The Glade 4.0

Well, obviously it does to some extent, but how much?

I read a lot about black people claiming that black people are getting beat up by cops for no reason, their children treated unfairly in school, being denied loans or jobs because they aren't white, etc. I'm also reading a lot of white people saying that black people are lazy, are handed things just because of their race instead of having to earn them, and pull the race card in inappropriate situations just to get out of trouble.

As a nation, where are we on this issue? Is it getting better, is it getting worse? What is the solution, is there a solution?

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

"-ism's" are instinctual. We'll get rid of them when we no longer have a self-preservation instinct...which will require us to loose the self-identity thing...

No time in the near future, and tomorrow's tomorrow isn't looking good either. Folks would have to see themselves in everyone else first.

Best we can do is recognize that we have the instinct and learn to correct for it... and that's not going to happen any time soon either, for a lot of folks.

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In time, this too shall pass.

That's pretty much the conclusion thats been reached every time we've discussed this subject. Kinda sad.

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"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." Jesus of Nazareth

The answer depends on where you live, and how you present yourself.

So yes, it absolutely still exists, and in some areas is very present and persistant. In other areas, it's much less pronounced or almost non-existant.

I'm willing to bet that everything you think is racism is actually socio-economic classism. Indeed, I'm willing to bet that the places you think it's "less pronounced or almost non-existant" are among the least diverse economically in the country.

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I dunno, I try to judge people based on their character. I can't speak for the other millions of people in America. There are racists and I don't think there is a metric anywhere that is precise. There's no giant meter on capitol hill that sways back and forth between "love all god's creatures" and "**** people that are different in some way"

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"...the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Sure, I'll take that bet, because you'd be wrong.

Socio-economic classism certainly contributes to racism with some people. Sometimes racism is due to ignorance. (My father in law mostly falls into that category) Other times it's due to cultural programming.

I think there's a third category Aizle. Xenophobia. You can try to squeek this into ignorance if you want but I think the underlying causes of the two are different.

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Yup, I'll agree with that, although it would be a fourth category.

Yeah, my uncle was like this (ignorance). There are very few black people where I grew up and it's not a very affluent town. It was a little odd for me when I left home, but I've worked with people from everywhere at this point, and my suspicion that we're all pretty much the same was confirmed.

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"...the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Aizle:

I'm not wrong; you simply don't like politically inconvenient realities. Name a place you think exhibits little to no racism; then, name a place that is the converse.

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I'm with Khross in that I think it's mostly economic at this point and I also like what Taskiss had to say.

For me, I live in an ultra diverse (in terms of black/white), middle upperclass neighborhood. 4 or 5 mix race couples, the rest a pretty even split of black and white.

A few weeks back I read in the local paper that a pastor in Newark was addressing a bunch of teens about a work program. He was telling them "people who look like us dont get many opportunities like this, so you should take it". I found that sad and disgraceful, and completely untrue.

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“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

Maybe he meant youthful.

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Personally, I hear more resentment towards "the rich" than anything else. People seem to feel that better government is the answer to the problems. Better government in the form of regulation, which they currently think is absent. I don't even know where to begin telling them it's the opposite. So, a perceived privileged class is the other, not another race. That's just around me though, I'm in a somewhat different segment of people and have sent little time in the US in the last 10 years.

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"...the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?" -Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Yes, racism exists. I can't tell you how many times I've had to deal with the stereotype that I must be a racist and/or priveledged just because I am white. I've been told on numerous occasions that I am only successful because I'm white.

Arathain:

You're only saying that because you're a racist.

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In my experience, I think more people equate streotyping with racism.

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"It is true that democracy undermines freedom when voters believe they can live off of others' productivity, when they modify the commandment: 'Thou shalt not steal, except by majority vote.' The politics of plunder is no doubt destructive of both morality and the division of labor."

That is acceptable racism. I believe, based on my own feelings on the issue, that it is causing and will continue to cause a backlash. I've come to take the position that I dont give a damn about racism even when I see it, because nobody gives a damn when it's not a specific group. If you're white or asian, nobody seems to care much. If you're black, hispanic or gay, then it's a big deal.

There is too much of a disconnect from the "everyone is equal" that was ingrained in me from childhood

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“Strong people are harder to kill than weak people, and more useful in general”. - Mark Rippetoe

Gay is not a race.

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Holy shitsnacks!

What if the race is gay?

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The Dude abides.

What like a pride marathon or something?

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Holy shitsnacks!

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"Dress cops up as soldiers, give them military equipment, train them in military tactics, tell them they’re fighting a ‘war,’ and the consequences are predictable." —Radley Balko

That race is Gay all the way. I mean, look at him. He's ahead of everybody.

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The Dude abides.

Of course he is. Noone wants to catch the Gay.

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Holy shitsnacks!

Racism, as it exists in this country primarily consists of 2 types:

1) People who are either older, highly insular, or who have bought into racism due to psychological issues or because it is a cover for other criminal activity.
2) People who promote racism in the guise of equality.

The former has been steadily decreasing ever since the Civil Rights movement as it becomes more and more marginalized, whether by whites or other races.

The latter is more insidious because it relies on unfalsifiable (and therefore unproveable) assumptions that the first type of racism is the result of disparity in terms of average performance between different races. It is, however, suffering more and more from backlash.

So yes, racism still exists but hardly in any form a person 50, 40 or even 20 years ago would really recognize.

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"Hysterical children shrieking about right-wing anything need to go sit in the corner and be quiet while the adults are talking."