...I try to be respectful at all times and have had some who don't normally date black give me a chance because of it. Once they see that I am an educated, articulate, respectful, and professional black man they are pleasantly surprised... Originally Posted by jackson12345I sympathise with your plight but that's all you can do jackson. The more of you do that the less it becomes an issue. I wish you many pleasant encounters. Like Satan said, the black providers mostly have nba policies too. The blame is on the black men who screw it up for the rest of you. IMHO
now I have to touch base on this. as a white male im sure my opinion has no bearing on this. but there are women of every race that choose not to see black men because it is purely preference! and racism has absolutely nothing to do with it. if a lady is rude or derogatory in any way racism is probably a factor! but if a woman has an nba policy it can be the simple fact of preference in men not racism.Actually sorting people by race as a defining characteristic is the very definition of racism. It would be like an employer not hiring someone due to their race, and then saying, "well I'm not really racist, I just prefer to hire white people, due to my bad experiences with black people in the past."
[snip] Originally Posted by satan666
now I have to touch base on this. as a white male im sure my opinion has no bearing on this. but there are women of every race that choose not to see black men because it is purely preference! and racism has absolutely nothing to do with it. if a lady is rude or derogatory in any way racism is probably a factor! but if a woman has an nba policy it can be the simple fact of preference in men not racism.With all due respect, if you read my comment you would have noticed that I specified my comment by stating that this was discrimination and not racism, there is a difference. Discrimination is the unjust or prejudicial treatment of different categories of people or things, especially on the grounds of race, age, or sex. Whereas racism is prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one's own race is superior. I never said nor implied that these women discriminated because they had a superior complex, but I did point out that they unjustly prejudge an entire race of people because of the color of their skin. I can respect that people have their own preference, no problem with that. But to single out one race and say "you are not allowed" based on the color of your skin goes beyond preference, but it is discrimination. We have to call a spade a spade instead of justifying something that was a huge problem in our country for decades. Furthermore, I also stated that I have been hung up on, cussed at, and have been treated rudely when I did nothing to warrant that type of response, except be a color that I had no choice of being. While people are entitled to their preferences, it does not give them the right to disrespect us.
closed mindedness like what you said Jackson is just as bad after all it is 2016 like you said!
to put yourself out there as a victim of circumstance is atrocious. everybody is entitled to their opinion. but for you to say that it is racist or bigotry because a woman chooses not to see you is just sad.
it is opinions like this that make this world divided by racism! Originally Posted by satan666
So if a white escort has a couple of bad experiences with black med and wants to avoid that by not seeing black men anymore is she a racist? Not a rhetorical question. Originally Posted by saloI would not say that is racism. Racism is based off of a superiority complex and not off of fear. Is it presumptive? Yes! Do I disagree with that presumption? No. I have my precautions with some providers because of my experiences as well, so I don't fault those who have had bad experiences. It actually hurts my heart to know that they have been treated wrongly by misrepresentative of my race. I think all people deserve to be treated with dignity and respect.
There really is too much going on in this thread to respond individually, I'll stand on my original post... cognitive dissonance is a powerful thing, but remember, if Target, based on their perception that African Americans are more likely to engage in shoplifting, etc put out a sign that said, "No Blacks" that wouldn't be acceptable, or legal. Hotels, restaurants, etc tried to do that for years... how quickly we forget.VERY well said!!!!! Love it!!!!
Fear isn't a justification to discriminate, stereotypes aren't a justification, etc. These are the things people have told themselves for decades to make themselves comfortable with their own thoughts. I suspect many people here, based on what some of you are saying... and wow....are seeking to justify their own thoughts because they don't want the label. The label of being a bigot is bad...but if we are only expressing a "preference," or just reacting out of a fear based on experience... why... no racism exists.
It's a lie you tell yourself to avoid the discomfort of acknowledging your behavior. It's perfectly natural, and there have been studies on "ist" claims and dissonance throughout the psychological and communication literature.
Just make sure you read what you're saying, and think of it from the perspective of... am I just avoiding culpability for my own thoughts? Picking apart some of these posts will only engender another backlash of... I'M NOT A BIGOT DAMMIT! Ok, but that doesn't mean you're not engaging in racism.
To some extent that's inevitable because of how we work, but unlike other animals, we can make conscious choices. We don't justify rape based on the need to procreate. We can't justify racism due to the fact that difference has some inherent fear attached to it. We are better than our instincts.
I once heard a politician say, "I don't have anything against black people, I just wouldn't want my daughter to marry one." Yep, that's a preference alright, and it's pretty much racism.
In fact, if the hobby was legal, then yep, you couldn't say no African Americans under laws against discrimination. Just like Target...
Many of you seriously need to take a step back and evaluate your own thoughts and prejudices. It's impossible to be colorblind, that's just factual, and acting on those stereotypes problematizes your claims to be free from accountability.
We have to call it what it is... it's racism. You can tell yourself its just a "preference" but if that preference is based on race, it's discriminatory (I'll embrace that term, its legally correct... and I think engaging in racism is part of it), and it's the definition of racism.
Lastly... my pre-empt was ignored... when you "prefer" one thing over another, you assume that the characteristics of the "not preferred" thing is somehow lessor... its qualitative. That's intrinsically weighing one thing over the other, in this case race, which presumes superiority. Analogies notwithstanding, you are making a qualitative assessment... that's making one better... one superior. So you can't say "just because I don't think whites are superior to blacks, I can't engage in racism."
Oh yes you can, and it might be worse because you aren't even conscious of it.
It's ok to acknowledge it, recognize it and understand where it comes from. That's the first step to solving it. People can change their behavior.
Good discussion. Originally Posted by JackJohnson