I guess this is really more of a diary asking What Racism Is. If you feel like stopping by to discuss, feel free.
Is Racism:
Acts that are Racist?
Attitudes that are Racist?
Subconscious attitudes that cause you to judge someone because of their skin color?
What happens when you're deliberately nicer to people who aren't of your same skin color because you know they get more crap than you do?
In other words, is Racism something, like Alcoholism, that once exposed, you should expect to struggle with the rest of your life? Or is it something that the repudiation of -actually means something??
Jump on in! The water's fine!
This is a continuation of a series I'm starting on race: Here's the last link, should you be interested in why I choose this topic:
Just Because You're Racist doesn't mean you have to like it
If racism is "acts" -- then it's fairly easy to get rid of, or recognize in yourself or other people. The person who won't let the black mom rent a house, or the person hassling the white boy walking home through the black neighborhood -- these are easy to spot, and we have an obligation to speak up and do what we can to stop it.
If racism is "attitudes" -- well, people change attitudes over the course of their lives. It's normal. Beliefs change, and for the most part it's a good thing.
If racism is "subconscious/irrational" -- that's more like alcoholism, something someone is likely to find it hard if not impossible to get rid of.
And the last point is the most troublesome (does it feel republican to you too?) -- it's something that a liberal would find themselves doing. Then again, it reminds me of Nietzche, so it can't be all that bad.
I'm going to start looking at my personal views on this -- but feel free to respond in the general, or with your own personal views. I don't need a soapbox, really!
I was sitting on a Greyhound bus at two in the morning, talking with an old black bus driver who happened to be a passenger. I asked him, "What's the worst thing you've ever done?"
His response: "Me and two of my friends picked up bricks, and we said we were all going to throw them at this Jewish shopkeeper's storefront. Well, on the count of three, the other guys didn't throw -- but I did." I'm pretty sure (my memory is bad) that the end of it was "we all ran like hell" -- with the emphasis that a few poor kids probably couldn't afford to pay the shopkeep back.
Now I'm Jewish, and it's not like I had mentioned that fact (nor felt compelled to, after he said that) -- but, you know, it really hit home. And I really felt that after over twenty years later, the man was truly remorseful -- I don't think I'd be the one to characterize him, as I met him, as being racist.
Now I mentioned this down in the comments last time: I felt racist, sitting at a college bus stop, with a young black man sitting beside me -- because I had the urge to get up and move away -- nervous, uneasy. Now you could say that was ageist, sexist, classist and racist, if you wanted to. I certainly don't have the same response if whomever I'm sitting beside isn't in all those categories (even changing the clothing helps, it seems).
I can't think it's any more 'problematic' to be nice to people you know get shit for something -- but what if you're deliberately more nice to someone because you think you're responding irrationally to their presence? I'm not sure if that's appropriate, or bigoted, or what have you.
UPDATE: am adding poll, think I see a pattern here.