Race isn't something you finish.

[raybear]

I would be pleased as punch if you took the time to answer my poll. Please answer the one that fits best, even if it's not completely accurate. Feel free to leave additional comments if you need to qualify an answer, but don't skip one. If you don't want to answer one question, I'd prefer if you skipped the entire poll.

The questions are geared more towards white people, but anyone is welcome to answer. I'd love to compare and contrast, even if I'm no sociologist and this isn't a perfect sample.

[Poll #55034]

Comments

[crafting-change.livejournal.com]

A really thought provoking poll.. but
on question: A white person is claiming to not own any opinions on race because they're from a town/area with virtually no non-white people. How would you place them as a white person?
You could have added that you don't know how racist they are until they spout some belief. I would have rather chosen something along those lines.


And finally, has "the N-word" ever left your mouth, even if it was just once?
I would have loved an option along the lines of 'only said in discussions of the political/historical nature of the word, or quoting someone else who's racist'.

Incidently, I am the daughter of a bigot. I grew up hearing awful, words phrases and stereotypes, so language along that lines horrifies me. I don't have a ton of friends of color, but I don't get out that much either...

[raybear.livejournal.com]

regarding the first question:
I wanted to gauge more about how people categorize based on experience, not on what the person says. And just because the person never says anything racist that you hear doesn't mean they aren't.
second question:
i wanted to ferret out intentional use of the word, as an epithet or slang, versus just repeating it out of a book or in an academic discussion -- if i had included your answer, i think a lot of people would have chosen that, rather than own up to the possibility of thinking it or saying it in the past (or present).

i don't think there's anything wrong or right about having many friends of color (though my own liberal self-righteous instinct is to be proud of my own little rainbown alliance experiences, i admit!), but i thought it would be interesting to see what answers possibly overlap.

thanks for your thoughts!

Re:

[crafting-change.livejournal.com]

And just because the person never says anything racist that you hear doesn't mean they aren't.
Oh definately. I'm just slow to judge anyone based on where they grew up, their expereinces...etc.
My grandmother grew up in a very rural part of kansas, but worked at integrating the catholic churches where my mother was raised. Her parents thought she was nuts, as I'm sure others did who grew up much closer to 'the city'

I could see your choice selections for each answer...and I love anything that gets me thinking... I just always have to be the squeeky wheel (even if geekgirl47 alluded to issues first.

i don't think there's anything wrong or right about having many friends of color (though my own liberal self-righteous instinct is to be proud of my own little rainbown alliance experiences, i admit!), but i thought it would be interesting to see what answers possibly overlap.
Oh definately.
So much of it though depends on whether you have an outgoing personality.
I've lost touch with a lot of people of various ethnicities, who would have bumped up my numbers, I suppose...but I tend to be shy as friends fade away.

ok.. enough squeeking.

[danielray.livejournal.com]

i've found in my experience that i tend to make and lose touch with a lot of acquaintances, and some of those acquaintances are people of color. i have many fewer long-term friends, and most-if-not-all of those friends are white.

in high school, my closest friend were not all white, but none were black. my college was intensely socially segregated, especially amongst queer folks, and a much higher percentage of my friends were white. since college... hmm... again, my life is highly influenced by the overwhelming whiteness of mainstream queer communities, so it tends to feel like this demographic exception when i have the chance to become close to a person of color... like, i have been acquaintances with, been friends with, flirted with, dated, and loved people of various ethnicities, but i *know* who the people of color were...

[clockwatcher.livejournal.com]

what do your friends of color think of your liberal self-righteous rainbow alliance pride? I know you said this tongue in cheek, but it's an interesting question to me seriously.... on how to be a white ally without being more progressive than thou.



jessie

[raybear.livejournal.com]

my "liberal pride", shall we say for short, is generally kept away from my relationships with people of color and more often than not comes up in my relationships with other white people. it wouldn't really occur to me to say to some random black person "well, my best friend is black" (not that i haven't been guilty of this in the past, it's more that i've worked through that issue so it doesn't come up as much), but it does sometimes pop in my head when talking to other white people, as a way of showing how open, liberal, cool, down, etc. i am.

for me personally, i generally just try to remind myself that i'm not a cured white person who now sees no color or engages in racist behavior -- i'm still operating within the systemic racist institution and dealing with my own cultural conditionings, so i just remind myself constantly that i'm not immune and i have to keep moving forward.

but it's fine line between trying to communicate that your ally without being self-righteous. for the most part i try and let my actions and politics speak for themselves without giving lots of qualifiers and references.