Racism

Racism Forum

What are the underlying causes of Racism?

Why are people of different color and creeds and religious beliefs always at one another's throat.

Where did the hate originate?


Let's discuss it........

I hate hatred.

People naturally divide people for two classes: one's own people and strangers (people from other villlage, of different faith, nationality, citizenship).

Communities have different habits and values, when people from different communities meet, they don't like each other because each man thinks the other behaving in a wrong way.

Ethnical tolerance is a result of enlightment as well as wisdom. Since it's difficult to be such a man, we have racism.

Ideally every community should have it's own space. The tensions are less frequent in this case.

I think it's inherent in human behavior to want to be accepted and belong to a group (usually a group that looks or thinks like they do) and be intimidated by someone else's differences or something they don’t understand.

Race and religion have been the catalyst for nearly all hatred throughout history. Religion especially. More acts of violence, and most importantly, war, have been waged because of religion. The crusades, holy war, jihad, all of that. Humans are passionate and often deathly stubborn when it comes to beliefs. That’s why it’s good to have an idea. You can change an idea.

Hating someone based on ethnicity is the oldest for of prejudice. Difference easily breed’s contempt, jealousy, nervousness, and humans instinctively react negatively.

Honestly, I think prejudice and racism is just who we are. All of us are guilty of it at some level at some point in their life.

I don’t see things changing drastically for the human race any time soon. Americans, for example, can make strides all they want. There’s still billions and billions of people who are raising their kids to hate, triggering that built-in need to belong to a group that thinks or looks like they do.

-HECK!

In the end, treat people how you would want to be treated and don't judge a person by what's on the outside. I know it's a rather simple answer and a tad cliche', but it's true.

But we're never going to fully eliminate racism. The answer is to be tolerant of others and their beliefs. Just because you've been tought something your whole life and belive it to the core, it doesn't mean that is the only answer. And maybe, just maybe, you could be wrong.

-HECK!

I think that people of different religions, who are the extremists, tend to think that only they are right, and that their religion is THE ONE to the TRUE God. It has sparked so much hatred over thousands of years.

The same with color. Some people think that they are SO better then another race, or social status. They use that to push hatred, and keep someone down.

it works both ways too.

But black folks hating white folks is more PC than the other way around.

Yes, of course it is... still doesn't make it right.

racism and bigotry exist in people so that they can think better of themselves...but its people like this are the ones that are the most afraid. They are afraid if they are nice and accepting, then they becomes less powerful...and what I mean by "powerful" depends on what they are longing to have and be. (If that makes sense).

Its too bad because in the long run the best power a person has is to accept others as they are.

unfortunately...like HECK said...it wont change anytime soon, and I agree with him about the race and religion thing...but I think there is more bigotry and racism within religion....these people will think of anything to not accept or hate another....you know, all in the name of God.

IMO

You nailed it, mystic... I think that there is so much more within religion than anywhere else.

Not every racist person was raised to be a racist.

Some people become racists through negative experiences involving people of other races.

Lets all of us in IR post some positive things that may aid in reducing Racism...
Such as: I believe that we are all equal . None of us is superior or inferior to anyone else.

All color, religions, and creeds deserve consideration without bias.

This song, "Truth of the Heart" by Melissa Etheridge makes me think about how we are all equal, becker....


I hear your questions
I see your face
Your life before you
Is full of grace
What can I tell you
To let you know
Your angel's eyes
Will watch you grow

Come listen close
And I'll try to let you know
It's all I know

There is no magic
There are no secrets
We all begin this race at the start
But I have come this far
With a truth of the heart

Deep down inside
I think we're all the same
Try not to judge someone
And never shame
I do believe that people are good
They just want hope and respect
And to be understood

Sometimes it hard sometimes it's strange
But the truth of the heart is people can change

Yes there is danger and there are shadows
And there is fear inside the dark
It has powered countries and borne religion
Fear can never rule the heart

My father's burden
My mother's rain
My own desire
My sister's pain
All souls have traveled along this road
Each one has carried their own heavy load

Good post....KJ

Thanks, becker.... that song just touches me, really deeply whenever I hear it.

But people are not equal at all. A person differs from another person as well as a person's culture shapes him/her.

People are equal in the sense that they deserve equal opportunity. How they use that opportunity is up to them. Luck also plays a large part in someone's future of course.

M.

IF a person is a great pianoist potentially but lives in an stone-age African or South-American tribe, how such person may have an opportunity?

I am talking about equal opportunity in the context of racism, Barbed wire. If a person is denied opportunity because of their color or their race, than we are not treating them as equals.

M.

or if a person is potentially a great hunter but lives in the suburbs of Maryland

People aren't equal in a since that one equals another. It's like with the women's rights movement. Women wanting to be treated equal to men as if they are men, when man does not equal women and vice versa.
Same with religions and culture. They have different ways of dealing with situations and and different beliefs. One does not equal another.
Not all cultures and religions are afforded the same oppertunities. Bush doesn't even believe Wicca should be recongized as a religion. So those people in the military that are wiccan aren't given the same "equality" and "rights" to practice there religion as say christians.

This doesn't mean one is any better than the other. Noone should hold superiority. Just beacuse one does not equal another does not mean that one holds a higher value.

You're right... we aren't all equal, but we SHOULD be. We all come in to this world the same damn way - we are born through out mother's!!! We come into this world as helpless infants. WE ARE EQUAL, until people, our cultures, our biasts, etc... change that. So, we START THIS WORLD EQUALLY.

I think a better way of putting it is we are all of equal value.

Okay, we aren't talking about children raised by animals... and I said that we are all born the same way. Damn, you can't even admit that we're equal with that. Oh well... I have my opinion, you have yours.

I see here I should clarify my point.

The society in which a human being as born plays crucial role in shaping his/her personality. The society's work is absolutely necessary and the example about the children raised by animals is an illustration of that.

Xenophobia and racism are hate of certain features of alien cultures which shaped people, who are 'objects of racism'.

Do you want to say that people are equal because all of them were same tabula rasae* in the begining? I don't think it's a good argument.


I think the key is understanding how other societies develop as well as all-round analysis of their bad and good features.

*http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=tabula%20rasa

BTW how you people think could ethnical, religious tolerance and women's suffrage happen in Middle Ages or Ancient world?

Srry Barbed Wire could you rephrase the question?

I mean could a thing from this list - either equality of women to men or religious tolerance be demanded by some people in that times or even granted to them?

Was it possible for a woman from thirteenth century to have an idea of equal rights with men?

Not Really. People only know what they are tought. If something has always been done a cretain way, than that must be the way it's supposed to be right.


Do I agree with that way of thinking no. But that's the way people used to and often times still do think.

When the majority of the world's inhabitants begin to think independently, and shed indoctrinated training...maybe Racism will wane.

We should not allow our breeding to govern our creeds.


Babies are not born Racists..They absorb it from outside influences.

True True.

In Middle Ages the patriarchal family was the right way of survival. With no or little trade people grew food and made clothes for themselves with their own hands.
Female peasant? Try the work with wooden plough...

If there's a unpleasant person one feels free to dislike him/her.

But a whole nation may have unpleasant features.. and what to do?

Racism, I think a big way to get rid of it is to shed traditionalism. I feel that traditionalist attitudes harken back to the days of old, so many of those attitudes remain. Now I don't want this to be cofused with conservatism, I'm talking about traditonalism. I've had conversations with people that don't want a particular law or custom to change because they've "been doing it for 5000 years," so why change now?

You ask this same person to give some rationale for their actions, and if they can't come up with one, they just bring up the traditionalist idea. I think this is one of the big reasons that hatred remains.

Looking at the religion and philosophy threads, I think hatred remains because people all believe they are experts and always try to define others. If people try to define themselves instead of just trying to define others, we'll go a long way. We need to stop thinking in terms of absolutes.

Racism and sexism always has me thinking of affirmative action, a system that needs reform because we definitely won't have people being treated as equals because of the tendency of people to maintain traditionalist views. Perhaps when the Civil Rights era people are all dead, it should definitely look a lot different.

i have no idea, all my friends at school are racist, most of em anyway. i guess. . .slavery started race problems, and rebellions etc. but b4 dat. . .no idea! not right.

racism is as old as civilization.

that's the core falsehood behind civilization, that one man is better than another. Race is just one way to seperate a "them" and an "us."

Nationality is another way. Humans are a very intelligent and creative monkey, that is constantly finding new and clever ways to be stupid.

Before I start.. I am a black/white/Latin/Asian mutt.. I don’t consider myself to be either or but all of those.. I’m 17 and just about slept through every English class so excuse any grammar errors. Now here we go.

I believe the core behind racism is due to the limited perspective that a human being of a set denomination is allowed to have in this world. The sociological climate that governs this world really does not aid this problem. It is impossible to believe that a Caucasian male can awake one morning and completely understand the thought process and ideals of a Negro female. We fail to see this which leads us to believe that all men should be treated equal. That rather irrational idea in itself is defying the very laws of nature which is the core of our existence. To force the human mind to believe that all men are equal and should be equal is to go against our natural programming which would lead to internal as well as external conflicts. The solution to end racism is to accept the fact that no one is equal and unless we all become clones raised under the same sociological climate we will never be equal.

I could write more but i'm too tired.. damn this *****ritis

Welcome to the board Unjustly Stupid.

That's a nice first post. It goes along nicely with what I was saying in post 25.

The fact of the matter is we're not equal, nor should we be. But I'm not saying that one race, religion, culture, sexual orintation, sex, and the like is any better than the other. They aren't. We're all a bunch of idiots when it comes down to it. And the world will be a lot better off when everyone can take a step back, look at what they've been doing and then admit it.

No one person's life holds any more value than the next person. Value being the key word.

People are different. People need to stop trying to be so friggin politically correct and accoknowledge that people are different. We ARE, hello. Like unjustly stupid said, I'm paraphraseing here, a white male has no idea what a Negro female goes through.

*side note I hope i eventually get back to my point. Negro, that just raises another question with me. The world has gone insane!! Again with the political correctness. What is it? Negro, balck, Africn American what? Which is it. Everyone pefers something different, and what you say one place can get you many dirty looks in another. Everyone runs around eihter completely oblivious or too PC.

So anyway, people are different. These differences should be accepted embraced celebrated even.

But now I'm gonna go out on a limb here and in a way colpletely contradict myself by saying why can't people just be people. Think of how great it would be one day to just live in a world with out lables. Where peoples differences are still acknowledged and accepted but not what defines them.`Where people don't feel the need to piont out the differences in other just because thats what they are different. Like in conversation, when telling a story, You know DJ , he black, I saw him at the store the other day. Or that girl, Karen, she's gay, her mom was at the hospital. What this is such pertanient information that it needs to be pointed out. Constantly brought up for the sake of bringing it up. What does it matter who black white Indian gay bi stright who gives a ****. My gosh. I don't go around saying, you know Krystal, she has blonde hair?

i'm gonna try to sum it up, I rambeling. OK so the point is, we're not the same, people's differents shouldn't just be pushed aside and it be we're all the same noones different. But these differences shouldnt be pointed out like the Liazard boy from the travling freak show either. I hope you get what I'm saying.

yeah ma friends r like dat inner city blue, they call black people the obvious word that i dont use because really, white people have no business usin it. and sum have da nerve 2 call me a dumb blonde went they havent even spoken to me once. its all messed around ova here. as it is in most countries i guess.

IF EVERYONE WOULD STOP PASSING JUDGMENT ON OTHERS AND REALIZE WE ARE ALL CREATED EQUAL, AND ALL GOD'S CHILDREN. ONLY THEN WILL RACISM
END

You pass me on the street and sneer in my direction.
You call me "Cracker", "Honkey", "Whitey" and even "The Man" and you think it's OK.
But when I call you, "******", "Kike", "Towelhead", "Sand-******", "Camel Jockey", "Beaner" or "Chink" you call me a racist.

You say that whites commit a lot of violence against you, so why are the ghettos the most dangerous places to live


You have Martin Luther King Day.
You have Cesar Chavez Day.
You have Yom Hashoah
You have Ma'uled Al-Nabi
You have BET.

If we had WET(white entertainment television) we'd be racists.

If we had a White Pride Day you would call us racists.

If we had white history month, we'd be racists.

In the Million Man March, you believed that you were marching for your race and rights.
If we marched for our race and rights, you would call us racists.

You are proud to be black, brown, yellow and orange, and you're not afraid to announce it.
But when we announce our white pride, you call us racists.

You call each other "*****s", but when we call you that, you call us racists.

You rob us, carjack us, and shoot at us.
But, when a white police officer shoots a black gang member or beats up a black drug-dealer running from the law and posing a threat to society, you call him a racist.


I am white.
I am proud.
I am an American.

But, you call me a racist.
Why is it that only whites can be racists?