Racism or Racial Prejudice?

On his blog on the Democrat and Chronicle website, Dick Moss asked many questions about what should, or is, considered racist. Racial Prejudice and Racism are two different things. Racial Prejudice is just having opinions that might be negative towards one or more races. Racism only comes into play when the person has the power to control someone based on their race. I want to answer Dick Moss' questions.

Q: Is it racist for a person (of any color) to tell race-based jokes? (Is it worse if it’s a white man telling the joke? Is it less of a problem if it’s a black man?)      A: Telling racial jokes cannot be classified as Racism. It is however, Racial Prejudice. And it is wrong.

Is it racist for anyone, regardless of color, to use the word “nigger”?   A: Again, this is considered racial prejudice. Not Racism.

Is it racist for a restaurant wait staff to let a Latino couple who arrive early for the dinner rush wait until everybody else has been served?     A: This may be considered Racist because the wait staff has the power to keep the couple from receiving their food.

Is it racist for a white man to forbid African-American nurses from holding his newborn baby?     A: This is absolutely Racist. The man is using his power from keeping the African- American nurses from doing their job.

Is it racist for a police officer to pull over a black family out for a Sunday drive simply because they happen to be in a “white” neighborhood?     A: This is considered Racism because the officer is exercising his power over the family. This exceeds everyday racial prejudice.

Is it racist for  a high school homecoming parade to feature a float with a tepee and an “Indian maid” with a feather in her hair to celebrate the school’s athletic teams that are known as the Braves?     A: This is not racist. This is, in a way, Racial Prejudice. Even though it is not supposed to be negative, it could still be construed to be prejudice.

Is it racist for the Border Patrol to target populations that are clearly Latino in its search for immigrants without proper documentation?     A: This is Racism. The Border Patrol has a lot of power, and clearly is exercising it to take advantage of a specific group of people.

Is it racist for a small-business loan officer to favor a loan to a Latino over a loan to an Asian person simply because the Latino is in greater need?   A: This is not Racist. It cannot even be classified as racial prejudice because they loan choice was made because of financial need, not race.

Is it racist for a white prospective police officer to be passed over in favor of an African-American because the city is trying to diversify its police force?      A: This is Racist. The reason it can be considered racist is because the police force is keeping the white prospective police officer out of a job. They are exercising their power. 

Is it racist for a school district’s staff to not reflect the diversity of its student body?     A: This is a confusing one. It depends on the situation at hand. 

Is it racist for a suburban police force to station patrol cars at the border with the city and stop any car driven by someone who looks like they don’t belong?     A: This can be considered Racist even though the police force is trying to do their job. They are exercising their power to pull over people based on how they look.

Is it racist for a particular group of people to be economically and socially isolated in one part of our community?     A: It depends if they were put their by the government. If the government had something to do with it, then it is definitely racist. 

Racism and Racial Prejudice are two different things. Racism cannot happen without power. Governments, Business Owners, Law Enforcement, and other groups that have control over a population can be consumed with Racism. The KKK can be an example of a Racist group. They find ways to punish, injure, or even kill other races.

Racial Prejudice is not the same as Racism. We see Racial Prejudice every day. In the halls, we hear racist jokes. People call each other names. We always tend to stereotype people just because of the way they look. Even if we are not trying to be negative, or hateful, things like this are Racially prejudice. 

The Holocaust

Timeline of the Holocaust:
1933- Hitler becomes Chancellor
        - Dachau is opened
        - Nazi's boycott Jewish Businesses
        - Burning of Books
        -  "Nazis pass a Law against Habitual and Dangerous Criminals, which allows beggars, the homeless, alcoholics and the unemployed to be sent to concentration camps" (source) 
1934- Jews prohibited from gaining legal certifications
        - Hitler becomes the Fuhrer
1935- Forced abortions to women who will pass on a hereditary disease
1936- Gestapo placed above the law
1937- "Jews are banned from many professional occupations including teaching Germans, and from being accountants or dentists. They are also denied tax reductions and child allowances." (source)
1938- Hitler's troops enter Austria
1939- Jewish children expelled from non-Jewish schools, Jewish doctors not allowed to practice
        - "euthanasia" for all sick and disabled people
        - Polish Jews must wear yellow star over age 10
1940- Auschwitz is created
        -tripartite signed by Germany, Italy, and Japan
1941- German Jews forced labor
        - Hitler declares war on America
1942- More and more gas chambers are created due to the large amounts of Jewish people in the camps




The list goes on and on, as well as hundreds of thousands of Jewish people who were killed








Antisemitism = the hatred of the Jewish people
Concentration Camps= where the Jewish people were taken, and held captive, and killed
Deportation= sending someone out of the country for reasons determined from the government
Genocide= deliberate killing of a specific group of people
Ghetto= a less that perfect living situation for a group of people who are related in some way, such as culture, race, or language
Holocaust= Destruction or slaughter on a mass scale (dictionary.com)
Kristallnacht= Also known as The Night of the Broken Glass. On this night, November 9, 1938, almost 200 synagogues were destroyed, over 8,000 Jewish shops were sacked and looted, and tens of thousands of Jews were removed to concentration camps. This pogrom received its name because of the great value of glass that was smashed during this anti-Jewish riot. Riots took place throughout Germany and Austria on that night. (source)

The Holocaust was against God in many different ways. The easiest and most measurable way is looking at the 10 Commandments. 


The 6th Commandment-

The Holocaust was against the sixth commandment, where God said "you shall not kill"

This is an obvious commandment that was broken during the Holocaust, as hundreds of thousands of Jewish people were killed. They were taken from their families, murdered, forced to work, and their spirits crushed.The Holocaust went directly against God's command to never kill another human.

The 2nd Commandment-

Hitler directly broke the second commandment. He made himself an image of God to his people. Statues were built, people showed divine respect, and he took away the right of dignity of the people he killed. Hitler broke one of the most important commandments.

The 1st Commandment-

The people of Germany who worshiped Hitler broke the first commandment by acting like Hitler was their God. They put him before God, followed everything he said, and  worshiped him. They lost God, and found Hitler, and evil man who controlled their minds, some from even children.

The 9th Commandment-

Hitler blamed the Jewish people for many of the German problems. Using his lies to bring the people together with a common enemy, Hitler broke the ninth commandment. He told the people of Germany that the Jews were the reason for the poverty in Germany, and even set the Jewish people up by burning buildings, and saying it was the Jews.

Fifth Commandment Views

         

*WARNING:
         STRONG opinions involved in this post

The Fifth Commandment goes off the basis that one shall not kill. 

This covers a large area of life itself. 

My opinions on these may very from the Church's.

          One very important part of the fifth commandment is Abortion. Abortion is the deliberate termination of one's pregnancy. The choice can be made by the woman, or the man and woman together. It is irresponsible for a woman to get pregnant and use abortion as a form of birth control after the fact. If you don't want to get pregnant, don't be irresponsible.

         Related to abortion, the church does not condone the use of Birth Control such as the Depo-Provera Shot, or the Pill. However, I completely disagree with that. I think that the use of birth control is actually helpful. It can help regulate a woman's period, and protect her from becoming pregnant. If a woman is sexually active, even with her husband, and does not want to get pregnant, she should use birth control. I recommend it highly. If a family knows that they cannot afford a child at the moment, they should avoid it, so that the child can have a good life. However, they should not be deprived of a sexual relationship.

         Back to the topic of abortion, I believe that there is a time for abortion. This would be in the case of rape. Over the last two years, more than 787000 women were the victim of a rape or sexual assault. Many of which became pregnant. Think about it. If someone you loved was raped, and became pregnant, would you expect them to have to live with the child that was aforced upon them? I don't think so. How cruel would that be? Sure, they would grow to love the children, but the child would have to know of the violence put upon their mother. When I grow up and have children, I will cherish the fact that I created them and planned on bringing them into this world. I would never want to think it was forced on me.

 

        Basically, I think that the topic of abortion can be flexible. I do not condone it for women as a use of birth control. But for those women and teenage girls who have been raped, I think it is a viable option.

       Racism. A major problem in today's world. I hear it all the time in school. Believe me, it makes me extremely upset. I think that anyone who thinks that hating someone for their race needs to wake up and realize that it isn't the 1800's anymore. Welcome to America, we are a country of different races. The thing is, everyone needs to realize that we are all humans. Everyone deserves respect. I hate people that act like they are better than someone because they are white, or black, or Asian, or whatever. Grow up. Next time you are going to say something about someone, think about it. If it is because of their race, or religion, or even hairstyle, think about it. It is so immature. 

 

       A final part of the fifth commandment is Stem- Cell Research. I think that it is awesome! Scientists are coming up with more and more ways of curing people of their illnesses. The church speaks against it, if a fetus is used. I do not know how I feel about this. I do think that use of adult stem cells or animal stem cells is completely cool. Imagine if we find a cure for cancer! That would be such an accomplishment for science!

Overall, I think that the fifth commandment has a pretty good idea about what not to do in terms of killing. However, I disagree on certain things such as birth control, abortion, and stem cell research. 

My Experience

Volunteering at Saint Peters Kitchen Was Fantastic!

The people that I got to work with were so nice. They volunteer at the kitchen all the time, and never ask for anything in return. Some of the people there are the most kind hearted people I have ever met, which was a wonderful change compared to people you can deal with outside of this kind of establishment. 

To tell you the truth, I was pretty nervous about going there, because I didn't know if people would be rude, or cause trouble. That seems kind of mean, but I have never experienced this kind of atmosphere before.

The people that were there for food were so kind and respectful.They didn't act like they were entitled to the food or service, and they used their manners. I was so glad to be there to experience the kindness of someone who needed so much, and was in such a rough place. They really appreciated and thanked me and my group for all that we were doing, although it wasn't really a big deal. I wish that I could go back again and do more work. However, it is difficult to get a time slot there. 

I'm not sure if the reason for the difficulty in getting a time slot comes from the many people trying to volunteer there, but I wouldn't be surprised. It is such a good experience, that I am sure that any one who does it once would want to do it again. 

If I could say one thing to someone, it would be to cherish what you have, and remember how much people wish they could have it. To help someone is the best way to understand what they are going through. I would tell them about my wonderful experience at Saint Peter's Kitchen. It was so much fun, and such a good experience. I feel like what I did  really made me realize that my life is not that bad. It is actually pretty good. I have a roof over my head, food, water, and family. Some people are all by themselves, living outside. I wish I could buy them all a home, give them food, and make them happy. However, I cannot do any of that. However, I can work at the Soup Kitchen, and provide as much help as possible.

I encourage any one who reads this to contact Saint Peter's Kitchen and set up a time to volunteer. You won't regret it!

Poverty In America

In America today, many people are homeless, starving, and on the brink of death because of the shortness of basic material needs. 

(the following comes from worldhunger.org)

2010--> Approximately one in seven homes, were food insecure

      -->46.9 million people were in poverty

      --> the poverty rate was 15.1 %

      -->poverty rate for Hispanics was 26.6 percent, for Blacks 27.4 percent. 

     --> poverty rate increased for children under age 18

20.5 million Americans live in extreme poverty. This means their family’s cash income is less than half of the poverty line, or about $10,000 a year for a family of four

49.9 million people or 16.3 percent of the American people, do not have medical insurance 

The National Coalition for the Homeless website gives the following information:




"In most cases, homelessness is a temporary circumstance -- not a permanent condition."


Most studies of the actual number of homeless people are limited to counting people who are in shelters or on the streets, making the number inaccurate.


"A recent study conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors found that 12 of the 23 cities surveyed had to turn people in need of shelter away due to a lack of capacity."


"On an average night in the 23 cities surveyed, 94 percent of people living on the streets were single adults, 4 percent were part of families and 2 percent were unaccompanied minors.  Seventy percent of those in emergency shelters were single adults, 29 percent were part of families and 1 percent were unaccompanied minors.  Of those in transitional housing, 43 percent were single adults, 56 percent were part of families, and 1 percent were unaccompanied minors.  Those who occupied permanent supportive housing were 60 percent single adults, 39.5 percent were part of families, and .5 percent were unaccompanied minors (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2008)."


"The average length of stay in emergency shelter was 69 days for single men, 51 days for single women, and 70 days for families.  For those staying in transitional housing, the average stay for single men was 175 days, 196 days for single women, and 223 days for families.  Permanent supportive housing had the longest average stay, with 556 days for single men, 571 days for single women, and 604 days for women (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2008)."


"The homeless population is estimated to be 42 percent African-American, 39 percent white, 13 percent Hispanic, 4 percent Native American and 2 percent Asian, although it varies widely depending on the part of the country. An average of 26 percent of homeless people are considered mentally ill, while 13 percent of homeless individuals were physically disabled (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2008). Nineteen percent of single homeless people are victims of domestic violence while 13 percent are veterans and 2 percent are HIV positive.  Nineteen percent of homeless people are employed (U.S. Conference of Mayors, 2008)."

What can you do to help?

Currently, my service project group is volunteering there to help cook and serve the homeless, poor, and hungry. We haven't been there yet, but I am sure that it will be a rewarding experience. Do the same thing as us! Volunteer! Donate Food, Money, and Time! Nothing can help them more then to actually get involved. Start a blog, tweet, raise awareness. The Homeless people need help.

Reaction to Trayvon Martin

We all know about the tragic and untimely death of Trayvon Martin. But, I am sure that not everyone is doing their part in solving this issue. Here are some examples of people who were moved by the murder of this innocent young man. 

"The crowds on Granby Street held the symbolic snacks, 

along with homemade signs and t-shirts,

 chanting "No justice, no peace! No justice, no peace!" 

Many children wore shirts that read 'I am Trayvon Martin.'

 and mothers held signs that said 'Trayvon Martin is my son.'" (Source)

Hundreds lined up on Virginia Beach Boulevard to take part in the

 "Hoods Up Rally" in demonstration of the killing of Trayvon Martin. (Source MUST WATCH VIDEO!)

Supporters gathered on Northwest 8th Street for the 

"Hood Up for Trayvon" event to remember Martin and continue the nationwide 

outcry for Zimmerman to be arrested and charged.

Many of the participants dressed in hoodies and carried Skittles and Iced Tea,

 which Trayvon was carrying the night he was killed.

 "He took his life for a reason," said Big Mama to the crowd. 

"And whatever his reason is, it's going to come to justice but the community must come together.

 Lets do this. Amen?"

Read more: http://www.wsvn.com/news/articles/local/21007032429723/big-mama-local-community-rallies-for-trayvon-martin/#ixzz1qEVguK4J 

You can help the cause,too. Spread the word! Try to hold walk, with your hoods up! Anything you can do to spread awareness will help get justice for Trayvon! Don't hold back & don't give up, and Zimmerman will be punished for his terrible crime. 

Trayvon Martin

A 17 year old boy named Trayvon Martin was killed last month

All he was carrying was a bag of Skittles, a Tea Drink, and his phone.

The killer, George Zimmerman, said he looked suspicious, followed him and confronted him. 

A shot was fired.

Shot in the chest, Trayvon laid face down on the sidewalk, dead.

CNN reported on this issue with a video containing 911 calls and an interview with the father.  (<click to watch)

"I think that's an issue that Mr. Zimmerman himself considers as someone suspicious -- a black kid with a hoodie on, jeans, tennis shoes," Martin said. "Thousands of people wear that outfit every day, so what was so suspicious about Trayvon that Zimmerman felt as though he had to confront him?"

Zimmerman actually chose to not listen to the operator on the 911 call. He was advised not to approach Trayvon. The operator asked him if he was following Trayvon. Zimmerman said yes. 


Another call was from a woman inside of her house, to afraid to leave because of the yelling going on outside. She said, and you can hear, that someone was yelling help multiple times (believed to be Trayvon) before a single and deadly gun shot was heard. 

"It's heartwrenching, because those actually were my son's last words," he said.

 "And to hear his last words being cries of help, is devastating. 

It tears me apart as a father." 

Trayvon Martin                 George Zimmerman

thegrio.com gave the follow list of facts that people should know about this case:

1. Zimmerman called the police to report Martin's "suspicious" behavior, which he described as "just walking around looking about."

Zimmerman was in his car when he saw Martin walking on the street. He called the police and said: "There's a real suspicious guy. This guy looks like he's up to no good, on drugs or something. It's raining and he's just walking around looking about... These a**holes always get away" [Orlando Sentinel]

2. Zimmerman pursued Martin against the explicit instructions of the police dispatcher:

Dispatcher: "Are you following him?"
Zimmerman: "Yeah"
Dispatcher: "OK, we don't need you to do that."

[Orlando Sentinel]

3. Prior to the release of the 911 tapes, Zimmerman's father released a statement claiming "[a]t no time did George follow or confront Mr. Martin." [Sun Sentinel]

4. Zimmerman was carrying a a 9 millimeter handgun. Martin was carrying a bag of Skittles and a can of iced tea. [ABC News]

5. Martin weighed 140 pounds. Zimmerman weighs 250 pounds. [Orlando Sentinel; WDBO]

6. Martin's English teacher described him as "as an A and B student who majored in cheerfulness." [Orlando Sentinel]

7. Martin had no criminal record. [New York Times]

8. Zimmerman "was charged in July 2005 with resisting arrest with violence and battery on an officer. The charges appear to have been dropped." [Huffington Post]

9. Zimmerman called the police 46 times since Jan. 1, 2011. [Miami Herald]

10. According to neighbors, Zimmerman was "fixated on crime and focused on young, black males." [Miami Herald]

11. Zimmerman "had been the subject of complaints by neighbors in his gated community for aggressive tactics" [Huffington Post]

12. A police officer "corrected" a key witness. "The officer told the witness, a long-time teacher, it was Zimmerman who cried for help, said the witness. ABC News has spoken to the teacher and she confirmed that the officer corrected her when she said she heard the teenager shout for help." [ABC News]

13. Three witnesses say they heard a boy cry for help before a shot was fired. "Three witnesses contacted by The Miami Herald say they saw or heard the moments before and after the Miami Gardens teenager's killing. All three said they heard the last howl for help from a despondent boy." [Miami Herald]

14. The officer in charge of the crime scene also received criticism in 2010 when he initially failed to arrest a lieutenant's son who was videotaped attacking a homeless black man. [New York Times]

15. The police did not test Zimmerman for drugs or alcohol. A law enforcement expert told ABCthat Zimmerman sounds intoxicated on the 911 tapes. Drug and alcohol testing is "standard procedure in most homicide investigations." [ABC News]

The Martin case had been turned over to the Seminole County State Attorney's Office. Martin's family has asked for the FBI to investigate.

This whole thing is just really screwed up. How can it be possible for the police to let Zimmerman be free, no drug or alcohol test, no holding for interrogation, no punishment at all? There is a dead 17 year old boy, with no justice given to him. And there is a 26 year old murderer, comfortably living at home, as if nothing happened. How can this be okay, in any way? No mater how you look at it, it is wrong.  

We Should Work Together to Provide Justice for Trayvon