Reply #54: "Guilt by by association"...

[linazelle]

I have thought a lot about racism too. Discussed it in multiracial classes and gatherings as well.

Do you believe that you would have acted very differently, as a white person, from other whites if you had lived during that era?

I think social pressures push people to go either way. The author of the post earlier in this thread said he would have gone along more than likely, with everybody else--he would not have rebelled.

I think a lot of white people went along for the same reasons. It's a lot easier to go along when you gain privilege and even esteem by being thought of as "better than" others simply because of the color of your skin. Had those whites not gone along, they would have been labeled. Social diversity is more acceptable now, for the most part so it's easy to go along with that today.

I also think that subtle racism persists because people gravitate toward their own kind. People seek to affiliate and assimilate, and race is an easy way to begin doing that. It takes a lot of personal awareness to step outside of this comfort zone.

I live in an area where there are few blacks--and I'm black. I find most people to be very friendly. But...I often feel a sense of apprehension about how whites will respond to me. I sometimes feel that I will be resented because I'm simply in "their" area. I have spoken to people in my neighborhood in passing and gotten no response (not many, but it's happened). I won't say that's totally because of race--these people could be crazy or deaf for all I know--but it's easy to jump to the conclusion that racism is the reason.

I would like to add that racism is not just a black/white issue. I went to a store owned by orientals once. I was prepared to buy several items. After I tried on a few items, the oriental woman who assisted me (watched my every move actually) told me that I had to leave, I could not try on anything else. That's when I saw a sign that said you could only try on three items. I was floored--and happy as hell I hadn't bought anything before finding out I would be put out. These people, doing business in a black neighborhood, often want blacks to come in, drop their money and get out. They have zero respect for the people they make a living off of. My only regret is that I didn't organize a picket of their store to run them out of the neighborhood.