Why is it that those who vocally condemn racism are accused of being rabble rousers/trouble-makers?

Question

Is it not the case of the ostrich burying its head in the sand? It's one thing to preach that "I believe in non-discrimination on basis of colour or creed" but when it comes to practice, how many of us actually live up to the stated ideal. When was the last time you did not listen to a racist joke/innuendo made by a close friend/acquaintance without reprimanding him/her straightaway that you do not "enjoy this sort of prejudiced action"?

Much of the racism and prejudice is in peoples' ,MINDS and this disease has to be fought at a political, ideological and spiritual level. As long as there is this tendency of "denial" - little progress is to be achieved. Why is that few people believe in empathetically addressing the issue from the perspective of the victim? What prevents your moral conscience from understanding the true nature of the grievance that a person might have?

Is it not that the UK didn't have a US-style civil rights movement that the issue is being swept under the rug

@Trisha

I'm sorry I DO NOT agree with your view that it is in human nature to perceive differences; if I dare say that is the very basis for this disease's existence - that shows you have prejudice for someone who doesn't conform to your average taste. I DO NOT support this theory and I don't like to see differences between people without them being "individuals"

I feel people need to be vocal enough to condemn this so-called difference in attitudes/perceptions on factors that are beyond a person's control: sex, race, religion, etc.

If you're not doing enough to teach your kids to condemn/boycott any such behaviour, you're allowing prejudice to take root in their tender hearts.

Answer 1

well i certainly can see why you asked this question, after seeing the abusive answers i got for my question.

people don't like it being pointed out that they are ignorant and uninformed. and as you (and i have said) they instill this sense of hatred into their offspring who then grow up to believe all other races are beneath them.

i just feel sorry for them.

i bring up my son to be open and understanding of everything different. my fiance is indian and i want my son to learn the indian culture and be interested in other ways of life.

no one looks on the side of the victim. if they would just take some time to talk to someone of another race they may learn something. i love to learn about different cultures and religions. it fascinates me to see how other people do things.

lets just face it indian x, these people probably have things wrong in their lives and they deal with it by taking out their misguided greiviences on others they think are a lower life from than themselves.

just feel sorry for them that they have such sheltered lives.

Answer 2

First lets look at the question, those who vocally condemn racism are not universally accused of being rabble rousers.

Why? Because they're not. Things aren't that bad yet, but there is racism its obvious. Maybe it can be accepted (eg the Irish guy ), but it can be hurtful, damaging and in the end dangerous. Some people do it out of ignorance, but the rest do not. You asked 'What prevents your moral conscience from understanding the true nature of the grievance that a person might have?' and I think the answer is that the people who do it are greedy for power and a quick soundbite. The other possibility is that they are doing it to increase their own security in some way as if making a whole lot of people unacceptable is just as good as making themselves more acceptable.

Its horrid.

Answer 3

I have read your question and the answers to it, also your counter comments. People do have a right to vocally condemn racism without being called a rabble rouser/trouble maker. You unfortunately take it too far. There is a great deal of difference between 'racist jokes' as you call them and real racism. If you are going to attack everyone you hear who makes a joke that you do not like you are belittling your stance. I agree that people need to teach their children to mix and associate with people from all creeds and cultures, but unfortunately people, who have made the free and rational decision to move to this country, then decide that they do not want their children to intigrate with us. This too is racism. They demand different schooling, they are effectively asking for segregation, a practice that the Black Americans fought and died to eliminate. I abhor racism and I do not think that your approach is doing anything to help eliminate it. Racism is attacking people of another race/creed/colour mainly because they do not fit into the niche that the racist conceives. I suggest that you climb off your high horse and read your questions and comments again. You may find that they are definately heading that way.

Answer 4

I don't think that is all that true. The vast majority of people aren't racist at all and lead their lives without putting down people for no reason. The only time I have ever accused some one who condemns racism as a trouble maker is when they do things like you just have and shout about it for apparently no reason. Why you have suddenly decided to post this question I have no idea as I didn't hear anyone make a racist comment or belittle you in any way. If you have something happen to you then I will be sympathetic but if you cry wolf too many times I will be liable to ignore you when you do need my assistance.

Answer 5

I think what you are are trying to do is draw attention to your particular way of thinking. Your are a 'Politically Correct' type who believes that the world will change for the religious/political better if you keep shouting 'Racism!' at every opportunity.
'Political Correctness' is for politicians. The REAL world is for the rest of us! The rest of us LIVE in the real world....not a Utopian dream world.
This may be news to you, but, ....there has ALWAYS been prejudice and ALWAYS will be. ( for instance, there is not of love lost between India and Pakistan is there?)
You are lucky to be living in a time where there are laws in this country (and most others) that prevent physical racism as was practised by most countries for centuries.
I would suggest that you think about how lucky you are to be living in a comparatively tolerant country like the UK and not in Pakistan. (I note you name yourself Indian)
There will always be low life people who will be extremely racist to the point of being violent. The VAST majority of this country are intelligent and tolerant towards immigrants and reserve the RIGHT to be vocal when our country is invaded albeit peacefully!!.

Answer 6

I really find it offensive to be lectured, particularly in such a po-faced way by someone called Indian_X. If my avatars name was "White Anglo-Saxon Guy" you might make certain assumptions about my worldview (as I do with yours). Incidentally if your comparing yourself with African-American activist "Malcolm X" i really suggest you take another look at his lifestory, and who eventually murdered him.

You originate from a culture that not only discriminates on the basis of colour and ethnicity but has elevated the entire matter into a religious system that endorses the enslavement of black/darkskined aboriginal peoples by white/light skinned "Aryan" incomers. How else would you characterise the explotative relationship that exists between Brahmins and other high caste Indians and the Dalit/Untouchable underclass in much of rural India? Don't you think you should be dealing with the pick-axe handle in your own head before talking about the splinter in mine.

Incidentally if you are a Muslim, Buddist or Christian Indian, you are probably already aware of Hindu bigotry in all aspects of Indian public life.

I am curious who is accusing who of being rabble rousers or trouble-makers? Do you actually have any actual experience of fighting racism? Do you have any practical suggestions how to do this? Do you consider only white people capable of racism or do accept that black and asian people can also be racist? Has mult-culturalism been a positive factor or as Trevor Philips thinks has it created communities living parrallel, mutually incomprehensible lives?

Does the fact that a significant minority of Muslims are willing to endorse the bombing of innocent people in our capital by Islamist terrorists justify a degree of "fear of Islam" or Islamophobia? Is it Islamophobia that has caused the relative economic failure of muslims compared to other south Asian groups, dispite this failure goes back decades before 9/11?

Has the arrival of 400,000 Poles in the UK in the last couple of years when the Government estimated around 30,000 created the fear that immigration is out of control? Does this explain the growth in racism and support for extremist Parties?

Are anti-racists willing to condemn anti-Americanism and anti-Semitic attacks on British Jews as racism. Or is this an exception that can be justified by events in the Middle East?

Answer 7

Hardly being 'swept under the rug' look at all the media attention it is getting.

I fear that racism is alive, well and living in nearly every, if not all, countries. I also realise that it is here to stay in one form on another and to pretend that we can cure it overnight is invidious.
Human beings are innately dtscriminatory and wether this on the bases of colour, creed or simple racial origin it will always be with us.
What after all is nationalism other than thinly disguised racism. Pride in Country other than a desire to be better than the next. No racism in one form or another is with us to stay.

That doesn't mean that the ugly and damaging overt racism practised by the uneducated is acceptable and nor should it be. What it means is we should be more aware of others wishes , fears and neads. We should also be aware of the differences between different cultures and respect others rights to follow their own beliefs. That is all cultural groups being aware and respectful of all other cultural groups.

At the moment in this country the pressure is too much on the older culture to respect the rights of the newer cultural groups. There doesn't appear to be the same pressure on the newer groups to respect the rights of the culture they are moving into, indeed some, in fact mainly one, of the newer groups appear to wish to force their beliefs on all the other groups without regard for their rights.

It is largely this disparity that is causing a backlash against those who attempt to push one groups rights against another.

Answer 8

I myself a few years back thought like many other white people...that it was 'blown out of proportion' that those who accused people of racism 'had a chip on their shoulder.
As soon as I atarted seeing my partner (who is of dual heritage) I saw a stark change in the attitudes of people I had known all my life.
This is not just irish/scottish jokes in the pub....People get killed because of ignorance. We had to move from a village I had lived in 22 years.
I do tell people that I think they are out of order and have left friends behind because of it.
I myself was the target of a rascist attack about 11 years ago and was badly beaten by 8 black and asian girls with many onlookers...I just so happened to be the only white person that side of the town centre at that minute.
People are becoming more intolerant in the present climate evan more than ten years ago-and that scares me.

Answer 9

Nobody likes to be accused of being racist. The trend is to denounce racism vocally and turn a blind eye as it becomes more "institutionalized" or undercover. This is consistent with society's tendency to make sensitive subjects taboo, and not subject to open and honest discussion.
I find that racism exists, but is less socially acceptable and therefore practised in a more descreet fashion.

Answer 10

Unfortunately the problem is that individuals who do comment on immigration issues are invariably labelled as being 'racist' by wooly liberals. In reality everyone has a right to express their opinion, whether others agree or not, as long as it is not in a way which is offensive or incites racial hatred - and that applies to everyone.

Political correctedness has inverted upon itself -it has made people more resentful of those they see as different or who do not share the same culture as themselves.

The clear answer to your question is that there has been so much political correctedness and wooly liberalism it has resulted in a lot of people being less tolerant. So I think you will find as soon as you mention the word 'racism' people are very offended and that could be because of their past experiences, don't you think? Does that make sense? I think most of us just switch off when we hear 'racism' now, because unfortunately the term has been so abused and continues to be so.
You cannot force others to agree with you or take the same line - and there's nothing about ostrich head burying - what you are seeing is that people are tired of it and they have seen their own rights growingly ignored (thanks again to wooly liberals) .It's probably not what you want to hear, sorry ,but the people to blame are the wooly liberals themselves!

Add on:
Unfortunately I just saw one of your previous questions and I would say that you have a tendency to promote a bit of racial hatred towards UK individuals don't you?? That is when you make your own question collapse. Foolish indeed.

Answer 11

In retrospect, a joke is just that, a joke... Theres a world of difference between a joke and someone who may have racist oppinions/carry out racist actions.

I'm Welsh, and English friends take the piss on this matter... But I take the piss back. So all's well. It's light heartedness really.

But it would be a different matter if someone said that they wern't employing me/selling something to me etc because I was Welsh