Racism or Sexual preference

[blackwood]

Originally posted by motlissof@Apr 6 2005, 07:46 PM
We just have an inherent distrust of anyone as being significantly different from us (talking about us whitties). Notice the prejudice aimed at the Japanese in WWII, the camps, those god awful movies utilizing every stereotype of Japanese that we could. Then do you remember there being any effort to round up the Germans, Austrians, or Italians (which of course were partners with Japan) and put them in camps. Also do you remember how long it took for U.S. to acknowledge the atrocities against the Jews though it was known for fact, because anti-Semitic attitutudes were as firmly entrenched in the U.S. as in Germany -- we just didn't have a maniac leader to try to correct this. The more the obvious differences, the more the intrinsic distrust. Have you seen Hotel Rwanda and noticed how many 100's of thousands of Africans have been slaughtered and we often will just post a Marine or two to help get our Americans out of harm's way. I firmly believe it is all visual perception and what we like animals do when we spot something different or very different -- that stupid instinct tell us to run like hell of kill it (remember the old Martian movies when the main thing was to kill the damn things). If all whites were black and all blacks white, the tide probably would eventually reverse -- because white denotes pure, unselfish, trustworth in our color code -- runs through all of society -- have noted with laugh that Americans are just now beginning to purchase yellow gemstones though they have been highly prized elsewhere in the world for decades -- BUT yellow denotes to us dingy, color of unattractive teeth, very-very-very off white and disgusting Monday morning wash. The yellow aversion may have partly explained another aspect of our prejudice to Asians with the hint more yellow in their skin pigments.

God why cannot we get over this stupid color complex. If we could just act like "who was the blind young girl" in the early Sidney Poitier movie where girl is daughter of two avowed racists and he and girl become best of friends. Maybe her friendship would not have been so generously given if she had first "seen" this fantastic man as a black person with those black characteristics. Hopefully time will correct this preposterous prejudice and tear down the color barrier. I am sorry for what you have had to endure. I personally have to admit that though I am a blond white boy, I think those much richer in pigments are much better looking than me and white friends are and my black friends, male and female have, to me, a no bullshit attitude towards the ups and downs in daily affairs and seem to enjoy life, the good and bad, with a lot more zest and good humor than I do, but that's my prejudice too.

Let's hate the prejudice and all the destruction that it does to our society not those that hopelessly fall into its ignorant grasp.

[post=297681]Quoted post[/post]​

motlissof,

VERY GOOD!

blackwood

 

[jonb]

In China, white's the color of mourning.

I think it goes back to when the Neolithic Revolution reached the Black Sea. The change meant that people with dark skin (and thus insufficient vitamin D) would have all kinds of health problems. This narrow strip of land allows for agrarian living, but doesn't have as much solar radiation.

From there the "black = cursed" meme just spread.

 

[B_UNKNOWN321]

Originally posted by jonb@Apr 6 2005, 06:19 PM
In China, white's the color of mourning.

I think it goes back to when the Neolithic Revolution reached the Black Sea. The change meant that people with dark skin (and thus insufficient vitamin D) would have all kinds of health problems. This narrow strip of land allows for agrarian living, but doesn't have as much solar radiation.

From there the "black = cursed" meme just spread.

[post=297776]Quoted post[/post]​

Well gall darnit, you can get an education as well as share and empathize with our woes and ailments here. Thanks fellow.

 

[jonb]

Wait, you know what a meme is? LOL

 

[prepstudinsc]

What I find so funny is that my mom is trying to get me to go out with some of the single girls at my church (which is predominantly Black). I've gone out with a few Black people before--it's not any different than dating another White person. If they are atttractive and have the personality traits I like, than I'm interested. I judge people by the same standards regardless of race. The only people I won't go out with are redheads---I just don't like red hair.
Anyway, my maternal grandparents told me a few weeks ago when I was visiting them "we hope you're not going to get married to any of the "colored" girls at your church." They think it's wonderful that I'm part of a great church and I have made a lot of friends there and I'm active in the church, but they don't want me dating anybody from the church. My mom, their daughter, who was raised with them trying to instill their mindset in her, is totally on the other end of the chart, saying "go ahead, find a cute girl and marry, who cares what color she is as long as she's nice."

I think that race and skin color shouldn't play a factor into the dating/relationship. I'll be honest, yes I do look at the outside of a person for attractiveness, but what is inside really is a lot more important.

 

[naughty]

Motlissof,

Thank you for that post. YOU keep it real and to the point.

Prep,

So your grandparents are afraid you might call them up and say "Guess who is coming for dinner?" LOL! . As for your mom, she sounds about like mine. She wants the character of the person to be the essential thing. But I think that she also giving you the hint that she wants some cute grandchildren sooner rather than later!


Naughty

 

[prepstudinsc]

Naughty-
I know my mom is giving me the hint. I just tell her that I'm not ready. Being an only child, I think that she knows it's now or never in terms of grandchildren. I'd love to have kids, but if it's meant to happen it will, and if not, well...it won't.

I know my grandparents would flip out (at first) if I brought a Black girl to their house and told them we were engaged, but truth be told...if she was really nice, they'd accept her. It might take them some time to get over the shock, but I know they love me and support whatever decisions I make.

 

[jonb]

What it was, Chimera, was the addition of more vegetable matter to the diet. There are plenty of depigmented animals in the Arctic as a source of vitamin D, hence the darker skin of Eskimos. Capiche?

 

[13788]

RLS: I think it's sad that 40 years after the Civil Rights revolution this country still can't get over this race shit. -_-

 

[naughty]

RLS,

As long as we have people with parents and grandparents we are going to have this problem...


Naughty

 

[madame_zora]

Very good point, Naughty. Eventually I hope we'll just "breed it out". I think the 20-somethings are far less racist than the older set, I think when they are in power a lot will change.

 

[13788]

hung_big: I have to agree Zora.

I'm quite pleased to see my classmates and peers when in history. When they first learned about the holocaust (I do not know how they did not hear of it before) you should have seen the looks of pity and disgust on their faces; it nearly made me well up. The fact that racism is so alien the majority of my generation touches me beyond words. Segregation, ostrosization and discrimination due to race, ethnicity, sex or any other differences is so wrong, and my peers know it (which says alot, because you cannot give teenagers too much credit for anything else). Evolution is a very good thing, no doubt; one of the best things is racism becoming foreign to youth's mind. I still can't comprehend it. It's beyond me, but of course, that is probably because of my age. But I do believe those who aren't racist can never truely understand why someone else is.

 

[jonb]

Well, it's not REALLY evolution; it's Lamarckism. There are no "racist genes", Chimera's insistence to the contrary not withstanding.

Just remember, Hootie and the Blowfish doesn't mean racism doesn't exist. Try being an Indian in South Dakota. (Really either Dakota. Or Montana, Iowa, Minnesota, Texas, Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, California, Arizona . . . Don't think leaving the U.S. will make things any better: Alberta, Saskatchewan, and BC are just as bad, as is Mexico.)

 

[13788]

hung_big: I can speak from a Canadian persepective...BC and prairies are not bad at all in terms of accepting different racists. I think the Asian to White population in BC is about 50:50 anyway. BC has many immigrants.

 

[Freddie53]

Originally posted by hung_big@Apr 9 2005, 05:57 PM
I can speak from a Canadian persepective...BC and prairies are not bad at all in terms of accepting different racists. I think the Asian to White population in BC is about 50:50 anyway. BC has many immigrants.

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The Canadians I have met on this forum and the ones I have met in person are a truly delightful group of people.

 

[madame_zora]

Yes, that's true, but even Neil Young back in the 70's talked non-stop about the injustices to Indians, both in Canada and the US. Prejudice against them has been non-stop, but we who don't live in areas where there are a lot of Indians are supremely unaware. It's the same thing as with any culture, if you're not prejudiced yourself, you tend not to notice that others are.

Freddie, I'm sure if you saw a Native American walking down the street, you might just think "that's an interesting looking guy", you wouldn't think "What's that damned Redskin doing off the reservation?". So much about prejudice is a private hell for those who must endure it.

 

[jonb]

Originally posted by hung_big@Apr 9 2005, 02:57 PM
I can speak from a Canadian persepective...BC and prairies are not bad at all in terms of accepting different racists. I think the Asian to White population in BC is about 50:50 anyway. BC has many immigrants.

[post=298970]Quoted post[/post]​

Yeah, people in Vancouver love Indian kids, pun intended.

Don't worry about it, though; schools south of the 49th parallel were caught doing a lot more than child prostitution.

 

[Freddie53]

Originally posted by madame_zora@Apr 9 2005, 07:26 PM

Freddie, I'm sure if you saw a Native American walking down the street, you might just think "that's an interesting looking guy", you wouldn't think "What's that damned Redskin doing off the reservation?". So much about prejudice is a private hell for those who must endure it.

[post=299003]Quoted post[/post]​

Thanks for the compliment. One of my proudest achievements is my acceptance in the African American community. When you teach 28 years in a school of k-12 of less than a thousand students, your reputation gets established. And the African American community welcomes me in their churches. I have played for weddings, appreciation services and funerals. I was fortunate that I wasn't taught prejudice by my parents, but in the south many of my firends were very much prejudiced.

It was sometime into the school year one year when I was asked to give the number of black and white, boy and girl numbers in my home room. I didn't know. Other teachers knew their numbers. They knew them as soon as the assignments were made.

I picked up black kids to take to my predominately white church. I did it because it was the right thing to do, not to win friends. My boys brought black friends home and some spent the night.

Not being prejudced is not something you preach about, it is an action that you must follow.

And yes, God (The Bible) approved of interracial dating and marriage. Mosses had a Cushite wife. The people were upset and God said it was OK. Most people read that out of the Bible and have no clue. The Cushites were black people that had a rich civilizatoin just south of Egypt. And for part of the time the Cushites took over Egypt. Some of the Egyptian pharaohs were black.

But most people don't know all of that. It is strangely left out of many history books. Yet the Cushites were a very advanced civilization.

The point is God was not happy that some of the ancient Israelites looked down on Moses's wife. God did tell people to marry those who blieved in him instead of a pagan God. But that has nothing to do with race at all.

It makes me ill to see a child mistreated or discriminated against because of any reason. It is wrong. It is wrong to do that to anyone, but it is double wrong to do that to a child or any adult that is defenseless.

And each year I loved my students more and showed it more and each year I had less discipline problems. When hate has to go up against love, love wins in the end. It may take a while, but om tje emd love wins.

It troubles me greatly to know the injustices that were given especially the Native American children. And Jonb knows too well the stories Stories that are a blight on our culture. History books will in time tell all. We of European descent have a lot to be embarased about. A lot.

We can't fix the past. But why oh why can't we do something about right now? There are so many things we could do and we have the resources to do it. Sadly, the Native Americans don't have 20 million votes. If they did, things would be different. But there will be a time when all of this unjustice will be gone. I still have the faith that love will win out someday. When the Creator has completely finished the Creation, there will be complete perfection.

 

[naughty]

Amen Brother Freddie!

Preach it, brother! Preach it!

naughty

 

[madame_zora]

Wow! That's my brutha talkin' there!

Even I didn't know Moses had a cushite wife. My knowledge of the Old Testament is not very good, I've read it, but more for historical backdrop than deep comprehension. The New Testament makes clear Jesus' deisre that we love our brothers as ourselves, and that tells the tale for me. It was his only commandment to us.

You are right, overcomming prejudice begins at home, and then if we spread it to our friends, and then our community, and we vote with our conscience and hearts, and we never stop fighting the good fight, I too hope that love will win out in the end. Thanks for your insightful and candid post, it's what we all know and love you for.