Spartan Daily - Serving San Jose State University since 1934

Issue date: 10/9/08 Section: Opinion

Racism is an issue that our generation, well at least our white generation, was taught to ignore. Of course we learned about slavery, the Civil Rights movements and Martin Luther King Jr.'s famous, "I Have a Dream" speech, but beyond that, unless you yourself or a friend has been victimized because of ethnicity, we've been taught to act like it's an issue of the past.

Saying you don't have a problem with racism and avoiding this issue because it's a touchy subject doesn't mean that it isn't still a problem today. A 2006 FBI investigation reported that out of 7,722 hate crimes, 51.8 percent were motivated by racial biases.

To me, ignoring our cultural and ethical background for fear of being racist is just as bad as pretending racism is only a thing of the past. Why would we want to ignore the differences that define us?

Yes, you're black, white, Asian or Filipino and that's not all you are, but by pretending we don't notice people's ethnicities, we're denying everyone's right to be themselves. The first thing people notice when introduced to a new person is that person's ethnicity, and unfortunately the color of one's skin does have the power to make people feel fearful or uncomfortable. We need to ask ourselves, if racism is a thing of the past, how can the color of a person's skin affect my comfort level today?

An article from the February 2005 issue of the Science Daily stated, "If you've ever walked down a dark alley and seen a stranger approach, then you probably know automatic vigilance - a signal from your brain making you more alert. And even if you consider yourself unprejudiced, you may have also noticed that this response is more prevalent when you encounter people of races other than yours."

With the U.S. becoming increasingly diverse, why do many people still think it's wrong to notice a person's ethnicity? Maybe because it's easier to avoid a sensitive issue such as race. But in reality, avoidance doesn't mean acceptance.

People our age and in this part of the country most likely aren't racist, but ask yourself: How many close friends do you have of other ethnicities. If not many, why not?

A poll in Glamour magazine stated that only 15 percent of Americans say they have a close friend of another race.

In an article in Glamour magazine entitled, "Do you have friends of other races?" the common theme or excuse for why women didn't have friends of other ethnicities was that they felt women of the same race understood them better. That very well may be true; people come from multiple cultural backgrounds, but with SJSU being considered a diverse school by most who attend it, what's your excuse?

A quote from this article touches on exactly what our generation has been taught to ignore: racism.

"We live with this lie of the color blind society being best and people saying, 'I don't see race,' as though ignoring our differences is a good thing. I think that's a real flaw right now."

If people truly want to make racism a thing of the past, we need to discuss it and figure out why the color of one's skin can still impact our everyday ways of thinking.

If racism is a thing of the past, why does the subject of racism still clear a room faster than almost any other controversial issue? Why do people still tend to self-segregate instead of embracing diversity by exploring other cultures and getting to know the people in them?

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