Is America a racist society?

Let's cut to the core of so many of our discussions, is the US racist?

I say no, it is on of the freest and most democratic societies in the world, whilst perhaps not RR's shining city on the hill it is getting there, Jim Crow is a fading memory and the idea that the legacy of slavery still has an impact is risible.

 

When I was younger I would have said no. Now?.....Now I have to say yes. Sadly.

Identity politics has completely infested our body politics, and other institutions. By it's very nature it has pitted race against race.

 

There's a few racists. They get amplified to seem like theres more of them. What there are a lot of are culturists- people who dislike certain other, often percievably incompatible cultures to their own.

 

From my interactions and observations seem that is more of a racialized society than a racist one, as in people having the idea that one can tie certain behaviors, beliefs, views or circumstances to specific skin colors. The root cause of that is probably that "race", despite only few seem to believe or advocate a belief in the "scientific" or biological existence of humans being distinct races or breeds anymore, it is still treated as a useful, valid way to group, classify and characterize people. Over time that race belief became a culture, and once it became that, you can't simply unpack, unravel or un-think that way of thinking from your culture, your way of seeing yourself and others from your society.

Racism is believing there's a racial hierachy. I don't think the majority of Americans want to believe that, but certain of those who speak of "white privilege" indicate a belief that the "white race" has "always" been in a position to dominate non-whites, that it has always wanted to, that its wars have been particularly vicious compared to non-whites, and that its empires prove that they're uniquely vicious. IOW, they point to the same things the old racists did as evidence white people are uniquely... something, but where the 19th/early 20th century racists used the same evidence as a mark of pride, today it's a mark of shame. But the belief is essentially the same: A belief in white supremacy. This interpretation of race only applies to those progressives who believe that the history of racism in the US, is evidence of universal, eternal truths... without themselves having any insights into history or the world around their borders.

 

Cultures change over time. Dramatically. Kennedy was a progressive liberal in his time and would be considered very conservative today as an example. To deny the effects of white privilege on other sub-cultures is counter productive if the goal is for a more homogeneous overall culture. Suburban black kids get some of the benefits of white privilege, safer streets, better schools, etc...and they end up going to college just as much as their white classmates. They still have to be more careful around police but less so.

Give a generation or two of black kids and poor kids in general the same advantages as white kids and see the change that makes.

 

It is the assumption of universality as well as the notion that white privilege is an eternal historical truth, that I am challenging about the notion of white privilege. Not all who argue the existence of white privilege in America (and similar countries where descendants of African slaves got settled) make the case that white people have always dominated and oppressed non-whites. To be a universally applicable rule, it would make sense to speak of "majority privilege" or perhaps rather "dominant culture privilege". I agree about the potential for change if the same advantages/opportunities are in place.

 

Prior to the passing of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, the United States was (past tense) a 'racist' country in many ways... no doubt about that. After 1965, ALL CITIZENS HAVE EQUAL LEGAL STATUS BEFORE THE LAW.

So, for 55 years, all U. S. citizens have the right the do whatever they wish to do with their lives, so long as it is within the law. Everything else is political manipulation and leveraging one racial group to hate another for political advantage, most often with promises of increased government welfare handout programs of one kind or another. Now, our entire political system is DISEASED....

 

You mean like a two parent family? Having two parents in the house makes the most difference in a poor kids future. 65% of black childern live in single parent homes.

 

Welfare mothers get more goodies if there is no "man of the house". It's been that way for decades.... So, they just churn out more children, regardless, because the more they have, the more money they get from "Uncle Sugar"....

 

Which is also a great argument to replace the entire social safety net, including SS, with a universl basic income for all,

 

I disagree. To EARN Social Security under the large majority of circumstances, you have to have WORKED. But, a "universal basic income" just gives a lot of people a convenient excuse to lay around on their asses, get 'free stuff' from citizen taxpayers, and EARN nothing!

This "universal basic income" thing is one key area where I disagreed with with Andrew Yang, even though I liked a lot of his other ideas.

Look... when you throw out free government 'slop' in the form of $12,000/year (Yang's "Peace Dividend" idea), who comes running? THE HOGS! And after they slurp it up, and then, sh!t out whatever they're given -- they demand MORE!

 

Actually, we’re not one of the most democratic societies in the world. We keeping falling in the ratings annually, 25th in the latest study. That’s not something to write home about.

We’re not the shining city on the hill. We’ve got a lot of work to do. Recognizing you’ve got a problem is the first step to solving a problem. Leaders act—rule number one—and we’re in reaction mode.

If a fellow citizen is not safe you aren’t either. Hopefully that notion will sink in quickly.

 

I neither agree nor disagree with your statement, but in the spirit of providing some documentation and offer some proof for what one is claiming is fact, I'll help you by posting a link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index .

The source is "The Economist", a British company, whose analyses of economic developments around the world is widely respected.

As far as making pronouncements about which country is more "democratic" than others, well... we'll each have to assess that capability for ourselves. I certainly have a much higher degree of regard for "The Economist" than I do for any of the "Bloomberg" spinners, who are rabidly anti-Trump, anti-American, and, anti-Conservative. A number of us refer to "Bloomberg" as "Gloomberg" because anything that hyperliberal Mikey Bloomberg likes is sure to be as about as far Left as you can get without falling off the edge of the Earth....

Anyway, try providing links to claims you make... you'll be a lot more convincing if you do. Happy to help.

 

There are some racists for sure. Of every skin color. To say that only white's can be racist, is complete and total crap. I've seen plenty of it from other races as well.

 

I am Canadian..... and my impression is that you Americans have done amazing and impressive work on combatting racism.

For example.....if you happen to ever speak with Ms. Oprah Winfrey..... I rather suspect that she might NOT be terribly offended by my assertion that she might well be my own great, great, great.... granddaughter from one or another of my possible past lives??????


Could Ms. Oprah Winfrey be my great, great... granddaughter from a past life?

I plead guilty....... my belief that Oprah might be one of my great, great, great....... granddaughters from a possible if not even probable past life of mine........... is one of the many reason why I would love to see her replace Biden for President!


Could Oprah replace Biden in this election?

[/QUOTE]

 

Rampant anti-white racism is infecting liberals to new levels of idiocy, otherwise there really is no racism to speak of. Seeing as we've had codified laws to punish such practices for decades now...

 

Not all Americans are racists, just the ones who scream they're not racist while saying "all blacks do this, all blacks do that, all blacks are this , all blacks are that".

 

And they do this because they need someone to feel superior to because they are such total nothings themselves(all racists )...they need a whipping boy....

 

Interesting.... Could we also say, using your same premise, that, "Not all Americans are racists, just the ones who scream they're not racist while saying 'all whites do this, all whites do that, all whites are this, all whites are that'"...?

Plus, the total lack of objectivity of Leftist libs is pathetically laughable. They make saints out of morons like George Floyd, who was being arrested for the FEDERAL CRIME of passing counterfeit currency in Minneapolis, and, this Rayschard (?) Brooks character, who fought violently against Atlanta police after failing a DUI test, threatened an officer with a taser weapon and FIRED it at him, and finally had to be shot by a policeman to be kept from running amok in the streets with it. Real 'heroes of the liberal Left'! It's enough to make you puke!

."But, hey, no 'funny money' in the collection plate, OK?"

 

No, it's the folks who say things like that who are racist?

 

Yeah I think you'll find squealing 'Blame whitey' went out with VHS?

 

Democrats are perpetually accusing Republicans of racism. So why is it that the cities that are run by Democrats are where the inhabitants are most likely to complain about racial discrimination and commence to riot. And these cities are also as likely to have black Democrat Mayors, Council Members, Police Chiefs, and DA's as white. Iv'e also yet to see actual racial discrimination in the deaths of Floyd and Brooks, even though so many who are mostly on the left are saying so. Likewise, blacks and leftists are calling their deaths murder, before and without discovery by trials or jury verdicts. It's as if they suspended justice and declared war against the bedrock of presumed innocence. I don't know what to make of the left anymore. It's like a wounded beast. And I imagine that the dangerous Nazi's and white supremacists are in their basements, drinking beer and laughing.

 

I can sure tell you at least one prominent Democrat president who was a racist -- LYNDON B. JOHNSON. But, he was also the political genius who figured out that by putting masses of American negroes on the new Democrat welfare programs, they'd (as he put it), "...vote Democratic for the next 200 years!"

 

FoxHastings said: ↑
Not all Americans are racists, just the ones who scream they're not racist while saying "all blacks do this, all blacks do that, all blacks are this , all blacks are that".

Yes, but blacks have suffered much more than whites due to racism.

My post stands firm, you couldn't refute it ….just got suspiciously defensive

 

FoxHastings said: ↑
Not all Americans are racists, just the ones who scream they're not racist while saying "all blacks do this, all blacks do that, all blacks are this , all blacks are that".

No, that's totally illogical.