Blacks and Whites see race relations differently

[alcal]

Nearly 60 percent of black respondents said race relations were generally bad, compared with 34 percent of whites. Four in 10 blacks say that there has been no progress in recent years in eliminating racial discrimination; fewer than 2 in 10 whites say the same thing. And about one-quarter of white respondents said they thought that too much had been made of racial barriers facing black people, while one-half of black respondents said not enough had been made of racial impediments faced by blacks.

Actually 60% of afro-americans are mulatto

 

[Yeekim]

Trying to build a multicultural society is like trying to play ice hockey, beach volleyball and polo on the same court at the same time.

 

[alcal]

Trying to build a multicultural society is like trying to play ice hockey, beach volleyball and polo on the same court at the same time.

Yeah Adolf

 

[GoodGame]

Sounds like a gross overgeneralization to me. At some time in their lives, all individuals are responsible for their own actions. Is any newborn American ever not-guilty of slavery, 150 years (~7 generations) after the Emancipation proclamation?

Actually it does. Blaming the victim is an old tried and true method for conservatives do that which is most important to them in all the world, namely refuse to take responsibility for their own actions.

 

[Yeekim]

@ alcal
Actually, Third Reich could be used to demonstrate validity of the comparison.

If only you had given it half a thought before going into "OMG-he-is-promoting-genocide" mode...

 

[sysyphus]

Trying to build a multicultural society is like trying to play ice hockey, beach volleyball and polo on the same court at the same time.

Nobody has perfected it but many countries have made excellent progress, it's only naysayers are holding it back.

 

[BasketCase]

What this says to me is that America's whites are broadly smugly arrogant about the situation. They simply refuse to see an ongoing problem.

So I'm smug and arrogant about it. Doesn't change the fact that I'm right.

The figures in the OP you wrote are all fine and dandy--I see no reason to doubt any of them. But all of those figures represent peoples' perceptions of a problem, and they do not address the question of whether there's actually a problem. To which I would answer "mostly no". Race relations will always be a problem, everywhere on Earth, but in the United States (and other places) race relations have been improving steadily in recent years.


The problem of peoples' perceptions is a problem that has no solution. How do you force people to perceive a problem correctly??? You can't. Errrrr.....actually, you can--in Cuba. But in the United States (and in most other free nations), you can't. Black people are free to think whatever they like, and if they still think there's a problem, I can't do jack diddly to help them.

 

[Gecko1]

The problem in America isn't race, but rather the "us and them" mentality. I live in one of the whitest communities in the Chicago land area. I don't get much trouble, in fact a lot of the people around the area are pretty nice. The problem arises if I happen to be with a group of 'minorities'. Then I notice some suspicion manifesting itself. So it's not just race, but rather power and fear.

 

[Yeekim]

Nobody has perfected it but many countries have made excellent progress, it's only naysayers are holding it back.

Well, the only difference between my comparison and reality is that while in reality nobody would likely be crazy enough to try and play three different sports games on the same court simultaneously, some countries are simply forced to deal with the problems caused by several cultures within their territory.
In good cases, this ends with several autonomous communities living peacefully side by side.
In worse cases, minorities get gradually assimilated, or a freak culture mix is produced (mind you, this is not multiple cultures, but exactly this: a freak mix).

In any cases, mixing multiple cultures together creates problems first and foremost - and even if these can be dealt with in the long run, is there really any payoff? That is why I sometimes get pissed by people who speak and write as if "multiculturalism" was meant to be goal of all goals and a jolly good thing in itself. Imho this is simply forcefully escalating the problem...

 

[sysyphus]

I live in one of the most multicultural societies in the world. I also live in one of the most stable societies in the world. That's reality.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Kudos to Canada for integrating Asians with Europeans, but frankly Asians and Europeans don't have too much of a problem with each other anywhere. When the black and latino population of Canada is at least double what it currently is, then I will be impressed, and then you Canucks can where that badge of 'muticulture' and it will actually mean something.

 

[History_Buff]

Kudos to Canada for integrating Asians with Europeans, but frankly Asians and Europeans don't have too much of a problem with each other anywhere. When the black and latino population of Canada is at least double what it currently is, then I will be impressed, and then you Canucks can where that badge of 'muticulture' and it will actually mean something.

Well, there's a far deeper history of Canada abusing her Asian population than there is trouble with Blacks or Hispanics, so I can't see why they'd be any worse. I can't imagine they have an inherit hate of Whites.

 

[Bamspeedy]

Well, there's a far deeper history of Canada abusing her Asian population than there is trouble with Blacks or Hispanics, so I can't see why they'd be any worse.

Because blacks and hispanics are nearly non-existant in Canada. It is hard to start a two-man riot.

Long history? Asians only started immigrating in 1900 and didn't really start immigrating in large numbers until 1980 which is nothing compared to the black history in the US. You had an ANTI-Asian riot in 1907. For how 'bad' the asians were treated, they have never rioted themselves, have they? Asians don't riot in the US either.

I can't imagine they have an inherit hate of Whites

No it's not that. It's the reverse, the White's inherit hate of darker skin. Whites for the most part get along better with Asians than they do blacks. If there is more racism against Asians than there are blacks in Canada, then it is due to the sheer size of the Asian population (seen as a larger threat by the racists/Xenophobes) rather than because of their skin color.

 

[sysyphus]

Just to clarify, this is not an attempt to praise Canada, I'm only stating that where I live is one of a number of success stories. I also consider the US to be a success too, as well as others, sometimes countries, sometimes regions and cities.

My point is that although nobody has perfected it, multiculuturalism has been proven in practice to be workable. The biggest stubling block is the naysayers who want to oppose it, and their numbers are dwindling because they are being proven wrong.