How do I explain to my son that racism is still going strong, especially lately?
Problem is that my son got in with a bad crowd and then got out. It was a very bi-racial group of thugs, but when he deals with anyone who resembles them he goes into this racist place and I go out of my mind because I did not raise him that way.
I support him refusing to hang with anyone of any color or stripe that does illegal and immoral things, but don't support him making it a race thing. There are people who behave badly in every race, don't hang with the bad ones.
Then he goes and says stupid stuff that sounds like he's beginning to see all "black" or "hispanics" that way even though he has a lot of positive friends of many colors. He "excludes" these friends from any bad stereotypes but acts like they are the exception rather than the norm. He'd rather not live in a "black" neighborhood because the last one he lived in had violent people there and to me that's more about not living in a bad neighborhood vs a black neighborhood. I'm sure there were some sketchy white people there too because it's more about poverty, lack of alternatives and anger than it is skin color.
He's had bad experiences in high school with Somali's being very rude to him when he was trying to be friendly. There actually was a group of Somali boys that were causing trouble, ganging up on people and beating them up. He has some idea that they got money to come to America so are somehow cheating him out of something.
His wife got discriminated at work by Hispanic managers. They made her work harder because she was white. Her co-workers did a job in 45 min but she was expected to do it in 30. They made her lift heavy boxes even though she has a high risk pregnancy going on, so it's really gotten personal lately. She got "let go" for medical reasons even though she has a doctor's permission not to lift over 20lbs right now.
His father in law has a racist mouth on him and so does his wife. I work hard to be nice about it with them, so they will listen to what I have to say, but with my son I revert to busting him a new rear end verbally. Called him ignorant, which at our table is like telling someone they are an "N****". Told him to STFU and not bring his racist garbage to my dinner table. Tried to give him examples of ongoing racism with the VOTER ID Laws and he starts talking to me like he's a Libertarian or a stupid rethug.
I know there is a huge parallel in the Jim Crow era and the current Voter ID laws that are being pushed out now. Is there any really good book about that time or source for information about that time? My son thinks he's informed because he knows about Rosa Parks and slavery chips. Sigh.
I did my reading on the Jim Crow era a long time ago and it's kind of been a constant "educate myself" for all the other "little ways" that prejudice and injustice creep in. I'm feeling scattered about trying to reach him not knowing where to start.
Lately it's such a landslide of political crap that it's hard to sort it out.
I know that banks have and some still may "red-line" people so they can't get into better neighborhoods.
Give me some examples or reading / online sources to get some facts to my son. I don't want to lose him to this awful monster of prejudice. I kicked his butt right out of being in gangs and dealing drugs. I'm glad he doesn't want to be in that space again, but I got to expect even more of him and help him rise out of this place as well... if I can. But at least I have to try.
Tig
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... and heck, as I'm a Black man, I'm real interested in hearing you out.
I find it heart-warming to hear how White people (hey, if you're not, that's cool, too... but it sounds like you probably are) try to tackle this very difficult problem.
So, hey... let it rip.
You know that I really want to hear you, too. 
who think calling themselves "libertarian" makes them smart, edgy, cool or hip...Most of the time they latch on to just one or two facets of libertarianism (no taxes, no business regulations, etc.) while toeing the GOP line on everything else...
Most "true" libertarians I'm met and known over the years were cool as hell and never had an issue with my race...I didn't always agree with them on the fiscal stuff, but at least they were consistent throughout...
I didn't catch how old your son is, (early, mid 20s?), but he's still evolving and maturing, and there are some things that only life teaches you...Even until my late 20s (36 now) I had way too many embarrassingly ignorant viewpoints I couldn't shake because I was so certain I knew how the world works and my ego then wouldn't let me be wrong...
If you want to frame racism in a bigger, historical picture, I'd suggest citing the sociological research that indicates a pattern of much higher amounts of racially-charged incidents in years when the nation is in a recessed economy and jobs are scarce...It sounds silly, but you also have to differentiate between the "ethnic" racism (i.e., "I don't like how you people look/talk/live/worship"
, and "economic" racism ("I usually don't have a problem with you people, but there will be a problem if you come in and take my job" ...Frame it as a 1%/99% battle, if that helps...
... I have a friend who was Libertarian for as long as I knew him.
I called him before the election to make sure that he would still throw his vote away and Libertarian again and at least not go for Romney.
I knew he would note vote for Obama.
Turns out, he did throw his vote away. (YES!)
In his own words: "Libertarians are just fakers who want everything for free."
Don't apologize to them.
They believe that there should be no laws against racism and that business should be allowed to exclude who they want as some tenant of free market philosophy.
We know it's racism with a rosy suit.
This sums it up, I believe:
Blast their non-music out of their apts. and get all attitude on you if you ask them politely to turn it down. Also blast it out of their cars and the subwoofers make the roof rattle (and the windows of the apts. in the area).
Into spinning rimz and fixing their cars (or washing them on the street). Just generally fixated on cars, rather than books. I have lived in my current suburb for 3.5 years and yet to run into anyone fixing or washing their car on the street. 
Fourth of July was like Shock and Awe every year. For hours. All night. 
And then the nonsense of weeks before and after having to deal with that shit.
Shootings. 'Nuff said.
Graffiti expressing their devotion to a specific gang. And tagging the whole alley so that you wake up to take out the garbage and it looks like a very scary place. Actually woke up to seven gunshots below my window in the middle of the night and we ended up leaving 7 months later. 
I could go on but hope I've helped.
It seems you chose a pretty scary area to live.
I experienced none of those things in the city nor in my current neighborhood.
You have helped. 
Both my parents held white-collar jobs although on paper we were closer to lower-middle class in terms of income. Are you Black, dear? New Orleans has a high crime rate so I am curious where you live--most likely an affluent area? You do realize that income is a great buffer for avoiding crime, don't you? I am trying to see where you derived amusement from my post.
We moved to a blue-collar area to save money on rent. Lived there for over 17 years. It CHANGED over time. Initially it was not a high-crime area in the least. If you follow what this thread is about, it's about how to explain to a young person that not all people are a certain way. I was raised that way myself but having grown up around mostly educated and more well-to-do people, I didn't know there were other types.
The thing that sucks is that not all low-income people lack couth or are into criminal behavior. But the area where I used to live had lots of apartments so there was a transient group and it just got worse and worse.
Before you joke about people CHOOSING to live where there's crime, I suggest you remember that when people don't have money to move, they cannot just up and go. But one thing I am glad about is that I really started learning how the Law of Attraction works and that I am a co-creator with the Universe.
what a pesty nut job
