Racism in Private
Posted in Lifestyle, Politics by George
Something that really bothers me is when people make racist remarks to me in private because I am white. Over my winter semester break, just a few weeks ago, I was working at my local community center and I was approached by one of the [white] custodians in the kitchen. She began venting about how she hated her job and couldn’t wait to quit. This entire conversation was pretty awkward at this point, and all I could really do was nod and say things like: “uh-huh.”
Well, she was going over a list of things she didn’t like, and she started talking about how much she hated “those certain groups of people that play on the pool tables all day.” This was in reference to the fact that the pool tables are primarily occupied by young hispanic males. At this point in the conversation, I began to feel fairly uncomfortable, so I told her I needed to get back to work.
I should have told her that what she said was wrong. I shouldn’t have just walked away from the conversation. But I don’t want to accuse someone of making a racist comment, especially someone I have never talked to before.
I used to think that programs like affirmative action were unnecessary. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve been surprised with the number of people who have made racist remarks to me in private, in addition to racist remarks that make the news (a la Michael Richards, George Allen, Mel Gibson, etcetera]. Has anyone else noticed this?
[image courtesy of: http://www.asu.edu/mlk/images/mlk.jpg]
January 23rd, 2007 at 9:49 pm
We are all at fault for making racist remarks–black, white, hispanic, or any other racial group. I have done it and I know that you have at some point. It doesn’t make it right that many do it, but it is just human nature to do so. ETHNOCENTRISM is a key contributor to these remarks. While race and ethnicity are separate, ethnocentrism supposed to be used by any ethnicity to make themselves feel superior based on where they come from however it now more based on race in the US.
I hear remarks like those described being used all of the time: in school, at work, even at home sometimes, but I accept it as normal (however not right) because it DOES happen all of the time. I’m sure that in the future the terms “whites” and “blacks” will be viewed with offense just as “Negro” and “Anglo” came out of acceptance. It is good to have pride in ones heritage, but not to be an extremist. As for the cleaning lady–meh, brush that dirt off yo shoulda’ son. Odds are, she is, as you said, in hatred of her job and just jealous that when she works, others carelessly dirty up or use tables that she may or may not have to tend to.
I feel the same way when people come to Best Buy ten minutes before close and want to buy a whole kitchen while managing to dirty up my department in the process. Not racially discriminatory however, just perturbed…like the cleaning lady.
I’ll admit that I have called a Middle-Eastern person a terrorist, a Hispanic an illegal, and Asians bad drivers, but this doesn’t mean I’m racist. If you think that, you are terribly mistaken.
If you want to learn more about racial tension and division through a role reversal, watch the movie “White Man’s Burden” with John Travolta as a poor delivery man and Harry Belafonte as a wealthy factory owner.
I won’t tell you how to feel about affirmative action but my stand is solid. It only encourages more hatred through the machine that is reverse discrimination.
January 24th, 2007 at 1:01 am
It’s not right to make racist remarks for any reason. It doesn’t matter if you or my custodian friend were disgruntled or not. It doesn’t matter whether or not the word ethnocentrism applies or not and/or is in capital letters.
As for whether or not making racist comments makes someone a racist, that merely depends on how you define “racist.” If you think it’s ok for you to make derogatory comments in reference to someone’s race, I’d argue that you’re treading a thin line.
Until virtually everyone can look beyond the color of each others’ skins, programs like affirmative action need to be in place to correct for this.