Do you see racism?

[Gurj]

Originally Posted by GilkyBear

I will say, if you think racism is bad elsewhere (the States or Europe) you should come to the middle east. I have tons and tons of Kuwaiti friends but my god they treat the third country workers here as animals. Indians, Sri-Lankans, Phillipinas, etc etc etc. It is basically human slavery. It is nothing at all for a maid to get raped by a 15 or 16 year old kid and thrown off a 10th story balcony. The cops will definitely say she committed suicide. Case closed. Oh, there was semen in her? So then she was prostituting as well. Any traffic accident that occurs here, if it is a foreigner and a Kuwaiti, it is automatically the foreigners fault. The list goes on and on. I have seen maids with acid thrown in their face, I've seen them beaten nearly unrecognizable. No one does a thing. As soon as they get here they have their passport confiscated by their "employer" and used as leverage against them. Everything I could say would be a very tiny drop in the bucket.

I've heard similar stories as well. A friend of mine worked in Saudi for a number of years and has told me a few interesting stories!
As I said earlier, it's a two way thing. Perhaps is just human nature to be prejudice in some form or the other. I've met plenty of racist white, black and brown people and I include members of my family!!!

Reverse discrimination annoys the **** out of me! Imo it flames and sometimes causes bad feeling between people. I sometimes wonder if it's intentionally done to cause such a reaction. I was speaking to a friend of mine a year or so ago and his wife (who is English) was told she could not apply for a particular teachers post in her hometown because it had been reserved for someone from the ethnic minorities! Imo this is pure madness. I truely believe in best person for the job regardless of skin colour and religion!

Originally Posted by GilkyBear

There is nothing wrong with this thread so far. Ideas are being discussed.

And that's why I love Jemsite so much, racist remarks are generally not tolerated If you go on some other guitar forums you can call anyone anything you like!

[Gurj]

Originally Posted by funkdubious

Where I live racism exists.I work at a school and some of the kids use racist language on a daily basis. Living in a very white area it is unusual to see a coloured face.
It seems that it's no longer aimed at people of African origin,it's aimed more at Asian/Middle Eastern people probably due to terrorism and the stereotypes associated with that

I'm asian and not a muslim and was brought up in a mainly white area and I experienced racism long before Islamic terrorism reared it's ugly head. As a kid, I moved to several schools and when I was around 10 or 11 I experienced some really nasty ****! I'd just started at a school and almost immediately the school bullies started calling me ****, ******, blah, blah, blah. This eventually resulted in around 20-30 kids kicking and punching me in the school field (away from the teachers) whilst shouting "deportation". Fortunately a friend of mine told a teacher and I never had to go through that again. The funny thing is, some of those people actually turned out to be good friends later on in life!!!

[DavyH]

Originally Posted by Gurj

The funny thing is, some of those people actually turned out to be good friends later on in life!!!

Herd mentality at that stage though.... Babies don't know a damn thing about racism, but their own innate sense of right and wrong is removed and replaced by whatever their family/society/school/church believes fairly early on. Unfortunately not everyone manages to break free of these particular shackles later on in life.

I'm impressed by the number of mixed race kids here - a couple of the cutest youngsters in my complex, and black neighbours outnumber white neighbours about 1,5:1 now - need I belabour the obvious and say that the problem neighbours happen to be of the paler persuasion?

[ken_r152]

It exists. I have one or two former coworkers who are Egyptian scientists who've told me several stories about stereotypes and minor racism that they've felt where they've lived before. They also happened to be Christians, but nobody bothered to ask.

[JJEMMER777]

Originally Posted by Gurj

And that's why I love Jemsite so much, racist remarks are generally not tolerated. If you go on some other guitar forums you can call anyone anything you like!

As long as it's just kept a decent discussion (without hurling abuse) it's all good

In this country from what I've experienced, it seems to me that racism has calmed down a LOT, though down South there are still some pretty hot areas!

WHY??

What a bunch of dummies I think as the older hateful people die, racism dies with them. YA!

Myself I don't understand racism. I have had friends that are black, white, yellow, red, etc. I could care a less about what someone else labels them They are my friends and damn good friends at that!!!

I've never been affected by the "color" thing and I simply DO NOT understand it.

A person is a person and their are good and bad in every race, creed and color. It's the person that makes the person, not the color.

To me, Racism is a complete ridiculous waste of time filled with useless hatred Let it die with the old haters and lets move on to a better world and all be bros/sis's



*peace, love and good happiness stuff*



BTW - watch the politics folks. We are being very lenient as it is!!! You wouldn't want us to become racists would you???

[ScottB]

I grew up in a blue collar neighborhood in South Baltimore, back in the '60s and '70s. The neighborhood was pretty much segregated with a 70% white to black mix. The black families in the neighborhood were pretty much separated into different areas from the mostly 2nd to 3rd generation European immigrant white families. Even the white families had their own little enclaves, based on which area their ancestors were from. Racism was practiced openly by a lot of the parents and grandparents of both races. During the riots of 1968, it also carried over to the kids in school. By the time we got to high school in the late '70s, something changed. We had gone through 12-13 years of school with the same group of people. We played sports together, went to the neighborhood movies together and shopped at the same stores together. We learned to be tolerant of other cultures and made friends along the way. Our parents had always gone to segregated schools because that was the way it was back then.

I have friends and acquaintances that are African American, Hispanic (brother-in law), Asian and Middle Eastern. I'm easy to get along with. Unless you're a Jackson guy that is.

Edit: The old South Baltimore is dying. It is now called "Federal Hill". When I was a kid, Federal Hill was just a park that bordered the southern edge of the Inner Harbor. That part of the neighborhood was a decaying slum. In the late '60s, the city boarded up the houses and sold them for $1, providing you rehabbed the home and lived in it for 3 years. Those homes near the harbor sell for $750K to 1.5 million today. It doesn't matter what race you are in SoBo. You better have money if you're just moving in.

My dad bought our little 800 sq. ft. rowhouse for $2895 in 1961. We sold it for $39,500 in 1980. It was appraised for $259,000 last year.

[michblanch]

After much debating, I decided to post.

When I was growing up I was extremely poor. My father walked out on my mother and left her with 5 kids. My friends as a kid weren't based upon color, my friends were based upon money.
My friends weren't my friends becuase they were black, hispanic, or white.
They were my friends because we all had something in common. We ate free lunches at school, and we were looked at differently because of it.
Would I change the way I was raised? Never. It made me work harder and appreciate everything that I have been given. A wonderful wife, wonderful children who have friends of almost every culture.

There are people in the country who want to divide us into categories like black and white or hispaic or asian.

When it all comes down to it. In this country its the haves and the have nots.


My neighbors are black and I live in a wonderfully diverse neighborhood.

Does Racism exist? Yes.

But it is up to each of us individually to ensure that our children are raised not to see people for colors and stereotypes. But to judge them on their merit as a person.

[Gurj]

I'm sure a lot of people will agree with you. Would my family (uncles, aunts, etc) want me to marry another Indian girl? Absolutely. Would some think of me badly for marrying a white girl? You bet your life. Fortunately, my parents brought me up with the knowledge I can see whoever I want and marry whoever I want

[Gurj]

Originally Posted by michblanch

After much debating, I decided to post.

When I was growing up I was extremely poor. My father walked out on my mother and left her with 5 kids. My friends as a kid weren't based upon color, my friends were based upon money.
My friends weren't my friends becuase they were black, hispanic, or white.
They were my friends because we all had something in common. We ate free lunches at school, and we were looked at differently because of it.
Would I change the way I was raised? Never. It made me work harder and appreciate everything that I have been given. A wonderful wife, wonderful children who have friends of almost every culture.

There are people in the country who want to divide us into categories like black and white or hispaic or asian.

When it all comes down to it. In this country its the haves and the have nots.


My neighbors are black and I live in a wonderfully diverse neighborhood.

Does Racism exist? Yes.

But it is up to each of us individually to ensure that our children are raised not to see people for colors and stereotypes. But to judge them on their merit as a person.

Good post dude (IMO of course!)

[Gurj]

Originally Posted by JJEMMER777

As long as it's just kept a decent discussion (without hurling abuse) it's all good

In this country from what I've experienced, it seems to me that racism has calmed down a LOT, though down South there are still some pretty hot areas!

WHY??

What a bunch of dummies I think as the older hateful people die, racism dies with them. YA!

I'm not so sure anymore Jim. I used to think like you. But without going into politics, I am seeing a rise in the far-right in England and in fact parts of Europe. There are reasons for this I'm sure, but I'm not about to get this thread closed by starting a political debate!

[jim777]

This is the rule guys:

The discussion of politics, race or religion on this forum, except in relation to how they are portrayed in music/songs is not allowed on this forum.

So, if you are talking about racism, it will be allowed if done politely. Once you get to race, or the politics of race, you are over the line and I will close the thread immediately.

jim

[mike570]

Originally Posted by GilkyBear

There is nothing wrong with this thread so far. Ideas are being discussed.

I will say, if you think racism is bad elsewhere (the States or Europe) you should come to the middle east. I have tons and tons of Kuwaiti friends but my god they treat the third country workers here as animals. Indians, Sri-Lankans, Phillipinas, etc etc etc. It is basically human slavery. It is nothing at all for a maid to get raped by a 15 or 16 year old kid and thrown off a 10th story balcony. The cops will definitely say she committed suicide. Case closed. Oh, there was semen in her? So then she was prostituting as well. Any traffic accident that occurs here, if it is a foreigner and a Kuwaiti, it is automatically the foreigners fault. The list goes on and on. I have seen maids with acid thrown in their face, I've seen them beaten nearly unrecognizable. No one does a thing. As soon as they get here they have their passport confiscated by their "employer" and used as leverage against them. Everything I could say would be a very tiny drop in the bucket.

Ugh! The sooner we can replace oil with another primary energy source, the better off the human race will be.
:P

[DEADTUNES666]

WOW!! 3 pages and not locked up!! I am thoroughly impressed with everyone. A round of applause for all those who posted and didn't get this locked up...I didn't think it would last this long...

Originally Posted by Left Lane

The real question is would you want your daughter (or son) marrying outside of their race. African American first springs to mind for me and my answer is no!!
The Caucasian aspect of our country is like 65%, African American like 15%, everyone else is 20%
I may be off by a percent or 2 but look it up that is the way it is here. Unfortunately the majority of the haves are white. So why would you want a child marrying a culture that already has a disadvantage? You don't have to hate them, but realistically what are they bringing to the table to better our children?

Most people regardless of what race they are probably feel this way...

[Darin]

Interesting question. Would you want your daughter/son marrying outside your race?

I suppose I'd be lying if the first sight of my daughter with a black guy wouldn't be at least a surprise. Being a rural whitey myself, but going into homes of black people, there is a cultural devide evident, sometimes. Plus, I associate rap with the black culture. And I really don't like rap, at all. The color of the skin isn't a problem for me. And it could be cool learning about a whole different culture that my grandkids would have a part of. As long as the guy is real, geniune, hard working, honest, and likes Petrucci, it's all good.

I would also be lying if I said I didn't have a preference that my kids marry white people. Perhaps that's a degree of racism in myself. But I wouldn't tell them not to date outside of whites, or discourage it.

They (my daughters) are both currently "friends" with guitar players. I think that's cool. But if the wanted to date a drummer or bass player?! That would be an abomination!!!

[Freedom777]

Darin, IMO, I don't think you're racist, maybe a little prejudiced and ever half of that is parental prejudism. But most, if not all of us ARE no matter your race. A racist wouldn't tolerate a genuine, hard working, honest, Petrucci liking black man no matter how good this person is dating your non-black daughter...

Considering the exposure we all have faced in one media form or another to the violence that a race could have, we all bear some mild prejudice towards another race if you don't know them. Our trust in one another has diminished by what we've seen or heard (or lived). It's getting over that distrust (or fear if you wanna call it that) before any natural non-prejudiced behaviour sets in.

I get it almost everytime when we have new agency employees. Most black employees see me as a white guy...then "to their horror" they find out I'm half Italian (which in most minds is worse - and I understand why), but when they catch me speaking Spanish they relax a little and that wall comes down. It's almost (to me) like an aknowledgement that I haven't had a smooth life either like whitey over there....know what I mean?

Being half Spanish...I can say that I'm embarrased by most of the Hispanics here. Notice I said *here* based on what I've seen. So that sets me apart from most and I suppose they sense that of me too only because I don't act that way, nor do I dress like them nor do I listen to Salsa (all that much). But hey...you gotta call a duck a duck.

I do enjoy all forms of music. From Mozart to Marilyn Manson to Bachata to Salsa to Country to Bluegrass to Reggae to Rap...Any and all forms as long as the *message* isn't violence in any form.

Musicians are the universal race and music, the universal language....you should take it all in. That's my opinion.

Peace !
Word !
Orale !