Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Anson · 06-12-2003, 03:30 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Lamma
Wait a minute. You're 20 years old and you've never heard your parents say anything racist until now? That makes no sense. I mean, you did grow up in their house?
Sounds to me like your being a little too sensitive or looking for some reason good or not to be upset with them.

Now that I think about it, I knew my parents had certain elements of racism (although I think that's an inappropriate word in this case) when I was 7. Something's rotten here.

I never noticed my mum say anything racist till a couple of years ago and I'm 21. I'm not sure if she's always made such remarks, or felt that way, but I never picked up on it. I certainly never learned racism.

Vorkosigan · 06-12-2003, 05:49 PM

Don't feel bad at all. I didn't discover my family's racism until I was in my 30s and married to an Asian. It's not that they are of the overt "Asians are bad" variety. Theirs is the more subtle "Asians are not quite human." It just burns my wife up sometimes.

Vorkosigan

LymanLover · 06-12-2003, 09:02 PM

Alot of my family members are. No real surprise, I'm Arkansan and most of them are old enough to remember segregation. I remember a particularly offensive joke that one of my relatives told me at a family gathering. I castigated him for it in front of the entire family, and boy was I harsh. I'm pretty much the token liberal on both sides of my family, with the exception of a few cousins, so family gatherings are always tense affairs if the conversation turns to religion or politics. I'm also generally more educated, so none of them can really stand up to my arguments and I end up looking like an intellectual bully. It's a frustrating situation.

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06-12-2003, 05:49 PM	#22
Vorkosigan Contributor Join Date: Jan 2001 Location: Barrayar Posts: 11,866	Don't feel bad at all. I didn't discover my family's racism until I was in my 30s and married to an Asian. It's not that they are of the overt "Asians are bad" variety. Theirs is the more subtle "Asians are not quite human." It just burns my wife up sometimes. Vorkosigan

06-12-2003, 09:02 PM	#23
LymanLover Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Arkansas Posts: 1,982	Alot of my family members are. No real surprise, I'm Arkansan and most of them are old enough to remember segregation. I remember a particularly offensive joke that one of my relatives told me at a family gathering. I castigated him for it in front of the entire family, and boy was I harsh. I'm pretty much the token liberal on both sides of my family, with the exception of a few cousins, so family gatherings are always tense affairs if the conversation turns to religion or politics. I'm also generally more educated, so none of them can really stand up to my arguments and I end up looking like an intellectual bully. It's a frustrating situation.

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