| Over Christmas time, I went to a Goodwill store in | | | | believe they don't trust Obama because he is black, |
| South Carolina. While I was in the store, I lost my cell | | | | but that is certainly part of their mental makeup. |
| phone. There was a lady who worked near the | | | | Racism and prejudice is something that is often placed |
| dressing room section that seemed a little suspicious to | | | | on us by our culture, upbringing, cultural stereotypes, |
| me. First of all, she didn't seem very friendly. Secondly, | | | | and bad experiences. In many ways, it is not always |
| she was a larger black female who seemed to have | | | | our fault for having these attitudes. However, the |
| an attitude very similar to students I had when I was | | | | important thing is to realize them. Only through an |
| teaching at the high school level. And there it is, I | | | | awareness of own ideas and thoughts can we |
| automatically jumped to conclusions based on racial | | | | improve. It is like someone who has a traumatic |
| and cultural stereotypes. | | | | experience and is living with great fear. While the fear |
| It is not "correct" to be a racist anymore. Really, | | | | is not their fault, it is their responsibility to locate it and |
| according to what people say about themselves, no | | | | therefore, make a change. |
| one is really "racist". I experienced this in the South. | | | | We have a choice to live naive lives and really believe |
| There were people who were so adamant and even | | | | ourselves to be so much better and tolerant than we |
| hateful against the undocumented workers who were | | | | are. However, we actually make much worse choices |
| living among them, but in the same breathe would | | | | if we decide to live in denial rather than admit our own |
| somehow manage to squeeze out, "I'm not racist | | | | weakness. Racism is just one of these areas. We |
| though". A humorous example was when I was | | | | cannot control what culture and society we were put |
| teaching English down here in Costa Rica. I had a | | | | into and what historical baggage is still carried around in |
| student who said after Obama's election. "I am glad | | | | our minds. However, we do have a choice to |
| Obama was elected... except that he is black, but... I'm | | | | recognize these ideas, feelings, prejudices, and |
| not a racist." | | | | stereotypes in our mind, so we don't live our lives in |
| The unwarranted and extreme hatred towards | | | | denial while in reality still harboring and demonstrating to |
| Obama by the fringes in the rights is dripping with | | | | the world those long held beliefs that are in our minds. |
| racism. If Obama were white; the whole Tea Party | | | | Let's get past the irrelevant and self-defensive |
| Movement/Glen Beck fanaticism would not be near as | | | | comments of "I'm not a racist" and actually start trying |
| strong or radical. The simple fact is that the rural | | | | to transform our thinking and the erroneous beliefs that |
| southern white individual who largely makes up these | | | | have been placed there, and in the process, help |
| events on the whole does not trust a black man in | | | | change society. We are not evil because we carry |
| office. However, I really believe that many of them do | | | | racial prejudices. However, it is evil to refuse to |
| not want to be racist or do not even believe that they | | | | expose them to the light and seek redemption from |
| are racist. I don't even think that these individuals | | | | them. |