The Reason behind "Borat"

Scratchin a Letter

zstillings wrote:

I once met a group of racists from New Jersey. Those damn northeasterners hate black people. And they have funny accents.

There's also a well known racist in England, his name's Nick Griffin. There was also some Austrian guy who was known to be a bit of a racist. Adolf something. Man, that guy hated anything that wasn't a certain shade of white!

gabers

This is starting to drift from the main topic a bit but I have an observation to make. I've lived in different parts of the U.S. and have talked to people from damn near just about every state. I think racism is slightly more prevalent in the south, it's just that southern men are more apt to talk about it and less ashamed than the rest of the country. There are plenty of racists in California, Vermont, and Massachussetts, too.

floyd1975

gabers wrote:

This is starting to drift from the main topic a bit but I have an observation to make. I've lived in different parts of the U.S. and have talked to people from damn near just about every state. I think racism is slightly more prevalent in the south, it's just that southern men are more apt to talk about it and less ashamed than the rest of the country. There are plenty of racists in California, Vermont, and Massachussetts, too.

I've also noticed that people from the northeast and California tend to attribute racist qualities (along with a lack of intelligence) to someone based on an accent.

floyd1975

Scratchin a Letter wrote:

There's also a well known racist in England, his name's Nick Griffin. There was also some Austrian guy who was known to be a bit of a racist. Adolf something. Man, that guy hated anything that wasn't a certain shade of white!

Damn, you mean the English and the Austrians are racist too?

RainDog

I've often wondered. Does pointing out that racism exists everywhere prove that racism doesn't exist?

VictoryGin

zstillings wrote:

I once met a group of racists from New Jersey. Those damn northeasterners hate black people. And they have funny accents.

i must have missed the post that claimed no one from the northeast was racist.

Pacomc79

VictoryGin wrote:

just because there may be black people in the deep south, and that there is some racial diversity, doesn't mean that there aren't many racist people there. i think people thinking that there are racism issues in the deep south just doesn't come from these three college kids, but from the recent history of the deep south and who the deep south votes into office. i think the three college kids just put another ugly face to it.

My point is in confining it it to a region. This is a problem with every facit of the country. The vast majority of peoples are culturalist rather than racist and simply don't like or can't relate to a particular culture rather than actually believe thier "race" is superior although there is that too I don't deny it I simply feel the majority of issues lie in perceptions and communication more than anything else. Most people regardless of region; race; creed; color; what have you are generally nice folks when you treat them with respect.

The reality is we are not at a point anywhere in this country where we can say race is not an issue and that's really kind of sad.

VictoryGin

Pacomc79 wrote:

My point is in confining it it to a region, this is a problem with every facit of the country. The vast majority of peoples are culturalist rather than racist and simply don't like or can't relate to a particular culture rather than actually believe thier "race" is superior although there is that too I don't deny it I simply feel the majority of issues lie in perceptions and communication more than anything else. Most people regardless of region; race; creed; color; what have you are generally nice folks when you treat them with respect.

i wasn't confining it to one region, and i don't think anyone else was. there seems to be a different shade of it for different regions.

VictoryGin

RainDog wrote:

I've often wondered. Does pointing out that racism exists everywhere prove that racism doesn't exist?

this thanksgiving i will be giving thanks for raindog's posts.

RainDog

VictoryGin wrote:

this thanksgiving i will be giving thanks for raindog's posts.

Thanks. I just hope my effect on your holiday will be a profound one.

Pacomc79

RainDog wrote:

I've often wondered. Does pointing out that racism exists everywhere prove that racism doesn't exist?

not at all. Of course racism exists, I just think it's often confused for cultural relativism.

I just get annoyed that my entire region is so often painted as horrid by the rest of the country.

We don't get issued hoods when we are born and that's the way it feels.

The comical thing about this movie is just that.....why the hell does it matter what ethnic background you come from....Jews aren't monsters.... Black People don't eat your children etc. You aren't going to get raped or assulted simply for walking or driving through a neighborhood. Religious Wackos are Wackos whether they are muslims or christians or what have you. It preys on the silly fears people have of other cultures, and that's the brilliance of this movie I think.

Collin

metsfan531941 wrote:

dude u dont go up to random people and jsut say hi in this day in age. also u have to be a cazy do to that on a nyc train

NYC train aren't that bad, at least that's my opinion.

VictoryGin

RainDog wrote:

Thanks. I just hope my effect on your holiday will be a profound one.

i just hope i can understand it.

floyd1975

Pacomc79 wrote:

not at all. Of course racism exists, I just think it's often confused for cultural relativism.

I just get annoyed that my entire region is so often painted as horrid by the rest of the country.

We don't get issued hoods when we are born and that's the way it feels.

The comical thing about this movie is just that.....why the hell does it matter what ethnic background you come from....Jews aren't monsters.... Black People don't eat your children etc. You aren't going to get raped or assulted simply for walking or driving through a neighborhood. Religious Wackos are Wackos whether they are muslims or christians or what have you. It preys on the silly fears people have of other cultures, and that's the brilliance of this movie I think.

Political correctness doesn't allow for any form of racial comment, no matter how benign, but it does allow for classification of everyone with a certain accent, as long as it is associated with white Americans from a certain region of the country, as ignorant rednecks.

floyd1975

RainDog wrote:

I've often wondered. Does pointing out that racism exists everywhere prove that racism doesn't exist?

It doesn't prove that racism doesn't exist but the posts that brought those comments on prove that there is another prejudice on this board that is pretty similar to racial stereotyping.

RainDog

Pacomc79 wrote:

not at all. Of course racism exists, I just think it's often confused for cultural relativism.

I just get annoyed that my entire region is so often painted as horrid by the rest of the country.

We don't get issued hoods when we are born and that's the way it feels.

As someone who's lived in both the "North" and the "South," I will say that at least outside of urban centers, racism is more out in the open in the South. However, the North's version of racism - quiet racism - isn't any more laudable.

RainDog

zstillings wrote:

It doesn't prove that racism doesn't exist but the posts that brought those comments on prove that there is another prejudice on this board that is pretty similar to racial stereotyping.

Ethnocentrism? Well, we are mostly American here.

floyd1975

RainDog wrote:

As someone who's lived in both the "North" and the "South," I will say that at least outside of urban centers, racism is more out in the open in the South. However, the North's version of racism - quiet racism - isn't any more laudable.

I went to a school in California that prided itself on being open minded and liberal. During orientation, we were told that they were a diverse campus. We were then informed that people can only understand people of their own race and that should be their group of friends to help promote diversity. To me, this idea was effectively trying to keep the races separate.

MrBrian

Not that the south is more racist, just that they are more open about it, unlike say some of the more northern states when they'll just hide it.

But all in all, america is pretty racist, as far as it's people go, sure most of the time everything seems like it's working and people are getting along, then during say a fight between two people of different races, then you hear the real racism jump out.

floyd1975

MrBrian wrote:

Not that the south is more racist, just that they are more open about it, unlike say some of the more northern states when they'll just hide it.

But all in all, america is pretty racist, as far as it's people go, sure most of the time everything seems like it's working and people are getting along, then during say a fight between two people of different races, then you hear the real racism jump out.

It is a pretty strange combination in this country with a combination of racism and oversensitivity.