How can racism exist?

Don’t get caught up in the skin color factor of racism. Humans will always find some attribute of others that allows them to marginalize the others into an inferior place in society. Immigration, skin color, language, manners, IQ, and on and on.

How do these things exist? It’s protection. There’s always an “us” and a “them.” We trust us, but are fearful of not-us.We attribute all kinds of sins to “not-us.” They are the ones causing all the problems in the world.

How can this happen? Humans have an animal nature. They respond instinctively in threat situations. They make rash generalizations based on very little experience, or even on hearsay. “Isms” are not based on any kind of rational thought. They are based on the shortcuts built into our brains. These shortcuts allow us to make instant decisions about other people.

Since people rely on their “gut feelings” to make decisions far more than any rational person would like to admit, this kind of grouping of people happens, and we identify these groups based on spurious differences.

How can racism exist? It’s so easy. It’s like falling off a log. To learn how to judge people based on facts—that’s tough. But using indicators like skin color—that’s easy!

And wrong.

Me personally I dont understand why people would hate because skin color. Its stupid and a waste of time. There are so many different stages of racism its crazy. You got some people who hate other people who are the same COLOR as them. Only because of a personal experience you had with 1 or 2 people. people look at me and my boyfriend so crazy when we go out cause i’m black and he’s white. I dont care about color…I have lots of mixed people in my family and I love my boyfriend. At the end of the day if you hate me cause i’m black I’M STILL GONNA BE BLACK TOMORROW LOL

A mix of xenophobia, ethnocentrism, and parental/educational/cultural influence.

In this day and age racism basically exists as an excuse for blacks to demand special treatment.

I think racism today is fueled by blatant ignorance and has morphed into something completely different that what it used to be. No, I did not enslave your grandparents. No, I am not racist just because I am white and middle class.

Word @erikaVT

It would seem that some races are being more grown up about it than others.

When was the last time you heard some Japanese Americans bitching about their time in internment camps during WW2?

@proXXi Please don’t turn this into a thread griping about other races and how some are better than others.

No griping, no passing judgement, just relating observations.

My comment isn’t so much about races, but rather about those that think they have something to gain by perpetuating racism.

@proXXi Your statement seems to imply that racism isn’t real. Is that what you mean to say? Also, is it only blacks that you see as using racism as an excuse to demand special treatment? If not, why did you choose to only mention blacks? Finally, could you give examples of what you mean when you say blacks use it as an excuse to demand special treatment?

I will point out that this is off topic, because it is about the effect of racism, not how racism can exist. Still, I think it’s an interesting topic, if people will listen to you without jumping in to condemn this point of view. However, in order to do that, we have to talk about real examples, not just make general accusations with no evidence to support it.

To react just a little, this sounds to me like an example of blaming the victim. The victim is taking advantage of their disadvantaged status. Kind of a conundrum, no? But maybe you can explain it.

I posted this on another thread, but I think it fits here.

Until people stop looking at racism at “what people who don’t look like me do to people that do look like me” and start looking at it as “what people who don’t look like me do to people that do look like me AND what people who look do look like me do to people who don’t look like them AND whatever else is out there that is based on superficial judgments that lead to something truly wrong being done,” the system isn’t going to change. In other words, people need to look at what they’re doing to maintain a racist status quo instead of just looking at themselves as victims because of what they look like without looking at their own behavior toward others and how they might be just as (or more so) racist than the people that they’re accusing of being racist/committing racist acts. Everyone contributes to the system that exists in their own way.

For example, people who are green generally don’t cut people off in parking lots because those other people are purple. They do it because they either didn’t see the purple people or because they’re assholes. But if the purple people are willing to say “The only possible reason why that green person did that is because I’m purple” then there’s a problem on their end. Assuming racist intentions in everything, putting on “racist” colored glasses insures that everything you see is racist. Whether it is or not. This assumption of bad intentions is something that people of all races are guilty of and is what maintains the climate of racism that still exists today.

All people are essentially of African origin.

We can all claim to be African-American.

People are free to be irrational: racism.

hate crimes are similarly irrational.

^ hate crime, per se, is irrational