Comments on: The modern face of racism

By: Artee

Artee — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 12:17:53 +0000

Sometimes I get depresed, dissappointed that racism still exists in this world. I would have hoped that the world would have been rational enough to realise that the colour of our skin does not dictate our behaviour or intelligence.

But at least there is some hope, I am coming across people everyday who shatter racial stereo types and eventually those who are racist will be reduced to an insignificant minority.

By: katherine

katherine — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 14:39:06 +0000

i agree that racism is a crime. i dont understand why people do it.mast of the time racism makes no sence.
I go to GEMS (Gosforth East Middle School)and am in year 8, and half of the kids there are racist. one of my best friends is black, and shes really kind. there are only 38 people who think racism for the sake of racism, is a load of b-s!

By: Priya Raju

Priya Raju — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 22:34:19 +0000

While I wouldn’t rate “Lost in Translation” as my favorite – I wouldn’t call it racist either. I actually felt like beating up Scarlett J’s character for not taking charge of her life – being an emancipated alpha woman, I couldn’t forgive her Bill Murray was fantastic though.

Perhaps the depiction of Japan wasn’t realistic enough, I don’t know – but that isn’t the same as racism. The film simply portrays Tokyo as it appears to the main characters – who don’t have an in-depth understanding of Japanese culture & way of life.

Racism is alive & thriving, especially in the developing countries. I live in India, which still follows the caste system. The caste system is loosely based on race – with Brahmins on top & the indigenous tribes (who were subjugated) are “untouchables”. Emphasis on that has come down a lot these days, especially in the cities.

The brahmins have more Central Asian blood than most, especially in South India. As a brahmin myself, I feel deep shame & guilt for what my ancestors did. Perhaps that’s what most white Christians feel in the US & Australia.

CJ: I’ll give you that about Johansson’s character; she is rather annoying, particularly at the beginning! Supposedly Coppola based some of the character on herself, so maybe she was meant to be more observing and analytical of everything… I guess that’s what directors do?

It could be that about Tokyo. My feeling watching the film was that the Japan we see at the beginning is something of a caricature because of how alienated the characters feel at that time; like the scene in the elevator, I’m not sure if Murray’s character was meant to be that tall, as in other scenes, once he has seen more of Tokyo and is less isolated, it’s not like that at all. I took it more as a storytelling element, which is why I thought the film was well crafted… Tokyo might not have been depicted realistically, but as you say, I don’t see how that’s racist either.

I’m sorry to hear that about India. I had hoped that things might have started to improve after so long but I can imagine how difficult change must be, particularly when feelings like race and superiority reach so far. It’s like that in Australia as well. I’m ashamed of the way our governments have treated Aboriginals over many years; communities consistently have an increased mortality rate and less opportunities for healthcare, welfare, education and jobs, and that’s not even getting into past policies of taking children from their parents… perhaps the greatest duty of my generation is to find a way forward and express how sorry we truly are.

In the end I think ignorance is the true cause of racism. It’s much harder to hate someone if you know them, if you know their history, their culture, their life… perhaps until people are willing to truly learn and embrace different cultures, then racism will always be a part of our lives. If that’s the case then making a difference, one person at a time, is the most important thing we can do.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Priya; I really appreciate it, and my apologies for the delay replying. Here’s to hoping to better times ahead, eh?

By: K.S. Clay

K.S. Clay — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 03:52:37 +0000

I don’t know. I took the test from Harvard. I took two tests measuring attitudes to race, and I received two results that seem contradictory. The first test said that I showed a moderate preference for light skin over dark skin. The second test said the opposite, that I showed a slight preference for African Americans over European Americans.

In any case, I think that once racism or any kind of bias has become entrenched in a culture it is very difficult to stamp out because it is being passed down from generation to generation, in some ways unconsciously. I’ve made another observation about my own culture, though, which is that race issues and economic issues are often seen as going hand in hand. This makes sense in some ways, since due to the historical treatment of certain races in the U.S. there is a higher percentage of lower income people belonging to racial minorities. On the other hand, sometimes this skews the issues so that it’s assumed that all white Americans are rich or middle class and that all black Americans are poor. For instace, many American comedians attempt to make jokes about the differences they see between white Americans and black americans. Often you could simply exchange the terms wealthy and poor for white and black and come out with the same jokes because that’s the real difference they’re discussing.

CJ: Hi KS. I know what you mean about the test; I’ve taken it a couple of times and my results were consistent but it’s so reflex-oriented that I can see how it might come up with different results. I think it’s useful but unless it’s performed in a controlled environment, I’m not sure how accurate it is.

One of the biggest problems we have with racism is that it’s a learned behaviour; people who practice racism continue to do it, and people who have been exposed to it learn to expect it. When that kind of behaviour becomes ingrained in us it makes it very difficult to overcome; it becomes part of the culture, and the cycle continues. Unless we can break that cycle and learn to look at racism differently, I doubt anything will change.

Definitely a part of that is the link between race, social economics and social status. I agree that poverty and race are basically two sides of the same coin; it’s usually the poor (or working poor) and disadvantaged who suffer racism, and it’s true with our Aboriginal population as well; many communities are poor and in need of help. Just how you go about evening up the divide I’m not sure except through education but it would definitely make a big difference in tackling racism. Thanks for stopping by.

By: bombshellwithin

bombshellwithin — Tue, 22 Apr 2008 19:49:16 +0000

While I don’t like the movie Lost in Translation, I can sort of identify how the characters feel with their isolation. While I may have a Puerto Rican heritage, living on this island is something completely different. And as far as culture stands, I’m very American… and in the past decade I’ve come to learn what that means, how that puts me apart and often leads to certain mockery and ridicule. On my blog I sometimes talk about this, with a lot of humor, how what would deem so necessary and common for me, just can’t be found on this island. And it was also seen how people came around to attack me for my supposed arrogance. It’s a culture clash and because PR is a colony, it’s the bad kind. I’m part of the oppressors and the oppressed. How’s that for screwed up?

While in PR I cannot say there is a racist culture, persay.. afterall, our lineage is a mixed up mutt race where we have literally a little bit of every nationality due to conquests, power struggles, etc, there are a lot of black/white comments that are used in everyday language. To the outsider, it would be outrageous that these things would be said. To us here, since everyone has plenty of the other, it’s never taken seriously.

As a hispanic person in general, I never could identify with the way people portrayed them in movies and television. I lived in NY half my life, where most of the population in my area were Asian. Even now, as people see my pictures and comment on them, I hear things like “exotic” and I wonder why they say them. It’s not a bad thing, but apparently because I’m not all pale (but only because I live somewhere that I tan even in the shade) and I’ve got the plump and full features of my heritage, that’s just what I am.

Yet, at the same time… I remember as a child how I longed to find a doll that could look just like me (and I’m not talking merely plus sized, I’ll leave that rant for another post). As a little girl with nearly black hair, nearly black eyes and very pale skin… I never did find that doll. Dark features went with dark skin. Even the dark hair went with lighter colored eyes, even sometimes with freckles. Dolls of hispanic representation had the dark eyes but lighter brown hair. So I often pleaded for the darling black doll. My mother found it odd but always complied when gifting me them.

I still search for that doll, by the way…

CJ: I’m sorry to hear that, Bombshell. You must feel like you’re trying to be part of both worlds and don’t know where you fit in… that must be a horrible feeling. And the attitude some people have towards Americans is atrocious. They don’t seem to differentiate between citizens and the government and their language is awful. You’ve had more than your fair share of it too…

That’s interesting about PR. So because the nationalities are so mixed, the language has evolved to reflect the cultural landscape? That would definitely make your interactions unique. It’s happened a bit here as well; our convict lineage, history of emigration and indigenous population has created a mixed landscape, particularly with our language. Things we say to each other are often misunderstood by other people but mean nothing to us.

I wonder if someone asked girls now what doll they wanted if they’d still want the same kind of doll? Most of the dolls now are about making a girl feel like a young woman; something like the Bratz dolls hardly seem realistic… your dream doll sounds lovely, though. Don’t give up! Who knows, you might find it one day.