I agree with Dr Laura.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm gen Y and no, racism is not something we participate in or even think of, nor are feminist issues. It's when the baby boomers keep rehashing their old struggles that we are introduced to the bitterness, the distorted thought processes, and the outdated categorizations. Really a shame that they worked so hard to move our country fwd and now are, in a way, holding it back.

Sorry, you have no clue how subtle racism is these days nor are you aware of the research showing that black candidates with the same resumes as white candidates are significantly less likely to get interviews and they're less likely to get opportunities to rent apartments. Racism has gone underground but it's not gone.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm gen Y and no, racism is not something we participate in or even think of, nor are feminist issues. It's when the baby boomers keep rehashing their old struggles that we are introduced to the bitterness, the distorted thought processes, and the outdated categorizations. Really a shame that they worked so hard to move our country fwd and now are, in a way, holding it back.

Oh yeah, all the racists out there consciously say to themselves -- oh I think I'll participate in racism today or oh I think I'll think about racism today. I don't think you understand the dynamics of racism if you think it's only about some clearly defined bad guy who's an obvious bigot.

[Anonymous]

I didn't say racism was gone. I said that people growing up in my generation are, for the most part, over it. The studies and conversations put out in the public arena by our leaders and celebrities just stoke the smoldering embers. Let it die already.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't say racism was gone. I said that people growing up in my generation are, for the most part, over it. The studies and conversations put out in the public arena by our leaders and celebrities just stoke the smoldering embers. Let it die already.

Really? I've taught people in your generation and when a white kid from the suburbs tells me they're too afraid to ride a city bus because it's so dangerous I know that they don't have a clue as to what kind of people live in the city. And I don't expect them to be fair landlords or fair employers because, like you, they have no self awareness about how they view the world. If you think it's only a problem for the older generation, you're in denial.

[Anonymous]

They are scared to ride the bus because of what they've been taught by the previous generation about what is safe, what to avoid when out on one own in the real world, etc. You can condescend all you want but you will never have our experience to speak from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't say racism was gone. I said that people growing up in my generation are, for the most part, over it. The studies and conversations put out in the public arena by our leaders and celebrities just stoke the smoldering embers. Let it die already.

I am proud that you feel this way, and I hope you are right.

[Anonymous]

Thank you! I'm surprised by some of the PPs who seem to scoff and balk at the possibility of improvement in this regard. Isn't that what previous generations worked for? It should be applauded and not assumed to be blissful ignorance.

[Anonymous]

In my 45 years on this planet, racism actually seems to have increased in the past few years. I don't know why....other than Obama's winning the presidency seems to have brought out a lot of nut jobs... And if that's the case, it never was gone, just hidden.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They are scared to ride the bus because of what they've been taught by the previous generation about what is safe, what to avoid when out on one own in the real world, etc. You can condescend all you want but you will never have our experience to speak from.

That's so funny! So you never talk to each other about these things, just your elders. And if it weren't for old people, all the white suburban kids would never be needlessly afraid of black inner city youth. Yeah, uh huh.

And actually I think the condescension started in your corner, having explained to the rest of us that your generation is so above this and so superior to their elders.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I didn't say racism was gone. I said that people growing up in my generation are, for the most part, over it. The studies and conversations put out in the public arena by our leaders and celebrities just stoke the smoldering embers. Let it die already.

Who cares what our leaders or celebrities say? Actual sociological studies say that you are wrong that racism is not an issue for Generations X and Y. If your generation receives resumes with a typically black first name on it, they will reject it more often than the identical resume with a typically white first name on it. There is no mistaking the result. Your generation still carries with it stereotypes that affect hiring decisions. So you need to let go of this notion that your peers are over it.

[Anonymous]

Of course we talk to our peers about 'these things', and where do you think our peers learned about the world? That's right, their elders. None of us were raised in a vacuum. My Grandparents say 'blacks' and 'coloreds' but do not harbor hostilities - it's how they were raised (by parents who may have actually distrusted african americans!). My parents do not use those terms, did not use them while raising me, and taught me that we are all equal under God. I've had my own experiences, good and bad, with people of all colors and economic classes. The point is, the pendulum is losing momentum and my children's peers will be closer than ever to equilibrium.

As for the PP that said Generation Y-ers are rejecting resumes at a fast clip based on seeing "black names" - I really don't need to tell you that 26 year olds aren't in any position to analyze and accept resumes, much less reject them.

I am very sorry that you feel threatened or condescended to by someone who sees the world differently (me and many of my peers). I would posit that your perception of me is akin to racism in that you are making harsh generalizations about an entire population of people based on your experience with only a few. I never claimed to be superior to my elders. In fact, I was taught to respect them and be grateful for their sacrifices and for the wisdom they have to share. I suppose that is a one-way street based on the responses here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:
I am very sorry that you feel threatened or condescended to by someone who sees the world differently (me and many of my peers). I would posit that your perception of me is akin to racism in that you are making harsh generalizations about an entire population of people based on your experience with only a few. I never claimed to be superior to my elders. In fact, I was taught to respect them and be grateful for their sacrifices and for the wisdom they have to share. I suppose that is a one-way street based on the responses here.

you're goin to have to get over it. gen x'ers and gen y'ers don't care about dicriminaton that happened before we were born. you have to cut out blaming us and take care of your own shit.

Oh right, that was said with respect.

As a matter of fact, I regret that I took such a nasty tone with you and am thinking that I shouldn't have gotten into a big fight over this. It certainly wasn't worth it for you or me, so I apologize for losing my temper. But the reality is, the comment to which I responded (which is pasted above) was not made with respect and it certainly reeks of superiority. You may not have meant it that way but that is how it came across. You need to think about whether your words actually reflect the view you hold of yourself.

[Anonymous]

And this is where "racism" gets all muddy again anyway. "Black" names aren't black. Names have no race. Names have a socioeconomic level or belong to a certain demographic that may have a preponderence of a certain race, but then the real problem is classicm or elitism. Oh, but we're a classless society. So it must be racism.

People might discriminate against someone named DeSean, but less likely against William. Even if they're both black--but think about it. As soon as you hear the first name, the mental picture you get is quite different than the second. What is frequently called racism is in fact a socioeconomic struggle here that frequently effects blacks, which makes the whole issue very very confusing and unclear for most.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

As for the PP that said Generation Y-ers are rejecting resumes at a fast clip based on seeing "black names" - I really don't need to tell you that 26 year olds aren't in any position to analyze and accept resumes, much less reject them.

Wrong, wrong wrong. Don't you realize blanket statements are inherently inaccurate?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No, there is not. People are not genuinely upset about academic discussion of the word. Dr. Laura suggested that the caller should ignore its use as an epithet.

And if the caller had complained about generic insults from her husband's family/friends, I guarantee you that Dr. Laura's answer would've been different.

agree, if the complaint had been about sexist remarks like nasty sexual words that women hate to hear, Laura would have seen it differently.
That brings to mind that so many whites can see gender discrimmination as a real issue, but any other kind of discrimmination is not an issue. So many complaints about affirmative action for minorities, but when their daughters get into MIT's engineering program with lower scores or get a job at NASA for which they are unqualified, that is just fine.

Is this true? Boy, it wasn't when I studied engineering. Absolutely no affirmative action based on race or gender or any other criteria. You either took the prereqs, scored high enough on the entrance exam and had the minimum math and science GPA and SAT scores, or you didn't. Then they weeded out the class by minimum grades on the first semester physics midterm. Got rid of half the class that way. Oh, and yeah, lots of guys failed out. Of course, there weren't many women to begin with but that could be said of Americans also. Mostly foreign geeky-geek guys.