Have you ever been accused of or been a victim of racism?

[pam]

The racism question in the Obama post got me to thinkin about words and how people use em and why do we take offense at em? It's like when I was a little kid and somebody said somthin that hurt my feelins, mom and dad told me sticks and stones etc. I myself have been called honky, cracker, redneck(as an insult), hick etc. Personally I could give a crap what you call me, guess I am a honky cause I'm white, I sound like a cracker cause of my accent , I guess I am a redneck, And I'm from the boonies so I am a hick. But to some people those are very derogatory terms in a league with n***** or beaner or spic or mick(which is also what i am from ancestry). It's all relative to your perspective and sensitivity about your race and background I guess. So I guess what I would like to know is how you all feel about the names you may or may not take with a sense of humor and your thoughts on why somebodys use of a word should be so tied to our self worth or lack of it. I think a persons worth is more about WHO they are not WHAT they are( what color or race that is). Think when we ALL finally learn to look beyond color or gender or religion or whatever and see the people underneath is when we will finally get what Jesus meant when he said the kingdom of god is within you, you just have to find it.

[Lookatmeknow!!]

I don't use remarks like that.  Never have.  I have an uncle that is black.  I love him to death.  I never really looked at color either.  I guess that is because he was in the family before I was even born.  I just don't see them as different.  Yes, the color of their skin is different, but no two people in the world are alike.  God created each and everyone of us with a plan in mind.  Sometimes we each fall short of what his plans for us are, but still.  I do have to say, the only people that really bother me are the ones that don't speak english.  I mean the ones that speak none at all.  I get bothered by that.  I think it is because I can't understand what they are saying.  I just ignore them, what else can you do??? 

I have just always been taught that you shouldn't judge someone by the color of their skin or the way that they dress.  If you seen me while I was working you would think I don't take very good care of myself.  I wear comfortable clothes, I don't unsually dress up very much.  I want to be able to go outside and play with the kids and not worry that I will get dirty and ruin something.  Don't worry Pam, I am a hick, too!!  And I am proud of it!!!!  Did I answer your question???

[flo]

In the tread "do you like yourself" I summed it up pretty good.  "WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET IS WHAT I AM".  If anybody has a problem with that, it is THEIR problem.  I don't care what color you are, what clothes you wear, what part of the country you are from, how you talk (long as you speaka da engleesh) how much money you have, if I like you, I like you.  If I don't, I don't.  I don't have to degrade anybody to let them know I don't care for them.  I won't say I dislike anybody (well, maybe one person on this earth and Pam knows who that is), it's just I like some people more than others.  Most people that make fun of or derogatory remarks about someone else, usually has a self-esteem problem.  Pam is right - "sticks and stones, etc".  Once in awhile the stones are pretty big, tho, and the sticks are durn nert limbs.  Then's when you gotta catch your tongue and keep it quiet.  When I was younger I was made fun of more than once about my dress, etc.  Sorry, we were poor and our clothes didn't always fit and yes, at times I was very embarressed, but now that I am grown I see that those remarks were the work of children that were not taught any better.  I would imagine now that I'm grown I have also been called some derogitory names but if I have, I've brushed it off.  If an adult makes a racist remark about me or anybody else it's something they have to deal with.  I try not to say anything bad about anybody, but have been known to do so.  This is something I have to deal with.

[pam]

Lol, guess this is a scary one Y'know, I've been ACCUSED of bein racist before also, just because I don't know any black people really but the ones in my daughter-in-laws family. The fact of the matter is I just really haven't ever been in places where there were a lot of black people to know! I've worked with a couple and went to college with some. Some of em I liked and we were friends some of em were a-holes and I didn't like them and they didn't like me. I don't consciously avoid em. Guess where I wanted to go with this thread was that racism is not just a black thing or a white thing or brown,red,yellow,etc. And that words are just words, can mean anything to anybody, one persons mean-mouthin is another persons joke, etc. It's all in your perspective on the matter. I've got friends that are dang near every color in the rainbow lol

[Wilma]

Stayed out in the sun too long, did they, Pam?

[pam]

lol, no but i've had people think ii'm a mexican cause i get so dark in the summer! come up and start speakin spanish to me on the jobsite and i'm like huh? it's really pretty funny

[larryJ]

I wanted to express a thought about this one.  When I was a kid living in New Mexico, all the brown and black people lived on the north side of Main Street and the rest of us on the south.  My mother was a school teacher and our schools back then were segragated (spelling ?).  Anyway, we were living on a very small income.  To supplement this, she would teach people in our house who never learned to read or write.  Some of these people were black or brown adults.  Observing this I learned that it doesn't make any difference what race you were if you were trying to improve yourself.  During my adult years while I was working, I worked with a lot of black and brown and American Indian and orientals, etc.  Most were honest hardworking trying to support their families.  Of course, there are those who are "a-holes", but the majority are decent people.  When someone says something to me about someone else in a racist way, I tend to look at them as being ignorant.  Years ago, there was a petition going around to enter a proposition in California barring illegal children from getting an education.  I was approached in a parking lot by a guy who wanted me to sign that petition.  My skin is a little darker than some, but I am white.  When he started to hand me the petition to sign, he did a double take at the darkness of my skin and asked me if I was white.  I did have a good tan going that year, but I felt like slapping him upside his head.  I also resisted the urge to take his petition and tear it to pieces.  So, I don't care what race you are.  If you are trying to improve your life and supporting your family, you have my vote. 

[pam]

Y'know Larry I have had the same experience for the most part. People down here are pretty bad about the illegals bein here, but to be truthful I don't care, like you said they are just tryin to make a livin for their families like the rest of us are. Yeah they oughta go thru channels but hey the kids need fed now not six months from now when immigration finally talks to em. Most of the mexicans I've worked around on the jobsite are polite and extremely hardworkin! You gotta hump up to keep up with em lol. Yeah some of em drink and some of em do and sell drugs, but I just say have ya met many white construction workers?lol I've worked on crews where I was the only one who DIDN"T! I vote on the same ticket as you do:)