My experence of racism.

Published on February 21, 2004 By XX In Philosophy

https://www.joeuser.com/forums.asp?MID=6&CMID=6&AID=5536

This is an interesting article; it made me think quite a bit about my experience with racism.

Yes, I am a white man.

I am NOT free from certain degree of racism. I feel slightly more nervous when I see a black person. Does it make me a bad person, a person that is a member of KKK? No.

Why then? I had to think back many years back. About 20 years in fact. I was about 5-6 years old.

We were very poor then. I remember my home with lot of cockroaches. I still remember turning on a light and seeing over 200 of evil bugs scurry around and try to hide. Don't ever drink anything that was left alone for more than minute or two.

Anyway, I lived around a black neighborhood. It wasn't very friendly neighborhood. Once, I and my brother were having fun at park. There was a group of black people. I can't remember if they were adults or older kids, but most likely they were older kids. They were walking to us with sticks. No idea why. But in unsafe area, you run. We did exactly that. My brother escaped, but I got hit on back with stick. I was very scared. It wasn't only event, unfavorable. It's one of very few things I can remember.

I wonder if there are people like me, with a history that causes some degree of racism, from very slight, in my case, to major case of racism.

It is not a sole reason of racism, nor is it major cause of such, however.

In most cases, it is taught from father or mother to child, or among friends. I believe that if we break the chain of racism, it will fade away.

The racism will never go away, ever. We will fear something 'different'. I'm betting that after we go out there and meet aliens, it will basically kill human to human racism, but it will replace it with human to alien racism.

Thank you for reading this slightly disorganized article.

Comments

One man

on Feb 21, 2004

Yeah, you kinda tripped me up at the end with that whole aliens thing... anyway, in response to the main part of your article. Do you desire to be racist? If not then congratulations, since you can admit that you are, being honest to yourself is getting on your way.

Im curious where you live, that can have a big influence (I guess that's quite obvious, te me at least). I live in Hawaii and to give you an idea of how I grew up, in intermediate school the friends I hungout with on the weekends consisted of one full Korean kid, one full Philippino kid, one full Japanese kid, one full haole (slang for caucasian) kid, and me, half Chinese, half haole kid

. Today I have friends and business associates of EVERY race I can think of, truly. My chruch is filled with majority black and hawaiian/local people, I absolutely love it! One day I woke up and started to dance and a miracle took place right there--I had rhythm!!!

Is there still racism in Hawaii? I suppose. There is all sorts of bias in general. How to solve it? Dunno. Have I been attacked in that way? Yup, couple times mostly by huge Hawaiians or Samoans (potentially some very biiiiig people!) But I have some Hawaiian and Samoan friends that look like they could be NFL linemen and they are just bog ole' jolly bears! Don't know what else to say

JEPEL

on Feb 21, 2004

Once I was attacked by two arabs when I was walking through a park. I was 12 they were 15, they had a tear gas spray and they were threatening me to use it if I didn't give them my bag, and shoes and so on. I was quite a skinny child and I didn't know how to fight. So I had very limited choices. I was about to run away as fast as I could when an unknown woman came around, she was arab wearing the hijab, she said to the other boy that she knew me and to let me go. That's how I get out of that.

I was attacked by arabs and rescued by arabs. You should think about the moments when you had good time with people from other colour or ethnicity... If you hadn't, may be it was partly due to your own fear....

on Feb 21, 2004

Actually, I can't even remember where. My memory is weak at best.

Anyway, great reponse, One Man. I'm glad I never learned to be filled with hatred for any other races. You life at hawaii sounds very intresting, maybe a blog or 2?

I was attacked by arabs and rescued by arabs. You should think about the moments when you had good time with people from other colour or ethnicity... If you hadn't, may be it was partly due to your own fear....

Nah no worries. I have friends of different races. True, slightly nervous thing is annoying, but I don't let it control me. I certainly won't preach hatred to my children, if I had any.

psychx

on Feb 21, 2004

XX read this article you'll find it interesting: http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns99994388

crimson

on Feb 21, 2004

As one of the few people of color in my neighborhood growing up, I was lucky for the most part. Being an Indian was cool, to most of our friends. But we (my brother and sister and I) were always picked to be Indians during Cowboys and Indians games, got war whooped continually, and had several drinking references when we were older. It was as we were growing up that I found it odd when people would talk about racism, then look at me and say, 'don't worry... I always felt that you were just one of us.' Good? It was meant to be. Reality? Not many people really knew how that could be taken badly.

Nowadays, I have a wider circle of friends that includes many different cultures. It's better that way. I feel more comfortable knowing that there are other people who have gone through the same things that I have growing up in a mostly all-white environment. Don't get me wrong, though. My parents who adopted us when we were young are white. It's a big part of me, because their family is my family, too. It's been interesting to have had the chance to experience life from two different cultural points of view.

JEPEL

on Feb 21, 2004

Don't get me wrong XX,
We all have our own fears, we have to deal with it. But if I have to choose between being assaulted by skinhead or arab delinquents. i would go for the arabs. I had been asaulted several time by arabs without any damage more than money and pride and see one of my friend (white) going to hospital for 2 weeks because of skinhead. The thing is colour people are more likely to be noticed than white...

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