Racism, huh...?

Question

...while I was at carnival in London, made the mistake of questioning the quality of some ganja some dear was trying to sell me. He decided to return the sneer, calling me a '**cking mulatto'. Of course, most of us know when a black person uses that, it is as an abusive term (which he did - mulatto is as much a racist term as 'naygur' - excuse the mis-spelling, but spelt rightly, all I get is stars! - but this is used by, basically West Indian-British men). The question is, thus, why is black racism less 'important; than 'white racism' in most of the media - my visits of London over the past thirty years have shown that black racism can be twice as bad...especially when it is directed at mixed-race beings!

Yes David S - lived in Spain for three years and know what mulat(t)o means...but was told it is used in the UK by black folk as a nasty term many years ago. Found it out big style a month ago. May not feel insulted in, say, Malaga - but it's used differently in the UK. it's like the comical methods of today - blacks will call each other the 'n' word endearingly, but you'd get your *** kicked (and more) if you said it. As Neogriff writes - it's a mixed up world!

Thank you for all your answers (so far) - was somewhat saddened at Bluffmikes' one - especially as he is further up the Yahoo Answer (level 6) - which goes to show it matters not how high in the clouds you are! Was not yearning for pity...just was eager to see exactly what people thought about 'racism' on the other side of the tracks. In Britain, it is true that mixed-raced people will get it good style on account of one of their closest relatives being white (my dad was from Scotland)...and like it or not, that's the way it is. We're betwixt good and bad, and depending how our attitude is to life and people in general, we will be mistrusted by one side of homo sapien at some period of our wee existence, and so it is up to us to deal with it - and most of us do.

Answer 1

i'm part egyption and regularly recieve racial insults just get over it - one i got a giggle out of a couple of weeks back was "so are you a paki or what?" when i sat on bench next to an older man - i pulled up my t shirt sleeve and said in as broad a regional accent as i could "I'm a f*cking geordie do you know how much tanning i've F*Ckin done" and you can see the tan line :P, they were lost for word's for about a minute and then spent about 10 minutes apologising - there are many reasons for racism but often it is just a good effective insult aimed at upseting the person they are talking to rather than KKK racism - i will admit i have used racial insults to upset others in the past not because i'm racist but because they work!

Answer 2

Simple.

White racism is more likely to lead to more non-whites being discriminated against than say black racism leading to non-blacks being discriminated against.

This has to do with the relative power of the two groups, not just numerical majority.

For example, if 'white' people controlled most of the economy and owned most of the companies, then if 'white' people were racist towards 'non-white' people, then many 'non-white' people would suffer, say by not getting good jobs and so on. Take the Apartheid system in South Africa for example.

In your case, the worse that could have happened is that you wouldn't have had the ganja. But imagine if you were arrested for possession and the judge in your trial was a racist white person... That would be worse, wouldn't it?

I think however that as time goes by and the power structures are less race driven, things will slowly change, but the weight of history, the weight of the effects of 'white-racism' will still be there for a while, making appear much more dangerous, or bad, than 'black-racism'.

Answer 3

I am here in the US. My mother was raised down in the country where animals were plentiful. She explained racism to me, when I was a child, in these terms.....All it takes is a difference to cause people to treat you differently. When a hen has a brood of chicks, if one of them is off color, or has a difference, the others who are all alike, will peck it to death. WHY? Because it is not like them.

Racism is EVERYWHERE, all the time, some worse than others. It is not limited to racism either. Discrimination of ANYONE who is different from another will be perpertrated upon others as easily as racism occurs.

Black racism can be worse than most any other type because folks have had longer to practice it and have had more blacks to practice on over the years.

Nothing will stop it. That is the sad truth. ONLY in how WE choose to deal with it, will it ever be impacted for the better. It will never be gone, no matter what.

Imagine a world of nothing but black people. How long would it be before there would be new discrimination because this black man had a wider nose than the rest? This black woman had constant "ash" she had to fight...it would not make any different what the "difference" would be...but they would divide.

Answer 4

Unfortunatly in a world of Equality no one is equal there is alway special treatment for someone, if a a black perso is racist towards a white person nothing is done, as it will be portrayed as an act of racism against the black person. Many black, asian, mixed race and white people are racist againsty there own colour and while a majority of people feel it wrong society as a whole has not made to much of a fuss just yet and so Human Rights will be ignored until we do.

Answer 5

Racism is still seen as a tool of power held by the white superior beings n the westernised world. However you are right, Racism is not just confined to white people, if the media paid a bit more attention to the real world then all racism would be widely known about and hopefully dealt with.

Answer 6

I'm so glad someone else has finally seen the point. Racism is to hold prejudices against, or insult someone , because of their colour or nationality. So this means that anyone can be racist to anyone. eg why is it that when a gang of white youths attack a black or asian youth, the media portray it as racist attack? They might have attacked them for a completely different reason, than the colour of his skin.
When I was young my parents had friends of all different races, so I never witnessed racism, until I went to secondary school(no I'm not ignorant, just lucky I suppose). Realising that people thought these things was a BIG shock to me.
Bottom line: Racism is racism, no matter who is giving or taking the insult.

Answer 7

it's because the history behind white racism and the hurt. whites in enslaved blacks and i suppose in a way some people think give them back their own medicine and whites don't have the same social issues that comes with people being racist to them. i think because of all the things whites have done no one cares if a white person is racially abuse because of the past and to be perfectly honest no one will start to care just because of the past and the things whites have done. what has happened in the past doesn't really set up whites for the sympathy vote in cases like this and most people will just think you deserve it. sorry but its true.

Answer 8

A different kind of racism here. Smething like Draco Malfoys and the Slytherins's prejudice against 'mudbloods.'
These type think pure blood is in, whether black or white, and those of mixed breed are low down. Even respectable writers of yesteryear spoke badly about 'half-breeds.' I think Injun Joe in Tom Sawyer was referred to like that, but I'm not sure. Jim, who's black Twain treats with respect.
Actually, nobody knows what percent of mix there is in anybody's body.

Answer 9

I think that because we have all grown up being educated in racist terms used in the past by the white majority (i.e. by being showed 'Roots' in school), we have somehow allowed that to become embedded in our memory so whenever a white person uses a racist term, we feel as though 'its happened this many years, whats different now'. However, there is more anger these days directed at white people (by other white people and minorites) who use racist words because a majority of white people dont want to be stereotyped as the same as their predecessors (the same racist values).

no one wants to use racist words but because white people are so widely portrayed as being the dominant users of such words, there is a greater emphasis on 'correcting' them.

Of course, most people will know that white people are not the most racist. In fact, the minorities are just as racist back towards them AND to each other. It seems that these days, racist words are allowed to be used by minorities towards white people and other minorites and no one will say anything about it because it is somehow justified by 'what the white people did before'. THIS IS WRONG.

i think that black people use the term 'neygur' to address each other because they are trying to put a positive spin on it. Previously, it was used in a very degrading way and by people such as rappers and hip hop artists (i.e. celebrities that young people admire and aspire to) using it in a positive way, it has become widely used as a positive phrase.

Similarly, there was a clothing line in the UK released called pa-ki which had the word written all over it. the aim of the clothing line was for young pakistanis to use the degrading word in a positive way and to be pround of what they were. unfortunately, it didnt do well here because there arent many westernised pakistani people that young pakistanis aspire to.

As for the woman calling you that word, she was simply trying to make you feel unhappy with your heritage. she might feel that because you are a mixed race, you are like a 'mongrel' and not a 'pure breed'. She might think that you're a 'sellout' because you're mixed and didnt 'stay 'true' to your original heritage. F*ck her! i hear that i look mixed all the time because im indian but im fair. people act funny towards me too.

be proud of what you are and ignorant people can carry on selling low-quality ganga on the streets of london for years to come!

Answer 10

History is the problem, lets face it is the white man who has been the most brutal and extensively violent common denominator in many of histories events.

Ethinic minority against ethnic minority never enters any debate on the subject because of the emotions involved whenever racisim is talked about, all minorities will focus on the largest oppressor past or present.