Gah. racist parent -.-

[Kami]

What an interesting conversation I just had with my stepmother. She commented that "all black people" pronounce a word in a certain way. Except, of course, those who are well spoken or educated (of course, we all know that the majority of black people aren't :rolleyes:). I tried to trivialise ("So, they all say it except those that don't? y'don't say"), but no, someone just couldn't leave the subject alone "Well, I'm sure everyone in the black world sa.." Hang on, did I hear that correctly? Yes, I did. the "black world". Dear me. I exclaimed at this, and said parent stormed out the room, only to come back with a "You obviously don't know very many black people".

Now I have a car journey down south. This is going to be fun -.-

[superiority]

The people I work with are racists and xenophobes. They complain about "fucking Maoris" (= indigenous people), and people with turbans coming over here and having babies. Pisses me right the fuck off.

[Hiero]

I don't think you handed this very well.

This isn't outright racism, this is the way some people were taught to think, it is subtle racism common in settler/imperialist nations. This type of racism can be eradicated in the minds of these people through correct education. I think it has been eradicated in my mind at least.

First of all you have to get your side of the story correct. She said "all black people pronounce such and such a word the same way". This has some basis, "Black" (African-American) people in America speak a different variation of English. Language is not determined by intelligence or biology, it is apart of culture which is determined by the world people live in. So a White, Asian or Latino person growing up in a Black community would speak a similar language. Thoose Black people who speak white english do so through offical education, because education is White influenced. This is structural racism. Colonised people who are educated adapt to the dominant coloniser so they can better themsevles through the system.

In the white superstructure, people are educated to believe that language is a concrete thing. There is only one English, and thoose who speak differently do so because they are wrong or uneducated. This is false, language is not concrete, there is not one set English, it has many variations over region, culture and nation. All are equal. Considering it is not based on biology or hereditary, you need to explain to your step mother that understanding langauge is a scientific thing, and it is illogical to believe that language is determined by skin colour.

As I said this isn't outright racism. It is a result of structural racism, that positions the white culture as being dominant and right over other cultures. So I don't think your step mother hates Black people, rather she has believed the lies of the capitalist system. So you need to explain and converse on the differences of language between cultures and nations with her.

[Module]

I don't think you handed this very well.

This isn't outright racism, this is the way some people were taught to think, it is subtle racism common in settler/imperialist nations. This type of racism can be eradicated in the minds of these people through correct education. I think it has been eradicated in my mind at least.

First of all you have to get your side of the story correct. She said "all black people pronounce such and such a word the same way". This has some basis, "Black" (African-American) people in America speak a different variation of English. Language is not determined by intelligence or biology, it is apart of culture which is determined by the world people live in. So a White, Asian or Latino person growing up in a Black community would speak a similar language. Thoose Black people who speak white english do so through offical education, because education is White influenced. This is structural racism. Colonised people who are educated adapt to the dominant coloniser so they can better themsevles through the system.

In the white superstructure, people are educated to believe that language is a concrete thing. There is only one English, and thoose who speak differently do so because they are wrong or uneducated. This is false, language is not concrete, there is not one set English, it has many variations over region, culture and nation. All are equal. Considering it is not based on biology or hereditary, you need to explain to your step mother that understanding langauge is a scientific thing, and it is illogical to believe that language is determined by skin colour.

As I said this isn't outright racism. It is a result of structural racism, that positions the white culture as being dominant and right over other cultures. So I don't think your step mother hates Black people, rather she has believed the lies of the capitalist system. So you need to explain and converse on the differences of language between cultures and nations with her.
Great post - I tried to give you rep but it said I couldn't! :(
But yeah. Your step mother isn't a bad person, on the other hand, your society's social structure perpetuates racism which many people can't (or more accurately don't bother or don't think to) really question or look at anything more than face value.
In, from what I've gathered from the UK, a society which is quite racially segregated, different (sub)cultures form, through completely different influences and environments.
It's almost fair to say 'the black world' because I have no doubt in my mind that in the UK you're social experience is entirely different if you're an average white person compared to if you're an average black person, because proportionately they would be largely lower class in comparison to whites, as well as the social discrimination faced by people of ethnic minorities - and again, from what I've gathered from the UK, racism is no small issue over there.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

What an interesting conversation I just had with my stepmother. She commented that "all black people" pronounce a word in a certain way. Except, of course, those who are well spoken or educated (of course, we all know that the majority of black people aren't :rolleyes:). I tried to trivialise ("So, they all say it except those that don't? y'don't say"), but no, someone just couldn't leave the subject alone "Well, I'm sure everyone in the black world sa.." Hang on, did I hear that correctly? Yes, I did. the "black world". Dear me. I exclaimed at this, and said parent stormed out the room, only to come back with a "You obviously don't know very many black people".

- Emphasis added

I find this particularly amusing coming from someone willing to make sweeping generalisations about the mentioned group.

[Unicorn]

What an interesting conversation I just had with my stepmother. She commented that "all black people" pronounce a word in a certain way.
It is a dialect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American_Vernacular_English

[Kami]

It is a dialect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African...acular_English (http://www.anonym.to/?http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_American_Vernacular_English)
Which would be all well and good, if not for the fact I live in London, and pretty much everyone speaks estuary english. y'see, we don't segregate people by colour over here, so our dialects mix.

[Sentinel]

Great post - I tried to give you rep but it said I couldn't! http://www.revleft.com/vb/gah-racist-parent-t83920/revleft/smilies/sad.gif
That's because it was in Chit Chat. I've moved it to discrim, so you can give him rep now, as I already did. ;)

For I do think Hiero has it right on this -- it's generalising that comes from uneducation is the problem here. Have patience with your stepmom Kami, explain and explain again -- hopefully the information will finally stick.

[Zurdito]

that´s not racism. you´re lucky if that´s the most shocking prejudice you´ve encountered from your family. If I were you I would go a bit easier on her and you may be able to win her over to better positions, what she said really doesn´t seem that bad, just a bit confused.

[Module]

that´s not racism. you´re lucky if that´s the most shocking prejudice you´ve encountered from your family. If I were you I would go a bit easier on her and you may be able to win her over to better positions, what she said really doesn´t seem that bad, just a bit confused.
Yep. As we speak my brother, who works in Toys R Us, is outside saying "You know who are the worst? Asian people. Fucking asian people are the worst. They treat the place like a fucking playground. [...] English people, they tell their kids not to touch the stuff, Asian people fuck around with anything no matter what" and he's mocking their accents and everything.
Plus, you can tell he's making up half his complaints about what they do on the spot, or at least exaggerating them beyond belief.

He also thinks that indigenous Australians deserve what they get because they're all 'lazy drunks'.
In terms of indigenous Australians he's not as bad as he used to be, at least not as open about it (obviously he's learnt it's not so much a publically acceptable view as he's gotten older) but those views show themselves now and again.

He is actually the most socially reactionary person I think I've ever come in contact with.
We've got into some pretty heated arguments before, (but of course .. he's the one that starts the screaming and the violence).
Okay this is just turning into a bit of a rant about my brother now,
But the point is ... yeah. Your step mother is wonderful in comparison to my absolute prick of a brother.

[MarxSchmarx]

Yep. As we speak my brother, who works in Toys R Us, is outside saying "You know who are the worst? Asian people. Fucking asian people are the worst. They treat the place like a fucking playground. [...] English people, they tell their kids not to touch the stuff, Asian people fuck around with anything no matter what" and he's mocking their accents and everything.
Plus, you can tell he's making up half his complaints about what they do on the spot, or at least exaggerating them beyond belief.

He also thinks that indigenous Australians deserve what they get because they're all 'lazy drunks'.
In terms of indigenous Australians he's not as bad as he used to be, at least not as open about it (obviously he's learnt it's not so much a publically acceptable view as he's gotten older) but those views show themselves now and again.

He is actually the most socially reactionary person I think I've ever come in contact with.
We've got into some pretty heated arguments before, (but of course .. he's the one that starts the screaming and the violence).
Okay this is just turning into a bit of a rant about my brother now,
But the point is ... yeah. Your step mother is wonderful in comparison to my absolute prick of a brother.

Wow that is surreal. Obviously your brother is very, very frustrated.

What do you think explains such crazy divergence btw your brother and you? Most people who are siblings tend to share their views, unless one was like a half-sibling or something.

Indeed, I find attitudes about race tend to be very conserved within families, especially people of the same generation, which is why I find your case so weird.

[Kami]

Reading through these, I realise I should probably have noted this isn't an isolated occurrence, a slip, so to speak. My stepmother is honestly of the opinion that all Britain's problems, economical and otherwise, can be explained through immigration, is a devout daily-mail reader (to the degree that I was pretty much forced to come off my antidepressants because of her opinions on them), poor people "get what they deserve", people shouldn't be given benefits and the homeless should be left to rot.

Hope that adds a bit of context