I was walking along Eglinton between the Eglinton West station and Dufferin to the Fairbanks strip club. It was late at night. I was the only white, middle-aged man on the sidewalk. I had a fair bit of money in my wallet. I haven't read of any muggings in the area. Nobody even remotely threatened me. I don't consider myself a racist. Nevertheless, I felt unease. Here and there, small groups of black men were socializing. I walked by swiftly looking straight ahead, avoiding eye contact - the way most people do when there is someone mentally unhinged ranting on the sidewalk. Yes, my irrational inner racist got the better of me. It is hard to rationalize it away. It is an emotional reaction. I suppose only more trips along the sidewalk to Fairbanks will drive it away (unfortunately, I wasn't that enthused by the club).
My inner racist
- Thread starter havingfun
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you are a victim of the racist stereotypes of black men perpetuated by the white owned north american media.
similarly i noticed that i can't watch tv for more than 5 minutes i constantly changing the channels or turning the tv off.
i think it's just the way you're raised and the people you grew up with...i grew up with many black/brown people (although i am neither) and have never felt the "fear" ...i also don't think you are racist...maybe it's just the perception of them(whether thru the media, socialially ) as being something to be afraid of..
Really?
Here's one for you:
"There is nothing more painful to me at this stage in my life than to walk down the street and hear footsteps and start to think about robbery and then look around and see somebody white and feel relieved."
Jesse Jackson
Do your own google search.
That area is not the nicest part of town, there are many undesireables in that area. Don't consider youself a racist, just a guarded person. If you were in another part of town, say Bloor west of Yonge and you had those thoughts, then it could be the medias manipulations inside your head or you may have racist tendencies. Be guarded against all colours because the criminal element doesn't take just come in one shade.
When I first when to fairbanks and drove by that part of town... wow... stores are all old and appear to be breaking down and yes, the majority of people walking around are black (Like 99%). I would never walk to fairbanks.... I felt uneasy driving there! lol
Yes, that part of town is rundown and maybe there have been violent incidents in the neighbourhood. But I am not aware of them. However, I have been many times to the HOL II at Bloor and Lansdowne. Also a rundown neighbourhood. But there I know for a fact there have been violent incidents. I have read of many. In fact there was a shooting in HOL II (more than one?) I am aware of these incidents and cautious around HOL II but not as uneasy as I was walking to Fairbanks.
Wasn't there a shooting or a stabbing around that area last year?
TBH, I think at one point or another we all had stereotype/racist thoughts. It's just human nature. Skin color is just one factor that we all take in when we assess a situation. A group of men (regardless of skin color) in a relatively bad neighborhood at night will raise all our flags.
TBH, I think at one point or another we all had stereotype/racist thoughts. It's just human nature. Skin color is just one factor that we all take in when we assess a situation. A group of men (regardless of skin color) in a relatively bad neighborhood at night will raise all our flags.
Hey, didn't I just read about a drive by shooting in Woodbridge? People are people... you get the good and the bad one in all races, all people. Being aware of your surroundings is just commom sense but don't rush to judgement....
Its likely more an economic prejudice than a racial one. Wouldn't you have been scared of a group of scuzzy looking white boys following you down the street in that neighbourhood too? If you were walking through Bridal Path and encountered a group of well-dressed young black men walking down the street with good posture and an air of wealth and happiness about them, would you be scared of them?
right. exactly. it's got to do with the tribalism that allowed us to survive as humans this long. you didn't belong there. your spidey sense told you that. society gave you the "racist" phrase. nothing to do with that. try walking thru a poor low-class white neighbourhood. if you're dressed well, you won't fit in. i'd expect to be mugged if i did that.
demeanor is everything. i have this theory that the "ruling class" supported hip-hop and ebonics and welfare and mtv to keep those they hate down. i think the theory fits. a young black man dressed with pants down, talking jamaican patois has zero chance to get a good job. so this current generation of black men have, in the majority, been discarded. the next generation may be different but there's no evidence of change in that community. breaking down the family structure was just one of the techniques. very successful too.
It's a working-class black/filipino neighbourhood, more ethnic than ghetto. There might be a handful of crackheads who are generally too damaged to be any threat. I've never had any trouble up there, though I've certainly been pretty reckless a few times coming home from the FB.
I forget the details, but I think they ran the TAVIS program over near Keele/Eglinton a couple of years ago, not too far away. There was a shooting at Eglinton/Dufferin around the same
time.
There is probably no safe to drunkwalk alone at 3:00 a.m. in this fair city. Hehe, at least you'd have a decent chance of finding a cop. You walk right past 13 Division.
I forget the details, but I think they ran the TAVIS program over near Keele/Eglinton a couple of years ago, not too far away. There was a shooting at Eglinton/Dufferin around the same
time.
There is probably no safe to drunkwalk alone at 3:00 a.m. in this fair city. Hehe, at least you'd have a decent chance of finding a cop. You walk right past 13 Division.
I am going to get slammed HARD for this but ... I did some work in Parkdale a number of years ago..
There was some one in office at that time that believed by publishing names of people that did crimes in the local paper;; it would help curb crime ;;??
Anyway the idea got crushed .. But the point is :: the person claimed that 50% of the crime was being done by black people ;; at that time anyway .
So if in fact this was true ....
You would be more apt ; to be afraid of a black person than a person of other race or color .
I may not have the story ""100%"" correct .. As this was 1990 ish ... But I would think the people that have lived in Toronto a long time may remember.
So I guess my point is along the lines of >>> Media can influence our thought toward other people ; as much as our own interactions
There was some one in office at that time that believed by publishing names of people that did crimes in the local paper;; it would help curb crime ;;??
Anyway the idea got crushed .. But the point is :: the person claimed that 50% of the crime was being done by black people ;; at that time anyway .
So if in fact this was true ....
You would be more apt ; to be afraid of a black person than a person of other race or color .
I may not have the story ""100%"" correct .. As this was 1990 ish ... But I would think the people that have lived in Toronto a long time may remember.
So I guess my point is along the lines of >>> Media can influence our thought toward other people ; as much as our own interactions
I don't know what to call you but for me, any group of people of any ethnicity who gather around a corner of a street and obviously has no business of being there (no clubs, restaurants), unless wearing 3 piece suits, I will avoid. I'd rather feel like a racist asshole but breathing than feel good about myself but dead.
You're an idiot. Lol you take a quote from Jesse Jackson to prove something.
Absolutely, media place a huge role in racial stereotypes. Most people haven't been exposed at all to "ghettos", many not exposed to races outside of their own and their stereotypes come from what they see on television.
