Poll: Most Americans see lingering racism -- in others

[DekWannaBFlea]

Poll: Most Americans see lingering racism -- in others
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/12/12/racism.poll/index.html

CNN) -- Most Americans, white and black, see racism as a lingering problem in the United States, and many say they know people who are racist, according to a new poll.

But few Americans of either race -- about one out of eight -- consider themselves racist.

And experts say racism has evolved from the days of Jim Crow to the point that people may not even recognize it in themselves. (Watch how many blacks are still afraid to stop in a Texas town Video)

A poll conducted last week by Opinion Research Corp. for CNN indicates that whites and blacks disagree on how serious a problem racial bias is in the United States.

Almost half of black respondents -- 49 percent -- said racism is a "very serious" problem, while 18 percent of whites shared that view. Forty-eight percent of whites and 35 percent of blacks chose the description "somewhat serious." (See the poll results)

Asked if they know someone they consider racist, 43 percent of whites and 48 percent of blacks said yes.

But just 13 percent of whites and 12 percent of blacks consider themselves racially biased.

The poll was based on phone interviews conducted December 5 through Thursday with 1,207 Americans, including 328 blacks and 703 non-Hispanic whites.
Blind to bias?

University of Connecticut professor Jack Dovidio, who has researched racism for more than 30 years, estimates up to 80 percent of white Americans have racist feelings they may not even recognize.

"We've reached a point that racism is like a virus that has mutated into a new form that we don't recognize," Dovidio said.

He added that 21st-century racism is different from that of the past.

"Contemporary racism is not conscious, and it is not accompanied by dislike, so it gets expressed in indirect, subtle ways," he said.

That "stealth" discrimination reveals itself in many different situations.

A three-year undercover investigation by the National Fair Housing Alliance found that real estate agents steered whites away from integrated neighborhoods and steered blacks toward predominantly black neighborhoods.

"Racism here is quite subtle," e-mailed CNN.com reader Blair William, originally from Trinidad, who now lives in Lexington, South Carolina. "I think that the issue is twofold. I believe that white America's perception of blacks is still generally negative based on their limited interaction with blacks, whether this is via the media or in person. ...

"On the other hand, black Americans need to stop devaluing themselves and their people," he added. "Another race can only respect you if you respect yourself and currently, I find that blacks still devalue and disgrace each other and themselves."
Applicants' names may sway employers

Racism also can be a factor in getting a job.

Candidates named Emily O'Brien or Neil McCarthy were much more likely to get calls back from potential employers than applicants named Tamika Williams and Jamal Jackson, even though they had the same credentials, according to a study by the University of Chicago.

Racial bias may even determine whether you can flag a cab.

New York Times writer Calvin Sims recently wrote about his experiences in the city.

"If a cab passes you by, obviously it is frustrating, it's degrading and it's just really confusing, because this is akin to being in the South and being refused service at a lunch counter, which is what happened in the '60s and '70s," he said.
'Differences ... make this world exciting'

The Opinion Research poll shows that blacks and whites disagree on how each race feels about the other.

Asked how many whites dislike blacks, 40 percent of black respondents said "all" or "many." Twenty-six percent of whites chose one of those replies.

On the question of how many blacks dislike whites, 33 percent of blacks said "all" or "many," while 38 percent of whites agreed -- not a significant difference statistically because of the poll's 5 percent margin of error.

About half of black respondents said they had been a victim of discrimination because of their race. A little more than a quarter of whites said they had been victims of racial discrimination.

"I am a firm believer that racism is rampant in the United States," wrote another CNN.com reader, Mark Boyle, of Muncie, Indiana.

"The concept of 'race' is flawed," he added. "Our differences as human beings are what make this world exciting and interesting. If we were all of the same culture, how boring would that be? The world needs to take a page from the atmosphere in Hawaii -- the most racially diverse place in which I have lived."

_____________
If you don't think Racism is problem....read up.....Thoughts?

[Africa]

There's most certainly tension and subtle descrimination. Lately, at least where I live, it's focused on Mexicans because that's OF COURSE (sarcasm) the source of people's PROBLEMS. People know people or things by their connotations and if we see poor minorities doing poor they must be doing poor for a reason, or if we see criminal minorities they must be criminal for a reason and we do not ponder or care enough about the reasons. As far as flat out, N-word hating racists that's got to be a minority, the majority of what we could call racists by today's standards probably don't fancy themselves as racists. About the racism in the job market, that's not your traditional (KKK, blunt) racism. Descrimination does happen on the market, but that's because of the indications and implications of being somebody that the population generally considers being poor, low socioeconomic status, or undereducated. Racism has really decreased in potency, it's still here, slowly declining in potency, dressed up in fancy ultra-politically correct garb (which I think is essential), but yes it's here.

[Apollyon]

There's most certainly tension and subtle descrimination. Lately, at least where I live, it's focused on Mexicans because that's OF COURSE (sarcasm) the source of people's PROBLEMS.

Um, illegal Mexican immigrants are the source of a lot of our problems in America, and a lot of the problem is in the jobs that they can land without so much as a hint of citizenship. And the whole, "they're doing jobs that no one else wants to do" is bullshit. If no one else ever wanted to do those jobs, they'd have been mechanized by now. It's simply a dirty, un-American campaign for employers to make more money on cheap labor, and the Mexicans eat it right up.

[DBoons Ghost]

Um, illegal Mexican immigrants are the source of a lot of our problems in America, and a lot of the problem is in the jobs that they can land without so much as a hint of citizenship. And the whole, "they're doing jobs that no one else wants to do" is bullpoop. If no one else ever wanted to do those jobs, they'd have been mechanized by now.

It's not wholly the fault of the immigrants. It's also the people who knowingly employ them.

[Africa]

Doesn't justify racism anyway.

[Apollyon]

It's not wholly the fault of the immigrants. It's also the people who knowingly employ them.

I agree with you there.

[DekWannaBFlea]

Um, illegal Mexican immigrants are the source of a lot of our problems in America, and a lot of the problem is in the jobs that they can land without so much as a hint of citizenship. And the whole, "they're doing jobs that no one else wants to do" is bullpoop. If no one else ever wanted to do those jobs, they'd have been mechanized by now. It's simply a dirty, un-American campaign for employers to make more money on cheap labor, and the Mexicans eat it right up.

Yeah?....except your wrong. Arizona is perfect example.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1103farmersOLP03a1.html

[Electronic Wolf]

I'm not racist but the majority of my friends are, and it's upsetting.

[Apollyon]

Yeah?....except your wrong. Arizona is perfect example.
http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/news/articles/1103farmersOLP03a1.html

They deserve to lose money if they aren't going to hire legal Americans to do their farming. The whole, "legal workers don't want the jobs" is, again, bullshit. It's a shallow excuse made to cover up the fact that they knew they were breaking the law and they wanted to save face in the end.

Almost all Curry's workers are undocumented, using fake papers.

No sympathy, no tolerance.

[DekWannaBFlea]

They deserve to lose money if they aren't going to hire legal Americans to do their farming. The whole, "legal workers don't want the jobs" is, again, bullpoop. It's a shallow excuse made to cover up the fact that they knew they were breaking the law and they wanted to save face in the end.



No sympathy, no tolerance.



You completely ignored my argument. Arizona CAN't find workers to do the jobs that illegals do....


Please don't rerail this thread......


So to the rest of you....how much do you think a Black presidential canidate (like Obama) will be hurt by the fact that he is Black?

[Africa]

Damn I was hoping there'd be some talk on racism not illegal immigrants, oh well.

[sexymuffin]

i worked at mcdonalds with spanish speaking people and it sucks

[DBoons Ghost]

Well, back to the topic at hand, no one will honestly admit to being a racist.

To some degree, I know I am a racist, but with no bias towards anyone in peticular. I am most racist againt white people, and when I say white, I mean like Wotan white. Those waspy nutty folk.

Though, I hate everyone equally. I grew up in The Bronx, so race means nothing to me. There is trash in every color, creed, size and ethnic background. I know this. We all know this. In the workplace, I've hired blacks, latinos, whites etc etc.. They all suffer the same racial scrutiny and stereotype. That's the truth. I do too. We all do. We always will too. If you don't hate someone cuz they're black, you'll hate them because they're Nigerian. If you don't hate them because they're Nigerian, you'll find another reason. It's almost human nature to be distrustful of those not of your nationality.

Remember that America being the true first experiment in serious racial integration leads the way in this area.

[Steerpike]

I'll bet 50 bucks right now that if you polled the people who admitted to having some "tense feelings" toward other races, you would learn they watch a lot of TV. The more TV you watch, the more you're convinced the world is dangerous and ugly.

Now, I don't discriminate based on race. But I do discriminate. I live a couple blocks from the projects and on several occassions, I've heard gunshots, ambulances, and police sirens all emanating from that direction. When I pass by the projects for whatever reason, I'm a little more cautious than usual and try not to dally.

Is this because I distrust black people? No. It's because I've heard bad things happen there, and I'd prefer not to get caught in the middle of them when and if they happen again. It's not racism when you hear gunshots coming from a part of the neighborhood and react with caution, because the self-preservation instinct is telling me that foreign objects travelling at insanely high speeds suddenly slamming into my flesh, bones, and vitals = bad.

Do I think some black people are racist? Yeah. They have the same potential to make stupid judgments as white people. This is nothing new.

[Amit]

what about indians or asians jeez i didn't know americans were just black and white >:[

[BassVirtuoso]

I'm half black and, I wouldn't say I am neccesarily racist against black people. But I do expect them to act at a certain standard in the back of my mind. It's something I really can't help. Like I get mad when black kids don't take school seriously, because my family was so involved in civil rights and getting them the right to go to these kind of schools in America.

[Africa]

what about indians or asians jeez i didn't know americans were just black and white >:[

Yeah but they weren't enslaved, and they are not flooding the US like the Mexicans. So nobody cares about them :p

[italic zero]

there's a difference between prejudice and ideological racism. I'm guilty of the first like most people are, but certainly not the second.

[Mr. Ron]

Every single person in this thread, along with all of mankind, are racist to a certain degree.

[AmericanWeiner]

I disagree Ron.

Race defines nothing to me besides color of skin.

[Scythe404]

Well, back to the topic at hand, no one will honestly admit to being a racist.

To some degree, I know I am a racist, but with no bias towards anyone in peticular. I am most racist againt white people, and when I say white, I mean like Wotan white. Those waspy nutty folk.

Though, I hate everyone equally. I grew up in The Bronx, so race means nothing to me. There is trash in every color, creed, size and ethnic background. I know this. We all know this. In the workplace, I've hired blacks, latinos, whites etc etc.. They all suffer the same racial scrutiny and stereotype. That's the truth. I do too. We all do. We always will too. If you don't hate someone cuz they're black, you'll hate them because they're Nigerian. If you don't hate them because they're Nigerian, you'll find another reason. It's almost human nature to be distrustful of those not of your nationality.

Remember that America being the true first experiment in serious racial integration leads the way in this area.


I think the very definition of race is a slippery slope. The idea has little meaning in a biological sense because of the massive interbreeding that has taken place over the last century. "Racism" as we understand it has more to do with certain physical characteristics (notably skin colour), but more often than not has to do with culture.

People who hold prejudicial opinions about black people usually refer to the 'gansta' culture of greed, murder, irresponsiblity and poor lingual habits (that last one bugs me the most, you can tell). The physical characteristic may trigger the individual's reaction to the percieved cultural stereotype, whether or not the individual discriminated against fits the bill, but it is the percieved culture - the set of behaviours, beliefs and languages - that feeds the 'racism' that causes that reaction in the first place.

You'll notice that most Americans these days don't seem to have problems with Middle Eastern people. That is, as long as they're not dressed in traditional cultural garbs, don't speak Sanskrit, Farsi or Arabic to each other or anyone around them, don't make proud displays of their culture or - worst of all! - pray in public.

You're not racist against white people Dboon, you're ethnocentric. You hate the waspy culture that comes with wealth and sometimes it may lead you to tar everyone with the same brush. And that's understandable. I hate a lot of aspects of many cultures, whichever culture happens to possess them; I don't think highly of cultures that celebrate ritual intoxication, or disallow rights to women or other religions, or think AIDS can be cured by raping young children.

The trick is to not let that hatred of those practices that are practiced by some people in those societies creep into our opinions of everyone who may share the characteristics (clothing type, status symbols like good or bad cars, skin colour) of those people. It's ethnocentrism, plain and simple. And it's alive and well. Oh, and not just in our part of the world either; you'll notice radical Islamic terrorists seem to have a very specific perception about our culture.

[lunchforthesky]

It is impossible not to have any preconception of someone or to judge them even in the slightest based on that persons race. I try my best not to do this but it is impossible not to be slightly racist.

[Hababi]

I think the very definition of race is a slippery slope. The idea has little meaning in a biological sense because of the massive interbreeding that has taken place over the last century. "Racism" as we understand it has more to do with certain physical characteristics (notably skin colour), but more often than not has to do with culture.

People who hold prejudicial opinions about black people usually refer to the 'gansta' culture of greed, murder, irresponsiblity and poor lingual habits (that last one bugs me the most, you can tell). The physical characteristic may trigger the individual's reaction to the percieved cultural stereotype, whether or not the individual discriminated against fits the bill, but it is the percieved culture - the set of behaviours, beliefs and languages - that feeds the 'racism' that causes that reaction in the first place.


I rep'd you for that post, but I kinda disagree :p

I know people who are racist, and I think little has to do with, say, lingual habits. They grew up in households where the parents told them to not trust black people, that black people are inferior, etc. Same thing with Jews--they grew up being told that Jews are 'out to get them.' So they had this warped opinion outside of any actual experiences. In fact, some people I know who call blacks nigg|ers in private have black friends.

Whereas I have a great deal of criticism for much of what is known as 'black' culture today, but am not racist (though I await a Chad/Amit post telling me otherwise). I just have a real problem with that culture.

[Scythe404]

I rep'd you for that post, but I kinda disagree :p

I know people who are racist, and I think little has to do with, say, lingual habits. They grew up in households where the parents told them to not trust black people, that black people are inferior, etc. Same thing with Jews--they grew up being told that Jews are 'out to get them.' So they had this warped opinion outside of any actual experiences. In fact, some people I know who call blacks nigg|ers in private have black friends.

True. My argument was sort of from a cosmopolitan mindset concerning the kind of ethnocentrism and fear that gets bred even in tight and ethnically diverse communities.

There are a lot of varying levels of 'racism' and every single sociologist I've studied or read into has different opinions on what it constitutes, but if we had to make the clearest cut distinction between two large categories it would likely be prejudicial, bred racism as you've described, and that sort of culturally-loathing ethnic resentment that I described.

[DBoons Ghost]

Scythe I really had no response to your post but it was an excellent post. I gave you some rep for what it's worth. Thanks!

[italic zero]

True. My argument was sort of from a cosmopolitan mindset concerning the kind of ethnocentrism and fear that gets bred even in tight and ethnically diverse communities.

There are a lot of varying levels of 'racism' and every single sociologist I've studied or read into has different opinions on what it constitutes, but if we had to make the clearest cut distinction between two large categories it would likely be prejudicial, bred racism as you've described, and that sort of culturally-loathing ethnic resentment that I described.
I still say you have to make distinctions within these categories for the difference between subconscious and idealogical racism.

[Hababi]

There are a lot of varying levels of 'racism' and every single sociologist I've studied or read into has different opinions on what it constitutes, but if we had to make the clearest cut distinction between two large categories it would likely be prejudicial, bred racism as you've described, and that sort of culturally-loathing ethnic resentment that I described.

Yes but I still have issue with lumping dislike of elements that have become known as "black culture" and racism--I mean, Bill Crosby criticized those very same things!:p

[Scythe404]

I still say you have to make distinctions within these categories for the difference between subconscious and idealogical racism.

And I don't disagree; don't mistake me. I could give you a 1,500 word purely informative paper right here and now just on the different sub-categories of prejudice, discrimination, ethnocentrism and racism (all very different subjects) as defined by a half dozen different psychologists and sociologists and we'd be just scraping the surface (hell, I wouldn't mind going into those here a little later). But in the most base, simple terms, to look at this issue, it's easiest to start by seperating bred racism or developed ethnocentrism.

Also: Thanks, Dboon.

[Mr. Ron]

I disagree Ron.

Race defines nothing to me besides color of skin.

I guess prejudice, and bigoted feelings then.

[Kayetan]

So to the rest of you....how much do you think a Black presidential canidate (like Obama) will be hurt by the fact that he is Black?A lot, judging by the comments of my mother's boyfriend. "If any white person votes for this Obama guy, they should be assassinated..." He's an incredibly ignorant guy, but I'm sure he's not the only one who feels this way.


Ok, so the problem I see with racisms is, as the article mentions, its more subtle forms. I would say that at least where I live, there aren't too many blatantly racist white people, but regardless of how racist they are, they still benefit, often unknowingly, from racist social structures.

[angry armadillo]

i always think it is funny, you can make a generalisation, if you ever call someone out on it, they will always tell you how they are the exception to the rule :rolleyes:


i think any serious racism is always a problem, but there will probably always be racists.

when i say serious racism, i guess the best way to explain is with 'non-serious racism'

for example in the UK there is a rather large amount of Polish workers, and you will probably hear someone going 'omg these fking polish people everywhere'

which is racist, (xenophobic, same difference, whatever) but i would say its not really serious, because if you asked them why whats up? they wouldnt have any real reason for disliking a polish person, they are just being dumb.

It is just something that has gotten into society, that you are supposed to take a dislike to foreign people and to be honest the majority of Polish workers here are doing jobs such as cleaning that no one really wants to do, so it means crappy jobs are getting done, companies arent paying as high wages as they might have to, and the Poles are earning more than they would in Poland, everyone wins afaik

the only loser is the person getting annoyed that there are a lot of foreign people in the country, but hey if they dont like that then i suggest they take up cleaning for pittance for a living :)


there is also a lot of immigrants coming into this country from other places, and people will moan that they are just sponging off the state. and in fairness i dont want to have to pay for these people with my tax just because they dont like their country

but i am sure a lot of these people actually come here to seek work, and that is fine by me.


but back to where i started, there will always be racists (imo) who think they have genuine reasons for disliking people of other races, and its just dumb but what can you do.

[Give me Beer]

Puerto Ricans disliking Dominicans isn't what I'd call racism, it's more like nationalism. I mean, as far as I know Dominicans aren't a race...

[DBoons Ghost]

About us Puerto Ricans hating Dominicans 'cause they're different, it's not that way. It's basically the same immigration thing you guys have with the Mexicans, except here it's because people think the Dominican immigrants are to blame for criminality and people here have the stupid idea that they'll take over or whatever. My family is like that, for example, we hear gunshots and police cars and my mom would be "Oh it must be those new Dominicans down the street, they come here and think they rule the place". So it's basically misconceptions and ignorance but I wouldn't say there's hate.

Where I grew up in the Bronx, there was hate, brawls, stabbings and shootings, all due to race.

I imagine it's different for everyone in their own experience, and I already know I'm quite biased to very different opinions about these matters because of where I grew up and still currently live.

[VomitStainedCretin]

Im not racist - I believe all humanity is weak and pitiful in comparison to me.



(Not Serious)

[TojesDolan]

About us Puerto Ricans hating Dominicans 'cause they're different, it's not that way. It's basically the same immigration thing you guys have with the Mexicans, except here it's because people think the Dominican immigrants are to blame for criminality and people here have the stupid idea that they'll take over or whatever. My family is like that, for example, we hear gunshots and police cars and my mom would be "Oh it must be those new Dominicans down the street, they come here and think they rule the place". So it's basically misconceptions and ignorance but I wouldn't say there's hate.
Eh, it's weird to think that even mexicans hate mexicans. If you think about it, all countries have their internal differences, and well, if you say "mexicans are to blame", you're blaming another highly multicultural, salad-like culture that is not the same region from region, mind differences between states. I'm not defending immigrants, but actually I think our government is a piece of sh¡t and needs to get working now in creating jobs, but they're not given to people, so why not go to the U.S. where there's far more opportunity to grow and *gasp* get a job at all?

[Shell]

So to the rest of you....how much do you think a Black presidential canidate (like Obama) will be hurt by the fact that he is Black?

I think a lot of the people who would vote against him JUST because of his race... are probably the people who don't vote at all. I wonder how he will campaign... surely he will take into consideration that his race will be a factor he will have to overcome (unfortunately).

[Electronic Wolf]

I think a lot of people who don't usually vote would come off the couch and vote against him because people are dumb like that. It's a bit sad to think that skin color still means the world to some people and they're unwilling to look past that.

[Cher Shimjer]

Yeah, they can't really get over the potential indicators of such a skin color :/

[Illmatic]

I think a lot of people who don't usually vote would come off the couch and vote against him because people are dumb like that. It's a bit sad to think that skin color still means the world to some people and they're unwilling to look past that.

yeah but the door swings both ways; there could also be a lot of people who go out there and vote for him because of his race.

[Knifeboy]

Asked if they know someone they consider racist, 43 percent of whites and 48 percent of blacks said yes.

But just 13 percent of whites and 12 percent of blacks consider themselves racially biased.



The article makes it out to sound like this means that alot of racists doesn't consider themselves racist.. But really, most people know atleast 5 people right?.. I hate how journalists can't fathom how to use statistics correctly

[Electronic Wolf]

yeah but the door swings both ways; there could also be a lot of people who go out there and vote for him because of his race.

Doubt it.

[moogoogaipan]

why does it have to be racism... why does color matter. Why can't I hate a person for his personality, does it have to be based on color?

If I'm gonna discriminate, it's gonna be for the person's personality, not his color.
But if he's a minority, then the racial card will always get played. That's how life is...

[PerpetualBurn]

The article makes it out to sound like this means that alot of racists doesn't consider themselves racist.. But really, most people know atleast 5 people right?.. I hate how journalists can't fathom how to use statistics correctly

"There are 3 kinds of lies: lies, damned, and statistics"

Statistics can show whatever you want them to.

[Win A Rabbit]

I've been reading up on this kind of thing alot lately.

http://www.amazon.com/Culture-Make-Believe-Derrick-Jensen/dp/1931498571/sr=8-1/qid=1166725108/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/104-7693114-5584720?ie=UTF8&s=books

A great book that talks about the more "abstract" racism, and hate towards basically all things in general.

[OnDesolationRow]

hate towards basically all things in general.

So, not racism them?

[BillCosby]

I think a lot of the people who would vote against him JUST because of his race... are probably the people who don't vote at all. I wonder how he will campaign... surely he will take into consideration that his race will be a factor he will have to overcome (unfortunately).

Most people who would vote against a person because he is black most likely wouldn't vote Democrat anyway..

[The Digital Pimp]

Come on, we've passed racism. There's like a black and asian guy in every movie nowdays.

[CrossTheBreeze]

I'll bet 50 bucks right now that if you polled the people who admitted to having some "tense feelings" toward other races, you would learn they watch a lot of TV. The more TV you watch, the more you're convinced the world is dangerous and ugly.

Now, I don't discriminate based on race. But I do discriminate. I live a couple blocks from the projects and on several occassions, I've heard gunshots, ambulances, and police sirens all emanating from that direction. When I pass by the projects for whatever reason, I'm a little more cautious than usual and try not to dally.

Is this because I distrust black people? No. It's because I've heard bad things happen there, and I'd prefer not to get caught in the middle of them when and if they happen again. It's not racism when you hear gunshots coming from a part of the neighborhood and react with caution, because the self-preservation instinct is telling me that foreign objects travelling at insanely high speeds suddenly slamming into my flesh, bones, and vitals = bad.

Do I think some black people are racist? Yeah. They have the same potential to make stupid judgments as white people. This is nothing new.
thats pretty much my view on this thing

[Volumnius Flush]

Many of you may know Larry Elder. In his book, "10 Things You Can't Say In America", he quotes a statistic. The poll reflected feelings of oppression reflecting racism. Whites were polled, Hispanics, Asians, and blacks. When asked whether or not racism was a major role in their people's problems, X percent of Hispanics and Asians said yes. When blacks were asked whether or not racism is the main cause of Hispanic's problems, blacks responded 'yes' at three times the rate. The same went for Asians.

Non-black minorities attribute their people's problems less to racism. Blacks wrongly assume they can't make progress because of the big bad white man.

[CrossTheBreeze]

well, some blacks do.