More race stuff

[timeprojectile]

Another rare public post. 'Cause we need to talk about this.

I wanted to comment on this post at Womanist Musings (a black Canadian feminist's sociopolitical blog), but my attempts to comment there haven't been working lately. I'm not sure why. But here's what I wanted to say

Comments

[gojiraeight]

You have to realize that racism is not rational and often not even conscious. You can offer any type of explanation as to why it is bad and it will do little good. It's also a cultural norm that is far more pervasive than most people realize. I don't care what anybody says I don't think their is any white person who has walked down the street and not felt a bit uneasy if a black man starting walking towards them. Even if they are the most liberal and open minded person in the world. For me I think that acknowledging that programming is more beneficial than pretending that prejudice and racism does not exist around me. Which actually is a prevailing idea among whites these days.

One of my roomies recently had an experience in which someone in class suggested that slavery should be taken out of history courses because it's too depressing and has no bearing on life today. Yet the gap between black and white yearly salaries has not in fact changed much in fifty years.

[timeprojectile]

Right. I think I at least once had someone (white of course) deny my claim that I was racist because I sometimes feel a bit nervous when I see a black stranger on the street. I think it's a bit different if they're in a business suit - class prejudice comes into play too - but that still doesn't mean I'm not racist. The white person has to dress much more shabbily for me to be nervous around them

[gojiraeight]

we live in a very irresponsible time and the majority of whites don't want to even think about much less talk about how we still have a responsibility to help improve race relations

[energeia5]

About a year ago, I traded cooking dinner for one of our IT guys at work if he'd come to my place and install a new computer for me. He used to be our Mac support guy (has subsequently quit) and is a black 30something guy. We ended up having a pretty interesting conversation over dinner. I asked him how he experienced racism, and he gave me all sorts of particular details, like how white women would hold their purses closer to their bodies in his vicinity. I said I was self-conscious about asking questions, not wanting to offend but genuinely wanting to know. He said that questions asked out of curiosity and not maliciousness were perfectly fine. I was grateful for this evening. Truly, it's hard to talk about this stuff with people.

[heratyck]

I had a black friend like that once... He was gay too, so double bonus for me. He loved answering all my questions, because he liked dispelling a lot of the black/gay myths that seem so commonplace...

He was a really great guy... I wish I could find him again...