question for whites who think racism is over in america?
would you ever give up your white skin since according to your beliefs racism is no longer a problem and you would theoretically experience no difference in how you were treated by others? (assuming such an operation were possible, etc.)
2008-07-18T09:54:14Z
re independent: no, i don't think all white people secretly want to be black. i am just curious about the extent to which people who think that racism is over in the US would be willing to give up white privilege. there was a tv show considered a few years ago that would "switch" a white and black family through heavy makeup and it failed because no white people were willing to switch. this was the inspiration for my question.
2008-07-18T09:57:47Z
for further reading if anyone is interested: "sounding black can cost you 10% in lost wages" http://freakonomics.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/how-much-does-it-cost-you-in-wages-if-you-sound-black/
2008-07-18T10:08:49Z
re hanky: is any discussion of race racist? is it racist to be curious about people's relationships with their identity? i think that for many white people an unwillingness to think about race (including how being white also means having a race) has created a situation where racism is ignored and glossed over. would not thinking about race have solved apartheid? would not thinking about race have ended jim crow? thinking about the role that race plays in american culture is crucial to ending it. being race blind is important in situations like hiring, etc., but it also means that you can have no discussion of issues of inequality that might still exist because of racism.
RAW2008-07-20T12:03:48Z
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They lie. They lie. All the people that said they would. Puleeeeze. They wouldnt want to go a day. why? Ex. In school, did you join ANY organizations/clubs that had to do with multiculturalism etc. (why, not?) because it was probably majority minority and you felt that club catered to minorities or was a mostly minority group and you would not have been accepted in it anyway. There was nothing in it for you. (Which most likely was far from the truth). If you go to bars or clubs, do you go to the predominantly black clubs? No, you say hmmm...could it be because you would feel like the minority and uncomfortable. Before you say yes you would, I ask you to do something in which you will be the minority (racially of course). These are the things black people are forced to do daily. White privalege means, you dont have to do that. If you want to you never have to encounter a black person in your life.
I think the word racism get bandied about much too easily these days. Racism was and to a lesser extent is a horribly inhuman and inhumane way of life to altogether too many people. It involved a dehumanizing belief that blacks weren't quite as human as whites and couldn't feel certain emotions the same as whites, which was an attempt to ease white conscious about how they refused to educate or care for the Blacks or to allow families to stay together. It was a whole system of hate and cruelty. Now we get accusation of racism for the slightest notice taken of a persons color. Or even when we say his/her color made a difference in an outcome. That's no where near what racism was and is. Would I give up my white skin? No, I know thing are better, but still not perfectly even, but then, is it ever? If I'm fat, I will be shunned and made to pay higher rates of insurance. If I'm too thin there will be discussions of my anorexia. If I'm rich am I greedy or going to be forced to pay taxes? Nothing and no one is ever really on a even playing field. But that's not racism, it may be prejudice, a lesser form to be sure, one that is impossible to eradicate since we all have pre- judged another due to race or religion or national origin. Racism isn't over but neither is it openly applauded. We have made considerable progress when racism is reduced to simple acts of noticing color.
Why is that only whites are racists? Why not ask other colors if they'd do the same? I think you'd find the answer to be no. I am of Italian descent and very proud to be, and would not care to give that up.....I am sure someone of Asian, African, Irish (etc) descent would feel the same way. The Italians were hated when they arrived in this country and they managed to fight the stereo types and become productive citizens. All races have racism and it will never go away.....It's up to the individual how they choose to see/treat others. Give up my color no way..........
You seem to hold many racists views yourself. "Give up your white skin"? We were all born the way we were born- you had no decision in that. But when one makes the conscious effort to decipher differences among people (as you have here) based upon physical traits then racism finds a home. If people such as yourself would not be so obsessed with skin color, ethnicity, etc and just get onto the job of living your own lives then racism would cease to exist.
I would not give up my skin no matter what race I was. No matter what race I was, I would be proud of my race and heritage. This is a stupid question. The fact is that racism by whites against blacks has significantly been reduced in this country. Obama shows that if you are black in America, the worst you can do is to be one step away from the Presidency. Your typical white liberal speak has lost credibility in recent decades and continues to lose it by the day.