Whats The Most Racist Thing About Today's United States?

[a thinking man]

Originally Posted by Goodrain

Whats The Most Racist Thing About Today's United States?

The judicial system is classist and racist. Its classist in that your financial resources can buy your innocence or justice . Its racist in that Blacks are more likely to be arrested,convicted, and receive longer sentences than whites who commit the same crimes.

Peace

[robbboy2003]

Originally Posted by Istlota

Keep in mind that race is an imaginary construct that is impossible to accurately define -- unless you take the approach of Du Bois and Ani and define it, not by physical characteristics, but commonly held, and defended, cultural values.



These are Africans who have defined themselves according to arbitrary geographical - or, in the case of Rwanda, borderline physiological - or, in the case of Sudan, agrarian vs. nomadic -- boundaries erected by European and/or Arab invaders. It is not based on any sort of primordial animal instinct among Africans. The problem was not always there. It is a learned reflex, one that took several generations, after the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, to cultivate into what it is today.



Caucasians have a long, distinctly unique, history of this sort of behavior. Other "races" may choose to sit at separate tables for lunch, or grumble about Toms marrying outside their race. But, Caucasians take it to a whole other level with their historically consistent compulsion to kill, destroy, and even erase from history, the Other. If there is an instinctual component to racism it can be found among Caucasians. But, I hasten to add, even with them, there is no conclusive proof of this, only conjecture. Because of their successful attempts to rewrite their own history, we really do not have an adequate historical record of why they came to be the most aggressive, war-like, subgroup among all homo sapiens. I would guess that it has a lot to do with their experience during the last Wurm glaciation. But, again, this is conjecture because there are not written records, or oral histories, from that time.



That is an erroneous statement. Japan owes it current economic prosperity precisely to the fact that _all_ Japanese work together to further the prosperity of _all_ Japanese. This is, I am sure, why it was Europeans, and not Japanese, who came up with the notion of race.



I disagree. I have already talked about the error of suggesting this is instinctual behavior. But, in addition to that, it is also an error to suggest the anti-Other behavior of Caucasians is present in all other subgroups of homo sapiens. All people, to varying degrees, tend to socialize among their own. But, this is not so much anti-Other as it is pro-Us.

White Supremacy is distinctly anti-Other. The Turner Diaries, and the history of the Jim Crow south, include numerous instances of whites killing even other whites as part of their demonic drive to destroy the Other. This lack of concern, even for other Caucasians, suggests a component to their madness that transcends racism and may even, as suggested by certain prophecies, indicate their pseudo-possession by certain spirits of evil in our world [Satan/Set].

The sayings have stood the test of time. " They have hell in them,and this"white devils". Why not Black? They try to paint seemingly everrything else negatively on a Black person. Perhaps, it's true they are "white devils."

Peace and Discernment!

[MadameX]

Originally Posted by robbboy2003

They try to paint seemingly everything else negatively on a Black person.

Speak on it. Every day they have to find another Black person to be a pariah. The more things change, the more it stays the same.

[JABOOM]

The most racist thing in America to is.............The fact that white people in many circles will go to any length to make themselves feel "safe"

White America for the most part feel unsafe with any people of color and are worried about the event in which the tables will turn. They don't realize the act of pushing people of other racial groups down will only cause our eventual joining together and rising up against them.

They think keep others in their "place" keeps themselves safe attempting to control others will cause uprising and rebellion. their only hope is to fall back and allow all to live in freedom.........yet in their paranoid minds this can't happen because they will never feel safe just because they fear retaliation that much.

So the most racist thing in the US today is..........Fear

[sonflour_2001]

Originally Posted by Istlota

Keep in mind that race is an imaginary construct that is impossible to accurately define -- unless you take the approach of Du Bois and Ani and define it, not by physical characteristics, but commonly held, and defended, cultural values.



These are Africans who have defined themselves according to arbitrary geographical - or, in the case of Rwanda, borderline physiological - or, in the case of Sudan, agrarian vs. nomadic -- boundaries erected by European and/or Arab invaders. It is not based on any sort of primordial animal instinct among Africans. The problem was not always there. It is a learned reflex, one that took several generations, after the Berlin Conference of 1884-1885, to cultivate into what it is today.



Caucasians have a long, distinctly unique, history of this sort of behavior. Other "races" may choose to sit at separate tables for lunch, or grumble about Toms marrying outside their race. But, Caucasians take it to a whole other level with their historically consistent compulsion to kill, destroy, and even erase from history, the Other. If there is an instinctual component to racism it can be found among Caucasians. But, I hasten to add, even with them, there is no conclusive proof of this, only conjecture. Because of their successful attempts to rewrite their own history, we really do not have an adequate historical record of why they came to be the most aggressive, war-like, subgroup among all homo sapiens. I would guess that it has a lot to do with their experience during the last Wurm glaciation. But, again, this is conjecture because there are not written records, or oral histories, from that time.



That is an erroneous statement. Japan owes it current economic prosperity precisely to the fact that _all_ Japanese work together to further the prosperity of _all_ Japanese. This is, I am sure, why it was Europeans, and not Japanese, who came up with the notion of race.



I disagree. I have already talked about the error of suggesting this is instinctual behavior. But, in addition to that, it is also an error to suggest the anti-Other behavior of Caucasians is present in all other subgroups of homo sapiens. All people, to varying degrees, tend to socialize among their own. But, this is not so much anti-Other as it is pro-Us.

White Supremacy is distinctly anti-Other. The Turner Diaries, and the history of the Jim Crow south, include numerous instances of whites killing even other whites as part of their demonic drive to destroy the Other. This lack of concern, even for other Caucasians, suggests a component to their madness that transcends racism and may even, as suggested by certain prophecies, indicate their pseudo-possession by certain spirits of evil in our world [Satan/Set].

Have you ever read anything by Edward Said...? You and him would have a lot to talk about, seeing as you both assert the hegemony of othering in various societies. One of his more famous works is called Orientalism. It's a post-colonial study about how invaders and Europeans have to create the myth of the other to justify all of the stupid bullshit they do to these races...

It was an illuminating piece and it hit home for him directly because he's a palestinian who was living in the whole Israel/Palestine conflict...
Need I say more?
Nice post though...othering has played a key role in desensitizing many whites to the damage they've done to other nations.

Sonflour

[Samoon]

"Economic disparity" remains the number one culprit in this country.

Inasmuch as the racist views that whites and other ethnicities hold towards Black people? "I give less than a rat's arse." Beat them at their own game--using their rules. For they are the very same rules that others are told to "play by," yet these rules can and are revised on a whim. From my standpoint, there have not been significant strides made in terms of race relations in this country.

[MadameX]

Originally Posted by Samoon

"Economic disparity" remains the number one culprit in this country.

Inasmuch as the racist views that whites and other ethnicities hold towards Black people? "I give less than a rat's arse." Beat them at their own game--using their rules. For they are the very same rules that others are told to "play by," yet these rules can and are revised on a whim. From my standpoint, there have not been significant strides made in terms of race relations in this country.

Elegantly Stately my sista. The more things change, the more they stay the same. Some Black Folks need to wake up.

[a thinking man]

Originally Posted by Istlota

Keep in mind that race is an imaginary construct that is impossible to accurately define -- unless you take the approach of Du Bois and Ani and define it, not by physical characteristics, but commonly held, and defended, cultural values.
[Satan/Set].

I agree with your post in general, but I've never understood the above quote or maybe I just don't agree with it. I understand that there is little to no difference in the DNA of the various "races" of people. I also understand that the DNA of a Black person can be more similar to the DNA of a white person than it is to the DNA of another Black person. However, there are obvious, visible physical differences between all "races". Asians have unique eyes, and are typically short. Blacks have fuller lips, kinky hair, and dark skin. Whites have wider ranges of eye and hair color, thin lips, and light skin, just to name few. It seems to me race isn't an imaginary construct, but that science does not yet have the ability to identify why racial differences exist.

Peace

[Istlota]

Originally Posted by a thinking man

I agree with your post in general, but I've never understood the above quote or maybe I just don't agree with it. I understand that there is little to no difference in the DNA of the various "races" of people. I also understand that the DNA of a Black person can be more similar to the DNA of a white person than it is to the DNA of another Black person. However, there are obvious, visible physical differences between all "races". Asians have unique eyes, and are typically short. Blacks have fuller lips, kinky hair, and dark skin. Whites have wider ranges of eye and hair color, thin lips, and light skin, just to name few. It seems to me race isn't an imaginary construct, but that science does not yet have the ability to identify why racial differences exist.

Peace

You just answered your own question. If we do not yet have scientific markers of race, than we have to either admit that we are just making this race stuff up as we go along, or else take DuBois' and Ani's approach and define race by cultural, rather than physical, characteristics.

The problem is that there are too many exceptions to the physical characteristics you mentioned to use them as accurate measures of what is, and is not, black or white. The only reason we say Pheobe Snow is white is because she insists that she is -- 'cause she looks, and sings, "black".

Everyone agrees that Malcolm X was black, yet his complexion was lighter than many hispanics and even a handful of whites.

And, there are a number of white actors in Hollywood who, thanks to regular trips to the tanning salon, have darker complexions than many of the sistas that dance in hiphop videos, or than Alicia Keyes, or Persia White, or Angela Davis, etc.

There are lots of White Jews with wider noses than mine. And, Mick Jagger, Sandra Bernhardt, and Angelina Jolie (and her daddy) prove that big lips are not unique to black people.

The truth is that we really have no reliable physical indicators to consistently designate race. Hence, the very real option of those who can pull it off to "pass".

And, note that with each passing generation, we "African-Americans" look less and less like our African ancestors.

Me, personally, I still think Bob Barr (one of the House Managers during Clinton's impeachment) is passing. But, he says he is white so we let him roll with that, even though he has more stereotypical "black" physical features than Harry Belafonte.

And, let us not forget, the definition of what is black changes from country to country. In America, we say one drop makes you black. But, clearly that is not really true because a lot of people who are walking around claiming to be white have more than one drop of black blood in them. This has been one of the unexpected revelations that arose from the data collected by companies that trace family trees back via DNA.

It is interesting to note, a few 'white" Afrikaneers actually committed suicide after one of their own, a well respected scholar who happened to be anti-apartheid, published proof that two of South Africa's most influential Afrikaneer families had the blood of Zulus running in their veins.

This is, by the way, the inherent danger in claiming blacks are superior because of more melanin. Obviously, Clarence Thomas proves dark skin does not make you Ausar. And, similarly, Malcolm X proved that light skin does not make you Yurugu.

[sephari]

Originally Posted by Istlota

....
And, note that with each passing generation, we "African-Americans" look less and less like our African ancestors.....

everything you said was spot on, except for this little bit.
i have come across americans who i originally assumed were continentals and continentals who i assumed were americans, only to find out that the opossite was true.