Comments on: Casual racism in the age of Obama

By: ariel

ariel — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 16:52:06 +0000

as one half of a bi-racial relationship in the south…i can only say i wish we had a webcam on us at all times! it is shocking how most people react to seeing us a couple…at a school we worked at for years…we had a policeman pull out his gun when he saw Jamal..can you imagine? can you imagine having to think about whether or not you can even say a casual hello to a tot passing you by without fear that you will be held as a child molester?
i met a black male pediatrician who shared that story..and he is a doctor!
as for racism disappearing…not on your life! it is well..and institutionalized and woven into every fabric of american life. how do you stand up to the invisible? and would you?

By: Tim Oliver

Tim Oliver — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 15:07:03 +0000

The exact same thing happened to Rita, and I, when we were leaving a concert, downtown, last fall. A black cab driver, African immigrant, picked us up, completely ignoring a young black couple who hailed him, before us. I paused, but, opened the door, and tried to usher them in, and the driver yelled at me “No, YOU get in, NOT them !” I was embaressed, and gave the obviously angry couple a sad shrug. When I shut the door, as they both cursed the driver, he said “No, you will rob me and kill me !”
Talk about a buzz kill. I felt completely inadequate as to how to respond, but, it was his call, and, his life.

By: Valerie Boyd

Valerie Boyd — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:36:14 +0000

Hi Keith,
Interesting questions you raise. As an African-American, I would have responded to the Nigerian taxi driver because we could have discussed the long and painful history between Africans and African-Americans, and the misconceptions on both sides. But as a white American, I don’t think you had the tools to respond with anything more than the shock that you and your wife registered.

On the other hand, if a WHITE person were saying racist things, as in the other examples you give, you, as a white person,would have a responsibility to speak up. Even if it causes a scene. Even if it starts an unpleasant debate. Even if it ruins dinner. I believe white people are too often cowardly about speaking up against racist views that they don’t share. In cases like that, you are the best people to speak up because if I–as a black person–speak up, I’m often not heard. Instead, the white person who’s making the racist comments will label me as “overly sensitive” or as an “angry black woman.” So African-Americans are often not in a position to effectively challenge white people on racism and be truly heard. That’s the role and responsibility of good white people. If you don’t speak up, your silence may inadvertently signal agreement (to the racist and to others looking on), and, at best, it allows the racism to live on, unchallenged. As MLK Jr. said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”

By: Montana L

Montana L — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 14:25:04 +0000

I prefer to make them awkward via the long long pause. Then as soon as the tirade is over, excuse yourself in some manner calculated to make them feel ridiculous. “OK, I’ve got to go stare out the window now, nice talking to you.”

This, yeah, you can’t do with a taxi driver. I would have just acted like I’d never heard such a theory as his. “Really? What makes you say that?” etc.

By: Melinda Ennis

Melinda Ennis — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 12:12:26 +0000

How many times through the years have any of us of a certain age experienced that cringe-inducing (and shameful) moment you describe so well? Do you create a scene at a dinner party hosted by friends of your parents? Do you walk out? Or, do you quietly say that you don’t appreciate such comments? I have tried the latter, but I admit, not to much impact. Luckily, I don’t think my sons have ever had such an experience and would be bewildered to encounter even casual racism.
The Nigerian cab driver story is indeed a problem I wish any of us had answers for. Racial profiling keeps black men in suits from being able to hail a cab in NYC (I’ve seen this myself when traveling with an associate). On the other hand, one could argue that all police work in history has been conducted based on racial profiling (“black youth holds up liquor store ” )—So who are they supposed to look for—middle-aged white women? I wish any of us had the answers. But I think common sense has to rule. I don’t think the Nigerian was acting out of racism, but from experience.

By: LikeTheDew (LikeTheDew)

LikeTheDew (LikeTheDew) — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 03:55:16 +0000

New blog post: Casual racism in the age of Obama http://tinyurl.com/ddenvd

By: Billy Howard

Billy Howard — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 02:44:57 +0000

You’ve hit the big southern question square on the head and it is probably impossible to respond with a single answer. It has as many answers as there are people fighting for justice and as many answers as there are otherwise good intentioned people sideswiped by their own circumstances, like the cab driver, whose stereotypes unfairly target one person while in his mind protect him from perceived danger (which in his business does not necessarily make him paranoid.) His life is more vulnerable, riding around in a car, picking up unknown people who may or may not want to do him harm and the buzz around him may be more difficult to ignore than the intellectual and quite correct argument against it. All that said, it takes a strong stand to begin the conversation and I applaud you for it. Perhaps this is as good a place as any to begin. I suspect it will be messy, but an argument we all learn from. Thanks for having the courage to start it.

By: Cliff Green

Cliff Green — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 01:00:39 +0000

The cab driver was engaging in racial profiling. But should we well-intentioned people ask him to stop and die in the middle of the night?
To prove…what? That we white people are superior to cab drivers? I’m not sure what you’re getting at.