Why do racist people feel the need to be racist?

Question

It truely doesn't matter what skin color you have.It doesn't make you richer or smarter or more healthy.You can't become a nobel peace prize winner just because you are a certain color.Honestly,the color of your skin should not gain you automatic entry into an easy life.So,if all this has been eliminated,then for what reason do these people have to feel they have a more superior race than any other?


Then you have those that feel the need to ask:"Am I racist if...?"WTF???If you feel the need to ask,then that generally means yes.You would think that they would be embarrassed to ask that question.

Sorry,ya'll.I just got a big attitude problem from reading some dumb question about racism again from this guy with a real stupid avator thats ten feet long.Doesn't anyone else ever get tired of it?

Answer 1

You aren't alone, and... WE are winning. Racism is TAUGHT and not acquired via genetic means. These people want to think they are superior to somebody else. I noticed on some of the TV talk shows that very few of the white supremacists had educations beyond the 8th grade! So much for being superior! I don't think that being white makes me superior because being white is not an accomplishment - getting a college degree is an accomplishment, learning to play an instrument is an accomplishment, etc. Why should I be proud of something that just "is" and I have absolutely no control over? Yes there are racists on here, but... you can "flag" their answers and eventually they will get kicked off of here. Their numbers are shrinking because the truth is unstoppable and the truth is that they are only doing this because their lives are so pathetic that they need someone to feel superior to, even if its a completely false sense of superiority. Ignore them, but "flag" their questions and answers when you see them on here. Its a battle, but its worth doing. Also remember this: the people that are doing it are revealing to the world that they are stupid, so "consider the source".

Answer 2

When you hear 'racist' what color do you first think of?....

Racism is close-minded rhetoric really; but if you listen to any racist remarks from any side about any other side, you realize very quickly that they are all using the same lines. It's plug and play. X is so lazy. X can't bathe properly. X's are so dumb. It's tiring really. The most important thing for the rest of us to do is not perpetuate the hate. Refuse to be dragged into a battle of wills. Ignore or report comments that should've been kept off the boards. Teach your children to know better. Educate yourself on the issues at hand (like another answerer said, racism is usually a product of social and economic pulls. Take away those causes and the effect lessens)

As for asking "Am I a racist if..." questions, there are three main reasons why someone would ask this:
1. They honestly don't know. They have probably been reported and are just confused.
2. They know it sounds racist, but they don't intend it that way. They have no other way to word the question, so they add the "am I" disclaimer. They have probably had the question reported and deleted before, but still want an answer.
3. They know it's racist and are just sticking it to you.

And the avatar that is 10 feet long- ya I'm tired of it. Not much I can do though, they haven't added an 'ignore user' button yet.

Answer 3

You may as well ask why nationalists feel the need to be nationalists or patriots feel the need to be patriotic, Or why blood is thicker than water. Most people put friends and family first then what is familiar and important to them. Anything that is perceived as a threatening to the status quo will result in a reaction against outsiders or those who are perceived as outsiders.

To be a racist you'd need to take a general view of an entire group. This might be formed by first hand or communal experience - But obviously not all people from a single 'race' are the same so racism is rightly frowned upon. However I doubt there is anyone who has not at some point formed a so called 'racist' opinion - If you generalise about a group of people then someone somewhere is going to jump up and shout ‘racist’.

Racism is now used as an effective political tool - For example; criticism of Israel is frequently responded to with accusations of racism. The absurdity of this is evident when people are accused of being 'anti-Semitic' when they criticising Israel's violations of human rights and international law against its neighbours - After all Israel's neighbours are Semites themselves - If anyone is anti Semitic it would appear to be the Israelis themselves. I would say that there is a great deal of racism in Israel by Israelis and yet they shout the loudest about racism in media and lobbies throughout the world –

Those racists appear to promote the concept of racism for political reasons. So some racists are merely political opponents, humanitarians and law enforcers who have been labelled as such. Other racists are simply ignorant bigots.

I think that Colorado's observation hits the nail on the head.

Answer 4

I don't think anyone, of any color, wants to be racist, but with experience often times people become "racist," or better said, prejudiced based on negative experiences. When I was a child I thought the same thing, who cares about skin color? It's just skin color! But as you get older you come to realize that it's about a lot more than mere skin color. It has to do with socio-economics and people's fears about others who are not like them, ethnic backgrounds, upbringings, opportunities and social status. It has to do with people's attitudes, attitude problems and sense of entitlement. All races have prejudices against others; no race is exempt. It's a shame, but the historical fact is that the races do not get along, do not prefer to co-exist with each other, and probably never will. Good luck. Peace.

Answer 5

1) Some people FEEL THE NEED to be racist as it gives them a smug sense of superiority. These are the same people that are minded to mock someone who is overweight, wears glasses, is highly intelligent, highly unintelligent - in fact, anything that marks them out as being different. They're full of their own self importance and consider anyone different from themselves to be inferior. Sadly for them, it's these small-minded, ignorant individuals who are the inferior ones.

2) Some people JUST ARE racist and as with all non-inherited characteristics this is probably a result of their upbringing. If their parents were racists or they went to a school which was largely racist then this is something that's been instilled in them from birth. It's probably safe to say that they probably had little idea that their beleifs were unacceptable until they were growing up, by which time it's hard to change attitudes. If you're brought up in an environment that teaches you that blacks are sub-standard then this is what you're going to beleive.

There's also the 'gang mentality' issue. People join gangs or associate with specific groups primarily due to a feeling of their own inadequacy (it's the safety in numbers thing). By and large people joined the skinhead movement (as an example) to get a sense of belonging and to feel a part of something, to have a voice, to establish a presence. The fact that the skinheads were / are a bunch of racist thugs isn't the attraction to joining them, they could have had pretty much any agenda and people would have joined them.

3) Some people are PERCEIVED TO BE racist. What one person finds acceptable someone else may find unacceptable and it's often the middle class white liberals that are the first to brand someone a racist. Political correctness has done little, if anything, to eradicate racism and many blacks and Asians are vehemently opposed to political correctness as it breeds bitterness and resentment. I've yet to find a black person who objects to the use of the word 'blackboard' or a Muslim who is offended by a hot cross bun (a type of bread roll) or a Jew who thinks Christmas should be banned. Here in the UK blackboards are now chalkboards, hot cross buns are banned in schools, and Christmas has all but been eradicated in some public places.

Similarly, a person is often branded a racist for having an opinion. They may, for whatever reason, not like people from a particular country and as such are branded a racist. In the UK there are many people who will tell you they don't like the French or the Germans and that's perfectly acceptable. If they were to say that they don't like Nigerians or Pakistanis that would be entirely different and they'd be branded a racist and condemned for it.

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If you ever travel to Africa or Asia one thing you'll find is that racism just isn't an issue - you're accepted for who you are regardless as to the colour of your skin.

It's also interesting in that the way they behave is what we (white people) would quite likely consider to be racist. If for example I saw a black man in the street and shouted to him 'black man, come here' that to many people, would be seen as racially motivated and derogatory. But when I was in Africa recently I heard many shouts of 'bra ha brunie' or 'nashara' which literally means 'white boy, come here'. There were no racial overtones, simply the fact that I was a white person in a black country and that was the easiest way to identify me. In a similar manner they'd call out 'tall woman, come here' or 'fat man, come here'.

There's also an issue of identity - whatever grouping a person falls into they will generally beleive they are superior to others. Brits think they're the superior race, Americans think they're superior, Spaniards think they're superior etc. Women believe they're superior to men, men beleive they're superior to women and so it follows that people of one skin colour believe they're superior to those of other skin colours. At this level racism (if that's what it is) can not easily be eradicated.

There ARE differences between the races. And whilst there are differences there are going to be people who beleive they, and thier way of doing things, are superior to others. That's human nature, whenever there's a difference of opinions each side considers they are right and the other person is wrong and when such differences manifest themselves between people of different races their is always going to be an element of racism - even if it's over something as trivial as to whether food should be eaten with a knife and fork, fingers or chopsticks.

Right, that's it, this answer's gone on too long and I need to get back to work.

Answer 6

Racism exists because it's easy. All you have to do is lump people together with the stereotypes that exist regarding their skin color, ethnicity, religion, whatever.

But racism can manifest itself in a lot of ways. One of those is, ironically, in Affirmative Action, which highlights a person's race for hiring purposes. Those who back it are hypocritical in that they say race/gender/etc. should never be a criteria for hiring someone ... yet they turn around and say "Unless it favors a minority."
Policies like that drive a wedge between races by creating resentment. Does NOTHING to solve racism, and in fact makes it worse.

Answer 7

Yeah, everyone gets tired of it. You, my dear don't even have to worry about being called a monkey or being looked at like a piece of crap when you walk in the store, though. Yes, it does suck that some people hate white people and vice versa, but that, I've learned by experience is just the way it's going to be until these racist stop reproducing. Sorry.

Answer 8

racism has been around for hundreds of years, and it will continue to be around, probably forever. it comes from being ignorant and uneducated. it is proved that the more knowledge you have, the more open your mind is and the more tolerant you are. you can see things from more than one point of view. also, the U.S has become so politically correct, to the point of being ridiculous, that everyone , it seems, is afraid to open their mouth for fear of offending someone else. this undermines our freedom of speech. furthermore, you are right, the color of skin should not have any bearing on anything, unfortunately it does. if it didn't, there would be no need for affirmative action, no need for the united ***** college fund, no need for employers to advertise that they are an equal opportunity employer. it is not right, but it is the way the world runs.

Answer 9

Why do idiots feel the need to be idiots? A lot of the so called "racism" on here, is anything but.... People love to throw the word out for ANYTHING that a person of another skin color might have said, if it does not agree exactly with what they believe.

Answer 10

Racism is a natural human instinct. People are attracted like to like. I am not just speaking sexually, but also culturally. Unfortunately, some people are incapable of overcoming this base instinct to see the beauty of the melting pot. Too many people want to live in the salad bowl.

I understand racism not as ignorance, but as stubbornness. If you have eyes, you see a difference between blacks, mongoloids, whites, etc. It is the ability to see past the skin tone to the human under the skin that defeats the base instinct of racism.