You could be a racist if...

[The Backlash Cometh]

(1) ...you think there are more blacks and hispanics in prison because they are genetically, criminally inclined;

(2) ...you see a dark skinned person walking their dog on a public street and you go out of your way to select "Sweet Home Alabama" and blare it so loud that the sound bounces off the fences lining the street;

(3) ...you're watching a World Beauty pageant and a dark skinned contestant's turn comes up and you go, "Ewwwwww;"

(4) ...you automatically assume that you're getting pushed out of a good job because of Affirmative Action...

Okay, these are from my personal observations. What's yours?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. Here's my list

you stiffen and put a hand over your wallet when you are walking in the mall and a dark skinned man comes near.

you automatically assume that a person of another race cannot ever be in peace and harmony with someone of your race

[sinkingfeeling]

2. (5)...you believe all of your tax dollars go to support those lazy,

unemployed people in New Orleans.

[AspenRose]

34. Who are spending their relief money on 40s and designer handbags!

Dontcha know. :sarcasm:

[liberalitch]

46. I'm white and I have a 40 IN a designer handbag......

is that bad?

[The Backlash Cometh]

56. I feel so uncool. What is a 40 and what does it have to do with handbags?

I've also heard about a purse called a couch that looks like a sofa. Or something like that.

[tx_dem41]

59. 40 oz bottle.

Not sure about the handbag.

[tx_dem41]

3. When critiquing Condoleeza Rice's performance as Sec. of State...

you automatically think of phrases like: "Uncle Tom", "Aunt Jemima", house n****a, and "token", instead of actually discussing her shortcomings as a cabinet officer without mentioning her race.

[The Backlash Cometh]

5. Prepare to be pelted.

The people who usually come up with those phrases for Condi are themselves black, and I think most intelligent people realize that they make those comments because they feel betrayed by Condi. Condi is what I would call a self-hating black. Like there are self-hating Jews and there are latinos arrepentidos.

[Fountain79]

6. You think...

A black or latino can't possibly make a conscience decision to be a republican.

[The Backlash Cometh]

10. On the contrary.

Some of my latino relatives are Republicans. And I know exactly what drives them. They live in the top 10% income bracket of a country that has extreme poverty and they feel very entitled to their live style. One of my latin uncles comes from Texas and he has the swagger and uses the "n" word. I personally know what makes him Republican: He wants to keep the status quo just like it is so he can live on his mulit-acre ranch in a latin american country and ride his horses over his hillcrests. It's all about the money and having access to cheap labor.

[Fountain79]

12. I wouldn't classify my dad..

As the top 10% income bracket. He is very much a republican fiscally. Personally it makes me chuckle how both side draw caricatures of each other.

[The Backlash Cometh]

14. I also have Republican relatives on the other end of the spectrum

And it's all about this perception of money and making it. Of course, they have daughters, sons and grandkids on welfare, so I haven't been able to quite sort it all out.

[Fountain79]

16. I am a democrat and my family are all republicans...

Do you think that they might have a hard time sorting that one out?

[The Backlash Cometh]

19. What does that have to do with this argument?

Personally, I lean left because my spiritual upbringing in the Catholic Church makes me believe that a community that takes care of the poor is more in line with Christ's teaching, than pursuits of personal financial wealth. I think Republicans are suffering from a serious case of cognitive dissonance when they try to rationalize two opposing goals: Individual ruggedness vs. accepting moral responsibility for the poor. They have managed to demonize the poor, making just vestigial comments about them in church, but hey, as long as they belong to a church, they think they are more moral than the rest of us who believe higher taxes and a secular government can do a more honest job of helping those who need help in this country.

(I stopped going to church a long time ago because the answers I was getting were not adding up with the behavior from the congregation once they left the church premises. And I stopped feeling guilty about it recently when a priest stood on the altar and said that it was okay to wish bad things on people. But that's another story.)

So, in sum, I would say that you are not arguing a racist issue, but a political one.

[Fountain79]

20. touche...

I'll admit I allowed this little mini-thread to become more of a political discussion.

[KingFlorez]

7. You're right

Most of the time the people who say that about her are black and it's because of her attitude towards certain things that make them say it.

[The Backlash Cometh]

11. I'm not black, but I do have experience with latinos arrepentidos.

If I could be allowed to extrapolate my experiences, I would say that blacks find Condi offensive because she has betrayed the people in her own race who have made sacrifices that led to the circumstances of her success.

[tx_dem41]

9. Thanks for the warning.

I despise racism in any form and from anybody. And I define racism quite literally.

[The Backlash Cometh]

13. I don't think your examples are examples of racism.

We will agree to disagree.

[Maestro]

52. And one repuke latina arrepentida is Linda Chavez!

I can't stand that woman.

[The Backlash Cometh]

57. I bet she's a rabi blanca too.

[KingFlorez]

4. (6) You think blacks and hispanics are paid to vote

(7) You think affirmative action is racist, but have no problem with racial profiling

[AspenRose]

35. OR no problem with (white) "legacy" college admissions!

eom

[dcfirefighter]

8. You think that members of certain 'races' should be preferred for hiring

EOM

[ContraBass Black]

15. You begin any statement with:

"I don't mean to sound racist, but..."

[kcass1954]

25. Or my favorite: "Some of my best friends are (pick a minority)." n/t

[ContraBass Black]

43. "But how can I be racist when I'm friends with you, (number)

other black people, (number)/(ethnicity), and (number)/(ethnicity)?"


"I'm not stereotyping, it's true!"


"But other (ethnicity) people say it!"


"I'm not prejudiced!"


"I'm sorry, but I've had some bad experiences with (ethnicity)."




All these, and other great quotes in the "Racism" section of The Manifesto! (Yes, I know it needs to be updated.)

[TahitiNut]

17. (5) You see it everyone else.

:shrug:

[Fountain79]

18. Personally

I get really fed up with people getting upset with simple misconceptions and associating it quickly with racism. I'm half mexican, I didn't learn Spanish well until I was 21 and I would still get question about where I was from.(i.e. Mexico) I do notice there seems to be more tolerance for racism towards whites than any other group which boggles my mind. Example...tell an Irish joke and tell a black joke and see which one will cause the biggest uproar. Racism is wrong...period. Unfortuantely I honestly believe we all are a little racist in our own ways.

[The Backlash Cometh]

21. I am having similar issues with my children.

I don't have the time to get into it, just suffice it to say that as the world expands, right-wing America seems to contract. Their insular perspective is not going to help us if we are to remain a super nation.

[Solon]

31. You know wiskey was invented so the Irish wouldn't rule the world...

right? Hell, I'm a Mick and I find that funny! :)

[liberalitch]

47. And if ya don think thas true... "may god twist yer ankle so we'll know...

our enemies by their limpin'"
My Irish grandmother

[TahitiNut]

36. Why would anyone ASSUME a question of where they're from is ...

... automatically racist? I ask that quite often. Far from being a racist, I have a fascination and LOVE for diversity. I seek out people with backgrounds different from my own. Recognizing that a person's accent or appearance indicates some cultural or ethnic diversity from one's own is NOT racism!!

For myself, I regard such interest from others to be more than acceptable. I was brought up in an immigrant Norwegian family. Uffda! My grandparents were called "feelthy Skandahoovians" when they came to this country.

:shrug:

[EEgrad2003]

22. if you...

Defend a racially charged statement that you made with the fact that you either know people of color or are friends with people of color.

[ultraist]

24. LOL

Yep, that's usually a dead give away.

Another one: You use the exception to the rule to support your argument, dismissing all other facts. For example, "Blacks have access to equal opportunity, just look how rich Oprah is."

[The Backlash Cometh]

26. You're going to love this one.

At my right-wing relatives wedding a few weekends back, there was this one very dark black woman who was just kicking it up with all the relatives. She and I were the only minority members in the entire party. You know how they introduce her to me? This is so and so and she hates black people. She works for social services and I've been told that the black kids all gravitate to her, seeing her as a role-model, but she resents it. Her preference is to be around white people they told me.

What do you make of that?

[Jed Dilligan]

27. White guy here living in black neighborhood

I had a guy follow me down the street arguing that he is really white, you see, cause he likes rock music, and Korn is his favorite band, and he doesn't relate to "dark folks" because they can't understand his music.

Yes, Race in America has many interesting manifestations.

[The Backlash Cometh]

30. Major cognitive dissonance issues.

The only person who can really enjoy everything this country has to offer must learn to split their personality and live in two different worlds.

[BJW]

23. you believe it when someone tells you they "had to" hire black

instead of hiring you, even though you blew the interview, don't have tremendous experience, and barely passed the qualifying test.

[The Backlash Cometh]

28. The people who say this are the ones who are stoking the fires.

[Freddie Stubbs]

29. You assume that people have certain values/beliefs based on

their skin color.

[KingFlorez]

32. Anyone who identfies themself as a hardcore conservative

Is nothing but a racist.

[maveric]

33. What does "Sweet Home Alabama" have to do with this?

Its not a racist song and Skynard was not a racist band.

[The Backlash Cometh]

58. I really, really wish you would point that out to the rednecks around

here. I grew up loving that song, and now I tend to look suspiciously at anyone who plays it because rednecks in the South associate it with the kind of crap you generally think is confederate.

[nemo137]

37. You went to an all-white suburban school, and think there are too many

blacks at University of Illinois.

[GumboYaYa]

38. You think the people of New Orleans were looting b/c of a lack of moral

fiber and not because they were hungry and thirsty.

[The Backlash Cometh]

60. I had one of them say it was looting because they were stealing jeans.

I said, sure, shame on them for not rewashing the last pair they had before the storm took their house and all their belongings.

[Mutley]

39. One thing I always noticed while working in retail

was when a white person was shopping with a child, and any dark skinned person (black, hispanic, middle eastern -- it didn't seem to make a difference) came near and the white person would pull their child close to them, but that same person would not pull their child close if another white person came near.

[rucky]

40. ...you begin a statement with "I'm not a racist, BUT..." n/t

[Dangerman]

41. Mine would be...

Saying everything bad about Condelleza Rice.

[cboy4]

42. You work for the San Francisco Police Dept.

SFPD Rocked By Video

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2005/12/08/MNGQIG4PLD1.DTL

edit:spelling

[Marnieworld]

44. When someone asks you what music you like you say...

"Anything but what I like to call 'Nigger Rap'."

I SWEAR this is what a co-worker said to me the other day. Brand new temp, not here a whole week and I decide to go get stuff at Staples. I have Sirius Satelite radio (and so should all of you ;-) so I knew that I could accommodate any taste. She, mid-40ish otherwise sane seeming accounting person says this.

I was shocked and just let it pass but I've since told everyone. Never in my life has a total stranger just assumed that I was a bigot like them. Incidentally her taste ruled out all of my husband's CDs and radio pre-sets. We just listened to rock.

Racism, I thought that was so 20th Century. I hope she doesn't get to stay.

[liberalitch]

55. sorry, I hate hip-hop..... but not because it's a black art form.

because my students take "the life" too seriously.... at the expense of school.

I heard a song blasting out of a car the other day. Lyrics: "Throw your hands up bitch so I can knock you out."
My female students don't like being called "hoe" and smacked on the ass.

In addition they take references in these songs that give "misrepresentations" about what certain historical terms mean.... take the word scalawag for example. I was teaching the reconstruction... we defined scalawag in class. One of my "rap stars" said no that's not what it is.... he proceeded to argue with me saying that one of his favorite artists has defined it as a girl with.... "compromised moral standards" and that's what he believed.
WELLLL..... when it came test time the other kids wrote: Scalawag - typically a white southerner who supported radical reconstruction goals.
"Rap - Star" wrote: A girl who is a hoe

Yea, Hip Hop! Go Team!

[tamtam]

65. *sigh*

There is a difference between gangsta rap and Hip Hop. Some would argue that Hip Hop is a lifestyle not to be confused with the gangsta wannabe lifestyle. Hip hop and what your describing in your post are two different animals. What your describing sounds like gangsta rap to me. I really hate it when Hip hop (old school style such as jurassic 5 ) type of music gets thrown in with gagnsta rap (50 cent shoot em up ). There are two different types of rap music and because gagnsta rap is more popular Hip hop gets thrown in with the madness. I assure you groups such as The Roots and Jurassic 5 are totally different than what your describing and their style is known as Hip Hop or old school rap.

[The Backlash Cometh]

61. And if you look slightly shocked, they'll call you a liberal and PC.

[Marnieworld]

62. Well better than being called a bigot

I know what you mean though. In a different circumstance I would have torn her apart but because of the whole work thing I couldn't. She seemed a bit odd before that so I'm just hoping that she won't make it at my company. Letting everyone else know what's up with her was the least I could do.

[ContraBass Black]

45. See my rant on this subject:

Scroll down and click the "Racism" link.

The Manifesto (Yes, I know that it needs to be updated.)

[liberalitch]

48. If you think all white folks listen to country and vote republican!

[Brewman_Jax]

49. ...if you use race in a context other than descriptive

n/t

[Maestro]

50. If someone is speaking a foreign language

1) you automatically think, "Damn, we're in Merikkka. Speak English." or
2) Because of paranoia you wish he/she were speaking English because he/she is probably talking about you.

[Czolgosz]

51. You believe the death penalty is applied neutrally without regard to race

[Karenina]

53. You could be racist if

you were born white in the U.S.

[VaYallaDawg]

54. If you make decisions

or statements of any kind where race is your first consideration.

[laureloak]

63. you blame everything on race.

[AgadorSparticus]

64. you think it is ok to be friends with (insert ethnicity) as long as you

don't marry them.