Originally Posted By ecdc >>ecdc, what is racism?<< Webster's defines racism as.... It's a fair question, barboy. When I refer to racism, I mean either the overt discrimination or the subtle prejudice white Americans practice on minorities, especially African Americans and Hispanics. Yes, obviously there's broader meanings of racism. Yes, a black person can be racist. As HRM alluded, the history of global racism is far more complex. But for the purposes of discussing the role of racism in modern American politics, I think it's really about white people and how they view black people, the historical baggage around that, and the ignorance many people have about poverty and its causes. Today racism is very difficult to quantify. Obama won the election, which is in itself a very gratifying sign that most white people are not racist, or at least overtly so. Some people might remember that I had some pretty intense debates with jonvn during the Democratic primaries last year on these boards. I was the one insisting Obama could not only win the primary, he could win the general election. Jonvn insisted otherwise. So I'm not someone who just throws out the label "racist" whenever I see something I don't like. I also don't think racism means that white people hate black people, or deliberately try and treat them badly. I think a lot of it is rooted in ignorance, again, especially about socio-economic conditions. Many white conservatives' ignorance was revealed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, when people were shocked that black Americans who have never had a drivers license didn't just up and leave the city. A lot of it starts with a failure to understand that there are fundamental differences between poor Americans and the rest of us; and since many poor Americans are African American or Latino, it becomes easy to associate what they see with the race - crime, poverty, etc. I do think a lot of what happens to Obama is about racism - mostly subtle and unintentional, but still informed by the differences between "us" and "them." I question whether Joe Wilson would've shouted "You lie!" at Bill Clinton - a white southerner like him. I honestly don't know the answer to that question, maybe he would have. But I'm skeptical. I'm sure Wilson would be outraged at the charge. I'm sure he truly believes his outburst had nothing to do with the President's race. But people do unknowingly treat those that are not like them differently. There's no getting away from that.
Originally Posted By ecdc Another racism example: The President's speech to school children. I most certainly don't think anyone who objected is racist. But I think some of them are. And not just 3%. This treatment of the President like he was trying to lure their precious children into a windowless van with a table bolted in the back was so incredibly offensive, disrespectful, crazy, and screwed up beyond all recognition. There's little doubt in my mind that a good portion of that was rooted in racism.
Originally Posted By Kar2oonMan Anyone who declares the president is Muslim, you can go ahead and count them as racist. Glenn Beck, crazy person, you can go ahead and count him as a racist.
