DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate - View Single Post

**bortycuz** · 07-06-2011, 07:57 PM

I certainly am not in the position to speak for everyone - nor am I British - but a few things I noticed right off the bat...

I would say there is an overall social awareness of racism but I would argue it takes a while for individuals to be convinced of whether racism is really in play or not when analyzing particular scenarios.

Profiling by authorities has been a long open secret and I can confirm that plenty of people are rounded up or questioned simply because they fit a phenotypical profile. A lot of sociopolitical upheaval following major disasters and events tends to fan the flames of xenophobia and this can result in more prejudice. We tend to see a lot of problematic stereotypes emerge in the wake of these tense exchanges of perceptions and assumptions. I have witnessed increasing discrimination against those of Middle Eastern and South Asian ancestry and those who appear to have such ancestry.

At the airport, I notice a general color trigger: Anyone with a bit of tint or maybe an unusual surname will probably be given extra review. It's practically a covert prejudicial event that many are aware of in their hearts. People usually just click their heels and pray to get through any form of security without delay.

As for Obama's position within the black/mixed race circle, I would say public response varies. Many in the Black American community railed around him as a sign of black hope, and ODR identification really helped mobilize that coalition, but I would be lying if I said there was a universal affirmative response. Plenty of people did not view him as genuinely African American - not only on account of his white mother but also the fact that he does not descend from American slaves through his Kenyan father. They thought he was not "authentic." In the wake of these varying responses, I believe a lot of people viewed him as both black and biracial - I think this viewpoint is the most common casual one. Obama himself put the issue to rest, however. In his many media appearances, Obama indicated he identified as a black man. So he is generally referred to as black in the media, regardless of his mixed background.

I wasn't talking about institutional racism per say, and I don't think the kids were either, it is more a question of, everyday racism in their normal lives, such as at school or college, by their peers, how often does this occur in the US or other countries?

From when I visited America prior to 9/11 and friends that go to America regularly for business after 9/11 there is a big difference in the way they are treated at the airport.
For example one of my best friends is a senior designer at a very well known international company, she has been to the US and other European countries plenty if times, however, just because of her first name people immediately assume "muslim" terrorist, and she has had to have her bags checked multiple times and been delayed because the incompetent idiots at the airport can't do their job properly.
This is clearly discrimination. It also makes me wonder, I mean, many many, muslims are converts, these converts are normal white looking people with Christian names, if one of these guys wanted to do it, they could cause chaos for America, and I am sure nobody would check them thoroughly at airport security, while they check the regular people, these nutcases would blow up the airport.

I think the kid at the end of the video pretty much summed Obama's position up well, he is a man of colour, many black people don't consider him to be black, however he is still an inspiration for them and other ethnicities, which is the keyword. He is an ethnic president, not black or white and can gain sympathy from a much wider audience than a black or white man actually could have.

07-06-2011, 07:57 PM	#3
bortycuz Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 496 Senior Member	I certainly am not in the position to speak for everyone - nor am I British - but a few things I noticed right off the bat... I would say there is an overall social awareness of racism but I would argue it takes a while for individuals to be convinced of whether racism is really in play or not when analyzing particular scenarios. Profiling by authorities has been a long open secret and I can confirm that plenty of people are rounded up or questioned simply because they fit a phenotypical profile. A lot of sociopolitical upheaval following major disasters and events tends to fan the flames of xenophobia and this can result in more prejudice. We tend to see a lot of problematic stereotypes emerge in the wake of these tense exchanges of perceptions and assumptions. I have witnessed increasing discrimination against those of Middle Eastern and South Asian ancestry and those who appear to have such ancestry. At the airport, I notice a general color trigger: Anyone with a bit of tint or maybe an unusual surname will probably be given extra review. It's practically a covert prejudicial event that many are aware of in their hearts. People usually just click their heels and pray to get through any form of security without delay. As for Obama's position within the black/mixed race circle, I would say public response varies. Many in the Black American community railed around him as a sign of black hope, and ODR identification really helped mobilize that coalition, but I would be lying if I said there was a universal affirmative response. Plenty of people did not view him as genuinely African American - not only on account of his white mother but also the fact that he does not descend from American slaves through his Kenyan father. They thought he was not "authentic." In the wake of these varying responses, I believe a lot of people viewed him as both black and biracial - I think this viewpoint is the most common casual one. Obama himself put the issue to rest, however. In his many media appearances, Obama indicated he identified as a black man. So he is generally referred to as black in the media, regardless of his mixed background. I wasn't talking about institutional racism per say, and I don't think the kids were either, it is more a question of, everyday racism in their normal lives, such as at school or college, by their peers, how often does this occur in the US or other countries? From when I visited America prior to 9/11 and friends that go to America regularly for business after 9/11 there is a big difference in the way they are treated at the airport. For example one of my best friends is a senior designer at a very well known international company, she has been to the US and other European countries plenty if times, however, just because of her first name people immediately assume "muslim" terrorist, and she has had to have her bags checked multiple times and been delayed because the incompetent idiots at the airport can't do their job properly. This is clearly discrimination. It also makes me wonder, I mean, many many, muslims are converts, these converts are normal white looking people with Christian names, if one of these guys wanted to do it, they could cause chaos for America, and I am sure nobody would check them thoroughly at airport security, while they check the regular people, these nutcases would blow up the airport. I think the kid at the end of the video pretty much summed Obama's position up well, he is a man of colour, many black people don't consider him to be black, however he is still an inspiration for them and other ethnicities, which is the keyword. He is an ethnic president, not black or white and can gain sympathy from a much wider audience than a black or white man actually could have.
	Quote