Blatant Racism

A week ago, my professorial buddy lamented that his students talked about "[they] don't know why [they] have to study about racism when really, no one is racist anymore. At least not overtly..." Of course, on the same night that buddy had to be walking down the street as a drunk guy across the street yelled and asked whether he and his slanty eyes have a problem. The students of my buddy are all white and resented the implications that they could be racists themselves in any way, but I wonder if any of can detect oppression if they are not part of the group who are being oppressed? We do live in a system that takes race/ethnicity very much into account on decisions we make and whether we like it or not, racism do exist.



I'm not one who's actively looking for hints of racism/sexism/homophobia and make a big fuss over it, I even consider the use of some hilarious but Tom Tancredo's speech was way beyond the limit. I always thought racism is more of a southern thing and wasn't expecting a former congressman/presidential nominee from Colorado to openly display his bigotry. It is not that I've never experienced racism myself, one of my insane ex-boyfriend had told me dead-seriously that the reason the upscale mall around the area is an hour away is because they didn't want black people to be there, he told me that I would be nothing without him even though I pretty much paid for my way and his way every time we go out. I was convinced for a while that all rice queens were racist and they were comfortable dating members of other races because they think they are far more superior than them. I know that it takes some self-hatred to come to this realization but I'm terribly terrified to find that traits in people close to me.