A question about race...?

Question

Ok, I'm sure some ppl are going to go off the handle about this and lecture me or gripe etc. , but I don't really care. I want serious answers. Do specific holidays, foundations made for specific races, defining hate crimes differently than other crimes and etc.. promote racism? Doesn't the actual self-segregation of these organizations etc.. lead to even more inequality. If we are all wanting to be equal, then shouldn't the standards and rewards be equal? Thanx in advance for those of you who can take this question at its true value and not just spout something hateful.

there's black history month, martin luther king day, there are latino holidays...and many others, but some of you miss the point. I am not focusing on holidays it was just an example. There is nothing wrong with celebrating your culture.

Sorry for all the details here, everyone is focusing on the holiday thing... lol what about the specific organizations.. such as charitys, clubs, fraternitys etc.. that only help people of a certain race? Doesn't that lead to more inequality? And isn't that also racism? Sorry, these things have been bugging me for a while now..

Answer 1

I agree 100%. That was the entire problem with affirmative action--on the one hand non-whites cried and cried and cried that they wanted to be treated equally so when the government gave preferential treatment to non-whites they accepted it whole-heartedly (which was NOT for equality but for preferential treatment.) Non-whites got into college with lower SAT and ACT scores simply because of their race. When affirmative action was done away with here in California, the number of non-whites going to college fell way back down and now there are cries of racism by non-whites accusing the government of not giving non-whites preferential treatment. Simply stated, non-whites want to get into college without having to work as hard as whites do. If I were not white I would HATE affirmative action because it states implicitly that non-whites are simply too dumb to compete with whites.

Most ethnic holidays do tend to divide the culture a little bit, but not as much as you may think. I don't think I've EVER met a Mexican who knows what Cinco de Mayo is even celebrating. All they know is it a time to watch mom and dad get drunk on Coronas and play mariachi music until some non-Mexican neighbors can't take it any more and call the cops. NO black person really celebrates Quansa and NONE of them have a clue what they are supposed to be celebrating anyway. So I don't give those holidays much thought anyway. But concepts like black-history month are definately preferential to blacks. And as a white teacher it is a no-win situation. If I DON'T teach special things during black history month, the black students ask me why I don't. So then if I DO devote special time to teach about black heros or black issues then the SAME students ask me what I'm doing trying to teach blacks about THEIR culture--they ARE black. They think that simply by being born black they somehow have innate knowledge about their history. Believe me--they DON'T. Neither did I have an innate knowledge of white history by being born white.

It is a volatile subject no how you approach it though.

Answer 2

the problem with race is that it really has nothing to do with it. For example everyone complaines about one race makin more money then another and one person lives better then another. well if those same people tried to do alittle better job there wouldnt be a problem. Short story that happend to me. I sure aint racist but i was called a racist once. One day i was workin and this girl was inline for a promotion. Then me, well the boss dint like her performance she was lazy and often came to work drunk and lait so he gave me the promotion instead of her. Well she was african american and she filed a grivance against the supervisor saying him and I were a bunch of racist people. I was angry she said that but the fact of the matter is she wasnt as good of a worker and I would have done the same thing if i were in his shoes.

I am all for helping anyone in need but the problem is everyone trys so hard to fight with one person or the next that it becomes a racial order or a country to country war. I have a friend whos uncle is black and he hates white people with a passion (because we are all racist.) he tells his kids to hate the white man because of what we did to his people many years ago. So now i ask who is the racist now? I apologised for all the things that happend to his ancestors but it wasnt me, who did those horrible things so why blame me and every other white person. This is one reason i often say that this is something we will never be able to get over with. sorry for the long message just tryin to get a point across. thank you

Answer 3

You seem to be confusing race, or color, with the culture or ethnicity that was prevalent in the geographic area where that so-called racial group evolved. Celebrating cultural traditions, as long as those traditions themselves aren't racist, is not promoting racism - more often it familiarizes others with some aspect of that diversity that we might want to adopt as part of our own cultural practices - especially things like food varieties, the practice of aloha, the serenity of certain eastern ways, yoga, meditation, and so on.
What you see as self-segregation is nothing of the sort, as the word segregation implies an involuntary separation, and these various holidays are not closed to outsiders for the most part.
Where they are, it may be as much due to discrimination from without as to segregation from within.
You also need to remember that if you are a minority here in the US you are already subject to feelings of inequality, and many of the charities and such that you refer to as only helping their own are there to do just that, help those who need a leg up get a leg up - and help those who have a poorer self-image as minorities get a better image of themselves as equally valuable people in this world.
Does it all end up in perfect balance? Of course not. But I think the pressures that make these groups move are the needs to redress inequality, not to increase it. Except of course where the groups ARE clearly racist, and where the hate crime laws ARE applicable and needed.
But it seems from your additional comments that you are looking for affirmations that I believe are contrary to the facts in this matter, so you won't be swayed all that much by my attempts to change your feelings.

Answer 4

I can't think of any race specific holiday. The closest thing might be Martin Luther King day. Anyway hate crime legislation probably has little effect on the number of actual hate crimes committed because if some skinhead is pissed off and wants to savagely beat some black guy they probably won't be thinking, "Gee since this will be a hate crime, I will get 5 extra years in prison, maybe I shouldn't do this."

Answer 5

There are some holidays that come to mind that would generated from certain cultures. But I am not aware of any holidays toward a group of people that would make your question seem racist. Sorry. May God Bless

Answer 6

No.

Whether:
Black Month,
White Month,
Latin Month,
or Asian Month,

They don't promote racism.
They promote pride and appreciation of your own race.

These Holidays are sort of like National Holidays.
But instead of celebrating your own "country", these holidays celebrate your own "race".
It brings unity to the people of a specific heritage.
But it doesn't promote hate.

Answer 7

People are taught to hate each other, the governments of world created racism and keeps it alive. The government controls the media and the schools. Black people created dam near everything, but the governments says nothing, so everybody think blacks are dumb.

Answer 8

Yes, I think it does promote racism. The world has gone mad with political correctness protecting minorities. I'd be mad if someone singled me out because of something that didn't have anything to do with the inside part of me..

Answer 9

Whew! Deep question.

Rather than going through and answering each one of your questions, allow me to say this:

One can be proud of one's race without being racist. One can participate in things that are exclusive to their own race without being racist.

However, one cannot prohibit someone else from doing the same. That is racism.

Answer 10

i do not think a culture or race celebrating there beliefs, or customs is racist.
African People celebrate Kwanzaa
Muslim people celebrate Eid
I celebrate Christmas
( just an example)
we all come from different places belief different things, its not racist...if you want to be equal , education yourself in others customs...i'm 100% sure anyone would be glad to share the joy of there day with you:)