# Are there any racists who admit they are racist? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 27, 2017, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430 "2017-09-27T15:26:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![MareIt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ea666f/32.png) [@MareIt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MareIt)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/21 "2017-09-28T02:10:14Z")
My brother proclaims himself as a racist. He is one. He is an asshole. He also has moments of being the most helpful guy you will ever meet. As he has gotten older, he has started to acknowledge that perhaps the fault is with him not the other. But not enough to actually change his behavior or his thoughts. He has struggled with moving to the DC Metro area from Vermont, because of all of the ‘other’. Everything from languages he doesn’t understand at the 7/11 to doctors with accents. ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/22 "2017-09-28T02:59:12Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > And, apparently, trying to piss off liberals is a good enough reason: > [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > No surprise from the guy with Heil Hitler in his user name. Before it goes any further, if you have a problem with a poster the Pit is down the hall to the left. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Hamsandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4bbf92/32.png) [@Darth\_Hamsandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Hamsandwich)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 7:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/23 "2017-09-28T07:15:55Z")
[This](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=574931) guy not only openly admits it, but can teach you how to fling a mean chicken bone to boot! ---
**Author:** ![jtur88](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e9c0ed/32.png) [@jtur88](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jtur88)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 7:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/24 "2017-09-28T07:48:45Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > No surprise from the guy with Heil Hitler in his user name. I see you’ve advanced beyond just asking question. That stands for Harry Heilmann, hall of fame outfielder for the Detroit Tigers. You have to be at one extreme fringe in order to not be at the other end? Any more questions? ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/25 "2017-09-28T08:44:07Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > Yeah. > > I am. And a bunch of other “ist” for that matter. Pick an extreme libereal defininion of what is right and wrong…and I’ll be on the wrong side. > [@jtur88](#): > > I do. I freely espouse ideas that thew shrill classify as racist. Sometimes I miss Chris Farley. ‘Okay, so I may sometimes say things that are “racist”, or “offensive”, or “completely inappropriate for civilized society”…’ > [@Velocity](#): > > I would also like to see society think of racism as being racism whenever people of any skin color are prejudiced against people of any other skin color, not just a matter of whites against minorities. Minorities can certainly be prejudiced against each other (there’s a great deal of prejudice by Asians against blacks, for instance.) And then you also have ludicrous claims like this: [Why Black People Can’t Be Racist.](http://elitedaily.com/life/culture/dear-white-people-why-black-people-cant-be-racist/1960206/) I’m aware that the “only white people can be racist” people exist. I’m also aware that most people - black, white and otherwise - think that those people are idiots. The racial tensions between the Asian and black communities has been part of the discussions on racial issues since at least the 1980s. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/26 "2017-09-28T12:43:04Z")
Bigots who admit their bigotry are a rarity, as are science denialists who acknowledge their dingbat views (how many antivaxers proudly identify as such, for example?). It’s mildly refreshing when these folk come clean. > [@jtur88](#): > > I see you’ve advanced beyond just asking question. That stands for Harry Heilmann, hall of fame outfielder for the Detroit Tigers. Hah, a typical denialist. Obviously that’s code for Harry Hooper, Hall of Fame outfielder for the Red Sox. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 28, 2017, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/27 "2017-09-28T13:03:48Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > Bigots who admit their bigotry are a rarity, as are science denialists who acknowledge their dingbat views (how many antivaxers proudly identify as such, for example?). Never met one who wasn’t agressive about his views. They don’t just proudly identify as antivaxxers, they loudly proclaim that the rest of us are sheep and that laws requiring vaccinations are against The Will of The People or similar bits of nonsense. ---
**Author:** ![Grave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@Grave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grave)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/28 "2017-09-29T14:40:19Z")
Yeah. Raised to believe anyone who wasn’t from western european stock was inferior. Of course, in the quiet institutionalized way. That kind of indoctrination as a youth really takes hold. Do I believe or support that view? No. Do I constantly have to form internal dialogues that check myself? Yes. So I admit I’m a racist so that I can change. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/29 "2017-09-29T15:46:18Z")
The one that’s bothering me right now is people saying that they (or the person they’re talking about) isn’t racist, but things they say in private shouldn’t be held against you. Then people like me come along and say that if you say such things in private, you are a racist and they get all bent out of shape and keep harping on the PRIVATE thing and how everyone says things in private that they wouldn’t say in public. Nope. ---
**Author:** ![BlankSlate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blankslate/32/80_2.png) [@BlankSlate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlankSlate)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/30 "2017-09-29T16:30:51Z")
How often do morons admit they are morons? There are all kinds of defective people walking around this planet. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/31 "2017-09-29T16:53:48Z")
My former MIL was proud to call herself a racist. She didn’t think there was anything wrong with it. My former SIL did the "Not to be racist, but… " conversational gambit, where what followed the “but” often involved the word nigger. I do not miss them. ---
**Author:** ![filmore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/7993a0/32.png) [@filmore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmore)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/32 "2017-09-29T17:20:47Z")
So for the people who admit they are racist, do any of them admit that in public? If their racist behavior in private were to come to light, would they hold their head up and say, “Yes, I did that because I’m racist and don’t regret it.”? That’s the part that’s seems to be missing. People may admit they are racist when they are with people they think are accepting, but it seems they don’t hold to that once it comes to light or they feel negative consequences from it. Once they might get into trouble, then it’s all “They’re making me look racist when I’m not.” Even if they are public with their racist beliefs (someone like David Duke), I can’t recall them saying they are actually racist. > [@David Duke](#): > > I don’t consider myself a racist, I don’t hate other peoples, but I certainly want to preserve my own. And I think that’s true of all people. ---
**Author:** ![Corry\_El](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecae2f/32.png) [@Corry\_El](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Corry_El)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2017, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/33 "2017-09-29T17:34:34Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > …ex-fire chief Paul Smith,who said… > “Tomlin just added himself to the list of no good N\*\*\*\*\*s. Yes I said it.” > > Maybe it’s just me, but saying things like that cause me to infer that the person is racist. Your example is of somebody saying something universally perceived as offensive. Even people supporting the statement would presumably support it _because_ it’s offensive. Defining ‘racism’ comprehensively is a lot more difficult. Also there’s the possible, and not rare view, view expressed in one earlier response of racism as a sort of ‘original sin’ that afflicts most whites, in the limit all. That post puts it terms of self effacing individual soul searching, but it’s sometimes stated more in a ‘them’ mode. Anyway the various responses citing all the people they can think of who are ‘racists’ and won’t admit it are subject in each case to how ‘racist’ is being defined beyond one (quasi) public figure insulting another public figure with a crude racial epithet. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/34 "2017-09-30T18:33:21Z")
> [@jtur88](#): > > I see you’ve advanced beyond just asking question. That stands for Harry Heilmann, hall of fame outfielder for the Detroit Tigers. You have to be at one extreme fringe in order to not be at the other end? Any more questions? The use of 88 to mean HH is pretty much a Nazi thing. Heck, using numbers like that for letters is unusual. You may want to change this to avoid confusing people. If it was your birth year, or 88 was a special number to you, I might not say this. But using it to mean someone whose initials are HH is just too similar. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2017, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/35 "2017-09-30T18:36:53Z")
I know people who admit it online. I’ve never encountered it in person. ---
**Author:** ![Grave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/71c47a/32.png) [@Grave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grave)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2017, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/36 "2017-10-02T15:25:02Z")
> [@filmore](#): > > So for the people who admit they are racist So me? I admit I have seriously, deeply ingrained racism because I want to remove it. That is not something one should discuss in public (normal settings) because it is wrong. If you mean the various idiots who espouse white supremacy, from my experience public admittance is the way they get attention. Said attention leads to both outrage and compassion - one which they ignore, one which brings new peers. On a local or regional stage it is routinely admitted for various reasons with various results. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2017, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/37 "2017-10-03T17:31:25Z")
I am s racist, and I admit it online and in real life. Sexist, too. I’m a middle-aged white man, raised partly in the South; how could I not be? One of the effects of Black Lives Matter and the election was to help me understand privilege, and systemic racism and sexism. So I look out for it in myself, and try to combat it when it arises. Unconscious racism and sexism are the challenge; it’s easy to see the racism of “Send 'em all back to Africa!”, or even, " Some of my best friends are…" But noticing the assumptions at play when I was surprised to learn that a black coworker collects Star Wars action figures, or that another drives a pickup truck and listens to country music, takes a bit more awareness. It’s like seeing the sexism in the phrase “My neighbor and his wife came for dinner.” ---
**Author:** ![Sigene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df788c/32.png) [@Sigene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sigene)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2017, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430/38 "2017-10-03T21:11:13Z")
I was convinced I was not racist. Then I realized we all are and I was probably too. I didn’t realize it until a few years ago and I wasn’t happy about it. Then I realized I was wrong. Im not racist. I’m culturalist. I’m not comfortable with people and things that are not part of my culture. Nice people who do nice things regardless of what race, nationality or country they come from are my kind of people. I get along with them well. People from different cultures that value different things than that I tend to dislike. Race or skin tone has little to do with it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-any-racists-who-admit-they-are-racist/797430.md?page=1)