Why do people say racism when you ask a question about blacks?

Question

I am white and blacks sometimes do things differently than me and i wonder why. That is not racism it is curiosity. Maybe if we were all more open to answering these questions we would get along better.

Answer 1

i agree, my bestfriend is white, we joke about the difference between black and white ppl all the time.. like, in scary movies, how come the white ppl go see what the noise is? when youhear someone scream upstairs, its only the whites that go upstairs to see whats up...LoL. but nah, i dont think its that big of a deal, sometimes ppl get offended too easily..this is an uptight world nowadays.

Answer 2

One thing is definitely how people ask questions. I work with a group that deals with erasing racism. The questions I am asked are foolish a lot of times. I do "white" things like listen to punk and hang out with gothic people, please don't ask me what the latest hip-hop CD is about. I feel that too many people assume things. If I'm not dressed like a hip-hopper or speaking slang or going to hip-hop shows, what would be the basis of asking me about hip-hop? It would be my skin color. This is a generalization.

Also, sometimes people are too sensitive.

And sometimes you just pick a bad time to ask. Say I just had someone do something blatantly racist to me and then you come along "curiously" asking me a question, it just feels raw. For an example, some lady at a diner makes a snide remark about black people and chicken and then you come around an hour later and innocently ask why black people love chicken. Bad Timing. And that happens more than you know. It's something that you have to build a resistance to as a person of color but there are things you can do as a white person to make the conversation go better. It's best to never say "they" or "those people" or "them" because you've already segregated the conversation and made the person of color immediately on the defense.

When you spend your life as the "advertisement" of your race, it becomes a burden. Don't ask people a generalized question, get to know them as an individual. I know it's been said, but you already did it in your question. "Why do people....?" Who are the people you refer to? And you also say "I am white and blacks sometimes...." You immediately put a black person on defense because they feel the need to defend themselves from your accusation. I am not all blacks, but because I am a black person I get the feeling that I am never able to answer as an individual. My answer is already seen to me as contributing to the black people's answer.

Answer 3

Curiosity isn't a bad thing, but why don't you try finding a book that might have the answers first? It might be easier to question someone first hand and more informative, but if you really want to then try not to offend someone. Everyone has different ways of doing things no matter what race they are. I live in a racist community, but this doesn't mean I am. Some people are just more open-minded than others, too. I hope this helps. I say good day.

Answer 4

When you ask a question about blacks, perhaps you should include something along the lines of "I don't want to get anything started, but was just curious to why some blacks" and then ask your question. If you make it seem like your asking why ALL blacks are this way or whatever, it would come across as being racist,

Answer 5

unhappy yet real racism isn't likely everywhere. No it is not something like it became and in no way would be like it became in spite of the undeniable fact that it is in no way going away. a lot of human beings are very set of their techniques and era after era is taught what their mum and dad have faith is sweet. Therefor racism will continuously stay in our international. the component that gets to me nevertheless is the race card getting used whilst it has not something to do with race. it is not only white on black racism and it is not only black on white racism. it is all racism. I as quickly as had a guy or woman tell me that i did not like her because of the fact she became black. i'd desire to have died guffawing once you communicate that one in all my ultimate friends is black. it quite is a daft yet real. I choose we could have a racism loose u . s . a . in spite of the undeniable fact that it only not likely to take place. If we could exchange the minds of people who've been raised to be racist then we'd make a dent in spite of the undeniable fact that it is going to in no way bypass away.

Answer 6

Not enough info.
I'm wondering if it might be how you ask the question.
Do you say "What do you people eat?"
or do you say "What do you enjoy eating?"
I think you may want to lose the emphasis on race when you're asking about another person.
You're already implying that "they" are all the same, and that "they" are all different from you.
Why not ask questions pertaining to the individual, instead of asking questions that make you sound like your asking about some weird species of human. The individuals you ask are not ambassadors of their race. They are an individual who happens to be black. Ask them about themselves as an individual.
Hope that helps you.

Answer 7

maybe its sometimes the way you ask the question and the fact that one or a few black people do one thing doesn't mean that all black people do it or even know the answer why the other black people do it. before you ask a question just say i'm curious about this why do certain people do this.

Answer 8

Not all do but I would say the ones who do are just too touchy. There are those out there who want to cry racism at the drop of a hat. I have seen those who welcome the questions because they see it as a way to educate others about themselves.

Answer 9

Don't know. It's good for people to try to understand other people as far as I'm concerned. I guess the important thing is to be careful how questions are worded. This country, and many others is wound so tight right now that is is easy for people to perceive slights.

Answer 10

They say racism because it is racist. Especially if your question makes general assumptions about the behavior of a large group of people. Remember that the group is comprised of individuals, and not every one of them may participate in the behavior you're asking about, nor appreciate being lumped in with the rest based on nothing more than skin color.