I've been thinking about something lately, and I thought I might share my viewpoint.
What is "reverse racism"? It's a term I made up, so I'm sure I'll have to explain. I'll give an example.
If someone says, "Black babies are so cute," or, "Mexican men are strong," is that considered a compliment? Or is it racist? Think about it. It's a compliment, meant to show the listener that the person they are talking to is open-minded or has a positive view of different races. However, I think it's the latter of the two explanations. Giving a compliment may not be racist, and it's not motivated by hate, but a generalization based on something the person has no control over is a prejudice, in my mind. Maybe the comments are motivated by "white guilt" or just ignorance, but they can hurt. And the person who said these things does not believe she's a racist person, but I see these small instances that seem to imply that she is, whether she knows it or not.
I think part of my opinion is formed from the fact that I see people trying to justify to others that they are open-minded, and it might be some insecurity on their part. Once I tell someone like this that I am part Hispanic, all of a sudden this person begins telling me all of the people they know of different minority groups, telling me of a minority person they respect, telling me something that they believe is complimentary about Hispanics . . . Just because you know a black person doesn't make you open-minded, I'm sorry. And then singling out someone on the basis of race, regardless of the circumstances, then becomes a racist act. If you see that person as a particular race and not an individual, it seems you still separate yourself from those groups. And then all of a sudden your best friend is a black person? Does that person know about this? Maybe we should tell him or her how proud you are to have a black friend, and what this does for your self-image.
Maybe you find yourself watching the news, and you see white people running a charitable organization that helps out the underprivileged in a particular community. The people they are helping happen to be minorities. So then you feel good about yourself that some white people are reaching out and giving back, and you see some minorities getting a helping hand and getting their lives back on track. You think we're moving in a positive direction. I'm not implying that these things aren't a step forward, but when you start thinking about white people helping the world, it starts to get a little uncomfortable for me. I don't mind that they are helping, just the fact that some whites might then feel that they have taken part in the charity themselves, as a race and not as individuals. Or that people see minorities as people who need help. I'm sure it's something like racism in the workplace or in the community that limits opportunities given to some, but it's an economic factor, rather than a race factor that causes many of the stereotypes people have of downtrodden minorities.
I know racism still exists in a negative way. I can't prove it, but I think the homeowners association here made the Hispanics on our block move their plants indoors and remove the landscaping materials they had put in, when I see white families on other streets with the very things these people were asked to remove. I really can't see any other reason to do that. The HOA simply didn't like these people for one reason or another, but I think I know the reason. It's one of the things I don't like about the South, in general--that racism still abounds.
Racism in this area of Texas is more obvious than in San Antonio, I think because minorities are so prominent there. This is a predominantly white area, and you can occasionally see the prejudices emerge. The Confederate flag decals, the nasty looks, the rude attitude, the insults . . . It's all here. I don't like it. It makes me ashamed to call myself a Texan, and it's a real shame since there are so many good things about Texas to be proud of.
Sometimes it's necessary to generalize people into groups or even into races, just for organization's sake. But when it's unnecessary, it's a negative generalization. "Hispanic women are pretty," isn't a compliment to me, since they aren't really complimenting ME. They are saying I had nothing to do with it--the exercise, the diet, the care for my skin and hair, my choices in clothing--are all beside the point, it seems. Thanks. Thanks a lot. I don't want to be just a Hispanic. Sometimes I need to be--I get it. I understand. I accept the responsibility. But I don't always need or want it. I want some of my own efforts to be applauded.
I'm probably overly self-conscious about race issues. I know that. I've had arguments over this topic with people I know and respect. It's the racism I hate, not the races. I don't hate white people, just specific people's attitudes towards others. Not everyone does this. But I think we should think about how we look at other people and decide whether or not we make racist generalizations. Analyze our own behavior toward others, how we act around different races, and how we interact. Do you catch yourself assuming the Mexican person down the block is dealing drugs? Or that the black person behind you is getting ready to mug you? Or that the minority family on your street is struggling to make ends meet?
Someone I know (and will not name) believed that the black family across the street was into drugs and crime. And when some mail turned up missing from the mailbox, guess who was immediately blamed? As it turned out, none of these assumptions were true, and this person ended up eating crow. She really thought her opinions were justified, however, even after being proven wrong. I think it's sad. I don't like seeing people this way. I hate seeing entire families of predominantly white Texans "guarding" our border for national security, while ignoring the insecure Canadian border, I guess because Canadians look too much like "we" do. And somehow I don't think these vigilantes are checking for passports or reviewing the Interpol wanted listings. I agree that we need secure borders, but at what cost? What about humanity? Don't people deserve the chance to make a life here in the United States? If life is so difficult where they come from that they would literally risk their lives to make ends meet for their families, why are we being so heartless? Why do our borders have to be protected against darker skinned people and not others? The terrorists of 9/11 mostly crossed into the United States through the Canadian border, not Mexico. So why is Mexico such a threat? Really, we should ask ourselves what the real reasons are.
Well, I'm sure I've made some enemies tonight. I'm tired, so I'm sure I didn't really make my points clearly enough. I may be doing some clarifications tomorrow. It's a big topic for one blog entry, so I'm sorry this became so involved and extensive. I'm sure I didn't do justice to the points I was trying to make. I was kind of all over the place tonight, and not very clear. That happens when I'm sleep deprived.
Good night, peeps, and blog ya later.
R
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
9 comments:
Reverse Racism is alive and well in Texas. In fact it is sanctioned by State Agencies. I was hired as an child abuse investigator in Texas. The State office came to me and requested that I consider a promotion to a management position. I accepted the position knowing that the office I was being reassigned to "had a problem". It was only after I accepted the position, did I learn that my Black, Female Supervisor was totally against any white having a position of management in her district. She had lied and forced the previous white woman out of the position. I was promoted from another district and since the position had gone unfilled for over a year, she could do little to prevent my placement in the position. She could however [and did] make my life a living hell. Within weeks, I was told by none other than the County Attorney, that my supervisor did not want a white, male in a supervisor's position. The professional and personal attacks on both my professionalism and ethics were relentless. The lies went beyond any conceivable level of belief. Even after I left, she told a State Agency on the record, that I was stalking her and "had shot at her car" [she did not know that I had moved months before this alleged incident over 1,500 miles away.] Her lies continued until I was force to look for a position outside of Texas.
The agency I worked for has a policy of passing over qualified white applicants to hire minorities. The department is proud of the fact that although state law only mandates that minority hiring must meet the ratio in the Texas population, this Department takes pride in hiring levels at almost 300% of the population ration for blacks.
To add insult to injury, this State of Texas Department has a course intitled "WHO AM I". The Department's Goal of the Course is to sensitize employees to racism. However, the entire course is designed to humiliate white workers. I was not considered as successfully completing this course until I was forced to stand in front of the group and declare myself as a "Priviledged White Male" While I was told I had to accept others as individuals and be sensitive to the predjudices others faced, I was forced to place myself as a Steriotyped White Male, with no consideration to my individual struggles, accomplishments, and education.
So, my former supervisor, LIED, SLANDERED AND ATTACKED WHO I AM AS A HUMAN BEING. I understand that hatred of White People was likely learned as she grew up in a racially separate community in Texas. I grew up in the shadow of the Nations' Capital and lived in Washington D.C. when Martin Luther King urged people to judge people by the character, not the color of their skin. I even served as an Associate Pastor in the CME Church, yet this woman's personal attacks on me were as though I kept a hood in my closet.
When I heard her accusation that I had "shot at her car" [there is no police report, or other documentation to support her statement] I didn't know to be angry that she had accused me of shooting at her, or that she was insulting me [as a Vietnam Era Vet] that I was a poor shot. I haven't owned a firearm in years by the way.
In closing, the Texas Department of Children and Families will have to answer to the citizens of Texas when a child DIES because this woman fails to follow the policies, proceedures and laws of the State of Texas and Federal Laws. I have personally witnessed her allow children to remain at risk of harm due to her own bias'. Of course, she will likely blame a white, worker under her for the death and her Black management above her will back her up. Just don't be White and try to work in the WACO district.
I live in Los Angeles. If you're black and you want to work in a restaurant or hotel here, forget it. Hispanics have a 100% lock on hiring in both fields, which together comprise by far the largest pool of available jobs for non-college workers in the city. When I say 100% hispanic, understand that I mean that of the thousand or so hotel and restaurant workers I've seen personally in the last five years, not one was a non-hispanic. Their racism is virulent and absolutely upfront for those who, like me, discuss the subject with them in spanish-language conversation (though I'm white). Fortunately whites and asians here are more tolerant of their black (and hispanic) brethren, and they of course control hiring for many other jobs in the city. If however you're black and without a college degree, and the man or woman scheduled to interview you is hispanic, you'd might as well not show up. So forgive me if I say that as a barometer of race relations, the occasional story of reverse racism is about as interesting to me as a man-bites-dog story.
I appreciate your honesty, Bipolar Housewife. In that spirit, please come clean and tell us how long it's been since a hispanic friend of yours dissed a 'moreno' or 'morena'. One week? Two? 70% of hispanic *democrats* voted against Obama in the general election -- post Hillary. Physician, heal thyself!
Okay, I expected there to be some people out there who didn't really understand what I was trying to say in my post, and I expect people to disagree with me. What I don't expect are for people to accuse me of racism without ever having met me. Yes, I'm Hispanic. I've dated just about every race other than my own, married a white man. I'm not racist in the slightest. To say I harbor some of the attitudes of Hispanics raised in neighborhoods in another region of the country is naive and downright idiotic. And I see you quote statistics that I have seen contradicted in many other sites, so that information is absolutely useless to back up your argument. No, Hispanics in my part of Texas do NOT engage in the kind of behavior you are accusing them of in the greater Los Angeles area. I can't speak for everyone, but to assume all Hispanics are the same is blatantly RACIST, Anonymous, and you have done nothing here to redeem yourself.
Yes, I could have blogged about racism in general. I could blog about a lot of things. If you find it "about as interesting" as a "man-bites-dog story" then DON'T READ IT. It's the computer equivalent of changing the channel!
Perhaps you should do more to understand the people you hate than to just have an occasional conversation in Spanish. Maybe you should come up with alternative theories to your observations (as in "100%" of the service industry being "locked up" by Hispanics") and think that maybe--just maybe--they have those jobs not because they were selected over another race, but because they typically work for lower wages. It's a problem cultivated by necessity (to those Hispanics who need even a small amount of money to support family members not able to afford to come to America) and by the employers need to shrink expenses. If they can pay someone (even partly) under-the-table, their incentives are pretty high to hire someone who would happily take it. You expect Hispanics to turn down jobs? You expect employers to engage in discrimination and turn down a Hispanic for their race, just to hire a "non-college" Black (as you call them)? What you're talking about isn't nearly that cut-and-dry. And I hate to tell you that voting against Obama doesn't (by definition) make one a racist. I would double-check those statistics, and not just get my arguments from casual observation.
Quite honestly, I don't think you understood my post, being as racist as you have exhibited here. I'm not even sure what you mean by "dissing" a moreno or morena. Are you asking me if a Hispanic friend of mine has hired one? Well, as soon as I make a Hispanic friend who is in charge of hiring, I'll let you know. And I'm sure some people who AREN'T Hispanic WOULD get turned down for the job, but Hispanics would, too. That's the nature of interviewing. You have quite a chip on your shoulder, and it's based on Los Angeles, not race as you seem to believe. I live in the Los Angeles area now, and I can tell you that race relations here are quite different from Texas. The polarization is still strong.
Kettle, call thyself black!
With respect, BH, read my post again. I never once accused you of racism. I do however say that racism is endemic to your culture in a way that it isn't to any other, with the possible exception of Alabama rednecks. I asked you when the last time you *heard* a racist comment was.
Considering that Hispanics trend overwhelmingly democratic, and that they overwhelmingly voted against Obama in the last election (you can't get 70% of an electorate to agree on *anything* else), I think I'd refer you to the national exit polls to explain my accusation of racism.
I would just point out that you trotted out the old canard of "Blacks don't want those jobs" to explain a 100% lockout of non-hispanics from certain sectors of the economy. That's a curious explanation to leap to.
I have more than the occasional conversation with Latinos. Those who feel comfortable with me always come around to the black race hatred. If you live in some sort of racial Shangri-La there in east Texas, I'm happy for you. But my hunch from your posts is that you do not. Al que nace para tamal, del cielo le caen las hojas.
Anonymous, if you had read my comments carefully, you would realize I never said or implied, "Blacks don't want those jobs". I'm really not sure where you're getting that from what I said.
What I said was that I believe you're getting a lot of your attitudes from what goes on in Los Angeles, and applying those problems in racial terms, when in fact they are not. I don't live in a Shangri-La, nor did I grow up in one. But to accuse Hispanics of the things you are accusing them of is an extremely racist attitude, and either you know it and don't care, or you don't know it and need a reality check. You plainly and clearly accuse Hispanics of being racist or displaying racist behavior in both of your posts here, and that is what I take issue with. Yes, people are racist. Yes, people of all races can be racist against another. Do I think it's a problem of particular concern to Hispanics, that they are more racist than other racists? Hell, no! You did not ask when I "heard" a racist comment, you asked when a friend of mine "dissed" a moreno or morena. Honestly, and I am saying this with the utmost conviction of it's veracity, that I have NEVER heard a friend of mine (of Hispanic or even mixed-Hispanic descent) say anything to that effect.
When I have been the victim of racism myself, it's been entirely from the white race. I don't hate whites or blame them for the world's, state's, or city's problems, nor do I think that only whites are racist or that ALL whites or racist. That's a naive attitude I do not share.
You have a right to disagree with me, you have a right to your own free speech, you have a right to express yourself on the internet. But unwelcome are the kinds of insults you direct toward me without knowing me, and without really understanding the intent behind my original post. Maybe it wasn't as clear as I would have liked, but that is due to my inexperience as a writer, not my attitudes. Originally, my intent was to encourage people who think that they are NOT racists to analyze their behavior and speech patterns for things that they might not realize are motivated by perceived inequalities. Not everyone will come to the same conclusion. Some people will be racist and flaunt it, others believe they are not racist and they are right, others will believe they aren't when they clearly are, and others might (hopefully) think about those kinds of comments and rethink their behavior.
In regard to the exit polls, I researched this specifically to be able to either apologize (should I have been viewing different exit polls than you, and I was wrong) or to direct you to where I was getting my own data. What I discovered was, on a national scale, Hispanic voters voted FOR Obama by a 64-68% margin. This is according to CNN, as well as the New York Times. SEE: http://www.cnn.com/ELECTION/2008/results/polls/#val=USP00p1
Looking at California, the margin was 71-78% FOR Obama, Hispanic voters alone. Female voters have the higher percentage both times. Maybe if you show me the specific place where you are getting your data, I would happily read it. But I'm just not seeing what you're seeing.
I'm glad you speak Spanish, I'm glad you are interested in these issues, but you seem to be applying issues (manifesting themselves with racial overtones) to the entire country, when that is not the Hispanic community I know. Los Angeles is not a microcosm of the United States (thankfully, I might add). It's . . . different, to make an attempt to put it politely. Not to say I completely hate living here, but my experiences were much different in South Texas, and the racism I see most often is directed AGAINST Hispanics and other minorities.
I'd like to think that perhaps we've both misunderstood each other, and that you can make an even greater effort to find where I'm coming from. This blog is all but inactive, and I don't think you can get an idea of who I am as a person from it at all. I mean, I don't even proclaim myself to be a philosopher by any measure (I wrote an entire blog entry that is dedicated to nicknames I call my dog, of all the pointless things) but I was hoping to open some eyes in a non-confrontational level. I'm not a writer and I don't pretend to be. I'm not even a blogger (note the long absences)!
Good luck to you, and hopefully you'll find peace.
I stand corrected and apologize on two counts: First the accusation that you're exposed to this sort of racism and aren't coming clean -- your insistence that you haven't heard a Hispanic friend speak ill of blacks this way has the ring of truth. And second my 70% statistic, which I heard on a local radio station that has otherwise been credible on news of the election. On both counts I'm truly sorry.
I believe you're right that L.A. is not a microcosm of the rest of the country. Trust me when I say that it's pretty bad here and that Black/Hispanic antagonism is authentic & pronounced. I myself live in a south Los Angeles neighborhood that has gunfire on its block at least twice a week. Picture that over twenty square mile area... The shootings are always gang related and usually ethnic. You can Google the story of Cheryl Green, a young black girl shot in Harbor Gateway, to get an idea of the reality we live with here. The peace you describe might come with a physical move to another area, although one wonders how much peace can be had after seeing it.
But that's an orange to your apple, and I'm sorry for the needless antagonism I brought to your board. I'll say cheers now and thank you for your courtesy. Signing off and wishing you too the best.
Anonymous, I want to say "thank you" to you, for the incredible amount of class you displayed here to post that last message. I can see you put a lot of thought before you responded, and I know also that you didn't have to, you just did. That tells me a lot about your character, that you would say those things knowing that you have indeed been anonymous, that you know probably no one will read your other comments or the last one, but you still saw the need to make an apology to me.
I wish things were different for you and for your neighborhood. Perhaps just finding the real root of the problem will help to solve the violence between races there, but I guess something that big will take decades to solve. I can tell it bothers you deeply to see the kinds of things you see on a daily basis, and for your own well-being steps toward a change would probably be necessary. If you have a rapport or a deep connection with your community, it might be worth it to get other citizens behind you in a new effort towards peace. If you are older perhaps, or just feeling like an outsider, maybe the geographical move you talked about would be wise. I know this is easier said than done, since my husband and I just did this not too long ago. It was expensive and stressful, I won't lie! But maybe just another part of the L.A. area would help.
Thank you again for showing the true positive character to say what you said. I only know about comments on this blog since they are forwarded to my email, otherwise I rarely visit here. As you can see, few other people do, either! So for you to have apologized, I'm truly glad. That says we just misunderstood each other initially, and that you are a listener and not a shouter. That's what I was hoping for, really, that it was a misunderstanding. I can only hope I've made my feelings known and that no hint of sarcasm has crept into my writing today, since I'm not feeling well and feel somewhat hindered in my ability to compose paragraphs in an effective manner!
I know that your compassion and passion are meant to benefit this world somehow. Hang in there. I'm not sure if this is something you needed to hear or not, but I'll tell you I harbor no ill will. I wish you all the best.
Hi BH -- I'm *very* sorry for not replying to you earlier. I only just now discovered your very kind reply to my post and I appreciate it. Yes we're absolutely hoping to move out of L.A. to a small town north of us if our budget allows this year. Small towns have their own problems but my wife and I joke that after living where we do and seeing what we have, skinheads will be a piece of cake... By the way I only chose anonymous to avoid having to register, but fyi I'm a white man in my 40s married to a black woman of the same age (who I suspect to be bipolar, although she accuses me of the same :-) ) -- and we have a 4 year old girl. Of course the daughter keeps us permanently worried about the state of what's going on around us. Forgive me for dumping all of that on you. Thanks again for your good-naturedness in the face of rude and unfair criticism. Best,
Tim
Thanks, Tim, for being so open. I've just moved again myself, but just to a smaller place. Ahh, the recession! But we have a 5 year old boy to worry about, too. So I understand where you are coming from. And we're a couple approaching 40 all too rapidly--time flies!
Honestly, after reading your last few posts, I can't understand where we got off on the wrong foot--you seem like a very intelligent and thoughtful person. I hope you forgive my somewhat vicious defensiveness earlier, I'm not sure I showed the most "class" in my behavior. I try to be level-headed, but I wonder--I've never been diagnosed with bipolar disorder actually. Just bipolar tendencies, or bipolar "spectrum" or something like that. My twin sis has been diagnosed as bipolar. I know I am much more "spicy" when I'm not on my usual meds, and when stress is at it's worst. Such is the situation in the last couple of months.
Anyway, here I go, writing emails in my comments! But I just wanted you to know I hope you and your family have good fortune ahead. It's hard for anyone right now, but I wish you the best. Hubby and I haven't lived here long enough to know if we want to stay, but it's definitely tough. Not even a year at his job here and he was laid off! It's been expensive just getting back on our feet after that, and we're still reeling. But it could be worse, always. At least he found work, even freelance, and even if it's for less pay. It takes a lot out of us, and so far we've discovered it's a tough place to live.
Take care of yourself, and next time I run into a Tim, I'll ask it's you! ;) Then I'll shake your hand, I promise! :)
Best wishes,
R
Post a Comment