I am racist, and so are you.

[KamaAina]

https://beingshadoan.wordpress.com/2014/08/15/i-am-racist-and-so-are-you/

Here’s the deal. Racism isn’t just guys in white robes and Paula Deen shouting racial slurs. Racism is subtle, racism is insidious, and our culture is so deeply steeped in it that it’s impossible to grow up in the US and not be racist. It’s a kind of brainwashing: a set of default configuration files that come with the culture. It’s a filter, built up from birth, that alters our perception of the world. (Literally–racial bias makes people see weapons that aren’t there.) Racism isn’t just conscious actions; it’s judgements that happen so fast that we may not even be aware of them. Even people who are horrified by the idea of racism see through this lens, have this default programming. Even you. Even me....

How do I know that I’m racist?

Once, while living alone, I heard a noise that I took to be someone attempting to break in to my house. Instead of transforming into the valkyrie I’d always imagined I’d be in such a situation, I proceeded to have the kind of reaction I usually reserve for brown recluse spiders. Which is to say, I hid and called my boyfriend to come rescue me. When he arrived, finding the only other occupant of my house to be my wildly overactive imagination, he asked me, “What were you so afraid of?”

Unbidden, the image of a tall, young black man popped into my head. I don’t remember what answer I gave my boyfriend, but I doubt it was “young black men”.

[Iamthetruth]

1. Please speak for yourself

I am not racist nor do I think like that. I can't stand stupidity, race is never a factor.

[busterbrown]

5. so if you’re walking down a street at night and a group

of young Blacks are walking towards you, wearing hoodies you would think nothing of it?
Or riding a subway at night alone in a one of the cars, you wouldn’t think twice about your situation if a group of young blacks entered your car? Bullshit..

The media has brainwashed us all... To be in constant fear... We have been thoroughly defeated..

[Iamthetruth]

9. Not bullshit

I'm 6'4", I don't get scared or concerned too often walking anywhere. I live by a rule never to put myself in a position I can't control. If I find myself in a position where someone else can cause me harm, I'm not looking at skin color, I'm looking for a safe way out without having to confront or be confronted. As I've said, I don't think like that.

[cwydro]

17. Um

Looks like you just called yourself out lol, no matter your race.

Whole group of kids answering that description in my neighborhood. I'm the "old" lady on a mountain bike.

They shout at me. They shout, "there she goes, you go lady! (I hate being called lady, but I'm not in the least frightened)

I'm certain if I crashed in front of them, they'd be right there to help me.

[dilby]

39. If they are wearing hoodies at night I don't think I can tell what race a person is.

When people see me they also get scared, big guy, long hair, beard and tats it doesn't make them racists it just means they are normal.

[cwydro]

69. I did not mention race

in my post

[Nye Bevan]

42. If I saw a black man walking towards me in a business suit,

I would be much more comfortable than if it was a couple of tattooed white skinheads.

The blogger cited in the OP may confess to being a racist but does not speak for all of us.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

72. I ride the Metro every day in Los Angeles

Like Iamthetruth I am also a big fella.


Are there people who make me uncomfortable, yeah, but it's not race specific. i try not to make as few as assumptions as possible.

[Heddi]

91. I live & work in North Philadelphia. The chances are pretty good that, in my entire day

I won't see another white person outside of the one that lives in my house with me and the ones I work with.

The idea that, according to you, I should be "frightened" of the people I live and work around, that I ride the trains, busses, and subways with every day, multiple times a day....it's laughable.

I ride the subway home every night. I'm generally the only person in the car. Every night. Young (and old) black males and females enter the car every night. I don't think twice about the situation. I don't think once about it. I just make sure I don't fall asleep and miss my stop.

I work in one of the highest crime areas of Philadelphia. If I crossed the street every time I was in front of or behind or beside someone of a different race, a different gender, or wearing a hoodie, I'd never get to work because I'd be zig-zagging the entire walk there.

Your understanding of white people is....darling.

BTW, I'm a 38 year old short, fat, white woman. I'm not a threat to anyone.

[BainsBane]

40. That you pretend race is never a factor is a serious problem. nt

[joeybee12]

82. +1

The blanket declaration that race is never a factor, means it's a lot more frequently a factor than this person admits or is truly aware of.

[Baitball Blogger]

2. Racism and prejudice are two different things.

Racism involves the perception of superiority.

We may all have prejudices, but we're not all racists.

[BlueCaliDem]

8. Thank you! People have trouble discerning the difference between the two.

[hifiguy]

14. Yep. And that is a BIG difference

that we should all remember.

[ProdigalJunkMail]

15. racism has come to mean any negative view of any race

sad, but that is the way most people view it. prejudice and bigotry are 'verbiage non-grata' these days.

sP

[Enrique]

16. true, but...

but it is a semantic point which does not address the author's point.

[OneGrassRoot]

20. It would be so helpful...

Last edited Wed Aug 20, 2014, 02:01 PM - Edit history (1)

if we could arrive at succinct definitions for racism, bigotry and prejudice.

FINAL EDIT: I just succeeded in confusing the shit out of myself.

Maybe prejudice is thought...bigotry is behavior...racism is systemic (but racism is limited to ethnic bigotry).

I'm now so confused that I created an OP to get help...lol

http://www.democraticunderground.com/10025418002




EDIT TO ADD the following; need to shorten them into soundbites:

Prejudice:
The word prejudice refers to prejudgment: making a decision before becoming aware of the relevant facts of a case or event. The word has commonly been used in certain restricted contexts, in the expression 'racial prejudice'. Initially this is referred to making a judgment about a person based on their race, religion, class, etc., before receiving information relevant to the particular issue on which a judgment was being made; it came, however, to be widely used to refer to any hostile attitude towards people based on their race or even by just judging someone without even knowing them. Subsequently the word has come to be widely so interpreted in this way in contexts other than those relating to race. The meaning now is frequently "any unreasonable attitude that is unusually resistant to rational influence".[1] Race, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, age, and religion have a history of inciting prejudicial behavior.

Bigotry:
A bigot is a person who is intolerant of opinions, lifestyles, or identities differing from his or her own, and bigotry is the corresponding state of mind. Bigot is often used as a pejorative term against a person who is obstinately devoted to prejudices even when these views are challenged or proven to be false or not universally applicable or acceptable.

(But people who are bigoted toward others for any number of reasons also often feel they are superior, so I'm confused???)


Racism:
Racism, by its definition, is the belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. People with racist beliefs might hate certain groups of people according to their racial groups. In the case of institutional racism, certain racial groups may be denied rights or benefits, or get preferential treatment. Racial discrimination typically points out taxonomic differences between different groups of people, even though anybody can be racialised, independently of their somatic differences. According to the United Nations conventions, there is no distinction between the term racial discrimination and ethnic discriminiation.
They all mean similar, yet different things as you can see.


Edit to add perhaps these as summaries:

PREJUDICE = Prejudgment based on any number of factors

BIGOTRY = Intransigence intolerance of persons or lifestyles different from one's own

RACISM = Individual beliefs and systems which hold that one ethnicity is superior to another

[hifiguy]

28. Excellent post.

Clarification is always good and verbal accuracy is even better.

[OneGrassRoot]

32. Thanks! I just edited to add my own attempt to summarize...

What do you think?


PREJUDICE = Prejudgment based on any number of factors

BIGOTRY = Intransigence intolerance of persons or lifestyles different from one's own

RACISM = Individual beliefs and systems which hold that one ethnicity is superior to another

[hifiguy]

62. That hits the nail on the head.

[handmade34]

80. ...

[cwydro]

21. Yes

Great post

[840high]

34. Yes. Thank you.

[TeeYiYi]

3. Unrec.

When I hear sounds outside my house, I don't imagine black people.

She IS a racist piece of shit. She needs to own it; not project it.

TYY

[pipi_k]

22. You do realize,

don't you, that she IS owning it by admitting to having racist thoughts.


Unlike some who insist that they are not racists, but everyone else is.


Projection is when people go around accusing others of being __________ (fill in the blank) because they don't want to face their own inner demons.

[TeeYiYi]

29. She's also projecting.

re: I am racist, and so are you.

My imaginary boogeyman isn't a young black man. It's a meth addled white guy with bad teeth and a gun.

TYY

[Kali]

36. ...

if even that. I don't live in fear.

[Enrique]

4. this is excellent

this is a message I used to hear when I was growing up but now it's pretty rare. Now, discussions of racism usually take the form "they are racist, we are not", which to me is delusional.

[Avalux]

6. Hmmm...I lived alone and raised three daughters, never had an image like that pop in my head.

She may have had those thoughts, she may have been afraid to be alone, but she doesn't speak for everyone.

[Brickbat]

7. I have thoughts, reactions and feelings that are based solely on race.

When it happens, I observe the thought and try to figure out where it comes from, and do my best to keep it from influencing any action I take.

[stevenleser]

10. The Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles had this message when I visited some 15 years or so ago

now. They might still have it. Some above are rightfully correcting the verbiage in that its that we all harbor some prejudices and generalizations about certain peoples. Each persons 'certain peoples' are different.

The key, according to the Museum of Tolerance is that we acknowledge that we have those prejudices and work to eliminate them and prevent them from affecting our decisions and dealings with people. Its a lifelong effort.

[bettyellen]

30. every person's "certain people" is different, true. I have a few serious hard core rocker friends

that look borderline skin head, which I associate with violence and racism. That is an entirely wrong assessment of them, but I find it very hard to shake off my discomfort with how they look. It does make me uncomfortable.

[Quayblue]

92. I often have to check myself the same way.

[leftynyc]

11. Well, not me

My apartment was robbed on St. Patrick's day last spring and they got the guy on camera. White dude with blond hair.

[WestCoastLib]

12. I disagree with the premise

#1. Not a fan of the "It's impossible to not be racist" / "Everyone is a racist" meme.
#2. When I'm woken up by a noise and I worry about an intruder in my house I don't necessarily picture someone of a certain ethnicity. It likely will depend on where I live. Currently, I would probably picture a white person as it would be most likely in my neighborhood, but I've lived in other areas where I might picture someone else.

With that said...here's my story.

I'm mixed race (black/white). My siblings are all white as we have different fathers. However my father raised them all and they considered him as a father (recently deceased). I grew up in a well off neighborhood with a heavy Jewish population, near a Jewish Community Center, where I was actually sent to summer camp as a child (we were non-religous, it was just a fun summer camp), so I ended up with a lot of Jewish friends growing up. My mother was an ESL teacher, in fact head of the ESL department for our public school system, specifically dealing with refugee families. From a young age I was forced to go to a lot of functions with her(hey nobody wants to hang out with their parents) where I would be left to play with kids who had recently moved, or been forced to move here from the Eastern world. Vietnamese & Hmong were the most common refugees when I was a child, but I played with kids from all over the world.

I am not a racist.

Now...is my story unique? Sure. But no, you don't "have to be racist". Children, unless taught (and many are) are pretty much predisposed to NOT be racist, in my experience. All it takes is keeping that open mind with you throughout the rest of your life.

[a la izquierda]

13. Uh, no.

When I was a teenage white kid living in the 'burbs, and I got scared one evening home alone, "young, black men" were not who I feared. I feared the Jesse Timmendequas of the world, the normal looking white guys.
I have African American students, who are male, 18-20. Are they supposed to scare me? They don't. They're nice, polite young men. If I didn't know them, I still wouldn't cross the street if they approached me at night. I wasn't raised with that intrinsic fear.

[Thirties Child]

18. So ashamed to admit this

During the ten years we lived in NM, Mr. Thirties worked court security; one of his jobs was to bring DWI prisoners to a therapy session (court ordered). I sat in on one session and when the 15 or so prisoners arrived I was astonished that none were black. Most of all, I was surprised that I was surprised. I had no idea I had that expectation.

I am 79, was always against segregation, at age 10 told my grandmother's maid (in Oklahoma City) she shouldn't have to sit at the back of the bus. Yet, lurking somewhere in my subconscious, was that expectation that prisoners are black. (Really absurd since there were maybe 10 African Americans in the entire county in NM.)

I suspect it's generational, and there's hope. When my granddaughter was five, I told her that at one time blacks lived on one side of a particular street, whites on the other. "But where did all the tan people live," she asked. She had lived in Atlanta all her life and had no concept of race.

Edited to add: Granddaughter is 24 now and teaches in an underprivileged high school in New Orleans. She's a passionate advocate for her students.

[JustAnotherGen]

31. I think I love you for this post!

Just because it shows transformation in one family in just two generations.

[Kali]

43. good post

welcome to DU

[Thirties Child]

71. Thanks for the welcome.

Actually, I've been here since 2004, joined when Wes Clark dropped out of the presidential race. I was a world-class lurker: read every day, seldom posted. I had around a thousand posts when we moved, got a new server and computer, and I simultaneously lost my password. Had to start all over.

[Tuesday Afternoon]

66. Honesty and Recognition is the first step to understanding. Good post.

People in denial have not even taken the first step.

Admitting is always the first step.

Some people's egos will not allow for that.

[In_The_Wind]

19. No. I am not a racist.

[Nye Bevan]

56. Hey, stop denying your inevitable internalized systemic racial prejudices.

You obviously need to spend several hours doing tortuous self-examination until your self-loathing reaches an acceptable level. Or something.

[In_The_Wind]

61. It's "Or something" ...

Like birdwatching. That birdbath becomes hostile at times.

[NCTraveler]

23. Reads to me like someone who thinks they are a teacher...

but are actually just trying to process their own feelings. She is really working through her own thoughts by way of writing. Believes she is a teacher. Is actually a student of herself. Good on her. If more people were able to self reflect, truly find their inner self, and assess where they are at, we would all be better off. Really not much of a teacher though.

[Enrique]

26. but doing it honestly

so much talk about race amounts to self-flattery, imho. That will get us nowhere, because no one will admit they have any room for improvement.

[frogmarch]

24. Well, I picture a crazed Duck Dynasty wannabe creeping around or

some drunken blue-eyed howdy wearing nothing but holey socks and a beat-up cowboy hat.

[redqueen]

27. I picture a man.

No particular color.

[cwydro]

38. Yes, one thing is pretty much for sure

It will be a male.

Funny how that is.

[Nye Bevan]

53. Probably about the safest assumption you can possibly make (nt)

[redqueen]

25. Ugh. PLEASE tell me this white woman doesn't launch into an explanation of how

people who aren't white can be racist, too.

[4commonsense]

37. Thank you...

There are racists in all races.

[redqueen]

41. Reading not your strong suit?

Enjoy your stay.

[Kali]

45. OMG some dumbass jury left it

[cyberswede]

47. Not sure...

who this might be.

[Kali]

50. ah...

[redqueen]

49. Surely you aren't surprised.

[Kali]

51. well, kinda

I got rid of one earlier, once I got my alert button working.

[redqueen]

54. They sure love threads about racism and sexism, don't they?

And they always come down on the same side of both issues.

[Kali]

57. I'm not ___________, but...

claims of innocence are always suspicious, especially if there is no evidence of introspection

[sir pball]

33. Everyone's a little racist..

[GeorgeGist]

35. OMG what a narrow-minded twit.

I am Everybody, according to Rachel Shadoan.

[Nye Bevan]

44. Blogger is a racist and tries to feel better about it by claiming that so is everyone else. (nt)

[Enrique]

46. she can overcome her prejudices

people who flatter themselves that they are "color-blind" will be unable to overcome theirs, because they are not aware of them.

[Nye Bevan]

52. I hope she can.

They seem to be ingrained fairly deeply.

[Enrique]

55. she wants to

that's important.

[ProfessorGAC]

60. I Doubt That's Her Goal

You give her far more credit than i would say she deserves. Admitting one is a racist and making the proper changes in perspective are not automatically linked.

[The Magistrate]

88. You A Special Little Snowflake, Fella, Ain'tcha....

[DemocratSinceBirth]

73. It's an odd story

The person fears an intruder and automatically thinks the intruder is black and tall.

I would be shook if an intruder was trying to enter my home but for the life of me I don't think i would be speculating about his or her color and height.

[BainsBane]

48. I think of it this way: We are all influenced by racist ideas and practices

and absorb them to some extent or another. To imagine that white people can be entirely immune to that ignores the reality of the cultural messages we have been exposed to throughout our lives. What you can do is seek to understand, rather than ignore, those messages. Confront them in yourself, interrogate and address them. That is what the debate about white privilege is about. Michael Brown is a perfect example. That sort of thing is FAR more likely to happen to black youth than white. It is a fact. While you can and should feel anger and outrage at the treatment of the citizens of Ferguson, you are not the same as them. Middle- and upper-middle class white people do not experience that level of contempt and abuse by police simply for existing. That is racism that people of color live with, and white folks are privileged in that we get to be treated as individuals rather than racial stereotypes.

It's important, I believe, not to externalize racism. No one believes they are racist (save for the odd rhetorical flourish in an article like this). Cops don't believe they are racist. White Supremacists don't believe they are racist, and mortgage officers who red line neighborhoods don't believe they are racist. I think the point is not so much who is or isn't a racist but what beliefs do we have that are influenced by racism and how do we act on them? Do we clutch our purse or wallet when we see a black male at night? Do we assume the black person is the porter at the hotel? Or do we tell African Americans that discussing racism on a message board is "divisive" or "Third Way" because it doesn't speak to our own experiences? Those are all manifestations of racism, but none are permanent. It is possible to unlearn some of the assumptions and ideas we take for granted by being conscious and thoughtful of how we think about race and how we act in various situations.

[Kali]

64. good post

[Zenlitened]

78. Excellent post -n/t

[WI_DEM]

58. Anybody

who says they have no racism or prejudice in them is either fooling themselves or lying, imo.

[LloydS of New London]

63. Agreed!

And, in most instances, we're not even consciously aware of it.

[valerief]

65. Racism is a brainwashing tool employed by the ruling class to keep the masses

at war with each other while the ruling class exploits them. This utilizes anger.

For those who aren't sufficiently brainwashed by racism, religion picks up the slack. Religion threatens eternal damnation if the masses don't behave according to the ruling class's desires. This utilizes fear.

For those whose populace is of the same geopolitically defined race and religious fear isn't working, different religions are set upon each other via each religion's proselytism requirement. Zero sum. All or nothing. One religion. This utilizes anger.

Divide and Conquer, the emotion-based tool. It works.

[LittleBlue]

67. Projecting her bigoted assumptions to make herself feel better

"and so are you"

Nope, just you. And you should deal with that by owning it yourself, not assuaging your guilt by blaming others.

[KamaAina]

70. Nope. Merely trying to start a discussion.

And I have succeeded beyond my wildest dreams, especially considering that everyone here (except trolls) identifies as progressive or at least liberal.

[handmade34]

81. hopefully

everyone realizes you posted an article by someone else....

[KamaAina]

84. You think?

[tblue37]

68. I must admit that I am a bit prejudiced against the human race,

since I blame that species for most of what goes really wrong on earth.

Oh, sure, I have some human friends, you know, the "Good Ones," but for the most part I feel suspicious of humans in general and only drop my suspicion when I see evidence that someone is not as much if an a**hole as my prejudice leads me to assume most humans are likely to be.

[CBGLuthier]

74. These are the people I feared

Together they are responsible for almost 200 hundred deaths in my lifetime in my hometown.

Notice what they all have in common?

[stevenleser]

76. Add Ted Bundy and Aileen Wournos to that list and it greatly increases the deathcount. nt

[ileus]

75. No I'm not...first thing that pops into my head is white pillhead.

I know if my home is invaded while I'm there there probably a 100% chance it's a white pillhead.

The sidearm I carry every day is black FWIW...

[cbdo2007]

79. Of course we all know this....we read DU.

I'm shocked by all of the racism here, many times by the people who oppose racism the most.

[Squinch]

83. I have enough black friends who feel comfortable pointing out to me when I have

said something that can be taken as biased. On reflection, I often find that I agree with their take on whatever it is. It is like peeling an onion. I have been raised as a white person in this society, and this society is racist. There are always going to be bad lessons about race that I have to unlearn, and I will always be willing to work on that.

I do not have the image of a young black man as the definition of my own personal bogey man, but there are other racist issues that pop up for anyone raised as a white person in a racist society. If we aren't willing to admit that, we aren't willing to face those things and exorcise them.

[Vattel]

85. I agree

[handmade34]

86. the author of this

is still young and working things out for herself...

we all tend to be prejudiced by our environment/nurturing but hopefully the maturation process helps us to sort things out...

I profiled once when I was choosing a tenant for my house 12 years ago (long story) and I was WRONG... I will never forget what I did, think about it very often and am mindful of how egregious my actions were...

[RagAss]

90. I fart in her general direction.