Dare To Ask Talk And News About Our Differences - This topic has 12 replies, 13 voices, and was last updated 16 years, 10 months ago by
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- Something is happening to me and I was wondering if others have had the same experience. I am middle aged and have tried my whole life to not be prejudiced. It has been hard with the background and location from which I come. But as I have now lived in major metropolitan areas in this country (Los Angeles, New York), I am finding that I am becoming more and more prejudiced toward certain minorities. I thought the experience of living around other groups was a way to soften these feelings. If anything, exposure to other ethnic groups has made me develop harsher feelings. What have others found?
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Name : Matthew, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : New York, State : NY Country : United States,I believe everyone in this world is a little prejudiced. I think it is normal as long as it does not turn to INTENSE HATRED and it does not 'cloud' your judgment towards right/wrong. I am black (not american-born) and when i see some behaviors of other racial groups and also blacks(american or otherwise) , i get upset and probably make a generalized/ stereotypical comment(to myself or my spouse). I am sure you do that...everyone has done that. My point is that we are human, and we have our 'pet peevs'. Itis human to be prejudiced to an extent...as long as we don't harbor hatred/ intense dislike for certain racial groups, and we are openminded towards people who are different from us.User Detail :
Name : Grace21531, Gender : F, Age : 24, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States,I have found that if you dwell on the negative aspect of anything, you are bound to develop a prejudice toward that specific thing. Say, for instance, that I dwelled on the fact that most child molesters and serial killers are white males. I might develop a prejudice against white males. However, because I take each individual as they come and don't judge a whole group of people by the actions of a few, I am able to have an open-minded view of each race as a whole.User Detail :
Name : Sophia, Gender : F, Race : Black/African American, Age : 27, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Administrative Assistant, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,Whites aren't the only ones who have trouble getting along with minority groups. Here in L.A., countless minority groups have trouble getting along with countless other minority groups. In the East Valley and Hollywood, Latinos and Armenians are always brawling after school. In South L.A., Latinos and blacks are clashing over political power and cultural shifts. I always remembered people of Middle Eastern and South Asian descent getting a harder time at school when it came to race (whites, Latinos and blacks made fun of them) and East Asians get hassled all the time. In North County (where I live) and in certain parts of Harbor and East County, racists (peckerwoods, boneheads, rednecks, etc.) run rampant and are always messing with blacks and other minorities. As for your case, it could be your environment vs. their environment. I've found that a lot of middle class-on-up whites in L.A., particularly in the Valley and ritzy neighborhoods of the hills areas, are quite scornful and suspicious of many minorities, particularly Latino immigrants. L.A. may be diverse but the class and racial lines are thick and black.User Detail :
Name : Dan27179, Gender : M, Race : Hispanic/Latino (may be any race), Religion : Pentecostal, Age : 22, City : Los Angeles, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Student, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,i think people are more apt to rely on their prejudices as they grow older. otherwise, i guess i don't identify with your question. i suppose that if you thought that by moving to the city you'd be exposing yourself to the cream of the african american community, when it's at least my understanding that most of them move to the 'burbs as soon as they're able, you're going to be dissapointed. i hope you're not taking the over-pumped guy in the do-rag chewing on a garcia vega to be representative of black america. imagine if a black freind told you he wanted to get close to white america, would you direct him to the country? i see this happen on both sides, middleclass blacks who want to understand whites try to do so through examining cracker-culture and middleclass whites who want to understand blacks try to do so by examining nigga-culture and both wonder why their most negative stereotypes end up getting confirmed every time.User Detail :
Name : justin26888, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Atheist, City : chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I think most everyone becomes grouchier as they get older. I will bet that while you may be less tolerant of minorities, you are also less tolerant of just about everyone else, also. As I get older and wiser, I have become more tired of others not understanding that I know what is best for them. Foolish antics by others used to bring a bemused smile to my face and some nostalgia for when I was foolish. Now, however, I sometimes just wish some of the foolishness would just go away.User Detail :
Name : Steve27693, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 45, City : Houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Corporate Cubicle Wise Man, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Upper class,I'd have to agree. I live in essentially the same Lake View neighborhood where I grew up, and it has been gentrifying rapidly over the past 10 or 12 years. It is very easy for me to get into the habit of lumping all the newcomers into the 'yuppie' stereotype - and indeed a fair number of of them have very annoying habits they have brought into a very dense, urban area. Driving while talking on a cell phone, not using turn signals, reckless driving, rollerblading in the streets, etc.When I find myself thinking evil thoughts against a general group of people, I try to stop and make a note of the fact that it is a few people out there driving me crazy, not a whole group. The people with bad habits who have no civility or consideration for others are a very small minority in any group of people, and it is unfortunate they tend to force people to pay attention to them. Try noting how many people are just regular folks trying to live their lives, and it will help keep your stress level down.
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Name : Carter32400, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 29, City : Chicago, State : IL Country : United States, Occupation : Administrative Assistant, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I too have found myself in the same position that you are in. I do not really believe that I am so much as prejudiced of people than I am of the governement. What has happened is that in the area the I live in has become more of a hispanic community. In turn this has led to the requirement of speaking spanish in order to be hired for any employement that I am qualified for. I see it as a type of discrimination. Because of this problem the human nature in me has made me feel more prejudiced of the hispanics even though I know its wrong. Just a side note, my daughter is part hispanic.User Detail :
Name : Sharon28106, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Christian, Age : 42, City : Somewhere, State : CA Country : United States, Occupation : Pre-school teacher, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Lower middle class,I am a nursing student and as an assignment we had to pick a cultural group that was different than our own and read about it. If you find yourself picking out certain things about a certain group then maybe you should do some research. There is a lot available on-line about different cultures and you can learn many things about behaviors and how they are derived. It is quite interesting because some individuals that belong to a certain group act a certain way and don't even know how it came about. It has just been a behavior that they have learned within their family or community. For example, how we perceive time. Many white americans are very time oriented, however many asian people are very lax with time. This may make them late for work, meetings or appointments. We may see this as just being lazy, but within their culture it is important to finish a task before moving to another...So, they may have been at another appointment or working on another project.User Detail :
Name : Alisha-R31410, Gender : F, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Religion : Catholic, Age : 24, City : Kansas City, State : MO Country : United States, Occupation : nurse, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,I LIVED IN A FEW MULTIRACIAL PLACES,NOW I LIVE IN A 98.99%WHITE TOWN NOW I TRULY FOUND PEACE AND HARMONY THANK GOD THERE ARE TOWNS LIKE THESE LEFT.User Detail :
Name : Thom24767, Gender : M, Race : White/Caucasian, City : Chardon, State : OH Country : United States,Having lived in the city for almost five years now, I was struck by your question. I think a lot depends on what the attitudes were you grew up with, and whether you've really had an opportunity to have them altered. Just living in the city, the compression of it, the constant hurry and aggression and defensiveness necessary to walk anywhere, I think it tends to make people callous. I notice it most on the subway -- I've elbowed people and shoved and given a few head fakes in order to get a seat when I knew I was going 80 blocks uptown. It makes you cultivate indifference to people. The dangers, too, when you're on you're way home at 3 in the morning, you've got to have your back up, and consciously or unconsciously, you depend on your stereotypes and prejudices to make those instant assessments of people that your safety depends on. This creates an automatic suspicion of other people. I think that these two factors combined could be what's making you feel more prejudiced. It depends on whether you want to accept that, because it requires a lot to avoid it, you have to constantly remind yourself to give people the benefit of the doubt, and not automatically assume they're assholes or muggers or just generally out to get you. It's tough - they probably are out to get you, after all, right? I dunno if that's even enough by itself -- I've found in my life that what's most challenged me, made me re-think my assumptions and certainties, have been individuals, my friends, roommates. It's having to really get along with someone, live with them, be their friend, that's made me realize my own prejudices. Without that kind of contact, it's too easy to assume that what you know -- or have always been told -- is the truth.User Detail :
Name : Colleen, Gender : F, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 22, City : New York City, State : NY Country : United States, Education level : 4 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,Minorities in the city need NO More people disliking them...so move. And your predjudice has been there for longer then you think..probably started with your parents. Poor You. And i bet id be a bitch if i said that i go to a school thats 86% white and all the white people have said horrible things about me for the past 2 years, so now i hate ALL white people.User Detail :
Name : alex, Gender : F, Race : *poweRpuFF greeN*, Age : 19, City : houston, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : *maDsCienTist*,I've noticed that if you tend to think of people as individuals instead of part of a large group/race, you'll not find yourself becoming prejudiced. If you notice you might often use the terms 'they' or 'those people', but your mind has automatically removed your friends that share the same color or culture as those you are ignorantly commenting about.User Detail :
Name : Richard28763, Gender : M, Sexual Orientation : Straight, Race : White/Caucasian, Age : 33, City : Dallas, State : TX Country : United States, Occupation : Bar owner, Education level : 2 Years of College, Social class : Middle class,
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