What if a person is racist, but would never admit to it in public. They know it is wrong and that it is ignorant, but can’t shake the feeling. This person is what? They would be friends with people of a different race, they would help people of a different race, do the same job. But deep down there is a fear of what if...? But the entire time they know it is ridiculous, like the boogie man or the dark. Everyone knows there is no boogie man and that there is nothing lurking in the dark, but we still feel these things. I mean they know there is the same level of humanist and intelligence; it’s just a culture that does not appeal to them.
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
What if...?
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I do not think your describing a racist. I really don't know what your describing, because a true racist couldn't be around that race, or work with, or anything. Now there are what I like to call closest racist, but I think to a degree they are not racist against the race, but maybe to a certain group of people from that race.
ReplyDeleteWell said, Antonio. We cannot and should not be so quick to label anyone a racist. That does a disservice to the word.
ReplyDeleteThat's why there are varying levels of prejudice in our society. Look at page 109, the Affective Dimension of Prejudice. What might this person Joanna's describing be feeling? (I am not really sure what she's describing either!)
Then let's apply the measure of social distance this person she's describing towards other individuals. Again, there is so much that needs to be assessed before we can label anyone a racist...
Pages 108-126 describe in detail how prejudice occurs. Read it Joanna and compare.
I agree with Antonio, I don't believe that's a racist because a racist would be someone that really dislikes that particular race and wants nothing to do with them, have any type of connectionn or socialize with them. What you are describing is probably someone that just hesitant about some races but still socialize with them.
ReplyDeleteWell in MOST cases I have come across in my day to day life, these types of cases are what I see more often than any racist cartoon, or a neo-Nazi, and honestly more than a stop and frisk. I talk to people everyday that have a certain preference as to the color of the people they prefer to have relations with. They are not out burning crosses or wearing sheets on their heads they aren’t specially mean; nor do they make racist jokes. So I was curious if the general consensus of these people were if they are considered racist because of their preference, which is not covered in any of the theories in the pages you've mentioned. They just regard the other race with cold indifference, and I wanted to know if that was enough to condemn a person as a racist.
ReplyDeleteAh, well, that makes more sense! I think the question is not to condemn others. I try my hardest not to condemn people as racists. I mean, we live in NY, we come from opinionated families, we have opinionated friends; when are we not surrounded by opinion? Who am I to say someone's opinions are baseless?
ReplyDeleteIf we refer back to the theories of how prejudice occurs, there are a few very real ways how this occurs. I would argue that all of these people you come across, are impacted by instances that can best be described via these theories!