Today I met a racist

[wcast]

Oh, I'm sure she doesn't think she is a racist, but deep down, she is. She is your typical divorced, suburban mother, someone who probably encounters very few minorities of any kind in her day to day life, but assuredly, very few if any people from the Middle East.

Here's how it went. I'm at my daughter's soccer game, and my buddy and I start talking with this woman, who also has a daughter on the team. This is the first time I've met her. We get talking about our respective school districts (we are both teachers), and we talk about foreign languages. As we start to talk about the teaching of Arabic, she begins to weave this fantastic tale of how Arabs (her words) were out-breeding us by a 5 to 1 ratio, how in 40 years they will be the majority and us (White, European descendants) were soon going to be outnumbered, and our grandchildren will be speaking Arabic as they will control the country and vote it as the official language.

By this point I'm mad for several reasons. 1. She is totally misinformed, and it's hard for me to believe she has a college degree. 2. My daughter, who plays on the same team as her daughter, is bi-racial as I'm white and her mom is AA. She's talking about Whites being outnumbered with me?!! 3. I know she had to hear this from one of three places; Limbaugh, Beck, or her latest Klan meeting.

I don't want to start a huge argument with this woman, so I say I do agree with her numbers, that by 2050 Whites will be the minority in the US. Of course, that's if you lump all minorities in this group. But, I say, Whites will still be in control as they control all of the power structures and most of the wealth. She then says, Oh, I don't think that is true, to which I reply, it seemed to work out well in South Africa, where the minority White population controlled the Black majority for one hundred years.

That was the end of the conversation. She immediately turned around in her seat, and became totally engrossed in the warm-ups. I sat there a few minutes and then took a walk to cool down. I still had a soccer game to watch, and couldn't risk losing my cool, which has been known to happen. I know there are people out there like this, but it's always a shock when an educated person, someone who is probably a very nice individual, spouts such ridiculous garbage. Is this what people worry about!!! I can honestly say I have never once thought, I better get to breeding with a White woman so we are not overrun. In my way of thinking, "Arab" is code. It could easily be Blacks, Mexicans, etc. It makes it easier to understand why all of these White people are losing their minds with Obama as President. They are afraid of losing their White privilege. No matter how far you think you've come, there is still a long way to go.

[mynameiswhat]

1. Ive seen a youtube video talking about this very thing! i couldnt believe my ears

that someone would believe that shit.

[gratuitous]

2. My response

"So, in your opinion, us white folks are going to be outnumbered real soon. Hmmmm. Do you think it's too late to start treating other people with respect, or are we screwed either way? I mean, if them there minororities treat us even one-tenth as bad as we've treated them, we're in a world of hurt."

[Egnever]

4. Wow thats great!

I think I'll use that one.

[jtrockville]

9. Beautiful!

I'll surely echo that next time I'm in a similar conversation.

[badgerpup]

14. Oh, BRAVO!

:applause:

Might get them actually thinking...
and if they're unable/unwilling to do so, you'll still garner much entertainment from the response this should get...
:wow: "UH...B-DUH B-DUH B-DUH DERP HOMINA HOMINA"



Win-win! :thumbsup:

[RobertPlant]

17. out of all the teachers i had in high school

the only ones who were known republicans were men, typically ones that doubles as coaches.

[Roon]

33. I had a high school social studies teacher who was male, a coach,

and spouted gay bashing rhetoric during his classes. Not all the time, but every once in a while.

[jotsy]

19. Mine would go something like this.

I look forward to the day we're all the same color, one less thing to fight about, if we can make it there.

Sure shuts my in laws up.

[Enthusiast]

28. Good one! nt

[blue sky at night]

3. you did well...

people who live in FEAR are hard to handle, they make you very angry when they espouse their talking points like a little robot. I also have the same issue with getting mad and wanting to argue. I think the main thing is we will never change their thinking but we sure as hell will outnumber them. Hey! Welcome to DU!

[wcast]

8. Thanks for the welcome

I've read DU for years, but have only recently begun to post. I think you are right. Fear is the motivating factor. As a poster above noted, maybe they are afraid they will get treated as they've been treating minorities for years.

[Cleita]

5. Interesting, I used to hear the same things about Mexicans.

Same propaganda, different witch to hunt it seems. Yes, it's code. It's someone who isn't them. It's rather amazing that she would allow her daughter to play soccer since it's a very international game and only came to the USA after 1960 if my memory is right. I lived in South America, in an American compound type place and we had a futbol field where I lived to keep the locals amused, but I never saw it played here in the USA until after the the 1960's.

[Brewman_Jax]

36. Soccer has been in the US for a long time

The USSF (United States Soccer Federation) was founded in 1913, and joined FIFA, the world governing body, in 1914, and has fielded a national team for the World Cup from 1930 to the present. Soccer's popularity and growth was limited to mainly the northeast and mid-Atlantic sections of the US, with limited popularity in the midwest and on the west coast. Soccer started gaining national popularity in the 1960's.

http://www.ussoccer.com/About/History/Timeline.aspx

[Kievan Rus]

45. And the Russians in the 1950s and 1980s

[Madam Mossfern]

6. We just decided not to hire a contractor

for a very similar reason. He kept saying things about hiring people who 'don't speak English well' and that 'they' get a free college education here while 'we' have to pay tuition. He kept saying 'you know what I mean'. His work is supposed to be excellent, but I will continue to seek another person. There is no way in the world that I could support a person like that.

[lunasun]

7. I think she has confused Arabs with

Mexicans ... oh well some kind of brown people will be popping her world soon in her mind and you know they won't be speaking English either!
Or maybe the whole Arab thing comes from having a president named Obama?
I think they are less than 5 %(?) not sure of that figure- anyone-??.
Wacko white people ; didn't realize how silly /scared they were 'til 2008

I would have gone on and on about how beautiful the new Miss USA is and how you'd like to make babies with her
or a something wacky back attack that is not confronting her - just making her more scared ("they are all around me now")
and when leaving say As-Salam Alaikum!!!

[jtrockville]

Welcome wcast.

We do indeed have a long way to go.

[wcast]

10. Seems as if I've hit a nerve

This post is being unrec'd.

[proud2BlibKansan]

12. Wingnut trolls

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Enthusiast]

30. DU is full of wingnut trolls.

Some of they have many thousands of posts. They try to fly under the radar and gently steer the conversation. I get sick of it.

[Quantess]

32. I know! That's how DU ends up with persisitent debates over issues

that would seem pretty amazing for liberals to actually be debating. In my mind, examples include global warming and defending Rand Paul.
Of course, that could be a good thing to have the absurdity presented and shot down.

[Cleita]

38. In the past it was endless debates on partial birth abortion.

They always started a few months before elections and then disappeared until the next time. It seems DU finally got rid of those trolls. Now we have new ones.

[Enthusiast]

41. I'm sure they feel

that they are doing God's work, or something. But I get tired of it.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

11. I think you did really well.

There is a long way to go, but her daughter will most likely get further away from this, and that's our hope for the future.

Welcome to DU! Your intelligent post means a lot.

[bluestateguy]

13. I'm very much looking forward to American being a majority non-white nation

I'm sure that will result in many more progressive policies.

[Raine]

23. I am too even though I'm white,

I think it will be a much better country.

[pitohui]

15. i thought those people said "canadian" but they DO know they're racist

there's no deep down, when a person says "canadian" instead of "african american" you can pretty much figure they're proud to be a david duke supporter

plenty of racists are PROUD to be racists, i don't even bother to try to debate such people

have to say "arab" for "code" is a new one on me though...do you think she was just trying not to be over-heard by african-americans or do you think she really meant "arabs," hard for me to tell from here, frankly

but TRUST ME this type person is PROUD to be racist, dumb-asses are allowed to get college degrees too, they pretty much sell them to anyone who is willing to take out enough loans...

[cheneyschernobyl]

16. Don't forget Coultergeist

as a possible source for that garbage. She's certainly capable of it.
:eyes:

[mindwalker_i]

18. Seems like a, now divorced, white woman is now not doing...

her part to keep whites from being overrun. If she really believed it, she'd get busy.

[Odin2005]

20. The "brown people will outbreed us" is typical Racist Boilerplate.

It's one of the reasons they are against abortion, they think it's a conspiracy against white people.

[Jokinomx]

21. Welcome to the DU... and thanks for sharing your experience...:-)

I enjoy reading first hand accounts of our D.U. members... it never ceases to amaze me, some of the stories I have read here.

My wife has been a teacher for over 20 years and I am dumbfounded sometimes that some of her colleagues actually graduated college.

Slowly but surely our society is improving though.... 2000 years ago we threw people to the lions for entertainment... now we just put them in a ring and let them beat each other up instead. The consciousness of a society evolves slowly. However, we must continue to try to educate our fellow humans the best we can.

Maybe in another 2000 years we will have outgrown some of this violence ... that is if we make it that far. I don't think we are out of the woods yet whether mankind will actually survive for another 2000 years... let alone the next 100.

Cheers for your efforts.

Someday...if not this life...maybe the next, even this person will grow and understand we are all in this together and we need to embrace all humans with respect and love.

:toast:

[Warpy]

22. It's never wise to go for a bigot's throat when our kids are watching

or in most public occasions. It's always better to call them on their rubbish and then let them drop the subject, which they will usually do when they realize you're not going to give their horseshit tacit agreement.

I'm a mutt who looks like a white suburban cracker, so it's really hard for me to keep my cool around these people, too. Fortunately, this is a white minority state already, so I don't run into them too often.

It's a very good thing because I do struggle with taking my own advice and being as cool as you were.

[Solly Mack]

24. K&R

Thank you!

[Dorian Gray]

25. Damn....

that's a heavy conversation for a kid's soccer game.

[seabeyond]

26. my reply... so what? it will be a much more peaceful place when we have a little something else

mixed in us

living in the panhandle of texas, i have had this conversation more than once.

a huge ass, so what.

[voteearlyvoteoften]

27. Idea is from Pat Buchanan book "Death of the West"

His theory was that long term demographic trends will result in the decline of European based life forms.
It is a fact that birth rates are declining in Europe, Russia, the US and Japan. He also theorizes that the southern part of the US will split off and come under Hispanic rule (holy civil war batman). Also that China will take over Siberia for the land and resources. It was an interesting book, I like to see how the other half thinks.

[NotThisTime]

29. American Family Association promotes this - my brother is part of them

Their ideas are preposterous....

I was at a big box store a few days ago when the clerk was waiting on an Indian Sikh, as soon as he walks away, she turns TO ME and says "I hate those people they scare me", then she keeps talking, nothing I said even went into her head.

[Confusious]

31. Actually, one point

I was just reading about that. South Africa didn't pass a lot of the racial laws until after world war 2, so it was 50 years.

[disillusioned73]

34. I've seen an email making the rounds

about this very topic. Quite disturbing - I laughed at the Repub that forwarded it to me. It's just more of the fear tactics that the Repubs use to keep their "base" loyal. I don't get the Mexican ones since I myself am Hispanic, but I know those exist as well.

2008 was an eye opener for me up here in the northeast - I never knew how far we had NOT come since the civil rights era..... sigh

[cbdo2007]

35. She probably voted for Obama.

I know lots of people who are not overtly racist, though would be considered racists who voted for him.

[uponit7771]

37. A lot of people don't know some of their positions are from uninformed racist

[pipi_k]

39. Just wondering

why you think she is a "racist".

Did she express the opinion that one race was inferior to another?

What she said didn't point to anything of the sort.

She merely said what she believed... that in XXX amount of time our children/grandchildren will be speaking Arabic and will be outnumbered by XX percent.

Did she give any indication of how she FELT about that possibility?

If she did, it wasn't mentioned in the OP.

She gave her thoughts on what she thinks may happen in the future.

Unless she expressed disgust or distaste for that prospect, I would not go so far as to label her a "racist".


By that reasoning, any Native American back in the early days of this country who might have predicted the loss of the Native American culture because the White men will come and outnumber them and force their children to speak English and put aside Native language and customs must also have been "racists".

Some of them predicted it. It happened.

Go ahead and call them "racists"

:eyes:

[wcast]

46. Maybe you and I have a different definition of racism

Would bigot work for you? Do you, personally, see a whole sale attempt by Muslims and Middle Easterners to infiltrate America, changing it's laws, customs, and language? What evidence is there of that? That is what your false argument presumes, that the woman in the OP had a valid reason for what she stated, her "beliefs", just as the Native Americans did.

Native Americans had plenty of reasons to believe that Whites were trying to take advantage of them, from small pox infected blankets,treaties that weren't worth the paper they were written on, monies stolen that were to be used to Native Americans' advantage, to the forced assimilation of their children.

As for her feelings, I guess you would have had to be there to read her body language, see the worry in her face and hear the fear in her voice. She was genuinely afraid that this was going to happen. I find anyone who uses rhetoric and nonsense to spread fear of another culture and/or race a racist. That also seems to be the argument of apologists who state that you can't really know that someone is a racist as you can't read their minds.

Fear of outsiders has been a debate in America going all the way back to Ben Franklin, who worried that we were all going to be too German, adopt German culture, and the English children would be speaking German in a generation or two. This was well before we even became the USA.

When the dominant culture becomes so afraid that they will lose power, that a subgroup will attain majority status, and that things will change for the worse, I find that to be different from the values and traditions that we, as Americans, live by. Either our style of democracy works, or it doesn't. And if it doesn't, if being American is really about being White, and not the ideals that we live by, I guess the woman in the OP is right, and America will not survive what comes next.

[Brewman_Jax]

40. I've found that not much is scarier than educated racists

one can at least see an excuse for uneducated racists. It's the slick and polished educated ones that you have to really be on guard for. David Duke traded the klan robes for suit and tie, got rid of cross burnings for his NAAWP and related organizations. He traded the screaming racist rhetoric for the calm and polished "code" words, like "state's rights", etc. The calm and cool well-expressed reasoning gets the benefit of the doubt, so they're not really racist, because racists are those screaming hood-and-robe-wearing, cross-burning, confederate flag-waving, uncouth yahoos.

There were plenty of people that voted for Obama that wouldn't want him as a neighbor. We're very far from a "post-racial" world.

[wcast]

42. Good Point

I was researching the Civil War for my History class, and went on the History Channel web site. I couldn't believe their discussion boards. There are many individuals whose sole purpose on those boards is to deny slavery as an issue-in my opinion a major issue-of the Civil War. They push the states rights meme, and say slavery had little if nothing to do with it. I can't figure out why some in the South are still trying to re-fight the Civil War 150 years later.

[Kievan Rus]

43. I know the batshit theory the racist is mentioning. It's the Red Scare for the 21st century

It's the same paranoid nonsense about how the Other is going to take over America. In the 1950s, it was the "red under every bed" crap, now it's this equally nutty "Eurabia" gibberish.

[blondeatlast]

44. Very well done! Welcome to DU.

:toast: