Quote:
Originally Posted by Did you just call me Coltrane?
(Post 491439)
How, exactly, were white people "taught" to fear black people? Actually curious not snarky.
|
I can give you a few examples:
1. Some are actually outright taught, whether it's "You should hate black people because they're all thugs who want your money or vagina," or the more subtle influence of being with your mom or friend when she clutches her purse closer or crosses the street when a black man approaches
2. Some are taught because of ignorance bred from under-exposure (ghettos are created in places easy for all non-ghetto people to avoid, white people flee cities in favor of lilly white suburbs and gated-communities, etc.)
3. Popular culture: from beauty standards, to acting opportunities, to the types of "black" music embraced and disbursed by white people, stereotypes created around fear win the day
4. Rush Limbaugh and his ilk
5. Media issues: Whether we're talking about darkening OJ's skin on the cover of a magazine to make him more menacing or reporting on crack cocaine and how it's creating a generation of crack babies (complete bullshit), while completely ignoring how much worse meth has been in this country. Hell, picture a white dude who smokes weed in your head and then picture a black one. Is one of them a college dude who enjoys a good bong toke and the other a dark-skinned criminal in a hoodie and skully pulling on a blunt while looking menacingly at everyone?
6. The drug war, which has been waged primarily against minorities (even though drug use numbers are almost exactly the same between whites and blacks), which results in a higher incarceration rate for blacks, which feeds fear and stop-and-frisk and 3-strikes policies
7. Politicians: Don't get me started. The fears they constantly stoke with ad campaigns of black men coming to get you while running on a tough-on-crime platform. Palin-types who say shit like, "let's take back our country" or "Obama pals around with terrorists" or "He's from Nigeria, he's not American, he's a community organizer [or any other dog-whistle bullshit]" to a group of rabid racists
I can go on and on. Fuck, I went to a Halloween party in New York fucking City last month and dressed as a member of Run DMC and 3 white girls (separately) asked if I was a thug. You don't think that fear is constantly being taught? You're sure as hell not born with it.
TM