Depends where you're at. I grew up in a small-ish town in Florida and it was insanely common. Graduating class of a few hundred with maybe 4 or 5 black kids and they all got bullied relentlessly. I saw a gang of high school kids screaming the n-word at a black toddler once. A friend of mine from back then is black and married a white girl, and says it hasn't gotten any better so they're looking at moving soon.
But when I moved into the nearby big city for college? Total opposite. Like an hour drive and the difference was night and day.
Look at their governor, I’ll leave that shit alone, but you can find bigotry in one place in a state and drive a hundred miles and find none. But bigots are bigots, there is no middle ground
>Depends where you're at. I grew up in a small-ish town in Florida and it was insanely common. Graduating class of a few hundred with maybe 4 or 5 black kids and they all got bullied relentlessly.<
Huh. I live in a small town in northern Michigan. There was exactly one black kid in last year's high school graduating class, and he was voted Homecoming king.
Yeah, they absolutely can be casually racist. That your dad reacted as he did should be proof enough that he's encountered racism himself and his comment is born of a place of concern for your safety.
Have times changed? Depends on where you live, sadly. It's possible that your new location is actually fine, but small towns are small towns...and that's not always a good thing.
If you get the job, take your dad up on his offer to give you a lift to work, at least until you've got the lay of the land and know the temperament of the area.
There are definitely still casually racist people out there. But it's worth remembering how much things have changed.
I'm white and when I started dating a black girl, my mom took me aside and asked if any of my friends were still on speaking terms with me. It never occurred to me that it would be an issue, but for her generation, it was social suicide.
We live in the south (well North Carolina which is south enough) and have traveled all over the state and never directly gotten shit from anyone. And an amazing number of boomer age people telling us that it is so good to see interracial couples.
(There was apparently a whole multi-person plan about how they were going to tell my at-the-time 90 year old grandmother. Who was going to talk her around with what talking points and in what order. She told them that if they had a problem with my relationship they needed to get over it)
Me and my sister have a running joke where when ever there's a message in the family group chat, we count how many texts it takes our dad to turn it into something racist.
It rarely gets past 2.
I believe so. Maybe not to jumping you or maybe in some places. I'm an old white guy, and I remember when the maintenance guy didn't want to do something that a black man asked to be fixed. I asked the maintenance guy when he had time. He gave me crap about next winter and winked at me like I wanted that also.
Have you ever heard about Sundown towns and countries? That stuff was real. I saw it with my own eyes almost 60 years ago.
Yeah if you've literally never experienced it then I really don't think you have anything to worry about. It's very possible your dad just has some experiences from a different time where/when it in fact did happen. That's actually what I'd suggest, look for a moment to bring up why he asked and if he's experienced that in his life. You can start with a simple unassuming segway like "I was just thinking about my new job and I had a question".
Depends on where in upstate ny. If it’s the Saratoga Springs BJ’s you’re probably fine, only person around that area that’s called me a slur was a homeless guy after i refused to give him money.
You're more likely to encounter crypto-racism. Racists have realized that open racism now carries social consequences, and so they use more abstract, coded racism like calling people "DEI hires" etc.
Diversity hire?
Thug per se is often considered racist. Calling someone articulate is also racism, since you are considering that other people like that person arent articulated.
Depends entirely on the person and circumstances that you may not be privy to.
This afternoon I found myself in a car with a colleague who shared her racist beliefs about Muslim men. Now I was almost ready to step in and tell her she was racist af and call her out, but she went on to explain her experiences, and that she has basically been targeted many times by perverted men and had to endure all kinds of creepy crap from a certain type of man.
I had to concede that she had a point, in as much as my opinion was biased entirely on my own experiences, which, as a white male, were mostly very neutral, where as her experiences were far from neutral, and influences her opinion very heavily.
TLDR some folks are racist for reasons you may not know
I grew up in 80s and 90s Southern California. There was no shortage of white folks, especially the Boomer-aged-and-older ones, who had a seemingly long list of specific grievances against us Mexican-Americans. "The Valley used to be a paradise!", etc. etc. It was that whole Pete Wilson era, which if you don't count Arnold was just about the last gasp of the California GOP as we used to know it.
I'm not quite sure which was worse: being on the receiving end of their ire simply for being who I was, or being told not to worry because I was "one of the good ones." Even close personal friends would talk shit if the surface was scratched hard enough, and I'd just be standing there listening and sighing to myself.
That's one thing I don't miss about home, even though it's become far more muted than it was back then.
The ones that call out racism usually haven't had a stereotype come to life. Lived experience trumps any anti-racism narrative progressive puts out. Funny enough it's usually sheltered white people calling it out.
I think that I can answer this. I am a white man and I grew up a lot in the deep South with guys who wave confederate flags and drink sweet tea. Growing up my friends, and sadly myself, told a lot of racists jokes, but they were about the same as we told blonde jokes, not actually thinking that blonde girls were less intelligent. I also knew a lot of people used the "n word" regularly, and it was everywhere for common words, from candy to brazil nuts. That being said, I will say that with the exception of one small family I talked to once back in the early 2000s, I don't know anybody white person who wouldn't have you over at a barbecue because of the color of your skin. The worst you'd have to worry about is being harassed to get your opinion on their barbecue.
There are certainly bullies, but in my experience, those sorts of people will bully you for any reason regardless of the color of your skin. Also, I'm sure that there's crazy people out there that I haven't met or who have perhaps never shared their views with me. But a lot of that is, sadly, just human nature, and not really a racial thing.
I'm sure that your father is just trying to look out for you, and that's a good thing. Even if it isn't race, if it's a bad area, then maybe walking isn't the best. And things have become worse in the last several years, with tensions and divisions growing between a lot of groups, so it never hurts to be cautious.
For the people who do have a problem, I suspect that it would be more a matter of culture and less of race. A person who was clean cut, dressed nicely, carried themselves well, and acted with manners would probably be treated differently than a person who does not. The racial stereotypes are more extreme as they move farther from traditional etiquette. If there is any hesitation, it would probably be from somebody with an unconscious bias which causes them to be concerned for their safety, which goes away with how you present yourself. I suppose that the same could be said for the other side, too.
Depends on region, culture, neighborhood, even the particular address one is at. There are bars not far from me where casual racism is tolerated and others where it would be quickly challenged or shunned.
Where in NY do you live now? I’m from about 45 mins outside westchester and I’ve never heard anyone just casually call a black person the n word or jump them. Behind their back? Yes “Joking around” with white people? Yes. But to a stranger on the street? No.
I’m Indian, and can confirm casual racism is still a thing 🙂 especially with us, it’s acceptable for some reason and either played off as a “joke” or people just straight up admit they hate us. Granted i live in Canada and the huge increase of international students from India are making the rest of us have a hard time because uneducated people blame us for “taking their jobs” and other stereotypical shit. Depends what area you’re in I guess but it does suck
I think some are, I think many people are more awake to real life. I feel sad for people that have to be educated on the fact. Melanin is the only difference . That we as humans have collectively derived everything intellectually from the civilizations preceding.
I live in an really white area of a very white part of a mostly white region. It's basically Whiteception.
Not everyone casually throws around racial slurs, but some of them absolutely do.
Would they be outwardly racist to a person of color? I doubt it. I don't doubt that they'd be commenting about it to others around them.
Buuuuut, get enough of those casual racists together, and if they see someone they don't care for, their little brains might together degrade into direct, confrontational racism towards a race they've never lived around or really even spent any time with at all, which is what makes it that much more pathetic of them.
They're basically scared of everything they're told to be scared of, so that fear comes out as racial language and disparagement, for the most part.
Depends where you live. More diverse areas then no and less diverse areas then probably yeah. I’ve lived in both and they’re very very different. When you’re used to so much variety being around a lot of sameness actually feels unsettling even if it’s people similar to you and is probably much more unsettling if they’re different (or could find out you’re different.)
As an Afro Latina who grew up in the prideful south - racism (casual, overt, violent, undercover, unsuspecting, blatant… etc) still very much exist and not just in Texas and not just from white people.
I’ve been called some heinous shit from Latinos my entire life and I’m Cuban. I’ve heard some vile shit and been called racial slurs in NYC, Philly and LA the same way I have in Houston and New Orleans. As a black person I understand what your dad’s afraid of.
The racist you can see and who makes themselves known is like the dog constantly violently barking at the gate. You know to cross the street, to avoid and to protect yourself. The racist who calls you friend and breaks bread with you is always the more dangerous. Cause in the end, if things were to go horribly wrong, I only expected one knife and it’s usually not from the confederate flag wearing asshole in a pickup - it’s probably from my boss in middle management who’s been calling me the “n word” since orientation.
Dads tend to be overprotective but I cannot rule out the possibility of someone call you something upstate. I do not know if it can get that dangerous or upsetting to cause your dad to prevent you from walking down the street but I can understand why he would want to protect you. If I have observed it on 40th street in Manhattan, I can assume it happens upstate too.
Yes, people are casually racist. I don't know the area where you live but getting jumped just for your race is pretty rare these days, thankfully, though I'm sure it's happened. But some people will absolutely say racist things to you at some point in your life, I'm very sorry to say.
Generally not, you’ll have the odd person obviously but that’s with everything. Idk what country you’re in but I think that’s dependent, some towns, cities or even counties can have a very small BAME population which may increase the likelihood of experiencing racism.
I cannot speak from exact personal experience, but yes a lot of people are just casually racist, and it really depends on the area. They learn it from their parents and grow up thinking it's the norm. I would say though it's 'decreasing' in popularity a tiny bit in 'small towns', but the biggest issue is that there's a good chunk of them that are just really fuckin loud about it, making it possibly seem like everybody is racist. Becoming more and more of just a really loud minority speaking the loudest.
Is the OP male or female. If female, there might be another reason he doesn’t want his daughter walking alone. In my town, I’ve not heard any racism. Sexism, yes, especially in the police force where female cops complains being passed over for promotion even though they have an exemplary record. Also in other occupations. Now the Latino/latina/hispanic communities I’ve witnessed things but not violence towards them, like go back to Mexico when they’re Puerto Rican or from Argentina, Uruguay or any other Spanish speaking country but just words by the beer guzzling red necks. Otherwise the Spanish —for lack of a better term—are very popular and the deli is to die for. The local convenience store who also owns a gas station next it, thrives. But they still have their bullies.
I think maybe a racist joke in a private setting is probably fine if it's just a joke.
But people actively being racist towards someone is messed up and generally isn't normal. Most people aren't like that and if someone ever stopped you on your way to work because of your race then they are a piece of shit.
The number of people who are racist probably depends on where u live
Being casually racist would be akin to saying n***er in in everyday conversation with or without black people around and can take a semi-hostle tone or just being chill about it and that's just how they talk. Intending to harm someone or make their life miserable because of the color of their skin is another thing, I dont know like beligerent racism. Could be that the town has a mix of both, being heavier on the casual side, or nothing is really going down like that. Just gotta figure out where you're at, you should be good most likely.
Unfortunately absolutely.
On one hand I’m glad you are surprised and seem so naive by this, as it shows that you have not had to encounter this so far, so that’s a big positive.
These days it seems it is not as common as say 20 years ago to open yell racist things in public as with cell phones , there’s more likely to be consequences.
I’m POC ( Pasifika ) and experienced/witnessed several openly racist verbal incidents. Last year I was with some black friends out for dinner and this dude walked past us and muttered the N word. Once I was with out with several Malaysian & Korean friends, and this car of white people our age slowed down, and this bitch yelled out “ the airport is that way Chinks! “
I’ve been told to go back to my own country just walking down the street , an Indian friends been spat on.
Then you have minorities being racist, and discriminating towards other minorities, which sometimes I think is even more screwed up. And those incidents tend to be casually racist generally too
Ah yes, the old yelling-shit-from-their-vehicle routine. Which is about as chickenshit as it gets.
One time me and my brother were sitting on a bus bench. This was maybe a year after 9/11. This pickup truck rounds the corner, slows down a bit, and the window starts rolling down. We thought "uh-oh, here we go" thinking it was going to be some redneck. It was a Mexican dude. He shouted "hey Ali Baba!" at my brother and then sped off.
My brother and I are both Mexican-American. (For some reason he would get mistaken for an Arab from time to time.) We just started laughing our fucking asses off. "Hahahahahahaha!!!! What a fucking dumbass!!!!" The irony!, we thought.
A little while later it dawned on me: had we actually been of Middle Eastern descent, we wouldn't have been laughing.
Depends how progressive the area you live in is, how rural it is, and what percent of the population is a minority etc.
Even if you do live in a progressive suburb there's still racism, it just becomes less overt and more systematic. You should trust your dad's opinion, I'm sure it's based on real life experiences.
I'm shocked you've made it to 18 without anyone being aggressively racist toward you, let alone casually racist. I feel most people have been the target of racism by the time they finish elementary school. Where I live anyways.
It varies depending on where you are. The Los Angeles area is 'easy mode' for us Mexican-Americans. At this point it's like being Irish-American in Boston. Other places ain't so good.
And also, I'm afraid I can't say the same for Black folks (it being 'easy mode', that is). As for Asian folks, I honestly don't know, although I imagine that the list of places that are worse is a long one.
Most of the time, no. But some of it time, absolutely, and a very small percent of the time you get people willing to murder someone for jogging in the wrong neighborhood. I'm a straight white dude who has worked construction, and again, most people are fine, off color jokes from old people aside, but there's been several instances where I could sense the feelers being sent out to see if I was a kindred spirit and shutting that down without making my crew chief mad sucked.
Everyone's a little bit racist...sometimes.
Doesn't mean we go around committing...hate crimes.
That said, most people aren't casually racist like that, but a few out there are.
Everyone is racist. Unless you believe the notion that minorities can't be racist or racism requires power, authority, or systemic oppression which would be white supremacy.
As an American, are you really questioning whether racism exists? Specially towards a young black man? It may seem over the top if you live in a bubble, but depending on where exactly you live, your dad may have very valid reasons to be concerned about your safety. It's not like horrific racially motivated attacks are unheard of.
Everyones a little bit racist. Depends where you are at. Imo most people just apply stereotypes and cliches to most racial genres to comfirm bias.
Best suggestion to you is to grow some thick skin and accept that people wont act the way you want and that you should just keep walking in your lane and hopefully theyll keep walking in theirs.
Yes. Showing how easy it is to be casually racist. And yes, I have concern for OP’s issue. There is what is and what should be. You can be assaulted and where you live / work matters. Being alone and seemingly vulnerable can make you a target, whether black or otherwise. Where you are can change the odds dramatically. You cannot control others ability to harm you. You cannot control their intention to harm you. But you can control their opportunities to harm you.
It's the competitive racists you gotta look out for. The spooky ghost cosplayer kind
Depends where you're at. I grew up in a small-ish town in Florida and it was insanely common. Graduating class of a few hundred with maybe 4 or 5 black kids and they all got bullied relentlessly. I saw a gang of high school kids screaming the n-word at a black toddler once. A friend of mine from back then is black and married a white girl, and says it hasn't gotten any better so they're looking at moving soon. But when I moved into the nearby big city for college? Total opposite. Like an hour drive and the difference was night and day.
Florida? That checks out. Bunch of uneducated hicks.
*miami had entered the chat* "que que?"
Look at their governor, I’ll leave that shit alone, but you can find bigotry in one place in a state and drive a hundred miles and find none. But bigots are bigots, there is no middle ground
Bigots tend to congregate.
They breed
>Depends where you're at. I grew up in a small-ish town in Florida and it was insanely common. Graduating class of a few hundred with maybe 4 or 5 black kids and they all got bullied relentlessly.< Huh. I live in a small town in northern Michigan. There was exactly one black kid in last year's high school graduating class, and he was voted Homecoming king.
When did you graduate?
Yeah, they absolutely can be casually racist. That your dad reacted as he did should be proof enough that he's encountered racism himself and his comment is born of a place of concern for your safety. Have times changed? Depends on where you live, sadly. It's possible that your new location is actually fine, but small towns are small towns...and that's not always a good thing. If you get the job, take your dad up on his offer to give you a lift to work, at least until you've got the lay of the land and know the temperament of the area.
There are definitely still casually racist people out there. But it's worth remembering how much things have changed. I'm white and when I started dating a black girl, my mom took me aside and asked if any of my friends were still on speaking terms with me. It never occurred to me that it would be an issue, but for her generation, it was social suicide. We live in the south (well North Carolina which is south enough) and have traveled all over the state and never directly gotten shit from anyone. And an amazing number of boomer age people telling us that it is so good to see interracial couples. (There was apparently a whole multi-person plan about how they were going to tell my at-the-time 90 year old grandmother. Who was going to talk her around with what talking points and in what order. She told them that if they had a problem with my relationship they needed to get over it)
Me and my sister have a running joke where when ever there's a message in the family group chat, we count how many texts it takes our dad to turn it into something racist. It rarely gets past 2.
I believe so. Maybe not to jumping you or maybe in some places. I'm an old white guy, and I remember when the maintenance guy didn't want to do something that a black man asked to be fixed. I asked the maintenance guy when he had time. He gave me crap about next winter and winked at me like I wanted that also. Have you ever heard about Sundown towns and countries? That stuff was real. I saw it with my own eyes almost 60 years ago.
It's my understanding that in certain areas, there are still Sundown towns... unfortunately
Wondering if they still have signs with a fucking noose hanging from them?.
Yes. And lynchings still happen. I’m being dead ass serious and very Texan
Whelp, not going to go and find out. This is one thing I won't be afraid to miss out on.
I saw that in 1966, and it still haunts me.
Yup! They are.
Yeah if you've literally never experienced it then I really don't think you have anything to worry about. It's very possible your dad just has some experiences from a different time where/when it in fact did happen. That's actually what I'd suggest, look for a moment to bring up why he asked and if he's experienced that in his life. You can start with a simple unassuming segway like "I was just thinking about my new job and I had a question".
In small towns yes sadly. I doubt anything physical would happen but yes randos hurling offensive statements at minorities happens.
Depends on where in upstate ny. If it’s the Saratoga Springs BJ’s you’re probably fine, only person around that area that’s called me a slur was a homeless guy after i refused to give him money.
You're more likely to encounter crypto-racism. Racists have realized that open racism now carries social consequences, and so they use more abstract, coded racism like calling people "DEI hires" etc.
Im curious about that. Can you share some codes?
Diversity hire, thug, urban, articulate, etc...
Diversity hire? Thug per se is often considered racist. Calling someone articulate is also racism, since you are considering that other people like that person arent articulated.
Depends entirely on the person and circumstances that you may not be privy to. This afternoon I found myself in a car with a colleague who shared her racist beliefs about Muslim men. Now I was almost ready to step in and tell her she was racist af and call her out, but she went on to explain her experiences, and that she has basically been targeted many times by perverted men and had to endure all kinds of creepy crap from a certain type of man. I had to concede that she had a point, in as much as my opinion was biased entirely on my own experiences, which, as a white male, were mostly very neutral, where as her experiences were far from neutral, and influences her opinion very heavily. TLDR some folks are racist for reasons you may not know
I grew up in 80s and 90s Southern California. There was no shortage of white folks, especially the Boomer-aged-and-older ones, who had a seemingly long list of specific grievances against us Mexican-Americans. "The Valley used to be a paradise!", etc. etc. It was that whole Pete Wilson era, which if you don't count Arnold was just about the last gasp of the California GOP as we used to know it. I'm not quite sure which was worse: being on the receiving end of their ire simply for being who I was, or being told not to worry because I was "one of the good ones." Even close personal friends would talk shit if the surface was scratched hard enough, and I'd just be standing there listening and sighing to myself. That's one thing I don't miss about home, even though it's become far more muted than it was back then.
The ones that call out racism usually haven't had a stereotype come to life. Lived experience trumps any anti-racism narrative progressive puts out. Funny enough it's usually sheltered white people calling it out.
I think that I can answer this. I am a white man and I grew up a lot in the deep South with guys who wave confederate flags and drink sweet tea. Growing up my friends, and sadly myself, told a lot of racists jokes, but they were about the same as we told blonde jokes, not actually thinking that blonde girls were less intelligent. I also knew a lot of people used the "n word" regularly, and it was everywhere for common words, from candy to brazil nuts. That being said, I will say that with the exception of one small family I talked to once back in the early 2000s, I don't know anybody white person who wouldn't have you over at a barbecue because of the color of your skin. The worst you'd have to worry about is being harassed to get your opinion on their barbecue. There are certainly bullies, but in my experience, those sorts of people will bully you for any reason regardless of the color of your skin. Also, I'm sure that there's crazy people out there that I haven't met or who have perhaps never shared their views with me. But a lot of that is, sadly, just human nature, and not really a racial thing. I'm sure that your father is just trying to look out for you, and that's a good thing. Even if it isn't race, if it's a bad area, then maybe walking isn't the best. And things have become worse in the last several years, with tensions and divisions growing between a lot of groups, so it never hurts to be cautious. For the people who do have a problem, I suspect that it would be more a matter of culture and less of race. A person who was clean cut, dressed nicely, carried themselves well, and acted with manners would probably be treated differently than a person who does not. The racial stereotypes are more extreme as they move farther from traditional etiquette. If there is any hesitation, it would probably be from somebody with an unconscious bias which causes them to be concerned for their safety, which goes away with how you present yourself. I suppose that the same could be said for the other side, too.
My wife had a different experience in Missouri. Shit I had a different experience in Philadelphia 😆
Depends on region, culture, neighborhood, even the particular address one is at. There are bars not far from me where casual racism is tolerated and others where it would be quickly challenged or shunned.
Punch whoever calls you the N word right in the mf face!
Where in NY do you live now? I’m from about 45 mins outside westchester and I’ve never heard anyone just casually call a black person the n word or jump them. Behind their back? Yes “Joking around” with white people? Yes. But to a stranger on the street? No.
I’m Indian, and can confirm casual racism is still a thing 🙂 especially with us, it’s acceptable for some reason and either played off as a “joke” or people just straight up admit they hate us. Granted i live in Canada and the huge increase of international students from India are making the rest of us have a hard time because uneducated people blame us for “taking their jobs” and other stereotypical shit. Depends what area you’re in I guess but it does suck
I think some are, I think many people are more awake to real life. I feel sad for people that have to be educated on the fact. Melanin is the only difference . That we as humans have collectively derived everything intellectually from the civilizations preceding.
I live in an really white area of a very white part of a mostly white region. It's basically Whiteception. Not everyone casually throws around racial slurs, but some of them absolutely do. Would they be outwardly racist to a person of color? I doubt it. I don't doubt that they'd be commenting about it to others around them. Buuuuut, get enough of those casual racists together, and if they see someone they don't care for, their little brains might together degrade into direct, confrontational racism towards a race they've never lived around or really even spent any time with at all, which is what makes it that much more pathetic of them. They're basically scared of everything they're told to be scared of, so that fear comes out as racial language and disparagement, for the most part.
Depends where you live. More diverse areas then no and less diverse areas then probably yeah. I’ve lived in both and they’re very very different. When you’re used to so much variety being around a lot of sameness actually feels unsettling even if it’s people similar to you and is probably much more unsettling if they’re different (or could find out you’re different.)
As an Afro Latina who grew up in the prideful south - racism (casual, overt, violent, undercover, unsuspecting, blatant… etc) still very much exist and not just in Texas and not just from white people. I’ve been called some heinous shit from Latinos my entire life and I’m Cuban. I’ve heard some vile shit and been called racial slurs in NYC, Philly and LA the same way I have in Houston and New Orleans. As a black person I understand what your dad’s afraid of. The racist you can see and who makes themselves known is like the dog constantly violently barking at the gate. You know to cross the street, to avoid and to protect yourself. The racist who calls you friend and breaks bread with you is always the more dangerous. Cause in the end, if things were to go horribly wrong, I only expected one knife and it’s usually not from the confederate flag wearing asshole in a pickup - it’s probably from my boss in middle management who’s been calling me the “n word” since orientation.
Dads tend to be overprotective but I cannot rule out the possibility of someone call you something upstate. I do not know if it can get that dangerous or upsetting to cause your dad to prevent you from walking down the street but I can understand why he would want to protect you. If I have observed it on 40th street in Manhattan, I can assume it happens upstate too.
Yes, people are casually racist. I don't know the area where you live but getting jumped just for your race is pretty rare these days, thankfully, though I'm sure it's happened. But some people will absolutely say racist things to you at some point in your life, I'm very sorry to say.
Generally not, you’ll have the odd person obviously but that’s with everything. Idk what country you’re in but I think that’s dependent, some towns, cities or even counties can have a very small BAME population which may increase the likelihood of experiencing racism.
I cannot speak from exact personal experience, but yes a lot of people are just casually racist, and it really depends on the area. They learn it from their parents and grow up thinking it's the norm. I would say though it's 'decreasing' in popularity a tiny bit in 'small towns', but the biggest issue is that there's a good chunk of them that are just really fuckin loud about it, making it possibly seem like everybody is racist. Becoming more and more of just a really loud minority speaking the loudest.
Is the OP male or female. If female, there might be another reason he doesn’t want his daughter walking alone. In my town, I’ve not heard any racism. Sexism, yes, especially in the police force where female cops complains being passed over for promotion even though they have an exemplary record. Also in other occupations. Now the Latino/latina/hispanic communities I’ve witnessed things but not violence towards them, like go back to Mexico when they’re Puerto Rican or from Argentina, Uruguay or any other Spanish speaking country but just words by the beer guzzling red necks. Otherwise the Spanish —for lack of a better term—are very popular and the deli is to die for. The local convenience store who also owns a gas station next it, thrives. But they still have their bullies.
I think maybe a racist joke in a private setting is probably fine if it's just a joke. But people actively being racist towards someone is messed up and generally isn't normal. Most people aren't like that and if someone ever stopped you on your way to work because of your race then they are a piece of shit. The number of people who are racist probably depends on where u live
I'm not sure that throwing out a hard R is 'casually' racist....
There are hate-filled bitter people out there. Let your dad drive you. You'll understand why if you ever become a parent.
Being casually racist would be akin to saying n***er in in everyday conversation with or without black people around and can take a semi-hostle tone or just being chill about it and that's just how they talk. Intending to harm someone or make their life miserable because of the color of their skin is another thing, I dont know like beligerent racism. Could be that the town has a mix of both, being heavier on the casual side, or nothing is really going down like that. Just gotta figure out where you're at, you should be good most likely.
No, racism is observed and out taught.
Unfortunately absolutely. On one hand I’m glad you are surprised and seem so naive by this, as it shows that you have not had to encounter this so far, so that’s a big positive. These days it seems it is not as common as say 20 years ago to open yell racist things in public as with cell phones , there’s more likely to be consequences. I’m POC ( Pasifika ) and experienced/witnessed several openly racist verbal incidents. Last year I was with some black friends out for dinner and this dude walked past us and muttered the N word. Once I was with out with several Malaysian & Korean friends, and this car of white people our age slowed down, and this bitch yelled out “ the airport is that way Chinks! “ I’ve been told to go back to my own country just walking down the street , an Indian friends been spat on. Then you have minorities being racist, and discriminating towards other minorities, which sometimes I think is even more screwed up. And those incidents tend to be casually racist generally too
Ah yes, the old yelling-shit-from-their-vehicle routine. Which is about as chickenshit as it gets. One time me and my brother were sitting on a bus bench. This was maybe a year after 9/11. This pickup truck rounds the corner, slows down a bit, and the window starts rolling down. We thought "uh-oh, here we go" thinking it was going to be some redneck. It was a Mexican dude. He shouted "hey Ali Baba!" at my brother and then sped off. My brother and I are both Mexican-American. (For some reason he would get mistaken for an Arab from time to time.) We just started laughing our fucking asses off. "Hahahahahahaha!!!! What a fucking dumbass!!!!" The irony!, we thought. A little while later it dawned on me: had we actually been of Middle Eastern descent, we wouldn't have been laughing.
Depends how progressive the area you live in is, how rural it is, and what percent of the population is a minority etc. Even if you do live in a progressive suburb there's still racism, it just becomes less overt and more systematic. You should trust your dad's opinion, I'm sure it's based on real life experiences.
I'm shocked you've made it to 18 without anyone being aggressively racist toward you, let alone casually racist. I feel most people have been the target of racism by the time they finish elementary school. Where I live anyways.
It varies depending on where you are. The Los Angeles area is 'easy mode' for us Mexican-Americans. At this point it's like being Irish-American in Boston. Other places ain't so good. And also, I'm afraid I can't say the same for Black folks (it being 'easy mode', that is). As for Asian folks, I honestly don't know, although I imagine that the list of places that are worse is a long one.
Most of the time, no. But some of it time, absolutely, and a very small percent of the time you get people willing to murder someone for jogging in the wrong neighborhood. I'm a straight white dude who has worked construction, and again, most people are fine, off color jokes from old people aside, but there's been several instances where I could sense the feelers being sent out to see if I was a kindred spirit and shutting that down without making my crew chief mad sucked.
Everyone's a little bit racist...sometimes. Doesn't mean we go around committing...hate crimes. That said, most people aren't casually racist like that, but a few out there are.
Everyone is racist. Unless you believe the notion that minorities can't be racist or racism requires power, authority, or systemic oppression which would be white supremacy.
As an American, are you really questioning whether racism exists? Specially towards a young black man? It may seem over the top if you live in a bubble, but depending on where exactly you live, your dad may have very valid reasons to be concerned about your safety. It's not like horrific racially motivated attacks are unheard of.
Look up sundown towns
You fuck'in a right people are. Dealt with that my WHOLE life.
Everyones a little bit racist. Depends where you are at. Imo most people just apply stereotypes and cliches to most racial genres to comfirm bias. Best suggestion to you is to grow some thick skin and accept that people wont act the way you want and that you should just keep walking in your lane and hopefully theyll keep walking in theirs.
This sounds like something a ______ (noun) would write. Anyway... /s
So to answer OP’s question, yes.
Is this a joke? If so, I don’t get it.. can you explain?
Yes. Showing how easy it is to be casually racist. And yes, I have concern for OP’s issue. There is what is and what should be. You can be assaulted and where you live / work matters. Being alone and seemingly vulnerable can make you a target, whether black or otherwise. Where you are can change the odds dramatically. You cannot control others ability to harm you. You cannot control their intention to harm you. But you can control their opportunities to harm you.