Lame expats are lame

[Carito]

To AkBill, it sounds to me like this two weirdos were high or in their own little planet, like who does that? Funny I must say...
To Caz, that's not racism, thats like being bitten by a dog and being scared of them afterwards. (as long as you don't go around thinking that every single person of a determined race is a gun holding thief or a drug dealer)
I hope things get better for you, it sounds like you've been robbed a tonne of times.

 

[SingForAbsolution]

This is one of the best drunk threads ever.

 

[French jurist]

If I was to meet a big white gum monster dressed as a marinero in the middle of the night, I'd run also !

 

[LAtoBA]

This question is possibly a loaded one but even so it begs the question that if someone in their individual life experience is accustomed to being robbed or attacked or abused by attackers of a certain colour and if they see people in the street of that colour and feel a certain reaction to that based on their prior experience does that necessarily make them ''racist'' or is it that they are simply realists who based on their own experience are placing themselves ''on guard'' because they fear the worst from this particular population sub-group ? I know that in several countries I have lived in I have been robbed and attacked at gun-point by people of a different colour to myself so the question is then a simple one: Am I a ''terrible racist'' because I am confronted by such people again and start to feel that I need to be ''on my guard'' and cautious? For me I think not but opinions (I am sure) will vary here...

Short answer, this really isn't a difficult concept. Yes, it makes you racist. "Terrible" racist I don't know. Your irrational fear of people "racially" different from you based on a few negative life experiences with those people, makes it so. When I was in college my Psychology professor called racism a real psychological disorder that is often bred from fear or ignorance. In your case sounds like fear. You should've sought out counseling for your unfortunate experiences long ago. Instead, you've been carrying around all this baggage for god know hows long, assuming that everyone ethnically different from you is out to get you.

 

[John.St]

I know that in several countries I have lived in I have been robbed and attacked at gun-point by people of a different colour to myself so the question is then a simple one: Am I a ''terrible racist'' because I am confronted by such people again and start to feel that I need to be ''on my guard'' and cautious? For me I think not but opinions (I am sure) will vary here...

It is called 'to use previous experience on future situation', which is what we all do all the time.

You stick your finger into a flame and get burned. Repeat. At some point in time your experience tells you to mistrust flames.

With people it's more complicated. That you have been attacked by people who have e.g. green polka dotted skin raises your alert when you see someone with green polka dotted skin - especially in a specific environment. The majority with 'gpds' won't attack you, they are common, gentle folks.

I have been attacked by youth gangs (four youngsters each time - lack of self confidence?) twice within a half year in Chile, they looked Southamerican.

After each incident it took several weeks for my body not to release a rush of adrenalin and rage when I saw 3-4-5 Southamerican looking youngsters in a group at night in a more or less deserted street (had to walk through the streets, no taxis, busses, etc. to be had).

As long as you don't get paranoid about it, this is not racism or some similar attitude, but simply using your past experience to avoid future trouble.

Racism is to have a negative attitude towards people with certain enherited traits, based on these traits only, like "I distrust/hate people with green polka dotted skin" "Why?" "I just distrust/hate them, people with green polka dotted skin are bad!".

 

[texxaslonghorn]

I agree with John.St. In my opinion, this doesn't make you racist. The many definitions of racism don't really deal with being afraid of a particular race due to being burned over and over by said race.

 

[LAtoBA]

It is called 'to use previous experience on future situation', which is what we all do all the time.

Right. Ergo, prejudice and/or stereotypes.

I have been attacked by youth gangs (four youngsters each time - lack of self confidence?) twice within a half year in Chile, they looked Southamerican.

Can you please enlighten me on what constitutes a South american "look"? Nearly a quarter of the population in Colombia is black, while 60% of Brazil is mixed race and /or of African descent. Bolivia and Peru have large populations of indigenous peoples, while Argentines are mostly of Italian/Spanish descent. So what is looking "South American"? I'm assuming you meant mestizo or brown-skinned.

After each incident it took several weeks for my body not to release a rush of adrenalin and rage when I saw 3-4-5 Southamerican looking youngsters in a group at night in a more or less deserted street (had to walk through the streets, no taxis, busses, etc. to be had).

I don't see how rage would be an appropriate response. And in my mind if I was on a deserted street with a young group of kids I would be on guard regardless of them looking "South American" or not. That's just common sense.

 

[LAtoBA]

I agree with John.St. In my opinion, this doesn't make your racist. The many definitions of racism don't really deal with being afraid of a particular race due to being burned over and over by said race.

Being afraid of a particular ethnic group based on limited experience with said group is prejudiced, ignorant and narrow-minded. I've been held up at gunpoint on two different occasions by Mexican-Americans in Los Angeles and suffered a lot of discrimination at a predominantly Latino high school in the same city. Lucky enough for me my IQ is high enough to be able to distinguish between the actions of a few versus making sweeping negative assumptions about said group just because I've been "burned" by them more than once.

Unless you've been a victim of crime hundreds and hundreds of times by said racial group I doubt very seriously you've been "burned over and over again". I would be willing to bet very few people fall into that category. And even if they did, "hundreds" of incidents would constitute far less than 1% of said group. Imagine that.

At the end of the day people can call it whatever they want to make themselves feel and sleep better at night. But at the end of the day I would argue that most rational and intelligent beings would understand that something is wrong with that line of thinking.

 

[John.St]

Right. Ergo, prejudice and/or stereotypes.

I suggest you stick your index finger into a flame again and again and show no prejudice - you will probably not get burned next time.

 

[John.St]

Can you please enlighten me on what constitutes a South american "look"? Nearly a quarter of the population in Colombia is black, while 60% of Brazil is mixed race and /or of African descent. Bolivia and Peru have large populations of indigenous peoples, while Argentines are mostly of Italian/Spanish descent. So what is looking "South American"? I'm assuming you meant mestizo or brown-skinned.

I was writing about Chile, where it means dark hair, darker than Northern European skin. Have you forgotten where we are?