Do you Think Race Relations have gotten better or worst?

Question

I am Christian African American man who goes to a mostly white church. Most of my friends are white. I am a deaf interpreter and my wife is deaf. I see things between AA and white Christians are getting better in many ways and yet when I tell them that racism is still alive in 2006. They seem to have a closed mind or they do not want to hear the sad truth. Since I work in the deaf ministry, black and white deaf is not a major problem. Most of my white Christian friends have an open mind and yet there are those who refuse to have an open mind. These inviduals feel that the term (African American) is political correct term and there is no racism. I try to be patient and educate them the reality of race relations and how the term (African American) is to uplift and give pride to descendants of African heritage. If you are African American, do you have how you do deal with those who do not see racism in the USA? If you are white, do you try to see things from an African American Point of view?

Answer 1

I try to see things from a humanistic view. Granted, yes, I'm white, yet I'm also color blind and don't understand racism. I abhor it and have gotten myself into perilious situations standing up for what I believe in (defending one of my staff who was a person of color to a customer who should have been wearing a sheet to announce his arrival...would have been easier to throw him out of my restaurant).

I choose to use the term person of color because when I was in nursing school, more than 50% of my classmates were African (yes from Africa) and actually got rather snarky with another classmate that was of color. They told her that she was American and black, she was not an African American. This sadden me when I witnessed this. I can understand the African's point of view, yet to witness the ignorance at the same time was mind boggling. After all, referring to yourself as African American, isn't that a means to connect with your roots? Yet here is a person from where those roots were born, rejecting her. It was truly heartbreaking.

I hate to see any person in pain (one reason I became a nurse) be it mentally, physically or spritually (the main reason I became a nurse...it's what God called me to do) so I have a hard time with racism in all it's shapes and forms.

I don't know if this answered your question or not, but I am happy to at least share my experience.

God bless.

Answer 2

to be frank, though that isn't my name,...

They aren't as bad as it was before the Civil Rights Movement.

In the years since, there has been some progress and then there has also been a lot of backsliding.

The issue is ever flowing and evolving, some things get better, and then fall off a little,.. Though I think the Utopia we would like to live in - is much too far into the far flung future.

There is definitely a lot of discrimination in various forms, some is subtle and others are unavoidably blatant. For example: in pop-culture, the trend for men is a shaved pate (baldness is in).
Unfortunately a lot of people either don't know or don't care about the cultural heritage of the "skin-head" ** those are still around, I might ad, regrettably,.... They're just following the trends. Like mindless followers, though it may or may not pass as trends go. Some people will look into the history of the Look, and since being a Bad Boy Wannabe, is also a current trend some individuals will pursue and cultivate some of those activities that those of us do remember and hoped would not come back.

Unfortunately for those who do not learn from history, are damned to repeat it.

Its a tragedy, that though there are "white" males who attempt to adapt to the Black sub-culture. we all know as Hip-Hop. Being black, it isn't cool to discriminate against other black wannabes and real blacks. But its open season for any and all other minorities.
Lately due to our involvment with Middle Easten issues, hostility toward Arabic Cultures is at a high.

Here in California, of all places I've found that there is still an awful lot of discrimination against minorities.

There will always be people who don't want to see that there is a problem, and there are those who will cultivate and aggravate situations just because its their idea of fun,... Since hate and violence is among our basest emotional states, its a problem that won't go away easily.

I wish we could all get along, not just here in the states, but the whole world. Its the Cultural Diversity that makes the Human race so precious. If only there were a little understanding and appreciaton for diversity, for everyone - everyday. Maybe we can evolve as a speicies.

But I'm sorry- I rather doubt it will be so.

Answer 3

I definitely do not see things from and African American point of view unless they are white middle class African Americans (clearly, not gonna be the case). I am just too removed from that point of view.

I do understand what you mean, though. It seems that racism has become a "corrected" problem of the past. Now people think that racism is over, so they don't even see it when it happens. We aren't really teaching our children what racism is, so now I think they are developing ideas that this is all a thing of the past. I hear a lot of comments that are actually quite racist, but they are supposedly "educated" so it's "okay". It's definitely not a thing of the past.

However, the current hot topic is gay rights, so racism has been put on the back burner. In the end, there will always be people who are intolerant and all we can do is continue to educate. I think we have slacked off a little of the education.

Answer 4

I think that race relations have gotten better.

That having been said, I understand that racism is still out there. Personally, however, I do not think that, for the most part, it is any longer a product of the institution (there may be some communities where this is still the case). For the most part, I think that racism today is just a product of someone being a jackass. I don't really differentiate between people who are rude or intolerant based on race from people who are rude or intolerant based on anything else. If someone treats one man poorly because he is black, that person is no different from someone else who treats people poorly for any other reason. Both offenders are jackasses.

No, I do not try to see things from an African American point of view. If I see a man treating another man poorly for unjust reasons, I know that is wrong from my own point of view.

Answer 5

A little better. I think dropping the PC garbage would be a help. Yes, there is a racist problem. I do not agree with your reasoning about the term African American. Whites, for the most part, would then be European American. Would you call your friends that? I am not a fan of white, but is better than Caucasian.

I try to see things from a human point of view. I do not care what color, religion, sex, etc you are. I think using the most basic of terms is the only way to help this problem. Bigotry is not going to disappear over night. It is still going to be around long after we are gone.

Answer 6

I think they have gotten better. Much better. In today's businews climate driven by the bottom line, no compnay can afford to be racist. If a black man can do the job, on time and on budget, only an idiot would let his race stand in the way (and a company run by idiots won't last long anyways).

As far as people's personal feelings, I think a lot more people don't view race as important as their parents or grandparents did. You can thank MTV and pro sports for that (among others).

I know racism still exists some places and withsome individuals, but thre really isn't anything you can do about it. Only time will fix that, if anthing does.

Being called "black" versus "african american" is a personal preference, but I really don't see someone as saying one or the other as racist or not.

Answer 7

Your question leads me to believe that you think that racism is only whites against blacks. As a black man have you tried to see things from a white person's point of view? That's a big part of the problem today. One group is expected to change their opinions while the other group has absolutely no obligation to change to theirs.

I personally have seen more racism from blacks to whites than I have ever seen the other way. The problem is that black racism is acceptable and expected whereas white racism is always seen as wrong and evil. Things will never change as long as this is the accepted practice.

Also, too many blacks find racism in things that were never racist. You see it a lot on this site. Someone will claim that a white person was racist because they didn't talk to them, or they looked at them weird, etc. Too many blacks believe that they know what white people are thinking and it is always a racist thought. The ironic thing is that the blacks are truly the ones being racist in this situation.

I personally am sick and tired of being told that I am a racist, not because of anything that I say or do but rather simply because of the color of my skin.

Things would also be better if activists quit trying to segregate everybody. The world is not against blacks the way that the activists claim they are. Often times blacks are victims of crimes simply because of opportunity and not race. But the Al Sharptons and Jesse Jacksons of the world run to the scene and cry racism. This riles everybody up and causes people to be suspicious of each other. Quite frankly, I believe that it is crying wolf to scream racism and every turn.

Answer 8

I think race issues have improved dramatically over time, but they are still present. There still is no wealth in the African American community, or the Latino population for that matter.

I agree that there is much denial, especially by whites, since we have the 'position of comfort'. We want to think we are progressive and moral. We don't want to have to acknowledge that we allow racism to creep in.

I can admit this....I'm looking at new homes. One of the things I look at is the racial makeup of the schools. I notice that I tend to react more positively when the population is white. I know that this approach is a limited view, so I try to step back and re-evaluate.

I know that as a white man, there is only so much perspective I can truly have of another man's point of view. I have never been cognizant of my skin color. I don't pretend to have that understanding.

Answer 9

If white people not understanding race relations was our problem we could fix it easy. Have you ever considered yourself a racist? What keeps you at a white church? Think on this bro.
I agree that racism is still alive but I see it everyday on the job. Most of the blacks gang up and talk about the white people in a bad way. They stay in trouble and blame it on the boss who is white. He does seem a little short with blacks, I see what he puts up with daily. He never is rude to me. Only once in nearly 5 years has he said something racial to me.
My personal; opinion is that relations would get a whole lot better if people would just let it.

Answer 10

First, I have to say I mean no disrespect to anyone, but European American and African American just take too much effort to type so I'm going to stick with whites and blacks and if anyone is offended, please grow up.

I firmly believe that there are issues to contend with, celebrating diversity is a fundamental problem and a difficult topic to embrace. I think celebrating similarity is something we don't do enough of, and like you mention in working with a fundamentally similar group in your deaf congregation, can be a uniting factor. There's too much of "Oh, he/she's white/black, he/she wouldn't understand..." Celebrating heritage is fantastic, but in order to better society we need to celebrate our similar goals, similar desires, work through the multitude of problems we all have in common, and stop pointing out how different we all are.

I just finished a great book that I mention below, that comments particularly on racism in the workplace. It operates on the assumption that the majority of whites and blacks are not racist, which from my experience is the truth. One very interesting topic which is addressed is perceived racism, or the threat or racism in the workplace. This occurs when whites, perceiving that an objective comment or action will be taken out of context, correct themselves by acting impersonally and robotically to avoid a discrimination suit, and blacks, wondering why they are being treated so robotically and without the joking and relaxed manner of their white coworkers, label it as racism. I've encountered this first hand and its ugly. One side is petrified of offending the other for a multitude of reasons including harrassment suits and discrimination complaints, and in doing so, offends the other side.

I think this requires a great deal of understanding on both sides. Whites need to step out on a limb and discuss this with black coworkers, and black coworkers need to reassure whites that they will be notified if they may cross the line, but that joking and playful comments will not be misconstrued as racism. It comes back to celebrating similarity; we must embrace the fact we all want the same thing, a great workplace, and work through the petty stuff like race, that is dividing us.

Anyway, to more throughly answer your question; Yes I do try to see things from an African American perspective, but I think we need to put aside our racial perspectives as much as we can. Stop reading into things so much and take a comment or gesture for its intended purpose. The most embarrassing and offensive situations generally start because someone took a comment the wrong way. Instumental in making racism a thing of our ancestors is toughening up on both sides and talking about it and ignoring those silly and petty preconceptions that are so detrimental. Take time to think about the intent of a comment and then act.