The State of Race Relations In Today's United States
Darren Stansbury
January 18, 2006
Those who don't let racial or ethnic differences affect how they view and treat their fellow human beings can stand proud. They are an elite and enlightened minority in the United States who realize that no group on Earth is genetically predisposed to any attitude, belief, ability or lack thereof, behavior, habit, taste or interest. They understand that someone's thoughts, behavior, abilities or inabilities, likes and dislikes have more to do with individual personality, upbringing, culture, education, training, environment and heredity.
The United States with slavery, lynchings, Jim Crow and other racial injustices in its rearview mirror has come a long way, and has a long way to go. Here are the realities of race today in America. Is a description below of anyone you know? Maybe it's your description.
White people generally fear black people, especially black people in a group. This fear drives politics, housing, voting, criminal justice, policy, news reporting, business transactions, personal interactions, etc--and black people nuts.
Most white people regard and treat black people as inferior to some degree. The superiority complex drives hiring, lending, voting, news reporting and analyses, business transactions, personal interactions, etc--and black people nuts.
So many white people refuse to even acknowledge black people. Many white people would rather forget black people even exist. This denial drives politics, news reporting and analyses, business transactions, personal interactions and virtually everything else imaginable--and black people nuts.
Black people are invisible to many white people except as athletes and entertainers, in sensational news stories, on MLK Day and in February, "Black History Month." On MLK Day and during "Black History Month," white people's focus is likely to be on black people's struggles instead of their achievements and contributions. The prevailing notion among white people is that only white people made any contributions of historical significance. In their view black people have contributed only in sports, pop culture and entertainment. This drives black people nuts.
Many white people still give black people the infamous "hate stare." This drives black people nuts.
White people's stereotypes of black people arise from teaching--and drive black people nuts. Black people's stereotypes of white people arise from experiences with white people--and drive white people nuts.
Black people generally have more exposure to white people than vice versa.
White people are defined individually. Black people are defined collectively. So, a bad white person is a bad individual. A bad black person is seen as representing all blacks--including the law-abiding, working, responsible majority. This drives black people nuts.
Among white people who call themselves "conservative" the label is often just a euphemism for "bigoted." This is why you never hear white supremacists define themselves as "liberal" even though white liberals can be and many are racist too. White, conservative politicians typically get votes by exploiting white people's racial fears. This drives black people nuts.
Many white people are tolerant of black people until black people move into their neighborhoods or dare date or marry into their families. They practice tolerance from afar.
Given the prevailing views of white people, a black person has no realistic chance of being elected as President of The United States or as anything close to that.
Many white people ignore the fact that black people want good schools and neighborhoods and a fair shot at success, just as they do. The failure to acknowledge this drives black people nuts.
Bigotry is not the sole domain of white people. Black people, Latinos, Asians and other people can be and many are bigoted. They just lack the power that white people have to practice institutional racial discrimination (racism).
Many black people distrust white people because of white people's prevailing attitudes and behavior toward black people. White people read black people's distrust of them as hostility. That perceived hostility, in white people's minds, validates white fear.
White fear and black distrust cause white people and black people to avoid each other--and often drive each other nuts when they are around each other.
That's the racial picture of the United States today. What are we going to do about it?
The United States with slavery, lynchings, Jim Crow and other racial injustices in its rearview mirror has come a long way, and has a long way to go. Here are the realities of race today in America. Is a description below of anyone you know? Maybe it's your description.
White people generally fear black people, especially black people in a group. This fear drives politics, housing, voting, criminal justice, policy, news reporting, business transactions, personal interactions, etc--and black people nuts.
Most white people regard and treat black people as inferior to some degree. The superiority complex drives hiring, lending, voting, news reporting and analyses, business transactions, personal interactions, etc--and black people nuts.
So many white people refuse to even acknowledge black people. Many white people would rather forget black people even exist. This denial drives politics, news reporting and analyses, business transactions, personal interactions and virtually everything else imaginable--and black people nuts.
Black people are invisible to many white people except as athletes and entertainers, in sensational news stories, on MLK Day and in February, "Black History Month." On MLK Day and during "Black History Month," white people's focus is likely to be on black people's struggles instead of their achievements and contributions. The prevailing notion among white people is that only white people made any contributions of historical significance. In their view black people have contributed only in sports, pop culture and entertainment. This drives black people nuts.
Many white people still give black people the infamous "hate stare." This drives black people nuts.
White people's stereotypes of black people arise from teaching--and drive black people nuts. Black people's stereotypes of white people arise from experiences with white people--and drive white people nuts.
Black people generally have more exposure to white people than vice versa.
White people are defined individually. Black people are defined collectively. So, a bad white person is a bad individual. A bad black person is seen as representing all blacks--including the law-abiding, working, responsible majority. This drives black people nuts.
Among white people who call themselves "conservative" the label is often just a euphemism for "bigoted." This is why you never hear white supremacists define themselves as "liberal" even though white liberals can be and many are racist too. White, conservative politicians typically get votes by exploiting white people's racial fears. This drives black people nuts.
Many white people are tolerant of black people until black people move into their neighborhoods or dare date or marry into their families. They practice tolerance from afar.
Given the prevailing views of white people, a black person has no realistic chance of being elected as President of The United States or as anything close to that.
Many white people ignore the fact that black people want good schools and neighborhoods and a fair shot at success, just as they do. The failure to acknowledge this drives black people nuts.
Bigotry is not the sole domain of white people. Black people, Latinos, Asians and other people can be and many are bigoted. They just lack the power that white people have to practice institutional racial discrimination (racism).
Many black people distrust white people because of white people's prevailing attitudes and behavior toward black people. White people read black people's distrust of them as hostility. That perceived hostility, in white people's minds, validates white fear.
White fear and black distrust cause white people and black people to avoid each other--and often drive each other nuts when they are around each other.
That's the racial picture of the United States today. What are we going to do about it?
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