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Never experienced racism?

I am a black girl that has never experienced racism, I have seen it on TV,internet and heard people talk about it but, I have never had a personal experience.
I also know people that have never experienced racism.
I am sure there are many people out there like me.
I have other black friends that completely disagree with me, but I think if you go about worrying about racism, you are more likely to take offence at something and call it racism.
I am not naive to think racism does not exist, some will probably think I live a sheltered life. I live in a mainly white working class area with a recent flux of immigrants, and I go to school with a lot of people that are incredibly ignorant and outspoken about it.I class them as ignorant but some people call them racist.
Despite all this, I have never had a personal attack at school or anywhere.
I am still fairly young and inexperienced, so i might have a different view in a few years time. :smile:

I want to know if anyone shares my view/experiences on this. :smile:

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Reply 1

yothi5

Maybe because you live generally in a very mixed area? Where people are more tolerant and have 'seen it all'.

Reply 2

TheHansa

I guess that's it really, people should discern opposition to immigration which is a political opinion from targeted racism.

Not that racism does not exist.

[QUOTE]

Original post by yothi5

Maybe because you live generally in a very mixed area? Where people are more tolerant and have 'seen it all'.

Except it seems to be the mixed areas which suffer from the most tension, in the UK anyway.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 3

yothi5

Original post by levviex

I want to know if anyone shares my view/experiences on this. :smile:

[QUOTE="TheHansa;36703513"]I guess that's it really, people should discern opposition to immigration which is a political opinion from targeted racism.

Not that racism does not exist.

Except it seems to be the mixed areas which suffer from the most tension, in the UK anyway.

Or maybe people have been racist towards OP behind her back, and she just doesn't know.

Reply 4

Kylewalker346234

I'm mixed race and I have to say the same!
Though then again, I have a English (Irish) name and I don't particularly look asian at all...
But I live in a Predominantly White area which is easily 95% White then again! :tongue:

Reply 5

TheHansa

Original post by yothi5

Or maybe people have been racist towards OP behind her back, and she just doesn't know.

Maybe all people are covert racists going to their own KKK meetings and waiting for the opportunity to go on a lynch rampage.

Maybe everyone doesn't care and judges OP by her actions etc.

Reply 6

dgeorge

Original post by levviex

I want to know if anyone shares my view/experiences on this. :smile:

1. MOST people aren't racist

2. Most people who are racist are much more covert

I've hung out with lots of people (white welsh, british, german, african, indian, pakistani, etc) during my time in North Wales. Can't ever remember anyone being OVERTLY racist towards me. I think its actually a lot worse towards people of Asian origin TBF.

However, I DID have a white welsh friend, with who we used to go out, drink, go clubbing, and just make a general fool out of ourselves whenever we went out.

On one night out, when I told him I was going to London, while he was somewhat drunk, he pulled me aside and told me that he used to be racist, didn't like black people, etc. BUT that I've shown him that there are some really cool black people. Made me uncomfortable, but truth is that people don't walk around with signs saying "racist" and quite often you don't know how people REALLY feel about you when your back is turned

Reply 7

Deadly Lightshade

Original post by levviex

I live in a mainly white working class area with a recent flux of immigrants, and I go to school with a lot of people that are incredibly ignorant and outspoken about it.I class them as ignorant but some people call them racist.

Just because they're not evil, doesn't mean they're not a bit racist. My parents, for example, are a bit racist; I'm occasionally a bit racist.

Reply 8

username129099

Few people today, except with the anonymity TSR provides, are open about their racist views. Tbh, direct racism doesn't really bother me so long as they are in the minority, it would be the indirect racism that would.

Reply 9

yl_llb

Don't be silly, racism is absolutely rife. Just because you don't see it does not mean it is not there. On the other hand, every other type of discrimination is also there, people are just very tribal when it comes down to it.

Reply 10

No Future

Lucky you, OP.

Just because you haven't experienced it, doesn't mean it doesn't exist

Reply 11

los lobos marinos

Original post by levviex

I consider this racist. Ignorance is no excuse to discriminate either overtly or covertly. When I see or hear this happening I challenge the behaviour directly. My view is based on the principal that if what is being said is causing an individual to feel either distressed, fearful, alarmed or at risk on grounds of colour or ethnicity due to words spoken by a third party, then that constitutes racist behaviour, regardless of whether it is due ignorance.

I have been openly abused by whites for being black and by blacks for being too white as I of mixed ethnicity.

Reply 12

kerily

See, I'm white and I've actually had racism :lol:

I'm half-German, and some people from school a year or so ago decided it would be hilarious to put swastikas through my letterbox because obviously German = Nazi. People used to pick on me for being 'related to Nazis' when I was in primary school, too. Never mind that my family had as little to do with the Nazis as was possible when you were living in Germany through WW2 :sigh:

(Yes, it's not being denied a job or whatever, but it's harassment based on my country of origin. So I guess 'xenophobia' is possibly a better word for it, but I don't think it's too inaccurate to describe it as 'racism').

The thing is, though, how can anyone know they've never had anything racist said about them behind their back or whatever? I am honestly glad that the OP's never experienced anything like this to their face - I don't think anyone should have to experience any form of discrimination. But you can't know that nobody has ever been a bit funny with you, or thought about you differently, because of your heritage.

Reply 13

username418231

Same here, I'm black and I've never experienced racism, however I know that racism is rife in different ways.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 14

dgeorge

Original post by kerily

See, I'm white and I've actually had racism :lol:

That's terrible!

PS - most people know that blacks AREN"T the only people who have been subjected to racism. I've heard it myself, living in a black majority country. One friend who had a white friend (even though he was local) also got verbally abused because she was suppoosedly going out with a "white boy"

Racism and ignorance affects people of every ethnicity and background. It just REALLY annoys me when people think that somehow it doesn't exist and that if we just bury it/stop talking about it it would somehow go away

Reply 15

username418231

Original post by dgeorge

Oh yes that is true :yep:

and I totally agree. It also infurates me as well when people assume that only white people can be racist. I've also noticed some non-white people thinking that it's okay to be racist about white people but it doesn't count as racism. :angry:

Reply 16

scott321

How old are you? If you're in your early 20's it's understandable why you may not have experienced it yet. Or maybe you have and just didn't realize it. Sometimes it can take a few minutes to a few months before you realize what took place. Also a city like New York has more of a history of being racially diverse so the racism there probably isn't going to be as obvious as the racism you might experience in the south.

Reply 17

Glow in the dark

Well I'm mixed race black father white mother and I really don't experience verbal racism either, I would say I do receive subliminal racism but that's nothing really.

But in my area though I would say a high percentage of people are racist towards the Asian community definitely, and this is visible / verbal racism, so I guess they have the hardest time definitely, I've actually had people tell me that they like "black" people, but they hate.. and they used the P... you know what word.

Reply 18

py0alb

This doesn't surprise me, to directly experience racism you need to be in the same geographical location as racists, and racists occur in far smaller numbers in multicultural settings.

So many people only really experience racism when moving into a new environment where they're thrown together with ignorant morons from ethnically non-diverse areas.

Reply 19

Zelex

Racism is not as Overt as it was in the past. Those who are racist tend to be more tolerant. I will say though, as 19 year old, Black guy, I have been on the recieving end, its not nice, but its part life.