Racial Discrimination? More blatant examples? More subtle?

[DawnCt1]

DS#4 has to do a paper on discrimination and he wants to do it on racial discrimination. He asked me to ask "you" what you see as the more blatant examples of current racial discrimination and what you see as the more subtle examples. Thanks. He's got a bunch of stuff written but he wanted to expand his paper.

 

[Buckalew11]

Not sure what you want...but I once had a lady tell me (she was white) that she and a friend were shopping at a discount type store and when they both paid with cash, the cashier gave the white lady her change back in her hand and for the black lady she laid it on the counter for her to pick up (like she did not want to touch her hand). Was that the reason? I don't know but it does seem strange, doesn't it?

I saw a special on a show like 20/20 about this type of thing. It was very interesting and most of the time seemed like a matter of perspective. For instance, in a diner, a white lady was served her plate rushed and sorta tossed in front of her. She decided the waitress was having a bad day. When the waitress served the black lady the same way, her perception was that it happened like that because of her race. Interesting results that could be true both ways...

Sometimes I feel like I'm treated certain ways because I'm a woman and not a man. White and not a difference race, blonde instead of brunette--however, I do think racism is a problem and probably always will be unfortunately. I remember being treated differently at the pediatrician's office until the doctor found out who my sister was...then it all changed for the better. Made me hopping mad.

I'm sure it will be an interesting paper.

 

[missypie]

I've always wondered about the effect of a person's name on job applications. Does a Shaniqua or Sh'NaeNae have the same shot at a job interview at Nieman Marcus as a Brittany or an Olivia?

 

[Chicago526]

I took a Poli/sci class a few years ago, and had a conversation with another student (I'm white, she's black, just for prespective). This class was in IL, but she was from the South originaly. She was saying how much better it was up here compared to in the South, even these days. But she did tell me how much more subtle racism is (if more rare) here compared to her home. She said where she was from, if a black person wanted to rent an apartment and the landlord was racist, he'd just say "I don't rent to blacks" and send the would-be renter on their way. Here she said that you'd show up to see the apartment and they'd just tell you "Oh, I'm sorry, it's just been rented". When I asked her how she knew that wasn't true, she said because she'd see the same place advertised in the paper a week later.

 

[missypie]

I saw a special on a show like 20/20 about this type of thing. It was very interesting and most of the time seemed like a matter of perspective. For instance, in a diner, a white lady was served her plate rushed and sorta tossed in front of her. She decided the waitress was having a bad day. When the waitress served the black lady the same way, her perception was that it happened like that because of her race. Interesting results that could be true both ways...

I've always thought that to know what it feels like to be a black person in America, one should be an American tourist in Paris. When the gift shop sales person is rude to you, is it because you're an American, or because she's just rude? When you go into an empty restaurant and are told there are no tables available, is it because you're an American, or is it because they really are full up with reservations? It's the feeling of not knowing whether or not the bad thing that just happened is by chance or because of your nationality (or race).

 

[DawnCt1]

I've always wondered about the effect of a person's name on job applications. Does a Shaniqua or Sh'NaeNae have the same shot at a job interview at Nieman Marcus as a Brittany or an Olivia?

THAT is an interesting perspective. I think another perspective is that when a black person is successful, a graduate of an ivy league school, a CEO, etc. There is an assumption that it is because of affirmative action. I recall economist Thomas Sowell saying that he was grateful that he had completed his education and his achievement prior to 'affirmative action' because there would be that existant assumption that he didn't achieve it on his own.

 

[DawnCt1]

Then there is the case of the New Haven firefighters, who despite excelling in the written exam, were not given the promotions that they were entitled to, because not enough 'non whites' did well. They prevailed in court. I don't like the term "reverse discrimination". All discrimination is wrong.

 

[FireDancer]

I see a big difference in the way racism is reported by the media. It seems like they go out of their way to avoid race when a minority commits a crime against a white person but bend over backwards to point out race when it is the other way around.

When white police officers shoot a black suspect there are protests and the policemen are called racist while some people push for the prosecution of a hate crime. Those same people aren't protesting a black man shooting white police officers and the same media outlets don't mention a hate crime.

Look at the the difference in how the Harvard professor and the Columbia professor were covered. The black Harvard professor is questioned by police because a neighbor calls them and there is a meeting at the White House. A black Columbia professor punches a white woman after a discussion about "White Privilege" and it gets no where near the same coverage.

Whether we are black, white, Arab, or other the media makes it look like all of us go around everyday and just think about race. People like Rush and Rev. AL perpetuate this because it pushes their own agenda. I know a lot of people who fall into the minority category and none of us go around all day thinking about race. We just live our lives and get along and I think that is what the majority of the country does. While racism does exist it is not the norm, it is the exception but it is the exception equally by all parties. The media seems to skew it differently than is reality.

 

[okeydokey]

The most blatant recent example I can think of is the Justice of the Peace in LA that refused to marry an interracial couple.

 

[BeachGirlFLA]

I see a big difference in the way racism is reported by the media. It seems like they go out of their way to avoid race when a minority commits a crime against a white person but bend over backwards to point out race when it is the other way around.

When white police officers shoot a black suspect there are protests and the policemen are called racist while some people push for the prosecution of a hate crime. Those same people aren't protesting a black man shooting white police officers and the same media outlets don't mention a hate crime.

Look at the the difference in how the Harvard professor and the Columbia professor were covered. The black Harvard professor is questioned by police because a neighbor calls them and there is a meeting at the White House. A black Columbia professor punches a white woman after a discussion about "White Privilege" and it gets no where near the same coverage.

Whether we are black, white, Arab, or other the media makes it look like all of us go around everyday and just think about race. People like Rush and Rev. AL perpetuate this because it pushes their own agenda. I know a lot of people who fall into the minority category and none of us go around all day thinking about race. We just live our lives and get along and I think that is what the majority of the country does. While racism does exist it is not the norm, it is the exception but it is the exception equally by all parties. The media seems to skew it differently than is reality.

I agree with this.

 

[npmommie]

THAT is an interesting perspective. I think another perspective is that when a black person is successful, a graduate of an ivy league school, a CEO, etc. There is an assumption that it is because of affirmative action. I recall economist Thomas Sowell saying that he was grateful that he had completed his education and his achievement prior to 'affirmative action' because there would be that existant assumption that he didn't achieve it on his own.

This is what I don't understand, while affirmative action may have gotten them a place in the Ivy league school, they still have to earn the degree, doing the work and passing. the degree is not handed to them, it must still be earned, no matter how they got into the school.

 

[NikitaZee]

My first husband was a full-blood Lakota Sioux, and he told me of several instances that he encountered that he considered subtle but noticeable. He stepped into an elevator, and the woman who was in the elevator hugged her purse close to her body after he got in. Also, he noticed women locking their car doors when he would walk past them. He wasn't scary looking by any means, just tall with waist length black hair - he was noticeably Native American. I don't know if it would be considered discrimination, but he definitely thought it was because of his race.

 

[allison443]

I've always wondered about the effect of a person's name on job applications. Does a Shaniqua or Sh'NaeNae have the same shot at a job interview at Nieman Marcus as a Brittany or an Olivia?

Not sure why you're referencing a job at Neiman Marcus, but I just read an article this morning about African American college grads trying to get corporate jobs and whether they face discrimination. Some are removing references on their resumes to things like the African American business students association, an "ethnic-sounding" middle name, etc.
Link to the article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/01/us/01race.html?em

The article refers to a well-known study done a few years ago called "Are Emily and Greg More Employable than Lakisha and Jamal?"
Here's the link to the study
http://www.economics.harvard.edu/faculty/mullainathan/files/emilygreg.pdf

Basically, the study found that resumes with "white names" received 50% more callbacks than resumes submitted with "African American sounding names".

 

[Rora]

Maybe look at punishments for the same crime for different races?

 

[Kim&Chris]

I see a big difference in the way racism is reported by the media. It seems like they go out of their way to avoid race when a minority commits a crime against a white person but bend over backwards to point out race when it is the other way around.

When white police officers shoot a black suspect there are protests and the policemen are called racist while some people push for the prosecution of a hate crime. Those same people aren't protesting a black man shooting white police officers and the same media outlets don't mention a hate crime.

Look at the the difference in how the Harvard professor and the Columbia professor were covered. The black Harvard professor is questioned by police because a neighbor calls them and there is a meeting at the White House. A black Columbia professor punches a white woman after a discussion about "White Privilege" and it gets no where near the same coverage.

Whether we are black, white, Arab, or other the media makes it look like all of us go around everyday and just think about race. People like Rush and Rev. AL perpetuate this because it pushes their own agenda. I know a lot of people who fall into the minority category and none of us go around all day thinking about race. We just live our lives and get along and I think that is what the majority of the country does. While racism does exist it is not the norm, it is the exception but it is the exception equally by all parties. The media seems to skew it differently than is reality.

I completely agree. The media seems to love reporting (ad nauseum) issues if the alleged victim is a minority. However, reverse issues seem to be brushed over.

 

[smkiya]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2316527

I worked at the Disney Store over the holidays last year...it was ALOT of fun - How could it not? They encourage you to know your characters, ('specially Princesses!) and movies - so you can promote certain items and know when a frantic mother is in on Black Friday and looking for a specific character, you know exactly what/who they're looking for. I'd say 90% of the people (mostly women) are happy when they come in - You'll be amazed at the other 10%, but I guess that's most of retail.

We got 20% off store purchases, the ability to watch the new merchandise come in off the truck, and be there during the mark-down sales.

Make no mistake, you ARE a Disney Cast Member (Even if Disney no longer owns the stores!!) Therefore, the same perfection that you see at the parks flows over to the stores - I'm well into my 40's, and one day was 're-trained' on how to properly organize beanie babies in a bin. Merely straightening them several times a day (as you will with most of the merchandise) wasn't enough. I had to 'fully understand' cramming the most I could into a bin, even if a child were to remove one, 10 would come falling out onto the floor...it's all about moving merchandise...didn't matter how much time I spent picking these 'babies' up off the floor all day long.

While working the cash register, you're "timed" - Faster, faster...get people thru the line...no one should have to wait (even on the day after Thanksgiving!) Faster, faster, hurry up. Well, a girl that started with me sometimes forgot to remove the security tag from some of the high-end clothing, therefore making the customer have to return to the store to have it removed. You're probably thinking to yourself "But are there not security buzzers at the entry doors that would go off?" Well, ours hadn't worked in 3 years we were told, so it was our responsiblity to make sure to remove these tags...not the store's responsibility to get the security system fixed. The girl was let go after 3 customers returned to have their tags removed from their clothing.

Then, for minimum wage, we were encouraged to "follow" and "make regular eye contact" with people who's skin color was different than ours, if you know what I mean - this was The Disney Store's way of "Loss Prevention" - but even if the "person who's skin was different than ours" walked out with a $100 item, we were not allowed to confront or discourage their exit from the store.
I was able to get great water globes for 70% off and spent all my paycheck buying Disney Christmas gifts on sale and at a discount.

Would I work there again? Yea...but I'd learn how to straighten Beanie Babies more effectively.

This was taken from a thread a couple months ago, and I was surprised at the lack of responses to it. It still bothers me...

 

[DawnCt1]

My first husband was a full-blood Lakota Sioux, and he told me of several instances that he encountered that he considered subtle but noticeable. He stepped into an elevator, and the woman who was in the elevator hugged her purse close to her body after he got in. Also, he noticed women locking their car doors when he would walk past them. He wasn't scary looking by any means, just tall with waist length black hair - he was noticeably Native American. I don't know if it would be considered discrimination, but he definitely thought it was because of his race.

When I was a child I lived for a while in Boston, Ma. I went to an interracial school, had black friends, etc. When we went to live with my grandmother in Princeton, Me, there were no blacks but the native Americans lived on a reservation across the river. That is where the "movie hall" was. After dark, if any "indians" came into town, the phone would ring...like a phone chain. I was shocked. It was like living in the dark ages and I noticed it at the age of 5. Very foreign to me. They were looked down upon and largely ignored as if they didn't exist. Sad. Who would have thunk it in Maine. DH was stunned when I told him. It sounded like another century.

 

[DawnCt1]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2316527



This was taken from a thread a couple months ago, and I was surprised at the lack of responses to it. It still bothers me...

That was "interesting". I wonder if its true or if they were encouraged to make eye contact with ALL customers?

 

[FireDancer]

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?t=2316527



This was taken from a thread a couple months ago, and I was surprised at the lack of responses to it. It still bothers me...

That is just a weird policy. The whole "with people who's skin color was different than ours" means to me that white employees had to watch out for all non-white customers, black employees had to watch out for all non-black customers, Asian employees had to look out for non-Asian customers, and so on.

That is just strange and sad in the year 2009. Suspicious behavior is suspicious behavior regardless of race.

 

[wenrob]

My first husband was a full-blood Lakota Sioux, and he told me of several instances that he encountered that he considered subtle but noticeable. He stepped into an elevator, and the woman who was in the elevator hugged her purse close to her body after he got in. Also, he noticed women locking their car doors when he would walk past them. He wasn't scary looking by any means, just tall with waist length black hair - he was noticeably Native American. I don't know if it would be considered discrimination, but he definitely thought it was because of his race.

Like someone mentioned above I think those kinds of things are perspective. I secure my purse and lock my door when any man is near. Actually I do those things regardless because it's how I was taught. As a woman shopping on her own you have certain things ingrained from a very early age. For instance I'm sure I really would have offended your ex because as a woman alone there is no way I would have stepped onto an elevator with a man alone. I would have stepped off had he gotten on with me and no one else was around. That's self preservation not a race thing for me. White, black, whatever, if you can over power me physically I'm going take precautions kwim?

I agree with the poster who said since President Obama has been elected it seems worse. The pure hatred in some just stuns me.