What are your experiences with race

[totalwar junkie]

The police brutality thread got me thinking. What is everyones experience with race?

I know race can be a very heated subject, and I dont want this to get heated and be closed like the police brutality thread. I know I myself can get very heated, partly becuase of what I've been exposed to, and also becuase it bothers me when people try to deny racism, thats a sort of covert racism IMHO.

So I would like there to be some guidlines. Which are just simply stick to the questions.

What is your experience with race?

Have you ever witnessed racism take place right in front of you?

Have you ever been involved in being racist, weather verbally or physically? If so why and do you regret it?

Have you or anyone close to you ever experienced racism? If so how did that seem to effect them(if you how did effect you and how did effect your friends and those close to you) and how did effect you?

What kinds of friends have you had throughout your life, what I mean is, what are all the different races/nationalities that make up your group of friends?

Thats all the qeustions I can think of regarding this for now, probably enough.

My intention here is serious, this is a very serious subject. This is not an attempt to start any flaming or anything like that. I know its not very likely that this will stay civil but I'd like to at least try, so please everyone just try to be civil, if I can than I know others can too.

Mods, please dont close until we get the ball rolling and see what the responses are like. I really think this is a worthwhile discussion that needs to take place on this board.

I will give my answers to the questions in a little bit, provided this stays open.

[krazykarl]

I hate everyone equally.

That said, I am not a racist person, but I do disciriminate based on otherthings, someof which have to do with culture

[Rand Al Thor]

I'm a white guy with blonde hair, and blue eyes and guess what? Of 15 or so "close friends" only bout 4 are also what I would call white. I think that should answer your question.

[Guderian]

Have you ever witnessed racism take place right in front of you?

Yes. Growing up as a Sri Lankan in Australia, some people have been racist towards me. What I realised after sometime is that these people are usually ignorant about my race and culture themselves and/or they were just trying to part of a bigger group, fit in. Its a social thing.

Have you ever been involved in being racist, weather verbally or physically? If so why and do you regret it?

Yes, verbally in my high school days and what i said about people who are racist above applied to me back then as well. But then i guess i grew up, there really is no logical reason for being racist. It doesnt solve anything.

Have you or anyone close to you ever experienced racism? If so how did that seem to effect them(if you how did effect you and how did effect your friends and those close to you) and how did effect you?

Well back in my highschool days it would result in a big brawl. But now we just laugh it off, although some of my friends who just came to Autralia from overseas take it really personally. Also me and my friends always make racial jokes (not too offensive hehe) about each other but its always in the name of fun.

What kinds of friends have you had throughout your life, what I mean is, what are all the different races/nationalities that make up your group of friends?

For along time i never had any friends that were Sri Lankan. I had mates who were Phillipino, Aussie, Afghan, Chinese, Mexican etc etc but never Sri Lankan. Its only recently ive had Sri Lankan mates. For me i guess i get along well with everybody.

[Tom Paine]

I have never seen experienced racism directly. I have a group of friends comprising all sorts of people; including a pakistani, a coupla italians, and a load of others. I pride myself on liking everyone equally untilthey personally deserve my ire. Except in some cases; I must say I am ashamed of assuming every BNP voter must be racist. I mean, its probably only 99%, right? But back on topic. Thepoint is, it is slightly surprising that I have never seen racism in life (TV and Radio don't count); I went to a state school with some real scum in, but whatever they chose to hate you for, race was never there. And it was really diverse in that way, as well. So it kind of impresses me that I never saw it... until watching election broadcasts for the General Election before last (2001). In that, I saw Nick Griffin standing; a racist standing for parliament! It sickens me to the core that he can do that, and not even lose his deposit (under 5% of the vote in your constituency)!
So what makes people so interested in race? That's the thing I can't understand. Disagreement with a friend's beliefs I can understand (and do, with many of my friends being religious!) but using that as an insult? No, I can't understand what makes people do it at all. It offends me that people do that, simply because everyone should have a good shot at life without stigma from race or creed.

[Erik]

I grew up in Africa.
I'm white but all my friends were black.
Now I live in Amsterdam and I don't have many colored friends because most students here are white.
My father has re-maried a black (african) woman, and I have two brown half-brothers plus an adopted sister who is also black.

I've never been racist myself.
But when I was about 12 I did get discriminated by some black kids at my school, this made me realy angry.
My "best friend' was black but his other (black) friends didn't like me because I am white.
In the end they turned him against me.

[Guderian]

So what makes people so interested in race? That's the thing I can't understand. Disagreement with a friend's beliefs I can understand (and do, with many of my friends being religious!) but using that as an insult? No, I can't understand what makes people do it at all. It offends me that people do that, simply because everyone should have a good shot at life without stigma from race or creed.

I feel the same way but racism is inevitable in my area because there are so many races. So with me and my mates we grew up with it and its kind of become normal to us. I personally think theyre inappropriate but when your mate's friend makes a racial joke about your race you have to have a comeback...its a social thing. Nobody really likes to talk about it openly, i guess most people (including me) dont want to think about whether people you've known your whole life have real racist thoughts.

[Fatigue]

So what makes people so interested in race? That's the thing I can't understand.

Difference. Always difference. A black person is very different (visually) from a white person so they both have an inherent distrust of one another. Actually, that's a bit of a blanket statement because, after all, it all depends on how you're raised to see other people (and your environment) that determines your attitude towards them (at least in the beginning, then you form your own opinion through that and experience). What I've discovered is that if there are differences, any differences between people they'll concentrate on that difference. Either positively or negatively. Even if the world was just one race, there would still be differences (ideology for example), and therefore conflict.

[Tom Paine]

Difference. Always difference. A black person is very different (visually) from a white person so they both have an inherent distrust of one another. Actually, that's a bit of a blanket statement because, after all, it all depends on how you're raised to see other people (and your environment) that determines your attitude towards them (at least in the beginning, then you form your own opinion through that and experience). What I've discovered is that if there are differences, any differences between people they'll concentrate on that difference. Either positively or negatively. Even if the world was just one race, there would still be differences (ideology for example), and therefore conflict.

But a purely superficial difference sparking so much conflict, violence, and hatred makes no sense. Yes racism will be with us, but that doesn't mean we have to accept it. Your point about how one is raised is most improtant on that I suppose. And ideology is an improtant difference, but no differenece is worth killing for. Ever.

[Owain_Glyndwr]

I'll make it brief and probably uninteresting.

"What is your experience with race? "

I'm not sure what your asking here, I think that the other questions should answer it.

"Have you ever witnessed racism take place right in front of you? "

Everyday. However, it is less common when people of different cultures are listening, heh.

"Have you ever been involved in being racist, weather verbally or physically? If so why and do you regret it?"


I'm not going to say no, and show myself to be some great person by going through all the different kinds of people I protect from racism and all the non-white friends I have. My answer is Yes, everyday. I never mean it, and normally its a joke to my friends, not an insult to someone else, so I dont regret it.

"Have you or anyone close to you ever experienced racism? If so how did that seem to effect them(if you how did effect you and how did effect your friends and those close to you) and how did effect you? "

It is rare, but sometimes a friends has other races, mainly those from Pakistan and India, be racist to him. Even rarer, the people are not joking, in which case it just furthers the hatred that some of my friends, but not I, have against foreigners.

"What kinds of friends have you had throughout your life, what I mean is, what are all the different races/nationalities that make up your group of friends? "

My friends and girlfriends were all, are all, and probably will all be till I die, white Brits. That is not to say I discriminate by only befriending white Brits, its just racial minoritys in my area are just that, minoritys. There are very few of them, unless you travel to certain areas. Its not that I am discriminating, its just that I haven't met enough people who are part of racial minoritys to be friends with one of them. You probably like a max of 10% of people in your life, whatever creed, colour or nationality.

I hope this isn't regarded as racist, I see no reason not to like someone just because of the colour of their skin or the god that they pray too. I said that I frequently say racist things, but thats only because racism has become in most parts a kind of satire, at least where I live. Theres so much hype about it the news crying "racist!" or "keep immigrants out!" that its a joke, not to be taken seriously anymore, the same with the episode of Brass Eye based on paedophilia, it was only laughing at the stupidity of our media crying wolf. Few of my friends actually are racists in heart.

[Tom Paine]

And thus, the racists gain momentum....
Jokes are told at the start, and the end. Can we discriminate well enough between the two yet? Every joke, every light-hearted comment, is a little scribble on the ledger. And eventually those add up to something monstruous. I am not saying you are racist; I am saying that given that you make those comments, aren't you simply clouding the issue? "They don't mean anything"; maybe not to you, but what about to the guy who hears them? he might be offended. Ever thought about that? Sorry to be so negative about it but its what I believe.

[Fatigue]

But a purely superficial difference sparking so much conflict, violence, and hatred makes no sense.

Not really. Difference, aka the unknown, has always been humanitys biggest fear. If someone is completely different to you visually then you essentially don't know them (as in you have no racial link) and cannot identify with them. For example, if two different tribes came into contact they would do one of two things. Make peace, or make war. Judging from human history in general I'd say the latter happens far more often. If one was open-minded (or just sensible) then you'd try to learn about them peacefully, but others fear and therefore hate difference because they feel threatened by it. As you can imagine, it goes downhill from there.

And ideology is an improtant difference, but no differenece is worth killing for. Ever.

Tell that to all the fanatics and extremists out there. To a lot of them those differences are the focus (and reason) of their hatred. If someone believes something opposite to what you do, you usually try to persuade them that your side is the 'right' side... Heck the Cold War is a classic example, though fortunately it didn't escalate into another world war...damn lucky when you think about it.

[Tom Paine]

We can but hope that racism is a human barrier that may be crossed, rather than the current policy of ignoring what happens unless it is specifically pointed out.

[ShadowGladius]

We should all be able to laugh at racist comments.

I call a black man a ******,

he calls me a chink,

and then we laugh and go get some drinks.

The only thing worse than making an insult is getting mad at one.

(Edit: LOL the n-word is bleeped but chink isn't)

[Tom Paine]

We should all be able to laugh at racist comments.

I call a black man a ******,

he calls me a chink,

and then we laugh and go get some drinks.

The only thing worse than making an insult is getting mad at one.

(Edit: LOL the n-word is bleeped but chink isn't)

The pebble rolls, and leads to an avalanche. Getting offended at racist insults isn't wrong; it is simply portrayed as such by those who use them. Think about how often you have been called a "chink"? How many is it? Now imagine that as a representative sample of the US. Now imagine a tenth of those, or even 1%, believe you are "inferior" and do not count as human because of your racial heritage. Imagine that. DOesn't it terrify you? And that is what you are saying we should laugh at.

[ShadowGladius]

Nope.

What the crap can they do to me? Torture me? Kill me?

Heck I'm gonna go through that anyways when I'm old.\

HHAHAHAHHAHAHHAAH

[Belisarius]

Keep it calm and civil guys.

[><sam><]

just to illustrate that this kind of thing works both ways: i am a german in london, and when i first lived in england with a very strong accent i got hitler salutes when i walked into rooms @ school (it wore off when i actually got 2 know ppl) and a drunken english guy spat at me and called a ':wub: nazi boy' when i walked past him in a german football shirt with 3 or 4 english friends.

[Tom Paine]

just to illustrate that this kind of thing works both ways: i am a german in london, and when i first lived in england with a very strong accent i got hitler salutes when i walked into rooms @ school (it wore off when i actually got 2 know ppl) and a drunken english guy spat at me and called a ':wub: nazi boy' when i walked past him in a german football shirt with 3 or 4 english friends.

That's not "working two ways". That's xenophobes, UKIP and BNP voters. So there we are; its a stick to beat you with, thats "all". And that's all it is before they start having some influence; in fact, some BNP candidates DIDN'T lose their deposits in the last general election, meaning they had over 5% off the constituency on their sides!

[MeKtHep]

im not a racist

accempele i got marroko friends turkish joegoslavian egyptian indonesian chinees italian portugees friends

i speak english dutch french german arabic malays portugeus

but i have seen racism yes allot belive me all those skinnys with lonsdale etc waving there hand like hitler and painting Swasiskas on walls :S

but *** i must say i hate it what they do yelling white power !!! that stuff and what i have seen allot is that 20 arabic dudes go the group racisms and kick the hel out of the skinny's with bats etc (and thats not good either !!! the hate in countrys are getting worse)

there white dudes hating black dudes but when the sunshines the wanna get brown ? so i dont get it really i hate it so :wub:ing mutch all these racism its so useles but then again allot of people dont got sutch a big brain i see myself superior them those racism

like the biggest thing i gotta laugh on is those skinnys walking in lonsdale omg they are using it as a skinny murchendise ore how you wright it

but it was the brand of the biggest boxer in the world muhammad ali (and belive me he is black!!!)
i know its symbolic but then so it doesent make sense allot of rasims are jalouse of other race cause they just fear them and like that they rather walk arround them then saying hi
i aint scared of no ****** arabic white yellow red dude
ive they respect me i respect them and thats my case ive not i just ignor