What's On Your Mind?

[shelbinatorxx]

I've recently started using tumblr, and there is this one girl I follow. She talks a lot about her rights as a black woman and what not and it's great to hear someone so proud of their background... but she drives me crazy when she says there isnt such thing as racism towards white people. I guess there isnt as much racism... but I don't believe there is no such thing. I've researched the definition and its more often described as "superiority to another race". Which can happen with any skin colour or background. I have experienced racism as a white female before. There have been many times, when living in Scarborough where I am looked down on or treated badly because I am not the same skin colour or religion as them.

STORY:

When I was living in scarborough, I rented from a Jamacian woman with my roomate who was Chinese and Jamacian as well. I was a good tenant, I made no noise was rarely around, cleaned up after myself and caused no scenes. My roomate, was very similar to me, he was quiet and well behaved, we got along well for the first 2 weeks of living together until my landlord started calling me names and treating me badly. I would be in my room, she would come down and knock on my door yelling at me about how stupid I am because I can't close a window. At about this time it was summer, it was hot and there was no air circulation in the house so I would keep my window open to breathe. She would scream in my face about how stupid I was and ask me to be more like my roomate. She would also call my mother and tell my mother about how inconsiderate I was and how I never respected the property. I never once spoke to the landlord in a bad way, I would say "hi" and "bye" but it was not enough for her. My roomate would do EXACTLY the same as me and was praised for being amazing. I remeber plenty of times them bonding over being Jamacian (which I have no problem with, I was hurt though for being labelled dumb and disrespectful because I wasn't part of what they shared). I was later evicted of the apartment after only one month. 

Another experience was one time I went into a Jamacian foods store with my roomate. We went in to see what kind of foods they sold, thinking we could buy some things and make a nice Jamacian dinner for ourselves. There was other people in the store, of similar descent to the owner, and they were treated friendly. They were greeted, helped and conversed with. But myself, no. I was unwelcome in the store, the moment I walked in she watched me like a hawk, followed me around the store but not to help me, just to follow me. After walking around my roomate asked if they carried certain products (that he had eaten back home) and she rudely said no and asked us to leave. Anyway, we left. 

Anyone have any opinions on racism? Is it only racist to be superior to a race outside of white culture? What do you guys think?

[lucidkitty]

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shelbinatorxx wrote:

I've recently started using tumblr, and there is this one girl I follow. She talks a lot about her rights as a black woman and what not and it's great to hear someone so proud of their background... but she drives me crazy when she says there isnt such thing as racism towards white people. I guess there isnt as much racism... but I don't believe there is no such thing. I've researched the definition and its more often described as "superiority to another race". Which can happen with any skin colour or background. I have experienced racism as a white female before. There have been many times, when living in Scarborough where I am looked down on or treated badly because I am not the same skin colour or religion as them.

STORY:

When I was living in scarborough, I rented from a Jamacian woman with my roomate who was Chinese and Jamacian as well. I was a good tenant, I made no noise was rarely around, cleaned up after myself and caused no scenes. My roomate, was very similar to me, he was quiet and well behaved, we got along well for the first 2 weeks of living together until my landlord started calling me names and treating me badly. I would be in my room, she would come down and knock on my door yelling at me about how stupid I am because I can't close a window. At about this time it was summer, it was hot and there was no air circulation in the house so I would keep my window open to breathe. She would scream in my face about how stupid I was and ask me to be more like my roomate. She would also call my mother and tell my mother about how inconsiderate I was and how I never respected the property. I never once spoke to the landlord in a bad way, I would say "hi" and "bye" but it was not enough for her. My roomate would do EXACTLY the same as me and was praised for being amazing. I remeber plenty of times them bonding over being Jamacian (which I have no problem with, I was hurt though for being labelled dumb and disrespectful because I wasn't part of what they shared). I was later evicted of the apartment after only one month. 

Another experience was one time I went into a Jamacian foods store with my roomate. We went in to see what kind of foods they sold, thinking we could buy some things and make a nice Jamacian dinner for ourselves. There was other people in the store, of similar descent to the owner, and they were treated friendly. They were greeted, helped and conversed with. But myself, no. I was unwelcome in the store, the moment I walked in she watched me like a hawk, followed me around the store but not to help me, just to follow me. After walking around my roomate asked if they carried certain products (that he had eaten back home) and she rudely said no and asked us to leave. Anyway, we left. 

Anyone have any opinions on racism? Is it only racist to be superior to a race outside of white culture? What do you guys think?

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No you experienced prejuidice which is different. You can't be superior to someone, when your race is not the one in charge.

[MatildaLove]

Racism can happen anywhere.

I think most people tend to look at it as white people and every other type of person, but that is just because of recent history. To do so minimizes what racism really is, "race" is a modern invention, it doesn't really exist scientifically. The world is made up of many nationalities, religions, and cultures, and colliding civilizations have shut out others for thousands of years.

Who can say whether or not your landlord really was racist, her cruelty might have had nothing to do with your skin color or nationality, there are any number of reasons people decide not to like another person.

[illusione]

The concept of racism has become very politicised, but on a basic level, I think racism can be against anyone. If you are discriminated against or judged because of your ethnic background, that is racism.

People who make sweeping statements like 'there's no such thing as racism towards white people' usually don't have enough experience of life understand that their experiences can't be generalised to the rest of the world. Ideas about racism developed by American academics might accurately reflect 'racism' in America, but they are not universal. The idea that 'white' and 'black' are racial identities is actually a pretty American concept. In much of Europe, Africa and Asia ethnic groups are defined by cultural heritage, not skin colour, and most incidents of ethnic cleansing in the 20th century have been carried out along those lines. There are plenty of  'white' minorities who have experienced extreme racism.The victims of Hitler's ethnic cleansing where overwhelmingly white; Ashkenazi Jews, Romani and Slavs, and sadly, a lot of that prejudice is still alive today. 

[ALotLikeBirds]

Irish were treated the same as blacks in the early 1900's, and they are considered "white"

[shelbinatorxx]

Prejudice and Racism are very similar I suppose.

[shelbinatorxx]

Also, as of recent black, brown, Asian and all other cultures have become very influential and successful. In a modern world like today I don't think white people are the people "in charge" or "superior" anymore. After all the president of the United States is brown/black, same with a lot of successful business men, doctors are of different colours. In my situation, my landlord was superior to me. She was the owner of the home and I followed her rules and paid her.
I understand what you're saying but I think saying racism is only for people outside of white culture is ignorant. You are, perhaps unintentionally, saying white people are superior to all other colours which is kind of demeaning to them and stopping us from moving forward from the past where unfortunately black or brown people were treated badly.

[shelbinatorxx]

I agree with you! I've never really considered skin colour or religion as any sort of definition to those around me.

[flylikeacow]

No, white people can not be subjects of racism. They can be subjects of racial prejudice, but you can't ever claim someone was being "racist" towards you, because racism is systematic oppression based on race. White people don't get that.

[illusione]

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flylikeacow wrote:

No, white people can not be subjects of racism. They can be subjects of racial prejudice, but you can't ever claim someone was being "racist" towards you, because racism is systematic oppression based on race. White people don't get that.

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If you want to define racism as something different from racial prejudice, that is your prerogative, but for most people the terms are synonymous. Not because 'white people don't get that', but because that just happens to be the dictionary definition of the word.