America and race?

Question

Hi, I'm from England and i'd like to say first that this isn't out to offend anyone and I hope it doesn't... But since hearing about the awful VT shootings, i've noticed so many questions on here asking if this inncident will make us change our minds about Asians in general...And with respect I have to say, it's driving me mad.

Race/colour is a much much bigger issue in the US than the UK. And if this had happened over here instead, I doubt that many British people would be asking the same question.

I have to say the same about the whole Don Imus issue (Sorry if i got his name wrong, I'd never heard of him untill a couple of weeks ago and still don't really know who he is...). If Imus had been British, and that comment had been made in the UK, sure it would cause some fudes, but to be honest, no one would really care.

Why do you think there is such a difference between America and the UK when it comes to race?

PS-

In answer to the question that a lot of people are asking… No, this will not make me view Asian people differently.

R.I.P victims of VT. My thoughts are with their loved ones.

Answer 1

I have lived both in America and the UK and you are correct.

Personally, I feel the blacks there used to put up with way too much in the way of personal attacks (like rude comments and skinheads), but it was worth it because the English people still treat black people better than they do here.

The Imus incident was hurtful to many people, especially black women, because it is typical of the types of discrimination that black women face. We do not look like white, Asian, or Latino women and that makes us "ugly". And because people feel this way it gives them license to dehumanize us and say nasty things. This has gone on for centuries, unlike in your nation.

If a mostly white girls team or cheerleaders or whatever had been playing the concentration would have been on their performance. Poor Venus Willams dealt with this all the time when she played, as did Zina Garrison, as did Althea Gibson.

The fact that people were angry that a few of our leaders had something to say about it and that there were angry calls to sponsors of the Imus show by black people shows how people still try to strip our humanity. The response was like "how dare you not let us have a right to say something evil about you"?

Whenever there is a comment made about a white person or something that whites revere, there is a response. Naturally anyone who feels insulted by something (the military, the clergy, individuals) would respond and want justice.

The racial dialogue that has gone along with the VT shootings is surprising to me. For the most part, Asians are assimilated into the larger society, if they choose, in this country. Interracial relationships between Asian and white people are not frowned upon. People do not fear Asians coming to their neighborhoods. There have been some problems in certain areas, like in rural areas of the south and Midwest and heartland, as well as in the Pacific Northwest.

This is typical though. If a crime or problem is committed by a white person here, his race is not mentioned or discussed. It is an act of an individual. If he is not white, then it becomes a "community" action.

There is more crime among non whites because there is more poverty. I have lived on every continent save Antarctica and crime is always parallel with poverty.

If you even read the answers that will be generated here you will see how racially polarized this country is...

There is also much evil directed towards people of homosexual orientation and immigrants from South America these days. And the native people and their children have been marginalized for a long time, but are in a grand period.

But mostly it is towards black people, my people. Thank God people don't hate other minority and religious groups as much. The irony is that we were brought here!

I should have added that you will get many answers about the past, but racism is ongoing. I have about 3 racist incidents a day and this is modern times. So do many other people I know.

If you are really concerned, you may want to go to minority websites and see a list of their incident reports. Racism is not in the past.

Answer 2

Other than some people who post on here, I don't know anyone who thinks less of Korean people or Asian people in general. I think there are just some miserable people trying to be provocative.

America is not a racist country. There are racist people here but they are such a small minority that no one pays any attention to them. We have come a long way since Jim Crow.

Racist practices are illegal here and people who are discriminated against have the full force of law on their side as recourse. There is no institutional racism, no imposed segragation either. There are still people of all races that feel safer or more comfortable with folks that look and speak like them but each new generation sees less and less difference and more and more similarity between the races.

That is the reality in America today.

Imus said a dumb thing and then handled it badly. He was fired but believe me, if he had high ratings and was generating a lot of money (he was not) they would have spent the effort to rehabilitate his image. It was purely an economic decision on the part of his company. He is well past his prime as a broadcaster. That's all.

.

.

Answer 3

I love your question! I am American, but I often wonder the same thing. I wonder if it all started when our founders were taking land from Native Americans without any respect for them... then came slavery... and exploitation of Asians in the workforce while building the railroads etc... even today there is such anger towards immigrants from Mexico and anyone who doesn't speak English here in the states. I am hard pressed to understand where all the anger and bigotry comes from when nearly everyone here in the United States(their ancestors anyway) emmigrated from SOMEWHERE. Unless you are an American Indian in this country, I don't understand how you can tell anyone to "go back to where they came from" in a racist way without feeling like a total idiot.
I don't think present Americans step back to look at the whole picture. It's sad.

Answer 4

Are you ready for this? In general, it is the white americans who are redefining race. Many people cannot seem to get it but race has always been a very real, alive area for people of color in this country. If you are really a fair and objective person, you can compile quite a bit of evidence that supports this. Some of us have been in the know, others are slow! Just to show an example, I just saw a question that asked if Obama eats watermelon and fried chicken. Of course it was deleted before I had a chance to respond. If you are not able to "see" who has issue when dealing with race then...

Answer 5

Don't worry about offending people by asking questions. This is how one learns.

Race is a "big" deal in the USA because there are groups who make money by keeping race an issue with the news media. When this issue is raised in the USA, it is always blacks who throw this out. No other racial or ethnic group will use this as a crutch to blame others for what is happening to them. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson have made careers out of race baiting and then seeking publicity and money.

Our government has even helped keep race an open sore on society by giving preferential treatment to minorities in education, housing and business loans, and employment; to mention a few examples.

Given the fact that slavery ended in 1865, you can't blame it on slavery. President Johnson signed into law "the Civil Rights Act" that outright prohibited any from of discrimination in 1964.

Given the fact that over 40 years of any form of discrimination is against the law, why would people still bring it up. There is no reason unless someone was making money and it was their livelihood.

Answer 6

Good question and many good answers, first off our history is full of deplorable acts against many races as are most country's but i believe America is still obsessed with race because minority's say that all injustice and negative actions are racially motivated and also because of white guilt over our past. I personally believe we should have forgiveness trials like they did in South Africa. Race will always be a factor as long as we in America let it be both black and white and brown and any other color.

Answer 7

When this country was founded, the vast majority of blacks in it were slaves. That is a bad start. Of course, this issue is much more involved. But you would need a graduate socialogical course for a beginning toward answering your question. Best.

Answer 8

u.s.school shooting are so popular, this time, the killer is asian. so you can say " asian are killer, terrorists..." i am chinese people, i feel you have the racial discrimilation towrd asian. but we don't not mind about it. if we don't like each other's race, that is real dislike, you and us both have right to do it. usually, we can keep silence for the confliction but you.

Answer 9

Race is such an issue here in the US because of the past

Answer 10

i dont really know what to tell you except that their are alot more people over here that have been raised to hate others that are not in their race.there is no difference in US or UK but some one will always find a way to point a difference out.