I think in a day where there is so much terror, war, fear, and hatred all humans should band together and be humans, not separate groups.
“American” is as just much a label as “black”, “Asian”, or “white”. But I don’t think we’d see terrorism stop if we stopped calling ourselves “American”.
As for things being better if we would just do away with labels, how ridiculously simple. It’s not the labels that are the problem. It’s the feelings behind those labels that are responsible for tension and the strife.
I would stop describing myself as a “blank” American if people would stop asking me what country I come from. They don’t ask white people that question because they “belong”. If you have a little bit of melanin in your skin, you’re suddenly a foreigner. Even if your ancestors have been on this continent for thousands of years. So even if you’ve never experienced racism in your whole life, that little annoying thing–people always thinking you don’t “belong”–requires you to label yourself.
I wouldn’t extrapolate the experience of ALL minorities in the US based on your experience as a half-Jewish, half-Asian person. Just like I wouldn’t assume that all minorities experience what I have experienced as a black woman. You’ve never experienced racism or bigotry, fine. But I have. You invalidate people’s feelings and experiences by being so glib.
Explain this to me. I am a white male, and I can’t get a job. I am a 19 year old male and when I walk into places they tell me that they don’t even have applications for me. They are always conveniently out. Rather than attributing this to a bad economy, I should probably be en vogue and attribute this to racism. Sounds ludicrous doesn’t it? It should work both ways though.
Rather than “I should probably be en vogue” I meant “It would be en vogue to attribute this to racism.”
What I am trying to say is that racism works both ways. My mother works with a man (who happens to be black) who even though he doesn’t half way do his job they refuse to fire him. He claims that he will contact the NAACP or whoever and claim that they fired him because of race. That’s not fair at all.
We would all be pretty ignorant to say that racism doesn’t exist, but I also think we would be pretty ignorant to think that groups who are not minorities are not discriminated against as well.
While it technically ain’t racism, it was mentioned earlier, so I’ll toss it out since its so close to home for me…
You want to read about more than one direct act of discrimination against minorities? Dig up the “Whats it like to be gaybashed?” thread. Its obviously rather more than discrimination in housing or employment…
As for my opinion, I think Tom has expressed it most adequately. I believe Americans, on the whole, have a strong sense of individual justice, and will in the end do the right the thing. This is not the end, but it isn’t the beginning either. Justice and equality will eventually be had in the USA, but today is not that day. Maybe, if I’m supremely fortunate, in my lifetime. Its a hope, anyhow.
There are certainly racist blacks, as well as racist Latinos, Asians, etc. There are, almost certainly, non-white racists who carry out unfair hiring practices. (If they are found, they should be prosecuted or sued, just as a white would.) However, the overwhelming number of people in the U.S. who are in a position to hire, fire, promote, or provide lodging are white. (And the non-whites who actually have the “power” to enforce their racism tend to be in places where whites are not going to find themselves, anyway.) So what are the odds that any individual white has suffered discrimination vs the odds that a non-white has suffered discrimination? The numbers are clearly in the favor of better treatment for whites.
As for you mother’s co-worker, your mother either works for foolish cowards or her management has actually done something for which they fear discovery. I know of many cases where blacks have had their jobs threatened or were actually fired where the person tried to play the race card, only to be laughed out of the EEOC’s or lawyer’s office. In those cases, the managment had simply done their homework in documenting the poor performance. If the company spent 15 years giving a bad employee “good” evaluations, then they were stupid and now they must suffer. If they set objective goals and performance standards and they can demonstrate that that worker is failing to meet those standards, they have nothing to fear in terminating him.
Where I live, in West Texas it is mostly Mexican-American, as it is in a belt of land all the way from El Paso through South San Antonio to the Gulf Coast. There black majority areas begin all the way to the Atlantic Ocean. In some of the counties of New Mexico and Arizona north and west of me, there are also large Native American populations. So for a lot of people from here, especially young people, they may have very little sense of being a minority until they leave home and go to another part of the country.
But one thing that always struck me was this. I am half Mexican, and I grew up in cities full of Hispanic people. Yet until not long ago I never saw a Mexican-American character on a TV show or in a hollywood movie, other than the occassional druggie or maid. “L.A. Law” was the only exception. Of course its only TV and only fantasy, but for me growing up it was disequilibriating to grow up in a mostly Hispanic city but to see no Hispanics even in Los Angeles or New York City on TV.
That may not be anything to call the UN over, but still its a glaring example that, aside from blacks, minorities are often rather invisible in our national culture.