Is racism too inherent to abolish?

[Nasty Jack]

I did another post in this group on Sept. 5, "Racism is here to stay," which sort of answers the above headline. My conclusion was what I considered a "terrifying answer." That it was something we absorb through society, culture and from what our parents teach us. My parents did not teach me to be racist, nor did they teach me to look down on any group. I grew up in the deep South with respect for blacks, Hispanics, Asians, Italians, the Irish...hell, I honestly did not think there was any difference. I must admit that I did join my peers in some off-color stuff and was always sorry for what I had done. But "Hate" was never the underlying factor in our joking around. It is now and this becomes more evident by the day in incidents like the one at baseball's Fenway Park in Boston. Fans unfurled a sign that said, "RACISM IS AS AMERICAN AS BASEBALL." Apparently it was meant as a statement of a fact of the times. But security made them take it down and they were promptly ushered out of the park. Here's the trio's statement...

"We want to remind everyone that just as baseball is fundamental to American culture and history, so too is racism," said a statement from the ejected group that was later emailed to CSN. "White people need to wake up to this reality before white supremacy can truly be dismantled. We urge anyone who is interested in learning more or taking action to contact their local racial justice organization."

Maybe this is the way to get the public's attention so that something can be done about the issue. Or is it like my headline, "too inherent to abolish?" Read the article and you try to decide.

[Warpy]

1. Some people will always feel leery of strangers and outsiders, no matter what they look like

while people in different places or different times have been notoriously unfussy about continent of origin. The Romans, for all their flaws, were one such people. What seems to have been important in Mediaeval Europe is whether or not one was a Christian, not the color of their skin or the shape of their features. Lisbon, from the 1900s on, seems to be another such place and I saw a general lack of racism among Portuguese people of all origins in SE Mass. What mattered was speaking Portuguese.

At other times and in other places, the criteria for insider/outsider were simply different. Likely, they will look at our prsent age with its intolerance of people with African ancestry as bizarre beyond belief since some other criterion will have arisen.

A lot of people across Europe are finding out they have sub Saharan African ancestry these days. That's pretty much proof that the racism prevalent today is not only a recent construct, it's a self defeating one and only temporary.

[nycbos]

2. It is impossible to create a society that is racism free.

Racism exists in all countries.


I am cautiously optimistic that we can reduce the amount of racism but you can't eliminate it.