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Have you ever been racist?

Thread title

  • Nope, never.

  • Yes, but no longer.

  • Yes, its natural.

  • Yes, but I usually deny it.

Results are only viewable after voting.
MrColin

MrColin

Platinum Member
I was taught to be racist at bible camp in my early adolescence. After returning home I was on the playground with my friends, sharing one of the hilarious ****** jokes I learned at bible camp. I had sort of forgotten that one of my friends was black and when I saw the look on his face, I immediately recognized how wrong I was and apologized profusely. My parents made a point of teaching me not to be that way but in my impressionable youth I was still taken in by the rural racist kids and councilors of the bible camp somehow.

In retrospect, I'm thankful for this whole experience because it taught me not only how dumb it is to judge people for thier skin color, but also how toxic organized religion can be.
 
Nope. I don't see why a person's race is something to be noted.

My father, on the other hand, has always been kinda racist.
 
Define racism. I hate everyone and everything, but I treat individuals as individuals. I also suspend preconceived notions until I know what someone's about.
 
Yes, and anyone who tells you otherwise is flat out lying...

The act of stereotyping is the foundation of racism. You stereotype what you see because your brain constantly and subconsciously works at labeling, categorizing, and filing information (memories) in a logical manor for future reference. If what you see in life and the movies is that young black males are dangerous thugs, you will inherently view all young black males as dangerous thugs because this is the way your brain has categorized them based on what you have taken in to memory.

Now, with regards to racism, these same subconscious categorical memories could and do make you act, react, and decide based off of said memories. "I'm not hiring him because he is black" although racist could also just be an inherent reaction based on how your memory has categorized what you have seen, learned (again, right or wrong). And obviously with these building blocks, the more hurtfull and damaging racist acts can spawn.

Fortunately, as an adult we can begin to chose how we act or react to 'instinct' with regards to memory categorization. Make no mistake, the act of stereotyping and memory categorization has a profound usefulness to humanity, but to recognize it is there and decide to 'over ride' its less useful parts is what breaks down racism.
 
Never heard my parents or grandparents or other family make racial comments when I was growing up. I grew up in very mixed parts of california and the idea that my friends or I weren't as good as someone because of ethnicity, religeon etc was stupid. My wife and I raise our family the same way. We make fun of it when we hear it and stand up against it when we encounter it.

With all due respect to the above opinion, I have to disagree with the premise. Are there those that are racist and hide it well? Sure. That doesn't define me, and I'm sure others.

Be the change...
 
Is it more offensive to admit to being prejudiced against those with mental disabilities than those of another race? It all started IIRC with this kid in kindergarten who had a smoking mother or something I think, and resulted in a congenital heart esophageal defect and rendered him incapable of speaking coherently and caused him to have a disfigured face. In retrospect I know he was a nice kid, but at the time I only felt fear and disgust. Fuck anyone that says prejudice and bigotry are only learned; my parents even knew how I felt about him and tried to get me to change, but I can't change the fact that he repulsed me. I'm not going to say that everyone reacts to others as I do (I know that plenty of kids played with him; I would sit alone thinking up ways to avoid him) but as long as said reactions aren't outwardly cruel or violent I see nothing wrong with them.

EDIT: Although that said, I remember having what would probably be considered racist theories as well. Like, the first black kid I met I used to wonder if his blood was darker as well. And I remember asking the first Asian kid I met (1st grade trick-or-treat IIRC) about his eyes, and while I don't remember the question, I remember him telling me that he could see more colors than people of other races. I argued with him about that, IIRC on the basis that his eyes weren't as colorful as mine.
 
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mistercrabby said:
Never heard my parents or grandparents or other family make racial comments when I was growing up. I grew up in very mixed parts of california and the idea that my friends or I weren't as good as someone because of ethnicity, religeon etc was stupid. My wife and I raise our family the same way. We make fun of it when we hear it and stand up against it when we encounter it.

With all due respect to the above opinion, I have to disagree with the premise. Are there those that are racist and hide it well? Sure. That doesn't define me, and I'm sure others.

Be the change...
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If you are referring to what I said, it's not opinion, it's scientific fact. That is the way our human brains work. You may have been fortunate to live a diverse childhood negating the premise of racial stereotyping, but to believe you do not carry around some form(s) of stereotyping and/or racism there in is dismissing factual science. You may not be a 'racist' but everyone has the building blocks because of how the brain works and it manifests in everyone to some degree.
 
MrColin said:
I was taught to be racist at bible camp in my early adolescence. After returning home I was on the playground with my friends, sharing one of the hilarious ****** jokes I learned at bible camp. I had sort of forgotten that one of my friends was black and when I saw the look on his face, I immediately recognized how wrong I was and apologized profusely. My parents made a point of teaching me not to be that way but in my impressionable youth I was still taken in by the rural racist kids and councilors of the bible camp somehow.

In retrospect, I'm thankful for this whole experience because it taught me not only how dumb it is to judge people for thier skin color, but also how toxic organized religion can be.
Click to expand...

So what was the joke?
 
Everybody judges instantly based on stereotypes, some of those stereotypes have their basis in race. I believe that truly being a racist goes beyond first blush judging, and into a hatred of an individual based on their race, when you refuse to ever learn about a person because you stop at your preconceived notions.
 
I'll file it more under the prejudiced category than straight up racist. Definitely have some strong opinions based upon particular demographics/cultures but not necessarily due to "race".
 
momeNt said:
Everybody judges instantly based on stereotypes, some of those stereotypes have their basis in race. I believe that truly being a racist goes beyond first blush judging, and into a hatred of an individual based on their race, when you refuse to ever learn about a person because you stop at your preconceived notions.
Click to expand...

Yep, agree.
 
MrColin said:
I was taught to be racist at bible camp in my early adolescence. After returning home I was on the playground with my friends, sharing one of the hilarious ****** jokes I learned at bible camp. I had sort of forgotten that one of my friends was black and when I saw the look on his face, I immediately recognized how wrong I was and apologized profusely. My parents made a point of teaching me not to be that way but in my impressionable youth I was still taken in by the rural racist kids and councilors of the bible camp somehow.

In retrospect, I'm thankful for this whole experience because it taught me not only how dumb it is to judge people for thier skin color, but also how toxic organized religion can be.
Click to expand...

I dont think it has so much to do with judging, as to classifying them...and for some segregating themselves from them....Its not necessarily saying hatred...
I like Chinese and Indian food, but doesn't mean I want to marry one or my children to either.....

However, in most cases racism is seen as hatred.
 
lxskllr said:
Define racism. I hate everyone and everything, but I treat individuals as individuals. I also suspend preconceived notions until I know what someone's about.
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Feel free to define it for yourself. Have you ever not suspended preconceived notions or held an ideology that made you dislike certain racial demographics.
 
I think everybody is racist to some degree. I suspect most who think they aren't have never been tested. It is deep within human nature to be prejudiced against differences, from race to language, culture, physical differences, etc.

The wise individual understands their weaknesses and works to correct them. Pretending they are not there ensures no growth.
 
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