Do you believe that some blacks are racist?

[Empowerer]

If so, how is such racism manifested? Can you give examples of it?

Or do you think that, given our history and role in society, it is not possible for blacks to be racist?

[sakabatou]

1. Even though he's fictional, just look at Uncle Ruckus

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pnXj1ppsx0

[blueknight]

2. of course they are

every race has SOME people in it that are racist for whatever reason.be it the things they were taught as litle children, events that occured in their lives that caused these beliefs, personal expieriences that caused them, etc

[Honeycombe8]

115. 2nd that. nt

[jenmito]

3. I don't think it's possible...

I think Black people can be prejudiced, but I think racism is prejudice plus power.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Meeker Morgan]

28. An no black person has any power? n/t

[jenmito]

33. Nope-not as a race. n/t

[SpartanDem]

44. What if situation where blacks are in power

I agree with definition of racism vs bigotry. But I think in limited circumstances like my hometown Detroit thereis the potential of racism in as blacks have institutional control.

[totodeinhere]

34. Herman Cain is definitely a racist. His comment about blacks being brainwashed was

pathetic.

[jenmito]

35. That's not racism. That's idiocy. n/t

[Supersedeas]

98. That's a dividing line that makes sense in other cases as well, I think.

[Mr Deltoid]

43. So, if a black American judges someone by their skin color

Or teaches their children to hate and pre judge based on skin color, it isnt racism?

What is it then?

[totodeinhere]

52. I think that sometimes we get hung up too much on terminology.

In the case you mentioned it's definitely wrong no matter what you want to call it. I would call that racism but if someone else prefers to call it prejudice or bigotry rather than racism that's alright with me.

[Mr Deltoid]

56. If it involves someone else, it's racism

But if it involves me or mine, it's bigotry or prejudice.

See the disconnect?

[jenmito]

53. It's prejudice. n/t

[Mr Deltoid]

55. Yes, racial prejudice

That is what racism is.

[jenmito]

57. Prejudging someone negatively is not the same as racism. n/t

[Mr Deltoid]

59. Unless you pre judge them negatively based on their skin color

In which case it is racism.

[jenmito]

64. Ummm, prejudging someone is PREJUDICE.

It's right there in the word. Racism is prejudice plus power.

[Mr Deltoid]

72. Yes, that is what prejudice means

To pre judge. Institutional racism is prejudice plus power. All racism is based on ignorance.

A persons level of bigotry is inversely proportional to their parents education level. It is particularly low if the parents went to college. The key to fighting racism is to get people educated. That is one huge reason the GOP goes after public education and preaches against going to college. College educated people tend not to vote republican.

[11 Bravo]

100. I disagree. Racism is prejudice based solely on race.

By your definition the two cretins who dragged James Byrd to his death were not racists, and the deep South is not a hotbed of racist views as espoused by poor whites.

on edit: racism -- the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, esp. so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on such a belief
The New Oxford American Dictionary

no mention of power

[Hosnon]

45. That's absurd. You're describing institutional racism.

And Black people are rarely - if ever - institutionally racist.

But ANY person can be racist.

[Mimosa]

65. 'Racism is prejudice plus power'.

Jenmito, you nailed it.

Many people have tribal type biases. Prejudice is part of being human. But to enact one's biases requires being in a position of power. Read about New orleans District Attorney Eddie Jordan for an example:

http://blog.nola.com/times-picayune/2007/08/jury_verdict_upheld_in_jordan.html

[LaydeeBug]

112. So...do you think it's possible for a woman to be sexist? nt

[XemaSab]

116. Take the phrase "Chinese people eat babies."

If the white dude on government assistance who lives next door to me says it, it's racist, but if Oprah Winfrey says it, it's just prejudice?

[dipsydoodle]

4. No doubt about that in the UK.

But not a black / white issue : black / asian.

[HipChick]

18. Actually in the UK, it's more

black and white against Asian...and polish

[Cherchez la Femme]

70. I grew up with 'Polack jokes' right here in the U.S. of A.

And also from Poles themselves.
Go figure.

[dipsydoodle]

78. Your Polish jokes

were the equuivalent of our Irish jokes.

[saras]

5. It depends on your definition. By mine, only within black-owned business

I, along with most of the intellectual tradition I identify with, defines racism as a SYSTEMIC policy. It's not at all the same thing as personal prejudice or bigotry. So only the group in power can be racist.

If you choose to define racism differently, then that's fine, but I won't have much use for a word that doesn't help to separate personal opinion from institutional policy, so at that point I'd abandon the word "racism" for one that makes the distinction clear again.

Fixing personal prejudice is relatively hopeless. Fixing institutionalized racism is relatively easy.

[dmallind]

8. So no white person without power can be racist either? nt

[lumberjack_jeff]

87. That implies that individuals can't be racist unless they control the system. n/t

[Bloke 32]

6. Anyone can be racist

But I find it to be more prevalent among whites.

[bigwillq]

30. Hello.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[slackmaster]

114. That's racist.

HTH

[Skip Intro]

9. Of course. nt

[richmwill]

10. Sure

Remember Khalid Abdul Muhammad?

[MrSlayer]

11. Yes, of course.

For instance, just yesterday my son was punched in the face by a racist asshole black kid for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Three on one. Fortunately, they just decided to sucker punch him and run. "Hey white boy!" Blam.

Unfortunately for them though, news travels almost instantaneously in my neighborhood and they were caught and beaten pretty badly by one of the local Mummers clubs a couple blocks away. Perhaps they won't go looking for trouble around here again.

[DisabledDem]

12. All enthnic groups have their bad apples

And this is including white people. You can't count out any group out or else your a hypocrite.

[bigwillq]

31. Hello.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[Supersedeas]

101. Whose counting -- except those keeping track of 'defensiveness'

[rury]

13. Blacks can be racist but whites control the institutions that

oppress black people.
There is a HUGE difference.
Not liking certain people because of their skin color is one thing...and certainly not a good thing.
Actually being able to adversely impact the quality of life of a racial group is FAR WORSE!

[kaiden]

14. Black people cannot be racists. Period.

[r0nr0ntaiwan]

21. Reality disagrees with you.

[bigwillq]

32. Hello.

Welcome to DU! :hi:

[r0nr0ntaiwan]

73. Thanks.

Thanks.

[PurityOfEssence]

29. That very statement claims that blacks are superior, doesn't it? That would be racism.

Assholism is an equal-opportunity affliction.

[Hosnon]

46. That simply must be sarcasm. nt.

[lumberjack_jeff]

88. If so, it's very well done. n/t

[BlueStater]

76. So if a black person hates all white people or some other race, what do you call that? N/T

[truebrit71]

84. Bollocks.

Absolute bollocks...

[XemaSab]

117. You ever been a white kid

at a school that was 95% black?

[JoePhilly]

15. Absolutely.

Humans seek validation from others who look, sound, act, and think, like "me". It is simply part of how humans are wired. We progressives can all rationalize how "I" don't see race. I think we all TRY to do that, but its harder than that.

All of us, regardless of race, are generally more comfortable when we are around those who are "like me" ... look like me, sounds like me, had similar youth history, so on. And this is likely to lead one, to make decisions based on race.

If you believe in evolution, then being able to quickly identify "people like me" versus "dangerous others" had survival value. Tribal humans had different cultures. And so, fear of "unknown others" had an evolutionary value. Since the dawn of humanity, we've been killing each other over resources, land, and how we look. Breaking this behavior is hard.

While we like to think we progressives are so much more evolved than our ancestors on this dimension, honestly, we are not so far removed.

Having said this, the more an individual spends times with people who are "not like me", the broader the circle they can create.

Much of racist behavior is based on having lived within a very narrow racial space to begin with.

So can some blacks be racists ... duh, absolutely. People of every race can be racists.

[Laura PourMeADrink]

16. I hate it when people just slam a post...but this post is stupid

and idiotic. Duh....wtf are you stupid?

Black people have been demeaned, prejudiced, and kept out

It is a total no-brainer that they would feel animosity toward everyone.

[Supersedeas]

110. Provocation has a way of bringing that out in people

[HipChick]

17. Asians can be very racist...

Especially Japanese and Vietnamese..every race can be racist though..I find Asian racism very blatant..

but blacks have been suppressed historically by whites...I would say their racism is somewhat justified..

[Mr Deltoid]

23. Generational racism becomes a ball and chain

That becomes very hard to shake.

[dsc]

19. some are even under the defintion of having to have power behind it

One recent example was the Philadelphia schools where Asian kids were systematically bullied by black students while black administrators did nothing to stop it. Those kids were the victims of racism, plain and simple. I do think, since power is part of the definition it is rarer for blacks to be racist as opposed to merely being bigoted, but it does sometimes happen.

[r0nr0ntaiwan]

20. Of course.

Why can't black people be racist? In this day and age, if a white person makes an off-color joke (no pun intended), that person can be labelled a "racist" and that's that. If you look in the news, you can see reports of black people singling out white people for the purpose of doing harm. So, yeah, it's possible for black people to be racist. I don't understand how anyone could say otherwise.

Even Herman Cain (a black man) has been criticized as "racist" by other black men. To me, this criticism is faulty, though.

[Mr Deltoid]

22. Racist bigotry is rooted in ignorance

Racist parents raise racist children. A persons level of racism is inversely proportional to their parents education level.

Education is the key to ending racism in most cases.

[Major Hogwash]

24. Herman Cain is a racist.

He claimed he was "the real black man" running for President just a few months ago.
If all he has is color, he's out of gas already.
This week he claimed that Black people who voted for Democrats were brainwashed.
He can't walk that back now, it's too late, he's done.

95% of all Blacks who voted in 2008 voted for President Obama.

McCain got 4%.

[r0nr0ntaiwan]

74. How... ?

How does any of this prove that Herman Cain is a "racist"? Do you really think that he thinks that one race is superior/inferior to another? Doubtful.

Is it OK for liberals/Democrats to make blanket statements about how black people think? Apparently so. But if Herman Cain does it, he's a racist?

Not being politically correct doesn't make one a racist.

[vaberella]

25. Blacks CANNOT be racist! I will explain why.

Racism is not just hating one group over another. Or thinking that one group is more important than another. It is a wide-ranging structure. This is political, this is economical, and this is social persecution. In what way can a Black peoples which make up 10% of the population be racist against White people who make up 60%+ of the population. Explain that to me? The United States, and most all colonized nations ---even with Black majorities still live with byproducts of racism. Colourism, hair typing, and the such are all manifestation and were put in place to make Blacks feel inferior to Whites. To this day the light sking versus dark skin is in effect, to this day Black people are finding ways or ARE bleaching their skin. To this day Black women will sit through 2 hours of hair processing to get their hair as straight as possible. Shit, Black women have reached a point where they believe that their natural hair is more difficult to manage or don't even know how to take care of their natural hair (and be retaught the process) because of these sort of formations in society.

Black people don't have the wide ranging power and/or even population to be racist. They can hate. They can hate with a passion. And that is due to their history. There is a technical term for this, but it escapes me at the moment. Ultimately no. Just as much as women cannot be sexist in a patriarchal society? or LGBT cannot be anti-hetero's in a very hetero/judeo-christian society. Ultimately these groups are continuously abused and disrespected by a majority culture. They are therefore responding to this persecution in various ways---but nothing in which would be deemed racist.

Mainly because they have no way to persecute and hurt the other group through social, economic, or institutional ways. They do not have that power---and really the key with racism or any other -ism is who controls the power dynamic to institute very debilitating policies to another group. Blacks aren't within that power dynamic what so ever. This is why I have written that Blacks live in two worlds. Their own and the one socially accepted which is mainly White Society which is overall American culture.

[dsc]

37. what would you call what happened to the Asian students in Philly

you had black students, black administrators, and a mostly black power structure in the district, which systematically bullied those students for months. I think that defines racism.

[dipsydoodle]

79. That matches my reply #4

Racism is racism.

[Honeycombe8]

38. You're confusing the harmful impact of racism with BEING racist.

You can be a racist, but cause no harm to anyone else, whether it's physical or economical. That doesn't mean you are not a racist.

Racism is attributing to an entire race some negative stereotypes that the person thinks exist, maybe even because the person saw those characteristics in a couple of people belonging to that race.

Sexism is the same thing. Example: A man sees during his weekly commutes two incidents where female drivers got into fender benders, after careless driving while being on cell phones. He concludes the familiar thing we've all heard: Women are bad drivers! Well, most of the women he saw driving that week did not get into accidents. Also, most of the accidents in town that week involved male drivers; this guy just happened to see two that involved women. Third, statistics show that men are worse drivers, in all age ranges. None of this will convince him that what he believes (women are bad drivers) isn't true. It's in his head. He is a sexist, even though it doesn't cause harm to any women, since he is not in a position of power.

BTW, people have the right to be racist or sexist or whatever, in their beliefs. It's their ACTIONS that are controlled by certain laws. But I think we can all agree that we all agree that being racist or sexist or whatever isn't considered a good attribute. No one is proud of being that way, and usu. doesn't recognize it as such. To them, their beliefs are simple truths.

[Mr Deltoid]

41. You dont need wide ranging power or large numbers to be racist

All you have to do is judge people by the color of their skin and you are a racist.

[Cali_Democrat]

42. Correct

This thread is eye opening for sure. I would like to thank the OP for exposing this stuff.

[SpartanDem]

49. Technically you do

the terms racist and bigot have become synonymous in common usage. But in sociology it has been typically been defined in terms of not only bigoted views, but the use of institutions to enforce those views.

[Hosnon]

50. No, actually, you don't. That's if you're talking about institutional racism.

Which is not the only form of racism.

[Mr Deltoid]

51. Individuals can be racists

It does not have to be institutional.

[laugle]

99. Case in point;

the KKK. They are overtly racist, but thankfully IMO, have little power....

[Hosnon]

47. Wrong.

You are describing but one form of racism: institutional racism.

Trying to assert that any person cannot be racist is patently absurd.

[styersc]

75. Sorry, your absolutely wrong.

Everyone has power, everyone has the potential to be racist.

If it makes you feel better to say you are a bigot but because you have no power it's ok- you are wrong again.

[Obamanaut]

82. Racism is the belief that one race is inherently better (or worse) than others.

A racist is one who acts on those beliefs.

This sentence from your message block could be construed to imply racism, where the actions indicate having the hair similar to that another is preferable to that of their own: "...Shit, Black women have reached a point where they believe that their natural hair is more difficult to manage or don't even know how to take care of their natural hair (and be retaught the process) because of these sort of formations in society...."

Anyone can be racist.

[Ignis]

94. This view certainly explains a lot.

Institutional racism is not the same thing as personal racism. However, that does not mean that both do not exist!

:banghead:

[Karenina]

26. Empowerer, I sincerely believe what we have here

and have had for decades is A LANGUAGE PROBLEM.

[OneGrassRoot]

66. I was just going to say the same thing. n/t

[Number23]

104. Only decades? I'm thinking more like centuries

The blurring of the lines between a "bigot" and a "racist."

[Behind the Aegis]

27. Yes.

If one uses the "power" definition, then blacks cannot be racist against whites in this country. Bigoted assholes? You bet! However, part of that definition is power "greater than," and those who have the same or less, can be victims of racism. Blacks can be and are sometimes racist against other blacks, as well as other ethnic minorities.

The real question is does it matter if blacks can be racist or should it matter they can be as big of bigots as any other group?

[XemaSab]

118. Here's the problem with the "power" definition:

We have mostly non-Hispanic white people in this country, and our larger society is white. White people have a lot of advertising power, purchasing power, political power, legal power, and so forth.

But there are large pockets of the country where black people, Asian people, Hispanic people, Native American people, and other groups have power, depending on how "power" is defined.

If I work in a company that has 99 white people and an Asian guy is the head of the company, who has the power?

If there's a town where 80% of the cops are black, does that mean that there's power there?

If there's one rich white kid who grew up in Manhattan going to school in a coal mining town in Appalachia, where is the power?

If you have a play group with 5 Hispanic kids and an Irish kid, who has the power there?

Power can be held on a large scale, as it has historically been held by white people in the Southern US, or it can be local.

Because white people are a majority, it's easy to say that white people always have the power in every situation, but on a local level, it's not always that simple.

[Honeycombe8]

36. I think there is racism in every race to some degree, against some other race (or maybe all races).

What is illegal is not to hire someone because of race or gender or age or whatever. We know that still goes on. But it's illegal. So that means that racism is most harmful, when one race has most of the power, since the part of racism that does the most damage is economical. If you have a black maid, and she's racist, it doesn't matter so much to you, right? Because she can't, like, not hire you for a job. But if you are the black maid, and your boss is a white racist, that is a precarious situation, since you could be fired.

It is legal to be racist. It is immoral, for sure. But Americans are free to think however they want.

[ZombieHorde]

39. I think a more productive question may be, "What is the definition of racism?" nt

[Karenina]

54. THAT is EXACTLY what I'm on about in terms of such

IMPRECISE and charged LANGUAGE used to describe a thing. ANYTHING. We've never developed 100 different words to describe the snowflake as native peoples nearer the pole have. Where I came from, we had wet snow, dry snow and sleet.
Does it matter?

"White" people describe "racism" only as a burning cross, lynching, white hoods and the N-word being slung about willy-nilly.
(OK, that's WAY broad brush; be so very kind to stand on this corner of the intersection with me).

WE perceive our treatment as FEMALES, LGTB, POC, religious minorities, a lifelong, ongoing series of "micro-aggressions" in EVERY ASPECT of our lives. I should very much like anyone reading this to give credence to my assertion.

Please indulge your Tante K with a story from junior high after she'd "integrated" the school. Mind you, she'd not seen another face of her hue in a classroom for 6 years at that time.

Eddie and I were desk mates in the 7th grade. He was a good ol' freckle-faced boy who, once alerted to MY freckles decided I was good as gold. (I'd learned to point out this "commonality" in elementary school). One day the N-word came spewing out of his mouth. As I recall, it was a response. I looked at him agape, only able to say, "EDDIE!"

His response was immediate and defensive. "I DIDN'T MEAN YOU!" (I was always characterized as "one of the good ones" except when issues of skin tone and hair texture came to fore).

I retorted, "DID YOU MEAN MY MOM, SISTERS AND BROTHER?"

He was quite angry and received some support for his ire. But not enough. Teacher got wind of it and by the end of the day he apologized, simply saying, "I didn't mean it." I accepted wholeheartedly. Eddie and I had had a lot of fun together sitting in that classroom editorializing and continued to do so till the end of the semester.

Could or would I apply the term "racist" to my good ol' boy buddy at that time? ABSOLUTELY NOT. But how can I describe the poisoned water he, as a fish, could not identify?

[Supersedeas]

83. thank you for that storyTante K

your episode sounds like different story related in another thread about the poisoned water directed at white liberals...yes, that brush can be broad too, can't it?

Lessons are good, but as the tooth ache developes into something like a body ache, the language Professor starts assumes a different position all together.

"Oh words, what crimes are committed in your name?"
Eugene Ionesco

I guess the absurb play must go on.

[WingDinger]

40. Tired of the bull

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/WingDinger/96

[Cherchez la Femme]

71. Perceptive post

and yet it was adjudged even here as 'less than zero' :eyes:

[WingDinger]

80. I dont let that stop me. Eyeballs and minds still were confronted by it.

If I was given a dime for every paradigm I shifted, I would have starved long ago.

[Hosnon]

48. Of course. Black people are humans too.

I can't think of any personal instances but that's probably a function of my not being black (and therefore not privy to conversations where it would likely pop up).

However, I do think the Kanye West/Taylor Swift incident was motivated in part by racism. If another Black artist had won over Beyonce, I do not think he'd have shown his ass like that.

[loyalsister]

58. Anyone can be racist

It is possible for any person to defend a system that excludes and denigrates people identified as an "other." In this case the majority in power is white.
I have talked with black people who express opinions that perpetuate the attitudes that maintain the status quo. "I think some of them bring it on themselves" "Some go looking for it" are comments I have heard from people who want to identify with the white power structure rather than aligned with people who are oppressed.

[Karenina]

61. That's called "Identification with the oppressor".

But to call it "racist" reveals the lack of working vocabulary we have to describe the nuance so many of us *of ANY AND ALL STRIPES* see and feel and simply DON'T have an accepted vocabulary to describe. The reaction to the DENIAL is often inflammatory, further igniting the DENIAL. Where the DENIAL is a dominant response... I'm not sure how we'll get "there" (whatever your definition) from "here" or even "here" (whatever your definition) from "there".

<"Some go looking for it" are comments I have heard from people who want to identify with the white power structure rather than aligned with people who are oppressed.>

How do you know what they "want?" I'm willing to bet they just want to be left the fuck alone to live in peace. If aligning with the white power structure furthers those goals in their environs... :shrug: I'm sure glad I ain't there.

[loyalsister]

62. You're absolutely correct

But to call it "racist" reveals the lack of working vocabulary we have to describe the nuance so many of us *of ANY AND ALL STRIPES* see and feel and simply DON'T have an accepted vocabulary to describe.

The conversation seems to be repeatedly derailed because of the lack of consensus when it comes to language.

My assessment was based on conversations with friends who have pointed out a tendency of people they have known who have rejected their history and families in favor of being a part of white social groups. Sort of an extreme form of "passing."

[Number23]

105. What an interesting and welcome post!

Thank you for your perspective.

It is possible for any person to defend a system that excludes and denigrates people identified as an "other." In this case the majority in power is white.
I have talked with black people who express opinions that perpetuate the attitudes that maintain the status quo.

Well said.

[MFrohike]

60. Yes

A lot of people in this thread have jumped on the "academic" definition of racism. I call it academic because while I know I read a lot of it in my undergrad days, that was a while back. The academic definition was never persuasive to me because it was clear that the author was attempting to evade the stigma of a dirty word with linguistic gymnastics.

If you dislike, hate, make unfounded assumptions about, or generally prejudge people on essentially genetic characteristics, you are indulging in racism. You can dance around the word by talking about power, impact, and whatever you like, but those are the gymnastics to which I referred. The stigma of the word racism has led more than one writer to make attempts to avoid it by any means possible. Well-meaning people take these attempts at face value without seeing their silliness. The words racism and racist are symbolic of behavior and attitudes. They are not some absolute marker in and of themselves. Extended, and tired, explanations of how a symbol for a given behavior doesn't really apply to some people who are acting in the defined manner are excuses.

This kind of jumping around is fundamentally dishonest. If you want to denounce racism, do it. Don't make excuses for people. Just do it.

[cheapdate]

63. What a strange question.

Of course black people can be racists. Obviously we have to have a mutual understanding of the definition of racism, but I think that a belief that skin color indicates inherent inferiority in the capacity for intelligence and moral behavior is about as uncomplicated definition as you can find.

[LatteLibertine]

67. It depends on how you define the term

Anyone may be bigoted, and in some meaning of the word, racist.

Black folks that hate on other black people for being "too dark" may be doing so because of the legacy of the white supremacist mindset.

I've seen vehement bigotry within a perceived racial group and across racial lines. So I wouldn't say irrational intolerance or hatred of other races is limited to one group. That in of itself is racist in one definition of the word.

Dictionary defs-

a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.

a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.

hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.

[Cherchez la Femme]

68. Any person of any race, color or creed can be racist

or bigoted, etc.

Duh.

[slackmaster]

69. LOL!

:kick:

[JustAnotherGen]

77. Only amongst ourselves

There is a long explanation behind my subject line that would probable be misunderstood by most of D U - but I'll let it stand.


Now can we bigoted assholes? Yes. I've experienced it first hand in how my mother has been treated (she's white) by black people. I've seen it in how people treat my friend Nhu (she's Vietnamrs), my brother's ex wife (she is Puerto Rican), and my friend Cat (she's Korean - tend to date black men). The difference is, these black folks have not keep any of these women from having a job, limited their choice in housing, etc etc

[Fearless]

81. Anyone can be racist just the same as anyone can be homophobic or whatever however...

Those who experience such treatment personally are far less likely to engage in it. That said, being a gender, race, ethnicity, orientation, etc. does not preclude ones ability to hate.

[Beacool]

85. Of course they can be racist, just like any other group of people.

Ever seen the reaction when a white woman goes out with a black man?

:(

[Cali_Democrat]

90. Please explain....

Thank you in advance.

[Beacool]

91. You get nasty comments from both sides.

When I was in my late teens in FL I gave a ride to an AA friend and took him home. The insults from some men who were hanging around ranged from b*tch, whore on down. Years later I was walking with another friend on, of all places, 8th St. in Greenwich Village and a bunch of white jerks yelled racist epithets.

Similar reaction in both incidents, but one was by a group of AA men and the other by a group of white guys.

:shrug:

[Cali_Democrat]

92. Thank you for sharing your experiences.

[Beacool]

93. No problem...........

:hi:

[lumberjack_jeff]

86. If dictionaries have any say in the matter, then yes.

"This is why we don't trust white people - Louis Farrakhan"

[Cigar11]

89. Is this a rhetorical question? n/

[and-justice-for-all]

95. Of course there are...nt

[BigEd7]

96. I grew up in a mostly black neighborhood and I can safely say...yes there are racist black people.

I speak from experience in having been called every derogatory "white slur" you can name. I've also experienced black friends who consider any racism a horrible thing as do many white people. This question is from a very narrow point of view and experience.

All races are quite capable of learning to hate each other.

[AngkorWot]

97. Sure, there are black racists.

Herman Cain, for example.

[secondwind]

102. do you blame them?

[Marnie]

103. Why would Blacks not be just as capable of being racists

as any other race?

Can you explain that difference in abilities without being racist?

Also too,if all other races except Blacks are inherently, which is to say genetically,racists, then it is, by genetic predetermination, impossible form them to not be racists.

So calling a non Black a racist is to disparage that person's genetic make up, which would be racist.

[jzodda]

106. Odd question...

Since we start with the assumption that blacks are humans right? Well if so then of course they can be racist!

I mean anybody can think anything really, no matter how odd or untrue- Its called HUMAN NATURE.

[jaysunb]

107. Can you be a conqueror and a captive simultaneously ?

:shrug:

[Behind the Aegis]

109. Yes.

[r0nr0ntaiwan]

111. Irrelevant?

Since a racist believes in the inherent inferiority or superiority of a race, being in power isn't such an issue. I'm not saying that it CAN'T be an issue or has NEVER been an issue... but it's not necessary. There are white people in power that aren't racist. There very well may be white people in power that are racist. There are black people in power, as well.

[LittleBlue]

108. Only whites can be racist, huh? lol just lol

Definition of RACISM
1: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2: racial prejudice or discrimination
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism?show=0&t=1318214506


Some people are working overtime trying to make this party look bad with this bullshit.

[WingDinger]

113. False premise. Read this.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/WingDinger/96