Racism in the United States is astonishing. As a non-American, until Obama’s time, I used to think that, there was just some institutional racism left over from past decades and a few extremists in the South—but not much else. After Obama, it’s incredible how most white people have become extremely right-wing extremists, all because of a single president of mixed descent. Now, the problem seems enormous, and a solution doesn’t appear to be anywhere in sight.
I’m a white American from the northeast and I felt the same way. When trump won the first time, it felt like I’d just discovered that the floor underneath my bed was rotting away.
I was blind to it because I didn’t need to see it, but it was always there. My relative privilege insulated me and ensured that I contributed to the problem
I am from Boston, northeast has always been super racist and still is.
We just hide our racism by using different words, like ‘those people’. Go to any town/city meeting and you will see 50% of the people going up to talk about their ‘concerns’ using phrases like that. It’s all very veiled and vague, for sure, but it’s incredibly obvious what they mean. Being racist here is 100% cool as long as you are not doing it directly.
And hell, most of my white progressive anti-racists friends, are very very uncomfortable around non-white people. I had the ‘privileged’ of growing up a lower-income mixed race community, but most of my peers have zero experience with non-white people.
Well yeah, but there’s also naked and aggressive racism, like lynchings, for example, that I just didn’t notice before. I mentioned where I’m from because I also thought that only happened “in the south.”
Neither is acceptable, to be clear, and both happen all over the US, tragically.
After Obama, it’s incredible how most white people have become extremely right-wing extremists
That hasn’t been my anecdotal observation. Obama’s election definitely freaked out the existing White racists and motivated them to get more politically active, but I haven’t seen non-racist Whites suddenly become racist because a Black man finally got elected president. Where are you seeing this? Better yet, is there research or polling data documenting it?
As an American I feel exactly the same. There absolutely were holdouts of racism, but I felt we were moving forward and leaving them behind. Obama’s presidency set the stage, then trump and covid set everything on fire and the mask came off. “Draining the swamp” just meant revealing the scum at the bottom of it and setting it free. I was shocked at how many racist, petty, selfish, aggressively ignorant people there are in the US.
neo liberal economics always bring hard times which politicians like trump exploit to blame hard times on minorities, it has been going on for decades and it will go on till end of humanity if we do not tear this whole economic system apart
As an American reading what you said is encouraging, at least knowing that when this whole place burns to the ground humanity can carry on in a meaningful and useful way. Not sure the area I live in can even be salvaged at this point.
Most people are racist. Some of the biggest racists I ever knew were Asian and Hispanic.
It’s just white racism is considered wrong and bad, and the other kind of racisms are not, because the white media industry is obsessed with self-flagellating itself over white on black racism as begin the only legitimate racism.
There is also a massive issue with asian on black, and black on asian, racism. But White people don’t know about it or talk about it, because white people are mostly obsessed with racism in terms of their own guilt, rather than understanding how it operates systematically across various groups. A lot of Trumps minority supports were for him because he’s racist and they agree with him.
Racism in the United States is astonishing. As a non-American, until Obama’s time, I used to think that, there was just some institutional racism left over from past decades and a few extremists in the South—but not much else. After Obama, it’s incredible how most white people have become extremely right-wing extremists, all because of a single president of mixed descent. Now, the problem seems enormous, and a solution doesn’t appear to be anywhere in sight.
I’m a white American from the northeast and I felt the same way. When trump won the first time, it felt like I’d just discovered that the floor underneath my bed was rotting away.
I was blind to it because I didn’t need to see it, but it was always there. My relative privilege insulated me and ensured that I contributed to the problem
I am from Boston, northeast has always been super racist and still is.
We just hide our racism by using different words, like ‘those people’. Go to any town/city meeting and you will see 50% of the people going up to talk about their ‘concerns’ using phrases like that. It’s all very veiled and vague, for sure, but it’s incredibly obvious what they mean. Being racist here is 100% cool as long as you are not doing it directly.
And hell, most of my white progressive anti-racists friends, are very very uncomfortable around non-white people. I had the ‘privileged’ of growing up a lower-income mixed race community, but most of my peers have zero experience with non-white people.
Well yeah, but there’s also naked and aggressive racism, like lynchings, for example, that I just didn’t notice before. I mentioned where I’m from because I also thought that only happened “in the south.”
Neither is acceptable, to be clear, and both happen all over the US, tragically.
That hasn’t been my anecdotal observation. Obama’s election definitely freaked out the existing White racists and motivated them to get more politically active, but I haven’t seen non-racist Whites suddenly become racist because a Black man finally got elected president. Where are you seeing this? Better yet, is there research or polling data documenting it?
I mean, exhibit A, Obama won election and re-election.
I think it’s more that a lot of racists hid it rather than openly reveling in it like they do now.
As an American I feel exactly the same. There absolutely were holdouts of racism, but I felt we were moving forward and leaving them behind. Obama’s presidency set the stage, then trump and covid set everything on fire and the mask came off. “Draining the swamp” just meant revealing the scum at the bottom of it and setting it free. I was shocked at how many racist, petty, selfish, aggressively ignorant people there are in the US.
We were racist long before Obama.
And what country are you from where racism is not an issue?
Racism is just tribalism evolved.
This is reductive.
No really, where, because a non-racist place to live sounds fantastic, especially nowadays.
neo liberal economics always bring hard times which politicians like trump exploit to blame hard times on minorities, it has been going on for decades and it will go on till end of humanity if we do not tear this whole economic system apart
What? Republicans trash the economy then leave the next Democrat to fix it.
But because the changes in policy take time to affect the economy, it looks like the democrat caused it.
But every time, the Democrats end with an improving economy and the Republicans end with a declining economy.
You think Ds have ever fixed the economy?
New Deal was a long time ago, they’ve fucked it up ever since, hand in hand with Rs.
Coincidentally, the leadership and a sizeable chunk of BoTh PaRtIeS are filthy rich! And their families! For generations…
I wonder why their wealth grows substantially after taking office? It is a mystery ¯_(ツ)_/¯
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_current_members_of_the_United_States_Congress_by_wealth (this doesn’t count all of their wealth of course, see Panama and Pandora papers for proof of how they hide money with shell companies)
Tell me you haven’t looked at any data on the subject without telling me you haven’t looked at any data on the subject.
What democrat has improved “the economy”
All of them. It’s a very clear pattern to anyone who bothers to look.
As an American reading what you said is encouraging, at least knowing that when this whole place burns to the ground humanity can carry on in a meaningful and useful way. Not sure the area I live in can even be salvaged at this point.
I don’t know about “most” white people, but other than that, yeah
Most people are racist. Some of the biggest racists I ever knew were Asian and Hispanic.
It’s just white racism is considered wrong and bad, and the other kind of racisms are not, because the white media industry is obsessed with self-flagellating itself over white on black racism as begin the only legitimate racism.
There is also a massive issue with asian on black, and black on asian, racism. But White people don’t know about it or talk about it, because white people are mostly obsessed with racism in terms of their own guilt, rather than understanding how it operates systematically across various groups. A lot of Trumps minority supports were for him because he’s racist and they agree with him.