Why do other minorities often think they are 'above' blacks?

Question

I've noticed that often other minorities - Filipinos, Hispanics etc - seem to feel that they are "above" black people. I am a smartly dressed well spoken black woman and yet I recently had an Arab cab driver refuse to drive me anywhere unless I gave him the fare upfront. When I asked why, he said "you people" can't be trusted. He also said that I was lower than a dog. I have a Filipina neighbor who is always making comments about how black women's hair doesn't grow and about how upset her (working class immigrant) parents were when she brought home a part-black man as her date. This man was Harvard educated and upper class but her parents still looked down on him. What makes penniless non-black minorities imagine they are somehow better than blacks?

Don't the Mexicans and Puerto Ricans realize that they are hated at least as much as Blacks and possibly even more so?

Sometimes their attitudes are almost funny! They can't even hardly speak English, they share one small house with 20 or more family members, they are broke as hell and yet they still look down on African Americans!

I also saw the latest statistics:

25% of black people in the US individually earn $50,000 a year or more

22% of black people in the US live in poverty

So this shows me that the majority of blacks are actually NOT living in the projects or unemployed etc.

They are in fact doing rather better than Hispanics in the US.

Hmm

Answer 1

Because the reality of it is that society places us below all other ethnic groups. We are all minorities but when it comes to other races aside from African Americans the (other) races are classified as the lesser of two evils. It's sad that even in today we have to deal with this, but it is the truth.

Some feel African-Americans are lower because we were the only race 'widely-recognized' as slaves - the only race that had to deal with colored-only signs...most of us couldn't "pass" for anything other than black - as always they try to make it that our skin is our sin. But that's ignorant.

And now with the rapid increase of African-American's succeeding with knowledge and business sense; the only thing left to do is now classify us all as 'riding the Affirmative Action train' or saying we're all thugs, products of the system and/or people who cannot be trusted. But these are thoughts of an ignorant mind. And ignorant thoughts generate ignorant actions. Just keep on moving.

Answer 2

Most people think African-Americans are lazy. The minorities work on jobs that pay you like a slave and brag about how they came over and was able to find work. What they don't realize , African-Americans know their worth. They know this country was built on the blood,sweat and tears of Blacks and we are not to tolerate being paid slave wages. Some people in these groups then start to look at African-Americans like dogs.Feeling if the Blacks --especially a man doesn"t have a job ---He's nothing. What the Blacks are saying if I work the same job as a White person I need 2 make the same pay. The problem occurs when the minorities who come over and step in the middle of what we're fighting for. Work still has to go on,the employers will hire 3 minorities paying them $4 an hr than hiring that black man or woman who's fighting for that $12 an hr. Meanwhile that white person is making his/her $12 an hr. They feel if they got the job and hob knob with the whites, they are more accepted. They are being used as slaves and don't even see it.

Answer 3

First of all, I would like to say that I am sorry for the discrimination that you have experienced at the hands of what seems like some very ignorant people. I am a 33 year old black woman who grew up in the mid west and was subject to ignorant comments and hurtful generalizations. When I moved to California I was so excited to meet Latino people and Asians and other cultures of people I did not have the privilege of growing up with. Much to my dismay, I found that SOME of them were very prejudice and I experienced the same deal you did. My take on the situation is that I believe that people who know about the history of blacks in America don't ever want anything like that to happen to them. In history, no crime was so great against man other than the Holocaust. I feel some Latinos and other cultures see themselves as the lowest rungs on the totem pole, and they need someone to be better than. They don't get properly represented on TV or anywhere else in American culture and I'm sure they are upset by that. When I moved I thought there would be this solidarity between minorities but there was very little. As for the cab driver. Something like that happened to me in Las Vegas. I reported him and he was fired!

Answer 4

Because statistically they are, especially if you are a black male.

If you are a black male you are far more likely to:

Go to jail
Beat your spouse
Become violent

These are not racest rants simply DOJ statistics.

Black women on the other hand have done quite well.

They have much higher rates of high school graduation and college degrees. This has caused a bit of a problem for succussful black women to find an appropriate mate of the same race.
Can you honestly say you would go ahead and buy a car if stricly buy the numbers you knew if was far more likely to breakdown than the other cars you could afford?

It does not mean the particular car you are looking at would breakdown but because it is that make and model it is more likely too. It is the same with black men.

Harsh but true and somewhat logical if you remove emotion from your thoughts.

Answer 5

Nobody should look down on anyone regardless of race, age, religion, or sexual orientation. I think most people see people with more money as better, Black people are generally middle class or lower class. I think that's ridiculous that the cab driver treated you that way but that can happen to anyone. That neighbor of yours is VERY ignorant and racist, she has no idea what she is talking about. Just don't let others ignorance or rudeness ruin your day because you know who you are they don't.

Answer 6

Here in south africa i have often been faced with the same dilema. I think thats it is because of generations of being told and treated as if that is true. During apartheid here colourds were treated better than blacks, and indians better that colourds. I suppose it just got passed on. Out of ignorance and an unwillingness and fear of change, acceptance and tolerance.

Answer 7

Because people believe what they think they see! They believe what the media shows them and they label a whole race on the actions of a very small number of people...

Every race thinks they are better than the next and every race thinks they are better than the black race. Its sad but true...

Every other race thinks that blacks are not human...even today!

Answer 8

I suppose it's because whenever there is a minority group that feels down and out, they like to make themselves feel better developing a superiority complex against other groups. It helps their self-esteem.
Like some Mexicans thinking they're better than Blacks, or vice versa. It is simply a ploy to make a statement that, "We're better than you" when in reality we're in the same boat.

Answer 9

Too many of them stereotype us and think we're inferior. it's not right, but they do it anyway. But lots come to find out how ignorant they are when so many of us succeed. People like that will never have an open mind nor a warm heart. Let THEM live with it.

Answer 10

They know that we're the lowest status people in America, so they are trying to distance themselves from us. They also think that if they parrot the same prejudices that White America has against us, they will be seen as "different" than Black people. Many of them also cling to their lighter complexions - again, thinking that they will have higher status if White people think they are closer to them than they are to us.

It's sad really, White people dislike Latinos and Asians almost as much as they dislike us and no amount of anti-Black racism on the part of Latinos and Asians will change that!