Am I a racist?

[CA renter]

[quote=dwh92563]Interesting post. Being Half black and half white I guess I see things in similar manner. My new Aunt, Uncle married her, lives in MS, is black with a PHD. She is very well spoken and educated. In fact, on our recent trip to MS (2 weeks ago) my wife(mexican) never knew a life existed. We went bowling with them and there was 2 white people in the entire place, one being my mom the other being her sister. In So Cal, there isnt an abundance of any 1 race. We are a melting pot if you will. My biological mom (white), married my dad (black), adopted my 2 sisters (mexican), and my adopted brother (black / mexican). I also have a brother from my moms first marriage (all white) and my full brother (black and white).

I’ve experienced racism in most of my relationships despite being half white. It was always a struggle because I could never really understand it being we had almost all races in our family and a military dad. The nice thing about the south is that it’s “in your face” racism. You know who is and who isnt. Out here it is very different. You really have no idea until a whisper gets out.

In your case, you should be suspicious of who lives with you. I know I would for sure. However, I’d look a lot more into it than a first impression. Education, work experience and similar interests.

Just my 2 cents[/quote]

Thanks for sharing your perspective, dwh.

Wow, that’s a lot of kids! 🙂

I’ve heard more than a few black/mixed-race people say they prefer Southern racism to “Californian” racism, for the very same reason you’ve mentioned — it’s in your face, and you know exactly where everyone stands.

When you say you’ve experienced racism in most of your relationships, are you referring to ALL relationships, or romantic, or professional, or friendships, etc.? How does it manifest itself, and how do you resolve it (if possible) when these relationships are important to you?

Hope you don’t mind my prying. I’m a white female, so while I’ve experienced gender discrimination (there’s plenty of it out there, even if it IS better than it was just 20 years ago), it would be interesting to hear how racism manifests itself, especially in California, and if it’s a minor or major obstacle in relationships, work, and life in general. We all know how real, in-your-face racism looks, and can imagine how it feels, but it would be interesting to hear your perspective on the more insidious type of racism, like the kind you’ve alluded to here in California.

[NotCranky]

[quote=CA renter][quote=Jacarandoso][quote=CA renter][quote=davelj]You’re probably not a racist, but rather what I refer to as a “culturist” (I made this up). A thought experiment…

You have two applicants. One is a college-educated black guy with a job as an engineer; good credit, etc. The other is a high school-educated white guy that works construction with a few dings on his credit report.

If you’re a white collar – for lack of a better way of putting it – dude, you’re probably going to pick the black dude to rent to, all else being equal. Why? Because he’s probably the closer of the two to you in terms of culture, or how you view the world.

So, I doubt it’s a racial issue so much as a cultural issue (but since I don’t know you I could be wrong). Now… this is where some folks jump up and down and say, “Discriminating on the basis of culture is just veiled racism!” To which I’d respond (as EconProf pointed out), “Talk to Jesse Jackson about that and then get back to me.”

The bottom line is that we all discriminate to some degree on the basis of culture – we like to hang with folks that share a similar value system, and I think this goes well beyond race.[/quote]

Bingo. I have also used the terms “culturalism” and “culturalist” when discussing this with other people.[/quote]
Just to be clear, these are pejorative terms for you?[/quote]

No, not at all.

Do you think these are pejorative terms? If so, why?[/quote]
I think there is a tendency to use them as a cover-up for latent bigotry and just primitive tribalism type stuff… for defending clique building. Makes me think of Dr. Seuss’ “right kinds of sneeches”(but that could be a knee jerk reaction). Anyway, based on what the OP said, “culturalist”, even if taken in some innocent context, doesn’t immediately come to mind. I would think it is more about shallowness or maybe even some level of xenophobia.Either way, I give them a lot of credit for asking honestly.

[NotCranky]

[quote=CA renter][quote=Jacarandoso][quote=CA renter][quote=davelj]You’re probably not a racist, but rather what I refer to as a “culturist” (I made this up). A thought experiment…

You have two applicants. One is a college-educated black guy with a job as an engineer; good credit, etc. The other is a high school-educated white guy that works construction with a few dings on his credit report.

If you’re a white collar – for lack of a better way of putting it – dude, you’re probably going to pick the black dude to rent to, all else being equal. Why? Because he’s probably the closer of the two to you in terms of culture, or how you view the world.

So, I doubt it’s a racial issue so much as a cultural issue (but since I don’t know you I could be wrong). Now… this is where some folks jump up and down and say, “Discriminating on the basis of culture is just veiled racism!” To which I’d respond (as EconProf pointed out), “Talk to Jesse Jackson about that and then get back to me.”

The bottom line is that we all discriminate to some degree on the basis of culture – we like to hang with folks that share a similar value system, and I think this goes well beyond race.[/quote]

Bingo. I have also used the terms “culturalism” and “culturalist” when discussing this with other people.[/quote]
Just to be clear, these are pejorative terms for you?[/quote]

No, not at all.

Do you think these are pejorative terms? If so, why?[/quote]
I think there is a tendency to use them as a cover-up for latent bigotry and just primitive tribalism type stuff… for defending clique building. Makes me think of Dr. Seuss’ “right kinds of sneeches”(but that could be a knee jerk reaction). Anyway, based on what the OP said, “culturalist”, even if taken in some innocent context, doesn’t immediately come to mind. I would think it is more about shallowness or maybe even some level of xenophobia.Either way, I give them a lot of credit for asking honestly.

[NotCranky]

[quote=CA renter][quote=Jacarandoso][quote=CA renter][quote=davelj]You’re probably not a racist, but rather what I refer to as a “culturist” (I made this up). A thought experiment…

You have two applicants. One is a college-educated black guy with a job as an engineer; good credit, etc. The other is a high school-educated white guy that works construction with a few dings on his credit report.

If you’re a white collar – for lack of a better way of putting it – dude, you’re probably going to pick the black dude to rent to, all else being equal. Why? Because he’s probably the closer of the two to you in terms of culture, or how you view the world.

So, I doubt it’s a racial issue so much as a cultural issue (but since I don’t know you I could be wrong). Now… this is where some folks jump up and down and say, “Discriminating on the basis of culture is just veiled racism!” To which I’d respond (as EconProf pointed out), “Talk to Jesse Jackson about that and then get back to me.”

The bottom line is that we all discriminate to some degree on the basis of culture – we like to hang with folks that share a similar value system, and I think this goes well beyond race.[/quote]

Bingo. I have also used the terms “culturalism” and “culturalist” when discussing this with other people.[/quote]
Just to be clear, these are pejorative terms for you?[/quote]

No, not at all.

Do you think these are pejorative terms? If so, why?[/quote]
I think there is a tendency to use them as a cover-up for latent bigotry and just primitive tribalism type stuff… for defending clique building. Makes me think of Dr. Seuss’ “right kinds of sneeches”(but that could be a knee jerk reaction). Anyway, based on what the OP said, “culturalist”, even if taken in some innocent context, doesn’t immediately come to mind. I would think it is more about shallowness or maybe even some level of xenophobia.Either way, I give them a lot of credit for asking honestly.

[NotCranky]

[quote=CA renter][quote=Jacarandoso][quote=CA renter][quote=davelj]You’re probably not a racist, but rather what I refer to as a “culturist” (I made this up). A thought experiment…

You have two applicants. One is a college-educated black guy with a job as an engineer; good credit, etc. The other is a high school-educated white guy that works construction with a few dings on his credit report.

If you’re a white collar – for lack of a better way of putting it – dude, you’re probably going to pick the black dude to rent to, all else being equal. Why? Because he’s probably the closer of the two to you in terms of culture, or how you view the world.

So, I doubt it’s a racial issue so much as a cultural issue (but since I don’t know you I could be wrong). Now… this is where some folks jump up and down and say, “Discriminating on the basis of culture is just veiled racism!” To which I’d respond (as EconProf pointed out), “Talk to Jesse Jackson about that and then get back to me.”

The bottom line is that we all discriminate to some degree on the basis of culture – we like to hang with folks that share a similar value system, and I think this goes well beyond race.[/quote]

Bingo. I have also used the terms “culturalism” and “culturalist” when discussing this with other people.[/quote]
Just to be clear, these are pejorative terms for you?[/quote]

No, not at all.

Do you think these are pejorative terms? If so, why?[/quote]
I think there is a tendency to use them as a cover-up for latent bigotry and just primitive tribalism type stuff… for defending clique building. Makes me think of Dr. Seuss’ “right kinds of sneeches”(but that could be a knee jerk reaction). Anyway, based on what the OP said, “culturalist”, even if taken in some innocent context, doesn’t immediately come to mind. I would think it is more about shallowness or maybe even some level of xenophobia.Either way, I give them a lot of credit for asking honestly.

[NotCranky]

[quote=CA renter][quote=Jacarandoso][quote=CA renter][quote=davelj]You’re probably not a racist, but rather what I refer to as a “culturist” (I made this up). A thought experiment…

You have two applicants. One is a college-educated black guy with a job as an engineer; good credit, etc. The other is a high school-educated white guy that works construction with a few dings on his credit report.

If you’re a white collar – for lack of a better way of putting it – dude, you’re probably going to pick the black dude to rent to, all else being equal. Why? Because he’s probably the closer of the two to you in terms of culture, or how you view the world.

So, I doubt it’s a racial issue so much as a cultural issue (but since I don’t know you I could be wrong). Now… this is where some folks jump up and down and say, “Discriminating on the basis of culture is just veiled racism!” To which I’d respond (as EconProf pointed out), “Talk to Jesse Jackson about that and then get back to me.”

The bottom line is that we all discriminate to some degree on the basis of culture – we like to hang with folks that share a similar value system, and I think this goes well beyond race.[/quote]

Bingo. I have also used the terms “culturalism” and “culturalist” when discussing this with other people.[/quote]
Just to be clear, these are pejorative terms for you?[/quote]

No, not at all.

Do you think these are pejorative terms? If so, why?[/quote]
I think there is a tendency to use them as a cover-up for latent bigotry and just primitive tribalism type stuff… for defending clique building. Makes me think of Dr. Seuss’ “right kinds of sneeches”(but that could be a knee jerk reaction). Anyway, based on what the OP said, “culturalist”, even if taken in some innocent context, doesn’t immediately come to mind. I would think it is more about shallowness or maybe even some level of xenophobia.Either way, I give them a lot of credit for asking honestly.

[sdduuuude]

Better to be a credit-score-ist.

I am and I’m proud of it.

[sdduuuude]

Better to be a credit-score-ist.

I am and I’m proud of it.

[sdduuuude]

Better to be a credit-score-ist.

I am and I’m proud of it.

[sdduuuude]

Better to be a credit-score-ist.

I am and I’m proud of it.

[sdduuuude]

Better to be a credit-score-ist.

I am and I’m proud of it.

[sdduuuude]

[quote=UCGal]I was sexist… didn’t want to share with a guy because I had stereotypes in my head of guys being slobs.[/quote]

Funny. I had some landlords once who said they preferred renting to guys because they were so much cleaner. Not saying either is correct. Just interesting to hear you say exactly the opposite of them.

[sdduuuude]

[quote=UCGal]I was sexist… didn’t want to share with a guy because I had stereotypes in my head of guys being slobs.[/quote]

Funny. I had some landlords once who said they preferred renting to guys because they were so much cleaner. Not saying either is correct. Just interesting to hear you say exactly the opposite of them.

[sdduuuude]

[quote=UCGal]I was sexist… didn’t want to share with a guy because I had stereotypes in my head of guys being slobs.[/quote]

Funny. I had some landlords once who said they preferred renting to guys because they were so much cleaner. Not saying either is correct. Just interesting to hear you say exactly the opposite of them.

[sdduuuude]

[quote=UCGal]I was sexist… didn’t want to share with a guy because I had stereotypes in my head of guys being slobs.[/quote]

Funny. I had some landlords once who said they preferred renting to guys because they were so much cleaner. Not saying either is correct. Just interesting to hear you say exactly the opposite of them.

[Author]

Posts