My great uncle and great aunt are really old and still hold super racist tendencies towards anyone but white people and it really really bothers me. I don't like to talk to them about stuff that might bring out their racism because I think it's horrible but they see it as perfectly normal. My mom and I can't understand how they feel that way - it's just the way they were raised and brought up - but still - we just don't understand.

I had a situation like that at work. I work at a retirement community as a busser so I have a lot of contact with the residents and one of them made a lot of remarks to me regarding the sexuality of one of the other residents using less than friendly epithets. He was an otherwise nice enough gentleman but his comments took me aback but I just smiled and nodded because there was really nothing I could say w/o making a scene and possibly losing my job.

Sometimes even the nicest people can hold some viewpoints we find distasteful and the kind of subtle racism that your post described is more widespread than a lot of people want to believe. Most people probably aren't even aware that they're being racist.

Originally Posted by NoirRaven

First of all, everyone is racist to some degree. Secondly, you shouldn't feel the way you do just because of one racial comment. If you think about it, discriminating against her over one comment is the same as her discriminating over color. :roll:

Everyone has a dark side you know and some, like her, aren't afraid to show it. To pretend/expect that people don't is just being naive.

You're kind of an idiot.

It's not the same at all, not even in the slightest. I'm not 'discriminating against her', I'm being bothered by a comment that she made.

Thsi isn't racist because it has nothing to do with her race. It has to do with an opinion that she can willingly change.

Her comment was rude and directed at someone, where as I didn't do or say anything to her to create conflict.

Her comment was directed at a family for their race, something that they can do nothing to change, and something that has no effect on what kind of person they are. ((Yes, CULTURE has an effect, but you can be hispanic without growing up in Mexico. e_e ))

And no, not everyone is racist. That's just a fucked up way to think. Everyone make mild judgements based strictly on appearence, but think about it, if some guy with saggy pants, a gun, and a mask got onto an elevator with you wouldn't you, you know, get off? Sure, he could be in a play or something, but our natural instinct is to follow what we expect from what we see. This isn't racism, it's common sense and human instinct. I don't look at a man and think less of him because he's a different race than I am, and therefore, I am not racist.

Unfortunately racism is still around even though it's 2008. Some people might not be 'racist' exactly, but subconsciously things just come out that make you wonder. That lady? Who knows. I do note its more older people who show it than younger, but that's just my experience. I grew up in a neighborhood with white, black and Vietnamese people and while my parents have some stereotypical ideas on race, I didn't inherit those opinions.

My dad does that sometimes, like if there is a news story about a crime that happened, he'll say something like "Oh I bet it's those darn East Indians again. They're always making trouble.".

He's not really racist, but he just judges people by stereotypes and it really bugs me. I mean, who cares what race or religion or sexual orientation someone is? Why does it matter?

Originally Posted by Burnt Biscuits

You're kind of an idiot.

It's not the same at all, not even in the slightest. I'm not 'discriminating against her', I'm being bothered by a comment that she made.

Thsi isn't racist because it has nothing to do with her race. It has to do with an opinion that she can willingly change.

Her comment was rude and directed at someone, where as I didn't do or say anything to her to create conflict.

Her comment was directed at a family for their race, something that they can do nothing to change, and something that has no effect on what kind of person they are. ((Yes, CULTURE has an effect, but you can be hispanic without growing up in Mexico. e_e ))

And no, not everyone is racist. That's just a fucked up way to think. Everyone make mild judgements based strictly on appearence, but think about it, if some guy with saggy pants, a gun, and a mask got onto an elevator with you wouldn't you, you know, get off? Sure, he could be in a play or something, but our natural instinct is to follow what we expect from what we see. This isn't racism, it's common sense and human instinct. I don't look at a man and think less of him because he's a different race than I am, and therefore, I am not racist.

Well, in school, I was taught that discriminating was the act of separating objects/people/etc based on characteristics. Most of the time this is referred to people [skin color]. So, from that point of view, what "NoirRaven" said was true: "everyone is racist to some degree". And you know who are the only people who can say they aren't racist? Blind people. And by saying that, I'm "discriminating", since I've separated people into two groups. And it wasn't bad, it was true.

However it doesn't mean I agree that "discriminating against her over one comment is the same as her discriminating over color." He was just worried because he never imagined such woman could ever say something like that. Maybe that woman had only seen mexican people doing that, and that's why she let it slip out. But you shouldn't take it seriously. Instead worry for hate crimes instead of hate comments. After all, comments can't hurt someone if that someone's got a decent self-steem.

About the "what if she were homosexual and you were homophobic? And after she being so nice you noticed she was homosexual, would that change your mind?" question... that only happens in movies. People usually don't notice good things, being them racist of not. It would take a lot of good things for someone to change their mind. After all, these notable kind of "racism" is just some ignorance-prejudice mix, and well, ignorance blinds people, especially when they don't even want to know.

PS: Woah long post o_o Oh btw I'm ecuadorian and tanned, but that doesn't hide the fact that I have a german surname, and people tend to think I'm "gifted", that I'm 2 times smarter than them, that I know german or even that I'm a nazi! So well, lets say I'm used to it ^^v Just nod or something, but if these kind of comments annoy you, don't comment back or it'll end up in fight :/

I'll admit it, I am a bit racist, but never in a degrading or hurtful way. While I do have my views, I keep them to myself.

Yes, sometimes I do have problems with the Mexican people. Only certain "groups" though. The men who go in groups, all speaking very quickly in Spanish, and who stare at you intently as you walk by. That really disturbs me as a girl, having natural fears of rapists and the like and that sort of attention does not seem to bode well. I speak snippets of Spanish, but nothing close to being able to keep a conversation. While that also sort of bothers me, I know that learning a language is difficult and that's understandable, though expecting us to not find them speaking exclusively in their native tongue as strange is kind of silly. People fear what they do not know or trust.

I've never had a "problem" with black people (pardon the term, but African-American just seems so strange to say). The only ones are the "gangsters" and the rappers. The only reason is because of the violence and types of behaviors they exhibit are atrocious to my values, and it angers me sometimes that they believe violence, belittling women, and having drive-by shootings are worthy and "manly" acceptable activities. On the contrary, I think black people have the most character of many Americans. Their love for music, for dancing, singing and just overall -soul-, for the lack of a better word, is really refreshing. One of my best friends was black, we last saw each other in 2nd grade. I never saw her for the color of her skin, only that she was a playmate, and her hair was always really pretty and styled in ways mine could never hope.

While all people have forms of racism, I believe most of them simply take it out of proportion. No one race can ever be better than the other. Not the whites, or Hitler's Arians, the blacks, the Mexicans, or the Asians, none. All have their pros and cons, their flaws and perks. People simply need to learn to understand that small, but hugely important fact.

Racism has always been a problem and I think it probably happens to a certian extent everywhere. One thing I always hate though is that people always seem to assume that white people are racist and think they are superior. I realise that there are some people like that and it happened alot more in the past but it still really bothers me. I'm white ( really really pale too, theres no mistaking me for being anything else but white ) and alot of my best friends over the years have been black and I always got suspicious or angry looks from they're other black friends whenever I would sit with them. Its something that really bothers me.
I think that people should remember that racism often goes both ways between the different races.

I really hate racist comments. Especially to some chinese people. You know that chinese people have particularly (sp?) small eyes? Most people insult us because of that. Most people just think it's funny. Most cases are "ching chong china man"
or one which involves japanese,
my mum is japanese -pulls eyes down-
My dad is chinese -pulls eyes up-
And I ended up like this -pulls on eye upwards and one downwards-
I just ignore them, because that I believe, is what you should do. Because there's nothing really to do about it in public.