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1975312 Responseshttp://www.racerelationsproject.org/2010/03/does-this-rudeness-thing-cut-both-ways/Does+this+rudeness+thing+cut+both+ways%3F2010-03-17+02%3A41%3A16Sam+Richards to Does this rudeness thing cut both ways?
That is really interesting. It’s funny because white people and people of color seemed to give the same type of responses, which means white people and people of color both see white people in the same way. It did seem like it was more of an issue when the white people said it, I assume it would be comments from people of color. It just seems like people of color take more offense when white people admit to being better off, even though people of color think it’s true too and were making the same type of comments on the screen. I don’t think when people were answering the question through texts up to the screen, that anyone was targeting people of color saying anything degrading, just simply stating the truth that white people are a majority so typically have more benefits than any minority.
I honestly do not know where to begin with this but it certainly has weighed heavy on my mind. After I found this post online I had to take a few days to ponder on it and come up with a justification to this rude behavior. Moreover, by then I realized that there is tension amongst races and I will not deny that there are a handful that make it worse for others, but to base the information on someone looking at you funny, or bumping into you and not apologizing as being rude or hateful just doesn't cut it with many of us. I don't think "all Black people are rude." I think the problem is that many Black people distrust Whites and have poorly developed social skills.
Moreover, I think that the reaction from black people observed in the classroom setting is not a matter of rudeness or hate but their temperament. They got used to the fact that the whites always tip toeing around them in terms of political correctness to avoid offending them. So, when in class the whites are required to speak their minds the blacks don’t like it. The individuals with darker complexion are always feeling like they are looked differently upon etc when in reality it is not true.
As I mentioned before, the social skills play an important role as well. The white people either poor or rich have been receiving a much more privileged education and are more aware of equality and acceptance of others, while the black people (not all) are still deprived of that opportunity especially in urban areas. Therefore, they are still with that mentality that whites hate them and instead of being nice they act out just to show that they are not weak and can stand up for themselves while in reality they don’t have to do that at all because the whites don’t think of them any less. I personally feel like any black individual is the same as I, or another white person, or Hispanic, etc. We are all human beings, period. However, the problem comes in when the black people do have this low self confidence and they try to act out, which results in them being portrayed rude and without any disciplinary manners. Therefore, it’s not about them being rude by nature but more about their present behavior. Obviously, there are blacks who do not fit that profile, but it's hard to differentiate when 75% of them scream, curse, accuse, etc. whenever something is going on that they don't like. It's like no one ever explained to them that the world isn't always going to go the way they like. Honestly, if a white individual would obnoxiously laugh, talk loud or would make comments or show annoyed facial expressions he/she would be considered rude as well.
On that basis, I would say that the reason we have encountered 'rudeness' from black individuals might be explained by the fact that they are more sensitive to being treated badly. People who are rich, white and privileged rarely get so defensive because they don't assume anyone is being rude to them because of who they are. But if you're black, I guess you are always suspicious that any perceived rudeness might be because of your color; whether that is true or not.
In my opinion, there isn't a race that is not rude, or hateful in this world. Some will bite their tongue, hide in a closet and hang out with their buddies and use words that are so vulgar a bed bug wouldn't even want to hear it. But the majority who does get along with one another should express their opinions and why they believe what we state. As planting a positive seed instead of a negative one makes the world a much better place to live in and isn't it our generation who has been desiring change?
I always recommend taking the high road in these situations. Let the person know that you believe his or her action or words to be unacceptably rude without being rude in return. It can just start a vicious cycle. Try not to punish the next person for the last person’s rudeness. Give each one a clean slate. If you do take the opportunity to challenge rude behavior, be prepared to explain why the rude behavior was wrong and how the person should have acted or spoken.
I understand where this question is coming from. when i was sitting in class i was thinking the same thing to my friend next to me. i just didn’t understand why the “colored people” were making a scene out of something that was texted. I understand if people are offended and hurt, but why does that make it right for them to freak out and yell and scream. I just don’t understand why “colored people” find it necessary to always be heard. Not to say that white people don’t make scenes or get angry, but we react in different ways. And we could see that very clearly in class with the texts. It wasn’t even like the white people were being more rude with their comments about the colored people, i think at times both got a little offensive. But i do feel like the colored people made more of a scene out of it, and i would also like to know why.
I think this is a great question. When I was sitting in class I noticed a stand still silence whenever something rude was said when people of color texted something rude. I would go as far as saying I could feel the tension in the room when something rude was said. It was totally silent but I could feel people thinking whether or not they should react, and most people decided not to react, which seems like a normal reaction.
For me white guilt stepped in huge at this point. A lot of people felt that well we have treated black people awful for the greater part of the last 300 years so we really have no room to complain about some rude texts that they said about us. A lot like the Eddie Griffin standup. A lot of people see that and think they cannot view it as offensive.
Are white people really scared? I know that I am white and I would never be rude to a person of color for fear of being called a racist. People are making a big deal about nothing. I do not even think I noticed in class an uproar focusing on one side or another. Maybe it is because black people appreciate the class more then whites do. So they take all the stuff more seriously. However, I do not know that is just my opinion. As sam also said in class- these people would never say these comments out loud to anyone face. Maybe that is another reason so many bad comments came out of white people because they had the chance to do it on the board where no one could see.
I like the idea of texting responses and putting them on the screen because it is a quick way to get many opinions expressed without taking up too much class time. It is also interesting to read all the responses so I find myself paying more attention to the lecture. On the other hand, it is also an opportunity for people to put up immature responses in order to make the class laugh. While these responses can be rude, they can also just be stupid, which is what I think most of the ones written about white people are taken as. I agree that the rude responses written about black people created more of an “uproar” and many of the responses about white people were laughed at. At the same time, a couple of the responses about black people were clearly more offensive and deserved a negative response from the class. Like Sam said “if you can’t stand up right now and say in to the class then don’t text it to the screen”. This class is about race relations so there’s no room for offensive comments to be used as a joke.
This does make me think about things I have said in the past or things that my friends have said. At the time no one thought any of these statements were offensive, and some were laughed about. But when I was reading them on the screen I found myself realizing how many things were rude and wondered if I had laughed at something similar said in the past.
Another thing to think about is that many people don’t realize they are being offensive or rude. They gave their honest opinion about what they think it means to be black or white based off of stereotypes they hold or situations they have witnessed. While there were some things that were said about what it means to be white that were rude and may not have been called out, there were others that were just stereotypes that are partly true. An example was that white girls wear north faces and uggs. I can’t disagree with this because as a white woman, I wear north faces and uggs all the time in the winter. I do this mostly because they are warm and comfortable, but also because it’s a trend that it is not exclusive to white people.
I’m not sure if this hits the point of the video, but I think that many of the comments posted to the screen were interesting to read and not meant to be offensive. If these are the posts that are focused on then this new addition to class could be very beneficial because it gives us an opportunity to hear diverse opinions. Silly posts should be disregarded and rude or offensive posts should be called out no matter the race of the person who posted it or what race the post targeted.
So, I'm kinda mixing a few different stories into one here, but I've still been thinking about the whole texting in thing from last weeks class and about the different responses that were heard in the room when white people were texting insulting things versus when people of color were texting insulting things. And then we watched that video in class on Tuesday- I don't remember who the comedian was but he was a black man just completely ripping on white people and making fun of all the stereotypical things about white people. And everyone thought it was funny and we all had a good laugh. But if anyone else read the article Sam posted about how at the University of California San Diego many students had a "Compton Cookout" themed party, which is pretty much making fun of and stereotyping a subculture which is predominantly black, absolutely no one laughed at this. It was taken as very serious matter and UCSD is being portrayed as horribly racist because of that. So does this rudeness thing go both ways? NO, it doesn't. Should it? Absolutely. Either we all have to be held accountable for our actions and words against another race, or none of us can be.
I believe it to be reverse racism. A black person can play the race card if they are insulted by a white person, but more often than not a white person gets blown off if they complain about a black person. In fact, if a white person complains that a black person called them a derogatory name, the white person still manages to be called a racist. It's really sad.
I really do not know why and have to hard evidence as to why jokes can be made about white people without it being taken offensively. Is it that the “white people haven’t suffered nearly enough? I personally believe that everyone at EVERY point in history EVERY religious group, race, gender, has gone through some sort of oppression. Personally I feel the holocaust was a worse fate for white people. The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime. The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community.
And what irks me, are people of black descent, let’s say maybe a 13 year old person saying: oh yo we're oppressed, we're this, we're that, etc. This gets under my skin because: 1. you didn't go through slavery yourself, and most likely neither did your parents. 2. you were born in America the land of the free. 3. if you feel you're oppressed, just take a look at Obama. He is the president of the United States, the leader of the free world. .
By the way, I see a lot of people saying that slavery in America's past allows blacks to get away with things. That is trying to impose "white guilt." I think it was a dark day in our history. However, I'm not the one who owned slaves. My ancestors may have but I have no blood on my hands from this specific act. Like above you didn’t go through slavery, I didn’t own you. Also, how quickly we forget that African tribes were kidnapping members of other tribes and selling them to the white slave traders. Not completely the white man's fault that slavery happened.
Having the opinion that races (on average) are different isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What is dreadful, though, can be expressed very easily: treating people badly. If one treats people badly (and that includes treating people discriminatorily) solely on the basis of those people’s race, then one is appalling. I believe that we all need to just get over it and “forgive and forget.” Our ancestors may have been enemies but there is no reason that we have to be.
This is a question that I deal with on an everyday basis. I feel the same way that often times if a white and black person were to say the exact same thing that the white comment would be criticized and no comment would be made about the black comment. I feel that african americans sometimes feel entitled to criticize what white people say because of the bad things we put them through they are entitled to be rude to us sometimes and we are supposed to just let it go. Then when it was turn for the black people to answer the question they were answering the wrong question and posting rediculous answers and not one person called them out or criticized their answers. This might be because the white people just didnt care to start anything or werent paying attention or maybe they were scared of the response from the people posting the texts. I feel that this is the definition of a double standard and their is no justification as to why one race can be rude to another and get no fight back. Who wants to fight against themself anyway?
I totally agree with my man right here. He brings up a great point that even Sam addressed when he showed us websites/videos. Because of the whole "white guilt" thing, there is a double standard. It is okay for black people to make fun of white people, but vice versa and it becomes a huge race issue. I feel like a lot white people in this country, or at least ones that I know, have ancestors that immigrated from foreign countries and have little or nothing to do with slavery or any kind of "racial dominance." Yet we are still expected to feel bad about the fact that we are white and "privileged". I think that if you want to make fun of others' race, culture, etc., then you need to be able to make fun of yourself as well. If not, then don't make jokes in the first place.
I completely agree with the student when he said that it was kind of weird how Sam scolded the white people for saying rude things but did not necessarily say anything when the black students said anything rude. I remember a specific example about 2 weeks ago in class that I remember sitting in and thinking something was wrong with this situation. It happened when we were sending the anonymous texting was being put up on the board. It was white people’s turn to respond and someone dropped the n- bomb and there was a huge uproar. By no means am I saying that that is ok in any way, it is a derogatory term that I never use. However, Sam stopped the class and told the white people that that term was not to be put up on screen; 1. Because it was rude 2. The Nword was not allowed to be put on screen because it was not appropriate for class and we would not be allowed to text anymore. And I agree when he said it was not appropriate. However, what pissed me off was that the next time black people got to respond, the N-bomb was dropped not once, but twice! And do you think Sam said anything? No. If we are in a race relations class where we are trying to bring race and equality to the table, then be fair. Tell the black people that that is not appropriate to say that. If we can’t say it because it’s not “class appropriate” then why should they? And I understand that when coming from a white person it is seen as derogatory (and I truly believe it is) but when coming from black people it is just a term thrown out there meaning no disrespect. I don’t care what it is or means to you, if white people can’t say it then black people shouldn’t be able to say it either. That’s just not fair. I think that white people are accustomed to tip-toeing around black people’s feelings which can be said about most of us. So when someone speaks up, not talking about dropping that word, but when someone says something, it causes an uproar. You would think world war 3 started. When black people say rude things to white people, you don’t see us acting out. I think some things are more offensive to certain races and some are not but it’s got to be fair both ways, which it was not on this day. I am not saying that black people should not have been offended by the term thrown out there that day, because it is a rude and disrespectful term. I am just saying that it was not fair how white people were treated differently when using this term right before black people used the term twice.
Rudeness should be cut both ways. It really should not be tolerated. Also, everybody no matter what race should refrain from sharing or expressing disrespectful comments. I do agree that when a white person makes a rude comment about a colored person, witnesses tend to gasp and be appalled. However, when a person of color makes a rude comment about a white person, nothing is said. This is because white people fear the race card, so they sit back and tolerate the rudeness. Unfortunately, this is creating stereotypes that white people are pushovers and that people of color are disrespectful. For example, the initial reaction of Taylor Swift after Kanye West interrupted her VMA acceptance speech for Best Female Video was fear and silence. Taylor did not even attempt to stand up for herself or finish her speech. Also, the presenters on stage did not say anything at the time. I am not saying that what Kanye did was acceptable because it was completely uncalled for. However, I wondered if no one said anything immediately after because they feared the race card would be pulled. Fortunately, Kanye West was scrutinized for his actions after the VMAs and went into hiding. But this makes me wonder why this happens. Rudeness needs to be addressed no matter what especially what race it is coming from and who is reacting to it.
I think this question could go for way more then just the texting poll. I think this happens everywhere in the world. Black people do a lot of things white people would be punished for doing, yet they get away with it. Growing up in school through the years, I would see the black kids in my school getting away with talking without raising their hands, cutting in line, or even missing a class. They got away with harmless things; it wasn’t like they killed someone and got off with a warning. It is just strange that a white kid would talk when not called on and got a detention but a black kid did and got away with it. I didn’t care because I followed all the rules anyway so it wasn’t like it was against me, but it seemed to suck for the kids that did get in trouble for the same offense. It is strange because now that we are all grown up and suppose to be comfortable talking about race, we still don’t have the same regulations for every ethnicity. Sam even said he had a student who would play white people by cutting in line to see what they would say. No one says anything to them about their behavior because of something. I’m by no means a psychologist so I don’t know the real reason why no one stands up against black people, but it probably has something to do with the white guilt thing Sam talked about in class. We are afraid that the littlest confrontation is going to turn into something majorly offensive. We think things like what if they think I’m being racist, what if they think I’m only telling them or yelling at them only because they are black, or would I be saying this to them if they were white? All these questions and thoughts make us change our standards for them. If anything, if I were black, I would find this offensive. I would find that white people being afraid to stand up to me and tell me what is right as belittling. If we, as white people, don’t hold the same standards for all colors then we must think that black people are incapable of rising to the same standards as everyone else, so we let them do whatever they want. At some point if we really do want to abolish racism, then we need to learn to confront everyone in the same manner. The rules and behavior expectations should apply for all. To get back to the texting poll, I did notice that when it was the whites turn we were told to keep it appropriate and nice, but then the black people were able to write that whites were ignorant among other things and weren’t told anything. I don’t know why that happened but in a race relations class I think everyone should be held to the same standards.
Of all the classes to miss, I, of course, missed the whole texting controversy. However, our discussion group talked about it a lot this week and I wish I had been there to experience this huge dilemma in our class. What is asked in this video is very similar to our discussion about the “rudeness” going both ways. Personally, if I had been there to see someone posting something with the “n-word” up there, I would have been very offended and uncomfortable. I understand everyone has their views but something so disrespectful and distasteful really offends me and also boggles my mind about how someone could use it so freely in this day in age.
While this comment was offensive, the point of race discussions also came up. If we are not uncomfortable, are we making any progress? Maybe not – but using racial slurs and blatant statements along the lines of white people are superior and black people are inferior. Why do people think this? What causes these beliefs? I obviously do not agree with these statements but I would like to know what makes peoples minds think like this. If we can start to understand each other or at least see each other’s points of view, then maybe we can make some progress.
Although I was obviously shocked and offended about the blatant racism against black people, I am white, and also was kind of offended about some of the things said against my race. I know there is no word that would offend me to the degree that the n-word would for a black person, though racist may come close. However, when talking about this issue, I overheard classmates saying that things such as “white people don’t deserve what they get” or that we have it easier. Yes, I may be white and I have not had to deal with the issue of my skin color much until now confronting issues in this class but by no means do I not deserve what I have worked so hard to accomplish, and I, too, have struggles. For the past sixteen years of my life, I have been working hard to obtain a great education, just like everyone at Penn State. However, with only about six weeks until graduation, I am jobless, and if it was my fault, I would attribute that to myself but I have seen people with worse grades, not as much involvement but with a parent that’s a banker or a CFA get my dream job because of who their parents were or their connections. It’s not racism, I know, but it’s certainly not fair. I know most black people don’t feel this way, just like most white people are not racist but I think both sides of the situation need to step back and look at what is being said before making overgeneralizations about one another.
This is a very interesting comment. I was thinking the same thing as you. First off, it was disappointing to see what people were writing, both black and white. Some of the comments were really extreme and I doubt that anyone would say it if people were going to know exactly who it came from. When some people texted a very racist comment about black people up on the screen, Sam stopped the class and talked about how you shouldn’t write something that you wouldn’t normally say if it was anonymous. Then when it was time for the people of color to send text messages to the screen, there were some racist comments about white people. I don’t remember Sam saying anything to the class after that.
I think that peoples minds are so focused on white racism towards black people, that they don’t realize the racism of black people towards white people. Although it’s not to as high of a degree, the road of racism is very much a two way street. Almost everyone would agree that the “N” word is extremely rude and inappropriate. If a white person ever said it to a black person, they would probably be lucky if they didn’t get beat up. However, I seem to hear black people saying it to other black people all the time and they have no problem with it. This doesn’t make sense to me. The word is either inappropriate to use or it’s not. It should not be okay for some people to use and for some to not. That right there is an example of racism, is it not?
This was an interesting question to bring up. As i sat in class on the day when this question was brought up, i too did notice that some of the black people in the class did overreact to some of the questions. However after this happened, I didn't think that much of the subject. It just seems like commonplace in our society as well as within the classroom. After hearing this question proposed, i realized that its seems like black people overreact to many miniscule things. I understand why they act this way. It has become engraved in their culture. Because of the history of black people in the United States, one can surely assume that black people are very sensitive to race issues and can easily feel threatened from any comments that can be perceived in any way racist. It just so happens though that many times people make comments that can be maybe in some ambiguous. For me personally, I can see why some white people do not want get into race issues. How could white people feel in any way comfortable with such hostile conditions when it comes to race? I don't blame blacks for being as sensitive as they are, and how could anyone?
However we as a culture are growing when it comes to our relations with people of other races here in the United States. I think it would be a very beneficial thing if black people could work at becoming more understanding. When comments are made up on the board by black people that in any way poke fun at white people, it invokes no emotional response in me because i see no reason to comments serious that aren't directed at me personally nor do I know the person making the comments. But black seem to be offended by even the smallest remarks. I think that in time this sensitivity in black people will go down as they will see that most white people really aren't racist and that everything whites say isn't said to be racist. I'm not sure how to help people of color to understand that not everyone is out to get them. Just telling someone that you're not racist or that you don't mean anything by a comment doesn't seem to cut it. I think both races need to work together on this, and eventually black people will become more relaxed. After all times have certainly changed a huge amount of the last couple decades. And today in America we have many prominent people of color in our society such as our multicultural President Barack Obama. I think its time for people to move past the sensitivity and become more calm about racial issues.
It is true that when minorities make fun of white people that there isn't as much of an uproar as when whites say something to insult minorities. This is because white people don't take offense to the comments that minorities make. They either don't take it seriously or they just aren't offended. This is could be for several reasons. Maybe white people feel superior to minorities and don't care what they have to say. I think thats true, but a lot harsher than it sounds. I think its in the sense that they feel no matter what minorities say, they (white people) still have power. I feel as though it would be like a little brother insulting his older brother. The older brother doesn't care what his little brother says, and is not affected by it. But, when the older brother insults the little brother, then the younger brother is hurt by the insult. Its sad to think that the relationship between white and black people is the same as between an older and younger brother. I also feel that the comments that minorities make are more playful than insulting. One of the comments made was that white people are "benchwarmers". Which i dont think many white people took offense to. That was a comment made to get laughs, not to make people feel bad. When white people make comments that are "playful" in their opinion, it could be hurtful to minorities. One person made the comment that being white means being superior. That person might have thought it was a harmless joke but im sure that angered a lot of minorities. But i am black, so that did kinda piss me off and i was pretty offended that some people think like that. If i look at it from the white persons point of view, maybe the "benchwarmer" comment was offensive. I wouldn't know if it is, because i thought of it as a joke, but im sure some of the rude comments made by white people are thought of as jokes as well. I think this is a double standard, and there are a lot of those in today's society. I think that for the most part, the people in Penn State aren't racist, but i think they are ignorant to the racism that blacks have to endure every day. They don't realize that there are a lot of racists out there. They might be joking around but, to the black kid who see's that, he/she would think that person is a racist and feel less comfortable in his/her own skin. If a black person makes a rude comment, it doesn't effect white people because they are the vast majority and aren't going to feel uncomfortable in their own skin.
When I was in class the other day, I thought the exact same thing. I think that having the board where people can text their feelings anonymously is great but at the same time it can be awful. I know that being in a class of 700 it’s hard to get my opinion out there so having this is one way of me being able to voice what I have to say. But f sitting there and reading through some of the comments I found myself more angry than anything else. Some people wrote some obscene things on this board, both black and white. The thing that makes me most angry is that these people would never have the nerve to say these types of things out loud and in front of the whole classroom. They would not say these things because they know that they are rude. But when it came to the reaction between the white responses and the lack responses it was totally different. Both sides had equally rude and disrespectful things to say but for some reason it was worse when the white people did it. I find that totally wrong. Being a white person, I was totally offended by some of the comments saying that I‘m rich and privileged for no reason because I’m not. Everything I have and where I stand today, I’ve worked hard for on my own. To sit there and take these comments in was hard and a little bit upsetting because there was not the same reaction as when white people were sending the texts.
I feel like there are so many incidences nowadays that happen where people bring it back to race. Such as if they didn’t help pick up my books it was because I was white or if they didn’t hold the door open for me it’s because I’m black. I think that collectively this type of behavior should be blamed more on that type of person. I think that the reaction in class should have been the same for either black or white because when it comes down to it, what is rude is rude, period. I’ve grown up being taught to mind my manners and what the difference between what is right and wrong and in society today there’s a general consensus of what that is. If any of those texts sent were condescending or hurtful to other people, they should have received the same reaction no matter who sent them. I do understand that racism is still prevalent in the US today but I think at some point we need to focus on situations as a whole and not separate them into subjects of race. All in all I think that the way that a lot of the people in the class acted was embarrassing. We’re college students who couldn’t even handle a simple task.
Oh I'm gonna love this one. Well as you can see the differences between the racial stereotypes can show that there is a large gap in whats allowed to be said and what should be said. If you have that "loud obnoxious black girl comment" some might being offended by it, but the only thing that keeps it from becoming true is girls that work against stereotypes. As I've heard in class sitting in random spots and with my friend to look at the people around and gauge their view on the i found that most do play into the stereotype of loud and obnoxious. I'm not sure if that is a cultural difference or even a race difference at all because there are some even worse obnoxious and loud white girls as well but they'll never speak in public because they've learned that if they say something it probably has to be done among friends. BUT and its a big one, that there are so few black or African American or 'negro' population at this school that when you hear a few outbursts you start to affiliate it with race. Which went into another argument of population in PA versus that of other areas Sam should in class on Thursday. I think it honestly does not cut both ways at all. Because there are not many terms you can call that will invoke hatred. If you use the term 'cracker' and apply it to a white person, some might embrace it but with that embrace it loses some of its power. Because it has no power people will use it less, and I'm not talking about just a bunch of white people calling each other crackers. I'm talking about the black, Indian, native American, Asian American people calling whites crackers. Now, if you call a black person a 'nigger' you hit a deeply hated word in which will spark hatred, but among people in the black community because of the pronunciation of the word makes it a term of being friends. Now because there is a large gap and words for hatred there will always be a gap because it becomes a sensitive subject area to where people were once slaves. So there will never be that equality of rudeness its just that some groups have learned to deal with the intolerance of a new generation, and some can't handle the intolerance of an older generation. Either way, minorities will always be allowed to say what they want because its "socially acceptable" for them to make fun of the majority. I doubt something like that will ever be rid of by the time we die so the rudeness will stay this way for a very long time to come.
I think in some ways white people's hands are tied because of this concept of white guilt. As mentioned over and over again in lecture, there is a societal norm that white people are reluctant to even mention race. So making an insult based on race from a white people is very very taboo, while a racial insult made by a black person is less controversial. I think this is an annoying social convention. I like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle stand up but at some point it gets old. This is why we need to revise our core values.
It happens that way because it has always been that if a white person makes a racist comment around other ethnicities, then they automatically assume the white person is a racist. This is most noticeable with African Americans. It always seems like they think they have the right to make fun of white people because white people have been putting them down for so long and it is just the black man’s way of getting even. I do not know why it is still like this, but find to be very irritating. I have seen black people use racist terms to other white people’s face and it is like they expect the white person to just take it and not respond. If a white person does respond with a racial term to them then it becomes a huge ordeal. It is sad that this still happens but it is something that we as a country need to work on.
That is really interesting. It’s funny because white people and people of color seemed to give the same type of responses, which means white people and people of color both see white people in the same way. It did seem like it was more of an issue when the white people said it, I assume it would be comments from people of color. It just seems like people of color take more offense when white people admit to being better off, even though people of color think it’s true too and were making the same type of comments on the screen. I don’t think when people were answering the question through texts up to the screen, that anyone was targeting people of color saying anything degrading, just simply stating the truth that white people are a majority so typically have more benefits than any minority.
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I honestly do not know where to begin with this but it certainly has weighed heavy on my mind. After I found this post online I had to take a few days to ponder on it and come up with a justification to this rude behavior. Moreover, by then I realized that there is tension amongst races and I will not deny that there are a handful that make it worse for others, but to base the information on someone looking at you funny, or bumping into you and not apologizing as being rude or hateful just doesn't cut it with many of us. I don't think "all Black people are rude." I think the problem is that many Black people distrust Whites and have poorly developed social skills.
Moreover, I think that the reaction from black people observed in the classroom setting is not a matter of rudeness or hate but their temperament. They got used to the fact that the whites always tip toeing around them in terms of political correctness to avoid offending them. So, when in class the whites are required to speak their minds the blacks don’t like it. The individuals with darker complexion are always feeling like they are looked differently upon etc when in reality it is not true.
As I mentioned before, the social skills play an important role as well. The white people either poor or rich have been receiving a much more privileged education and are more aware of equality and acceptance of others, while the black people (not all) are still deprived of that opportunity especially in urban areas. Therefore, they are still with that mentality that whites hate them and instead of being nice they act out just to show that they are not weak and can stand up for themselves while in reality they don’t have to do that at all because the whites don’t think of them any less. I personally feel like any black individual is the same as I, or another white person, or Hispanic, etc. We are all human beings, period. However, the problem comes in when the black people do have this low self confidence and they try to act out, which results in them being portrayed rude and without any disciplinary manners. Therefore, it’s not about them being rude by nature but more about their present behavior. Obviously, there are blacks who do not fit that profile, but it's hard to differentiate when 75% of them scream, curse, accuse, etc. whenever something is going on that they don't like. It's like no one ever explained to them that the world isn't always going to go the way they like. Honestly, if a white individual would obnoxiously laugh, talk loud or would make comments or show annoyed facial expressions he/she would be considered rude as well.
On that basis, I would say that the reason we have encountered 'rudeness' from black individuals might be explained by the fact that they are more sensitive to being treated badly. People who are rich, white and privileged rarely get so defensive because they don't assume anyone is being rude to them because of who they are. But if you're black, I guess you are always suspicious that any perceived rudeness might be because of your color; whether that is true or not.
In my opinion, there isn't a race that is not rude, or hateful in this world. Some will bite their tongue, hide in a closet and hang out with their buddies and use words that are so vulgar a bed bug wouldn't even want to hear it. But the majority who does get along with one another should express their opinions and why they believe what we state. As planting a positive seed instead of a negative one makes the world a much better place to live in and isn't it our generation who has been desiring change?
I always recommend taking the high road in these situations. Let the person know that you believe his or her action or words to be unacceptably rude without being rude in return. It can just start a vicious cycle. Try not to punish the next person for the last person’s rudeness. Give each one a clean slate. If you do take the opportunity to challenge rude behavior, be prepared to explain why the rude behavior was wrong and how the person should have acted or spoken.
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I understand where this question is coming from. when i was sitting in class i was thinking the same thing to my friend next to me. i just didn’t understand why the “colored people” were making a scene out of something that was texted. I understand if people are offended and hurt, but why does that make it right for them to freak out and yell and scream. I just don’t understand why “colored people” find it necessary to always be heard. Not to say that white people don’t make scenes or get angry, but we react in different ways. And we could see that very clearly in class with the texts. It wasn’t even like the white people were being more rude with their comments about the colored people, i think at times both got a little offensive. But i do feel like the colored people made more of a scene out of it, and i would also like to know why.
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I think this is a great question. When I was sitting in class I noticed a stand still silence whenever something rude was said when people of color texted something rude. I would go as far as saying I could feel the tension in the room when something rude was said. It was totally silent but I could feel people thinking whether or not they should react, and most people decided not to react, which seems like a normal reaction.
For me white guilt stepped in huge at this point. A lot of people felt that well we have treated black people awful for the greater part of the last 300 years so we really have no room to complain about some rude texts that they said about us. A lot like the Eddie Griffin standup. A lot of people see that and think they cannot view it as offensive.
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Are white people really scared? I know that I am white and I would never be rude to a person of color for fear of being called a racist. People are making a big deal about nothing. I do not even think I noticed in class an uproar focusing on one side or another. Maybe it is because black people appreciate the class more then whites do. So they take all the stuff more seriously. However, I do not know that is just my opinion. As sam also said in class- these people would never say these comments out loud to anyone face. Maybe that is another reason so many bad comments came out of white people because they had the chance to do it on the board where no one could see.
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I like the idea of texting responses and putting them on the screen because it is a quick way to get many opinions expressed without taking up too much class time. It is also interesting to read all the responses so I find myself paying more attention to the lecture. On the other hand, it is also an opportunity for people to put up immature responses in order to make the class laugh. While these responses can be rude, they can also just be stupid, which is what I think most of the ones written about white people are taken as. I agree that the rude responses written about black people created more of an “uproar” and many of the responses about white people were laughed at. At the same time, a couple of the responses about black people were clearly more offensive and deserved a negative response from the class. Like Sam said “if you can’t stand up right now and say in to the class then don’t text it to the screen”. This class is about race relations so there’s no room for offensive comments to be used as a joke.
This does make me think about things I have said in the past or things that my friends have said. At the time no one thought any of these statements were offensive, and some were laughed about. But when I was reading them on the screen I found myself realizing how many things were rude and wondered if I had laughed at something similar said in the past.
Another thing to think about is that many people don’t realize they are being offensive or rude. They gave their honest opinion about what they think it means to be black or white based off of stereotypes they hold or situations they have witnessed. While there were some things that were said about what it means to be white that were rude and may not have been called out, there were others that were just stereotypes that are partly true. An example was that white girls wear north faces and uggs. I can’t disagree with this because as a white woman, I wear north faces and uggs all the time in the winter. I do this mostly because they are warm and comfortable, but also because it’s a trend that it is not exclusive to white people.
I’m not sure if this hits the point of the video, but I think that many of the comments posted to the screen were interesting to read and not meant to be offensive. If these are the posts that are focused on then this new addition to class could be very beneficial because it gives us an opportunity to hear diverse opinions. Silly posts should be disregarded and rude or offensive posts should be called out no matter the race of the person who posted it or what race the post targeted.
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So, I'm kinda mixing a few different stories into one here, but I've still been thinking about the whole texting in thing from last weeks class and about the different responses that were heard in the room when white people were texting insulting things versus when people of color were texting insulting things. And then we watched that video in class on Tuesday- I don't remember who the comedian was but he was a black man just completely ripping on white people and making fun of all the stereotypical things about white people. And everyone thought it was funny and we all had a good laugh. But if anyone else read the article Sam posted about how at the University of California San Diego many students had a "Compton Cookout" themed party, which is pretty much making fun of and stereotyping a subculture which is predominantly black, absolutely no one laughed at this. It was taken as very serious matter and UCSD is being portrayed as horribly racist because of that. So does this rudeness thing go both ways? NO, it doesn't. Should it? Absolutely. Either we all have to be held accountable for our actions and words against another race, or none of us can be.
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I believe it to be reverse racism. A black person can play the race card if they are insulted by a white person, but more often than not a white person gets blown off if they complain about a black person. In fact, if a white person complains that a black person called them a derogatory name, the white person still manages to be called a racist. It's really sad.
I really do not know why and have to hard evidence as to why jokes can be made about white people without it being taken offensively. Is it that the “white people haven’t suffered nearly enough? I personally believe that everyone at EVERY point in history EVERY religious group, race, gender, has gone through some sort of oppression. Personally I feel the holocaust was a worse fate for white people. The Holocaust was the systematic, bureaucratic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of approximately six million Jews by the Nazi regime. The Nazis, who came to power in Germany in January 1933, believed that Germans were "racially superior" and that the Jews, deemed "inferior," were an alien threat to the so-called German racial community.
And what irks me, are people of black descent, let’s say maybe a 13 year old person saying: oh yo we're oppressed, we're this, we're that, etc. This gets under my skin because: 1. you didn't go through slavery yourself, and most likely neither did your parents. 2. you were born in America the land of the free. 3. if you feel you're oppressed, just take a look at Obama. He is the president of the United States, the leader of the free world. .
By the way, I see a lot of people saying that slavery in America's past allows blacks to get away with things. That is trying to impose "white guilt." I think it was a dark day in our history. However, I'm not the one who owned slaves. My ancestors may have but I have no blood on my hands from this specific act. Like above you didn’t go through slavery, I didn’t own you. Also, how quickly we forget that African tribes were kidnapping members of other tribes and selling them to the white slave traders. Not completely the white man's fault that slavery happened.
Having the opinion that races (on average) are different isn’t necessarily a bad thing. What is dreadful, though, can be expressed very easily: treating people badly. If one treats people badly (and that includes treating people discriminatorily) solely on the basis of those people’s race, then one is appalling. I believe that we all need to just get over it and “forgive and forget.” Our ancestors may have been enemies but there is no reason that we have to be.
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This is a question that I deal with on an everyday basis. I feel the same way that often times if a white and black person were to say the exact same thing that the white comment would be criticized and no comment would be made about the black comment. I feel that african americans sometimes feel entitled to criticize what white people say because of the bad things we put them through they are entitled to be rude to us sometimes and we are supposed to just let it go. Then when it was turn for the black people to answer the question they were answering the wrong question and posting rediculous answers and not one person called them out or criticized their answers. This might be because the white people just didnt care to start anything or werent paying attention or maybe they were scared of the response from the people posting the texts. I feel that this is the definition of a double standard and their is no justification as to why one race can be rude to another and get no fight back. Who wants to fight against themself anyway?
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I totally agree with my man right here. He brings up a great point that even Sam addressed when he showed us websites/videos. Because of the whole "white guilt" thing, there is a double standard. It is okay for black people to make fun of white people, but vice versa and it becomes a huge race issue. I feel like a lot white people in this country, or at least ones that I know, have ancestors that immigrated from foreign countries and have little or nothing to do with slavery or any kind of "racial dominance." Yet we are still expected to feel bad about the fact that we are white and "privileged". I think that if you want to make fun of others' race, culture, etc., then you need to be able to make fun of yourself as well. If not, then don't make jokes in the first place.
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I completely agree with the student when he said that it was kind of weird how Sam scolded the white people for saying rude things but did not necessarily say anything when the black students said anything rude. I remember a specific example about 2 weeks ago in class that I remember sitting in and thinking something was wrong with this situation. It happened when we were sending the anonymous texting was being put up on the board. It was white people’s turn to respond and someone dropped the n- bomb and there was a huge uproar. By no means am I saying that that is ok in any way, it is a derogatory term that I never use. However, Sam stopped the class and told the white people that that term was not to be put up on screen; 1. Because it was rude 2. The Nword was not allowed to be put on screen because it was not appropriate for class and we would not be allowed to text anymore. And I agree when he said it was not appropriate. However, what pissed me off was that the next time black people got to respond, the N-bomb was dropped not once, but twice! And do you think Sam said anything? No. If we are in a race relations class where we are trying to bring race and equality to the table, then be fair. Tell the black people that that is not appropriate to say that. If we can’t say it because it’s not “class appropriate” then why should they? And I understand that when coming from a white person it is seen as derogatory (and I truly believe it is) but when coming from black people it is just a term thrown out there meaning no disrespect. I don’t care what it is or means to you, if white people can’t say it then black people shouldn’t be able to say it either. That’s just not fair. I think that white people are accustomed to tip-toeing around black people’s feelings which can be said about most of us. So when someone speaks up, not talking about dropping that word, but when someone says something, it causes an uproar. You would think world war 3 started. When black people say rude things to white people, you don’t see us acting out. I think some things are more offensive to certain races and some are not but it’s got to be fair both ways, which it was not on this day. I am not saying that black people should not have been offended by the term thrown out there that day, because it is a rude and disrespectful term. I am just saying that it was not fair how white people were treated differently when using this term right before black people used the term twice.
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Rudeness should be cut both ways. It really should not be tolerated. Also, everybody no matter what race should refrain from sharing or expressing disrespectful comments. I do agree that when a white person makes a rude comment about a colored person, witnesses tend to gasp and be appalled. However, when a person of color makes a rude comment about a white person, nothing is said. This is because white people fear the race card, so they sit back and tolerate the rudeness. Unfortunately, this is creating stereotypes that white people are pushovers and that people of color are disrespectful. For example, the initial reaction of Taylor Swift after Kanye West interrupted her VMA acceptance speech for Best Female Video was fear and silence. Taylor did not even attempt to stand up for herself or finish her speech. Also, the presenters on stage did not say anything at the time. I am not saying that what Kanye did was acceptable because it was completely uncalled for. However, I wondered if no one said anything immediately after because they feared the race card would be pulled. Fortunately, Kanye West was scrutinized for his actions after the VMAs and went into hiding. But this makes me wonder why this happens. Rudeness needs to be addressed no matter what especially what race it is coming from and who is reacting to it.
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I think this question could go for way more then just the texting poll. I think this happens everywhere in the world. Black people do a lot of things white people would be punished for doing, yet they get away with it. Growing up in school through the years, I would see the black kids in my school getting away with talking without raising their hands, cutting in line, or even missing a class. They got away with harmless things; it wasn’t like they killed someone and got off with a warning. It is just strange that a white kid would talk when not called on and got a detention but a black kid did and got away with it. I didn’t care because I followed all the rules anyway so it wasn’t like it was against me, but it seemed to suck for the kids that did get in trouble for the same offense. It is strange because now that we are all grown up and suppose to be comfortable talking about race, we still don’t have the same regulations for every ethnicity. Sam even said he had a student who would play white people by cutting in line to see what they would say. No one says anything to them about their behavior because of something. I’m by no means a psychologist so I don’t know the real reason why no one stands up against black people, but it probably has something to do with the white guilt thing Sam talked about in class. We are afraid that the littlest confrontation is going to turn into something majorly offensive. We think things like what if they think I’m being racist, what if they think I’m only telling them or yelling at them only because they are black, or would I be saying this to them if they were white? All these questions and thoughts make us change our standards for them. If anything, if I were black, I would find this offensive. I would find that white people being afraid to stand up to me and tell me what is right as belittling. If we, as white people, don’t hold the same standards for all colors then we must think that black people are incapable of rising to the same standards as everyone else, so we let them do whatever they want. At some point if we really do want to abolish racism, then we need to learn to confront everyone in the same manner. The rules and behavior expectations should apply for all. To get back to the texting poll, I did notice that when it was the whites turn we were told to keep it appropriate and nice, but then the black people were able to write that whites were ignorant among other things and weren’t told anything. I don’t know why that happened but in a race relations class I think everyone should be held to the same standards.
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Of all the classes to miss, I, of course, missed the whole texting controversy. However, our discussion group talked about it a lot this week and I wish I had been there to experience this huge dilemma in our class. What is asked in this video is very similar to our discussion about the “rudeness” going both ways. Personally, if I had been there to see someone posting something with the “n-word” up there, I would have been very offended and uncomfortable. I understand everyone has their views but something so disrespectful and distasteful really offends me and also boggles my mind about how someone could use it so freely in this day in age.
While this comment was offensive, the point of race discussions also came up. If we are not uncomfortable, are we making any progress? Maybe not – but using racial slurs and blatant statements along the lines of white people are superior and black people are inferior. Why do people think this? What causes these beliefs? I obviously do not agree with these statements but I would like to know what makes peoples minds think like this. If we can start to understand each other or at least see each other’s points of view, then maybe we can make some progress.
Although I was obviously shocked and offended about the blatant racism against black people, I am white, and also was kind of offended about some of the things said against my race. I know there is no word that would offend me to the degree that the n-word would for a black person, though racist may come close. However, when talking about this issue, I overheard classmates saying that things such as “white people don’t deserve what they get” or that we have it easier. Yes, I may be white and I have not had to deal with the issue of my skin color much until now confronting issues in this class but by no means do I not deserve what I have worked so hard to accomplish, and I, too, have struggles. For the past sixteen years of my life, I have been working hard to obtain a great education, just like everyone at Penn State. However, with only about six weeks until graduation, I am jobless, and if it was my fault, I would attribute that to myself but I have seen people with worse grades, not as much involvement but with a parent that’s a banker or a CFA get my dream job because of who their parents were or their connections. It’s not racism, I know, but it’s certainly not fair. I know most black people don’t feel this way, just like most white people are not racist but I think both sides of the situation need to step back and look at what is being said before making overgeneralizations about one another.
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This is a very interesting comment. I was thinking the same thing as you. First off, it was disappointing to see what people were writing, both black and white. Some of the comments were really extreme and I doubt that anyone would say it if people were going to know exactly who it came from. When some people texted a very racist comment about black people up on the screen, Sam stopped the class and talked about how you shouldn’t write something that you wouldn’t normally say if it was anonymous. Then when it was time for the people of color to send text messages to the screen, there were some racist comments about white people. I don’t remember Sam saying anything to the class after that.
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I think that peoples minds are so focused on white racism towards black people, that they don’t realize the racism of black people towards white people. Although it’s not to as high of a degree, the road of racism is very much a two way street. Almost everyone would agree that the “N” word is extremely rude and inappropriate. If a white person ever said it to a black person, they would probably be lucky if they didn’t get beat up. However, I seem to hear black people saying it to other black people all the time and they have no problem with it. This doesn’t make sense to me. The word is either inappropriate to use or it’s not. It should not be okay for some people to use and for some to not. That right there is an example of racism, is it not?
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This was an interesting question to bring up. As i sat in class on the day when this question was brought up, i too did notice that some of the black people in the class did overreact to some of the questions. However after this happened, I didn't think that much of the subject. It just seems like commonplace in our society as well as within the classroom. After hearing this question proposed, i realized that its seems like black people overreact to many miniscule things. I understand why they act this way. It has become engraved in their culture. Because of the history of black people in the United States, one can surely assume that black people are very sensitive to race issues and can easily feel threatened from any comments that can be perceived in any way racist. It just so happens though that many times people make comments that can be maybe in some ambiguous. For me personally, I can see why some white people do not want get into race issues. How could white people feel in any way comfortable with such hostile conditions when it comes to race? I don't blame blacks for being as sensitive as they are, and how could anyone?
However we as a culture are growing when it comes to our relations with people of other races here in the United States. I think it would be a very beneficial thing if black people could work at becoming more understanding. When comments are made up on the board by black people that in any way poke fun at white people, it invokes no emotional response in me because i see no reason to comments serious that aren't directed at me personally nor do I know the person making the comments. But black seem to be offended by even the smallest remarks. I think that in time this sensitivity in black people will go down as they will see that most white people really aren't racist and that everything whites say isn't said to be racist. I'm not sure how to help people of color to understand that not everyone is out to get them. Just telling someone that you're not racist or that you don't mean anything by a comment doesn't seem to cut it. I think both races need to work together on this, and eventually black people will become more relaxed. After all times have certainly changed a huge amount of the last couple decades. And today in America we have many prominent people of color in our society such as our multicultural President Barack Obama. I think its time for people to move past the sensitivity and become more calm about racial issues.
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It is true that when minorities make fun of white people that there isn't as much of an uproar as when whites say something to insult minorities. This is because white people don't take offense to the comments that minorities make. They either don't take it seriously or they just aren't offended. This is could be for several reasons. Maybe white people feel superior to minorities and don't care what they have to say. I think thats true, but a lot harsher than it sounds. I think its in the sense that they feel no matter what minorities say, they (white people) still have power. I feel as though it would be like a little brother insulting his older brother. The older brother doesn't care what his little brother says, and is not affected by it. But, when the older brother insults the little brother, then the younger brother is hurt by the insult. Its sad to think that the relationship between white and black people is the same as between an older and younger brother. I also feel that the comments that minorities make are more playful than insulting. One of the comments made was that white people are "benchwarmers". Which i dont think many white people took offense to. That was a comment made to get laughs, not to make people feel bad. When white people make comments that are "playful" in their opinion, it could be hurtful to minorities. One person made the comment that being white means being superior. That person might have thought it was a harmless joke but im sure that angered a lot of minorities. But i am black, so that did kinda piss me off and i was pretty offended that some people think like that. If i look at it from the white persons point of view, maybe the "benchwarmer" comment was offensive. I wouldn't know if it is, because i thought of it as a joke, but im sure some of the rude comments made by white people are thought of as jokes as well. I think this is a double standard, and there are a lot of those in today's society. I think that for the most part, the people in Penn State aren't racist, but i think they are ignorant to the racism that blacks have to endure every day. They don't realize that there are a lot of racists out there. They might be joking around but, to the black kid who see's that, he/she would think that person is a racist and feel less comfortable in his/her own skin. If a black person makes a rude comment, it doesn't effect white people because they are the vast majority and aren't going to feel uncomfortable in their own skin.
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When I was in class the other day, I thought the exact same thing. I think that having the board where people can text their feelings anonymously is great but at the same time it can be awful. I know that being in a class of 700 it’s hard to get my opinion out there so having this is one way of me being able to voice what I have to say. But f sitting there and reading through some of the comments I found myself more angry than anything else. Some people wrote some obscene things on this board, both black and white. The thing that makes me most angry is that these people would never have the nerve to say these types of things out loud and in front of the whole classroom. They would not say these things because they know that they are rude. But when it came to the reaction between the white responses and the lack responses it was totally different. Both sides had equally rude and disrespectful things to say but for some reason it was worse when the white people did it. I find that totally wrong. Being a white person, I was totally offended by some of the comments saying that I‘m rich and privileged for no reason because I’m not. Everything I have and where I stand today, I’ve worked hard for on my own. To sit there and take these comments in was hard and a little bit upsetting because there was not the same reaction as when white people were sending the texts.
I feel like there are so many incidences nowadays that happen where people bring it back to race. Such as if they didn’t help pick up my books it was because I was white or if they didn’t hold the door open for me it’s because I’m black. I think that collectively this type of behavior should be blamed more on that type of person. I think that the reaction in class should have been the same for either black or white because when it comes down to it, what is rude is rude, period. I’ve grown up being taught to mind my manners and what the difference between what is right and wrong and in society today there’s a general consensus of what that is. If any of those texts sent were condescending or hurtful to other people, they should have received the same reaction no matter who sent them. I do understand that racism is still prevalent in the US today but I think at some point we need to focus on situations as a whole and not separate them into subjects of race. All in all I think that the way that a lot of the people in the class acted was embarrassing. We’re college students who couldn’t even handle a simple task.
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Oh I'm gonna love this one. Well as you can see the differences between the racial stereotypes can show that there is a large gap in whats allowed to be said and what should be said. If you have that "loud obnoxious black girl comment" some might being offended by it, but the only thing that keeps it from becoming true is girls that work against stereotypes. As I've heard in class sitting in random spots and with my friend to look at the people around and gauge their view on the i found that most do play into the stereotype of loud and obnoxious. I'm not sure if that is a cultural difference or even a race difference at all because there are some even worse obnoxious and loud white girls as well but they'll never speak in public because they've learned that if they say something it probably has to be done among friends. BUT and its a big one, that there are so few black or African American or 'negro' population at this school that when you hear a few outbursts you start to affiliate it with race. Which went into another argument of population in PA versus that of other areas Sam should in class on Thursday. I think it honestly does not cut both ways at all. Because there are not many terms you can call that will invoke hatred. If you use the term 'cracker' and apply it to a white person, some might embrace it but with that embrace it loses some of its power. Because it has no power people will use it less, and I'm not talking about just a bunch of white people calling each other crackers. I'm talking about the black, Indian, native American, Asian American people calling whites crackers. Now, if you call a black person a 'nigger' you hit a deeply hated word in which will spark hatred, but among people in the black community because of the pronunciation of the word makes it a term of being friends. Now because there is a large gap and words for hatred there will always be a gap because it becomes a sensitive subject area to where people were once slaves. So there will never be that equality of rudeness its just that some groups have learned to deal with the intolerance of a new generation, and some can't handle the intolerance of an older generation. Either way, minorities will always be allowed to say what they want because its "socially acceptable" for them to make fun of the majority. I doubt something like that will ever be rid of by the time we die so the rudeness will stay this way for a very long time to come.
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I think in some ways white people's hands are tied because of this concept of white guilt. As mentioned over and over again in lecture, there is a societal norm that white people are reluctant to even mention race. So making an insult based on race from a white people is very very taboo, while a racial insult made by a black person is less controversial. I think this is an annoying social convention. I like Chris Rock and Dave Chappelle stand up but at some point it gets old. This is why we need to revise our core values.
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It happens that way because it has always been that if a white person makes a racist comment around other ethnicities, then they automatically assume the white person is a racist. This is most noticeable with African Americans. It always seems like they think they have the right to make fun of white people because white people have been putting them down for so long and it is just the black man’s way of getting even. I do not know why it is still like this, but find to be very irritating. I have seen black people use racist terms to other white people’s face and it is like they expect the white person to just take it and not respond. If a white person does respond with a racial term to them then it becomes a huge ordeal. It is sad that this still happens but it is something that we as a country need to work on.
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