All the above answers are correct. As I keep saying, 'control' is the name of the game. Control and attitude.
Guest 77
Why are people racist?
by MrMoe 100 Replies latest jw friends
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drahcir yarrum
Racism is really nothing more than the negative beliefs that another person or group of people are inferior to another person or group of people solely on the basis of that person or groups race. It's a belief system. Like any belief system it is learned. Children learn it from parents, other children and their peers as they grow up. Most educated people today don't believe that race is a determinant in ones intellect or intrinsic value to society.
I believe what many people unfairly judge people by is the culture they come from and the observable economic status of that culture. One thing most of us FEAR is poverty. Poverty itself is considered a negative condition and we view those living in poverty as having an inferior work ethic to ours. We see poverty as a prerequisite to criminal activity. I think the media portrays those living in poverty as people who don't matter as much. Think about it for a moment. How would the media portray a truck loaded with migrant workers who had suffocated to death while being smuggled into the country as opposed to how would they portray a bus crash that resulted in the deaths of a group of prep school kids? I believe we suffer more from culturalism and economicism than from racism. When people use degrading expressions about blacks, they aren't thinking about a black businessman who lives in an expensive apartment on the upper east side of Manhattan. When they use degrading expressions about Hispanics, they aren't referring to Jennifer Lopez or other famous Hispanics. They are expressing their economic biases. People of other races whom we percieve as being in our economic strata are somehow less threatening than those living in abject poverty.
Racism is a term that gets thrown around too much for politically correct reasons. If one can be labeled a racist, then their entire persona can be trivialized. Frankly, I believe stupid people throw around the term racism in hopes that others won't see how stupid they are in their pathetic little real lives. "I'm not a racist and you are, therefore I'm good and you're bad."
I admit that I've changed my opinions about a lot of things over the past few decades. The farther I get from being a JW, the more accepting I am of other people and other cultures. My father was extremely distrusting of Jews. In the era in which he grew up, people feared others whom they didn't understand and Jews, Blacks and even Asians were not understood by people in his day. JW's will promote the notion that they aren't burdened by "racism" or judging others by their race, but in reality, I've known hundreds of JW's who look down their noses as people from other cultures. Remember, this is the same group of people who claim that they have cornered the market on Christian love, yet unmercifully shun people who have made mistakes. Saying one is loving, or accepting of others does not make it so.
Sorry, I just felt the need to ramble this morning!
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13th_apostate
really long thread filled with interesting thoughts. just to add my 2 cents:
spidermonkey: the movie you are thinking of is bulworth
IMO racism is taught and its beginnings go back too far for me to accurately relate. american racism is a funny thing because it is at times is more virulent and violent than racisim in other countries. and it is downplayed often because nowadays it isn't socially acceptable to talk about it like it used to be. many other posters have nailed it on the head as to why there is racism: hatred. many white people are taught to hate black people because in this country africans were brought here as slaves and treated like animals. black people are taught to hate white people because many white people have made many black people's lives hell and treated them as worse than animals. it is a vicious circle that only a strong will to patience, understanding, compassion and willingness to cross the growing river of hate can help help staunch. I aid in the battle of racism by not being racist and trying to show that atitude to others I deal with on a daily basis.
as someone mentioned before, I also believe a lot of racism is economical in nature. I am black and my wife is white. we haven't had too difficult a time being hassled in a racist sense, one reason being IMO because we are middle class. if we were poorer, I am sure we would be treated differently when we went out. at the same time, there are places in the U.S. I will not go with my wife out of fear for our safety. the world can be an ugly place.
mrmoe I applaud you in your desire to "change the world". good luck. I never went through that phase growing up; I've always been more concerned with simply surviving without losing my mind.
will
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The_Bad_Seed
Racism, claiming that the content of a man's mind is determined by his ancestors, is a doctrine for brutes. Theories of "bad blood" and "good blood" in relation to morality and intellect, lead to bloodshed in practice. The reason this happens is that men who "regard themselvs as mindless aggregates of chemicals" are only capable of brute force. "Just as there is no such thing as a collective or racial mind, so there is no such thing as a collective or racial achievement."
Racism has only one psychological root: the racist's sense of his own inferiority. It is "a quest for automatic self-esteem, and for automatic knowledge"
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funkyderek
Racism, claiming that the content of a man's mind is determined by his ancestors, is a doctrine for brutes. Theories of "bad blood" and "good blood" in relation to morality and intellect, lead to bloodshed in practice. The reason this happens is that men who "regard themselvs as mindless aggregates of chemicals" are only capable of brute force. "Just as there is no such thing as a collective or racial mind, so there is no such thing as a collective or racial achievement."
Racism has only one psychological root: the racist's sense of his own inferiority. It is "a quest for automatic self-esteem, and for automatic knowledge"
Very profound, bad_seed, but you should quote the source: Ayn Rand, The Virtue of Selfishness, if I'm not mistaken. (I may be, it has happened before )
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expatbrit
Surely if you regard yourself as just a mindless aggregate of chemicals, the whole concept of "good" or "bad" blood becomes meaningless. The blood is just chemicals. Skin colour is just chemicals. The brain is just chemicals.
It seems to me that it's when men regard themselves as more than just a collection of chemicals, when they view themselves and their race as having some sort of special divine or spiritual attribute, that racism is germinated. Racism is a facet of the dark side of spirituality.
Expatbrit
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NewWay
My view is that the problem, at least today, may have more to do with culture than anything else. I ask that anyone reading this post take it in the spirit in which it is written, that is with a genuine concern for good relations and understanding of what may sometimes be seen as 'racist'.
While many of us may honestly, with hand on heart, say we are not racist - in the sense of reacting to people based on skin colour or racial descent - we may still be anti-culture. The reason for this, of course, is that certain aspects of another person's culture may bring severe irritation to us.
For instance, if we have been brought up in a culture that places emphasis on a quiet gentle approach to life, then naturally we are going to be disturbed by someone who comes to live in the neighbourhood whose approach to life is very noisy. It's called culture shock. Now it may be easy to say that we should be 'accommodating' towards that person, but in actual practise it is very difficult, because our cultural feelings are deep-rooted. It is not a case of hatred for the person, but a negative reaction to the manifestation of their own culture. In some cases a person's aspects of a person's culture (including language) may have detrimental effects towards others in the larger cultural environment.
Recently I read in a national newpaper that a British surgeon had had to stop an operation because some of the 'foreign' theatre staff could not understand instructions given. About a year ago, someone in the medical profession publicaly warned of possible problems in healthcare, the reason being that some non-native doctors and consultants in hospitals couldn't always be understood by either patients or other medical staff. Would you believe that these two native Britons were called racist? It has got to the point now that one has to be very careful what one says in case one is labelled 'racist'. It seems that those who pioneered the way to better relations between people of different ethnic/racial roots have been hijacked by a new generation who want to use this hard-earned diplomatic victory as a psychological weapon to demand more and more 'rights', which in the process creates a new kind of racism. Some minorities are only so in number, but not in strength or persuasive powers. So much for the saying, "When in Rome, do as the Romans do"!
Unfortunately, it is common to 'judge' a race/ethnic/religious group by what they appear to be/do in our own small world. Sometimes this is a false perception, but sometimes it is true. When I was at one school I witnessed absolute racism, based on the colour of one's skin, not culture. I could never approve of this, because to me the Asian people to whom it was directed were an asset to this country. It has been said many times by native people here that they were (and may well still be) the hardest working national group in Britain. They were people who lived a quiet life, and as a group did not harm members of their host country. They accepted that this country had a culture of its own and they respected that. At that time then I could honestly say that their was a lot of racism about. Although it took time, the Asian and indeed the Black community gradually became more and more integrated into Britain. Many of those who at first had reservations about these 'foreigners' gradually accepted them as fully British, but this was on the basis of their actually becoming British by culture.
I perceived that a change was made from racism to anti-culturism when younger generations wanting to get back to their racial/cultural roots started insisting on promoting their racial culture within Britain. In some parts of the land there are what almost amount to mini-countries. There is much concern now - due to things like this and others such as the huge yearly influx of illegal immigrants - that this country is gradually having its cultural identity and population changed forever. Traditionally, the British people have tended not to complain and tried to be accommodating, but many now feel they've been disinherited from their own land due to their generosity of spirit. One could ask then, is anti-culturism in itself an bad thing. Most certainly, insulting and abusing people based on the basis of their race or even culture is wrong, but does that mean that one has to give up the right to protect one's own culture?
When diplomats from different countries meet in order to help settle the differences of antagonistic nations, it is not expected that those nations will give up aspects of their culture. What is most important for a diplomat is to search and find common ground, and to bring the nations into an understanding of one another. If each nation can understand how the other 'ticks' then this can help bring about peace. A good start to peace between members of different nations can be by getting those nations to respect each other's culture. On a more individual basis then, when members from one country visit another nation they should be prepared to modify their own behaviour for the duration of the visit, in accordance with what they know of the national culture. This is also applicable on a more local scale where people come from different social backgrounds. At the heart of all of this is respect for the other person, but for it to work well it must be a shared responsibility.
There is a saying which goes like this: "Birds of a feather flock together". People often choose their social companions and environment based upon mutual interests and values. The true racist is the one who looks down upon others who are not of his own race on the basis of country and physical racial features, not one who merely keeps separate because of cultural differences. Consider that a white man of British descent and a black man of African descent who were born in say, Iceland, may feel they have far more in common with each other by virtue their birth country's culture than members of their own race.
Notwithstanding my words on anti-culturism, it is my belief that hatred of people based purely on their skin colour or racial descent is patently illogical and serves no useful purpose in making this world a better place. It is an evil which history testifies as being the basis of so much inhumanity. -
SYN
Personally, if somebody is friendly towards me, then I will be friendly towards them. This is regardless of how they look.
Living in South Africa, a place torn apart by severe racial hatred, has taught me that there is good in the hearts of all people, regardless of the colour of their skin or eyes.
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Faraon
Safe4kids,
Interestingly, this is one area where being a JW actually was a positive as I was taught there not to judge people based on their color. Scary to think how different I may have turned out had I not had at least that one balancing factor.
You may be interested to explore the following site:
http://www.freeminds.org/doctrine/blacks.htm
I am pasting a few of the quotes from the Witchtower. You may want to explore it further.
April 1, 1914 Watchtower:
If nature favors the colored brethren and sisters in the exercise of humility it is that much to their advantage, if they are rightly exercised by it. A little while, and our humility will work out for our good. A little while, and those who have been faithful to their Covenant of Sacrifice will be granted new bodies, spiritual, beyond the veil, where color and sex distinctions will be no more. A little while, and the Millennial kingdom will be inaugurated, which will bring restitution to all mankind - restitution to the perfection of mind and body, feature and color, to the grand original standard, which God declared "very good," and which was lost for a time through sin, but which is soon to be restored by the powerful kingdom of Messiah. (p. 105-106)
the Feb. 15, 1904 Watch Tower responds,
We answer, No. But all will admit that what the Ethiopian cannot do for himself God could readily do for him. The difference between the races of men and the differences between their languages have long been arguments against the solidarity of the human family. The doctrine of restitution has also raised the question. How could all men be brought to perfection and which color of skin was the original? The answer is now provided. God can change the Ethiopian's skin in his own due time.
Prof. H. A. Edwards, Supt. of Schools in Slater, Mo., has written for the public press an elaborate description of how Julius Jackson, of New Frankfurt, Mo., a negro boy of nine years, began to grow white in September, 1901, and is now fully nine-tenths white. He assures us that this is no whitish skin disease; but that the new white skin is as healthy as that of any white boy, and that the changed boy has never been sick and never has taken medicines. (p.52-53)
...The negro race is supposed to be descended from Ham, whose special degradation is mentioned in Gen. 9:22, 25. (Zion's Watch Tower, August 1, 1898, p. 230)
Noah declared, prophetically, that Ham's characteristics which had led him to unseemly conduct disrespectful to his father, would be found cropping out later, inherited by his son,and prophetically he foretold that this degeneracy would mark the posterity of Canaan, degrading him, making him servile. We are not able to determine to a certainty that the sons of Ham and Canaan are the negroes; but we consider that general view as probable as any other. (Zion's Watch Tower, July 15, 1902, p. 216)
"The Negro Not A Beast." The Negro was declared to be indeed human, yet with the following qualification:
While it is true that the white race exhibits some qualities of superiority over any other, we are to remember that there are wide differences in the same Caucasian (Semitic and Aryan) family; and also we should remember that some of the qualities which have given this branch of the human family its preeminence in the world are not such as can be pointed to as in all respects admirable....The secret of the greater intelligence and aptitude of the Caucasian undoubtedly in great measure is to be attributed to the commingling of blood amongst its various branches; and this was evidently forced in large measure by circumstances under divine control. (Zion's Watch Tower, July 15, 1902, p.215-216)
"The Negro Not A Beast." The Negro was declared to be indeed human, yet with the following qualification:
While it is true that the white race exhibits some qualities of superiority over any other, we are to remember that there are wide differences in the same Caucasian (Semitic and Aryan) family; and also we should remember that some of the qualities which have given this branch of the human family its preeminence in the world are not such as can be pointed to as in all respects admirable....The secret of the greater intelligence and aptitude of the Caucasian undoubtedly in great measure is to be attributed to the commingling of blood amongst its various branches; and this was evidently forced in large measure by circumstances under divine control. (Zion's Watch Tower, July 15, 1902, p.215-216)
In an effort to provide hope for the Negro, the following story was related in the Zion's Watch Tower of October 1, 1900, p. 296-297:
CAN RESTITUTION CHANGE THE ETHIOPIAN'S SKIN?
The following, from the New York World, is the third we have seen reported. These suggest and illustrate the process of restitution soon due. The item reads:
"From Black to White He Slowly Turned"
Parkersburg, W. Va., Sept. 8.It has fallen to the lot of the Rev. William H. Draper, pastor of the Logan Memorial church, of Washington Conference, A.M.E. church, of this town, to give a living affirmative answer to the famous Biblical question, "Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard his spots?" Though once as black as charcoal, the Rev. Mr. Draper is now white. His people say that his color was changed in answer to prayer. Many years ago Draper was employed by a fair-skinned man, and he was often heard to remark that if he could only be white like his employer, he would be happy. While in the white man's service Draper `experienced' religion.
From that day forward he prayed constantly and fervently that he might become white. Thirty years ago his prayer began to be answered. He first experienced a prickling sensation on his face, and upon close investigation found a number of small white spots scarcely larger than the point of a pin. He became alarmed, thinking he had some peculiar disease but he did not suffer and aside from the prickling sensation felt nothing unusual. Gradually the white spots became larger and extended themselves, until now, after the change has been in progress for over thirty years, Draper has not a single dark spot on his body.
Even as recent as 1952, the Watchtower extols the "teachableness" of the Negro:
Really, our colored brothers have a great cause for rejoicing. Their race is meek and teachable, and from it comes a high percentage of the theocratic increase. (The Watchtower, Feb. 1, 1952, p. 95)
The average Jehovah's Witness today that is confronted with this information would probably excuse the organization of being in error because "the light was dim" back then but that now the "light has gotten brighter and brighter," and those days are long gone. It is true that times and attitudes have changed. Yet we should not be too hasty in concluding that the Watchtower has fully abandoned their old mentality. It was made known to me in 1977 while I was in charge of the printing of the Watchtower's large Bible encyclopedia, the Aid to Bible Understanding, that it was not translated and printed in Spanish partly due to the lack of interest of the Spanish brothers in the deeper things of the Word! The feeling was that all that work would only go to waste among Hispanics.
PS to safe 4 kids:
How come it took over 110 years to get someone who was not an anglosaxon white to the governing body?
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TruckerGB
New way,
I have been sat here for 20 minuits thinking how to respond to this,you've said more or less what I was going to try to write,thanks,I think we are on the same wavlength here.
I think also that some if not many of the so called racial problems in the uk,is that instead of people being left alone to get on with their lives,mix in and integrate,we are being told and dictated to as to what we must think and not say,why?,I dont see this as a colour issue,but as you say a culteral issue.
Now does this make me a racist,my family tree goes back a 1000 years,our name is in the domesday book,so I think I can call myself a native of my country.
If I travel to another country,and I have done on many occasions,I fully expect to do my best to fit in and respect the culture,be it languidge,religion Etc of the country I am visiting.If I wanted to live in that country the same applies.
Why is it,that people choose to come to and live in the uk and yet,I have experienced this,30 years later cant or wont speak English,and insist their beliefs take presedance over mine,am I the racist here,or is there a huge misunderstanding.
I have always through life done my best to treat everybody I meet with respect and equality,but if that is not shown to me,I ask why.