Racism -- how woud you fix it?

[NobleSavage]

Instead of quibbling over semantics and statistics what could be done? Let's also try to take it out of context of the US. What has worked and what hasn't in other countries and cultures? A few points:

1) Maybe I'm just stupid, but the Jews have been systematically oppressed forever, yet they always seem to do well. It's it just because their skin color is basically white?

2) Don't you think the US is doing a good job? We went from slavery to a black man as President. That's pretty amazing.

3) White privilege - yes, it exists, but don't you think it's kinda trivial? There are a million uncontrollable factors that lead to success or happiness. Should schizophrenics talk about mental health privilege? Hell, 50% of the prison inmates and homeless people have a mental illness. Should dumb people talk about smart privilege? Should ugly people talk about attractive privilege? I think attractive privilege is HUGE, but hardly talked about. Do you think Barack would be Pres if he weren't attractive? Do we really want a society as portrayed in Harrison Bergeron At what point should someone just shut up and play the cards life dealt?

I personally don't think racism will ever end completely until the entire world fucks enough so that everyone is brown (and even then people will find division withing shades of brown).

 

[AthenaAwakened]

You can Find anything on the internet.

You Can Fix Racism

 

[untermensche]

You can't end racism.

All you can end is the legitimization of force applied by any power in a racist manner.

 

[NobleSavage]

You can Find anything on the internet.

You Can Fix Racism

1. Admit It. (I have)

2 Listen. (I have. Now I'm tired of hearing about it)

3. Educate Yourself. (I do)

4. Broaden Your Experience. (I do)

5. Take Action. (I'm interested in other social ills that are more personal to me.)

#3 and #4 seem to lead to the others. And the main reason I was able to do #3 and #4 is dude to my relative privilege.

- - - Updated - - -

All you can end is the legitimization of force applied by any power in a racist manner.

How do you do that?

 

[Jolly_Penguin]

A common "other" would be the quickest and dirtiest way; Space aliens.

Seriously though, I would encourage us to dig a little deeper. Racism isn't the root. Tribalism and us vs them thinking is the root. Racism is just one manifestation of it. Being aware of it and seeing it happening in ourselves and others can help. We've all been on the receiving end of it to one degree or another, so we should be able to use that experience to draw sympathy. Perhaps pointing out examples where it isn't so engrained as race, gender, etc. That study with the blue and brown eyed children comes to mind. I would make basic psychology a required course in public school, and I would include that study.

Parenting in this direction can help a lot. Integrating races can help a lot. You joked about us all fucking until we are a shade of brown, but that actually would help a lot too. We need to encourage people to venture away from "their own" and integrate amongst "the other", because when we do that racial awareness, and awareness and caring about racial differences, quickly fades.

Addressing poverty would also help a lot, as it would go a long way to equalizing average socioeconomic status between races, and people on the same level of socioeconomic status can more easily relate to each other and socialize with each other.

 

[Derec]

Chief Justice Roberts outlined the necessary first step:
“The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.”

 

[Tom Sawyer]

The main way is through our own actions. Don't be racist ourselves and don't tolerate racist actions in others. If a white guy sees someone discriminating and does nothing because it doesn't affect him then he's as much a part of the problem as the guy doing the discriminating since he's letting the bigot know that this kind of behaviour is acceptable and condoned.

Also, be diverse in your sexual partners and use inadequate birth control. Help make society a rainbow.

 

[rousseau]

Systematically change the genetic make-up of the human race with bio-engineering so we no longer act on tribal impulses? That, or make society so homogeneous that it can no longer exist.

Seriously, though, the only way to solve most social problems is better educational infrastructure.

 

[Loren Pechtel]

Instead of quibbling over semantics and statistics what could be done? Let's also try to take it out of context of the US. What has worked and what hasn't in other countries and cultures? A few points:

1) Maybe I'm just stupid, but the Jews have been systematically oppressed forever, yet they always seem to do well. It's it just because their skin color is basically white?

Yeah, they don't have the cultural baggage. While they can be kept down they bounce back as soon as the boot is lifted.

2) Don't you think the US is doing a good job? We went from slavery to a black man as President. That's pretty amazing.

I don't think we are doing a good job. The problem is we are focusing on white-on-black racism and ignoring other racism.

3) White privilege - yes, it exists, but don't you think it's kinda trivial? There are a million uncontrollable factors that lead to success or happiness. Should schizophrenics talk about mental health privilege? Hell, 50% of the prison inmates and homeless people have a mental illness. Should dumb people talk about smart privilege? Should ugly people talk about attractive privilege? I think attractive privilege is HUGE, but hardly talked about. Do you think Barack would be Pres if he weren't attractive? Do we really want a society as portrayed in Harrison Bergeron At what point should someone just shut up and play the cards life dealt?

The question is how big a factor it is. All your other examples are far greater than white/black. Furthermore, the number of racists is low enough that in most cases you can simply go elsewhere if you run into one--it's not enough to actually keep one down unless you don't have a choice of employers.

You also forgot birthday. We lump a year's worth of kids into a class, those who are born just after the cutoff fare better on average than those born just before it.

I personally don't think racism will ever end completely until the entire world fucks enough so that everyone is brown (and even then people will find division withing shades of brown).

Yeah, there will always be some who want someone to blame for their own failings.