American Racism

well... 'cause.

For some reason the point made about words being different from actions reminds me of the old quote from the great philosopher Anonymous who wrote:

Watch your thoughts, for thoughts become words.
Watch your words, for words become actions.
Watch your actions, for actions become habits, and habits
become character.
Watch your character, for it becomes your destiny.

By speaking and talking in racial slurs all the time; whether you mean it or not, can possibly create a condoning atmosphere where eventually somebody takes the next step toward violence. The rap music, (or any music) depicting women and violence the way it sometimes can; probably falls under this category. The Imus show and others like it also have this type of power, in that if you listen to it long enough and enjoy it, you sort of get caught up in it, and begin to identify yourself with the little satirical world they've created. There is definitely a big difference between the comradery that nickfranklin most excellently explains, and an outsider saying the same words. Who knows if Imus is really a racist? Maybe Don Imus "forgot" that he was really an outsider. Maybe he's so used to having to be 'funny' and outrageous all the time, it just slipped out a little nastier than his judgment could put the brakes on.

The American Heritage Dictionary defines racism as "the belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others."

It's probably going too far to say that racism among whites has disappeared. On the other hand, I've hear some prominent black Americans claim that racism today hasn't really changed, it's merely hidden better. I'd say that's beyond ridiculous.

What makes the issue so complex is that while we now generally agree that race isn't a cause of "differences in human character or ability", it does correlate. If you're mugged, it's statistically more likely that the mugger will be black. If you're interviewing math PhDs, it's statistically more likely your next candidate will be asian. Being black didn't make the first man a criminal, nor did being asian make the second smart. We can all recognize cultural and historical causes for these things.

So, if a white man walks down a street at night and sees a small group of black men wearing hip-hop styles approaching, is it racist for him to cross the street to stay away? Of course not - there is measurably more risk in an encounter with that group than there is in an encounter with, say, a group of middle aged white men in business suits.

There are also some very substantial cultural differences between racial groups in the US as well. The values I see expressed by hip-hop cultural icons are in direct conflict with my own. A culture that seems to embrace ignorance, violence, and misogyny isn't something that I can really find much value in. Is that racism? Race doesn't engender those values, and I have pretty much the same feelings toward everyone who embraces that culture, regardless of their race.

It takes some effort to discern these kinds of subtleties, though.

I'm tempted to say that most of the things we attribute to race are more accurately attributed to other factors, most notably economic. Race doesn't cause economic disparities, but it does correlate with them. I'm tempted to say that, but I also realize that as a white man, I could certainly be biased - my experience is certainly biased. I've been a white man most of my life.

I've not paid too much attention to the details here, I just heard a TV news report while I was standing in line at McD's. I strongly suspect that Imus has been treated pretty unfairly here. Al Sharpton is obviously jumping on this as an excuse for undeserved media attention. He's never shouting from his pulpits about how horrible it is that black men refer to black women with basically the same language Imus used.

On the other hand, I do have some experience as a proud member of "America's most distrusted minority". It's hard to compare the experience - when I walk down the street, you can't look at me and tell I'm an atheist (no horns, and the shoes hide the cloven hooves). But while atheists enjoy the same legal protections as racial minorities (no housing discrimination, that sort of thing), there's very little social stigma attached to blatant bigotry against atheists.

During his presidential campaign, Bush Sr said, "I don't know that atheists should be regarded as citizens, nor should they be regarded as patriotic. This is one nation under God." Several state constitutions only grant the freedom from religious persecution to those who acknowledge the existence of a deity. Atheists cannot join the Boy Scouts.

A few years ago, a woman was fired after two co-workers learned she was an atheist. They became openly hostile and requested to have their workspaces moved away, which was granted. Later, the atheist found a picture of Jesus left on her computer. When she complained, she was told she was a disturbance and terminated. She sued and the case was settled out of court after the company was bought by Citicorp.

In a child custody case, a religious parent will almost always be granted custody over a non-religious one. This even manages to trump the usual "women always get the kids" rule.

Facing this, I find myself much more willing to believe that racial prejudice is far worse than I imagine it to be.

Speaking of stereotypes, I made my own random observation this weekend. There are many people that don't associate big-rig truck drivers with any sort of intellect. And if you listen to the CB radio, they reinforce this belief quite well with their banter. Anyway, while driving up to Maine this weekend we were tailing along a pack of semis on I-95N. They were all discussing Imus and "nappy headed hos" on the CB radio. While there was always the occasional jerk that popped in with completely racist sentiments, the majority of the conversation read as if they were posting here on OmniNerd. It was quite a surprise to hear such an intellectual discussion over the open radio ...

I live in Australia and I heard all about it.

I see this as just another expected outcome of the phenomenon of shock jocks on the radio. This is a standard format now, and it is a formula that makes big money for the stations.

The format requires the announcer to make pig-ignorant comments that reinforce the prejudices of the poorly educated masses, who know no better. Radio has the potential for raising the awareness of listners towards a more civilised way of looking at the world, and also the potential to drag them down to the lowest common denominator being - the narrow minded bigot. Station managers choose option two because it pays better.

Sadly, this model is being copied in other countries and it is sad to see that even in Australia radio personalities, decent people who for many years have been informing audiences and raising their appreciation of diversity and culture, are now struggling to perform like Americon bigots because that is what management wants.

There's nothing more cringeworthy then reading a bunch of white guys rambling on about racism. Unless one of you lived in another country as a minority, you have no basis to speak about it. Its real, and at a minimum its hurtful and meanspirted. In worse situations, it deprives qualified people of employment and opportunity. In certain parts of the country, racism can result in bodily harm or death, for no other offense than being different. Philosophize all you want about the issue, you can never understand until you've been a victim.