That’s what I was thinking. I got similar remarks when I lived in a largely black neighborhood (I’m white). Now, the people making those remarks had reputation on their side, but it was probably never as bad as its reputation and it certainly wasn’t by the time I got there. Still mostly black (though not a single black person lived in our building).
Though fear leads to hate. And I’m sure you know where that leads.
Well, guys, how would you handle this situation - the situation of passing through a reputedly “bad” part of town with a bunch of black people walking around?
Would you tell your passengers not to stare?
Would you speculate as to their behavior (e.g. they’re chatting about Shakespeare; they’re listening to music; they’re getting high?)
First comment is not racist. Your friend didn’t explicitly state that they must have been doing drugs because they were black. If you were in a dangerous area, it would make sense that people may be doing drugs, although it’s not certain of course.
Second comment is racist, and reveals that your friend may have said the first comment with racist intent, even though the comment itself cannot be proven to be racist.
I wouldn’t even think it was a situation. Unless it was a TON of people, and then I’d be thinking, “Where’s the party?”
Not unless we’re driving in a jungle safari and we’re surrounded by lions.
No. I don’t generally speculate about what people are doing unless what they are doing directly impacts me.
If he was just being insensitive and thoughtless, I’d tell him he was being an asshole and to cut it out. I have done that with friends who casually say homophobic things but don’t try to defend their comments when called on it. But your friend has given it thought and still believes it. I wouldn’t have a friend like that.
Some people justify their fear of black people with the statistics that say that for their share of the population, African Americans commit a disproportionate amount of violent crime. I’m not saying they do, but that’s something you often hear people say.
If he would say something different if it were a bunch of white guys (or whatever), then yes, it is racist. And no, “fear” racism is not innocuous and understandable. It’s a cheap repackaging of the same old nasty thoughts, and it leads to nasty conclusions. In any case- so what if they are doing drugs? If you are doing drugs on the corner (which nobody does), you obviously aren’t too worried about who is seeing you.
I always get a kick out of what people consider “bad” neighborhoods. When I lived in Oakland, I’d always get surprised comments about what a “good” neighborhood I lived in. I think people expected the whole city to be an episode of The Wire, so when they saw that I lived in a mostly white and Asian neighborhood they assumed it must a great area. Unfortunately, that particular neighborhood had a pretty intense mugging and murder problem, and the blocks around my house were seeing armed muggings on a daily basis. But- no black people, so it must be a great neighborhood, right?
On the reverse side, DC is full of million-dollar row houses that some of my own friends won’t walk past because it’s a “scary neighborhood.” Yes, DC has some genuinely bad neighborhoods, but the black upper-middle class ones are not among those.
In any case, one thing visitors rarely account for is that people don’t go to the poor neighborhoods to rob and steal. Why risk going to jail for a mid-2000s Nokia and a Timex when there are iPhones and Rolexes to steal down the street? While setting up a household in a bad neighborhood runs some risks, just walking or driving through isn’t going to make you an immediate target, unless you are acting completely bizarre and unaware.
Wait. Am I honestly supposed to be concerned because people are walking around where they live? I grew up in a “bad” part of town, and this may shock you, but we all didn’t lock ourselves up in our houses. We walked around outside, so I’d frequently see large numbers of dark people out and about in “bad” neighborhoods. Whatever, they’re going to wherever it is they have to go.
God, I know I’m responding to a stupid troll thread, and I’m doing anyway. Gah!
I don’t think she’s a troll, I think she is or wants to be involved with this guy and just wants to talk about him. I could be way off base but that’s just the impression I’ve gotten.
Maybe she’s just stupid then. “Is it racist to think it’s bad when there are black people around?”
How can you quote the definition of threadshitting and yet not get that that was what that was? He was dismissing the topic itself and implying the OP was a moron for asking when he’d already called the guy on it.
I was suggesting (if I am the “he” you refer to) that the question was not asked to get a “Yes” answer as the OP already knew the answer.
That wasn’t implying the OP was a moron. I didn’t imply anyone was a moron although the previous post does present an enormous temptation.
You were implying that the OP was an attention whore. Which was uncalled for.
First, I’d make sure all the windows were rolled up, and then I’d give the rest of the passengers in the car a running commentary, as if I was a tour guide taking them through darkest Africa, because I might have racist thoughts, but I’m not stupid enough to let those scary blacks overhear me if I get caught up at a red light or something.
And, yes, your friend is dumb and might well be a racist with it.
Does it portray somebody who is another race as inferior or less of a human than those of other races?