Racism and you. How were you influenced, how are you now?

[Raziaar]

This is a thread i'd like to present to everybody, as a form of discussion about racism, and how their own personal views have developed over the course of their lifetime.

Whether you were raised in a colorblind or racist family, I hope some people will be able to open themselves up a bit for a discussion, answering honestly and truthfully about this very sensitive subject.

I'll start it off, to break the ice. And just as a warning, this is NOT to be used as a thread for argument, or racist comments or slurs. Just healthy discussion.



I was born in a pretty much colorblind family. And being raised in a very diverse neighborhood, with african americans, mexican americans, etc... I did not think anything of this. I knew people had different skin color to me, but I couldn't understand why, and didn't really care why. My best friends were the neighborhood kids who were of all various different ethnic backgrounds, including two philippino boys. Life was great, and as a child I was ignorant of the very violent neighborhoods that were around me for the most part. My family was one of the few white families in the area.

Then, all that changed, and I moved up to alaska. The demographics there in the city I lived in, that the majority of people were white, with the occasional asian american or african american kid in my school. Still, being that i've never been really raised to think in any particular way... I just didn't care. I made friends with them, just like anybody else.

Hollywood, however... started having an influence on me as I started getting older. Racism was a subject constantly in movies and TV shows, and I was bombarded with these images and words of discrimination that I really didn't know about. All i've ever discriminated against maybe were ugly kids or fat kids(skinny too)... kids with lots of pimples, or freckles. etc. Not the color of somebodies skin, but the characteristics that just about anybody could develop, and who we as cruel little kids would pick on them about. Not that I was really cruel. I was a quiet, reserved kid for most of my life, and still am a bit to this day.

As I grew up, and moved on, and started venturing online, this pressure from hollywood, with all of this racism and discrimination, and world events kept bombarding me, and trying to assimilate themselves in my life. Moving again to a city with a predominantly mexican american demographic... I sort of found myself becoming scared at times to walk the streets around neighborhoods that i've learned to associate somewhat with what hollywood has shown, with differently colored people and gangs. Not that there were really any gangs around here that I knew of... but there was this perception that was growing. I didn't think badly of these people, or think they were inferiors or very much different than me, but for some reason I was more scared around them than others.

I hated feeling that way... and as time progressed, i'd be online all the time, and have these comments on message boards and the like, with anti racist comments saying that white people are naturally racist against others, with their long history of enslavement, etc. When you're constantly, thoroughly bashed with these comments from people who are trying to be well meaning... its difficult not to feel guilty and have your young mind influenced a bit by their words. Could it be true? Could I be racist? They were telling me I was racist, even though I never thought I was racist. Maybe I was racist?

All these things kept bouncing around in my mind, from these people trying to dispell racism... they were actually instilling the mentality somewhat in my mind! By comparing me to the bad people in the past, like somehow I have a direct relation with them and am the same as them.

Now that I look back on all that, i'm very angry at those people that made me feel that way. I've never once used a racial slur in my life, or felt somebody was inferior or different than me just because of the genetic color of their skin. However, I am still scared sometimes to walk amongst large groups or neighborhoods of people who aren't the same colored skin as me, especially in lower class areas(middle class myself). In part too, because I realized they felt their own ways about me too... i'd get stares, and the occasional mean comment about the color of my skin. Why is this? Why do I feel this way still? Why can I not shed these feelings of fear, and will I ever be able to?

I actively speak out against racism... I have acknowledged it as something I never want to be associated with, and get angry when I hear people say blatantly racist things, about any race including my own. I treat people as my equals, no matter who they are, unless they give me a reason to think otherwise. However... I still have these thoughts that come into my head from time to time, that seem to go against the grain of my personality and all that I believe, and just wish there was a way to permanently eradicate the discriminatory feelings that seem to seep through time to time from a conditioned enviroment.






Hrm... didn't realize that was gonna be so long. Wonder if anybody actually reads it. lol

And by the way. Here's a thread on another forum I was reading, about the subject.

http://www.atforumz.com/showthread.php?t=178944

 

[short recoil]

I grew up in a family where i was allowed complete freedom of thought, nothing was forced upon me, nothing was expected of me, just encouraged to do what i wanted.
I've never been really racist, i judge people singly, not as groups.
There are slight attributes to different races but this is mainly cultural or geographical, it usually dosn't pay to even think about them because the difference isn't great.

I don't like people who are racist "for the fun of it" or to "show off", in fact i am quite disgusted by it, i can understand if people are racist due to a major political problem or past event/war but only in extreme cases.

The one thing that pisses me off is "anti racism" where someone tries to be so politically correct they end up giving an over positive reaction to a person, this really is racism as well being positive some may not see it as bad but it still annoys me.
"Oh we've got 2 applicants with the same education, one is black one is white, we'll employ the black one so not to appear racist"
The only case where this is right is to try and give an equal chance, not any more.

 

[Steven]

Most of my mates are foreign. I don't mind a joke or imitation though as long as no one is stupid enough to take offence to it. I view racism as being very, very stupid.

 

[gick]

Most of my mates are foreign. I don't mind a joke or imitation though as long as no one is stupid enough to take offence to it. I view racism as being very, very stupid.

QFT

I was brought up in a totally colourblind family, and im glad that I was.

 

[Sulkdodds]

I knew people had different skin color to me, but I couldn't understand why, and didn't really care why.

Same with me. It's just not an issue for me or anyone I know. When I was a kid, a Jamaican guy stayed in the flat above my house and I always thought he was cool - I asked my mum why those people were called 'black people' when they were clearly brown (which gave the guy a good laugh). Nobody I know bothers to be 'politcally correct' because nobody I know needs to justify themselves that way. Nobody I know, least of all me, needs to go out of their way to not be racist.

With stuff like this I sometimes wonder if racism even exists in the UK and then I hear about black kids being beaten to death and I think 'jesus christ, who are these crazy people?' Maybe it'll get better when our generation is the generation in charge.

 

[wakkywheel]

I'm not a racist, but I'm a little afraid of the dark...

Nahh, just kidding.

Personally I grew up in a neighbourhood with almost only white people, but I've never felt any superiority to black/colored/asian people or inferiority for that sake (except when watching pron that is... hehe, kidding there too if you didn't notice)

But I agree with you that it is hard not to overthink things a bit when you are around black/colored people. Thinking about whether or not they would think of you as a racist if you do something or not. I have to admit that I've been more "scared" of being in a city at night when theres more colored people around. I think this is because of way to much focus on this issue. The way I think is that everything would have been much smoother without the coverage in media and other sources of information that racism gets.

Right about now I figured out that writing any more would just be tiresome so I didn't bother to write anymore.

BTW: Sorry for my crappy english, I'm lazy and it is not my first language...

 

[Solaris]

Complete anti Racist.

Just been talking to lemon king about this, as I have for ages. CBA with him now, complete racist prat. You can't argue with racists.

Grr, big up the anti-nazi leauge.

 

[CptStern]

nationalism begets racism, classism begets racism, fear and ignorance begets racism

my parents are immigrants, I'm the first generation of my family in canada. I've often witnessed classism or racism directed at my family, either indirectly or directly

Like the time I went with my dad to buy my first car (he was co-signer). My dad being a truck mechanic was dressed rather shabbily having come from work. When we went to fill out the loan application the salesman seeing that my father had an accent, slowed his speech and spoke louder for some odd reason ..anyways when it came to asking my dad about credit history the salesman asked my father's yearly income ..My dad incorrectly said $15,000. When I saw the look of suspicion in the salesman's face I clarified .."no he was mistaken, he missed a "zero" ...the salesman's face lit up and he actually closed his credit check book that he had been writing in and chatted for the next 10 minutes about the car we were purchasing and if I wanted to upgrade to something ....more expensive. He also tried to get my dad to consider buying a cadillac


I live in one the most ethnically diverse cities in the world and yet I find the majority of racist attitudes come from white anglo-saxons rather than any other ethnic group.

 

[The Mullinator]

My first experience with someone of a different "race" was just a couple years after I was born since my parents had hired a filipino baby sitter (she is still a great family friend that we visit fairly often) to take care of me while they were at work. Both my parents were engineers working at SPAR aerospace (Canadarm designers and builders).

So very early on I was introduced to the idea of there being more than one race and of course seeing as how my baby sitter was really quite nice and good it meant I already had positive ideas when it came to people of different races. Because of how young I was it meant that I didn't see people with different skin colours unusual or strange at all.

The first time I came accross the idea of racism may have actually been from watching television. More specifically from watching Fresh Prince of Bel-air and Family Matters at the age of maybe 4. As anyone who has seen these shows will know they both featured an all black cast and often dealt with problems involving racism. Being so young and liking the characters on these shows meant it was always sad for me to seem them suffer from problems stemming from racism. I knew what racism was and I knew it was bad before most kids could multiply two numbers together.

After that all of my experiences have really just confirmed and extended the beliefs I already had.

 

[Icarusintel]

i'm not a racist, i just play one on TV

 

[Sulkdodds]

Both my parents were engineers working at SPAR aerospace (Canadarm designers and builders).

Do you mean your parents work on Canadarm or that they worked at SPAR, which is making Canadarm?

 

[SimonomiS]

Well I got called a chink today.

I'd rather not get into racism, could write pages and pages of first and second hand experience. Basically, my mums Thai, my dads English, lived in Germany at first (For 8 years) where I either experienced no racism, or was just too young and blissful to notice.

Then I grew up and moved to Farnborough in England, which was ok, very little racism. Then moved again to here, the Wirral, across the river from Liverpool.

Both my mum and I have been through shit from racists, moreso my mum (Probably because she's older, female, less likely to fight back). Snowballs, spitting, yelling names at her. Nothing subtle or small (Except at work, but she avoids talking about that with me). Worst case was when they burnt some of her washing when it was on the line, not just random vandalism, they avoided my dad's washing...

There was another incident where they broke the magnetic lock downstairs (It was a maisonette, there's a little communal area for the four houses outside the front door), about 16 older teen lads, drinking, pissing everywhere, banging on the doors, but that's more likely to be just a bad neighbourhood. Admittedly they didn't do it to other maisonettes but I don't want to sound paranoid and like I'm "playing the race card".

Eh, I said I wouldn't get into it. Lot of shit, but we've moved (same general area, just quite a bit down the road basically) so it's not rampant blatant racism.

 

[CptStern]

there's a video of a black senior citizen being chased by a mob of white people screaming at him (this was during segregation) ..people were throwing stuff at him and some of the "braver" men took swings at him ...he refused to run and ended up taking a few punches before the mob turned on someone else ...I remember that in the video you can clearly see a police officer standing in the background watching all this happen. I was completely outraged but at the same time I had trememdous respect for that man who refused to back down even when his life was in danger ....I couldnt believe what I was watching and was horrified to discover that was just one minor incident in a long string of incidents that occured before civil rights became a national issue.


edit: SimonomiS that's horrible

 

[The Mullinator]

Do you mean your parents work on Canadarm or that they worked at SPAR, which is making Canadarm?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canadarm

My parents both worked on the first Canadarm, my Dad was the chief mechanical engineer and my Mom did vibrations testing for it along with various parts for the arm. SPAR was the company that designed it along with the second Canadarm that is on the international space station, SPAR however is now called MD robotics and is really a shadow of it's former self.

Right now my parents each own their own small businesses (they are the only employees) for doing contract studies, designs, and analysis of various engineering systems.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Back at school, I'd get a lot of crap because I'm half-Polish. My school colleagues were pretty much nazis and would crack jokes about the Holocaust being a good thing.

I hated school.

Coming from a family with interesting heritage (albeit all European), I've never really felt the need to discriminate.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Solaris]

My town is racist city.

We have 7 Nazi BNP councillors out of like 21 on our council, about 25%Non-White, and most white people here are racist.

God I want to leave this place, but I'm glad I'm not asian here, I young lad got stabbed a few weeks ago just for being black, and then the BNP capiltalise on this and say all the asians are causing trouble, nazi b*****ds.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Christ, maybe Brighton's just a cosmopolitan place because I've honestly never experienced much racism here at all. Not even in the shittiest, seedyest districts.

My parents both worked on the first Canadarm, my Dad was the chief mechanical engineer and my Mom did vibrations testing for it along with various parts for the arm.

:naughty:

Seriously though, that's pretty awesome. International space station! Wow![/spacegeek]

 

[el Chi]

When I was a kid, my primary school was very mixed - I was one of two white boys in my class. A lot of my friends were Afro-Carribean, Indian, Pakistani, Vietnamese, Burmese and Turkish. Because my school was so mixed (because of the area) we learnt about different cultural festivals like Diwali, Eid (to name two).
So as a kid, I never really bothered about racial differences, 'cause I never noticed them.

My secondary school was a lot more white but the guys I travelled with were predominantly black or mixed race. Some of my white friends were closet racists - ie: they'd never dare say anything in front of my black friends, whom they pretended to be friends with. Sickening.

My sixth form college was part of an international school - about 40 pupils in total, from different racial and cultural backgrounds and in some cases from completely different countries.

So basically I've never had any kind of racist inclinations. However since coming to uni, I've been around with a (very) few people who occasionally are racist. Most of the time it either repulses me or unsettles me. But I can't help wondering if in some way it might be rubbing off on me a little. I don't mean it's turning me into a racist, I simply mean that it might be grinding down how I've felt in the past.
To be honest, it'll be good to go back to London at the end of uni where fewer people hold those kinds of grudges.

 

[Beerdude26]

Here in my peaceful village, racism is non-existant.

But the city where I go to school, it's chock full of racists there of both sides. You're simply strolling along and suddenly a group of black thrash surround you and start mugging you. Luckily my friends weren't too far behind me so they just left being the absolute pussies they are.

What I also find horrible is watching some poor old lady with a darker skin getting yelled at by some white thrash that have nothing else to do than being racist ****ers.

The combination of both (black + white scrotum excrement) is the worst kind.

I'm equally racist, you might say
EDIT: Racist wouldn't be the best word, seeing that I don't mind people that don't mug you and don't give you angry looks when you accidently look at them.

Why can't everyone just leave each other alone :|

 

[Sulkdodds]

Well I'm a racist. I hate running!

 

[lister]

My town is racist city.

We have 7 Nazi BNP councillors out of like 21 on our council, about 25%Non-White, and most white people here are racist.

God I want to leave this place, but I'm glad I'm not asian here, I young lad got stabbed a few weeks ago just for being black, and then the BNP capiltalise on this and say all the asians are causing trouble, nazi b*****ds.

I don't like the asians, they think there massive, they all go round in there done up cars, shouting abuse at ppl on the streets. Yes i see most of the things in UK caused by asians. Most stuff u read about in the papers is abvout an asian did this, that the other. They have pics of the wanted men etc etc. Here this one out. I was reading a paper this afternoon & a white girls in a mixed school was sent home as she was wearing a crucifix chain. Yet u can get asians who wear this gowns, head scraf thingys, carry their Kuran's around & nothing gets said, its fuking disgusting.

 

[Solaris]

I don't like the asians, they think there massive, they all go round in there done up cars, shouting abuse at ppl on the streets. Yes i see most of the things in UK caused by asians.

Ha! Weve got one, *Surrounds lister and beats him*.

Seriously,

"The actions of the few, should never be applied to the many"

 

[short recoil]

I don't like the asians, they think there massive, they all go round in there done up cars, shouting abuse at ppl on the streets. Yes i see most of the things in UK caused by asians.

hmmmm most of the people that do that round here are white chavs.

 

[lister]

hmmmm most of the people that do that round here are white chavs.

maybe were ur from, but not in my area, & sumthing else that bugs me, they wear their socks over their pants, that's so frustrating & SAD!

 

[Sulkdodds]

That's what chavs do. It's a social group and not a race (although some people might argue that chavs are, infact, inbred silverback gorillas. But that would be an insult to such a noble AND CUTE creature!).

 

[Solaris]

maybe were ur from, but not in my area, & sumthing else that bugs me, they wear their socks over their pants, that's so frustrating & SAD!

So youre local chav populace, have a good recuritment officer in the asian community.
So f*****g what? What does it really matter, there chavs, race doesnt affect it.

 

[lister]

So youre local chav populace, have a good recuritment officer in the asian community.
So f*****g what? What does it really matter, there chavs, race doesnt affect it.

Eya mate listen, sounds like your getting upset now. This post is simple 'are your racist or not?' i said im racist towards asians as they are to me. End of.

 

[Sulkdodds]

And just as a warning, this is NOT to be used as a thread for argument, or racist comments or slurs. Just healthy discussion.

A doobie-doo-doo-do-wop, do-wop.

 

[lister]

hey, im not the one starting anything, this is about your own opinions, i said mine & Solaris disagreed.

 

[CptStern]

if stupidity were an ethnic characteristic I'd be racist

 

[SimonomiS]

I don't like the asians, they think there massive, they all go round in there done up cars, shouting abuse at ppl on the streets. Yes i see most of the things in UK caused by asians. Most stuff u read about in the papers is abvout an asian did this, that the other. They have pics of the wanted men etc etc. Here this one out. I was reading a paper this afternoon & a white girls in a mixed school was sent home as she was wearing a crucifix chain. Yet u can get asians who wear this gowns, head scraf thingys, carry their Kuran's around & nothing gets said, its fuking disgusting.

"A paper"? Probably a scare story, there's loads, I hear people in my school talking about them all the time; "You know you can't say Christmas any more because of the paki's?" "You know piggybanks are banned because paki's don't like them?" etc etc.

You probably have the exact same view as they did after the bombings; "Kick everyone who isn't white out the country!"
I mean even today in English, we were doing a poem about a Pakistani woman, and the subject came up about what they wear; First two answers shouted out were "Rags" and "Bomb-belts".

Also, I'm half Asian, my mum's full Asian, I have a few Asian friends, my mum knows pretty much every Asian person on our estate, and I can safely say none of them think we're "massive" simply because we're Asian, and none of them go around in done up cars shouting abuse at other people.

But I guess we're a minority in England, the rest are so obviously brutish thugs that terrorise neighbourhoods.

 

[Sulkdodds]

"A paper"? Probably a scare story, there's loads, I hear people in my school talking about them all the time; "You know you can't say Christmas any more because of the paki's?" "You know piggybanks are banned because paki's don't like them?" etc etc.

This is truth. Tabloids and certain less reputable newspapers have a tendency to exaggerate to the point of lying.

 

[kirovman]

I'm shocked at reading SimonomiS's story. There's clearly some idiotic meatheads out there who should be locked up in jail.
As a society, we shouldn't stand for racist behaviour.

Also I don't like that attitude "They're racist to me, so I'm racist back to them"

 

[lister]

I'm shocked at reading SimonomiS's story. There's clearly some idiotic meatheads out there who should be locked up in jail.
As a society, we shouldn't stand for racist behaviour.

Also I don't like that attitude "They're racist to me, so I'm racist back to them"

look this topic was posted for your input, i've said my input will u back off, u mite aswell put a topic named U can post ur thoughts, but if ur racist we will burn u on the forums' Yeh thanks, IDIOTS

 

[Glirk Dient]

I wouldn't consider myself colorblind or racist. I grew up knowing about different colors and why they were like that but never saw it as anything negative. Just thats what was on the outside.

Now a days its the same way. Granted I laugh sometimes when someone makes a racist joke but I know it's just a joke. Also...my best friend is black so I couldn't really see myself as being racist. Racism is just people making stereotypes and any educated person knows stereotypes or generalizations don't hold.

I also think that people are going a bit overboard with making things as least offensive as possible.

Our school had to stop anything related with christmas specifically and had to generalize. This means no decorations or anything. Our christmas vacation had to be called chrismihanikaquanza so no one would be offended. Christmas has been a tradition in the U.S. for a long time. It is no longer religion for the majority of people. If they don't like it then too bad it's what the majority of people celebrate. That is like saying because most people like perpperoni pizza and a few like sausage then we either have perpperoni and sausage or nothing at all. I just don't think it's fair we can't celebrate christmas, have decorations(the green christmas tree cookies were so good too!) or have christmas parties because a few students who came into our country didn't like what we did here. I don't go into other people houses and rearrange their stuff because I don't like it.

 

[SimonomiS]

I'm shocked at reading SimonomiS's story. There's clearly some idiotic meatheads out there who should be locked up in jail.
As a society, we shouldn't stand for racist behaviour.

Also I don't like that attitude "They're racist to me, so I'm racist back to them"

Sadly that's the attitude my mums taken, shes become pretty racist herself and I do blame the racists that made her life hell.

I can see it affecting kids, and racism becoming a perpetuating circle through generations, we just need more open minds, more people seeing past skin colour.

I wouldn't say racism is always about stereotypes, some people just hate/fear difference.

Also, just because a thread is for your input and opinion, doesn't mean you're immune to other peoples opinions and view of you.

 

[kirovman]

look this topic was posted for your input, i've said my input will u back off, u mite aswell put a topic named U can post ur thoughts, but if ur racist we will burn u on the forums' Yeh thanks, IDIOTS

I simply said that I don't like that attitude. This topic is about racism. That was my input. There was no need to call me an idiot, I didn't attack you in that way.

You seem to be a person that is filled with hate.

Yeah Simon, I think there is a continously fuelled cycle, it'd be good if we could break out of it, see the person underneath rather than the skin-colour.

 

[lister]

Sadly that's the attitude my mums taken, shes become pretty racist herself and I do blame the racists that made her life hell.

I can see it affecting kids, and racism becoming a perpetuating circle through generations, we just need more open minds, more people seeing past skin colour.

I wouldn't say racism is always about stereotypes, some people just hate/fear difference.

Also, just because a thread is for your input and opinion, doesn't mean you're immune to other peoples opinions and view of you.

I'm not racist because of their god damn colour, im racist for whom they are, they thinck they are all that, they can do what they please & get away with it. Racism isn't just about COLOUR.

 

[Direwolf]

Well I'm a racist. I hate running!

I'm almost depressed that I got that as quickly as I did. I'm not fit for a dour discussion at the moment.

 

[kirovman]

I'm almost depressed that I got that as quickly as I did. I'm not fit for a dour discussion at the moment.

Sulkdodds is on top form today!