The USA is one of the least racist countries in the World

reply to post by Skyfloating


First off with respect to the US, we are unique. We don't have a developed sense of nationalism in the sense that most parts of the world have. The US nationalism is more of a ideal as opposed to being tied to historical regional and cultural heritage. This allows for all cultures to assimilate easier into society. The US has also fought with the ideal of civil rights from the inception of the constitution and the 3/5ths compromise. We know our history and while we have our dark moments the US has grown quite a bit and its not like we hide from it. We could go into the history of immigration; however, most immigrant groups assimilate within 2 generations but that's another topic for another time.

Now as for India, there is no surprise there. Its a caste based society. In general, where you are born into society is where you stay. The islamic countries obviously are tied to their religious and tribal connections.

Also of note, a lot of the countries that are turning red on that graph are former 19th and early 20th century colonies. So one could argue mistrust from immigration/outsiders plays a role, or another argument could be that outside power influence reinforced nationalistic ideals in native populations.

reply to post by Cypress

a lot of the countries that are turning red on that graph are former 19th and early 20th century colonies. So one could argue mistrust from immigration/outsiders plays a role, or another argument could be that outside power influence reinforced nationalistic ideals in native populations.

A very good point. i sorted hinted that earlier, but not clearly.

Originally posted by Panic2k11
reply to post by Skyfloating

 

The cast system can not be directly compared to racial discrimination (racism) but social segregation that for most parts have no race bases at all

This is unfactual. While I don't want to bash India because the country does have other merits, one of their dark spots is in fact their teachings about dark skin.

There is no doubt in my mind that that racial ideology is linked with protestantism. From Germany to Australia the evidences are many.

If there is evidence for that, why not share it...

Originally posted by Benevolent Heretic


READ CAREFULLY:

We have a larger black incarceration rate NOW than South Africa did under apartheid. Almost 6 times as much!

I read carefully. But I`d be careful to equate incarceration rate to racism. Isn't that rate more a reflection of a countries attitude toward crime? In South Africa the incarceration rate post-apartheid is still lax even though the crime rate is significantly higher.

Originally posted by Cypress


First off with respect to the US, we are unique. We don't have a developed sense of nationalism in the sense that most parts of the world have. The US nationalism is more of a ideal as opposed to being tied to historical regional and cultural heritage. This allows for all cultures to assimilate easier into society.

Precisely. And for this reason racism will never really develop in the US.

A truer picture of intolerance between peoples, not only of differing nationalities and race, but socio-economic status, can best be provided by substituting the word 'racism' with 'prejudice'. In truth, you can't dislike someone out of colour, alone, the prejudice goes deeper than that. The colour of a person merely identifies them with a particular culture and cultural mindset different to one's own, a culture that is often perceived as 'alien' and something to be denied equality and tolerance.

Prejudice is what drives racism, and it also drives the oft' seen disparity between people's of same colour. India's caste system has its counterpart throughout the West's' class systems, particularly in Britain, where 'class' is a dividing line of disparity in the still extant system of feudalism that is rampant here in the British mindset. In Britain, you are either 'working class' (the labourers, enslaved by economics), 'middle class' (the managers of economics), or upper class (idle rich and privileged without merit, the owners of economics). Britain still holds onto its monarchy, its so-called royalty, and its branches of tentacles that stretch around the country, each 'sucker' representing a country seat of privilege and unmerited Lordship over the local peoples by adherence to the pomp and circumstance of feudal tradition. Of course, being privileged does not carry the same power it used to wield, but it does still carry some clout. Disparity in Britain is built into and sustained by its very traditions.

All societies, no matter which country, are layered along these lines of division of social status, and prejudice is rampant between them. Wealth has always, throughout history, bought power and control, and those with the wealth do not want to share the power and control, as that would unseat them from their positions of unmerited privilege.

In America, wealth is what truly sets people apart. America was probably the first true multicultural society, which still creaks and groans under the strains and fault lines of disparate cultural mindsets. Having no monarchical history or traditions, its society became layered through the accumulation of wealth, which sets its tone of British-like feudalism. Your 'royalty' is denoted by wealth, which buys position and power, and thus the control. You broke away from British royalty and pretty much created your own.

Racism, itself, is nothing more than the 'tip-of-the-iceberg' of deeper prejudicial mindsets. Colour is just the first indicator of that prejudice.

Yes it's true.

I have got to say that I would probably agree with this. I have never been to America but I see a lot of cultural and racial ignorance coming from there though. This is probably largely down to a high percentage of American citizens having never left their home country or perhaps even their state so it is easy to see why. It is no different to the 60s in the UK when the white kids would stare at and bully the new black kid because he was 'different'. Now racism is also rife in the UK but not just against other skin colours but against Eastern Europeans and vice versa. One of the best known racial slurs in the West is probably "Go back to where you came from".. i.e ignorance! In countries like India or Saudi Arabia for example, they still have very deeply ingrained class systems which discriminate against skin colour AND gender based on very ancient and outdated traditions.

Yes, some countries may seem more racist compared to America but the question is, what is worse, ignorant introvert racism or cultural extrovert racism? In my opinion, it doesn't make a difference.

Originally posted by phishyblankwaters
I have never ever heard anyone say the US is one of the most racist countries in the world. Ever. So I agree it's obviously one of the least.

Look at France on that map.

I once met a French exchange student at college. She asked me if I was racist when I told her I was from Texas. There was no other reason that simply being from Texas. Yeah.

Originally posted by phishyblankwaters
reply to post by Skyfloating

 

I have never ever heard anyone say the US is one of the most racist countries in the world. Ever. So I agree it's obviously one of the least.

Folks may hear of our "racism" but then they see our troops with just about every race represented serving together, playing sports together, music.....you name it. Most don't put to much stock in the idea.

Originally posted by Skyfloating

Originally posted by Cypress


First off with respect to the US, we are unique. We don't have a developed sense of nationalism in the sense that most parts of the world have. The US nationalism is more of a ideal as opposed to being tied to historical regional and cultural heritage. This allows for all cultures to assimilate easier into society.

Precisely. And for this reason racism will never really develop in the US.

What???? I guess we never had a slave based economy and when that was finished after the most lethal is war in our history all was forgotten. Also it clear that all Mexicans are more than welcome.

CJ

The fault belongs mainly to the people that still have racist/prejudicial opinions and views.
But let's take the USA for example.

We all know that the African-Americans are not as "oppressed" and "discriminated" as they claim to be, of course there are still people who have the same opinion from 50 years ago but the majority's attitude has changed.
We all know that the majority of the prison population is of African and Hispanic descent. Maybe their answer to this statistic is that no one gives them any chance to be "normal", they have to fight poverty every day, they have their issues with the police and the authorities, they have to "survive" and "hustle" and be "thugs" in order to provide for their families. And I agree to the parts of this. The judge will most likely give a higher sentence to a man of the above mentioned descents than to a Caucasian for the same crime.

But no one just wants to acknowledge the fact that the situation right now isn't as they portray it to be. Claiming that only African-Americans and Hispanics have to fight poverty and the system is just plain stupid. We all have to provide for our families, we all have to survive but we do it by working 9-5 under payed jobs, we do it by being corporate slaves and sluts, and the majority of us do not choose the short path to wealth. It is a known fact that African-Americans are way more violent than Caucasians, just look at the murder statistics.
We pay off our student loans that we have because we wanted better lives. Now don't get me wrong, I don't say that all of the above mentioned population is like that, there are honest exceptions for which I have a great amount of respect for and who provide for their families in honest ways. Sorry but this is the truth, they say that no one gives them any opportunities, and I'm sure that all of them want to be CEOs but their attitude is still "F**k the school", they would rather sell drugs than work as garbagemen.

Just an example that I wanted to point out to:
If you point your finger towards an African-American and say: "you're black", I guarantee you will be labeled as a racist. But if an African-American points a finger towards a Caucasian and says: "you're white", 9 out of 10 times nothing will happen, no one will call no one a racist.

What I wrote might seem like racial discrimination or rather a prejudice towards the African Americans, but am I wrong? As I said there are exceptions but the majority's attitude is like that. It's the community in which they were raised that made them like that and it's the white people's fault for the many prejudicial opinions towards them.

A quote from Hopsin's Ill mind of Hopsin 5:
"Is it because you selling drugs to get loot
And brag about how done been shot and stabbed, like it's fun to be you?
But your life’s a struggle right, you just hustling through.
Nah, you hamster ass ni**a, you just stuck in the loop.
Man, why do black people got to be the only ones who can’t evolve.
Cause you in the streets acting like a Neanderthal.
It’s clear you can’t stand the law, you lost as an abandoned dog.
And all you interested in is fighting, rapping and basketball."

A quote from 2Pac's Only God can judge me:
"And they say it's the white man I should fear
But, it's my own kind doin all the killin here"

Originally posted by Skyfloating

Precisely. And for this reason racism will never really develop in the US.

I won't go that far. The lack of a true sense of nationalism is merely one less hurdle to maintaining an equal and open society. The US is still historically founded on Protestant Anglo-Saxon ideals. The further an immigrant population is from that norm, the longer it takes for assimilation. We still see Xenophobic behavior in regards to immigration laws and socio-economic impacts that outlast several generations past the actual act of discrimination itself.

It also cannot be said that the US would never develop a system of discrimination. Slavery clearly was, Native American genocides, Asian American internment camps, McCarthyism, Jim Crow laws. There are a number of forms of discrimination that I would equate to the term racism that have arisen throughout the short time our country has existed; however, the country has grown into a state where that type of behavior is very hard to condone on a national scale anymore.

Originally posted by Cypress
The US is still historically founded on Protestant Anglo-Saxon ideals.

And those ideals have been of no benefit whatsoever?

Slavery clearly was,

Slavery was common all across the world, has nothing to do with America specifically.

McCarthyism

Thats not racism, its anti-Communism. Only communists themselves would equate anti-Communism with racism.

Funny and strange how certain people show zero shock or outrage over the examples of extreme racism in other countries given in the OP but instead go straight for the "nah....America is racist" narrative.

Majority I have met and talked to are not racist. But there have been racist out there. Thankfully they're a small minority you can easily ignore. Being mixed and having white skin I have been called a lot names in my life. Yes, it hurts but you can easily brush it off and ignore them.

Originally posted by Riposte

Originally posted by phishyblankwaters
I have never ever heard anyone say the US is one of the most racist countries in the world. Ever. So I agree it's obviously one of the least.

Look at France on that map.

I once met a French exchange student at college. She asked me if I was racist when I told her I was from Texas. There was no other reason that simply being from Texas. Yeah.

That's not a French thing though.
That's an attitude that is pushed by the US media in general who is exporting it to other countries.
I had an Australian friend who actually thought that most of the people in the US were black but that whites were in charge. He was shocked when he found out that blacks only constituted 13% of the population.
He thought of the US like people thought of apartheid South Africa because of what he had always seen on the news.
The media has to push the idea that every person from Texas and the other southern states is a racist with a rope so that the actual core of racism in the US mindset gets missed.

The political agenda of division based on race is very real and is pursued every day in media and politics.

The southern states are blamed for racism although it's hard to believe when most black Americans actually live in the south but the highest incarceration rates of blacks to whites is in the Democratic northern states who have the lowest black population..

This link is to a map of incarceration rates.
www.sentencingproject.org...

Scroll over the states and look at the black to white ratios incarcerated.
The southern states with high black populations have lower ratios of black to white inmates than the so called blue states.
The media and people who represent these states in politics say just the opposite.

The New England states with the lowest black populations have the highest ratios of black to white inmates.

DC has the highest in the entire country.

The agenda is to keep racism alive as a way to control the vote. The way to do that is to place the blame on the people who are not actually creating the problem. At the same time they push a dependency mindset in the population instead of a mindset of achievement and self sufficiency. So, the problem never gets solved and the politicians keep control over the people.

Originally posted by Skyfloating
Funny and strange how certain people show zero shock or outrage over the examples of extreme racism in other countries given in the OP but instead go straight for the "nah....America is racist" narrative.

Funny how one pens a thread titled "The USA is one of the least racist countries in the World" and expects the members to discuss how racist everyone but the US is. You should have written a thread titled "India has a lot of racism" if that was your goal.

CJ

Originally posted by ColoradoJens

Funny how one pens a thread titled "The USA is one of the least racist countries in the World" and expects the members to discuss how racist everyone but the US is. You should have written a thread titled "India has a lot of racism" if that was your goal.

CJ

The goal was to contrast real racism (for example that of India) with media-manufactured racism (for example that of the U.S., where there are far less true racists than commonly believed).

Benevolent Heretic
When it comes to the criminal justice system and our educational system, the racism is clear. It's a MUCH bigger issue than who lives next door.

The stupefying fact that the United States imprisons a larger percentage of its black population than South Africa did at the height of apartheid is indefensible.

Clear and consistent racial bias within the educational and criminal justice systems creates a funnel for the 32% of black males that will spend time in prison. Play-dates don't exist in the hood and gangs serving as childcare fuels the cycle of violence.

So what you are saying is that our Government is racist. Judicial system and Education system are government systems.
I agree with this. Remember the Civil Rights movement? All those marches and protesting and speeches were responses to lingering, stubborn racism in the public sector. Miss Rosa Parks made her stand on a city bus. Segregation was the policy of the public school system.

This is what is so annoying about U.S. politicians and other public officials that preach about racism being a huge problem in the U.S. and how we gotta do something to fix it. If there is a problem, it is rooted in their institutions, in their programs, in their policies, and it is below the legislative level--which is the level at which the citizen can best exercise the power of his franchise by voting--it is way down in the murky basements full of faceless bureaucrats that "We the People" had no hand in appointing, that we can't touch through the electoral process, and who are virtually un-punishable in any meaningful way no matter what their crime is or how many lives they affected or destroyed....as we have seen from the recent scandals, we can't even get them fired. Not really. They just resign with full pension, living easy on the public purse while waiting for the light of the public eye to first dim, then turn elsewhere, and they scuttle right back down into the basement. So as far as I'm concerned, it isn't the American people who have a racism problem, nor is it any of our private or commercial institutions or businesses, nor was it ever, really. It has been and continues to be Government that is the problem here, and public officials who want to get up and preach about racism and how bad it is can shut the **** up, turn around, and fix the damn problem. Because it isn't out in front of the podium where we are standing. It is behind it, where they are standing.