Why are black people so obsessed with representation?

Question

Heaven · Answer

Imagine for decades your people has been portrayed in this light.

Or even this

How would you feel ?

Black people are obsessed with representation for this reason alone. We have never been portrayed in good light to the people. Almost all our potrayals have been done to mock us and make us feel leaser.

It's true their has been positive representation for blacks as of recent (and I am so grateful for it) but that isn't enough to wipe out all the hurt and unwarranted mistreatment in the media we still face even in 2024.

Ray White · Answer

It’s not just representation we Black people are looking for, it’s positive representation. I can safely say this is what most Black people want to see.

Black people have plenty of negative representation in say the US, and I’m sure in other countries as well. What we need to see ourselves and also what other people need to see, is a positive representation of Black individuals.

When people see other humans doing good things and are praised for it, they want to do it too but if a group is loaded with negative stereotypes, they feel limited and confined. It becomes a self fulfilling prophecy because people have low expectations of this negatively stereotyped group and those poorly represented people internalize that.  [1]

The reason why there are so many gifted athletes in the Black community is not because we are biologically geared towards athleticism, we just foster that talent more making it easier to pick those with that talent among us and so we sometimes neglect academic achievement and that’s actually where the money is. It’s not that people of African descent can’t be intelligent and analytical, it’s that the environment we often find ourselves in, does not foster those with talented minds.

What do you think would happen to people who are constantly berated and told they’re worthless and won’t amount to anything and all they see are people who look like them in the media acting ignorantly?

Not only will they internalize it, people will assume that’s all there is. Humans are extremely gullible and fickle that way.

I know so many Black people who practice affirmations to disconnect from that negativity found in the societies they live in.

Most Black people are obsessed with taking control of their own stories. To stop letting people who don’t give a f*ck about us, who don’t even know us, tell our stories. Enough! It’s our time now to speak and we have our own stories to tell and there are triumphs there that will inspire others for ages, long after we’re gone.

That is SO necessary.

(I’m still peeved I didn’t learn about Robert Smalls when I was in school.)

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2791406/

Raven Ford · Answer

Let me first begin by stating that I am a woman who was raised primarily in Cullman, AL by my single parent white mother. My father is a black man. I don’t believe that I realized that I was viewed as black until I was a teenager. I was not raised in a black family, but when I moved to Atlanta alone, the black community is the one that accepted me even if they thought I was an odd duck because I behaved like a “white girl” in their eyes. I became proud of my black heritage because it is so rich and full upon discovery. Once I became more well-rounded, I found that in many ways, I felt good about belonging in the black community because I felt safe, accepted, and essentially at home.

After further travels, I found this to be more and more true. I moved to Pensacola a few years ago. My black female friend and I both felt very unwelcome by the white community in that city. This was especially odd for me because I identify mostly as white because of my mother and how I was raised, even though I know most people see me as black. I couldn’t understand why people in Pensacola generally did not want to look me in the eye. If I walked into a bar alone or with my black friend, people were tense or just ignored us. The vibe was off. When I would have my white friends come to meet me, the vibe changed. All of a sudden, I was acceptable. It was the first time I had ever experienced racism as an adult who was aware of what was happening. I became very depressed living in Pensacola. It felt like I needed an escort in order to not feel out of place.

In most parts of the U.S., society puts mixed people and black people in a box. It is likely that a person will identify themselves by the community that accepts/embraces them. It’s hard to identify with a community that can’t look you in the eye or looks at you like an object of fascination/curiosity.

I moved to Nashville 1.5 years ago. While it is still mostly white here, I feel like the white people here don’t really even notice color sometimes. I feel confident and accepted again. I really don’t identify as one thing in particular because I haven’t had the experience of what it is like to live as a white woman. I also have not had the full experience of what it is to be black, although that is most like my own experience. I’m not ashamed of either race. It has been the role of society to label me as a black woman. It feels like a constant struggle. Nashville has been a breath of fresh air for this reason due to the freedom of expression and individuality.

Eric Mowery · Answer

Because that’s what they are taught. Every time something doesn’t work out someone in the community makes it a racial issue, as if the skin color you have is why the world has snags. It’s the same way people feel like they are privileged to be white even when they don’t see any support for that theory, if it’s said enough you begin to believe it. When every time you fail your mentors say it’s because you were held back by the world instead of try harder and make it work, then you eventually believe it. More people should find an actual reason for failure and not go with the most obvious difference between the people instead of looking for different approaches to the issue and find real reasons.

Ray White · Answer

It’s not just representation I’m looking for as a Black person, it’s positive representation.

Many humans are impressionable, gullible creatures.

They’ll consume media and start thinking it’s based in reality, rather quickly.

So what do you think happens when a group is constantly portrayed in a negative light? People believe it, even those people who are being portrayed in a negative light, start to believe it.

I’d like to believe most humans realize that other humans are multifaceted but…I have very little faith in the critical thinking skills of the masses.

This is especially true for people who desperately want to believe certain groups, are bad. Cause if it’s not true, these people will have to face the fact, that they are a POS… basically.

Trying to justify racism, sexism, prejudice, xenophobia, homophobia, etc. people will do so much, to avoid facing their demons.

So, humans tend to be more receptive to information that confirms their existing beliefs and less open to opposing viewpoints. This can make people more susceptible to manipulation or propaganda.

As long as they have enough negativity to feed on and not enough positivity to counterbalance it, it shoots out racism like diarrhea from a bad Taco Bell run.

I want to see more positive representation for Black people.

(ummmmm that looks good….)

Less gangsta more geek, way more geek, the geekier the better really. lol.

Like this level. Man….his theme was SO good. Let me….

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWZsr5Hqwxo
(oOoOO, chills.)

Mark · Answer

It will never happen. You know what they say you can't fix stupid! Can an alcoholic or drug addict be helped if they don't think they have a problem or they blame someone else for it?

What hasn't been tried over and over and over. Nothing works no matter how much money is thrown at it.

Isn't the definition of insanity to do the same thing over and over again and expect different results?

Why is it never ending with the Negroes? You would think that with everything that's been tried they would be sitting on top of the world but they're not.

They're sitting on the top of a self-made garbage dump.

How can they expect to be a great culture that influenced humanity in a positive way if they already believe they were every culture that walked on the Earth?

How could they invent anything useful for humanity if they already believe they have invented everything there is?

Build them another community center, another rec center, another project, another after school program, pay for another midnight “bakkabaw” game with the police, give them free membership to the Y, take down another Confederate battle monument, re-name another Street or “skoo” for them, give them free transportation, free food, free medical, free tuition and a thousand more things.

Why can't Latino kids or Asian kids or White kids or Arab kids or Indian kids or anyone else have these things only Negroes?

Can a leopard change its spots? You know the answer!

Thomas Crowne · Answer

Two centuries of no representation will do that to a group of people.

Anonymous · Answer

Speaking from an outsider’s perspective. I got my citizenship in high school so I’ll bring my view from before.

The US is probably the most racially diverse nation in the world. Logically, that should probably mean ‘racism’ in the traditional sense is not severe here compared to in other nations, especially homogenous nations. Indeed, it is illegal in the US for the government to discriminate against someone unless strict scrutiny Due Process standards are met, which is basically never. Even private parties are prohibited to some extent from discriminating based on race because denying a position due to race is illegal and suits are often brought on the matter. All the data and law points to pretty good racial equality compared to other nations.

From my country, for instance, a white or black person will never have a position of governmental power. Dark skin is seen as unsightly and the older generation thinks it’s low class. Outsiders will never be any more than entertainers. They have no real societal value aside from entertainment value. In neighboring nations, a foreigner can get killed by getting pushed out a window and police might simply say it’s suicide because it’s a foreigner and not a native person. Foreigners might receive police visits simply because they are foreign and police think they are spies. Their businesses might be seized with no compensation. Imagine the uproar there would be if this described the US. Instead, the US has politicians and leaders of all races and both sexes. Everyone can have their day in court.

I think there is a disconnect between the perceived severity of racism and the actual severity of racism in the USA.

Granted, I know where the race-obsessed people are coming from. Despite the US being so diverse, there is still racism. It’s not as bad but it’s still there. They want everyone to be equal. The problem arises where this is unrealistic and virtually impossible because it results in policing thoughtcrimes and opinions. There’s no legal framework of oppression on the face of the law. This kind of negative fixation on racism that purports to fix it through vengeance and punishment only creates more tension and exacerbates pre-existing racism.

I think if, instead, the melting pot is celebrated and each is shown appreciation due to him/her, that can lead to greater acceptance of all races in the US. As things are now, though, it’s like trying to douse a fire with more fire. This environment encourages tribalism and that, in turn, causes people to break into defensive and different feuding groups. I couldn’t help but notice how much worse the race issues are now compared to in the past. Feels like things are going backward socially even though the law is progressing forward.

Briana Hughes · Answer

I simply DEPISE the phrases “acting black” and “acting white.” Always have and probably always will.

I grew up among several professionals. As a kid, I remember my mom, uncle, and grandmother would make it a requirement from all of the children to place important phone calls. It started with something simple like ordering pizza then progressed to bigger assignments like making and canceling doctor/dentist appointments. We were expected to learn new words weekly and use them properly. We were not allowed to talk in slang around or to adults. We were taught to SPEAK CORRECTLY! PERIOD!

In this case (my opinion) there are three types of people regardless of race:

1. People who speak correctly
2. People who can speak correctly, but choose not to (I flip my lingo depending on my environment. I'm not fake, it's a defense mechanism)
3. People who just can't speak correctly because they weren't taught to.
Throughout my childhood I was bullied and made fun of for “talking white” just as my mother and grandmother were. I was called an Oreo and told I thought I was white. My young brother and sister were as well. The three of us have adapted well and have learned how to “flip it” as we call it. Our lingo matches our environment. Unfortunately, my older did not. After spending his younger teens in the streets and older teens through 20s in the jail then prison, he lost it somewhere along the way. He can't just turn off the cliche hood thug image. Karma is ugly though… he was the main one that taunted me for going to a gifted & talented middle school and thinking I was white.

In a nutshell you have people who talk like they're educated and some who don't. It's really no different than speaking professionally when need be and relaxed otherwise.

Dr. Qamar Ul Islam D.Engg. M.Tech. Ph.D. FHEA · Answer

Representation is a complex issue intertwined with deep psychological and social dynamics. As an educator, I have some perspectives.

Seeing people like oneself positively portrayed in arts, media and leadership roles can instill pride, self-worth and confidence that success is possible. It signals belonging rather than marginalization. This is profoundly impactful for groups historically excluded from mainstream visibility.

However, some take advocacy for representation to tribal extremes, evaluating everything by how it uplifts their own community over others. This risks trading one myopia for another.

Healthy representation expands understanding that achievements are attainable across demographics. It brings diverse voices to the table to enhance discussion. We must move beyond reductive stereotypes and appreciate nuance within groups.

But meaningful change also requires expanding empathy. True inclusion involves seeing the value in experiences outside our own. Problems arise when debates over representation become more about entitlement than mutual uplift.

As with most societal matters, wisdom lies in balancing valid concerns with principled ethics. Diversity should enrich communal ties, not inflame division. If guided positively, more inclusive representation helps build bridges of understanding. But much depends on mindset and goodwill.

Heidi Cool · Answer

There are a few reasons. Let’s think about two of those.

1 - People enjoy watching TV and reading books about people they can relate to. Yes, sometimes it is cool to read about pirates and space aliens, but it is also interesting to read/watch people that seem a bit like you but who may be facing different situations. Or perhaps they face similar situations but handle them differently.

When I got out of school I noticed that the main characters on TV weren’t like me. Yes, most were white (like me) but they were almost always either older than me or younger than me. They were too distant in age for me to feel like I had much in common with them. There weren’t characters with whom I could identify. I was a twenty-something who had recently graduated from college. The people on TV were either married with children or they were the children. They were in different places in life.

2 - People want others to be able to relate to us.

If people don’t regularly meet or interact with people like us then they may see us as being more different from them than we actually are. They may make assumptions about us without getting a chance to know us. If they see people like us on TV that helps them to learn more about us. If there had been more characters of my generation on TV when I was in my twenties then maybe the grown-ups over 30 would have understood more about us.

Now in theory they just had to remember what it was like to be 24 and then try to imagine what it would be like in a different era with a different job market and differing social expectations.

I was just in a generation that was under-represented on TV. But you asked about black people.

Would not these same reasons apply? Perhaps even more so? Wouldn’t they want to see people like themselves on TV? Wouldn’t they want others to see them too? I would think one would want people to see black characters that others could also could relate to. Surely it would be good for others to be able to identify with these characters.

If Joe White Dude in rural wherever lives and works somewhere with a very small minority of black people he may fall prey to some of the racist beliefs espoused by some of his friends and colleague. If he doesn’t often interact with black people he may seem them as being more different from him than they are. Maybe he’s not really a racist, but he still sees thinks of them as being different or other. They are the “them” in the phrase “us and them.”

But imagine there is a sitcom featuring a black family he can relate to. Perhaps they hold similar jobs. Joe isn’t sure about the show at first, but he watches the first episode and he gets into it. Perhaps the show revolves around the day the dad takes his kids fishing and the boat sinks. Maybe Joe remembers a similar episode from his youth. He watches how the family reacts and how they put safety first. He understands that the dad was right to insist on life jackets and to make sure everyone stayed together. He laughs when everyone realizes that a raccoon had stolen the plug from the boat and that was why it sank. He relates to that dad. That dad is no longer just “some black guy” that dad is a guy who is a lot like Joe. Those kids remind him of his own kids. That family on TV is no longer “them.” To Joe that family is now part of “us.”

Black Americans make up 12.4% of the U.S. population. That goes up to 14.2% if you include people of mixed race. If Joe lives someplace where he doesn’t meet these people then he should at least get the chance to meet a few on TV.

And black viewers should also have a chance to see a few people like themselves on TV.

Television shows should represent all of us.

Anonymous · Answer

I can’t speak for others.

I’m an African. I’m an American as well. But I’m not an African American.

Etymology is not meaning.

This is a pin:

You can make it roll. If you do, it will be a pin that is rolling.

It will not be a rolling pin, which is this:

African American has a very specific meaning. It was a term designed by African Americans for African Americans. It refers to people of remote African descent born in the US.

I call myself Black.

I didn’t use to capitalize it, but I noticed that I was always capitalizing Latino and Asian. So, in order to have some measure of symmetry in my writings, I’ve taken to capitalizing it.

EDIT: Guys, the negative form of “I used to” is “I didn’t use to,” not “I didn’t used to.” The past tense is already included in the didn’t. You wouldn’t say “I didn’t used,” so stop trying to “correct” my sentence to “didn’t used to.”

Charles Locke · Answer

I think I get where the questioner is coming from. It is a common belief: “If Black people would just get over the race issue, we would all be better off.”

As an African-American, I will first say that we have in fact done a lot of what you are suggesting; especially over the last 25 years. That said, I can still see some merit in your question, assuming everybody else is ready to move forward, so to speak.

But of course, therein lies the question: “Is everybody else really ready to move forward?”

My gut tells me that most of us, regardless of race, are ready, and have been for some time; esp. at the individual level; as well as within our personal relationships. Especially young Americans.

But as we move outside of our tiny personal spaces, it becomes less clear. Case in point: Over the last decade, I have been quite surprised, both positively and negatively, about the state of American race relations. I harken back to nine years ago when a virtually unheard of 40-something with an African last name—and an Arabic middle name, no less--was elected POTUS; after defeating two extremely well-established names in US politics.

Considering where we were at the time of that man's birth, that's a helluva milestone.

Yet at the same time, only eight years later, many Americans, including pundits and lay people, were suddenly arguing that a kind of White identity politics had fueled the ascension of our current president, Donald Trump. And it's kinda hard to argue otherwise.

There is clearly a connection between:

* Self-described White nationalists and their fervent support of Trump;
 * The Republican Party’s desire to win and implement conservative policies;
 * Trump's determination to retain that base, even if it means an occasional wink and nod to a few White nationalist sympathizers.
So, will the real America please stand up? Who are we? Are we both? I don't know.

At the end of the day, I do not curse any of us—Black, White, etc.—for being a little sensitive about race. Considering our history, how could anyone expect otherwise?

I am not a pessimist. But I prefer dealing in reality. And I think we can do that and remain reasonable at the same time.

That said, too many Americans seem loath to accept our country's profoundly tragic racial history, particularly with respect to African-Americans. Thus, it makes Black resentment seem unwarranted, if not ridiculous; and perhaps there are times when it is ridiculous. But then again, maybe it depends on how we look at it.

The history of Black people in America is a consistently troubling tale that didn't really begin its turn toward normalcy (or decency) until about 50 years ago. This has obviously shaped a lot of what we see today. There's no escaping that.

When someone asks, “Why don't Black people get over it?”, maybe the answer is “Because we’re normal.”

In other words, to demand that a people voluntarily unplug themselves from their (relatively recent) history is hardly a logical request. Think about how White Southerners have struggled over the Confederate flag, despite its ugly history, or its inherent defiance as a symbol; or the fact that so many people find it deeply offensive.

Ask yourself: At what point in the timeline was racial solidarity an illogical move for African-Americans? Was it the day after the 1960s Civil Rights legislations were passed? Maybe a decade after that? Before Reagan or after? Before Clinton or after?

I once told a story here on Quora about my grandfather on my father's side, who I remember quite well. He died at 98; was born in 1895.

His father was six years old when the Emancipation Proclamation was issued, and even though my grandfather's father had no distinct memories of slavery per se, his father most certainly did, and consequently, my grandfather's grandfather would share firsthand stories with him about that period.

And of course my grandfather later relayed those stories to us.

I said all of that only to say this: I am only 52 years old; not exactly rocking chair material. Yet I knew someone whose father was born a slave. That is astonishing if you think about it.

It truly crystallizes the proximity of that history to today.

Moon Child · Answer

There are some hairstyles, practices, language patterns, clothes (and so on) that are native to specific cultures. Outsiders run the risk of disrespecting entire groups of people when they adopt shit for stylistic purposes. For example, growing up as a black, Jamaican girl in America, I was taught by white adults and children that AAVE is something to be ashamed of. I viewed black people who spoke AAVE as uneducated and ghetto. I can’t even count on one hand the amount of times I’ve heard teachers & kids my own age take on heavy blaccents to appear cool or funny. It’s jarring that I spent my entire childhood desperately avoiding the “ghetto” title just to see white people shrug that shit on like a fur coat whenever they want. The difference is that a white person can speak in AAVE and maintain their scholarly, intellectual image. But harmful assumptions are made about a Black person that speaks in AAVE. Not to mention that the same people who dip into black culture often harbor prejudices against the very people they’re stealing from. Clothes, hairstyles, and mannerisms work the same way. Durags are ghetto and trashy until a stylish, nonblack celebrity decides their not. Black women who do the “finger snapping” and eye rolling and head shaking are perceived as over the top and aggressive, but non black women are seen as sassy and entertaining. If cultural appropriation wasnt harmful, black children wouldn’t have to dedicate years and years to unlearning internalized anti-blackness. I didn’t like my curly hair all my life. I tried to straighten it everyday so that I would fit into mostly white elementary school. Imagine my surprise when white girls my age are applauded for box braids. There are often layers to anti-blackness. When black people are rightfully outraged about things like CA, police brutality, and poverty… listen. It only seems like obsession when you do not have to carry the burden lmfao.

Anonymous · Answer

I’ve answered this question already

BUT

I’ve found a poll on it:

The overwhelming answer? One big shrug.

Yeah, many individuals will have preferences. Maybe even strong preferences. But on the whole? Meh.

I’m starting to feel like this is an issue that mostly bothers Whites and non-Americans lol.

Anonymous · Answer

Some do, if they ‘pass’. My mom is mixed race, meaning half black, and half Latina, and she was born in Cuba. She could never visually pass for anything but what she was. I never knew my dad. Apparently, based on my coloring, he was probably white. But, I don’t know for sure.

Culturally, I’m quite the Latina. I was raised in a Latin neighborhood, I cook only Latin food, I’ve studied dance for my entire life and I was a professional dancer (tango, salsa, so on), I speak Spanish, and I learned English as a second language, and so on… In a million different ways, culturally I’m very Latina, and I very much identify as a Latina. My kitchen is full of Goya products. I drink Bustelo coffee, and I make it on my stovetop. I can go on and on…

I don’t identify as black, or as white, although I’m also both of those things.

But, unlike anyone else in my family, I pass.

When I move through the world… When I walk into a store, when I rent an apartment, and when I get pulled over by a police officer, I’m a White Woman.

I have golden skin, green eyes, and straight blonde hair.

I’m also Jewish, just as my momma was, and we aren’t converts - we are DNA Jews - and people who are Jews, and people who aren’t Jews, often tell me that I ‘don’t look Jewish.’

I look like a white woman who just got back from tanning herself in Thailand for two weeks, and I look like this year round, even though I totally avoid getting much direct sunlight.

Most people don’t believe that I’m Cuban and mixed race. Other Latins look at me with absolute shock when I speak to them in Spanish. They compliment my Spanish. They ask me how I learned Spanish. I tell them I’m Cuban and their mouths fall open.

When I tell black people that my mom was half black, their mouths fall open.

When I tell white people that I’m technically not white, their mouths fall open.

I have white privilege. I know what whiteness is, based on my lived experience.

The world sees me as White, but if the world saw me as black - if I ‘looked’ black - I could still identify as Latina, but I’d also ‘BE’ black, in the eyes of the world - but I would not have the opportunity to self identify as white, even though I’m part white.

A lot race and ethnicity is decided FOR people, by OTHERS, based on how people look.

If the world sees you as X, that is your Lived Experience, and it’s going to have a huge influence on your life, and on how you see yourself.

Many people who are mixed race aren’t intentionally ‘portraying’ themselves as anything specific - but, our society does that TO them/us, by deciding that the person looks to be x, y, or z.

When black/white mixed race people aren’t seen as White, they don’t relate to white privilege - because they’ve never experienced it.

When black/white mixed race people aren’t seen as white, they don’t even experience being a white person, so they don’t fully relate to whiteness.

I don’t personally experience black oppression, or racism, so I don’t feel black.

I’m very proud to be 25% black, and 25% Latina, and I do not identify as white, but my ‘portrayal’, based upon when other see, is just whiteness… So, I’ve never been followed by a store security guard in my entire life… except when I’ve gone shopping with my family members who do not look white.

Isn’t that horrible? I always say something… I use the powers of my unearned white privileges for GOOD.

Other than having enough self awareness of racial inequality, and using my unearned white privileges for good, which people who don’t APPEAR white cannot do, how should I embrace my whiteness?

What IS ‘Cultural Whiteness’? Honestly, I’m completely clueless as to what ‘embracing cultural whiteness’ might entail… and I VISUALLY PASS FOR WHITE EVERY DAY.

Should I go to Bruce Springsteen concerts, pretend to enjoy camping, buy myself a Prius, start my own microbrewery, and eat peanut butter and jelly sandwiches?

No thank you. None of those things interest me.

I feel pretty uncomfortable in a room full of only white people, because of the many cultural differences, and I feel that way even as a person of color who is unidentifiable to them… and I feel this way even though I’m usually treated as their ‘equal’ when I’m with them… so I can only begin to imagine how uncomfortable I’d feel if they knew - just by sight - that I was a person of color.

Far too many times, I’ve been in a room of white people, without them knowing that I’m a person of color, and I’ve heard racist comments. White people have told me racist jokes a million times, in many different countries.

The truth is, plenty of mixed race people who are visually identifiable as mixed race aren’t entirely welcome, by many white people, to explore their white side.

Mixed race people can feel THAT, and that feeling isn’t going to make them feel or see or experience what it’s like to be ‘Culturally’ white.

So, the answer to your question, according to this ‘white looking’ latina, and my family members who are also mixed and without access to my white privilege, is as follows: Many mixed race people who cannot pass for white don’t ‘ culturally embrace their whiteness’ BECAUSE OF SYSTEMIC AND CASUAL AND OFTEN BLATANT RACISM.

Racism is very real.

Only a white person could ever have the luxury of denying that, or the willful ignorance to simply choose to forget that.

Anonymous · Answer

I think it’s rooted in ‘whiteness studies’, an actual academic field that uses post-modern methods to deconstruct ‘whiteness.’ This has led to myth making, assigning every ill in society to ‘whiteness’ and wypipo. The existence of non-whites who have conservative politics is explained as ‘multicultural whiteness.’ Non-whites who commit hate crimes often against other minorities are said to be ‘acting out whiteness.’ All evil in the world is rooted in whiteness. Capitalism, the environment, poverty around the world, if a genocide takes place somewhere, even if no white people are involved, count on some explanation that brings it back to whiteness.

We’ve seen articles floating around the internet comparing the marginalization and mistreatment of different immigrant groups in US history explained as ‘Irish people weren’t considered white’, ‘Italians weren’t considered white.’ Of course it was xenophobia, not racism, and hardly a uniquely white phenomenon.

The Irish have got to be some of the whitest people on earth. Since they were hardly privileged through history, starved to death by the British, practically enslaved at different points in history, many were treated like scum when they emigrated to the US, banned from neighborhoods, jobs, etc, they cannot be white. Not the Irish who were abused anyway, but their descendants who overcame it are white oppressors today, because that makes sense.

White people are never oppressed in this bizarre Woke religion so they have to define oppressed white people as ‘not white.’ To admit that white people have experienced marginalization and oppression is a threat to the fragile belief system that perpetuates the ‘white privilege’ myth. The reparations debate is based in this belief, that all white people are privileged, efforts to replace a system of meritocracy with mandated equitable outcomes is dependent on it, etc.

People eat this stuff up like it’s indisputable fact, distorting history, distorting reality.

Jonathan Jackson · Answer

It's a convoluted manifestation of a mass inferiority complex. The world has been conditioned to strive/work hard for finacial success. When in fact success has many parameters, that don't involve working all your life to make someone else rich. However one has perceived that success is material, and there are tiers to that success. As long as one is ‘above’ someone else, they can claim a measure of this mythological success. To that point Europeans have over the course of many centuries have made Black people the low water mark. As long as you are above them you have a measure of success. So when people see them prosper on even the slightest scale, they feel they are diminished. It's stupid I know.

Anonymous · Answer

Americans are not obsessed with race, but we discuss it because racism and racial inequality are very serious problems here.

It’s not really surprising when you consider that this nation was born out of the exploitation of one race by another, especially not when the oppressors have refused to take responsibility or attempt to make amends. I often wonder how different this country would be if the emancipated slaves had immediately been granted equal rights and given the financial means to catch up, but it’s just too hard to picture it. Instead we went in the opposite direction. When the former slaves and their descendants asked for consideration, the white majority fought them every step of the way. They maintained their belief in white supremacy to the point where they gave birth to the philosophy that would inspire the Nazis, and they treated all non-white arrivals to this country as less than.

We’ve waited so long that the inequality has affected countless generations, so by the time racial equality finally became the law the divide was so great that associated factors made it possible to discriminate and exploit black people without ever mentioning race. Take almost any problem affecting people in America, and you’ll probably find that it hurts black Americans more than any other group. Incarceration, HIV, low rates of homeownership, literacy; it’s all much worse in black communities. It’s not at all surprising, because what can you expect when you start a game of Monopoly by giving all the money and properties to the white players at the outset, while making the black players the only ones who can draw all those shitty cards that send them to jail and demand payments? You could play that game for an eternity without shifting the imbalance.

I often hear my fellow white people here in the South complain that black people are turning everything into a racial issue, and I think they believe it. I pass seven homes with confederate flags on the six minute drive to my daughter’s school, and I see bumper stickers referencing tall trees and short ropes. The schools here consider natural African hair to be a violation of the grooming policy if it isn’t pulled so tight that it almost looks straight, because it isn’t “near” enough. I regularly hear white people use the N-word in public, and people see the color of my skin and assume I’m cool with a bit of casual racist smalltalk. I have spent two years trying to get someone to listen when I show them texts from an acquaintance who served on a jury that convicted a black man of crack possession, texts where she clearly admits that she assumed guilt because of his race. The DA’s office does not care, the courthouse doesn’t care, the judge’s secretary blocked my number, and the public defenders say it’s nothing new and that they have to focus on current cases.

Race is an issue, and we’re making it an even greater one. I had a horrible experience last week when I pulled forward out of a parking space and didn’t see a group of young black people approaching. They were still ten yards away and I stopped the car in plenty of time, but the girl in the group ran forward and planted herself right in front of my car, deliberately preventing me from getting out. I had started to roll down my window to apologize, but instead I heard her asking me loudly what I was gonna do. She put her hands on her hips and stared me down, like she was challenging me to run her over. This had nothing to do with race as far as I was concerned, and she was just a very rude girl who had jumped at the chance to initiate a confrontation.

Except it was about race, I just didn’t know it until she asked me if I was gonna call 911 and make myself “Parking Lot Peggy”. She was seething with a rage that was so wildly disproportionate to the situation, and since she was blocking my way out and challenging me to get out the car and fight, I really had considered calling the police. That’s what you do when a crazy person makes you feel threatened, isn’t it? It was what she wanted me to do, that much was clear when she kept asking one of her male friends to get out his phone and film me. She must have been fed up to do that here, as it’s no secret that the cops in this small southern town aren’t exactly friendly towards people of color. That’s why she did it, I assume, because to her I was just another entitled white woman who had almost come close to nearly hitting her with my car.

She got angrier when I didn’t react, and she ranted a bit more about white people. Once I realized that her friends weren’t going to get involved, and that she herself wasn’t much of a threat, I felt less worried. I did have my 2 1/2 year old daughter in the car so I would have called the police if I’d continued to feel physically unsafe, but I wasn’t eager to confirm her beliefs about my entitlement. I had the number for the store I’d just left, so after several minutes of her standing in front of my car and occasionally slapping the hood, I picked up my phone to call the store and ask them to send out security. Her friend saw me with my phone and looked scared, and he finally pulled her out of my way. I left, feeling confused, angry, and ashamed, all at once.

At first I was mostly furious, because the girl’s behavior had been unacceptably rude and obnoxious, and the thought “why did she have to make it a racial thing” ran through my mind several times. Then I thought about how fortunate it was that my dash cam had been on, in case someone had filmed it and decided to make me look like one of those crazy white people calling 911 on napping black people, but that thought obviously reminded me of all those incidents. That in turn got me to thinking about all the racism I’ve witnessed as a white person, and how the girl and her friends must have been the targets of just as much hate and ignorance as I’ve observed, all from people who look like me. That led to the idea that perhaps she had interpreted the incident based on her experience, and assumed that I’d deliberately driven out in front of them because they were black kids, but I dismissed the idea that anyone could have done that to her as absurd.

As soon as I dismissed the possibility, I realized that it wasn’t absurd at all, and that there was every reason to think that someone could have driven dangerously close to black pedestrians to provoke, harass, or actually hit them. The girl had to have known that we were too far apart for them to have been in any real danger, but when I tried to replay the incident from her perspective, I saw that it could easily be interpreted as intentional disrespect, as an attempt on my part to force the pedestrians to stop and yield to me. And if she’s lived everything I’ve seen, it would almost be reasonable for her to assume that I’d done it because of the color of her skin.

I was still pissed off, because no matter how you spin it, she had been out of line – but less so as I remembered that while race hadn’t even entered my mind until she brought it up, it had been the first thing on her mind. There’s a reason for that – one that has nothing to do with obsession and everything to do with the reality of her existence.

Austin Payne · Answer

Americans are not obsessed with race. The news is obsessed with race which is probably all that you see. 99.9% of people don’t care about race at all. The 0.1% get on the news, and then it seems to you that we care. We don’t.

Having said that for the 0.1%, It has become advantageous to claim victim hood in politics and in personal life. So much to the point that 0.1% black people actually want to get paid cash for their ancestors mistreatment. A large percentage of blacks sympathize with the 0.1%’s race-obsessed cause. This is similar to how a large percentage of Muslims can sympathize with the Muslim Brotherhood’s cause.

If a black person experiences someone who is rude. One of The first thought is often,” I think that person was racist”, and I cannot blame them because that was the way that they were raised since a child. They grow up with a weight on their chest, handed down to them from their parents that they are black and the world will persecute them for being born black.

Baby Boomers grew up when racism was heavily prevalent. They have not forgotten how they and their families were treated as less than by their peers who are now their coworkers and neighbors. Almost every black person teaches their kids from a young age as if it was still 1962 . They teach the children ever since they were little, you are black. You are different. Much of the world is racist. You have to be 10 times better than a white person to get the same recognition. Black people have to stick together to overcome the secret white conspiracy racism to keep us down. Us versus them. Then the kids grow up and pass it on to their kids, passing on stories about how their grandma was racially persecuted and that anger gets directed at White people who had nothing to do with it. This is similar to misplaced anger by suicide bombers who attack civilians in response for that countries military.

Strawberry Alert! Don’t be too sensitive to see the science and call me racist. Watch I bet I will he called racist in the comments just for mentioning a n experiment with monkeys.

Similar to the experiment where the monkeys are put in a room with a ladder with bananas at the top. When a monkey climbs the ladder the whole room is dowsed one freezing cold water. So much so that the monkeys start beating up any new monkeys that are introduced to the enclosure when they go for the bananas. Eventually all the original monkeys are replaced and the new monkeys still beat up anyone going for the bananas despite never being dowsed with water. They will not be dowsed with water anymore. The times have changed but they still keep up the same tradition.

You are black. The world is against you. You have to be 20 times better to get the same treatment.

This small-minded mentality, grows into resentment from a young age and is very confusing to little kids. The 0.1% grow up sensitive as strawberries, and throw the race card because they were conditioned from an early age to do so. The police check on everybody. Minorities think they are being harrassed for their race. Minorities always think that it is racially profiling when they get pulled over for bs reasons. The truth is the police pull over everybody for bs reasons, but Now they are fighting with police instead of complying and moving on with their day. Now they are saying no you don’t understand, they pulled me over without cause. They do this to every race! They are police and oftentimes do this stupid stuff; it is not racist. Now they are on the news filing their grievances. Now the 0.1% are on the news, and it is controversial and you see it.

My family was persecuted by the KKK for giving loans, but they were still called racist and even had to go to court to prove they weren’t. Some day the 0.1% who are obsessed by race will realize that maybe it’s not 1960s anymore, and maybe there is not a conspiracy to keep them down, and maybe the police are not out to get them and maybe they are not important enough for someone to give them a second thought. It’s not worth the energy to hate peoples based on their race. Again, 99.9% don’t care about race, the 0.1% get on the news and that’s what you see.

Don’t be like my international friends who say, “I know all about American culture. I watched all the American Pies. Americans have lots of sex with different peoples and get divorces and cheat and I know all about American culture. I see it on TV. Movies are fake reality. American news is oftentimes fake reality just as much as those movies. The stories are skewed and twisted and worded to get a reaction.. Don’t be that gullible.