I am so fucking sick of this casual racism

The BBQ Pit
261

I’m a white girl living in the Bronx, up near Yonkers, so I have to take the subway to the end of the line which means I have 35-50 minutes of riding from Manhattan through Harlem and the South Bronx, often as the only white person in the car. This doesn’t bother me in the slightest and I am aware that, as only 14.5% of the Bronx is composed of non-Hispanic whites, I’m firmly in the minority.

In the past few years I have encountered:

  • two Black supremacists (one Black Israelite, one Muslim) pointing directly at me in front of a crowded car as an example of someone who’s going to hell
  • most beggars stopping in front of me jangling their cups, sure I’m dripping with cash (if I was I’d be on Metro-north, moron)
  • A baby-faced black rapper wannabee, with only he and I left in the car, making up a racist rap as he faced me, chanting loudly and following me when I tried to move
  • Being called “a cracker” when I refused to give money to one of those poor deaf Mexican slaves who were sent out to beg on the subway a few years back

Now of course, this isn’t much to whine about. Most of the other black and Hispanic folks on the train, trying to sleep or read their newspapers or psalmeries (very common) are as annoyed with the preachers and obnoxious teenagers (imagine all the kids in your neighborhood who are usually a car-length away from you packed in with you for half-an-hour, although I hope they don’t use quite as many racial epithets) as I am.

But none of us does anything–we’re too scared (no place to run) or tired and, in my case, also afraid of enforcing my cultural norms on another group. If his fellow Latinos don’t mind having this young guy sit while an old lady is standing over him, trying to keep her grip on the too-high railings, who am I to think badly of him? If middle-aged black church ladies keep reading their prayer books while next to them a group of teens are slinging around a word that in my 70s-raised childhood was the worst taboo in the world, how can I object to their language?

Now, of course, I have seen white folks on the subways commit many of the same social gaffes, and plenty of “minority” folks giving up seats to old people, arguing with the preachers, turning down their iPods (although the new phones that play music are bringing back a bit of the dreaded boombox days) and so on. I’m also aware that if 90% of any group you see in this setting is nonwhite, then you can’t extrapolate the behavior of any one person to a whole population, and the ones sitting chatting quietly are just as representative.

But to say that white people can never, ever encounter racism is just plain wrong.

262

That sucks that you’ve been treated like that just for being White. I guess for some idiots (of any color) an opportunity to a prick to someone is too hard to pass up, especially if he/she is a minority and can’t reasonably fight back. And I agree that in the Bronx, White is a minority. I never said Whites don’t encounter racism, but you have to admit it’s probably fairly rare in places where they are majority (unless the minorities in that area want to get lynched or have their homes burnt down). But the racism probably doesn’t burn as much for you as it could for other groups because there is no history of oppression or an overarching climate of mistrust and contempt.

Plus, I’m just not convinced that all the White people that have offered their criticism and ridicule are from NYC and know what I’m talking about, like you probably do. But I think you understand that racism (no matter who the victim is) is not cool and something you should poke fun at or dismiss, especially if you haven’t experienced it.

263

Thanks, and sorry it came off that way. I honestly have no idea what “the racism of the white south” means. Do you mean white southerners who were previously somewhat racist, or that the white south has been a target of racism? If it’s the latter, I’m thinking that likely that’s more “classism” than racism. (if you read my background below, or any other posts I’ve written regarding personal accountability, I’m certainly not prejudiced against poor whites).

At any rate, “white southern male” does NOT = redneck. I’m sure that millions of southern gentlemen feel the same ( …and by the way, could you send some on up? We Alaskan girls are sadly lacking Rhett Butlers :D)

Nor do I believe that redneck is a race. It is a mindset of a specific group of people and refers to their behaviour and beliefs. It certainly does NOT mean that all white southern folks are rednecks merely by virtue of being white and living in the south, ozarks or cattle country type locations.

(can’t remember who, but someone in this thread accused me of being racist because I disapproved of rednecks).

Like you, I grew up poor and white, only on the West Coast and in AK. I don’t ever remember anyone using the term “white trash”, but maybe back then they only whispered! As I stated, my dad and paternal side of the family were from one of the areas known to have a large percentage of rednecks. I remember my grandmother and dad always saying “you don’t want to behave like a redneck or something”.

And it’s not just them, it is a term that until recently referred (in the media, TV, books and movies and in the general use of the word), to people who had a hard drinking, confederate-flag-flying, minority hating (mostly blacks), misogynist mentality and were generally lacking in character and morals.

It was NOT considered something cute or to aspire to. Again, I realize that lately it has taken on a cool and hip meaning, it’s something “cute” and to be proud of.

If a person listens to the ideals being fostered in the “Blue Collar Comedy” type genre (and yeah, they’re funny BUT…), it’s a concept which glorifies a rather purposefully ignorant, tacky (and with the EVER present overuse of alcohol), woman and minority denigrating way of behaving.

But to others who madly embrace “redneck” and refuse to let go of it as something to be proud of and to aspire to. I"ll gladly go back to the more acceptable term “Springerites” if you will.

264

Reading this thread has caused me to think back and wonder about past potentially racial episodes. In high school, for example, there were random Asian jokes said to me, such as:

  • How do Chinese people choose their last names?
    – They throw a bunch of pots and pans on the street and listen… “QING QIONG PING PAN…”

And of course, the impressions:

“Hallooooo? Me so solly!!!”

And then, of course, people would always ask me to do some wicked Kung-fu and break a table or something. Is this wrong? How do you respond to that? I wonder this because I never really felt offended, but someone might. But then again, accents and stereotypes are great fun to make fun of. I doubt you’d catch any shit for speaking like Mario or Pepe Lepieux. We did stupid Indian, Scottish, Irish, French, Italian, Canadian, etc. accents all the time. Why should I get upset if someone does a Chinese one? Hell, teaching English in China, we make fun of Chinese accents all the time, just as Chinese friends make fun of our Mandarin.

So are those jokes and accents OK? If they are, how tolerant should we be? Should I get upset if someone calls me a chink, but in a non-malevolent way? What if he says something like “Hey chinky, wanna get lunch with a pasty-face cracka?” That is clearly non-threatening and somewhat ironic.

Is it OK if a black person calls me “chink”? If he does, can I call him “nigga” in response? If said in a friendly way, should we count it as understood minority solidarity or still offensive?

In America, I usually don’t think about race at all (here in China, people are ridiculously racist, so it’s hard not to). It always saddens me reading stories like the ones in this thread that show how pervasive racism still is. And I’m always confused as to where to draw the line between friendly banter and an “ism”.