Is It Racism?

Question

I am an american male with a darker shade of brown shown on my skin. I was raised in a home that not only shunned racism, but I was taught to equally love everyone. This was not something that my environment supported. I grew up in a rough neighborhood, but went to a christian school where only about 4 other students were placed into the same category as me (ethnic). I have dated people of all backgrounds and from different contries. But I fall into the category of those who are offended by the hateful words and don't know why exactly, but if I were to use derogatory slang to offend someone different than me it would feel as if I accomplished something (payback). I'ts sad but true. I have even used the N word in situations to compliment and tear down people who are labeled in the same category as myself. I'ts a childlike mentality that I have in my head." If they stop, then I stop" If there were no KKK, then there would have been no Black Panthers.

Answer 1

My first question is, Why did you feel the need to hint at you ethnic background?



Every human being of every ethnic background has some sort of racial prejudice. It is normal and natural. There is nothing wrong with having pride in who you are and your cultural heritage/ancestry. That is what makes us each unique. It would be a pretty bland world if we were all one color and one cultural background.

Racisim is everwhere and directed at more than just one "skin color" I do not use the word "race" because we are all of the Human race and have different degrees of color.
Racial slurs are wrong. Having to describe a co-worker as"this black guy at work" or "this white guy at work" is just as bad. Why is there a need to tell the color of the persons skin? Does it make them any less or more important than simply saying 'this guy at work"?

Anger, fear, frustration and spite, tends to be the way racisim spreads. However lashing out in any of these moods is very common. Racisim has been here since other culturas began to roam the earth and be exposed to people of other regions.


What matters most is how they choose to deal with it. They can be way off in left field like the KKK or they can accept we are all different, unique and we all deserve the same respect, compassion and friendship that anyone else does.

When you find yourself in another childish exchange of words. .. correct yourself. Self Discipline is how.

Answer 2

Some of these responses are ridiculous. As an American, I am beginning to realize how racist Britain actually is. Embrace diversity instead of thinking "Oh no!! they are taking over". I literary have friends from almost every culture imaginable, and it has in fact made me a better person. Even the deep south of the US, which has a bad reputation for racism, is not near as bad as what I see on some of these message boards. I grew up in a neighborhood where I was the only white kid, and I was at times discriminated against, but I don't make generalizations of all minorities because of it.

Answer 3

I'll assume the question is 'Is using racial epithets racism.' here. Use of such words is or can be construed as abuse if the intent is to belittle someone. Apply that definition to each situation, if you're using the n word to tear someone down, I'd say it's just abuse but the subject is extremely tricky, Spike Lee/Quentin Tarrentino films not withstanding. Is Spike allowed to write the word in his scripts but Quentin not? I grew up in a predominately black area in London but I'm white, it took me a long time to even notice the difference, they're just people. I have a simple motto, do as you'd be done by. Apply the definition above to each situation, if the terms used would offend you, it's racial abuse, end of story. Walk away, anyone still stuck in the past enough to use them, isn't going to listen to reason and isn't worth your time. If it's done in the workplace and in company, report them, any business should have procedures in place for diversity training as well as abuse in the workplace to ensure this shouldn't happen.

Good luck with this, it's an old old problem but one that will only be tackled by everyone being educated.

Answer 4

Succinctly, your reflex to cuss out other people in racially infuriating ways is an expression of bigotry or ignorance--in the same vein that a redneck will label mexicans as mudpeople or such other derogatory term.

Outright racism is a different story. One definition of racism implies that the perpetrator's bigoted and generalized beliefs against another person or group directly or indirectly RESULTS in some clear and significant action that hinders, restricts, discourages or otherwise impairs the Constitutional rights or the exercise thereof of these rights of the subject.

Examples include being passed over for a job/raise/membership or being slandered in public that causes a negative shift in collective public perception of a number of people towards you or your ethnic group--such as coworkers, neighbors, acquiantances or worse--the general public.

Many people nowadays freely slander arabs and moslems, as we used to against the Japanese-Americans in WWII and the Russians during the Cold War. The current hate moslems phenomenon is the trend du jour. It's almost fashionable. In this case, it is slander because most of these "facts" they claim to be true (e.g. they are *mostly* terrorists and hate christians/jews) are unsubstantiable by most legal standards. So whoever promotes these beliefs verbally or through action that somehow causes many of the affected victims a job or such--is committing discriminatory racism. BTW, that is unconstitutional and clearly illegal by true US laws. People seem to forget that.

Answer 5

okay you have to understand that as a Christian you have to love as God loved and God doesn't care whether you are white black jew or gentile. It is racism if you do the same thing that they do to you. You have to bigger than them. Me as a black female can not call a white person a cracker just because he called me the N word. They hurt and if you hurt someone how can youcall yourself a Christian. God nor Jesus never hurt anyone. This world is too small to worry about what someone has called you. Be the bigger person. The N word means ignorant. Don't be the N word grow up

Answer 6

I think that if you have to ask yourself if something is racism, it usually is.

Even if the people you are trying to "tear down" are in the same category as you are, it is your bias against people for who they are that define racism.

I think this is a very loaded issue that has no right or wrong answer because nobody else has walked in your shoes and lived your life, so they can't answer how you should act/feel/react.

Answer 7

If there was no KKK, there would still be a black panther party.
The black panther party formed out of the blatant racism that the society had at the time. There was no need to join the KKK at that time B/c most whites were racist any way. You need to drop the n-word. It is not OK to belittle people no matter what they are.
Love thy neighbor

Answer 8

There will always be people who are racist, and there will always be people who aren't. You should ask yourself which kind you want to be. Payback can turn you into a racist.

Answer 9

Someone has to be the first to stop. No reason it can't be you.

Answer 10

Deep down, everyone knows whether or not they are racist.