You could simplify the OP to “most people are bigots”. In fact, singling out a particular age/language/sex for special reproach when every other group of people on earth is full of bigots, is evidence of that. (Not to dispute that the bigotry practiced by people in power, such as old white males, can have a disproportionately larger effect than the bigotry practiced by the poor, the outcast and the politically weak. But the OP is discussing the beliefs themselves, not their effects.)
Unfortunately, bigotry is innate (though the particular groups people are bigoted towards must be learned from their peers), it’s tolerance and acceptance that must be learned, and taught to our children. Everyone is a racist, sexist bigot to some extent. The important thing is to realize it, listen to people who are different from you, and work to improve your treatment of others.
You might be right. If it matters, I see them too. In 2019, they are crawling out from under their rocks like snakes in need of St. Patrick.
That said, I’d like to thank you. First, because it isn’t easy saying this.
And second ( for a very selfish reason ) because it elevates me to far above the ‘maddening crowd’.
None of what you describe is necessarily in conflict with being a racist or having racist views. I don’t know if Robertson is racist, though his statements about how things used to be with regards to how black people were treated strike me as highly ignorant (I am also from Louisiana, by the way). That he loves his grandchildren says nothing about his potential racism – there were plenty of slaveowners who would have insisted that they loved their slaves. If he thinks loving his grandchildren is proof that he’s not a racist, then he doesn’t really understand racism.
Well, we’ve reached what I call, “The Two Year Litmus Test”. Sure, people may have been fooled into supporting him in 2016, but they’ve had two years to see and hear what kind of human being he really is. Anyone still supporting this man and who will still vote for him in 2020 is a bigot among quite a few other really bad things.
In describing his life growing around black people, Robertson demonstrated the typical ignorance and cluelessness that white people of his generation have about the plight of black people. It’s really easy to stand in opposition to civil rights and think we’re trying to gain some unfair advantage when you think that black folk back in the day were all watermelon and smiles.
I do not doubt that Robertson loves all of his grandchildren, black ones included. But that ain’t got shit to do with how he feels about the rest of us. I’m not going to waste my time and energy sitting here trying to explain racism and bigotry to you but I will say that you don’t get to claim to be racism free just because you have a black friend or family member.
And to answer the inevitable idiotic follow up questions:
No, this doesn’t change even if you have 2 black family members.
No, there is no hard limit on the total number of black folks who are close to you that will allow you to claim to be racism free.
I agree with this to a limited degree. I don’t think there is total consensus on what racism and bigotry really are but that is a rabbit hole I’m not sure I want to go down today.
That being said, I know for damn sure that you don’t get to duck accusations of racism and bigotry just because you happen to know a black person.
Fuck me, I just made a duck dynasty pun. Remember kids, just say no to puns!
You can accuse all you want. Frankly we all have prejudices or we prefer some people over others. Its like at work I notice my black coworkers prefer to hang with each other.
To me racism is when you truly hate another group and try to significantly harm or prevent people of those groups from getting ahead in life.
People tend to associate with like-minded people anywhere, so it’s easy to miss the shear number of bizarre people who live in their countries of origin.
I grew up Mormon, among Mormons, and many of their thoughts, habits and interactions were much more at odds with mainstream Americans than what I’ve seen among ex-pats.
Well, shit, man, I can’t imagine any other reason your black coworkers don’t hang out with you. I mean, nothing you’ve posted has given me any reason to think they might feel uncomfortable when you’re around. None at all!
Pssst: there’s plenty of bona fide racism that doesn’t fall into the “truly hate … and try to significantly harm” folder. Big ol’ giant heaps of racism.
Has it ever occurred to you that your black coworkers simply don’t feel comfortable around you and people like you? Based on what I know of your posting history you are EXACTLY the type of white person I either avoid or antagonize (depending on my mood) because you come off as having such a limited world view and the inability to interact with others outside of your comfort zone.
To me, your definition of racism is so vast you that you can say anyone not directly affiliated with KKK or Nazi’s gets a pass. That sounds like a very [pause for dramatic effect] convenient definition.
Yes partial agreement. I think it’s a big issue nowadays with such accusations, to the point I don’t pay much attention to people being called ‘bigots’ if I don’t know the specifics. And often, not always, it will break down to either
a) I don’t care if the person is a ‘bigot’ (eg. a guy from some reality show I’ll never watch) so I’ve no reason to study the specifics.
or
b) the person is a political figure, in which case I do care if they are a bigot, but such accusations are in that sphere are now very commonly thrown for political purposes.
And I also partially agree there. You’ve put it in fairly extreme terms there, ‘know somebody’. For example I think there’s a good deal of traction, it’s not ‘exoneration’ that Trump isn’t really an anti-Semite based on his acceptance of his daughter’s marriage and conversion to Judaism. That’s a piece of relevant evidence, though not dispositive by itself. If it were just ‘I know some Jewish guys’', yeah that would be pretty irrelevant I agree.
Confirmation bias is where you view evidence in terms of a preconception. It’s possible I had some preconception about ‘off the beaten path’ expats tending to more commonly be eccentric but I really don’t think so, nor more to the point is there any way you could know that unless my statement is provably untrue, which it’s not.
Just simply my personal experience in one life situation where I often encountered a fair number of long term off the beaten path expats (yes including in Japan but it’s really not aimed at you, I don’t know you, besides having picked up that you lived in Japan :)). Seemed to be that tendency. In another different situation later where I dealt a lot with expats in places loaded with them, didn’t seem to be so at all. I think it’s just a case of ‘YMMV’ if you think differently, like any other first hand report. It’s not ‘confirmation bias’.
(1) My perspective is a bit different here. As a black guy I’m sick and fucking tired of giving a pass to a white person who has done something suspect only to later find out that that person is indeed a racist or bigoted piece of shit. As a result of the multitude of these experiences I automatically place anyone suspect in the “bad” pile and move on with my life. I know this is an extreme method of selection but it has significantly reduced the total amount of bullshit I have to deal with on a regular basis and I don’t see me changing this anytime soon. Especially in today’s political climate.
(2) I will agree that having actual real life positive relationships with non-white folks can be used as a single data point in the racist/not racist evaluation. But if that’s the ONLY data point you have then you don’t get to use that to shield you from any accusations of bias.
To paraphrase Austin Powers dad: There are only two things I can’t stand in this world: People who are intolerant of other people’s cultures, race or religion, and…the Dutch!!
How do you respond when you see somebody else - somebody who even you would classify as a racist - doing significant harm or preventing people from getting ahead? Do you oppose what that person is doing? Or do you just let it go?
If you let it go, you’re helping the racist. He couldn’t be a racist if he was being opposed. He needs people like you around to let him act the way he does and look the other way. So you may not be a racist yourself - but you may be allowing racism to exist.
