think globally, act locally", but that really is the only way racism can be countered. (Mind you, I'm not talking about discrimination; discrimination is susceptible to treatment by law, and even this libertarian-leaning centrist agrees that that is an appropriate use of governmental authority).

But inside the mind of each man, there is an emotional center that no laws can touch. Sometimes, when worded right, compassion and empathy can get there and make the bigot rethink his views. Sometimes, the appropriate way to change minds is scorn and contempt. And then (perhaps most often?), the bigot is a lost cause, and the battle becomes a reargaurd action, aimed at preventing the spread of inimical memes.

[Napoléon]

@OP

I tend to tell a lot of racist jokes, does that count?

[Losty]

Hmm....I'm not sure if seeing race and noticing it or talking about it actually makes a person racist. Do you dislike or hate people just because of their skin color? No? Then you're probably not racist.

On a side note I told DL the other day that bitches love black guys, and Metazoa Zeke said he is proof that that's not true. I think he's racist against bitches.

[Little lunch]

My long gone grandma used to say that she wasn't racist as she would even say hello to the ching chong china man as he walked past her place each day.
I suppose that's a lot better then her dad who owned slaves to build up his sugar cane empire.
Personally, I think the only people who are 100% non-racist are children.

[Jenny A]

@OP

I tend to tell a lot of racist jokes, does that count?

Do you make the members of the races joked about uncomfortable? Or just your audience?

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My long gone grandma used to say that she wasn't racist as she would even say hello to the ching chong china man as he walked past her place each day.
I suppose that's a lot better then her dad who owned slaves to build up his sugar cane empire.
Personally, I think the only people who are 100% non-racist are children.

Not necessarily. I remember two things about my childhood in a very white city: 1) asking mom if there was something wrong with that lady's skin (she was the first negro I'd ever seen); and 2) appreciating the fact that it was easy to find my friend at the pool because she was the only black girl is a sea of white skin.

[Little lunch]

I was about 13 before I saw my first Asian.
I grew up with aboriginals and south sea islanders and found more racism between these two groups then black vs white.
I felt slightly racist towards the Maltese in our community because they were the richest and most good looking. :-)

[Jenny A]

I felt slightly racist towards the Maltese in our community because they were the richest and most good looking. :-)

Oh. . . . If we are going to talk about what we find attractive to look at then we all lose since what else is there to see but looks.

I like brown skin ---- the kind that's half Asian half Negro is particularly yummy but how is that different than preferring blonds or redheads?

[Napoléon]

Do you make the members of the races joked about uncomfortable? Or just your audience?

Neither, they know it's only a joke.