TED Community » Gu E

More About Me

I'm passionate about

learning about us- humans, the world we've inherited, created and are creating....well just daydreaming

An idea worth spreading

Kate Armstrong's Golden rule

Comments

• TEDCred score: +1.40 TEDCred reflects your contribution to the TED community.

• A comment on Conversation: The African in America and the African American? Feud ,Stereotypes of Africa and the lost identity of the African American. Why?

  Jan 16 2013: Don't assume that Black Americans know any more than other Americans just because of their race. And don't assume that White Americans know any more or less because of their race either....especially if just based on your particular experience.
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: The African in America and the African American? Feud ,Stereotypes of Africa and the lost identity of the African American. Why?

  Jan 16 2013: Its a shame that you have had to address idiotic questions like the ones you've listed. I am also American, and happen to also be African- more specifically Somali heritage. I too have received stupid questions, but I have always known how to distinguish between those who are ignorant (a result of whatever reason, be it poor education, no socialization with people like me etc.) and hurtful stereotyping (subtle or blatant racism).
  
  The fact that you had such questions come from Black Americans (non-African immigrants) is most likely a reflection of your geographical location. Unlike you, I got questions like those from people who were largely White or Arab, and Asian. The Black Americans I encountered always demonstrated an interest and some knowledge of the continent - similar too other Whites. I believe it comes down to a combination of social experience + quality of education + an individual interest to learn about peoples, cultures and places other than your own.
  
  There is essentially a significant difference between what I consider somewhat harmless ignorance and pure lazy stereotyping + racism. No need to be offended by questions. Just laugh and educate them (oh and, yes, you can laugh because lets face it, dumb questions like those are funny).
  
  Now in response to the comments below regarding "self-segregation" along race or ethnicity, I want to warn everyone that we must be careful in our attempts to assess what such observations mean. Just because some people choose to socialize with people of their race more than others, does NOT immediately suggest a conscious effort to self-segregate. Instead this can also be a reflection of seeking out people with cultural similarities and/or personality traits/interests. Then again, I am not ignoring the very real instances where people do self-segregate due to race, and race alone.
  NEVER generalize. I have very often seen Whites self-segregating when they are the minority abroad.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Will whites ever see blacks as superior or any aspect of blacks being superior to them

  Aug 11 2012: You don't need to hesitate, or say "pulling a card" it is a totally viable thing to point out. I don't see a European country electing a Barack Obama.

• A reply on Conversation: Will whites ever see blacks as superior or any aspect of blacks being superior to them

  Aug 11 2012: @Corey
  
  Let me make myself a bit clearer....According to the World Bank, OECD, Development Assistance Committee: Countries that give the most aid by Percent of GDP committed to aid.
  1.Sweden
  2.Norway
  3. Denmark
  4.Netherlands
  5.Belgium
  6. UK
  7. Ireland
  8. Finlnd
  9. Spain
  10. Switzerland
  11. Austria
  12. Germany
  13. France
  14. Canada
  15. Australia
  16. New Zealand......ok lets just jump to 21. USA
  http://www.statisticbrain.com/countries-that-give-the-most-in-foreign-aid-statistics/
  
  In addition, do you remember how the US decided to cut funding to UNESCO after a near unanimous vote for recognition of Palestine as a state and inclusion? Also, we are very strategic in how we provide bilateral aid.
  
  Now on Haiti:
  - Yes, the US has done alot for Haiti since the quake, but the extent of damage was not so much the quake as it was the generations of underdevelopment that made the crisis as bad as it was.
  The US has repeatedly interfered in Haiti's politics, forced Haiti to keep prices extremely low, placed Papa Doc Duvalier in power to become the longest running dictator, and then supported his succession by his son Baby Doc. The US has fixed elections causing violence, supported coups, the interventions and forced economic cooperation in favor of US interests goes on and on.
  I'm not making this stuff up.
  
  So, although I recognize the aid assistance the US does give out, I am also aware of the politics behind alot of that aid, as well as the numerous policies that have often hurt rather than helped other nations.
  
  Regarding whether the US is the most racist society in the world....I really disagree, I don't see any other country electing a Mixed Race President.
  There may be more gentrification and race baiting by the right wing, but then again to focus on them would ignore the rest of the people who are not racist.
  
  The US is not the most racist country.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Will whites ever see blacks as superior or any aspect of blacks being superior to them

  Aug 11 2012: Ok,
  
  The "most racist society in history" can be debated, of course, and it is a radical statement. I think it stems from the observations of how race is such a big issue in teh US and therefore reported on extensively...not to mention lots of people are engaged/read about teh US. Lots of accounts indicate a highly volatile race issue.
  
  Being an American, and having lived abroad as well as in the US, I have to say that the US has (based on my limited experience) been the most racially segregated and race seems to always be a major problem...does that mean it is the most racist society? meh.
  
  However, what I really wanted to respond to was some of the statements you made about the generosity of the US.
  
  - The United States DOES NOT provide the most aid in the world...this is an inaccurate statement. In fact, the US is quite often an obstructionist when it comes to aid assistance and provides aid much more strategically than out of goodwill. See Denmark.
  
  -Haiti: Now this was an unfortunate choice for an example, especially considering the amount of damage the US has done to Haiti (there is a dearth of information on how the US has repeatedly initiated policies that have hurt Haiti). If anything, the US needs to do more and has a responsibility to Haiti....not lambasting the NGOs and charities working there.
  
  -If a country continually makes claims that they represent LIBERTY, FREEDOM, EQUALITY, GENEROSITY etc. (not to mention statements like "we are the best")
  as if no other country does as well, you will be the target of critique and you will be held up to those claims......As a result, people have and have found that we fail across a number of those. We need some humble pie.
  
  -Lastly, attacking Colleen was not cool. It takes much more intellect and patriotism for a person to exercise critical thinking- and when faced with a dirty truth- own up to it.
  You need more tact.
• +1

  A reply on Conversation: Will whites ever see blacks as superior or any aspect of blacks being superior to them

  Aug 11 2012: "Can whites view Blacks as equals"
  
  I believe a great deal of Whites view Blacks as equals, and that some people do not- but this is due to them simply being ignorant/racist.
  
  There is no need to prove equality, it is inherent. Now, are people equal? No. Sadly, the world is predicated on maintaining inequality- and this applies past the simple White-Black dynamic, to other race relationships, socioeconomic status, nationality, etc. But these are inequalities that are manufactured injustices...they are problems that need to be addressed.
  
  @Sophia Grace's comment below:
  I completely agree. We are also unfortunately programmed to be always categorizing, labeling, judging and arranging whenever we encounter another person- and much of that process will be based on a mixture of fact (the person in front of me is male) and stereotypes, experiences and other things would organize (the person in front of me is from Kenya...Kenyans are good at long distance running at the Olympics...this person must be faster than me)....haha that might have come out wrong, but you get the idea.
  We just need to accept that its just how we function, and be wear of making any stereotypes or false preemptive judgments.
  
  I once worked for someone who told me that he preferred having me as an employee because I was an American-African instead of an African-American- He had a bad experience with an African American employee and then had a good experience with an Ethiopian-American (American-African) and thus drew the conclusion that anyone whose family immigrated from Africa to America were better workers than Blacks in America. It was the weirdest logic I've ever come across. So, now when he encounters a Black American his brain jumps into this process of judgment based on his experience....Did I think he was racist? At times, but otherwise he was a good person- because he placed me in some category. I concluded he was just ignorant. Hope I made sense... :(
• +1

  A comment on Conversation: Will whites ever see blacks as superior or any aspect of blacks being superior to them

  Aug 11 2012: Reading through the comments I felt as though I didn't have much to add! Everything seems to have been addressed pretty intelligently. But, I can't help myself :)
  
  My main concern is over the phrasing of the question, which was what brought me here in the first place.
  
  I felt as though the question presupposes that POC view Whites or aspects of whites as superior....and that it is not returned. Although I don't think you meant to suggest that, it was how it read to me.
  
  No race is superior and no one should WANT to be seen as superior just because of their race...Instead we should hope that people are viewed as successful and worthy of admiration- for individual achievements, which are not based on superiority/inferiority.
  
  Judging the successes or problems of a whole race and attributing the reasons to color is a false conclusion. And amounts to poor thinking and a mix of ignorance/racism.
  
  However, generalizing and making assessments based on a group, and their performance, does occur. We just have to be careful and avoid making grand sweeping generalizations and judgments about groups.
  
  Making statements like: "White people can't dance" or "Blacks are just better at this or that sport" etc. can come from some experience/observation, but to make such statements suggest our race has something to do with it.....which is plainly absurd. Now statements like: "10% of Blacks are more blah blah" derived from surveying and statistics can serve some purpose and holds a bit more currency.
  
  Still, there are a host of factors at play that would need to be taken into account to even make a general statement about a group of people, based on any characteristic. Anyway, I'm now rambling...just wanted to say that placing judgment on a group is risky and will never hold any real truth since everyone is different and the same due to many reasons.

• A reply on Conversation: Is equality what we strive for in a democratic society?

  Aug 9 2012: There are historically black colleges true, but they are not closed to anyone else. Furthermore, they are historically black because they were excluded from other colleges in favor of all white colleges. IN fact, the whole purpose of these things for minorities are a RESULT of DISCRIMINATION.They exist as a reaction to exclusion.
  
  There is no need for a white student only college because there is no history of slavery or disenfranchisement and institutional racism. There?? If you want to go to an All White school and college, and then live in an all white neighborhood and have an all white job......lets not play dumb, you always have that option....in fact you always have that privilege as being a member of the majority...its called white privilege.
  
  By making claims like this you insult the history, the experiences of millions who suffer from institutional racism including myself.
  ONce again you are claiming some sort of grievance that is just mindblowing...unbelievable.
  
  The fact that you make statements like why aren't there white only things, makes me realize just how backwards society still is.
  
  Black entertainer of the year? Oh so Chris Rock is so lucky, he gets to host the BET awards and the OSCARS...damn, isn't that racism too?
  You can't deny African American culture, just like you can't deny Asian culture, Indian, Hispanic, sub-cultures....like the reason there is telemundo, or BET, or a China Town.
  Minorities are given these small spaces in a country that gives the rest to the majority. Everyday life, is already a given for whites.
  If you want to learn more about white privilege, there are numerous sources you can access...like this one:
  
  http://www.amptoons.com/blog/files/mcintosh.html
  
  By the way, I'm clearly worked up because the things you've noted are incredibly insulting and belittles so much of the history of racial injustice. I'm done entertaining these kinds of things, its NOT my responsibility to educate white people about race and racism

• A reply on Conversation: Is equality what we strive for in a democratic society?

  Aug 9 2012: Wow, I didn't realize white males were suffering from such disadvantages! Oh my.
  And once again: "Minorities were hired and promoted over better qualified white males"
  How the hell can you make that claim?? Somehow YOU know that the white males (whoever they are) are always better qualieifed. I'm sorry but I feel that you are suffering from an extreme bout of white privilege and a sense of entitlement.
  
  "Myth 1: The only way to create a color-blind society is to adopt color-blind policies.
  
  Although this statement sounds intuitively plausible, the reality is that color-blind policies often put racial minorities at a disadvantage. For instance, all else being equal, color-blind seniority systems tend to protect White workers against job layoffs, because senior employees are usually White (Ezorsky, 1991). Likewise, color-blind college admissions favor White students because of their earlier educational advantages. Unless preexisting inequities are corrected or otherwise taken into account, color-blind policies do not correct racial injustice -- they reinforce it."
  
  "Myth 5: A large percentage of White workers will lose out if affirmative action is continued.
  
  Government statistics do not support this myth. According to the U.S. Commerce Department, there are 2.6 million unemployed Black civilians and 114 million employed White civilians (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 2011). Thus, even if every unemployed Black worker in the United States were to displace a White worker, only 2% of Whites would be affected. Furthermore, affirmative action pertains only to job-qualified applicants, so the actual percentage of affected Whites would be even smaller. The main sources of job loss among White workers have to do with factory relocations and labor contracting outside the United States, computerization and automation, and corporate downsizing (Ivins, 1995)."
  
  Affirmative action is about INCLUSION.

• A reply on Conversation: Is equality what we strive for in a democratic society?

  Aug 9 2012: I agree, I don't find any problem with having the selection be based on the best suited candidate regardless of race, sex, etc. In fact, this is the HOPE and goal.
  
  But, I would be making a naive statement that ignores the fact that we do not live in a post-racial society.
  I would be ignoring the fact that institutionalized and systemic racism, sexism, prejudice of other kinds still exist.
  Unfortunately, we do live in a time where whole segments of a population are at a huge disadvantage and still experience everyday forms of oppression. Suffering a disadvantage of opportunity only scratches the surface of the problem. It is attempting to level and uneven playing field and address the years upon years of policies that were designed to make the field uneven and suppress the advancement of minorities.
  
  Moreover, I don't agree that the program inevitably installs people who are unqualified. It installs people who are qualified -who happen to be from the minority- because they are underrepresented and face barriers to their entry/ opportunities are limited. This is the design. To open doors, to create opportunity that will in turn create individuals who can also open more doors and create more opportunity. Is it ideal? No. But is it unnecessary and harmful? No. It follows a realistic understanding of history and the barriers it has caused.
  
  You are assuming that there is an inevitability, that the unqualified will be promoted over a more qualified person ........I charge you to prove this claim.