Since we've been talking about racism....

[handy]

Since we've been talking about racism a lot lately, I would like to discuss it on a more personal level.

As many of you know, my son is black. He is the only black in our entire town of 130 folks. He is the only black kid at his school, however not the only minority as there is a family of Mexicans in town and their kids go to the school. This town is great and everyone is accepted here, there is no racism here. My son hasn't experienced racism on any level here. And, even when we've been out and about, we've only encountered about 3 racially charged incidents, none of which my son picked up on, as he wasn't paying the least bit of attention. Two involved senior citizens, so I chalked it up to them being the products of their time. One took place in Northern Idaho and was a case of bad service in a Subway Shop. More on that later.

When my son goes on into Jr. High and High School, I'm not expecting much of a problem either. There are more blacks in the town where he will be going to school, but as far as I can tell, there is no problems of them fitting in. I do a lot of substitute work so I've been in the class rooms and out on the play yards and the problem is non-existent. As a matter of fact, a couple of years ago, one of the poplar football players was elected Homecoming King and he danced with the Homecoming Queen and front page of the local newspaper had proudly displayed a picture of the HK giving the HQ a big hug and kiss. And, even though the HK was black and the HQ was white, there was no outcry or murmuring or any hint of racism. Oh, I imagine in the town of 6000 there were some who was murmuring under their breath but certainly not in any public way. They would get slapped down and slapped down hard if they did.

However, I'm not expecting my son to stay in this place forever. For one thing, he will be going to some kind of college or continuing education after high school, so he'll be heading out once he hits 18.

And, heading out without any experience with racism.

Now, we don't believe in race anyway. There is but one race, the human race. So, it's really hard for me to appreciate and understand the nuances of racism because I can't relate to the cause of racism (a perceived difference of race) nor have we felt the effects of racism. Consequently, we don't look at everything that happens that is negative to my son as racist. Sure, he gets into squabbles with the other boys at time, but that's because they're boys, not because he's black and they're white. And yes, the teacher has called me about his behavior in class, but that was because he really was being loud and disruptive. And, yes, we've had bad service at times, but then some of the times when I've had bad service, my son wasn't with me, so the issue is more a lack of good employee training, not racism. Believe me, when it comes to bad service, we've all been subjected to it. In our neck of the woods, anyone, black, white, Hispanic, Chinese, anyone who refuses to co-operate and mouths off to a cop can expect to be nailed for it. I don't look at that incident as racist, but as tempers getting out of control.

What I'm trying to get at, is that I perceive a lot of what passes as racism is just normal occurrences in a less than perfect world.

However, I am beginning to feel that as my son leaves this rather protective and supportive community and heads out into the larger world, he is going to come face to face with something very ugly and it really might throw him for a loop. So, how does one prepare him for that? Is racism really as bad as Sharpton, Jackson, Farrakhan et. al. make out? Or, will it even be a problem?


Note to Lewis: I'm not sure if I have this in the proper forum. I'm really looking for more of a general discussion rather than specific advice, so I placed it here. If the thread becomes an "advice" thread though, feel free to move it to Talk and Advice.

 

[Lewis]

There is no such thing as race, that word was not even used until the early 1930's and it was used to describe the Jews. I n Bible times the tone of your skin was not a factor. If you were from Cush, you were a Cushite, and nothing more. Get this there were 2 African skinned emperors of Rome, 2 to 3 Popes of color. And in the Roman society it was what could you bring to the table not the color of your skin. And it appears that Noah named his kids according to their complexion. Ham means hot, heated, or burned. Shem means brown, dusky, or olive. Japath means light, bright, or fair. And Genesis 9 says, and from these 3 was the earth overspread. How can people hate something that God has made, in other words they are saying God made a mistake when He made those people. Act: 17-26 is a verse I use a lot, it says from one blood God made all nations of men. It did not say 2 or 3, it said one. There is no such thing is race, I hate that word, and I try hard not to use it. God wants us all to marry and have children, beautiful children come out of this so called mixing. That word interracial is another word that sets me on fire, I hate that word, and I refuse to use it. Because there ain't no such thing. I posted this kind of stuff on this site 2 times in years past, and both times there was not one reply. Me myself I don't care if you are striped or plaid, or polka dot, if we love each other, we are getting married, and have polka dot kids

 

[JoJo]

Lewis, there are no polka dotted people! :rolling (well, actually when I think of it...I was polka dotted when I was 5 and had the chicken pox)

Dora, you've written a wonderful post, a good reminder that not everything is about racism. I just posted about racism in the white-men-commercials post that I hope doesn't conflict with yours.

 

[Lewis]

Lewis, there are no polka dotted people! :rolling (well, actually when I think of it...I was polka dotted when I was 5 and had the chicken pox)

Dora, you've written a wonderful post, a good reminder that not everything is about racism. I just posted about racism in the white-men-commercials post that I hope doesn't conflict with yours.

What no polka dot people, well where did they all go ? Sorry Dora for the rant, I couldn't help it.

 

[handy]

Guess the polka-dot people didn't get on the ark! :D

Thanks for the responses.

JoJo, I did read your response on the Stupid White Man thread and I agree with you. White supremacy certainly is at the root of racism. And, I don't blame anyone, black or white, for handing the memories of the atrocities that were committed onto the next generations. It's important to remember the ugliness of history.

But, where do we go from here?

I think that it's one thing to never forget things like white supremacy and segregation, but it's another to teach children from the get go that they should "never trust someone from another race", or that "the other race are hateful." We are still teaching our kids to think of others in terms of skin pigmentation.

How do we teach kids reality, without pushing them into participating in sinful divisions, no matter what race they are?

 

[JoJo]

I think that it's one thing to never forget things like white supremacy and segregation, but it's another to teach children from the get go that they should "never trust someone from another race", or that "the other race are hateful." We are still teaching our kids to think of others in terms of skin pigmentation.

You're right. Whether it's discrimination or reverse-discrimination, judging other people based on their skin color is WRONG. It's such a painful subject, one that could have been avoided altogether if man had just accepted and loved man as God does.

How do we teach kids reality, without pushing them into participating in sinful divisions, no matter what race they are?

I had an odd childhood. My mom taught me, "Jesus Loves the Little Children" ("all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white, we are precious in His sight...") and this song meant a lot to me, even as a kid, a little white girl who believed that we are ALL precious in His sight. But then I experienced my maternal grandparent's prejudices and my mom's own bias. She isn't prejudiced exactly, but she still isn't convinced that mixed marriages are okay. Weird. She loves my kids dearly but can't reconcile that it's okay for them to be half-black, half-white. Ah, but confusion is of the devil.

 

[walter]

It would help if people knew what they were talking about in the first place. Many that blame their woes on other races don't even know the history behind it.
Perhaps if people would lay aside the hate and learn before they speak we wouldn't have such problems.
How many have followed the crowd or fell under the spell of great oratory?
I can give a few examples but I think a bit of education should come first.

 

[JoJo]

It would help if people knew what they were talking about in the first place. Many that blame their woes on other races don't even know the history behind it.
Perhaps if people would lay aside the hate and learn before they speak we wouldn't have such problems.
How many have followed the crowd or fell under the spell of great oratory?
I can give a few examples but I think a bit of education should come first.

It doesn't take much education to recognize the stench of racism.

 

[walter]

It would help if people knew what they were talking about in the first place. Many that blame their woes on other races don't even know the history behind it.
Perhaps if people would lay aside the hate and learn before they speak we wouldn't have such problems.
How many have followed the crowd or fell under the spell of great oratory?
I can give a few examples but I think a bit of education should come first.

It doesn't take much education to recognize the stench of racism.

True, but not helpful to what I was trying to say.

Example: African Americans focus on their slave past. Most do not know that the Irish, among others were here at the same time as indentured servants, not much better than being slaves themselves because those who held their contracts devised ways of keeping them beyond their 7 years.
I think knowing this provides an opportunity for understanding if taken.

Example: Many whites do not truly know all of the horrors associated with american slavery. Perhaps if they were aware and could be empathetic towards African Americans there would be a lot less animosity.

 

[NIGHTMARE]

It would help if people knew what they were talking about in the first place. Many that blame their woes on other races don't even know the history behind it.
Perhaps if people would lay aside the hate and learn before they speak we wouldn't have such problems.
How many have followed the crowd or fell under the spell of great oratory?
I can give a few examples but I think a bit of education should come first.

It doesn't take much education to recognize the stench of racism.

True, but not helpful to what I was trying to say.

Example: African Americans focus on their slave past. Most do not know that the Irish, among others were here at the same time as indentured servants, not much better than being slaves themselves because those who held their contracts devised ways of keeping them beyond their 7 years.
I think knowing this provides an opportunity for understanding if taken.

Example: Many whites do not truly know all of the horrors associated with american slavery. Perhaps if they were aware and could be empathetic towards African Americans there would be a lot less animosity.

Well If people really understood the Lord they would know God created the races and after he said:::

31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

 

[walter]

Understanding the Lord is of course what we are to do. Understanding the world we live in is important as well.

We can ignore what is going on but that doesn't make it go away.

Example: I know a guy who was a neo-nazi. He used to avoid looking at the evidence of the holocaust because he didn't believe it had happened but once he did look, on a dare mind you, he renounced his beliefs and became saved.

 

[NIGHTMARE]

Understanding the Lord is of course what we are to do. Understanding the world we live in is important as well.

We can ignore what is going on but that doesn't make it go away.

Example: I know a guy who was a neo-nazi. He used to avoid looking at the evidence of the holocaust because he didn't believe it had happened but once he did look, on a dare mind you, he renounced his beliefs and became saved.

Hey im sure God as something in store for ya on that one......its very hard darn near impossible to get through to a neo-nazi or any true racist for that matter

 

[jasoncran]

Lewis, there are no polka dotted people! :rolling (well, actually when I think of it...I was polka dotted when I was 5 and had the chicken pox)

Dora, you've written a wonderful post, a good reminder that not everything is about racism. I just posted about racism in the white-men-commercials post that I hope doesn't conflict with yours.

What no polka dot people, well where did they all go ? Sorry Dora for the rant, I couldn't help it.

the tribes of ephraim and manaseh were from and egyptian blood line as Joseph's wife is an egyptian, those people are at least dark skinned possibly black, so much for the sterotypical white jew there.

Jason

 

[NIGHTMARE]

Lewis, there are no polka dotted people! :rolling (well, actually when I think of it...I was polka dotted when I was 5 and had the chicken pox)

Dora, you've written a wonderful post, a good reminder that not everything is about racism. I just posted about racism in the white-men-commercials post that I hope doesn't conflict with yours.

What no polka dot people, well where did they all go ? Sorry Dora for the rant, I couldn't help it.

the tribes of ephraim and manaseh were from and egyptian blood line as Joseph's wife is an egyptian, those people are at least dark skinned possibly black, so much for the sterotypical white jew there.

Jason

Hey Jason,,,,,I hope your no thinking that all the tribes are Jews the 12 tribes were split 10 tribes went north and became known as the lost tribes,,,,the other two are Jews,,,those are Judah and benjamin and a part of the levites.....thats it........

 

[jasoncran]

no, speaking of racism the word Jew is a hate word from the chaldeans, they called Judea ,Jewry
I say that on the two half tribes of joseph as no true Hebrew knows his tribe and all call themselves either Hebrew or Jew, i'm am a Jew myself and half-irish, but I carry the Hebrew last name.

Only the lord knows where all the tribes went

Jason