Reverse Racism

Is there such a thing?

A friend of mine at work told me this story today. I was shocked...maybe I shouldn't have been and more importantly, maybe it's a reflection on my nice, white suburban upbringing?

So my friend is about 7 months pregnant.
She grew up in Far North Queensland and the Northern Territory. I don't have a comparrison to make to the USA or UK...but these places are country and have HIGH aboriginal populations. The populations up there are small and most Australians wouldn't really understand how Aboriginals live, because they mostly live up there and not in the cities...so what I am saying is that of anyone who knows, understands and appreciates the way aboriginals live in this country, it would be her out of every 1000th person.

She was waiting at the bus to go home the other day and this guy was standing behind her "talking to himself". Where we work there are a lot of crazies and more than the average aboriginal person. Anyway, he was muttering away and she realised that he said something like this.

"stupid white c*nt, going to have a f*cking white c*nt racist baby.....f*ck you white people and what you did to my people" and was generally being obscenely rude to my friend and her unborn child.

My friend won't back down so turned around and looked him in the eye and said "excuse me, did you say something?" and he replied "I was just talking to myself, it's not my fault if you listen" and then continued to rant about what "we" had done to "his people"...

Now, I am not going to, nor would I ever, lessen what has happened to indigenous Australians. They have and continue to suffer....

But C'mon...it's 2008 for God's sake. How are we ever going to improve things if everyone is bitching about each other...it's just so lame...
if there's a problem, talk about it, ask for help. Stop moaning. UGH!!!!

I've had people call me a "white c*nt" before, when just walking down the street, especially around work. I travelled up north with my family when we were kids and it was yelled at us as we'd walk down the street. To me I don't care - I've done nothing wrong and I believe that most aboriginal people have all the support they need to get out of sh*t but mostly enjoy the victim mentality...so they stay put.
...but an unborn child...I mean, really! surely there is a limit!

She said she was a bit annoyed, especially because of the fact that she has grown up in aboriginal majority towns and actually understands what goes one...but she said she just couldn't help but jump to the defence of her child...

Has anyone else ever experienced this type of thing. I realise there's a cultural thing here and that some people don't consider "Aboriginal men to be black men" (which I personally don't agree with)...but I thought it had some relevence.

 

Ah on BlackPlanet.com I see stupid comments all the time. They have a news section.

2 or 3 weeks ago they onviously had"hate all white people week"

There was those 2 topics that annoyed me in particular.Or more the responses people made to them.

"Do you hate white people" and some people said stff like

"Fiyah on em"

"Sure,they hate me so I hate em all"

"F***ing Krakkkas,white devils/trash,... "(that lady was basically just cussing around all the time)

And then there was this other topic "What would you do if your kid was brining a white guy/girl home?"

Here some responses that were made to that topic:

"I would run into the bathroom and throw up"

"My son would no longer be my son and he knows that"

And 1 lady was saying she educated her kids in a way they wouldn't even wanna date white people .She said she was mixed herself and wanted to bring some blackness back into the family.


Just last week people started hating on me for being white and saying its not alright what kind of cussings some of those people posted to my articles.
This guy that doesnt know me called me out of my name several times but always with the word "white" before those nasty expressions.
Later he was so smart to add things like

"You stupud white B***** just wanna get knocked up by the next n**** anyway"

------ WOW what a "smart" guy.Doesnt know me at all and then thinks he can judge me like that.
I was so close to cancelling my profile on that site. But I wont cos I dont want that guy to feel like that's a triumph for him

 

I dont know the situation in Austrialia, so I cant comment on it. But let me shed some light on the way "some" (read:quite a few) black people feel in the US.

Here in the US, we (black people) have a history of slavery and being exploited that bothers us even today. Now obviously slavery and Jim Crow laws are long gone and that would be fine if we lived in a world that wasnt influenced by the past. But we dont.

The way "some" (read: many)black people see it, with that history of slavery and white dominance here in the US, white people have a huge advantage. Generally speaking: you go to better schools, live in better neighborhoods, and overall enjoy a better standard of living. And to think this higher standard of living isnt rooted in slavery and america's (read:white people's) slaughter of native americans (aboriginals in your case, FEHG) is to turn a blind eye to the past.

Now its easy for you to say, "Hey, its 2008!" when you enjoy the fruits of your forefather's misdeeds. We (blacks and aboriginals) are the sufferers of your forefathers misdeeds and we still experience residual effects of those misdeeds hundreds of years later so we may still harbor feelings of resentment and hate. Mind you, you have no control of what happened in the past, but being aware of it may help you understand the present.

Now because of the the past and the present,I know why "some" black people have a problem with white people. What I have never understood is, "why "some" white people have a problem with black people?

(I have always believe that nuture rather than nature is what makes us who we are. That said, many of the negative things white people dislike about black people/culture are the result of racism and Jim Crow laws.)

 

It will linger for a while...

We have to remember that most blacks (at least in the states) over the age of 50...have vivid memories of Jim Crow. My mom's only 53 and she can remember going to the hamburger stand in her rural Texas hometown and having to go around to the back and eat outside instead of inside the restaurant.

The disparities in the justice system don't help either...but I think most blacks are reaching a point where we judge individuals and not entire groups.

Until the U.S. openly discusses our past though, we're going to have a tough time moving forward.

As for the Aboriginals in Australia....their history sounds a lot like that of the Native Americans here...anytime your are raped, beaten, killed and nearly exterminated....it takes time (perhaps eternity) to reconcile with the group that did the damage....

A better day is coming...but we aren't there yet. :idea:

 

Wow I aint experienced really no haters yet on blackplanet.
Where are they at the site, so I can make sure It stays like that for me?

 

Of course there is such thing of reverse racism. But not defending in no
way but a lot of the times when a young black man does it, is because they run into white women that use them because they are black in the sense of calling the cops on them all the time, telling them they are just going through a phase dating black men, using race as a factor when arguing, sex only when the guy is looking for an relationship. I know 2 black guys that went through that and decided to be hateful towards white women, there is never an excuse to be hateful, but for those wondering that usually be behind a lot of young black guys hate.....The other times it don't be real it is just fear of the (racist)sistas getting on their case.

 

Gotta co-sign with that statement right there.

I look at it like this: if you point a finger at someone, just remember that there are 3 fingers pointing back at you. For whatever reason, people don’t want to last the past go. They always say things like shoulda, woulda, and coulda, but not realizing that you can’t change the past (that is unless you have an 85’ Delorean with a flux capacitor).

As a society we just have to move on, but too many people still want to cling to the past. If you live in the past, you’ll die in the past. Now I’m not saying that you should just write things off as if they never happened, you just have to accept things the way that they are and move on.

It’s the moving on part that many people can’t get past.

 

Thats not racism. Their resulting attitude and actions are a response to racism. Big difference.

But to answer the initial question...no, there is no such thing as reverse racism.

 

First and for most there is not a such thing as reverse racism, what the reverse of something it is totally different the reverse of hate is love so the reverse of racism would be non racism. Sheesh I hate these make up words lol too funny. Racism is just that racism no matter who is doing it.

 

Sorry, Jelly, but I will respectfully disagree with your last statement. Racism exists in all shapes and sizes. And it doesn't discriminate on the color skin you have.

It doesn't matter the color of the skin that's doing the hating, and it doesn't matter the color of the skin that's getting hated on, but racism in ALL forms exists.

I have been discriminated against because I was white. Now, granted, the racism that happened to me cannot compare to the racism that happens to others on a near daily basis.

But, it does exist. And it doesn't discriminate on the skin color.

And to me, it's not reverse racism. It's just racism. And until we ALL learn to stop judging people on outside appearances, it won't ever go away.

 

You're assuming that all things are equal, but they are not. Black people's actions and attitude are the result of racism we have suffered at the hands of white people, the images we still see today of black people killed, tortured, and discriminated against for no other reason than the color of their skin.

What causes white people's discriminatory actions and attiutude towards blacks? They (the disciminating whites) didnt suffer thru systematic discrimination, so they should have no reason to harbor ill feelings towards blacks (and others), but they do.

Let me use an analogy...If person "A" violently attacks person "B" for no reason and B responds with equal violence towards A, we would agree that A is a violent person, but would you say B is a violent person also? No. B's actions are a response to A's initial attack.

In america you're talking about 400 years of killing, rape, and systematic discrimination. Dont overlook it as water under the bridge and now is a time to let bygones be bygones. Especially when there are some out there (stromfront, for example) practicing those same ways of hate and discrimination.

I respect your forward thinking and feelings of equal treatment for all regardless of race, but racism and discrimination start from the top from positions of power. And as long as there are people in those positions who judge based on skin color, beautiful people such as yourself and the members of this board will continue to suffer the aftereffects.

 

I don't understand what "reverse" racism is supposed to mean. What's reverse about it? Racism is just hating someone for their race, who is a different race from you. It's not limited to white people hating black people, anyone can hate anyone of any colour in the world.

 

In the NEWS section.And forums. In my groups there I kick out every person that makes dumb statements

 

And thats the problem. Over time, even the definition of the word "racism" has been distorted and twisted so that even the oppressors (figuratively) use it by attacting prefixes and adjectives to it to make themselves appear to be the victim.

Look up the word "racism" and you consistently see words such as "superior(ity)," "dominant," "rule," and "privilege." It is not as simple as "hating based on race, color, or differences."

Tavern on the Green, one of the most famous restuarants in the world, just settled a lawsuit for more than $2 million dollars for sexual and racial harassment.

 

you took the words right out of my mouth. there is no such thing as "reverse racism". racism is racism - period. racism knows no boundaries in who it attacks, or who it comes from. no one who has walked this planet has ever been exempt to feeling the hate of racism. racism is ugly, it's evil, it's wrong.....there's never an excuse for it, period.

 

Uummm...you're twisting my words. Thats not quite what I said. Black people's reaction to racism is not racism, even if their reaction is racist in nature.

Just as defending yourself against violence with violence doesnt make you a violent person.

 

well, i agree that a person's "response" to racism isn't necessarily racism. but i don't believe that it's right to sugarcoat someone's repsonse as simply a "response" if they do, in fact, have a racist attitude. like i said in my last post, racism IS racism no matter who it's coming from, or who it's towards. an example might be....what if you have a white child who grows up in an all black neighborhood, who is constantly bullied by the black kids. say all this kid ever gets is hate and crap, etc. from these kids, despite his efforts to be friendly. now as a child, this kid was taught to look past skin color, but b/c of what he grew up with, he can't get past his childhood and teen years and now (as an adult) hates blacks. while some whites would say this is just a "response" to the racism he felt as a child, it's a pretty crappy excuse. it's no different with black kids/teens who grow up in the same kind of environment. given, their has been animosity between whites/blacks for years, and i am in no way making light of that....i still just can't believe that there is any logical explanation for racism.

do you get what i'm saying?

by the way, i sincerely didn't mean to twist your words. i apologize. i must have just read it wrong. sorry. :roll:

 

Well, reverse racism or not - I was just trying to get the title of my thread noticed...

Hey Jelly,

That was a good response. I understand with what you said and totally agree with you. I know WHY people feel the way they do - most of me thinks they are justified...honestly, I really feel for our indegenouse australians...they are really in a no man's land. Living in a "whitefella" world, but still thinking like a "blackfella". (Obviously I'm not thinking about the successful ones in the city)...

But this is the way I look at it.
The past is the past. I can't change anything any more than anyone else can change what has happened.
Terrible things have happened here and everywhere. We should never forget what has happened. We should acknowledge it, and learn from it.
You (the guy) who was never working for free, never opressed by anyone, who probably has been given more assistance than anyone else...is not affected by what happened personally. Obviously there are ripple effects, but he isn't impacted by the worst of it.
It does not benefit you (the guy) at all by keeping hate in your heart and directing it at people.

I'm not saying it's easy...I'm saying that the way I see it, he and a lot of others should take the higher road and grab all the opportunities that are granted to them (affirmitive action type stuff) and use it. These people aren't stupid, they can do so much more...I want them to fulfill their potential.

I think they have two options. Make a day, accept the apology (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Sorry_Day) , then look forward. Accept that things are the way they are and they're not going to change. Make a change and start making you own life better. The other option is sit there, wallowing in your own (for the most-part) unfounded sel pity and misery taking handouts from everyone and drinking yourself to death at the age of 40.
Look forward, look back. 2 options, do what it takes to make the better one work...If you then choose the second, stop b*tching about it. If you want to be a bum, choose to be a bum...then be proud of you bum-ness and get on with it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=if_zX2RwRIk&feature=related
Stop behaving like this (a regular scene in a lot of regional cities. This isn't a ghetto - this is a main park in the city, frequented by all...Similar scenes in many places across the country)

Maybe take a leaf from the page of this girl
http://www.abc.net.au/4corners/content/2003/20030728_positions_vacant/int_major.htm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJvKo2gY1KI
(and white people - american tourists included - start being respectful)

It's chicken and egg, but at some point, they need to take responsibility for themselves. I don't care what colour you are....behaving like they were in that first video is embarrassing and inapprporiate. Making excuses for those people just encourages them and empowers them to do nothing. I wouldn't want a family member behaving like that, so why should I want my indegenous citizens behaving like that? I want better for them.

You know what kind of annoys me about this whole thing, too..If my friend had said anything to him of a mildly similar nature, all hell would have broken loose...But because she's "the bad one", he can get away with it. I personally think there are a million better ways to spend one's day instead of cursing at random strangers - so it just proves to me what an ignorant fool he is - but it's got to be a little bit of give and take.

 

I understand perfectly what you're saying. And while the actions of the black kids is wrong (and lets face it, kids can be cruel), the first thing that comes to my mind is, "if those kids have reached an age to racially distinguish black people from white people, what was it (who was it) that shaped those kids to use race and skin color in such a negative manner? Kids more than anyting else in the world are a true reflection of the world we live in.

And there was no need to apologize. Feel free to express yourself.

 

Are you on Blackplanet.com? You should check the news section sometimes if you are.

A mixed lady said she was trying to "condition'her kids so they wouldnt date white people.
Or one who said her son knew he would no more be her son if he brought a white woman home.
There are black AND white parents who teach their kids their opinion about other races.
It is truly sad but it happens