Dear TAN: What Is Modern Racism?

I once started a neverending interview, but now we're switching to a "Dear TAN" feature. Send your questions/letters to theassimilatednegro [at] gmail [dot] com.

In this edition: Back To Basics!

Dear TAN,

What do you think about racism? Although I am young, and of course impressionable, I see the world as one color. What separates me from the average black person is determination. Am I wrong? Of course I may be biased and you may be biased, maybe we should ask an Asian person =P.

But please give me your opinion on modern racism, as it seems near non-existent and the world looks opportunistic to all peoples.

~~

hi sir,

well, certainly it's a complicated issue. There are opportunities for all people, there are also prejudices and conditioned biases for all people.

i was looking for a test/game that Harvard runs where they test your prejudices. it's often revealing.

i couldn't find it at the moment, but saw this article about unconscious prejudice via cursory google search. It's as good a start as any. I suspect it's more productive to think about how we all are "Afflicted" but manifest our prejudices/bias to varying degrees of offensiveness. Knahmean?!

Ooh here are the games:

U Chicago Shooter test

harvard Personal Bias test

Face Reaction Test 1

...And 2

i just did the shooter game and found I'm much quicker to fire at white people holding out their cellphone in a library. Gawd, those people are soooo annoying!

i do think intent and perspective-flexibility are most important when evaluating these things. which is to say, even if you have conditioned racist (or sexist, or other -ist) responses, it doesn't make you EVIL, it just means you were raised in america where there's a legacy of varying forms of prejudices and discrimination all around. asians, blacks, mexicans, indians, caucasians, women, short people, smelly people, everyone. so just the fact that you're willing to read a blog like TAN, and send an email, and question yourself and/or others is more than enough positive vibe for me...

just don't aim your cellphone at me in a library, cause i might shoot you as a reflex.

in any event, i'll be continuing to write on the subject. hopefully you'll continue to read and comment as appropriate.

thanks for the note,

-TAN