Why is it not possible for black and white to resolve the issue of racismn?

Question

As a white, I lived in Arkansas in a black community. I went to church with blacks and worked with them. I went to their homes on a few occassions and invited many of them to mine. They would not associate with me except in church. I truly asked to be a part of their every-day life but this was refused. I admittedly was raised in the deep south but my family taught me against prejudice.I was convinced that I did not know what bigotry was and yet I was myself the object of bigotry. I am old now and still have no answer to my question. Why can't we resolve the question of racismn in America? Is there anyone out there of the black race who wants too. Because this old woman would like an answer before I pass on.

I should clarify that Arkansas was not my first experience with blacks, just my first as a minority among blacks. My family lived in the rural south and my first playmates were the kids across the road. They were black and I never noticed. We had too much fun climbing trees and riding goats. I realized the error of southern thinking when school started and society separated us. I learned to be silent and wait until their bus came. I helped Andy Young in Atlanta at 19 and fell madly in love but he had other ideas. I married white but insisted on joining the Maranatha Church in Greenville, S.C because I truly believe in living as I profess. My best friends were Linda & Theresa. Named my baby girl for them. I am truly trying to understand why I was so treated in Arkansas.

Answer 1

Let's simplify this.

Whites did a Pearl Harbor on us Blacks a few hundred years ago.
As far as we were concerned it was a dastardly attack.

We remember, we shall always remember it, and make it our personal responsibility to point this out as often as possible.

Japan attacked Pearl Harbor and the whites make certain that whenever December 7th comes around this is pointed out. They never forgot it, and they never will, and they will always make it their business to point it out.

The Japanese will never let the United States forget the nuking of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and every year they point it out. They will never forget; they will make certain that no one forgets this.

The Chinese will never let Japan forget the rape of Nan-king, not ever and they will point this out every year, along with a host of other atrocities that the Japanese visited upon them in the past.

The Jewish people will never let anyone forget about the holocaust, and they will point this out every year. To their credit they have videos and photographs proving that their culture had a very bad 10 years and no one was amused.

You ask WHY blacks and whites will ever resolve their differences? Silly you. You are not a student of history. This much is clear. You expect to escape the sins of your ancestors and your fathers. Good luck.

You live in a country that was built on genocide, slavery and death. There is not one here who can deny, or speak away this bit of history. The Natives here invited your fathers in with open arms and you used them, betrayed them and murdered them. Your fathers visited death upon every tribe on the North American Continent without mercy because they were perceived as savages.

You basically wiped them out and then used my people as a source of cheap labour to build your empire. You kept us in line with rape, murder torture and straight up terrorism. You cry and whine when the people of the middle east have a problem with your meddling in their affairs, and you denounce their terrorism, but you seem to forget that your nation engaged in terrorism against a helpless people.

Your fathers even had a single chance to right a wrong with at least one race of people that it had betrayed and used, and tortured and terrorized and yes, it was us, the blacks. You had your emancipation proclamation. At that point you could have turned everything around for your selves at least with this group, but what did your fathers do? You freed us then You terrorized us for the next 100 years. You insured in us that WE would never forget your true nature. You did this to yourselves. You created a race problem yourselves. Our crime? We reacted.

I hate to say it but you whites have visited your demons upon yourselves. You are a strange lot. You take no responsibility at all for the actions you have taken against others.

Think about it. After the emancipation proclamation, if the whites had helped the ex slaves recover, and then got them self reliant, and then backed off and did not indulge in the terrorism and lynchings, and beatings and hate. You would have had a population of blacks years later who would have thought you guys were the best thing happening around. We most likely would have done anything you suggested at this point because you exercised wisdom in the past.
You guys blew it.

The current events that are happening now is because your fathers and you guys did not think about cause and effect. With all of the technology that you have created, you are nothing more than children. You brought this hell on yourself. You did it all to yourselves...don't blame my people for your lack of vision.

I think I'm going to go throw up I'm so angry.

Answer 2

Martha I don't think that most people are raised now-a-days in homes where OPEN racism is preached or practiced. Of course there are exceptions but we're talking about majorities here. However, racism is still IMPLIED in a lot of homes. Meaning this: if a white father see his child playing with a black child at the park he may steer her to another area. He doesn't tell her "don't play with that black kid" but it is implied and it makes an impression on that child whether dad realizes it or not. I'm not saying all do this. I would never discourage my child from playing with another child of ANY race.

By the same token I believe, after having been in the homes of many black friends growing up, that it is often talked about and discussed with such fervor the subject of how whites used blacks as slaves and they were so oppressed by the whites that the children come out of that home believing the white man is out to get him or the white man should pay. Even as recently as the OJ Simpson trial there was an old black man in the jury who said on national tv that he believed OJ was guilty but they let him go to make up for all the other injustices blacks had suffered through the years. Our children hear these things. They grow up in that negative environment and the general feeling of racism sinks in even though it is not openly discussed or encouraged.

Blacks and whites both have a LONG WAY to go before this issue can ever be resolved. As a white woman I would love to resolve it but I have no idea how either. It seems there are so very few blacks who will allow any trust in the whites. And there are too many whites who still feel superior.

God have mercy on us all for we are ALL his children!

Answer 3

I think your question is part of the problem. You have used one personal experience to make generalizations about race relations in an entire country. A rural town in Arkansas is not representative of the entire United States. You had one experience, and it has colored the way you think about race in this country. That is unfortunate, and people drawing hasty conclusions based on anecdotal evidence is one reason racism persists.

I can counter your example of racism with one of my own. I attended a historically Black college in the south. There were few white students at my school. Yet, the student body president was a white guy. Yes, a predominately Black population elected a white guy as student body President. Does this example make your experience invalid? No. But it does demonstrate that we cannot draw conclusion based on our limited personal experiences.

I am not denying that racism exists. I agree that it does. I do not know when or if America will be able to resolve its race issues. I think that most Blacks and I hope most Whites would like to see this ugly issue resolved.

Answer 4

I am a black women and I hang out with a diverse group maybe in general racism will not ever go away but I think that people should go on with life not think about color so much because not everyone is a racist treat everyone as a individual and not a group or sterotype each group because that does not stand for everyone but we also live in a imperfect world and we cant change that just god this is the way the devil wants it hate

Answer 5

All I know about ridding the issue of racism is to live up to the truth in your heart, and live each day of your life the way you know is right.

Could the black community have been looking out for your welfare? They may have had reasons to feel it wasn't in your (and everybody's) best interests to get too much closer outside of church. Try to enjoy your memories of socializing in church and whenever you could get together with the ones you wanted to be friends with.

This world is getting smaller faster than we're getting older, and we ain't dead yet, sister! You may yet come upon the opportunity to respond to somebody(ies) who appeal to your heart the way those folks from back home did, then there you have it: happy day!

Please think about leaving your longing of the past where those memories wait, and looking forward with your open mind and heart.

Woops, I'm white. I was so moved by your story I got carried away with my thoughts on the matter and forgot who you were addressing. Oopsiedoodle.

Answer 6

There have been studies in the past that show that when most people are in a crowded area such as a bus, they will subconsciously gravitate towards people that seem similar to how they view themselves because it comforts them. This type of behavior is not limited to a racial basis. The same sort of sentiment is exhibited daily on a global scale in the name of religion.

Racism is a learned cognitive function where the same sort of comforting belief systems apply. None of us are born racist. We like to generalize races and religions because it helps us simplify our lives. We are uncomfortable with uncertainty and confusion in our lives because it makes us analyse our mindsets and actions when we would otherwise be in a blissfully ignorant slumber. Instead of leaving everything up to chance, we like to stand behind a priniciple.

I think when we place such a big emphasis on race divides, no matter if we are trying to fix them or widen them, we are programming our minds towards discriminatory thought processes because no matter what your intentions are, race is still at the root. You have to realize that these people have condemned you because of the enviornment surrounding them and that you are upset with the issue of racism because of your enviornment and upbringing.

Answer 7

Because they have learned from an early age how good it feels to have that pride within.

That pride has become hardened and overtime leads to hatred.

Hatred murders any relationship and separates the good in the heart by which it was derived.

Hatred is a powerful thing! It is a kin to damnation.


Your sister,
Ginger,
[e-mail]

Answer 8

it is called reverse racism. things have gone the other direction. i am now shunned by some black people because i am white. it has actually made myself, a child who was raised not to be racist, to feel negatively towards many black people. NOT ALL, but many.

sad, but honest.

by the way, i have had best friends who are black, and i am white like my little avatar... they were different though... real... and didn't care that i was white...

Answer 9

People do not get along with their only family, how you can expect a society to get along." No, no one wants sit around and sing Kumbaya, like one big happy family! Sure, "Can't we all get along,"is ideal, but, until people make peace in their own family, society cannot solve cultural issues. In the meantime, everyone make peace with family and friends.

Answer 10

It is so easy yet impossible. Easy, if each individual would wake up one day and say I refuse to be racist and support racism. I am very belligerent when it comes to racism and racists from any source, however, there are scores of people who think differently. I am so totally with you. I would love to see this useless hatred and fear put to rest before I go to rest.