|
I was going to post this in general, but I honestly felt someone would just lock it for whatever reason -- being how common (and annoying) this subject is.
But I wanted to discuss a certain issue that came up in my Engl 104 class as we were discussing the OJ Simpson case.
A black girl brought up the question to the professor, "In our black studies class we are learning that the only race that can be racist is white people, because they have the most power (she's referring to the U.S.) -- so while a minority can be prejudice towards white people, they can never actually be racist since they can't put whites on a lower power level. Do you agree with this?"
My professor(white) put it bluntly, "No, that's bullshit -- now what class is teaching you this.?"
And so the discussion went on and ended when a white guy in our class also disagreeing with the girl's view, and proceeded to get screamed and bitched at by the girl as most of the other black students chimed in agreement with her.
I was going to speak my opinion, but I didn't feel like getting screamed at as well 0_o.
Basically, the argument created a very uncomfortable divide in the class between the whites and blacks. White people in the class thought the viewpoint was nuts, and the black people said they don't know what they are talking about because they haven't taken the class.
-----------------------------------------------
So that's really the topic I want to get opinions on, and it's valid because it is being taught to minority students by professors here at my university, and possibly elsewhere -- that only whites can be racist.
We also touched on how blacks go through daily prejudices that whites can never understand -- and it just seemed like the subject just drew us farther apart.
Feel free to share your views. Remember the girl is saying those who have the most power, not population majority, are the only ones who can be racist.
 
|
Yes it's true. Only whites can hate and discriminate against another race.
|
I don't agree with the girl's point, any race can be racist and discriminate.
|
pff oh god.
Just the argument of "only white guys can be racists" is racist. Honestly, Ive always seen racism on both sides, blacks or whites.
"the only race that can be racist is white people, because they have the most power"
This is such a stupid argument.
|
Well the problem is that she admits minorities can have prejudice against other races, but they can't be racist -- because in her class they define racism as putting others at a lower power level.
|
I've typed up 100 things... Erased them all. I don't know what to say. It makes me angry and I keep erasing... Curious to see what other people have to say.
|
Having a class on "black studies" is racist.
|
On October 28 2009 05:32 Ingenol wrote:
Having a class on "black studies" is racist.
ya. I wonder what a white studies class would be like.
|
Its true that whites are basically the only group in a position to use racism to the determent of other races, however every person on this earth no matter who you are is capable of racism. Whites just have the ability to use it for more negative ends.
|
It's dependent on what you define to be racism and what you consider racist. The perspective of racism that she got from her professor is likely vastly different than the one of your English professor and probably most of the people in your class that aren't taking the same black studies class as well.
|
Any sane person knows that the girl's premise was retarded. We don't need to debate that. What I want to know is why your university is teaching that view to its students.
|
Don't Koreans and Japanese hate eachother generally? They both come from ranging socioeconomic statuses, I don't really know much about it, but I feel like rascism, in it's most basic form can be perpetrated by anyone... I think they are talking about something other than rascism, or rather, a combination of rascism and other factors. They are talking about the situation of the world's predominantly non-white poor, and in that context, what they are saying makes sense.
|
Sweden33719 Posts
On October 28 2009 05:32 eMbrace wrote:
Well the problem is that she admits minorities can have prejudice against other races, but they can't be racist -- because in her class they define racism as putting others at a lower power level.
Then tell her she's an idiot and can't expect the rest of the world to use her fucked up definition of the word racism?
Main Entry: rac·ism
Pronunciation: \ˈrā-ˌsi-zəm also -ˌshi-\
Function: noun
Date: 1933
1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2 : racial prejudice or discrimination
Is she just ignoring the fact that there are several parts of the world where there are almost no white people? (hello, asia says hi)
Blablabal we can't understand blablabla, pointless drivel - it's completely irrelevant to the point at hand; can non-whites be racist? YES.
Nobody is saying it's "tough being white" lol
|
No, that black girl is wrong in terms of the white population being the only racists. That's like saying that no blacks, yellows, browns can be racists.
The sad thing about all of this is that for some reason, black people are so racists and ignorant of Asian people. I used to get alot of jokes and racists remarks from black people in middle school and sometimes in high school; I wish I had the guts to tell them about their long history and longing for civil rights and ask them that I want the same as their people did.
|
White people hardly are racist anymore, black people are the most racist people in the world now.
|
On October 28 2009 05:34 AiurZ wrote:
It's dependent on what you define to be racism and what you consider racist. The perspective of racism that she got from her professor is likely vastly different than the one of your English professor and probably most of the people in your class that aren't taking the same black studies class as well.
If people have wildly different definitions of racism then that's a huge problem isn't it? I was always taught that racism is believing one race is superior to another, and discriminating against a particular race because of this is a product of racism.
And since the label of "racist" is so largely negative, the rule that only white people are the true racists is extremely, dare I say -- offensive.
|
sigh.. It's tough being white.. I hear black people calling each other naughty racist words.. Can you be racist against your own kind? apparently.
|
wow she made black people look bad now.
|
On October 28 2009 05:37 il0seonpurpose wrote:
No, that black girl is wrong in terms of the white population being the only racists. That's like saying that no blacks, yellows, browns can be racists.
The sad thing about all of this is that for some reason, black people are so racists and ignorant of Asian people. I used to get alot of jokes and racists remarks from black people in middle school and sometimes in high school; I wish I had the guts to tell them about their long history and longing for civil rights and ask them that I want the same as their people did.
Are we talking racism here or just ridicule via rehashed stereotypes?
Because, for example, saying that "haha all asians study all day" isn't exactly putting yourself above asians.
It's either:
A.) A generalized perception based on someone's life experience (i,e, "most black people love rap music.")
or
B.) An extremely ignorant belief held by a retard.
|
FrozenArbiter:
The OP mentions that the girl is referring to the U.S.
I think in a black studies class that it would be necessary to define racism and the definition of racism that she presented makes sense to me to have in that class because there are so many different levels of racial prejudice that can occur, and in order to navigate through history and literature you'll probably need to have much more precise words than simply a blanket of "racism" falling over everything.
Obviously there is going to be a divide between the academic use of word in her black studies class and a practical use for the non-intellectual world, but there is a valid point in making that sort of distinction about racism, especially in the sort of class that she got it from. Bringing it into an English 104 class, however, is completely stupid.
|
|
|
|
|
|
EPT
