Why are White People the ones who get called racists?

[painted wolf]

First off... let me say that I'm not defending stereotyping of anyone!

Ok, lets step back from the "pity party" and actually address the question.

Two events within living memory led to the stereotype of the "racist white person"
1) Holocaust
2)Institutionalized segregation/Apartheid

Two events just past living memory don't help
1) Institutionalized slavery
2) attempted genocide of native peoples in many parts of the world.

So, you guys (and me too, I'm mostly white) are going to be stereotyped.... but face it, a lot of people are either one generation removed by institutionalized segregation or have been the victim of bigotry themselves. Every one is stereotyped by someone.

Now to the two rediculous claimes in the OP... The NAACP defends white people as often as anyone else. It's not an anti-white organization.
Second, the Southern Poverty Law Center lists several racist groups, white and non-white... Such as the Black Panthers and Nation of Islam.

As for the rest of the OP... really? Step back for a second and look at what you just wrote...
If you have to start with.. "I'm not racist but..." You really need to think about what is going to come next.

Yes, Cracker and Honkey are racist terms... but face it, they don't have the history that the "N-word" has as a tool of institutional oppression. Nor are they all that commonly used.
There are plenty of African Americans who don't like the use of the term by anyone.

If you think that only white people are ever portrayed as racist... you have your head in the sand... or maybe you need a longer look in the mirror.

wa:do

 

[Mr Spinkles]

Frubals to painted wolf.

 

[Alceste]

It seems that we usually don't run genius caliber prez candidates.....
Bush/Gore Grades and SAT Scores
Answers.com - What was George W Bush's gpa at Yale
Bush, Gore & Kerry all look like B- students.

Funny thing though....I can't find a single iota of info on Obama's grades for any of his schooling whatsoever.
Is he hiding something which might explain his difficulty without a teleprompter?

You kidding me? Wasn't Obama the President of some high-falutin' pointy-head law publication at his Ivy League whatchamacallit? And isn't that a job that is extremely competitive and requires the highest of grades?

Not so hot on the details, but as a person with a high IQ, I can see that Obama has a high IQ. Sure he's an idiot, but he's a very clever one.

OK, Google helped. Obama graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard, which means he was in the top 10%. Not very impressive by my standards, but not Bush/Gore-level idiocy either.

 

[Father Heathen]

There's no doubt that there is racism by some white folk against black folk. But there is also racism by
some black folk against white folk, & some Asians against black folk, & some black folk against Asians.
We just don't publicly acknowledge much of the latter examples.

Indeed. Such blatant hypocrisy and double standards makes me sick.

 

[Father Heathen]

I am white down to my core. My parents are both white. I am ashamed to identify myself as white.

I grew up in a black neighborhood, I married a hispanic and am very happy.

In my work I deal with VP's and such. 3 white people together and the bigotry starts.
I travel with my work. 3 white people at a bar and the slander begins.

My favorite story, I'm in Conneticut 5 guy's different states all white at the bar. It starts before the 1st drink finishes. One guy is from Texas and he starts riding the mexicans, lazy go for nothing worthless should all be deported. Let him finish and show him a picture of my mexican wife(el salvadorian really). Never spoke to me the rest of the week.

I have dealt with immigration whereas they made me feel like **** because as one white lady put it I should be marrying an good american girl.

Just started a new job this september All white employees. Discussing intelligently Atheism, and homosexuality and one guy "Yeah and we need to stop all interracial marriages". That stopped everyone and he sheepishly moved off.

He's there and there plenty more like him out there and it ashames me.

Ironic that you would complain about prejudices when you were the one who threw a fit over lesbians dancing together, if I remember correctly. Also suggesting that the white race as a whole should feel shame and guilt for the ignorance and bigotry of a few rednecks is itself a bit racist.

 

[Father Heathen]

On the subject of Yale and Harvard, they're nothing but diploma mills for the very wealthy.

 

[Alceste]

In my ethics class today, we learned about hate crimes. From a study on the average person who commits a hate crime, the average hate crime-er was described as usually Neo-Nazi or a Skinhead. Why are white people the racists? There are plenty of nonwhites who commit equally heinous crimes.

African Americans have the NAACP. That's not racist. If a white person tried to make an organization like that, it would be racist. There are school African American Clubs, Asian Clubs, Latino Clubs, but no Caucasian clubs. If we tried to make one, we'd probably be taken to court.

When filling out applications or taking standardized tests that ask for your race, they list African American, Native American, Hispanic, Alaskan Native, etc, and then they list White. Why doesn't political correctness apply to white people?


When a White person calls an African American the "N" word, that's racist. But if an African American calls a White person a Cracker, or a Honkey, it isn't racist.


So why are only White People portrayed as racists?


For people who may want to interpret this as me trying to show that it's okay to be racist or whatever, you're wrong. I do not support racism. I will not lie, I am very proud to be a White person. However, if I was of African Descent, Asian, or Hispanic, I'd be equally proud. You should be proud of your ancestry, but not to the point that you think yours is better than another's.
I just think that things shouldn't be applied to only minorities, or only majorities. If that makes sense

In addition to the historical facts Painted Wolf mentioned (our lengthy and barbaric history of racial apartheid, genocide, holocaust and such like having earned us a bit of a thing called "consequences"), there is this to consider:

In my country (Canada), and yours, white people hold the majority of the political and economic power. IOW, there are more white millionaires and billionaires, more white governors, more white judges, more white police officers, etc than is warranted by our proportion of the entire population. This means that we have a greater burden of responsibility to ensure that our opinions do not adversely affect the lives of other citizens with different cultural backgrounds.

To give you a fast and dirty idea of how this works, imagine for a moment a white racist Supreme Court judge and a black racist Walmart check-out clerk. Both these hypothetical people could potentially allow their bigotry to influence their on-the-job decision making. Who is likely to do more damage to society as a whole? A racist judge who has the power to impose a policy of apartheid on every citizen of America, or a racist check-out clerk who might not bother to say "have a nice day" when your transaction is completed?

I hope this helps you understand how "political correctness" has become the strange and (at first glance) self-contradictory beast we are dealing with today. In truth, the real cultural divide is and always has been between the Supreme Court judges and the Walmart Check-out clerks, not between this race and that. However, when you live in a country where the Supreme Court Judges are mostly from one cultural background while the Walmart Check-out clerks are mostly from another, this divide is easily blamed on fanciful and imaginative classifications such as "race" (or in other parts of the world, "religion").

 

[Alceste]

On the subject of Yale and Harvard, they're nothing but diploma mills for the very wealthy.

Ah, thanks for explaining. I often wondered how a man like Bush, who clearly could not possibly have a three digit IQ, could get a degree from anywhere. Are you saying you can basically just buy one?

 

[Father Heathen]

Ah, thanks for explaining. I often wondered how a man like Bush, who clearly could not possibly have a three digit IQ, could get a degree from anywhere. Are you saying you can basically just buy one?

Well Yale and Harvard both have a reputation for being pretty haughty, prestigious and exclusive universities. But it has far more to do with wealth and influence than it does actual academic achievement.

 

[Nepenthe]

In my ethics class today, we learned about hate crimes. From a study on the average person who commits a hate crime, the average hate crime-er was described as usually Neo-Nazi or a Skinhead. Why are white people the racists? There are plenty of nonwhites who commit equally heinous crimes.

African Americans have the NAACP. That's not racist. If a white person tried to make an organization like that, it would be racist.

Anyone can join the NAACP. Given the U.S.'s history of White domination I don't think a White version of the NAACP is necessary- the history of "separate but equal" has always tilted the beneficial to White Americans.

There are school African American Clubs, Asian Clubs, Latino Clubs, but no Caucasian clubs. If we tried to make one, we'd probably be taken to court.

Then the Italian, Irish, Polish and French clubs must be terrified.

When filling out applications or taking standardized tests that ask for your race, they list African American, Native American, Hispanic, Alaskan Native, etc, and then they list White. Why doesn't political correctness apply to white people?

Why is this "political correctness" or an issue whatsoever? Leave it blank or check whatever box you want.

When a White person calls an African American the "N" word, that's racist. But if an African American calls a White person a Cracker, or a Honkey, it isn't racist.

Sure it's offensive and dehumanizing and maybe even racist either way, but it's also undeniable that a huge cultural weight rests on the word n***** that is not present with "cracker" or "honkey". While both may be offensive, they have vastly different historical and sociological connotations.

So why are only White People portrayed as racists?

Of course anyone can be a racist; it's not confined solely to Whites. But Whites have a disproportionate power and influence in the U.S., they have access to better quality health care than African-Americans. Blacks have fewer educational opportunities than Whites, Blacks are more likely to be arrested, convicted and suffer more severe penalties than Whites for the exact same crimes. African-Americans are more likely to be suspected of drug related crimes, more likely to be searched by police for drug related offenses despite the higher percentage of Whites committing drug crimes. Blacks are the victims of a disproportionate response, conviction rate and severity of punishment compared to Whites.

The consequences of colonialism and the slave trade and their direct link to continued African oppression through Jim Crow laws up to pogroms against Black communities like the 1917 East St. Louis riots to medical experimentation on Blacks (I posted about it here) set up a template for inequality. The consequences of this history of violence and oppression resonates today as Whites continue to have a cultural hegemony in this country.

Nobody is arguing that racist slurs are socially acceptable or that the ancestors of Europeans today are all actively engaged in oppressing minorities. But the playing field was slanted in favor of Europeans over the years and pretending that n***** is equivocal to cracker, or that Whites don't have a statistical edge over Blacks when it comes to income, health care, law enforcement, etc., is to simply ignore the relevance of history.

 

[Alceste]

BTW, Klauffi, I would like to point out that using "Vinland" for your location while posting pseudo-subtle white nationalist messages is a bit of a give-away. It shows that you're not really just reflecting on some ideas bumped around in your ethics class, if you catch my drift.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

BTW, Klauffi, I would like to point out that using "Vinland" for your location while posting pseudo-subtle white nationalist messages is a bit of a give-away. It shows that you're not really just reflecting on some ideas bumped around in your ethics class, if you catch my drift.

I was wondering about his use of Thor's Hammer A Visual Database of Extremist Symbols, Logos and Tattoos - Thor's Hammer

 

[Father Heathen]

So being Ásatrú or having an interest in Norse history and mythology entails white supremacy? Also is pointing out cultural double standards indicative of racist tenancies?

 

[Nepenthe]

BTW, Klauffi, I would like to point out that using "Vinland" for your location while posting pseudo-subtle white nationalist messages is a bit of a give-away. It shows that you're not really just reflecting on some ideas bumped around in your ethics class, if you catch my drift.

Heh... subtle.
I may or may not be naive for assuming his whole shtick has more to do with a 17 year old being into bands like Meshuggah and Omium Gatherum than white nationalism.

 

[Alceste]

So being Ásatrú or having an interest in Norse history and mythology entails white supremacy? Also is pointing out cultural double standards indicative of racist tenancies?

Clickable.

 

[Alceste]

Heh... subtle.
I may or may not be naive for assuming his whole shtick has more to do with a 17 year old being into bands like Meshuggah and Omium Gatherum than white nationalism.

You are naive. White supremacists don't prance about in pillow cases any more, but they're still pretty keen on secret handshakes and anonymity.

 

[Wannabe Yogi]

So being Ásatrú or having an interest in Norse history and mythology entails white supremacy? Also is pointing out cultural double standards indicative of racist tenancies?

You don't think it is a question that should be asked ?

 

[Father Heathen]

Be that as it may, I hope we're not attacking the OP's character just to deliberately divert from the thread topic.

 

[Alceste]

Be that as it may, I hope we're not attacking the OP's character just to deliberately divert from the thread topic.

No, I responded to the topic first, then expressed my incredulity vis a vis the purported context of these musings. Given that the poster's avatar is a white supremacist symbol, as is his "location", and that the post in question smacks of white supremacist culture (as encountered on stormfront and similar forums), I find it less than likely that the first time it occurred to him that there might be a double standard regarding racism was spontaneously, in the middle of an "ethics class."

Remember all those threads in "creationism vs. evolution" where someone comes in saying "I have a PhD in molecular biology, but I just talked to a big gang of other biologists and I started wondering whether [insert verbatim Ken Hamm quotes]"?

Same thing. It annoys me.

 

[Father Heathen]

No, I responded to the topic first, then expressed my incredulity vis a vis the purported context of these musings. Given that the poster's avatar is a white supremacist symbol, as is his "location", and that the post in question smacks of white supremacist culture (as encountered on stormfront and similar forums), I find it less than likely that the first time it occurred to him that there might be a double standard regarding racism was spontaneously, in the middle of an "ethics class."

Remember all those threads in "creationism vs. evolution" where someone comes in saying "I have a PhD in molecular biology, but I just talked to a big gang of other biologists and I started wondering whether [insert verbatim Ken Hamm quotes]"?

Same thing. It annoys me.

So is the Ásatrú religion just a cover for white supremacy? Just because Nazis have tried to co-opt Norse mythology doesn't necessarily make someone who's fascinated with Norse mythology a Nazi by association. Also, I agree with most of the points raised in the original post. Am I subconsciously a racist?