Anyone experienced RACISM first hand?

[novon]

I think a lot of people trivialize the effects of racism, until you experience it first hand, it's hard to understand how frustrating and emotional it is. I hardly experience it because I'm in a big city and I look white to most people, but the times I have have really shown me how hard hit must have been or must be for those that experience racism constantly, anyone here have any experiences with this problem?

 

[&#gcs]

I went to a week long "college potential" basketball camp the summer before my senior year in high school. I was the only white kid there. Which meant there was 250 black kids and me. I got many threats and had to walk, eat, and hang out with the coaches because the coaches were afraid that I would get stabbed or something. The other "campers" ended up stealing all of my clothes, shoes, and money. They also broke the passenger-side window out of my car. The University that the camp was at ended up replacing all of my things for me.

Needless to say it was a horrific experience.

Do you think that this was racism?

 

[LAUST]

Delete

 

[LiQiCE]

All throughout my childhood I had people throw rocks at me, call me names like "beloved patriot", was embarassed by a TEACHER when she called me "ching-chong" ... So I think that registers as racism, even if some of it was ignorant child racism (getting rocks thrown at you isn't fun, it sortof hurts too).

I agree that some people play down racism, but at the same time some people make too big of a deal about it. People who are ignorant can sometimes say things that may appear racist, but aren't necessarily because they hate you for the color of your skin or anything like that ... It may just be that they don't know any better. So if a person makes a mistake and you immediately take it as racist and start reaming the person you might make a person "hate" you, or your race because of your reaction.

Generally speaking I try to explain to a person that the phrase they use or the thing that they did could be interpreted as racist. For example, some people call Asians "oriental" which I've noticed many asian people take offense to, since the term "oriental" refers solely to carpets and material objects but not people. Personally I think its just a term that people use to refer to Asian people but not including Indians, Russians, etc ... I think you know what I mean. In any case, I usually tell people that some asians take offense to that term so not to use that unless you're referring to carpets etc.

Hopefully this thread won't start a huge flame war about racism.

 

[Tauren]

Yes. I used to work for the City of detroit. I heard things like, "What you doin' workin' my job?" and "Get out of my neighborhood beloved patriot motherf*cker!" I heard this at least once a week. I once was marking up pavement for repair and I heard a click and then, "Get off my street, white boy." I left of course. I left after 2.5 years of that crap.

 

[Static911]

uh, they banned all nearly all asians from clubs in Dallas for awhile or charged 2-3x more the cover charge


static911

 

[iamwiz82]

<< Do you think that this was racism? >>



Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton would say no.

 

[Brutuskend]

Yes, when I was in the service in the 70's.

There were blacks that HATED whites. One in particular (while I was on Mess Duty) would go on and on about how there was going to be this MAJOR revolution and all "whities" would die...

Well, I'm still waiting!!!!

There were white racists too, but I ran into a LOT more blacks that were.

 

[Static911]

Brutuskend

Well said.

Yes, there are those white supremecy people out there, however, personal experience in Dallas, Tx, black people in general have more animosity towards anyone outside of their color.

edit: during the spyplane conflict, I didn't hear much racist comments from the white people, only from black guys.


static911

 

[Texmaster]

When I was 14 I took a job as a busboy at a pizza joint. All black crew. I was known as "Honkey, Cracker, heard white trash every now and then" and others. And it was not in fun. Only one guy treated me with respect and he was in his 40s, the rest were in their 20s.

Nothing funny or acceptable about racism no matter what color you are.



<< Yes, there are those white supremecy people out there, however, personal experience in Dallas, Tx, black people in general have more animosity towards anyone outside of their color. >>



Agreed static. At least in my case. You would know the place too. It was the Crystals Pizza off 635 and the toll road. Its gone now.

 

[Looney]

Yeah, grewing up Chinese i did... had my fair share of fights over it when i was younger. But now? Almost never, or at least i don't even notice it.

 

[Looney]

Oh, and i would agree that blacks are the most racist group. Before i was incarcerated up here, i listened to rap and all the stuff adolescents did. But once i went in, boy, did i see a difference. One of my first cellmates was a young black guy, only a couple of years older than me, and we got along great (one of my best cellmates, i had some bad ones). Well, he went on to another joint ahead of me, and i went to the same one a couple of months later. Despite being good friends for over a month, he was a completely different person once he hooked up with his 'brothers'.

That's why i can't stand seeing all these whites or asians listening to rap and imitating them. If they only knew how much respect these idols of theirs think of them. Ever wonder why you really don't find that many 'wiggers' who have done time? It's because by the time they come out, they've ditched the 'wigger' culture for something more accepting (ie biker, metal, etc).

 

[ShotgunSteven]

Yes. I was denied a spot in the Seattle Police Academy based soley on the colour of my skin.

 

[OutHouse]

I have and it was sad.

I have a very good friend who is black. He came over to our house one day during the early summer and I mentioned that my wife and I were looking to buy a hot tub. he said he was interested in one too so all 3 of us went to most of the hot tub stores in denver checking them out. We went to 5 different stores and of those 5 John was totally ignored in 3 of them. When he asked a question the sales guy would look at either my wife or me when he answered. My wife and I decided on a brand that we liked and about 3 weeks later we went down and bought it. We did not buy from the sales guy who was rude to John.

On the final sale we asked the sales guy who was rude to John if he remembered the black guy who walked with a limp that came in the store with us, he said yes. We then informed him that John was a Doctor and not just a Doctor but a heart surgeon. the look on that guys face was worth it. he knew he blew a sale.

Nobody would guess what John does for a living. he dresses like any normal guy, walks with a limp because he lost a leg in a auto accident. he also talks in simple language outside of the hospital. he is absolutly the niceset and smartest guy i have ever meet, oh he got his PHd when he was 20.

 

[Texmaster]

<< Yes. I was denied a spot in the Seattle Police Academy based soley on the colour of my skin. >>



I'm sorry to hear that Steve but I hear you.

I was told in confidence that my scholarship in college would have covered room and board but I was the wrong skin color.

 

[Wah]

In HS, I was playing in a lacrosse game and the middie that was covering me kept calling me a "beloved patriot" throughout the whole game. I didn't stoop to his level (he was black)... instead I had one of my best games ever.

 

[b0mbrman]

I've spent Army time in South Carolina and Georgia and got racism in the beginning but quickly silenced it by matching or beating my colleagues physically and otherwise. In the end, made some great friends out of those guys

Want to know how to stop personal racism? Prove the stereotypes wrong.

 

[hungrypete]

Yep, I'm a white redneck living in a poor black neighborhood. I'm armed, and I treat everyone with respect. I don't care what people like classy say, from what I've seen personally, the black males in my neighborhood are much more racist than any of the white people. Most of the black females are very nice though.

 

[Brutuskend]

Yup, and the ironic thing is if you had called him the "N" work back, I bet he would have gone crying to the "man" you YOU would have been kicked out of the game!

I feel the same way about rap! It's these suburban white kids wanting to have SOMETHING to bitch about (but since their lives as SO easy for the most part, they try and associate themselves with an "oppressed" class) GET A CLUE!!

SAME with white kids and dread locks!! Rasta?s (For the most part) hate whites? GET A CLUE!!

And I experienced the same thing in the service. A black could be your best buddy, until you ran into him in town with his "bros", then you just turned into "WHITEY

 

[hungrypete]

<< SAME with white kids and dread locks!! Rasta?s (For the most part) hate whites? GET A CLUE!! >>



haha i hear THAT, that's some of the funniest sh|t around. Listening to Bob Marley is one thing, but any white man who thinks he's rasta is a MORON. It's so funny

 

[b0mbrman]

And I experienced the same thing in the service. A black could be your best buddy, until you ran into him in town with his "bros", then you just turned into "WHITEY

Oh man...That's so true.

I've been pretty close to a couple black guys but as soon as there was more than one, I just became an outsider...

 

[Optimus]

Once my friend and I were walking out of my apt. in Ohio, when a car drove by with rap playing really loud - but a good song. My friend, while I was locking the door, was kinda dancing to the beat while he waited. Then we hear a shout from the car of "Gonna gut you f**king honkies!". We were a little alarmed to say the least, but just walked away and the car drove off.


But you know what? I have just that one insult in my entire life. And most of us here have one or 2 isolated incidents, or one job in an inner city, etc. But as bad as those are, I would wager we have seen just 1/10000th of what an average black, asian, or hispanic person goes through in their lives.

Don't get me wrong, I think racism in any form is wrong... but would any of us who are caucasian really go up to any of our black/asian/hispanic friends and tell them about the hard time we've had with racism?

I think many of us of caucasian decent have had it VERY easy, comparitively speaking.

I'm not justifying or minimalizing anyone's experience(s), just trying to maintain perspective.

(BTW, my close friends run the spectrum of many races, and I'm in an inter-racial marriage.)

 

[SubZeroX]

As an Asian guy I've had my share of experiences with racists. In middle school and high school, I don't know how many times I've called a nip, beloved patriot, beloved patriot, Chino, etc, mostly from Hispanics. And many of my Asian friends and I were picked on a lot by others. The worst experience I've had is when I had to take a Spanish class and 9/10 people in that class were Hispanic. Needless to say, everytime I had to talk in class or have activities with other students they would give me a hard time. I showed all of them by getting the highest grade in the class.

I think from this experience, I've learned to be more accepting and tolerant to all races coz I know how frustrating and painful it is when one experiences racism.

 

[Spoooon]

<< But you know what? I have just that one insult in my entire life. And most of us here have one or 2 isolated incidents, or one job in an inner city, etc. But as bad as those are, I would wager we have seen just 1/10000th of what an average black, asian, or hispanic person goes through in their lives. >>


When I was little, there was this kid that always called me "chinaman." He was a dick. Other than that, I hadn't gone through too much. I agree with Optimus though. There are minorities that have seen and can expect to see much worse.

 

[Static911]

one prof I took called sandals "chinaman sandals"

He one of those Italian born in Argentina rich snobs

static911