Poll: Most Americans see lingering racism – in others
POSTED: 1:02 p.m. EST, December 12, 2006
Story Highlights? Poll shows most Americans consider racism a problem
? Blacks more than twice as likely to call racism a “very serious” problem
? Almost half of whites and blacks say they know someone who is racist
? Only a few of either race say they are racially biased themselves.
(CNN) – Most Americans, white and black, see racism as a lingering problem in the United States, and many say they know people who are racist, according to a new poll.
But few Americans of either race – just one out of eight – consider themselves racist.
And experts say racism has evolved from the days of Jim Crow to the point that people may not even recognize it in themselves. (Watch people in a Texas town where blacks are still afraid to stop )
A poll conducted last week by Opinion Research Corp. for CNN indicates that whites and blacks disagree on how serious a problem racial bias is in the United States.
Almost half of black respondents to the poll – 49 percent – said racism is a “very serious” problem, while 18 percent of whites shared that view. Forty-eight percent of whites and 35 percent of blacks chose the description “somewhat serious.”
Asked if they know someone they consider racist, 43 percent of whites and 48 percent of blacks said yes.
But just 13 percent of whites and 12 percent of blacks consider themselves racially biased.
[quote]Brad61 wrote:
Do you have a point? Because I can read CNN on my own, without your help.
Edit: a quick scan of this Politics forum reveals that of the 30 topics on Page 1, nine of them were started by you.
Time to get a life, maybe? Maybe there is more to life than being an internet troll?[/quote]
Maybe you haven’t been keeping up with current events. In the Tiki Barber thread, 3 black gents contend that a compliment to whites is an insult to blacks. Are we racist and not even aware of it?
I guess subtlety is not your specialty.
Actually, I have a couple of free hours during the day (teaching) and I’ve been doing this so long, its a breeze. So, I like to come on here and stir shit up. Don’t like it? Go back to your gay porn, shitface.
[quote]Brad61 wrote:
Do you have a point? Because I can read CNN on my own, without your help.
Edit: a quick scan of this Politics forum reveals that of the 30 topics on Page 1, nine of them were started by you.
Time to get a life, maybe? Maybe there is more to life than being an internet troll?[/quote]
Can it. Racism has been a big topic in other threads and CNN just did a piece on it. HH asked for comments, nothing more than an extension of some of the stuff we were talking about in another thread.
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
Maybe you haven’t been keeping up with current events. In the Tiki Barber thread, 3 black gents contend that a compliment to whites is an insult to blacks. Are we racist and not even aware of it?
[/quote]
Which 3 black gents are you talking about? Harris isn’t black, he’s Jewish. So that removes one of the people that you are talking about.
As far as I am concerned, I never took the stance of saying all white people, I spoke specifically about you. Even so, that was only in the context of previous posts prior to the Tiki Barber post that made it look like your compliment was very convenient and less than genuine.
The only one that took the stance that you are portraying here is ProfX, and even he said it was based on context. If anyone spent time discussing whether a compliment to whites is an insult to blacks, it was the white members of this board.
You are doing what you always do, picking pieces of a topic and misrepresenting on this board. You then spend most of your time throwing insults and wisecracks because you can’t adequately defend them. If anything, I have spent more time talking about how you only tell part of the story, not the entire story, in order to justify your position. If anything, you are guilty of being dishonest.
However, I do appreciate and applaud you for finding a recent news item relevant to the topic and not digging up manufactured controversies. I will return later to discuss this topic and am willing to do so without throwing insults and wisecracks. I just had to say this first before I started.
The biggest problem I have with racism is that it only goes one way. Black people aren’t racist, white people are. I don’t think anyone would give a shit if some black dude called me a cracker or honkey or whatever, but the “n-bomb” is the worst thing anyone can say in public.
I can say fuck till I am blue in the face, but if I drop the “n-bomb” I am automatically a terrible person. There are always going to be people who hate other people, people need to toughen up and get over it.
[quote]Fullback33 wrote:
The biggest problem I have with racism is that it only goes one way. Black people aren’t racist, white people are. I don’t think anyone would give a shit if some black dude called me a cracker or honkey or whatever, but the “n-bomb” is the worst thing anyone can say in public.
I can say fuck till I am blue in the face, but if I drop the “n-bomb” I am automatically a terrible person. There are always going to be people who hate other people, people need to toughen up and get over it.[/quote]
I see from your profile that you are a student so I can understand why you would feel this way. Much of it has to do with youth and in a way that is good that you are open to change. There is hope for the future.
I would like to address this statement [quote]“The biggest problem I have with racism is that it only goes one way.” [/quote] Racism has many meanings and depending on which one you choose, it does go one way because of an implied sense of power and superiority of one race over another. Racial prejudice, on the other hand, goes both way. These are preconceived attitudes about another group of people based on race. So your statement can be true in one case but false on many others. For the record, I would give a shit if someone called you a cracker or honkey because I believe racial slurs are wrong all around.
As far as saying the n-word and that making you a terrible person, you have to ask yourself something. Why would you have the desire to use that word in the first place? As a student, I am assuming that you are not dumb, so you obviously know the history behind that word coming out of a white person’s mouth. When it came out of white people’s mouths it was used for 300-400 years to denigrate an entire race of people and to treat and view them as less than human. It was used to justify many of the atrocities that black people in this country faced and still face today (Katrina anyone? They didn’t use the n-word, but their portrayal displayed the thought. Black people were portrayed as “looters” while white people were portrayed as “searching for food”). No other word in the American english language uttered by a white person in this country has as much evil behind it as the n-word. Therefore, why would you bemoan the fact that you can’t say it without being portrayed as a horrible person? If you find a reason to say it, maybe you are a horrible person?
It has been said that it takes twice as long to create something positive that it takes to create something negative. The effect of the negativity of this word has been used for 300-400 years. So think about how long it will take for that negativity to die.
Based on the history, the fact that you think that people need to toughen up and get over it now is unrealistic and smacks of youth and optimism. None of that is bad, mind you, but it is just not going to happen in my lifetime, your lifetime or even our children’s lifetime.
[quote]ALDurr wrote:
Fullback33 wrote:
The biggest problem I have with racism is that it only goes one way. Black people aren’t racist, white people are. I don’t think anyone would give a shit if some black dude called me a cracker or honkey or whatever, but the “n-bomb” is the worst thing anyone can say in public.
I can say fuck till I am blue in the face, but if I drop the “n-bomb” I am automatically a terrible person. There are always going to be people who hate other people, people need to toughen up and get over it.
I see from your profile that you are a student so I can understand why you would feel this way. Much of it has to do with youth and in a way that is good that you are open to change. There is hope for the future.
I would like to address this statement “The biggest problem I have with racism is that it only goes one way.” Racism has many meanings and depending on which one you choose, it does go one way because of an implied sense of power and superiority of one race over another. Racial prejudice, on the other hand, goes both way. These are preconceived attitudes about another group of people based on race. So your statement can be true in one case but false on many others. For the record, I would give a shit if someone called you a cracker or honkey because I believe racial slurs are wrong all around.
As far as saying the n-word and that making you a terrible person, you have to ask yourself something. Why would you have the desire to use that word in the first place? As a student, I am assuming that you are not dumb, so you obviously know the history behind that word coming out of a white person’s mouth. When it came out of white people’s mouths it was used for 300-400 years to denigrate an entire race of people and to treat and view them as less than human. It was used to justify many of the atrocities that black people in this country faced and still face today (Katrina anyone? They didn’t use the n-word, but their portrayal displayed the thought. Black people were portrayed as “looters” while white people were portrayed as “searching for food”). No other word in the American english language uttered by a white person in this country has as much evil behind it as the n-word. Therefore, why would you bemoan the fact that you can’t say it without being portrayed as a horrible person? If you find a reason to say it, maybe you are a horrible person?
It has been said that it takes twice as long to create something positive that it takes to create something negative. The effect of the negativity of this word has been used for 300-400 years. So think about how long it will take for that negativity to die.
Based on the history, the fact that you think that people need to toughen up and get over it now is unrealistic and smacks of youth and optimism. None of that is bad, mind you, but it is just not going to happen in my lifetime, your lifetime or even our children’s lifetime.
[/quote]
I agree with everything that you say here except the katrina thing. What was shown was one person getting food and one person stealing a big screen. There’s a big difference, It was never intended to mean, the white people are getting food and the black people are stealing t.v’s. It just showed One person took it to far. You can find racism anywhere if you look hard enough. My personal views on the matter of racism is that its retarded. Everyone is equal.
As far as saying the n-word and that making you a terrible person, you have to ask yourself something. Why would you have the desire to use that word in the first place? As a student, I am assuming that you are not dumb, so you obviously know the history behind that word coming out of a white person’s mouth. When it came out of white people’s mouths it was used for 300-400 years to denigrate an entire race of people and to treat and view them as less than human.[/quote]
I would love to see the reference to the use of the n-word from 400 yrs. ago to refer to anything to which the term ‘black’ doesn’t refer. Only the one ‘Americanized’ version got the stigma, and only here in America. Negger, Negre, Negro, etc. are all still legitimately used in other countries for their intended meanings. Also, 300-400 yrs. ago, the Irish were being brutalized and enslaved by Oliver Cromwell and though it would later become a convictable offense to use the word Roundhead, no one today would bat an eye at its use (if they even understood it).
The footage I saw showed people robbing electronics stores and called them looters and showed people stealing food and they were ‘searching’ and those who were searching were by no means racially homogeneous. I don’t support the American media very often, but I can’t blame them for not trudging off to find more racially friendly looting/searching for food. This is a pretty poor leg to stand on and IMO would be a dishonor to those who truly were brutalized by racism.
Not to say that I agree with his motives in using the word or would join him or anyone else in using it, but I would defend his right to say it. 50-75 yrs. ago when it could easily precipitate violence you might’ve had a case why it shouldn’t be used. Now, it’s become absurd to the point that a man can lose his career over it while other men actually commit illegal and violent acts and suffer no consequence. Or a white man committing murder while using that word is levied a greater punishment than a black man doing the exact same. Or people are forced to remove a flag that stood for many good things just because of some individual’s pre-conceived idea about what that flag or those words are supposed to mean to them.
This sounds like an emotionally based abstraction used to justify some pre-conceived notion of the way things should be.
This, IMO, is where a good chunk of the problem lies. Would you have told this to Dr. King?
[quote]ALDurr wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
Maybe you haven’t been keeping up with current events. In the Tiki Barber thread, 3 black gents contend that a compliment to whites is an insult to blacks. Are we racist and not even aware of it?
Which 3 black gents are you talking about? Harris isn’t black, he’s Jewish. [/quote]
I never knew that being black and being Jewish excluded each other! Fascinating!
I would love to see the reference to the use of the n-word from 400 yrs. ago to refer to anything to which the term ‘black’ doesn’t refer. Only the one ‘Americanized’ version got the stigma, and only here in America. Negger, Negre, Negro, etc. are all still legitimately used in other countries for their intended meanings. Also, 300-400 yrs. ago, the Irish were being brutalized and enslaved by Oliver Cromwell and though it would later become a convictable offense to use the word Roundhead, no one today would bat an eye at its use (if they even understood it).-Lucasa
This is precisely my point. Irish people were abused as well here, it’s just not as widely publicised. If I said I don’t like Irish people, people would say I am silly. If I said on here I don’t like black people, I would be flamed for being “evil” and “racist”. Both situations are stupid, but think about which one more people would get upset about. That is what I don’t like about the subject.
[quote]Headhunter wrote:
ALDurr wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
Maybe you haven’t been keeping up with current events. In the Tiki Barber thread, 3 black gents contend that a compliment to whites is an insult to blacks. Are we racist and not even aware of it?
Which 3 black gents are you talking about? Harris isn’t black, he’s Jewish.
I never knew that being black and being Jewish excluded each other! Fascinating!
[/quote]
He has stated numerous times that he is not black and that he is Jewish. Are you purposely being obtuse?
As far as saying the n-word and that making you a terrible person, you have to ask yourself something. Why would you have the desire to use that word in the first place? As a student, I am assuming that you are not dumb, so you obviously know the history behind that word coming out of a white person’s mouth. When it came out of white people’s mouths it was used for 300-400 years to denigrate an entire race of people and to treat and view them as less than human.
I would love to see the reference to the use of the n-word from 400 yrs. ago to refer to anything to which the term ‘black’ doesn’t refer. Only the one ‘Americanized’ version got the stigma, and only here in America. Negger, Negre, Negro, etc. are all still legitimately used in other countries for their intended meanings. Also, 300-400 yrs. ago, the Irish were being brutalized and enslaved by Oliver Cromwell and though it would later become a convictable offense to use the word Roundhead, no one today would bat an eye at its use (if they even understood it).
[/quote]
The Irish came here as indentured servants that could earn their freedom and be accorded all the rights as a white person in this country. In addition, they were allowed to keep their cultural identity. Blacks were brought here as cattle and were treated as such. There is a difference. Both situations were horrible, but the fact that you are trying to do a comparison of who had it hard in this country does a disservice to both groups and is nothing more than a distraction from the point.
You talk about the Irish being brutalized and enslaved by one person. It does not compare to an entire Nation doing the same thing to a race of people to where it was not only lawful to do so, but was a source of economic development. Your comparison is extremely weak.
I would like to see where the use of the word Roundhead has survived as a derogatory term to this day. It hasn’t, but the n-word and all of its history has. You’ve done nothing more than try to dilute the point.
This is no more a dishonor to talk about why the ONLY footage you saw of blacks were the looters that it was for you to bring in the Irish into this discussion to try to prove your point. However, if you had watch the HBO special on Katrina, you would have seen many blacks searching for food. The point was that it just reinforced the n-word stereotype that is entrenched in the American psyche. You can act like it isn’t, and I am pretty sure you probably aren’t that way, but it does exist whether you want to believe it or not.
He has the right to say the word, just so long as he knows that he will deal with the consequences of his actions.
What makes you believe that some white person yelling the n-word couldn’t create a violent situation right now? That is a false assumption right along with your 50-75 years ago. For your information, 50-75 years ago IS when this word was used by whites publicly and they faced no repercussion from its use. You need to check your history. All I had to do is ask my own family.
I also want to clear up something. If a white person commits a crime against a black person while yelling the n-word, it could be considered a hate crime. If a black person commits a crime against a white person while yelling a racial slur, it could be considered a hate crime. If a black person commits a crime against an Asian person while yelling a racial slur, it could be considered a hate crime. The law is not different depending on who does what. This is more misinformation being spread by the corporate media to keep everyone ignorant.
As far as the confederate flag is concerned, (I’m assuming that is what you are talking about because that is the only flag that I know gets this treatment) there are no preconceived notions of what it stands for. It stands for a country that doesn’t exist. This is the United States of America, not the Confederate States of America. It stands for the separation of this nation and a destructive time in American history. It belongs in a museum, not flying out. It also has a great deal of hurtful history behind it as well. This was another weak example.
You might think it is emotionally based, but is it false? You can’t say, you just wanted to sound clever. If you can’t prove me wrong, at least prove yourself right.
[quote]
Based on the history, the fact that you think that people need to toughen up and get over it now is unrealistic and smacks of youth and optimism. None of that is bad, mind you, but it is just not going to happen in my lifetime, your lifetime or even our children’s lifetime.
This, IMO, is where a good chunk of the problem lies. Would you have told this to Dr. King?[/quote]
Based on the world today, I would have told him this. Based on what you have written, you would have told him that it could be changed in your lifetime. In his own speech said he wouldn’t live to reach the mountain top. He understood that changing mindsets of people takes generations not a few years. I understand that too. It doesn’t mean don’t try. I just means you may not see it happen. The good chunk of the problem is when people believe that this can be done quickly. Quick solutions for long term problems never work.
In all honesty, I hope that you are right and I am wrong. It would be nice to see.
[quote]Fullback33 wrote:
I would love to see the reference to the use of the n-word from 400 yrs. ago to refer to anything to which the term ‘black’ doesn’t refer. Only the one ‘Americanized’ version got the stigma, and only here in America. Negger, Negre, Negro, etc. are all still legitimately used in other countries for their intended meanings. Also, 300-400 yrs. ago, the Irish were being brutalized and enslaved by Oliver Cromwell and though it would later become a convictable offense to use the word Roundhead, no one today would bat an eye at its use (if they even understood it).-Lucasa
This is precisely my point. Irish people were abused as well here, it’s just not as widely publicised. If I said I don’t like Irish people, people would say I am silly. If I said on here I don’t like black people, I would be flamed for being “evil” and “racist”. Both situations are stupid, but think about which one more people would get upset about. That is what I don’t like about the subject.[/quote]
Hating a group of people is evil no matter who’s the target of the hate. But for your information, Irish is an ethnic group, not a race, so it would be inccorrect to say you were racist because you don’t like Irish people.
People keep it alive by talking about it all the fucking time. The media loves to fuel the fire and people bite into it everytime. 2000 yrs from now, Galactic CNN will still be talking about racism. And Fidel Castro and Keith Richards will still be alive.
The nastiest people in my opinion are those who profit from racism, like the media and people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton. What would these peole do with out racism? They would be dirt poor so they have no interest in stopping racism. Thier favorite color is green, screaming race made them rich.
[quote]ALDurr wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
ALDurr wrote:
Headhunter wrote:
Maybe you haven’t been keeping up with current events. In the Tiki Barber thread, 3 black gents contend that a compliment to whites is an insult to blacks. Are we racist and not even aware of it?
Which 3 black gents are you talking about? Harris isn’t black, he’s Jewish.
I never knew that being black and being Jewish excluded each other! Fascinating!
He has stated numerous times that he is not black and that he is Jewish. Are you purposely being obtuse?[/quote]
Oh really? He has stated that his avatar looks like him. Too much time in the tanning booth?
He should actually have chosen one of the cenobites from Hellraiser, to reflect his personality.
Al, go over again how a black person can’t be jewish. I don’t get it. Can you explain that to me in more depth?
Racism is alive and well in America, but good luck getting someone to admit it all that openly. I can safely say there is not a person on these boards that hasn’t had a racist/bigoted thought about an individual that is distinctly different from them.
I know I did, on the freeway, last week, asian female driver (great, racist and sexist!).
And no, this does not mean that the end of days is coming as has been previously mentioned on these boards.
[quote]Ren wrote:
Racism is alive and well in America, but good luck getting someone to admit it all that openly. I can safely say there is not a person on these boards that hasn’t had a racist/bigoted thought about an individual that is distinctly different from them.
I know I did, on the freeway, last week, asian female driver (great, racist and sexist!).
[/quote]
The first step on the road to mental health is recognizing your problems. Congratulation on the breakthrough!!
[quote]ALDurr wrote:
Fullback33 wrote:
I would love to see the reference to the use of the n-word from 400 yrs. ago to refer to anything to which the term ‘black’ doesn’t refer. Only the one ‘Americanized’ version got the stigma, and only here in America. Negger, Negre, Negro, etc. are all still legitimately used in other countries for their intended meanings. Also, 300-400 yrs. ago, the Irish were being brutalized and enslaved by Oliver Cromwell and though it would later become a convictable offense to use the word Roundhead, no one today would bat an eye at its use (if they even understood it).-Lucasa
This is precisely my point. Irish people were abused as well here, it’s just not as widely publicised. If I said I don’t like Irish people, people would say I am silly. If I said on here I don’t like black people, I would be flamed for being “evil” and “racist”. Both situations are stupid, but think about which one more people would get upset about. That is what I don’t like about the subject.
Hating a group of people is evil no matter who’s the target of the hate. But for your information, Irish is an ethnic group, not a race, so it would be inccorrect to say you were racist because you don’t like Irish people.[/quote]
I hate to tell ya, cupcake, but black people are an ethnic group too, not a race.
[quote]Steel Nation wrote:
ALDurr wrote:
Fullback33 wrote:
I would love to see the reference to the use of the n-word from 400 yrs. ago to refer to anything to which the term ‘black’ doesn’t refer. Only the one ‘Americanized’ version got the stigma, and only here in America. Negger, Negre, Negro, etc. are all still legitimately used in other countries for their intended meanings. Also, 300-400 yrs. ago, the Irish were being brutalized and enslaved by Oliver Cromwell and though it would later become a convictable offense to use the word Roundhead, no one today would bat an eye at its use (if they even understood it).-Lucasa
This is precisely my point. Irish people were abused as well here, it’s just not as widely publicised. If I said I don’t like Irish people, people would say I am silly. If I said on here I don’t like black people, I would be flamed for being “evil” and “racist”. Both situations are stupid, but think about which one more people would get upset about. That is what I don’t like about the subject.
Hating a group of people is evil no matter who’s the target of the hate. But for your information, Irish is an ethnic group, not a race, so it would be inccorrect to say you were racist because you don’t like Irish people.
I hate to tell ya, cupcake, but black people are an ethnic group too, not a race.[/quote]
Listen sugarbritches, it’s not as simple as you would like to make it.
“Black” can be a racial, ethnic, societal or cultural classification. There are a variety of racial, socio-political and biological factors can influence the definition of a “black person”. Irish, on the other hand, is not as complicated. For your edification, the Irish are a European ethnic group who originated in Ireland which is in north western Europe.
So black can be a racial classification, where as Irish cannot. In other words, STFU. Do your homework before you jump in. It keeps you from looking as dumb as you do right now.