Dear Gather: Is Racism Still Alive in America?

I dont think it is running rampant or anything as bad as that, but yes, I am sure it still exists. It exists even for white people, look at what Rev. Wright has said about the whiteys...

It's not running rampant everywhere, but I feel it is more prevalent in some places more than others. I think it really depends on locations and values learned in your upbringing that depends how rampant it really is and where.

MOST people are racist and don't you forget it.

I hope I'm wrong - I hope it's just "many" people (not most).

Pay no attention to him. He has a BLACK icon! LoL!

Regards,
Doyle I <~~~~~

Absolutely, yes! It's sad to say. My own family has experienced racism, being "white" in a "black" neighborhood.

Absolutely!
I work at a nursery with many hispanic workers, I see it all the time.

No doubt about it. I do believe that it's less overtly expressed, which is a good thing, but it is a long way from dead.

Yes, it is very much alive.

Yes it is.

Yes, racism is still still alive and running rampant through America.

I have seen it more than once. I see it every day when my sister in law has to lock her vehicle doors in broad daylight when driving down the road when she sees a black man. Even if he is 100 yard away. Her 10 yr old daughter gets hysterical when she sees a black person and the doors aren't locked now......Go figure because her neighbors are black. I know the little girl is just copying her mother. I try to tell my sister in law that the black man would not come up to a moving car going 45 miles per hour down the highway....but she doesn't listen.

I hear about it from my neighbor when she says she doesn't like a white person she works with so she goes to her boss and claims racism. She says that is the only way the boss will look in to it because he has to by law whether it is true or not.

I see in grocery stores when the cashier claims they are busy because the person is Spanish or an illegal. When the person moves to the longer line. They wave a black person on over and tell them they are open.

It's alive and well ... most definitely.

Yes, unfortunately it is, but I agree with Julie that it's usually less overt these days. And I don't care where you are or what part of the world you're in but there's some kind of racism that exists in most places and people. And there are also what I would consider to be varying levels of racism that exist now.

Tamara,

I'm removing the graphic...might be a little to strong for some.

It's alive all over the world, but, we specialize at it.

I agree i t is alive all over the world. I think it starts when they become teenagers, got to a park or classroom and see the kids all playing together. As they get older, what is driven into their heads is the other people that aren't like you aren't any good and you should hate them and treat them like they were good people. I was told that African/american (he called them niggers) weren't any good for anything. I won't say exactly what he said, wasn't nice though. My stepfather wasn't a nice person.

are you kidding! of course! I'm Jewish and I hear so much anti-Jewish sentiment! And among the older generation especially, there is so much racism!

Thanks everyone for weighing in. It is very true and very sad that racism is still around in some way, shape or form here in the US and abroad.

I believe it is - although the definitions have changed over the years- unfortuntately, that which people dont understand, not try to understand, makes them fear the "unknown" which creates rascism - just my two cents ~j

I think racism is alive and well, and effects people of all colors. It isn't just something the white people do. I used to live in a town on an indian reservation, which also had a casino. The indians were very racist towards white people, horribly so.

It's most certainly alive and thriving. I have a friend that is on both ends of the racism issue. She is half native American and half Mexican living in MN, and has been called names and derided simply because she's not White. She's even been forced from one church simply because she was different. On the flip side, she's extremely prejudice against Blacks. For some reason, though, she can't see the irony of the situation.

I think a lot of times it begins as a personal issue rather than a racial issue, with one person doing something to affront someone else. From that point it escalates from "that one person" to "the Mexicans" or "the Whitey's" or whatever.

It also has a lot to do with how someone is raised. Quite a lot of the older generation still remembers when racism was not only acceptable, it was the norm and thought nothing of it.

The only thing we can do is try to raise the younger generations to respect people as individuals rather than stereotyping people based on their skin color. Granted, America is certainly not the only country that suffers from racism. We're just one of the few that are diverse enough to recognize it's a problem, while at the same time unstable enough to believe that Political Correctness is the answer.

alive, well, and about to have national bestseller. Racism is caked up... lol

just because they aren't ronding up Japanese in internment camps and burning crosses (as much... see video clip in family in Metarie, LA) doesn't mean that hearts and minds have changed.

we are all racist to som degree. it's only the people who won't recognize it that really scare the bejezus out of me!

Yes, Racism is still alive and still causing problems. Hopefully our children will one day forgive us for the evils we have committed against our fellow man.