Lewkat
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
I think they are a nationality which is different from race.
Do you believe you live in a racist nation?
- Thread starter fuzzybuddy
- Start date
- Status
Lakeland living
Life is good
- Location
- Ontario Canada
You hit the nail right on the head EM, no one is born racist. They are created by others.
Lewkat
Senior Member
- Location
- New Jersey, USA
Why are we using the word race for nationality?
peppermint
Senior Member
- Location
- East Coast Yes
Dad on the left and his brother on right (I think he has a gun in his belt)My little brother on left and my cousin on right....My family have been bringing out pictures, some I never saw....It is going on cause one of
my cousin's had died around 2 weeks ago....
JaniceM
Well-known Member
- Location
- still lost between two shores..
And it shows exactly how idiotic the entire subject is... and it's NOT anything new.
Example: there was a couple, older than my parents, who got married. The husband's parents never stopped ragging on his wife that she was nothing, not good enough, etc., because her 'people' (family) had come from a different country than themselves.
Both members of the couple were white, they even shared the same religion, but her in-laws made national origin a big issue.
I've seen the same recently, too- individuals who actually claim they hate other ethnic groups within their own race.
Capt Lightning
Well-known Member
- Location
- Historic Buchan, Scotland
I remember going to Greenock in Scotland to give a short course. I was introduced as "although he's come up from Havant (S.England), you're OK as he's not English. .... Cheers..... One of the instructors from down south absolutely hated going to Greenock - he just couldn't get on with them. It wasn't that they didn't like the English, but he just couldn't understand their culture or humour. I thought they were great people.
Em in Ohio
Senior Member
- Location
- OH HI OH
I was told not to tell my grandmother that my fiance wasn't Hungarian, as it would upset her! He was half Dutch, half Blackfoot Indian! His coloring was Dutch, so he could 'pass' as Hungarian as long as he kept his mouth shut and the subject didn't come up! Sheesh!And it shows exactly how idiotic the entire subject is... and it's NOT anything new.
Example: there was a couple, older than my parents, who got married. The husband's parents never stopped ragging on his wife that she was nothing, not good enough, etc., because her 'people' (family) had come from a different country than themselves.
Both members of the couple were white, they even shared the same religion, but her in-laws made national origin a big issue.
I've seen the same recently, too- individuals who actually claim they hate other ethnic groups within their own race.
fuzzybuddy
SF VIP
- Location
- The Sticks, Northeast PA.
I don't believe everyone is a racist bastard. But I do believe there is significant number of us, who have unvoiced racist ideology. I believe whenever there is a perceived "us & them", it's likely to occur.
No, the English and the Scots are not the same. Some Scottish people are descended from Irish people, others are descended from Saxons who moved from Northern England, some are Viking, some are Celts. A real mixture, just as the English are.
fuzzybuddy
SF VIP
- Location
- The Sticks, Northeast PA.
There no such thing as race. Humans are all on one continuum. Race is kind of what we want to call it. And , as C'est moi noted, it hard to visibly tell an Irishman, and Englishman, and a Scot from one another. Yet, they've been killing each other for millennia. Whatever feature makes "us" and not "them", and makes us superior, or inferior is what we refer to as racism. They may be a further ' isms", such as religion, where we see divisions.
Em in Ohio
Senior Member
- Location
- OH HI OH
Standardized definitions from https://debbyirving.com/are-prejudice-bigotry-and-racism-the-same-thing/:
Prejudice is when a person negatively pre-judges another person or group without getting to know the beliefs, thoughts, and feelings behind their words and actions. A person of any racial group can be prejudiced towards a person of any other racial group. There is no power dynamic involved.
Bigotry is stronger than prejudice, a more severe mindset and often accompanied by discriminatory behavior. It’s arrogant and mean-spirited, but requires neither systems nor power to engage in.
Racism is the system that allows the racial group that’s already in power to retain power. Since arriving on U.S. soil white people have used their power to create preferential access to survival rights and resources (housing, education, jobs, voting, citizenship, food, health, legal protection, etc.) for white people while simultaneously impeding people of color’s access to these same rights and resources.Though “reverse racism” is a term I sometimes hear, it has never existed in America. White people are the only racial group to have ever established and retained power in the United States.
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Is this country racist?!! I hope this is a rhetorical question Fuzzbuddy!!
My grand uncle told the story of coming home from fighting in a war to protect this country and being refused service at a lunch counter. All he wanted was to get a cup of coffee.
I didn’t experience racism personally until I became an adult. I grew up in a neighborhood with Black and White families and one Hispanic family. We all played and had a good time together. We visited each other's homes. There were a few people of color in high school, maybe 10%-15% in our graduating class of 703. We were friendly together and never once did I hear anyone call another by a derogatory name.
When I got older a sales rep in a high end furniture store approached me as if I couldn’t have afforded to shop there. In the store where I ultimately brought my bedroom set, I was first showed the cheap furniture selection. That store was known to do that to Black customers. I told the salesman to show me the furniture on the second floor. I purchased a top of the line set which I still have today, 50 years later.
I was taking organ lessons at a local music store The brothers that owned the store took a liking to me. One called me Cleopatra, the other called me Cinderella. Why I don’t know. When I picked out the organ I wanted, one of the brothers told me apologetically that he wasn’t sure if I could get the loan because merchants were told to write a code (certain letters) on the forms of Black applicants. Apparently Black applicants were targeted as a basis for rejections. I got my organ and eventually they hired me to teach there part time.
My son experienced racism at the high school of his choice which was a tech school in a county known to be racist. I had to transfer him out. When he was in his 20s he had gone to his group’s manager Jim’s studio to record some tracks. My son who didn’t drive at the time had put some of his own equipment in the back seat. When Jim, who was White and lived in a county known for being bourgeoisie and racist, was driving him home, they were stopped by a policeman still in that county but not too far from home. He gave no reason for pulling the car over and just asked scornfully “What’s he doing in the car?” Jim told him that they had just left the recording studio and he was taking my son home. I was livid ! I told my son he should have gotten the name of the officer. In retrospect, calling his station to complain probably wouldn’t have done any good.
I had a cousin who was a minister. His wife looked White but she was Black. In fact one day when I got on a bus, saw her sitting there and said Hi Cousin Gertie...peoples' eyes popped and mouths dropped open. They were driving down south to visit family and were stopped and treated badly by an officer who assumed they were an interracial couple.
My grand uncle told the story of coming home from fighting in a war to protect this country and being refused service at a lunch counter. All he wanted was to get a cup of coffee.
I didn’t experience racism personally until I became an adult. I grew up in a neighborhood with Black and White families and one Hispanic family. We all played and had a good time together. We visited each other's homes. There were a few people of color in high school, maybe 10%-15% in our graduating class of 703. We were friendly together and never once did I hear anyone call another by a derogatory name.
When I got older a sales rep in a high end furniture store approached me as if I couldn’t have afforded to shop there. In the store where I ultimately brought my bedroom set, I was first showed the cheap furniture selection. That store was known to do that to Black customers. I told the salesman to show me the furniture on the second floor. I purchased a top of the line set which I still have today, 50 years later.
I was taking organ lessons at a local music store The brothers that owned the store took a liking to me. One called me Cleopatra, the other called me Cinderella. Why I don’t know. When I picked out the organ I wanted, one of the brothers told me apologetically that he wasn’t sure if I could get the loan because merchants were told to write a code (certain letters) on the forms of Black applicants. Apparently Black applicants were targeted as a basis for rejections. I got my organ and eventually they hired me to teach there part time.
My son experienced racism at the high school of his choice which was a tech school in a county known to be racist. I had to transfer him out. When he was in his 20s he had gone to his group’s manager Jim’s studio to record some tracks. My son who didn’t drive at the time had put some of his own equipment in the back seat. When Jim, who was White and lived in a county known for being bourgeoisie and racist, was driving him home, they were stopped by a policeman still in that county but not too far from home. He gave no reason for pulling the car over and just asked scornfully “What’s he doing in the car?” Jim told him that they had just left the recording studio and he was taking my son home. I was livid ! I told my son he should have gotten the name of the officer. In retrospect, calling his station to complain probably wouldn’t have done any good.
I had a cousin who was a minister. His wife looked White but she was Black. In fact one day when I got on a bus, saw her sitting there and said Hi Cousin Gertie...peoples' eyes popped and mouths dropped open. They were driving down south to visit family and were stopped and treated badly by an officer who assumed they were an interracial couple.
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Judycat
Well-known Member
- Location
- Pennsylvania
Someone said animals aren't racist. Well my tabby cat puts down my gray and white cat because she's regular cat color while gray and white is not. Treats her more like a rabbit.
@OneEyedDiva
I only checked in your above post to mean I strongly support your words, not that I approve what happened. But, you know that already.
I only checked
in your above post to mean I strongly support your words, not that I approve what happened. But, you know that already.
I believe that every country on the planet has what is now called 'racism'.
For thousands of years 'tribes' have fought each other for land, they didn't like each other very much and the colour of their skin was not the issue, it was that one tribe was trying to steal the other tribes women or property, they enslaved each other. And no amount of laws will force people to 'like' each other whatever their colour or religion. The best we can hope for is that everyone will tolerate each other and just 'rub along', if not the world will again see massive world wars.
For thousands of years 'tribes' have fought each other for land, they didn't like each other very much and the colour of their skin was not the issue, it was that one tribe was trying to steal the other tribes women or property, they enslaved each other. And no amount of laws will force people to 'like' each other whatever their colour or religion. The best we can hope for is that everyone will tolerate each other and just 'rub along', if not the world will again see massive world wars.
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Aunt Bea
SF VIP
- Location
- Near Mount Pilot
I agree we can't legislate people's feelings and beliefs but we can hold people accountable for their behavior.
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It's too easy to dismiss racism as having no basis, but humans are animals. We think of ourselves as civilised but we still have animal instincts. Animals are territorial, and naturally suspicious of other species. In other words...it's perfectly natural to be racist!
OneEyedDiva
SF VIP
- Location
- New Jersey
Yes I do Pepper. Thank you!@OneEyedDiva
I only checked
Camper6
Well-known Member
- Location
- Northwestern Ontario Canada
I live in Canada. Definitely racist towards the indigenous natives.
The biggest mistake ever was creating reserves and isolating people.
The biggest mistake ever was creating reserves and isolating people.
I do not believe the U.S. to be a racist country, although we do have racists living within our borders. To me, it's all in what you want to believe. If you choose to believe that the U.S. is a racist country, then for you it is, but for those that don't believe that it is, then it isn't. There is no 'yes' or 'no' that makes it official.
Camper6
Well-known Member
- Location
- Northwestern Ontario Canada
JaniceM
Well-known Member
- Location
- still lost between two shores..
Except those that were never segregated in the first place.
I don't understand your post. Can you help me out here?
JaniceM
Well-known Member
- Location
- still lost between two shores..
- Status