I've never met anybody who is racist. I've no doubt it exists though. To live in that kind of environment makes what i go through seem very trivial. To say that i've never met anybody who was racist is not strictly true. I've been in the presence of people who were and have experienced the hatred that has existed because of it. Trying to deal with it has left me isolated, confused and angry. Being pointed at, made to feel that i'm not good enough and that i don't fit in has made me promise that i will never inflict the way i felt then on anybody else.
The people i deal with are very different to that now and I'm pleased to say that it was a one-off incident. Not being born in America's deep south has been a life-saver for me. There are so many good things about America but being born black and living in a country that loves guns isn't one of them.
if you're black, disabled and American consider yourself very unlucky.
America isn't the only country where inequality exists and for most Americans it's often seen as a huge embarrassment that it even exists at all.
if you think that Britain was free from racism you'd be very wrong. I don't know how the rest of the world was but Britain was far from the best place to live. Everybody was given the impression that it was okay to hate people because of the colour of their skin. How we got through the 70s and 80s in one piece is a miracle. But we did.
These days it's Islam versus the rest of the world in this country and Islam always wins. A lot of the British public are now Muslims. Suddenly everything has changed from what it used to be. I can't complain about that.
There's no denying that racism in any form is unacceptable but there's also no denying that it will ever go away. Maybe the youth of today will set an example for us all to follow. I remember all those years jusr ignoring the abuse that was aimed at me. I was upset though. It made me so angry that i never forgot how it felt. It's something that people have been feeling for years.
I have met people with racist attitudes. Some of them family members. I wish I hadn't.
ReplyDeleteFeeling ashamed of it when it happens is a natural reaction. If it isn't, it should be.
DeleteI have run across many people with racist attitudes. Some don't even know that things they say or ways they behave is racist. I don't know what it will take to ever get people to just get along. Or if this problem will ever go away.
ReplyDeleteI don't know either. Donald Trump is not a racist though. I DO know that. He's an ordinary bloke in the street.Well, not an ordinary bloke. He probably owns the street and plans to build a hairdresser's on it. Well he needs his hair doing, anyway.
DeleteI don't think we should worry too much about racism. There's only so much we can do about it. The rest is really up to society. People need to decide for themselves what is the right course of action to take. These are changing times and we let the seeds we have planted grow into an immovable force.
I had a brother in law who hated. He made comments and thought it was funny. He told his dog to "sick the $@(#*" when a person of color came on television. I do not know where it stemmed from but it was repellent at best. I try to remember that he had a horrific childhood, with a hateful mother that finally deserted him by telling his father "keep him, I don't want him".
ReplyDeleteI try to remember ignorant and unloved so that I don't end up hating too.
I always wonder what happened to the guy who racially abused me. I haven't been the same since. I feel so sorry for anyone who was subjected to the hate that I was subjected to. History has a way of us finding out when all we want to do is forget the past.
DeleteAs you know from my blog, I'm against abuse of any kind, so it hurts me that racism still exists. But we can't change people because they are who they are. We can only change how we react to that person or the behavior or the situation. I do, however, believe in kindness and karma, and like everyone else, I just wish the hate and sadness would go away.
ReplyDeleteMe too. Being a patient in a room full of foreign nurses as I was At Leamington was wonderful. Some people just enjoy each other’s company.
DeleteIn terms of race, all men and women are equal in my view. It's always enriching to meet people who originate from other parts of the world. However, I do not feel the same about religion. I find all forms of it spooky and unsettling.
ReplyDeleteI try to take people as individuals, not as part of a group. To me that's the only way that makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI think it comes naturally to be suspicious of the "other" but I think we all have a responsibility to look for what we have in common rather than what separates us
ReplyDeleteLike Elephant's Child, I have family members who are racist, though they would vehemently deny it. But they're suspicious of black people, don't like dealing with them, don't like being treated by black medics, think there are too many of them in the country etc etc. They can't see anything positive about black people, only a long list of negatives. And as RO says, it's hard to change people's attitudes, you can only try to work around them as best you can.
ReplyDeleteIn a way, I believe we're all racist to a degree...everyone... no matter the race or colour. The important thing is for us to realise and learn how to diminish the degree we, in most instances, unfairly, unjustly feel, A prejudice mostly formed from misinformation. And then for us to come to the realisation it is the person, not the person's colour is what matters. If that person, regardless the colour of his/her skin is a bad person, it is right for us to take a step back - we are right to feel as we do...but if that person is a good person...well...you can fill in the blanks. :)
ReplyDeleteMany African nurses i’ve met. They are amazing people. They sound different but there’s nothing wrong with that.
DeleteSome of them family members. I wish I hadn't.
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