Lois & Clark Forums Forums General Discussion Off Topic Predjudism In America

So the boards have been kind of dead as of late so I thought I would post this and see where it goes.

Has anyone here seen the movie Crash? I think it's an excellent movie so if you haven't seen it, check it out. The movie basically shows that everyone has a bit of prejudice in them; white, black, asian, etc. Sadly, I think this is true to an extent.

I live in Houston, TX which is quite a melting pot so I've grown up around practically every ethnicity/race there is. I feel very comfortable around different cultures. I've been fortunate to not have ever witnessed a hate crime or anything to that extent so I feel blessed in that way. I have heard stories about other areas close by though, that are not so accepting. For example, Vidor, TX still has the KKK there and I knew a girl in college who had attended a previous college somewhere in the south (Georgia, I think) where she said everyone was still very predudice against black people.

It was one of the first colleges that desegregated and they had a shooting there. The school still has the bullet holes, not as a piece of sad history, but as something they honor because black people were shot. Yes, it is true. The girl said she transfered as soon as she realized how hateful the entire school was; students, faculty, everyone.

It blows my mind that things like this are still happening this day and age. And yes, even white people are prejudiced against (that sounds off a bit but you get what I'm trying to say). I've kind of been offended lately by some things that I've heard.

For example, at my church, there are a mix of different ethnicities/races but most are white. There was a couple that joined our church that our pastor asked to speak on what made them join, yada, yada, yada. So he's explaining how he felt really comfortable in his old church, knew everyone, was really involved, and had no intentions of leaving. He said God put it on his heart that he needed to seek out another church. He visited our church and said he wasn't sure "If he could worship with a whole bunch of white folks." That's what offended me. Anyways, he went on to say that he felt led to join, etc. etc. I understand him feeling more comfortable at his old church and I know he meant no ill will towards me or any other 'white folk' at the church but it just hurt my feelings. Also, if the situation had been switched, if it had been me and my hubby at his church saying, "I didn't think we could worship with a whole bunch of (whatever) folk", that would be considered a racist remark.

So anyways, I just thought I'd get this thread going. Anyone have anything to add... or maybe have felt prejudiced against (someone please tell me if there's a better way to say that cause it just sounds off) at some point in their lives. Is there a lot of prejudice where you live?

There's a song in the Broadway musical "Avenue Q" entitled "Everybody Is A Little Bit Racist," and I think it's true. It's sad, but we all have our prejudices.

I've been on all sides of it. I've been discriminated against, I've been treated as if I was doing the discriminating, I've got my own prejudices, and I've recognized prejudice in the people around me (including my own parents).

I've been snubbed or worse for being Jewish. My temple has been defaced at least once, someone once chalked a swastika and the words "Jew Town" on the sidewalk near my school, and a bunch of teenagers recently went to a nearby Jewish graveyard and broke over 100 headstones.

I've been given dirty looks and hostile treatment for being a bald white man, which has led some to assume that I'm a skinhead.

I've been called "racist" by someone who really should have known better just because I stuck with the "wrong" friends.

Our neighbors, Christians of Egyptian decent, have been prejudiced against by others in the area who don't like people from the middle east. They've had all sorts of subtle slights directed at them. They have a statue of Mary in their front yard which used to face out, blessing their neighbors. Some people snuck over in the middle of the night to turn it around as a racist "prank," and its had its back to the street ever since.

I've also had my own share of racist thoughts, in large part because of racist views surrounding me in my upbringing. For example... My grandparents were Holocaust survivors. To this day, my mother won't buy anything made in Germany or by a German company.

In a way, the worst of it is the kind that's so subtle you don't even realize it's racism/prejudice. The little assumptions you make, often without even consciously thinking about them. "I'm not being racist. It's just how they are. It's their culture..."

There's someone prejudiced against just about any group you can name.

Whatever form it takes, whomever it's against... Well, I don't think it's very controversial to say it's wrong to judge people on what you expect them to be instead of who and what they really are.

Personally, I wish we could all be telepathic, get to really know each other, how we think, and what we mean... It'd go a long way to fostering better understanding between us, and teaching us to look beyond the superficial. Not realistic, of course, but I've wished for it none the less.

Try 'discriminated against', steph.

Nothing like a potentially controversial topic to undeaden the boards. Hopefully.

Of course it's a problem everywhere! In the UK it's invading Poles (and all the other foreigners over-running the place - self included!) and Muslims. I think people just like to stick to what is familiar to them. We don't like the unknown, whether it's a different culture, religion, economic bracket, colour or whatever. And as a South African I'm sure I can find plenty to say on the subject of race and wealth v poverty, etc

I saw CRASH and I totally appreciated the point it made, but then it was just a good movie too. The part that affected me the most was when the cop had to pull the woman out of the upsidedown car, the same woman he'd mistreated just the day before. It came down to the premise that even though he had a bit of prejudice(and she did too) that he would DO his job and even more, rescue someone in danger regardless of that person's race or relationship to him.

*That's* the aspect of CRASH that I hope for the most. Yeah, everyone's been brought up to a certain point of view or allow their life's experience to dictate how they view people, but when it comes down to helping each other, we should just be able to DO it.

TEEEEEEJ

That's not technically correct, though. A prejudice is an attitude. Discrimination is an act. There is a difference.

Also, the musical is called "Avenue Q".

Any way, I've had some problems in the past, being bi-racial and coming from a mixed family but for the most part I've been lucky. Chicago is pretty diverse, but naturally there are problem areas with escalated crime rates and gang activity.

Unfortunately, the way the system is set up, it's not going to end unless some major attitudes are changed, which is going to take a very, very long time.

Thank you. I made the correction.

My grandparents used to live on Avenue M (same neighborhood as the musical, but a few blocks down... ), so I guess that just got cross-wired.

(While we're making technical corrections... There's no such word as "prejudism." It's prejudice.)

It is such a sad truth that Jews are hated by so many all over the world. Even people I know, that would definitely not call themselves a racist, make Jew jokes, etc. It's like people have this underlying hate towards them. I've got my own theories on why that is. Part of it is, I think Jews are generally very successful and that may make many people jeleous. Another reason I think (and this may get more into the religion aspect) is that I believe the Jews were set apart by God to be His people, and whether people believe that or not, it makes the Jews a target for many hateful people.

I have a friend who is not Jewish, but she has such a heart for the Jewish people. She actually goes to a Messianic Jewish Synagogue (they believe everything Christians believe but practice the Jewish traditions). I went with her one Saturday and it was quite an experience. They wear the prayer shawls & walk around with the Torah for everyone to touch. They sang a lot of Jewish songs and so many people were in the aisles dancing. It was awesome. They did a reading from the Old Testament & then a reading from the New Testament in Hebrew and then their Rabbi preached at the end. All in all, it was about a 3 hour service. I'm not very disciplined so I was pretty fidgety near the end but I'm glad I got to experience it.

Anyways, I went off on a tangent there. Sorry.

Too true. My grandpa lives in Harrison, AR, about 30 miles from the KKK capital of the US, so needless to say he's grown up pretty racist. All my cousins live in Lake Charles, LA, and they still use the "N" word like, "what's the big deal?" Although I'm not racist, I still find that I sterotype sometimes, probably because I've been exposed to that kind of thinking my whole life.

Exactly. Not to sound cliche but, can't we all just get along?

Wow gr8. I had heard that their was some racism over there regarding Muslims but I hadn't heard about the Poles. I'd like to hear more about it when you're not so sleepy.

That was my favorite part too Teej. I very rarely cry but that had me all watery. If we had only had his behavior from the day before to go by, I would say he was a horrible sucky human being. But after seeing him rescue that woman, risking his own life to do so, it showed that when it comes down to it, he understood that we're all just people and needed to do his duty to rescue her. All the characters in that movie learned something about themselves, whether it be good or bad. Ya know Ludacris was going around saying how he would never steal from a black person and he ends up doing it. Ryan Phillipe seemed like the only non-racist in the movie but he ends up being just as prejudice as everyone else. *sigh* I could just go on an on about that movie. So good.

So true Trin. So true.

I've been on all sides of the fence as well and I certainly agree that we're all a little racist or a lot depending on what thought patterns have been ingrained in us.

I don't like talking a lot about myself (I've been burned by giving personal info before). I will say though that I work really closely with race issues, across different communities, so this is something I've been interested and invested in for many years.

One thing that amazes me is just how hard it is to talk about race. Even if we admit that we're all racist, facing the reality of it when we deal with people that are different from us is very difficult. Like Paul said:

It's like an uphill battle to look at how you think and try to catch these moments when your assumptions are flawed. It seeps through us from everywhere since we're young. I cringe, thinking about some of the most absurd faux pas and foot-in-mouth moments I went through when I started. It's like that saying "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"-that was totally me. And you know, no matter how many years I've spent in this, I still find that I have to constantly check myself to make sure I'm not lapsing into an old pattern. It's a lifelong thing.

It's also really hard to approach people and begin an honest conversation face to face--to work through these issues without being caught up. You have to be sure that everyone is on board and it really needs to have some ground rules established beforehand, so that it doesn't end in tears and resentment. When this fails it's crushing, when it succeeds, its beyond awesome.

Naturally, since this is something I'm into--I'm loving the conversations that have sprung up online. For example, The International Blog Against Racism Week .

I warn that there's just so many links it boggles the mind, but this is a good primer on many discussions in fandom and it represents many voices. That diversity and the spirit of critique is heartening to me, I encourage anyone interested in Race in Fandom to take a look.

I really appreciate you bringing this topic up Steph!

alcyone