Does Racism Go Both Ways? How is it fair?

[aaronssongs]

Absolutely racism goes both ways, only an idiot would deny it. Then again, there are an awful lot of idiots who want to redefine "racism" specifically so they cannot be racists, even though they certainly act the part.

Racism has nothing to do with power. It has to do with the view that another human being is inferior because of their skin color. As such, there are tons of racists on both sides and unfortunately, a ton of race-baiters in the form of Al Sharpton, etc. whose sole purpose is to pretend everything bad that happens to blacks must be racist in nature.

I have to respectfully disagree with you. It has everything to do with "power".
Whites are "in power"...it's really inconsequential if racism is directed toward them...what are the consequences? Ostracism, exclusion? From what? The Soul Train Music Awards? And we know some "whites", manage to get "choice seats", because they are essentially "honorary black folks". lol.
Seriously, "whites" are in a position to deny opportunities, and benefits to "others", "non-whites", simply due to "good ol' boys network", and "watching out for one's own". Sad, but true. It happens everyday.
Know any "white folk" that have been denied jobs, or housing, "because they were "white"???? I know black people who have/.
Let's not go back to the election of 2000, in Florida, where thousands (perhaps tens of thousands) of black voters were denied access and the vote, which might have given Gore the election, hands down. Racism, or a glitch in the system? I'm thinking the former.

[Cephus]

I have to respectfully disagree with you. It has everything to do with "power".

It has nothing to do with power or consequences, it has to do with hatred based on skin color, period.

Know any "white folk" that have been denied jobs, or housing, "because they were "white"???? I know black people who have/.

Because of affirmative action, hell yes. I absolutely know people who have been passed over for promotion, etc. because the company wasn't "black" enough.

What ever happened to hiring based solely on their qualifications and the hell with skin color?

[Chimera]

Racism goes both ways. I don't think that BET is racist. The age of equality is very very young, and I find that there is still work to be done. Until society is entirely intermingled, you WILL see things like BET. There are racist black people and it's SO annoying. Hypocritically complaining about racism, all the while being more racist than the average white person.

[another day]

Racism is a system established by an elite few to divide human beings to make them fearful of one another and exploit that fear to create internal turmoil. The issue is fear. If you are afraid of another social subdivision, you've been duped by one power or another to help disenfranchise all humans. Regular people, ones we might even call racist, are in fact all the victims of the socially stratifying concept of racism. It so happens that the architects of this plan are white men, and these white men are the true racists.

Lol... Racism is purely instinctual. The way it manifested in modern society may have ended up the way you describe it, but it's not a giant conspiracy by those in power to create racism. People are naturally racist because we fear those that are different then us. People have been banding together by race for millenia. It's a tribal thing. You think racism is something new in the past 100 years? please. Jews have been persecuted for thousands of years by all kinds of races, not just "powerful white men". Infact, they are the powerful ones, and yet they are still oppressed and discriminated against and hated. Your view is drawn solely from the white vs. black conflict in contemporary america and doesn't take into account the fact that racism exists all over the globe, and has since the beginning of time.

[Winter wind]

Lol... Racism is purely instinctual. The way it manifested in modern society may have ended up the way you describe it, but it's not a giant conspiracy by those in power to create racism. People are naturally racist because we fear those that are different then us. People have been banding together by race for millenia. It's a tribal thing. You think racism is something new in the past 100 years? please.

Can this be changed though? Should it be changed? Is racism just a natural reaction?

[another day]

I have to respectfully disagree with you. It has everything to do with "power".
Whites are "in power"...it's really inconsequential if racism is directed toward them...what are the consequences? Ostracism, exclusion? From what? The Soul Train Music Awards? And we know some "whites", manage to get "choice seats", because they are essentially "honorary black folks". lol.

How about white kids that get the shit kicked out of them for walking through a black neighborhood? That's not racism? What is it then? You can't have it both ways. Racism is simply the hatred and fear of other races. What you describe is racial oppression or segregation, the manifestion of racism by the majority.

Seriously, "whites" are in a position to deny opportunities, and benefits to "others", "non-whites", simply due to "good ol' boys network", and "watching out for one's own". Sad, but true. It happens everyday.
Know any "white folk" that have been denied jobs, or housing, "because they were "white"???? I know black people who have/.

Ever heard of affirmative action? White people get denied jobs all the time because of this.

Let's not go back to the election of 2000, in Florida, where thousands (perhaps tens of thousands) of black voters were denied access and the vote, which might have given Gore the election, hands down. Racism, or a glitch in the system? I'm thinking the former.

Not racism, but political corruption. They knew black people would vote for gore. It had nothing to do with hatred or oppression specifically to blacks, it was oppression of the entire country by fixing the vote. That was just one of the methods they use to fix the election.

[another day]

Can this be changed though? Should it be changed? Is racism just a natural reaction?

Yes it can be changed, and it has changed for most people. When you live amongst people of different races for long enough, the fear wears off, you see they are not much different then you, and understanding develops.

[aaronssongs]

How about white kids that get the shit kicked out of them for walking through a black neighborhood? That's not racism? What is it then? You can't have it both ways. Racism is simply the hatred and fear of other races. What you describe is racial oppression or segregation, the manifestion of racism by the majority.

Oh, I guess you've never been black in Cicero, Ill.? or Brighton Park, in NYC? Or ever stop in Vidor, Tx or Pasadena, Tx.?
It happens both ways...and a rose by another name.

Ever heard of affirmative action? White people get denied jobs all the time because of this.

Ever heard of inequality and bias? Black people get denied more than jobs all the time because of this. Everyone knows that "white women" have been the biggest benefactors behind "affirmative action", on all counts.
The number of jobs that are denied whites, pales behind the number of blacks that are denied.


Not racism, but political corruption. They knew black people would vote for gore. It had nothing to do with hatred or oppression specifically to blacks, it was oppression of the entire country by fixing the vote. That was just one of the methods they use to fix the election.

If it was done to a whole group of people, based on their race, with the given that they would vote for the lesser of the evils...matters not. It was "racism", pure and simple....the motivation is moot. Why didn't they single out Cubans? Were they more prone to vote for Dubya, because of his brother Jeb, being the governor? What matters?
It was, indeed "political corruption", using "racism" as a means.

[Chimera]

Lol... Racism is purely instinctual. The way it manifested in modern society may have ended up the way you describe it, but it's not a giant conspiracy by those in power to create racism. People are naturally racist because we fear those that are different then us. People have been banding together by race for millenia. It's a tribal thing. You think racism is something new in the past 100 years? please. Jews have been persecuted for thousands of years by all kinds of races, not just "powerful white men". Infact, they are the powerful ones, and yet they are still oppressed and discriminated against and hated. Your view is drawn solely from the white vs. black conflict in contemporary america and doesn't take into account the fact that racism exists all over the globe, and has since the beginning of time.

Racism is NOT instinctual. That's just ignorant. Kids know nothing of racism. They see everyone as equal. Adults teach racism and prejudice in general.

[Chimera]

Lol... Racism is purely instinctual.

Racism is NOT instinctual, that's just ignorant. Kid's know nothing of racism. They see each other as equals. Without the influence of adults and society, racism would not exist.

[aaronssongs]

Racism is NOT instinctual. That's just ignorant. Kids know nothing of racism. They see everyone as equal. Adults teach racism and prejudice in general.

Exactly.
Anybody ever seen kids of all colors playing in a sandbox? They "play", they don't hate. Racism is "taught". Hate is "taught". It's harder to frown than it is to smile...more muscles are required. word.

[grandpa]

Exactly.
Anybody ever seen kids of all colors playing in a
sandbox?

Well, some kids do bully each other, but that too is often just another form of play. When it's not, they probably learn the behavior from adults. Of course, this brings about the question of why adults aren't more like good-natured children playing in the sandbox.

I personally was exposed to racist values when I was younger, and they can be hard to totally let go of.

Grandpa h.