Does anyone feel this way?

[browneyes106]

I have been watching the What Would You Do series on Primetime for the past couple of years. The one thing that bugs me is that they never show situations of white people being discrimated or dealing with racism from minorities. I think there are a lot of forms of discrimination that gets ignored in society and the media. I'm Hispanic but I'm a quarter white. My dad is half white. I grew up in New Mexico and it is pretty common and accepted for white people to be discriminated by Hispanics and Native Americans. Do any of you feel this way or have been in similar situations? Racism is a universal condition.

 

[DisneyMomOK]

I have been watching the What Would You Do series on Primetime for the past couple of years. The one thing that bugs me is that they never show situations of white people being discrimated or dealing with racism from minorities. I think there are a lot of forms of discrimination that gets ignored in society and the media. I'm Hispanic but I'm a quarter white. My dad is half white. I grew up in New Mexico and it is pretty common and accepted for white people to be discriminated by Hispanics and Native Americans. Do any of you feel this way or have been in similar situations? Racism is a universal condition.

I want to commend you for recognizing that there are problems on all sides. To diminish someone for their color or ethnicity is always wrong, but, unfortunately, it happens. I worked for an agency that had one supervisor that would not hire white women. White men, he would hire, and women, who were not white, but, no matter the qualifications, he would not hire white women. He finally retired after someone was brave enough to call him on it and file an EEO complaint.

 

[Mom2Satan&Daisy]

I agree this ... all races get discriminated against.

 

[bluesaturn]

I agree with you, there is racism in all directions. I think when you are biracial/multiracial you really see this, because you actually do encounter it from multiple directions.

 

[browneyes106]

I agree with you, there is racism in all directions. I think when you are biracial/multiracial you really see this, because you actually do encounter it from multiple directions.

I agree. My dad is half white/half Hispanic and more Hispanic gave him a hard time growing up and they would call honky boy and a lot of mean names. I see it from different angles. New Mexico is a state drive by Hispanic race supremacists. In the state government here there is race preferences and as result they are a lot of under qualified people that have high positions in government. It really bugs me that the media never touches on racism against white people. I remember 7th Heaven did an episode where a white character was the victim of a hate crime.

 

[shortbun]

the only time I've been discriminated against was when I was in an Asian country, alone, as a blonde, caucasian I caused quite a stir walking down the street in small towns. I was surrounded, pushed, pointed at and things were yelled at me. I couldn't get service in a restaurant. Because of my experience, I am pretty sensitive to discrimination now. I hate it. I feel that although there is cross discrimination in every racial mix, some of it is more violent than others and some of it is pretty understandable although still abhorent.

 

[daisax]

I've been white all my life and I've never seen or experienced anti-white racism.

I'm sure there are bigots in all races, but nobody's holding the white folks back in American society as a whole.

 

[Liberty Belle]

I'm white. I may have been discriminated against once because of my color when I joined a new job. All of my co-workers were black and they were cold to me, didn't include me, I suspect laughed about me. It could have been my color, but maybe they just didn't like me.

I'm sure it does happen. And probably in areas where minorities are not the minority, it happens quite often. I've just not experienced it.

The other day in class one of the students came up to me and said, "White people don't like Obama." I asked him what color I was, he said white, and I told him I liked Obama very much. I asked him what color he was and he said black, and I told him I liked him very much, too. He hugged me and we talked about our skin color (I thought his was prettier, he thought mine was prettier) and then he gave me a little lesson about MLK, Jr and how we wouldn't be allowed to hug or be friends before MLK came along.

I'm not sure who told him that white people didn't like Obama and I have no idea how it was said, but I'm glad he told me so I could set the record straight.

 

[golfgal]

I've been white all my life and I've never seen or experienced anti-white racism.

I'm sure there are bigots in all races, but nobody's holding the white folks back in American society as a whole.

Are you sure about that??? Have you ever lost out on a job to affirmative action? There is a lot that goes on that discriminates against whites but it is acceptable and ok because the minorities have been 'held back' their whole lives. Sorry, this just doesn't fly with me. There are so many programs and money available to minority groups to go to get an education, go to college, etc and if you don't take advantage of those, who is holding whom back? It would be nice if affirmative action was gone and people were hired/fired whatevered by qualifications and nothing else.

There are new statistics out that 1 in 7 "Americans" are illiterate and the worst states are places like California. Could there be a correlation perhaps with the number on non-English speaking people in California? Are they really illiterate or can they just not read English? The solution is to throw more money into educating people and teaching them English--great, good, go for it however you can only do so much if someone isn't willing to learn. In the mean time, schools are forced to spend millions to teach kids English and then the English speaking kids are put at a great disadvantage because their class sizes and programs are being cut. Are you sure you haven't been discriminated against?

 

[eliza61]

First, when I use words like you, me etc. I mean you as in " entire group" not anyone specifically or op personally. OK

Logically we all know racism is a universal situation but unfortunately this country was built on the subjecation of mainly 2 ethnic groups. African American and Native Americans.

We have been the major recievers of what I call institutionalize racism. Basically up until 50 years ago it has been perfectly legal to discriminate against these groups.

Sure affirmative action stinks to some, but try having german sheppard dogs sicced on you for standing outside a store (when I was 6) or being enslaved for 200 years. Having your children ripped out of your arms and sold or used for alligator bait.

I think one of the problems that many caucasians nowadays have (maybe rightly)is " hey that happen before I was born and how long do I have to pay for the sins of my fathers"? Unfortunately it's going to take more than 1 generation, (and it's only been 1 generation since my father is a silver star medal winner from korea and Vietnam then return home to Louisiana where he was not even allowed to work in the cities hotel because he was black) to undue the damage.

The Native Americans as a race still have not recovered from having their land stolen from them and herded onto reservations. You (caucasian americans made treaty after treaty with them that you never kept) then tried to literally steal their heritage by forcing their children to be "reeducated"

All of these things have long term psychological, emotional, financial devistating damages.

When you systematically set out to destroy entire races because you think yours is superior, Sorry op you generally don't get a lot of sympathy when it happens to you.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I've had some pretty nasty things said to me for all sorts of reasons: some for being white, some for not being white enough, some for my religion, some for being female, some for being educated and some for being a SAHM. I once got in a conversation with a person who told me "There can't be anti white racism" . His position lead me to believe that there is a subculture that thinks Caucasians can't possibly be hated enough for it to be considered bigotry... sort of that I deserve it so there shouldn't be any expectation of boundaries

 

[disneyjunkie]

Are you sure about that??? Have you ever lost out on a job to affirmative action?

If daisax is a woman, she could have recieved a job due to affirmative action. Plenty of woman (of all races) have benefited from affirmative action.

 

[Gagirl69]

I feel the same way. I went to walmart to pick up a site to store web order. When I walked up, there was a black lady standing at the counter waiting to be helped. I asked her how long she had been waiting. She said she had pressed the button twice but no one had come to help. A worker walked by at the time, I said we need some help over here. Shortly, a black lady came to help us. The lady was telling me she didn't have her license so she hoped she didn't ask. She was also supposed to bring the email that is sent. She had neither. The walmart worker never asked for her id. I get up to the counter, I hand her my email. She then asked to see my id. I am white, and I felt that is the only reason she made me do that. Because she did not make the black lady that didn't have her email or her id. Reverse descrimination?
I started to say something but I didn't. Should I have said something?

 

[eliza61]

I feel the same way. I went to walmart to pick up a site to store web order. When I walked up, there was a black lady standing at the counter waiting to be helped. I asked her how long she had been waiting. She said she had pressed the button twice but no one had come to help. A worker walked by at the time, I said we need some help over here. Shortly, a black lady came to help us. The lady was telling me she didn't have her license so she hoped she didn't ask. She was also supposed to bring the email that is sent. She had neither. The walmart worker never asked for her id. I get up to the counter, I hand her my email. She then asked to see my id. I am white, and I felt that is the only reason she made me do that. Because she did not make the black lady that didn't have her email or her id. Reverse descrimination?
I started to say something but I didn't. Should I have said something?

From a walmart worker Nah (sorry for the jib, I'm an ex walmarter, with some serious hate for that organization)

Anyway, there could have been a million reasons why she asked to see your id. I can tell you she was in most cases simply going through the routine, you handed her the email so she thought to aske for id. Now if she had walked away from you and totally ignored you like you weren't there, that might have been another story.

 

[Talking Hands]

The other day in class one of the students came up to me and said, "White people don't like Obama." I asked him what color I was, he said white, and I told him I liked Obama very much. I asked him what color he was and he said black, and I told him I liked him very much, too. He hugged me and we talked about our skin color (I thought his was prettier, he thought mine was prettier) and then he gave me a little lesson about MLK, Jr and how we wouldn't be allowed to hug or be friends before MLK came along.

I was hugging black people long before MLK, Jr came along. I grew up in a military family and there was no discrimination between the races. Now between the ranks yes. Discrimination comes in many forms.
I remember few few years back when I first visited the deaf ministry at my church I arrived at dinner early and went to the tables my friend had to me to go to. There was one deaf man sitting there. I sat down and said hello and chatted but also voiced as my husband doesn't sign. The man got very angry and told me the tables were for deaf only and I needed to leave. I explained that I was invited by so and so. Ok I could stay but since my husband was fully hearing he must leave. Btw at the time this occured I was hard of hearing and just becoming part of the deaf community. Still HoH and now my husband is as well. This man now accepts us as part of the group.

 

[DVC~OKW~96]

Talking Hands, as you know there is a very defined hierarchy in the deaf community. There are the elite, deaf born of deaf parents, the next group, born deaf of at least one hearing parent, then those who were deafened after birth, yet at a young age, those who were born HH, those who went on to be deafened (LDA, Late Deafened Adults) and those who go on to be HH.

Very pronounced categorization. The deaf are a community well used to being discriminated against, misunderstood, marginalized, ignored.

Reverse discrimination means to single out a person from the group which is being discriminated against and treat that person well. It does not mean to discriminate against a member of the group that has been doing the most discriminating up to that point.

To explain it using an example: If the hetersexual group singles out a member of the gay group and treats that single gay person well, THAT is reverse discrimination.

Discrimination exists. Period. If given a little though, most any person can find some way in which s/he has been discriminated against.

 

[tazdev3225]

I experienced anti-white feelings several times in my life. I actually had rocks thrown at me the first time I went to college by a group of blacks boys as they called me several names and told me to get out of their neighborhood. I went to Temple Univ. and it is in a black neighborhood. I was a co-manager of a city softball team, it was my DH's co-workers. During a conversation one of them told me I didn't understand why black kids turn to selling drugs because I was never poor. My dad worked 3 jobs sometimes so that we had the necessities but we were poor. I did agree that I didn't understand poor from his perspective but I knew poor. My DS is now facing discrimination trying to get a job with the city. DH knows quite a few people in the department he is trying to get in and was told by someone high up in it that they are under orders to hire almost all black right now.
Discrimination comes in many versions and is wrong no matter what.

 

[Judy from Boise]

certainly bigotry and ignorance exists in every race, since people are people.
When I was a child in Hawaii I was horrendously discriminated against because i was a haole and a military kid.

 

[DisneyMomOK]

First, when I use words like you, me etc. I mean you as in " entire group" not anyone specifically or op personally. OK

Logically we all know racism is a universal situation but unfortunately this country was built on the subjecation of mainly 2 ethnic groups. African American and Native Americans.

We have been the major recievers of what I call institutionalize racism. Basically up until 50 years ago it has been perfectly legal to discriminate against these groups.

Sure affirmative action stinks to some, but try having german sheppard dogs sicced on you for standing outside a store (when I was 6) or being enslaved for 200 years. Having your children ripped out of your arms and sold or used for alligator bait.

I think one of the problems that many caucasians nowadays have (maybe rightly)is " hey that happen before I was born and how long do I have to pay for the sins of my fathers"? Unfortunately it's going to take more than 1 generation, (and it's only been 1 generation since my father is a silver star medal winner from korea and Vietnam then return home to Louisiana where he was not even allowed to work in the cities hotel because he was black) to undue the damage.

The Native Americans as a race still have not recovered from having their land stolen from them and herded onto reservations. You (caucasian americans made treaty after treaty with them that you never kept) then tried to literally steal their heritage by forcing their children to be "reeducated"

All of these things have long term psychological, emotional, financial devistating damages.

When you systematically set out to destroy entire races because you think yours is superior, Sorry op you generally don't get a lot of sympathy when it happens to you.

I trace my ancestry (on my paternal grandmother's side) back to an Eastern Cherokee boy who came to this state, once called "Indian Territory", on the Trail of Tears. I know that many cruel and unconscionable things have happened in the past (thank God Indian boarding schools as you described have not operated in that manner for many decades), but I still do not believe that wrongs from the past are paid by cruel actions of today. Diminishing others can never be the right path to follow.

We all appreciate your father's service (my own father was a veteran of WWII ) and I am sorry that the South 50 years ago was a cruel bastion of racial discrimination that disrespected those that served it so well. However, IIRC, you mentioned in another post on college funding on the Budget Board, that your parents were "lawyers and doctors" so, I am glad, he was able to attend college and escape an environment that did not appreciate him.

 

[daisax]

There is a lot that goes on that discriminates against whites but it is acceptable and ok because the minorities have been 'held back' their whole lives.

Define "a lot." Generally speaking, the people I hear complaining of this probably didn't get the job on their own (lack of) merits. But they need a scapegoat, so they blame minorities.

As another poster pointed out, white women have been the group that has benefitted the most from affirmative action. I don't think it has directly impacted my personal career in a formal (corporate quota) sense, but I know my boss is very proactive about hiring women because his wife was a pioneer in her (male dominated) field and he has three daughters in professional careers.

As for the Walmart story ... do you think maybe nobody came (or was in a hurry to come) to the counter to help the lady who was black because she was black, and then once a white lady showed up they sent somebody over (who then asked for your id)? Sounds like a lot of attitude adjusting (of employees of all races) are needed at that store!

Personally, I've witnessed lackadaisical customer service/attendance to minorities in businesses (the minority person will have been at the counter waiting, then the store person will address me and ask if I need help and I have to point out that the other person has been waiting.) I haven't been on the receiving end of snotty treatment by minority store clerks/businesspeople.

I'm sure incidents happen... I just don't see us as white folks experiencing anything approaching the kind of pervasive racism and discrimination that other people do.