what is racism? what makes a person racist?

I think we're having a difference in discourse babe because what you listed as things parents teach kids to fear I would call things to caution. Fear to me is something causes worry even if the threat isn't immediate. Like many of us might fear losing our jobs, so much in fact we might lay awake thinking about it worrying about yet a child or even an adult won't worry about rattle snakes or accidently swallowing Draino unless they have a severe phobia. Racism in my opinion causes people to look at others and think what if this other guy wants my stuff what if he wants to effect my well being, he doesn't look like me or even speak like me so he can't be trusted. Again fear causes vigilant effort where as caution is what we naturally use to survive.

 

You got that right Andrae. That's not my definition of fear. Things to be feared to me are that which could seriously harm or kill you, and that's it. Now I would agree that in an adult fear morphs into caution in the examples I listed, but for children it's easier to instill fear than caution, then let them make the distinction later on. No one ever told me 'Espy you need to employ caution when you see a rattlesnake', it was more along the lines of 'Espy that thing is fast, it bites, and it will kill you, don't touch'. I think you get farther with 'shock value' in those instances.

Also your thoughts on racism are just completely foreign to me. I've never looked at anyone and thought 'what if they want my stuff', 'they can't be trusted because of their skin color', and I can't fathom how anyone could think like that. But I suspect this goes back to that whole 'people view black men are dangerous' idea, which I wasn't aware of until I came here and saw it mentioned quite a bit. The concept of identifying anyone as 'dangerous' based upon skin color just bends my brain babe. My mind just won't go there, and that no doubt influences my thoughts on this subject. I don't think we necessarily disagree, we're just coming from different places on this one.

 

I'm actually surprised by that.

Unfortunately, I can.

 

Well I've been told I'm naive, and there have been several things that I've learned here that seem to back that up. I think that's in how you are raised. I was taught that you respect everyone until you have a reason not to, so that pretty much makes it impossible to automatically fear anyone.

:smt056 I think it's unfortunate that anyone could be stupid enough to buy into that LA, it just makes no damn sense. Oh and having seen you I don't know how anyone's first thought could ever be fear. In fact I haven't seen anyone here who merits a 'scary'.

 

True. I just think of fear of worrying about all the what ifs and caution has dealing with something in the immediate but one thing we can definitely agree on is that racism is horse shit. We are too educated as a world to think otherwise. Now its not ignorance just bullshit excuses not to change.

 

lippy thinks that there is something to this post...it reminds me of something chris rock says in one of his stand up acts about the fact that no white man would want to trade places with him given the chance...the punch line of course is that chris rock is a very rich man but all the money in the world still doesn't give a person white privledge...

disclaimer: lippy does not subscribe to this because i don't think that chosen goes around looking at white men with lesser jobs/income as though he is superior UNTIL said wm starts giving him the vibe that no matter what you do as a bm the wm is still superior...personally i don't look at black people men or women like that and let me add to that any people...okay so there are SELECT individuals that make me roll my eyes thinking whatever:smt120