I have a few friends that say you can't be a racist if you are dark.
I screw with them incessantly when it gets brought up.
"Spray tan, diversity in a bottle!"

I've heard that before too. It basically comes down to power. Whites can be racist because they have the power to influence others while people with darker skin don't have that power so they can't.


Eh, I try to avoid this defining racism for this reason, no one will agree on a one.

I have stated before, I did not get a scholarship and two promotions in a row that I was the most qualified (yes, those who were in charge of the decisions told me, they were pissed at being over-ruled) because I am white and male.
That being in the majority makes you immune is a myth, a HUGE one... a myth and a lie.

Correct it doesn't make you immune. It does make you disproportinately likely not to be blocked in promotions, with affirmative action not fully balancing out that trend. But no...doesn't make you immune. The idea that because you are white that alone is power, is a rather unfortunate misunderstanding of the world. Because we mostly all know someone who gives the lie to that, such assertions really don't help the cause, rather they reduce the impact of much truer assertions: that a significant portion of the white community is disproportionately powerful and a significant portion of the black community is disproportionately powerless.

Cold comfort if you happen to be the white guy who lost out to the positive discrimination method, or was raised in some hell hole of a sink estate. Rk, you lost out. That's unfair. But statistically what was bad luck for you is often the norm for another part of the community.

So yeah, you're right, being in the majority ethnic group doesn't make you immune from unfair practices but it makes it significantly less likely.

A rather simplistic view aye. People can be racist. All people can be racist. The effects and impact of that racism, however, may be very different depending upon whether you are of the more, or less powerful group in society. Even if you as a white individual are powerless, the system is still set up to protect your interests more than it is to protect the interests of an 'equally' powerless black individual. Even if you are a relatively powerful black individual, the system will never protect your interests as vehemently as it would protect the interests of an 'equally' powerful white individual.

On an individual basis, however, the system is not always what is in play. Power comes from relationships as much as from the system. If a black, racist policeman harrasses a poor white family in a trailer park, that is as destructive to that family as a white, racist policeman pulling over black kids with no reason.

In England?

Yep.

I suspect in the USA as well. The most powerful interests are white.

The old money and the almost unbreakable network connections are white too. Any black Brits with power came by it comparatively recently in our history. I'm not justifying it btw.

Looking at the most powerful families/political and commercial 'dynasties' in America, I get the impression a similar situation exists there.

People perpetuate racism by insisting that it exists ... that the problems of inner city Blacks are problems only because whitey is keeping them down, that Hispanics can't get anywhere because blanco won't let them illegally enter this country and suck social services dry, that Asians are pretty much capable of success wherever they plant roots.

Hmm. Maybe the issue is initiative, family support, and values rather than color.

What a concept.

And here I always thought that people perpetuate racism by...being racist.

If being proud of being white means I'm a racist, then so be it ... but I don't treat people who are black, brown, yellow, or red any differently than I do folks who happen to be white.

Why would being white be something to be proud of? I've never understood that line of thought. I can understand pride in one's looks....or one's culture...natgionalty even....but skin colour? Why is skin colour something to be proud of?

Blacks are poor because they blame others for their problems, don't support their families and have no values other than bitching. Don't you get that what you JUST posted was racist?? You seem to think that an entire group of arbitrarily selected people is only in their situation because they suck.

"Didn't it ever occur to whites that maybe they should stop concentrating on color? If you didn't get the job you qualify for because of 'affirmative action,' why didn't you work even harder so the black guy couldn't possibly get it? How about if they really wanted to change affirmative action, maybe they should get off their asses and vote to change the system. What a concept." Don't you see how those kind of idiotic generalizations fall far from the truth?

And Dana's right, wtf is with white pride? If you're proud of being white, that unarguably implies that you think there's something better about being white than some other skin color.

And finally, it is true that someone who gets pushed down by the powerful social forces keeping them in place can work real hard and get out of their situation. But here's a question: why should they have to work harder (Often much harder)to get something that I get for free? My parents paid for part of my college, every once in a while they would loan me money for rent/food, and the fact that I went to a nice High School meant it was easier for me to get to school. I could have had a full time second job, it's possible, but I didn't have to. It would have made it a LOT harder, don't we think?

Education and the ability to build your social status is something everyone should get. If it's in our power to change those social forces, it's pretty selfish and lazy to not.

Yeah, I kinda don't get that either. Of course there was the black pride movement, but I think that was more an issue of political awareness.

I value my heritage, my country and its history. I doubt I would ever baldly state that I am proud to be white, but if asked the question I would apply in the affirmative. I don't feel superior and I agree that I did nothing to contribute to its history (yet) but I am glad to be here and happy to say it.

I'm fat and not proud of it, at least leave me something :)