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Racism

Post by EluraE

In case you didn't know, recently three ladies were rescued after having been missing for several year. And man named Charles Ramsey, a black man, is the one who broke them out of the house they were being held in. During an interview afterwards he had this to say:

I knew something was wrong when a little pretty white girl ran into a black man's arms. Something is wrong here. Dead giveaway.

I have a couple questions about this. Is that statement, as he said it, racist? If a white person had said it, would that have been racist? With this story and quote circulating the news everywhere, is it helpful or harmful to people's perceptions of black people?

I don't think it was racist, I think it was a comment on racist society. We're taught to fear strangers (rightly so) but even more so to fear strangers that don't look/are like us. Him knowing that doesn't make him racist, or even make him think she's a racist or anything like that.

If he is the man I recall him being I would've been weary to run to him too if I wasn't in desperate need as he looked a little out of his mind, so.

Post by MyTie

I don't think it was racist

Of course you don't. He is black. So, you think it is impossible for him to be racist.

Post by Adamsm

And how many 'scary black man' jokes are there out there? To me, it sounds more like he was just making a piece of banter out of the fact that he ended up as a hero unexpectedly.

Post by Gone

Post by pikeyboy

I guess the only thing scarier in that area are three cuban guys.. I'd be willing to bet he was just making a joke. I think the frenzied screams were the real kicker. He was just the punchline to the aluminium door.

Post by pikeyboy

In answer to eccentrica, it WAS a racial joke, but where I live, race is nowhere near as important as it is in America, so if I was black, and I'd said that exact thing in my neighbourhood (rural republic of Ireland), yes, people would turn their back on me for that comment. Even being English, or Catholic/Protestant is not a big deal anymore. If people make jokes about those kind of things, eyes roll.

I don't know how a white person saying that would be taken in that neighbourhood. If a bystander said it, yep I'd consider that racist. If the guy that freed them was white, and the girls weren't, and he said that in reverse (saw a black girl running at a white man, something's wrong), I'd consider that a wry comment on the history of race relations in the USA.

Post by Gone

I think a white person saying it would certainly be a fo paux, and socially inappropriate, but it isn't any more or less inherently racist than if a black man said it.

Post by EluraE

I don't think it was racist

Of course you don't. He is black. So, you think it is impossible for him to be racist.

Well no but I wouldn't either way. It's not racist to observe that society is racist.
If a white man made a joke about that observation it wouldn't be racist either.

It's clear that the joke is "white girls are taught to fear black men" not "black men all suck white girls shouldn't go near them"

Post by MyTie

Post by EluraE

"white girls are taught to fear black men"

I wonder when this class is. I think people just fear what they don't know, or what they are unfamiliar with, or what isn't like themselves. Although, I do believe that racism is taught by a small, and unfortunate part of the population, I don't feel that that is such a part of the population to be an explaining factor to why there would be a problem at all.

You are very ignorant to the problem if your only thought is "well it's not taught in class!", in media for example most black guys you see are the criminals, the guys in prison, the big bad gangbangers. And that is just in movies/tv. If you follow certain news channels they love to focus on the crimes by the "others" which in a lot of cases are black guys. Where I live it's arabs. (and people from somalia for some reason, never any other african countries)
Yes we are taught to be weary of strangers, but in a lot of places we are also taught that non white people are more "strange" to us than white people. This isn't a class in school were they go "now now kids, don't go close to no black people", it's something we pick up through life.
You live a beautiful sheltered life if you don't see this.
And no it's not just black people, I'd rather run in to the arms of a strange woman than a man. If you grow up in a society that portray christians as "different" you might not want to run in to the arms of a priest.

Post by MyTie

This isn't a class in school were they go "now now kids, don't go close to no black people"

Just because racism isn't this overt in public schools, you feel they are free from needing to be more sensitive to racism? Why is it that you feel that children shouldn't be taught at every opportunity to be more tolerant and open-minded and loving, no matter what race the person they are interacting with is?

Post by Sagramor

Post by pikeyboy

Just because racism isn't this overt in public schools, you feel they are free from needing to be more sensitive to racism?

I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean, but you shouldn't be sensitive to racism, you should set it wide open before the people so that they can beat on it relentlessly until it dies.
Ridendo castigat mores.

This. It's everybody's responsibility. I call out all racists in public life, whatever the comment, and whoever they are. It's normally jokes about racial stereotypes, rather than racist extremist sentiments.

Post by MyTie

Just because racism isn't this overt in public schools, you feel they are free from needing to be more sensitive to racism?

I'm not sure I fully understand what you mean, but you shouldn't be sensitive to racism, you should set it wide open before the people so that they can beat on it relentlessly until it dies.
Ridendo castigat mores.

I was being facetious. However, I think your argument is semantical. If I wanted to seriously argue the point, you can't "beat on it" if you aren't aware of it, and you can't be aware of it if you are oblivious to it, which would be the opposite of "sensitive to it". My point wasn't that one must be overly sensitive, which you inferred.

Post by Sagramor

I was being facetious.
They really should have a font for that.

Racism

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