Reply #79: I wasn't trying to. But this an O' Reilley thread. My bad. [View All]

[MissMarple]

I was, however, saying that prejudice against European groups who were not Anglo Saxon existed, and in some circles, it still does. This is true. Was it as bad as against blacks, probably not, I'm still wondering about the Irish in New York. Did they get some relief from it, yes, some more than others. Did they become racist or come here as racists, some of them yes.

I know that driving while black is not the same as driving while Italian. I know Italian Americans who drew in racism with their mother's milk.

I'm sure you didn't mean sound sound so condescending, perhaps I'm being a bit defensive. But I do wonder why racism, classism, ethnicism, whatever, is so rampant in the United States. We look so eagerly for "the other". The early Irish who came before the Civil War were not as discriminated against as those who came to escape the famine. I'm thinking that was related to money and class, but it still persisted into the 20th century and against the newly wealthy Irish.

A history professor told us in the 60's that 20 percent of white America has black heritage. As soon as a person could pass for white, they often did. I think that is a sad commentary on our country, our people, our culture.