racism in reverse

[Difdi]

If my white employee calls someone a spic, I will fire his racist ass. If my Asian employee calls someone a nigger, I will fire his racist ass. And if my black employee calls someone a cracker, I will fire his racist ass. Hatred is not suddenly acceptable based on one's skin tone.

The only time I'll use a racial insult is in response to one. The black person (for example) who calls me a honky had better not mind getting called a nigger (for example), because that's what they'll get called. But only in that specific case. I have no tolerance for people who are racist, but hide behind their minority to excuse it. If it's wrong for me to call them that, it's wrong for them to call me that; I return the respect I'm shown, and that applies to degree and type of insults as much as anything else.

[miffed]

Point 1 - Not all companies are owned by white people and the vast majority of white people are employees, not owners.
Point 2 - It is an insult to minorities to assume all businesses are owned by white people, minorities are fully capable of running successful businesses.



No, I got the point fully. Yes, your statement is implying that it is okay to pick on them by justifying use of a racial slur against whites at the same time you condemn a racial slur against blacks.

Which leads to point 3 -

A racial insult is a racial insult no matter who it is directed against. Stereotyping is wrong-headed at best and leads to making improper judgments and assumptions. It is wrong to call an Asian man a squint, a black man a nigger, or a white man a cracker, and all of these are EQUALLY wrong. To consider one more acceptable than another IS racist.

I wasn't implying anything. My point in posting that article was because someone was wondering why there is such a contrast in the view of black on white racism versus white on black racism. I wasn't trying to justify anything with that. The article explains why "nigger" is more frowned upon than "cracker". It explains why a school suspended only the white student who called a black person a "nigger" after being called a "cracker" by said black person. neither word is right but society looks at them differently.

And by saying whites are the majority, I didn't mean that they run every single company in America, I just meant that whites control the majority of them, y'know, what with being a majority and all. You're taking "majority" to mean "all/the only". Also I wasn't meaning that white people only run businesses, yes they work for them too, I never stated anything to the contrary did I?

I agree with point #3. racial slurs are bad no matter who uses them. I was never at any point implying that they were alright to use in any manner.


You seem to be looking for something that isn't there in my posts.

[the_std]

If it's wrong for me to call them that, it's wrong for them to call me that; I return the respect I'm shown, and that applies to degree and type of insults as much as anything else.

This mentality, while not the spawn of racism that bigotry is, allows racism to continue.

Instead of calling a black man who called you a honky something in turn (spade, nigger), why not call him what he is, a bigoted racist, instead of becoming a racist yourself?

That argument makes no sense.

[Zyanya]

I wasn't implying anything. My point in posting that article was because someone was wondering why there is such a contrast in the view of black on white racism versus white on black racism. I wasn't trying to justify anything with that. The article explains why "nigger" is more frowned upon than "cracker". It explains why a school suspended only the white student who called a black person a "nigger" after being called a "cracker" by said black person. neither word is right but society looks at them differently.

And that is a racist way to look at it. Both students should have been treated equally. Trying to justify or 'explain' it is simply justifying racism.

And by saying whites are the majority, I didn't mean that they run every single company in America, I just meant that whites control the majority of them, y'know, what with being a majority and all. You're taking "majority" to mean "all/the only". Also I wasn't meaning that white people only run businesses, yes they work for them too, I never stated anything to the contrary did I?

No, you were just trying to justify or explain why it's better to call someone a cracker than a nigger.

I agree with point #3. racial slurs are bad no matter who uses them. I was never at any point implying that they were alright to use in any manner.

Except for the whole 'well, whites own the place so it's more acceptable to call them a cracker' argument.

You seem to be looking for something that isn't there in my posts.

No, I seem to have picked up on something that you don't like to think about.


There is no such thing as reversed racism. Racism is racism, period.

[miffed]

No, you were just trying to justify or explain why it's better to call someone a cracker than a nigger.

I, too, think that the school should have treated/punished the students equally, they both used racial slurs and are equally at fault. But the school didn't? Why not? Thats what I was trying to bring up, the faulty mindset society has seemed to adopt (That it's no big deal if a black person uses racial slurs. Which I do not agree with), but somehow by explaining why society reacts differently to racism in different contexts, I am actually condoning it?

Why do you keep making me out to be a racist? Racism is bad no matter what color it comes from or goes to, but you keep making me out to be somehow condoning it. I am white, so why the heck would I say its ok to pick on me? I did explain that I wouldn't be bothered by racial slurs but that was in no way saying its ok to pick on me just because I won't get offended.


I agree with you about racism for the most part, no one should get away with it.

[thetinman]

you guys are totally missing what miffed is trying to say.

what he's saying is that racism is wrong. he's made that abundantly clear. trying to call him a racist isn't getting anywhere. where he loses you guys is when he talks about how black people calling white people racial slurs isn't as bad as white people calling black people racial slurs. this is how society views it. it's not right. everyone, i think, can agree on that. but people feel since whites have treated black people so poorly in the past (slavery, prejudice, segregation) that blacks have this "racial wiggle room". let me explain what i mean by that. when i say "racial wiggle room", i mean that black people can somehow be racist to white people because they were treated poorly by whites. don't get me wrong, all racism is wrong. but has a blck comedian ever been on the news for calling a white man a cracker?

[miffed]

Careful there, tinman. It's just Zyanya that's arguing with me. I don't think anyone else has missed my point. You can get in some hot water with wording like that.

[anriana]

just to stir the pot a bit.....

so exactly what would you classify one of my co-workers as-he is from africa, and an american citizen. So if we "label" him by(your ules of) culture, he would be african american-right?

No, he would be (whatever country he's from)-American or white.

wouldn't doing so be racist as the only reason you would be doing so be due to his skin color, and not due to his culture which is what you "claim" to be labeling by.

The American government classifies black/AA as "A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa." Is that racist?
First, it seems to me that a white person from Africa would have a far different culture than a black person from the States.
Second, nowhere did I "claim" to be labeling by culture and not by skin color - my definition of black has always been race based. I merely stated that I found it easier in the " why do we have black history month/BET?" debate to look at as "a people who has had their presence minimized in history and popular culture in favor of the dominant culture and race have areas and times to focus on that culture" instead of "people with dark skin get a special month and channel but us people with light skin don't?" Apparently I didn't expand on my "labels" enough.

I am damn proud to be a Spic, Kyke, Mic, Polock, Krout, Wop, Limey, Ruski, and Guinea. Europe and Asia are great countries with rich and occasionally glorious histories. I am proud to be a descendant of immigrants who came to a new world to pick themselves up by their bootstraps and make a life for themselves.

I'm also damn proud to be the descendant of redskins who fought to the last (and are still fighting) to save their cultures.

I am proud to be Irish
I am proud to be Welsh
I am proud to be Russian
I am proud to be Italian
I am proud to be French
I am proud to be Ukrainian
I am proud to be Swedish
I am proud to be German
I am proud to be Spanish
I am proud to be Jewish
I am proud to be Vietnamese
I am proud to be Cherokee
I am proud to be Apache
I am proud to be Moroccan
I am proud to be Egyptian
I am proud to be the descendant of folks who looked beyond skin color and ethnicity when making friends and finding lovers.

I don't see the relevance to my question.

[Zyanya]

where he loses you guys is when he talks about how black people calling white people racial slurs isn't as bad as white people calling black people racial slurs.

Except it is just as bad, and that was my point. I even broke the point into three parts to explain why the initial comment was racist, even how it was racist against all the sides.

Society can be wrong, and when it is, effort should not be put into justifying WHY it's wrong. Effort should be put into making it right.

I don't see the relevance to my question

You asked why I would be proud to be 'white'. I answered you. You wanted to know what 'cultural identity' whites had. I answered you.

[miffed]

Effort should be put into making it right.

So racism is just plain bad and should never ever be talked about except in terms of how to solve it? But you have to know what the problem actually is before you can attempt to solve it. That's what I was getting at. Here's the fault now how do we fix it?

[protege]

let me explain what i mean by that. when i say "racial wiggle room", i mean that black people can somehow be racist to white people because they were treated poorly by whites.

That's *exactly* why society thinks that way. Until all this color bullshit stops, people are going to keep thinking that way, and nobody is *ever* going to feel "equal." We're all the same underneath, yet too many people see only in black and white. Pretty sad, actually.

but has a blck comedian ever been on the news for calling a white man a cracker?

I have a feeling that the media took that story and ran with it...simply because it was *celebrity* who said it. If it was Joe Schmo on the street, I don't think they would have cared, or if they did, it probably wouldn't have gone for so long.

[miffed]

We're all the same underneath, yet too many people see only in black and white. Pretty sad, actually.

My thoughts exactly. Pretty much the only way to dispel racism is to dispel the concept of "race" and get everyone to realize we are all the same, human. People need to see the bigger picture.

[thetinman]

Except it is just as bad, and that was my point. I even broke the point into three parts to explain why the initial comment was racist, even how it was racist against all the sides.

Society can be wrong, and when it is, effort should not be put into justifying WHY it's wrong. Effort should be put into making it right.

no one is saying that society is right! but since society views it like that, minorities can get away with racism because of former oppression.

[AFPheonix]

no one is saying that society is right! but since society views it like that, minorities can get away with racism because of former oppression.

And yet, if we want to move towards a true meritocracy, they shouldn't be able to get away with it. We want society to change? Then we as the individuals get to start changing it.

Now, even as I say this, I do think we need to do more as a society for impoverished minorities, as they are in that position because of the oppression they felt even in the latter part of last century and beyond. This also goes for bad decisions we've made as a country in regards to Native Americans too.
We also need to change how we look at hispanics. It almost seems to me that racism against them is condoned even at the highest levels of government.

[Zyanya]

So racism is just plain bad and should never ever be talked about except in terms of how to solve it? But you have to know what the problem actually is before you can attempt to solve it. That's what I was getting at. Here's the fault now how do we fix it?

Simple.

We stop trotting out that same old tired justification everytime it happens and say 'look, this is wrong, period, knock it off'.