tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post7356119995532543306..comments2024-03-27T03:19:11.216-04:00Comments on Assistant Village Idiot: Least Racist NationAssistant Village Idiothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-46552135010228999562018-12-06T11:38:11.894-05:002018-12-06T11:38:11.894-05:00I think accusations of racism have been weaponized...I think accusations of racism have been weaponized to the extent that the term racism is becoming partly emptied of meaning. <br /><br />Racial disparities in life outcomes and "access to opportunity" are still pretty common in the USA. How much of it is easily amenable to policy variables is a tricky empirical question. I am reminded of Peter Schuck's discussion of "Hard Problems," as in his book _American undecided: Five hard problems..._ <br /><br />Schuck spends a lot of time defining the notion of a "Hard Problem." It's worth reading. <br /><br />Megan McArdle had an essay about the new term "White Supremacy" being tossed around rather casually to attract attention, partly because of the overuse of the term racism. <br /><br />It seems to me that our stone age brains don't easily think about such issues correctly. <br /><br />One of the many things to be concerned about in America is that it's pretty easy to take a divided country and divide it more. We've seen it done elsewhere. It's easy to do. <br /><br />A parlor game for those with morbid tastes can be this project: searching for America's trends and risks and pathologies. Pat Buchanan said we would become "The Brazil of North America," and he did not mean it as a compliment. <br /><br /><br />20Committee penned this blog entry "Yugoslavia's Warning to America." Let's see if the link works. <br /><br />https://20committee.com/2015/03/02/yugoslavias-warning-to-america/<br /><br /><br />Kind Regards, <br /><br />Charles W. Abbottcharliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02620434574883840006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-61457616394685306912018-12-02T23:33:47.253-05:002018-12-02T23:33:47.253-05:00DCE
For those who have managed to venture outside ...DCE<br /><b>For those who have managed to venture outside the US, visiting the tourist areas of other countries doesn't count because most visitors are shielded from the realities that exists in those countries.</b><br /><br />Going as a tourist, with translators available while looking at the monuments etc., gives one a rather superficial view of a country. <br />If you don't speak the language of a country, you aren't going to get to know that country very well. In addition, it takes time to get more familiar with a country. <br /><br />I am reminded of the Sandalistas, lefty political tourists to Sandinista Nicaragua in the 1980s, who believed that because they had been given a guided tour with translators, they knew the real Nicaragua. They knew the Nicaragua that their Sandinista guides wanted to show them- I will grant them that. (They never got close to the war zones where the Contras operated.)<br /><br />By virtue of working around the same time in the Guatemalan jungle when it was a war zone, I got some views from the locals of the conflict that political tourists wouldn't have gotten. Suffice to say that the viewpoints I got, in varying shades of grey, weren't the black and white views that tour guides would have given.RichardJohnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07490819511630683969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-55990220611732462872018-12-02T22:44:08.457-05:002018-12-02T22:44:08.457-05:00I have traveled all over the world, have worked in...I have traveled all over the world, have worked in 37 countries, spent considerable time in 5 others, and short spans in 9 more. In most of those I have seen blatant racism, some of which was government sanctioned institutional racism. <br /><br />Most of the clueless idiots accusing the US of racism have <i>never</i> been outside the US, have never seen or experienced actual racism, yet feel qualified to tell us we're a racist nation. For those who have managed to venture outside the US, visiting the tourist areas of other countries doesn't count because most visitors are shielded from the realities that exists in those countries.<br /><br />We are not a racist nation. We haven't been for a long time.DCEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07473492838008371044noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-41176132729422287302018-11-30T14:37:53.207-05:002018-11-30T14:37:53.207-05:00Texan99
Living in the South, I suppose I've ch...Texan99<br /><b>Living in the South, I suppose I've chafed all my life over the casual assumption of Northerners that they're free of the racism that blights my region.</b><br /><br />I grew up in New England, the product of a North-South marriage. Having been a friend since 2nd grade of a person of the colored persuasion (that was meant to be humorous, folks), I was well aware that the South had no monopoly on racism. At the same time, the friend is still living in our hometown, which indicates that certain uncomfortable childhood incidents were not repeated in adulthood. <br /><br />In addition, experiencing and observing additional group dynamics showed me before I got out of high school that we all form our in-groups and our out-groups. For example, the regional high school I attended didn't talk about "Dumb N**"- those at our high school were few and far from stupid- but "Dumb Farmers."<br /><br />RichardJohnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07490819511630683969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-21978978224808054702018-11-30T14:01:32.080-05:002018-11-30T14:01:32.080-05:00Living in the South, I suppose I've chafed all...Living in the South, I suppose I've chafed all my life over the casual assumption of Northerners that they're free of the racism that blights my region. The ones who offended in this way always struck me as more concerned with the perception that a culture is racist than with how anyone, near or far, actually acted towards any disadvantaged minorities.Texan99https://www.blogger.com/profile/10479561573903660086noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-79084384609283363462018-11-29T20:41:37.826-05:002018-11-29T20:41:37.826-05:00I have lived in 9 countries on 5 continents and I ...I have lived in 9 countries on 5 continents and I echo your sentiments: Every single one was more openly racist than the U.S. Six of those countries have population demographics where Causasians number less than 10% of the population. The racism dynamics are quite strong, quite close to the surface, and quite openly expressed - and not directed just towards whites, either. Aggiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11089648434324058300noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-16392888607929595262018-11-29T00:54:16.305-05:002018-11-29T00:54:16.305-05:00I have lived in 11 countries on five continents. E...I have lived in 11 countries on five continents. Every one was more racist than the U.S.<br /><br />BTW: Finland actually let in a large group of Somali refugees. It has been a disaster for both the Finns and the Somalis.Royhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12185858362421975155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-3118336183100819172018-11-28T18:45:56.835-05:002018-11-28T18:45:56.835-05:00Educational outcomes for any district track racial...Educational outcomes for any district track racial percentages more than any other variable you can find. When we refuse to acknowledge that, we end up blaming nice teachers and policemen, who work very hard and try harder to be fair than just about anyone in the country.Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-60508677888421295462018-11-28T15:42:10.716-05:002018-11-28T15:42:10.716-05:00Having gotten the above quote out of the way, I li...<br />Having gotten the above quote out of the way, I live in Rochester, NY and it is a place that is sometimes described by newcomers as "The most racially segregated place they have seen." Which is kind of standard for the cities of the Greak Lakes area--most of them are highly racially segregated. Not every setting fits that description, but many do. <br /><br />Also, the Rochester City School District (heavily minority) may have some of the worst educational outcomes in Upstate New York. A report on this topic was released a few weeks ago under the leadership of Jaime Acquino. And it's not for lack of money--if throwing money at the problem were enough, things probably would not be as bad as they are. <br /><br />There is still a lot to do. It's easy to argue about the glass being half-full or half-empty. It's also easy to argue back and forth about who is to blame, and for what, and who needs to take what action to make things better, and who is standing in the way. <br /><br />Sincerely, <br /><br />Charles W. Abbott<br /><br />charliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02620434574883840006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-89252211308764774902018-11-28T15:13:38.461-05:002018-11-28T15:13:38.461-05:00There is a nice quote from the Jamaican-born Harva...<br />There is a nice quote from the Jamaican-born Harvard based sociologist, Orlando Patterson, on how the USA is relatively non-racist and offers more opportunities to Blacks (both native born and immigrants) than any other country. The quote is 10 or 20 years old now, let me see if I can dig it up. <br /><br />America... “is now the least racist white-majority society in the world; has a better record of legal protections of minorities than any other society, white or black; offers more opportunities to a greater number of black persons than any other society, including all of those of Africa."<br /><br />I cannot find the origin of that quote but believe it to authentic rather than a fabrication. I have seen it quoted by Dinesh D'Souza (yes, him) in a big book on the end of racism. The exact quote I've pasted above is from the transcript of a Larry Elder video at PragerU. <br /><br />Sincerely, <br /><br />Charles W. Abbott<br />charliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02620434574883840006noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-53908969241063425052018-11-28T12:56:34.492-05:002018-11-28T12:56:34.492-05:00You posted this a few days after I read the headli...You posted this a few days after I read the headline about the Filipino maid was beheaded by Saudi Arabia for killing her boss while he was raping her. I imagine she had no right to complain because she wasn't Muslim.leliahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09322159218521168878noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-18890042733435373032018-11-27T22:08:34.590-05:002018-11-27T22:08:34.590-05:00Yes, the Chinese do not like blacks. We lived in ...Yes, the Chinese do not like blacks. We lived in China in an international dormitory for a while, and the Africans we lived with were treated horribly whenever they went out. <br /><br />The Chinese are intensely racist. Han is the majority ethnic group (on the order of 95% majority), and their oppression of minorities should be legendary. Currently they have moved about a million Han into the homes of Muslim Uighur, to report on whether they show proper loyalty or are too religious. They make them eat pork, drink alcohol -- which is not the worst punishment, either one, but a major violation of their human dignity. The ones who show any reticence are recommended for the gigantic concentration/re-education camps. <br /><br />They're also intensely sexist. I found the treatment of women in China to be a constant affront. I nearly beat a few men with a brass-capped oaken walking stick I carried with me there over their treatment of pregnant women. Would have, I think, except they backed off because they somehow understood my intent (if not at all why I would object to such things).<br /><br />They are making a hell for themselves, the Chinese. Grimhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07543082562999855432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-84108614877432179922018-11-27T21:34:49.582-05:002018-11-27T21:34:49.582-05:00I was twice invited into homes in South America - ...I was twice invited into homes in South America - one in Bolivia, the other in Argentina- that featured prominent portraits of Adolf Hitler in the living room. In one case, I was told, "that's crazy Grandpa's doing." In the other, the Hitler portrait was there at the behest of the middle-aged head of the household. In neither case was there any German ancestry in the household. <br /><br /><br />I could go on, but will stop here. <br /><br />My time working in Latin America showed me that racism/ethnocentrism/what have you is universal. The US didn't seem so bad in comparison.<br /><br />When I was in grad school, I had some Chinese roommates. Suffice it to say that the KKK wouldn't have been displeased at what some Chinese had to say about blacks.RichardJohnsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07490819511630683969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-44001590321696563302018-11-27T21:34:48.863-05:002018-11-27T21:34:48.863-05:00That's New Mexico there, I'll make it more...That's New Mexico there, I'll make it more clear. Mexico's SC is a link instead of a a photo because it's separate pictures of each of them, not a group shot.Assistant Village Idiothttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01978011985085795099noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19305198.post-45636167267667009902018-11-27T21:14:36.931-05:002018-11-27T21:14:36.931-05:00You need a photo of the NM supreme court members. ...You need a photo of the NM supreme court members. Otherwise, you have done very well!Sam L.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00996809377798862214noreply@blogger.com