> Meaning, what? I'm not "affected" because I have to deal with someone who, say, hates white people?
The problem is mainly that a white person only needs to deal with racism on a personal level, and this racism is easy to ignore and "walk away" from.
A black person or latino has to not only deal with racism from individual people, but also inequities that are the result of our society. What are these inequities?
Here's a list of some:
- lower representation in government
- stereotyping in movies and popular culture
- lower representation in institutions of higher education
- lower representation in the workforce
- more difficulty growing and getting promoted once hired
- assumption that he or she might be residing illegally (this applies mainly to latinos)
Now you might say, "but what if blacks and latinos just aren't suitable for our government, educational institutions, workforce, and popular culture?" Or "what if they just don't want to participate?"
So now the real question becomes, "so how do you encourage them to participate? Or would you prefer to be a society that deliberately ignores a portion of its population?"
And this isn't even mentioning the fact that children don't get to chose where they grow up, who their parents are, and what the color of their skin is. I'm very happy that I didn't grow up black in Compton, and I'm sure you would also feel the same.
We are a byproduct of our surroundings, and until we can eliminate the gang violence, substance abuse, etc. etc. that surrounds a lot of children (predominantly minorities), it seems that the best we can do is lower the barrier to entry for "a different life." Which part of that is racist against white people?
>Now you might say, "but what if blacks and latinos just aren't suitable for our government, educational institutions, workforce, and popular culture?"
Except I wouldn't say that, because first, it doesn't make any damn sense, and second, it's the kind of ignorant tripe you'd expect to hear a white supremacist say.
Ah, my bad -- the sentence was phrased a bit poorly. By "suitable" I meant "good for the job" -- ie there may not be a large enough pool of talent available to fill necessary roles appropriately. There's a common argument that, "maybe they just don't want the jobs" adequately explains and justifies the situation. I didn't mean it personally in any way, nor did I mean that your position automatically includes that kind of an opinion :-)
The problem is mainly that a white person only needs to deal with racism on a personal level, and this racism is easy to ignore and "walk away" from.
A black person or latino has to not only deal with racism from individual people, but also inequities that are the result of our society. What are these inequities?
Here's a list of some: - lower representation in government - stereotyping in movies and popular culture - lower representation in institutions of higher education - lower representation in the workforce - more difficulty growing and getting promoted once hired - assumption that he or she might be residing illegally (this applies mainly to latinos)
Now you might say, "but what if blacks and latinos just aren't suitable for our government, educational institutions, workforce, and popular culture?" Or "what if they just don't want to participate?"
So now the real question becomes, "so how do you encourage them to participate? Or would you prefer to be a society that deliberately ignores a portion of its population?"
And this isn't even mentioning the fact that children don't get to chose where they grow up, who their parents are, and what the color of their skin is. I'm very happy that I didn't grow up black in Compton, and I'm sure you would also feel the same.
We are a byproduct of our surroundings, and until we can eliminate the gang violence, substance abuse, etc. etc. that surrounds a lot of children (predominantly minorities), it seems that the best we can do is lower the barrier to entry for "a different life." Which part of that is racist against white people?