Racism, American Style

Mood: Angered!

I was just sitting on the sofa watching today's episode of The Tyra Banks Show with Rick (this is what happens when you're home all day), and even though it's 2009 I am still SHOCKED about the misguided, ignorant views people in this country have about others. The refrain from several people on the show (all young people in the 18-25 range)was, "Well, that was the way I was brought up" or "That's what my parents have always taught me" and it just sickens me. Hi, you're an adult now, how about you start thinking for yourself and forming your own conclusions.

One young woman told her best friend that she was disgusted because she was dating a Mexican man. She said her parents & grandparents always taught her that dating outside your race was wrong and that it's in the Bible that it's wrong. You can imagine what reaction that got from everyone in the audience and Tyra. My first thought was, Okay, so did you ever crack open that Bible to find that passage? Of course not, why would you?

Below is a clip of today's show:



Click here for full episode

On one hand I feel sorry for young people who have been raised by uneducated, misguided people who hold those views. But at the same time I'm outraged that people are so blind that they actually think they're racist views are normal and okay. Maybe it's just me - I was the one in church as a kid who listened to the preacher say things that just baffled logic, and thought, Wait a minute, that doesn't compute...

I come from a small, rural place where people are mostly good souls who fear God and pass the potato salad. But beyond the folksy friendliness are deeply held (and seldom questioned) views about others. On one hand (Libra that I am) I understand that people fear what they don't understand. There were no black children in my school. Well, I think for one year. There was a black teacher, and her son attended our school for one year. I don't recall there being any Hispanic children either. Now before it starts looking like I went to some white prep school, let me assure you my school was probably rather poor and in the country. It was pretty much white kids and Native American kids.

In town, there was the "black part of town" that was literally across the tracks. To this day, I've never even driven through that part of town. It was told to me at a young age that it was the black part of town, rather in passing, but it instantly labeled that neighborhood as 'Other' in my young mind. There was a mild sense of fear and uncertainty. That part of town was literally on the edge of town, past the places I hung out and all the businesses, so I never really had a reason to go down there either. I write all this simply to illustrate that yes, I do come from a place where there was not a great deal of diversity. As well, most people from there are born, raised, and die there. Many never venture outside those bucolic confines, and thus, do not encounter other cultures and ways of life that would challenge these passed-down notions.

But, that is no excuse anymore. It is 2009, and even the country has internet access and cable TV. The world is at our fingertips now, and with that, every nation, culture, and viewpoint on Earth is represented and easily available at the click of a button.

One of the men on the show is a white college student from Texas. :SIGH: Thank you for being NON-representative of my adopted home state. I fully understand that there are a lot of people in Texas (and beyond) that harbor deeply racist views, but I am also proud to say that there are many, many people who DO NOT exhibit those views.

And for those of you out there who forward "funny" racist emails, you are fooling yourself into thinking, "Oh, I don't mean it in a serious way, I'm not a racist". You may not make racist comments in public, and may indeed have friends of other races and nationalities, etc. But participating in silent racism is just as bad as openly displaying it, in my opinion, because it perpetuates the feeling that it's okay to make fun of people of other cultures or races, as long as "you don't really mean it". Well, you do mean it, or you wouldn't find it humourous.

Sure, we all see FAIL pictures or videos on YouTube of someone acting stupid or doing something asanine, and we laugh - all in good fun. But there's a difference in laughing at someone who is wearing some ridiculous outfit or doing something they probably shouldn't be doing and failing miserably at it for all the world to see, and making assumptions about people based on their skin color, country of origin, religious beliefs, etc.

This may be a bit controversial (but I never claimed not to be), but I have posted a few of these allegedly "funny" cartoons, etc. that are floating around the web, in an effort to challenge my readers to think. You may have seen some of these, and laughed at them, or felt angered by them. If you are seeing them for the first time, what reaction do they elicit from you? Keep in mind, I am not posting these in an effort to spread them even further - on the contrary, I would love it if they were stricken from existence - but rather to make a point, and make each of you think. Feel free to leave comments on this post about your reaction to the following.











These are, of course, only a few that are out there. After viewing these, what do you feel about them? If you found yourself chuckling at them, why? I love a good funny picture or video, but I find these to be sad.

I'm also conflicted because someone close to me in my life would find these probably hilarious while at the same time assuring me they don't hold any racist views. But they would also no doubt forward them to others in amusement to be shared and spread over & over again. I am torn between my relationship and admiration for this person (or persons) and my own strongly-held views that any type of racism is unacceptable. I've told good friends as much when they made racist jokes. If you think it's okay to be racist, you're stupid. It makes you look uneducated and ignorant, and especially if you're from a place like Texas, it makes you look exactly like what some outsiders think Texans are like, thus, further perpetuating yet another stereotype.

My feeling is there is plenty of tear-inducing hilarity in the world besides resorting to cheap amusement based on fear, insecurity, and misinformation, which is where racism springs from.

So, sound off...what do YOU think?