Racism

[Kentish]

It seems official now that Anthony Walker was killed only for being black, and was called a ****** by the vile things who murdered him.

Yesterday I witnessed a violent interchange outside my local corner shop when a shoplifter was confronted and then proceeded to hurl racial abuse at the Indian shopkeeper, calling him a "black bastard" ( ). This is genuinely the first incident I have witnessed first hand and I was really disappointed by it.

Why are people racist?

[Teh_Gerbil]

Why are people racist?

If noyl we knew that! I guess people fear what they do not understand... or look for a convienient scapegoat to societies problems?

[Bullseye]

i think that the excuse that people are racist because they fear what they dont understand is a lame cop-out. i mean i totally agree with the scapegoat issue...but fearing the unknown...when they are just a different colour or religion...i mean they are still human beings right? well how different are they...not very! Racism...has existed since the dawn of human civilisation and will most likely continue to exist. it is like war...it will be with us forever!

[A Photograph Of Me]

First ever racist violence i saw was at work (i work in a nightclub) it was just silly. So pointless. People band around (so called) racist terms so easily, but few really are. I guess the only reason people are racist is because it's a difference it's easy to pick up on.
For example, if a football hooligan walked past a guy outside whatever stadium wearing a shirt, then he'd carry on walking. If the same guy was wearing a football shirt, he may well be attacked.
It's just a way of determining differences. Stupid and pathetic yeah, but i think that's all it really is in the end.

(Cultural differences may come into it further down the line, for example in the realms of the BNP, but for the average thug, i think not)

[Renzo]

You could argue that people are rascist because of the way they are brought up. People are not born inherently rascist, they must get that influence from somewhere, most likely the parents or immediate family or perhaps friends. Of course, stories about gypsies or constant reporting on 'terror' in certain tabloids doesnt help either.

[Teh_Gerbil]

Well, i'veh eard hte not understnading issue before, becuase people don't understand their differnet race or religion, way of life, etc. I don't beleive it, I think, like for the BNP, they are a convienient capegoat. Like the Jews in Germany when Hitler rose - just easy to blame the Jews for everything. Bad Economy? Jews. You have no jobs? Jews. Treay of Versaille? Jews. Communists threatening your Business? Jews. Chavs? Jews.

And so on. It's easy to blame someone rahter than bother about what is REALLY happening.

[Kermit]

I don't know why people are racist. I tend to think that people are angry at the world, and need a scapegoat, and people that are different are good scapegoats. It's easier to blame the black kid who talks funny and eats funny food for all your ills rather than yourself.

I don't see much blatant racism in this city, but things do annoy me. Not so long ago I was on the bus home. A young Asian mother got on with her buggy, and tried to put it in the buggy bay, but the two middle-aged women sat there wouldn't move. She had to sit behind, so obviously the two bats started clucking about how "they" don't care about their kids. If I'd been any closer I'd have belted the stupid cunts.

I actually think racism is a mental illness. And it should be treated with ECT.

[chan-chan]

Yeah, I always witness mild raciest incidents on the bus or whatever. Im quite observant, and once I was sitting on the train once and there was a couple on the train hugging, whispering and kissing, (the woman was black and the man was white). And there was a white man sitting down oppersite me and the look on his face....it was like, pure hatred and dissapointment. I cant describe it. He looked like he was going to be sick or something.

[Kentish]

I actually think racism is a mental illness. And it should be treated with ECT.

Not sure that would work. But I'd quite happily watch the racist I saw getting some sort of of eletrocution "treatment". i.e. death.

[Teh_Gerbil]

I actually think racism is a mental illness. And it should be treated with ECT.

Or a bullet. Or... instead of testing things on Animals... use these kinds of folks.

I just don't know. It's amazing how many seemingly nice people otherwise, or supposed Good, uopper class members of society are racist.

[Born Slippy]

---

[Teh_Gerbil]

What about his human rights? Why has he not been offered counselling?

Because, he is dead?

[Kermit]

Not sure that would work.

25kV AC would work quite well, I think.

[Namaste]

Poor education is why people are racist.

Back home I went in to this chip shop and somebody who looked like such a sweet old man came in and asked how much a bag of chips is. When he heard it was £1 he started shouting at the Indian owner "I'll make my own fucking chips you black bastard!" and stormed out. Takeaways owned by black or Asian people in my town get smashed up a lot.

After the London bombings apparently a bunch of men went on to the university campus to attack 'Muslims' who were actually Spanish and French students. We've had race riots before.

In school my friend got her head slammed in a toilet door because she's Chinese.

People say minority groups get it better than white hetersexual men but I really don't think so, from the raw hatred I've experienced... More education is needed for both LGBT and racial awareness.

[Disillusioned]

As someone else has said I think few people are actually truly racist. While a lot of people are sadly guilty of making racist remarks I don’t think there are many people that believe in the superiority of their race and inferiority of other races. I also don’t think many people support discrimination based upon race. There’s a big difference between people who believe in these things and people mouthing off down the pub. I think homophobia is different in that it can be justified by religion, I don’t really think racism can. While racism is simply illogical people can rationalise homophobia through religion as many Muslims and fundamentalist Christians do. I think racism mostly roots from people picking up an easy difference as someone else suggested. Whilst racism is widely deemed completely unacceptable in society I don't think the same applies to homophobia so more needs to be done to address that as well as racism.