2009-06-04
Racism in the US
Labels: quotes 2 commentsOne of our guides in Belize told us that there is no racism in Belize. Everybody is equal. He hadn't ever experienced it until he came to the US and saw people grabbing their purses when he would get near them. I remember hearing something similar about Sidney Poitier who lived in the Bahamas until moving to the U.S. as a teenager.
"I couldn't adjust to the racism in Florida," he says. "It was so blatant. ... I had never been so described as Florida described me."
But he wasn't having it. As he says, "Florida said to me, 'You are not who you think you are. We will determine what you are.' "
That was in 1943. Over 60 years later, the story is the same. What is wrong with us?
1:23 AM
Once I was at a bar talking to some people who told me that there was no racism in Lawrence. WOW! Where were they living? While racism might not be as common in Lawrence than say Western KS, it's still there. One of the people even dropped the "n" word later in the night after a few drinks. I've even seen racism when traveling to NH (all three times), a state that will approve of gay marriages, but has many residents who will not tolerate people of color. Sad, but I once even had someone tell me that they didn't believe that mixed raced children should be allowed (funny thing is that she had a relationship with an African-American right after that comment). Ignorant.
12:25 PM
American's are more close minded than any other nationality. To be the biggest melting pot and the least tolerant, doesn't make sense to me. It's ok to dislike someone...we are all human, but for simply race? That's rediculous and just plain stupid.