Okay, flame me- but I gotta comment on this.

[BeHereNow]

I work with kids- and I'm not saying much more than that about my job.

The majority of the population I work with are Latino/Hispanic.
I am ASTOUNDED at the racist beliefs the majority of them express towards
African Americans, Caucasians and Asians.

I often remind them that as an American, I welcome all immigrants
to this country, however I do not welcome or tolerate any person who
is intolerant and prejudiced towards other human beings.

I remind them that people fought like hell, not so many years
ago for civil rights and equality.

Can any one explain this attitude among my kids AND their parents to me?

I am sickened by it.
BHN

[HowHasItComeToThis]

1. LA RAZA MEANS THE PEOPLE??????

IF IT DOES THEN THE LANGUAGE IS THE ENEMY

[BeHereNow]

3. Care to elaborate? I have no idea what you are talking about.

And I am sincere in seeking understanding this hatred.
BHN

[napoleon_in_rags]

14. "La Raza" translates as "the race".

La Raza being the big latino advocacy group:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Council_of_La_Raza

I think the original response is hinting at the weird discrepancies between how whites their view race and how other races do(?)

[flvegan]

2. If *my* kids had that attitude...

I'd ask them.

[BeHereNow]

4. I have- the answers are downright appalling.

"N_____s are dirty, they smell bad."

"White people hate Mexicans..."

"Asians will rip you off..."

Fucking unbelievable.

BHN

[flvegan]

6. Not good, but BHN, it seems you are WAY ahead of the curve.

I hope you can teach them the difference.

[BeHereNow]

12. It's sort of like trying to convince a KKKlan person that everyone is sacred.

Discouraging, to say the least.

BHN

[Life Long Dem]

64. Have you ever noticed kids that are young don't see color or racism?

[cynatnite]

5. Do the parents have a clue? n/t

[BeHereNow]

10. Hell no! It's COMING from the parents! Just as the KKK teaches hate to their children.

That's the REALLY disturbing aspect.

BHN

[timtom]

53. I thank God daily

that we kept all racial language out of our house, when raising our children.

Our children grew up to be not bigoted.

[Marr]

7. Why does it shock you?

Were you expecting them to be free of racist beliefs because they're minorities?

I'm white myself, but I grew up in a majority Mexican immigrant town, and most all of my friends/girlfriends/etc. growing up were the children of Mexican immigrants. In general, their families had at least as many racists as my own, and a much heavier dose of sexism.

The worst things I ever heard were directed at blacks and Native Americans. I think it's a case of class-conscious people kicking in the direction they perceive to be "down". Mexican culture is, in my experience, very class-oriented.

[provis99]

8. Are they Latino Americans, or immigrants?

If they're immigrants from Mexico, ask them what they think of Indians in Mexico. I imagine you'll get some pretty ugly answers.

The problem in the US is that Americans have convinced themselves that they are horrid racists; but racism is relative. Compared to the racism that exists in the rest of the world, American racism is pretty mild.

[EFerrari]

37. American racism is mild?

I think I have to disagree with that.

American racism fuels American imperialism.

There is nothing "mild" about destroying Iraq to "democratize" it for Halliburton, for example.

[FOS]

9. I'll Take A Stab At It

I'm African American and Native American . I grew up in Southern California where I was exposed to all races and ethnic groups. From my experience, what I believe is starting to happen in the Hispanic/Latino Community is a Backlash against the Racism and ridicule they suffered these past eight years.

Nationwide , the Latino Community has had to deal with being called "Illegals, Invaders, Aliens and Mexicans EVEN when they are LEGAL. Especially the children who grew up being called "Anchor Babies" for the last 8 years. Well, now it has backlashed because the Latino Community is starting to throw back "Hold Up !!! Who's the Illegal, Invader and Alien ? Who really doesn't belong here? YOU People!"

The Latinos are the descendants of one of the most POWERFUL Indian Tribes in History (The Aztecs) and they are realizing that America is actually their Native Land and everyone else who's here besides their Native American fellow Tribesmen , have no moral authority to tell them that they are not true Americans. That's what I think is going on. They have seen enough and these young kids are not putting up with it anymore. But, they are misdirecting this pride in being the real Native Americans by using Early European Racism to express pride in who they are. It just needs to be redirected.

The best you can do is try to look through their insults and interpret where the real anger is coming from and then work from there.

[Redstone]

16. OK, except for one minor detail.

And remember, I'm half American Indian myself:

The Aztecs never lived in any part of North America that's now part of the USA.

So it ain't hardly "their Native Land."

And the Aztec culture isn't anything that I, for one, would be wanting to aspire to be part of anyway. The slavery and human-sacrifice parts, I'd just as soon not be part of.

Redstone

[BeHereNow]

19. As a Native, by the logic of "their land"

The entire US should be returned to the Tribal Nations- no?
BHN

[Redstone]

24. I don't think you were intending to reply to my post...

I'm trying to be supportive of you on this issue.

Redstone

[BeHereNow]

27. I think you misunderstood me...

I was replying to your post, but perhaps not in the spirit you perceived.
Peace.
BHN

[FOS]

29. No...Just Some "Respect" and "Acknowledgment"

Pardon me for understanding what it's like to want an apology for the past.

[FOS]

26. You Know What I Mean

Do you want to help these kids or complain? It's up to you. You asked about it dude.

Oh, and California , New Mexico and Texas were STOLEN from Mexico !


:P

[Redstone]

28. Thank you so much for your contribution to this discussion.

Redstone

[DCKit]

38. Catholic propaganda to excuse the genocide.

Remember, the victors (re)write the history and no people could have been that bloodthirsty and barbaric yet survived long enough to develop such a rich culture or, especially, a written language and science. The academic jury is still out on both the Aztecs and Mayans - either/both of which could well have settled parts of N.A.. The hundreds of peoples populating the whole of N.A. didn't spring up out of the prairies and weren't limited in their travels by their lack of automobiles or horses.

[treestar]

47. Moreso than the Europeans, however

Indian tribes didn't have strict borders, either.

[SpiralHawk]

55. The Azteca migration story recounts how they came from the North (California, etc)

and then made a journey south to follow the vision, where the Eagle (sky) and the Snake (earth) would show them the place to settle (modern-day Mexico City).

http://images.lowriderarte.com/lrap_0709_08_z+_+photo_eagle_eating_snake.jpg

Similar image from western mythology is the caduceus -- merging of sky and earth forces - used by medical professionals all over North America.

[lonestarnot]

36. Ok please explain this one.

A Mexican American woman screaming at undocumented workers to go home and stop stealing American jobs. :shrug:

[lumberjack_jeff]

57. Why would any american be happy at people breaking their laws? n/t

[BoneDaddy]

48. Nonsense

The past 8 years are not responsible. Human beings are tribal, whether they are caucasion, latino, black or any other ethnicity. Religion, economic status, level of education etc are other tribal dividing lines. Human beings, unfortunately, are constantly seeking a way to demonize the "other" and raise their particular group to a level of superiority. This isn't because of GW Bush, this is our human collective history. Sad but real.

[Marr]

59. Sad but true.

You know, I've noticed something around here recently and I wonder if you'd agree.

If you acknowledge humanity's less noble aspects on DU (at least if it's something that encompasses all of us humans, and not just right-wing Americans), you don't get much of a response.

An uplifting myth will get a lot more positive feedback. For instance, if you can put this racism off on some accepted villain ('they learned to be racists from evil industrialists!' or whatever) you'll have a troupe of people jump on board and help you build that comforting myth in a flurry of responses. It's comforting because the assumption is that, without the influence of this inexplicably evil bastard, people would be pure as the driven snow.

There are a lot of idealists on DU, which is great-- idealists get things done. But they also tend to see certain things through rose-colored glasses. Especially things that concern human nature.

I hate to sound like such a pessimistic dick head, but there you go.

[BoneDaddy]

62. You are not being a dickhead at all

I think you are spot on. Liberals, like every other human, have blind spots, bias', prejudices and tribal dividing lines. Each group, be it Jews, the Irish, African Americans, the rich, the poor and so on have their tribal affiliations where they can EASILY see the faults in the "other", but ignore or are in denial or are unconscious about their own view. This includes me as well. No one escapes this phenomenon, but some are more aware of it. Idealism is great, but if not conscious can quickly turn into a form of control and oppression. I have seen liberals on this board, who although well meaning, can be as virulent, as hateful, as controlling as those they criticize on the right.

Good insight. Never stop questioning. Even those you may be in affiliation with.

[lumberjack_jeff]

56. Welcome to DU

The best you can do is try to look through their insults and interpret where the real anger is coming from and then work from there.

There are differences of opinion on whether this is the best way to address racism. I tend to agree with you.

Where those differences become obvious is the "Ignorant White Fuck" contingient and those who feel it appropriate to view them in that way.

Seeking understanding precludes viewing others as inhuman monsters who must be destroyed.

[Redstone]

11. In the immortal words of John Prine: "Everybody needs somebody

that they can look down on."

The unfortunate truth. Where I grew up, there WERE no black people, so we never heard the word "nigger" when we were kids.

But what we DID hear about, because of the presence of some numbers of French-Canadians, was "The goddamn Frogs."

Despite the fact that everyone was poor together, and moreover despite the fact that my father was an American Indian, though God forbid he or anyone else in his family would acknowledge that until many, MANY years later.

Racism is inexplicably durable, and turns out to be pervasive, and takes many mutant forms through many segments of society.

I don't think we'll EVER know why. I had to yell at my younger son tonight for telling us a racist joke about Japanese people, even though he knows that he has American Indian and African blood his ownself. Figure THAT out, if you can.

That's all I have to contribute.

Redstone

[treestar]

49. This is true

Even if you have a group all of one race, they'll find some way to divide into "us" and "them." Sad part of human nature.

[BlooInBloo]

13. Yah - and they got those crappy feelings from NOWHERE too!

Oh wait - that's white folks...

[BeHereNow]

15. And MLK is just a sound bite.

How very far we've come.
Not.
BHN

[Redstone]

18. BHN, don't waste your time arguing with that specific poster. Trust me on this one, OK?

Redstone

[BeHereNow]

23. I'm not in shape to argue with anyone...

I'm just saddened that the civil rights struggle has been
negated by this new "surge" of racism.
BHN

[FOS]

35. Me ?

Me , Redstone ? Why ? :shrug:

[FOS]

21. You Are Their Influence !

Believe it or not, you are responsible for them so you have to redirect their thinking and teach them right. You can't just say, "Oh well.". You have to come up with a way to help them be proud of who they are without being racist about it. You have to. You have been untrusted with their minds and you have to do what you can to influence their behavior.

[BeHereNow]

25. And I might as well be rolling a boulder up a hill...

It really is that bad...
BHN

[FOS]

30. Don't Give Up On Them

Those are your babies and you have to help them.

[BeHereNow]

31. I'll never give up on them... I love them dearly.

That's why the hatred/racism is so disturbing to me.
Hatred is an acid that destroys the container.

BHN

[BoneDaddy]

51. No irrationality here

thanks for proving the point.

[beltanefauve]

17. Fear, rooted in

economics, and, the pecking order that goes along with it. Watch for more of this as times get tougher.

[EFerrari]

20. I'd be interested to know (and am not asking) who you work with

and where.

Because all Latino cultures are not the same. And ignorance is not the property of any particular bundle of DNA. lol

I know in my mom's country of origin, racism is rampant -- even within the family, the darkest child is spurned. In the country where she grew up, there is no such problem.

[2rth2pwr]

22. It's human nature. We live in the US so we have been taught that the white man is the bad one,

the racist one. But there is "racism" in every part of the world, look at India with it's caste system, look at the Hutu and Tutsi's slaughtering each other. Light-skinned

blacks are dismissive of the darker skinned blacks, etc..etc..

As we evolved we survived by being suspicious of difference. The other thing that we are taught here is that because the white man is bad, that means everyone else is good.

It doesn't work that way, as you are finding out.

I'm Hispanic in case anyone is curious.

[rasputin1952]

32. Hatred is born of fear, and fear is born of ignorance...

No one is born into this world filled w/hatred, they have to be taught it...and usually that comes from parents, other relatives and those the children are brought up around.

Racism, sexism and all of the other "_____isms", are not limited to any one group...unfortunately, there is plenty of the stuff to go around.

[FOS]

33. True rasputin1952

That's why our jobs as Progressives is an ongoing one . It's always going to be hard to change the social behavior of our society. But, we have to try.

[rasputin1952]

44. We can't save the world...but each of us can help change out little

corner of society. It takes a lot of effort, but changes are being made, albeit slowly.

Patience and persistance are two noble traits...:)

Welcome to DU...:hi:

[Xenotime]

34. They see it as us who have stolen their land from them...

and they are right.

[BoneDaddy]

67. Well it is time to let that one go

even if it is true. It isn't going to change, so don't you think it is time to start working together instead of trying to recycle old pain for no purpose at all?

[flor de jasmim]

39. You don't say how old the kids are,

but you could address the issue head-on. Take on what racism is. One aspect of racism is the fear of difference. Since they are Latino, you might talk to them about the early Spanish and Portuguese explorers seeing Indians for the first time and how different they were.

On another day you might throw in a bit of science fiction--the "good" aliens tend to be the ones who look more like us, and the bad ones are the ones who look less human.

Empathy is a good thing to build, as well. Back in the 70s when multicultural education efforts were getting off the ground a lot of good materials were made for this, and "values clarification" exercises were developed. You might take a look at it to see if there is anything you can use.

Good luck!

[nadinbrzezinski]

40. First Gen immigrants I take it?

One of the greatest kept secrets in Latin America is that racism is alive and well

Socially you will have a better chance of doing well if your skin is lighter.

Historically there is also quite a bit of racial slurs going back to the colonial period

Add to this mix American media, which is extremely popular down there, and care to tell me how many blacks are portrayed in American Media (outside of BET?)

Hell if you read the wanted adds in Mexico City (Yes I have done that), things like ....

Female 20-32, wanted.

Fat females need not apply

Or male dependent
25-34, with so and so college degree, and personal car.

Yep, some of those things that are not allowed here... (even if we know agism is also alive and well)

As to caucasian ... it usually means protestant...

You wanted me to decode this... and for the record... it sickens me.

It will take some work to break through this, but I also have fun with it

The other day we went to a mexican restaurant to buy some mexican bread for my husband, he loves it

We stood up like sore thumbs, why? We are white... never mind I was born and raised in Mexico City... until I opened my mouth and ordered things in Spanish, I had several pairs of eyes on me. After that it was more the WTF over?

So no, you will not get flamed, at least not by me. There is a lot of work to be done with all immigrant communities. All have issues.

[Beregond2]

41. I've been

in a lot of countries, and I've never found one that wasn't far more racist than the USA. We are just harder on ourselves about it, so it gets a lot more publicity here. We expect better of ourselves, and the world expects better of us, so when we fail the test, it is a much bigger story.

Has there ever been a wave of immigrants to this country that didn't have to unlearn it's prejudices once it got here? I don't think so. Not that we ever have, completely, but we try, which is more than most countries can say.

[EFerrari]

42. And that's one of our myths.

A country founded on a genocide and built by slave labor: "We try harder!"

[BoneDaddy]

66. You love to live in your collective wounds

and you are so unaware that you continue the process and are part of the problem. I am convinced that you do not ever want healing. You want to continue the cycle of division and hate and to let it go would somehow mean that you do not exist.

[Marr]

61. I'd agree there's racism most anywhere you go, but I can't say

I'd agree that it's worse everywhere else. It's certainly worse in a lot of places though.

I think we become inured to the racism that's prevalent in our own regions. We just stop noticing it.

One of the biggest culture shocks I've ever had on this subject was in going to Florida, of all places. I live in Los Angeles, so I was surprised at all the little not-so-hidden digs at Jamaicans/Puerto Ricans/etc. that I saw in Florida. But the more I got to think about it, I saw it was identical to the attitudes held toward Mexican immigrants back in Los Angeles. It just stood out to me more because I wasn't used to this particular brand of racism, and it really made me start noticing the racism against Mexicans when I got back home.

But yeah- you certainly do find it everywhere. And if they don't have some other race to hate on, they'll find another line, like Catholics/Protestants. I saw two older men beating each other up when I was in Ireland. It was some kind of Catholic function I believe (a parade or a march or something-- I really don't know what it was), and a Protestant man got into a fight with one of them. Both these bastards must've been at least 60 years old, and they both looked (and sounded) like Archie Bunker... but they were attacking each other.

That about sums the whole thing up for me. Archie Bunker vs. Archibald McBunker.

[readmoreoften]

43. Well, if they're Mexican it would be different than if they were Puerto Rican or Dominican.

Mexico is a thoroughly mestizo nation. There are people who are indigenous, mestizo, and white people. There are no people of African decent whatsoever in Mexico. When I'd travel with Black friends, people would come up and touch them as if they were alien beings. Most of what Mexicans know about Black people is from US media--if that gives you a clue to where their ideas come from. Also, Mexico is obsessed with color. Folks will call you by your appearance, which is very strange to many Americans. If you don't know someone's name, it's normal to refer to the person as "the white one", the "the dark one" and so forth. It has about the significance of calling someone a "blonde" or a "redhead" or a "brunette". Cuban, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic are totally different though. The population is mixed white, indigenous, and black. Because of this, the dynamic is different. There is some hostility and also quite a bit of overlap.

Of course, racism is when one group has dominance over another--it's necessary to distinguish it from prejudice. It's prejudice plus power. But I've found that no group--especially in the US--is free from racial and ethnic prejudice. I group up in a mixed community where many Black people were very angry at 'the Jew'--although there was only one practicing Jew in my middle school of 3000 kids so I'm not sure where they got their ideas from. In NYC, during the Mitzvah parade, where little Jewish boys who've done good deeds get to ride in a caravan of campers that honor their human kindness, there were white people screaming at the little boys (who were proudly and innocently waving out the window) and an African-American couple in front of me started goose-stepping and shouting "Heil Hitler!" as well as "I hate you, you Christ killers!" We were absolutely horrified. And that isn't even going into the tension between Blacks and Koreans in NY, etc.

Whole lotta ignorance in the world.

[AspenRose]

65. "There are no people of African decent (sic) whatsoever in Mexico"

http://www.smithsonianeducation.org/migrations/legacy/alm.html

http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/ethnic/bv/spec0303.html

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/laplaza/2007/04/for_centuries_m.html

http://www.insidemex.com/05INSIDEMEX/ARTICLE01.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vicente_Guerrero

To be more accurate, it has not been part of the national Mexican dialogue (until recently). So they are unaware of their own history.

The African Diaspora reaches almost everywhere.

As for the OP, I have found that recent immigrants (including Africans) mimic the attitudes of the dominant culture. If the dominant culture is racist towards American blacks, they will assume that is the preferred attitude and will cultivate it to ensure their own success in this culture.

[Snarkturian Clone]

45. I know what you mean... I work at an inner city school

and the kids openly insult our 2 asian teachers based on their race every day.

[BoneDaddy]

46. The great liberal illusion

is that people from disenfranchised groups are less hateful, racist, homophobic etc. The finger is most often pointed outward towards society with very little house cleaning being done.

[proud2BlibKansan]

50. I work with Hispanic kids too

And I have NEVER seen any of them act like your kids.

I have done this almost 30 years.

I have worked with African American kids.

I have worked with Asian kids.

I have worked with African kids from Somalia and Sudan.

I have worked with kids from Eastern Europe, mainly Bosnia.

And the Hispanic/Latino kids and their families are the LEAST prejudiced of any of the ethnic groups I have worked with.

So I have no idea what you are talking about.

[calico1]

52. No, I can't.

I am Hispanic and don't nor have every had racist, hateful feelings toward non Hispanics. I guess I'm just weird.

[sinkingfeeling]

54. All prejudice is taught. It exists in all races.

[MedleyMisty]

60. Indeed, grouping people together by race

and saying "This group is racist." or "This group isn't racist." is racist and prejudiced.

Prejudice does seem deeply ingrained in humans - you frequently see people on DU claiming that they're not prejudiced at all while also claiming that all Southerners are horrible racist KKK members and that everyone in this zip code is stupid and dumb and conservative and everyone in that city is supposed to be liberal, so omg I'm so surprised that I met this one Republican from there and I guess that they're all more Republican than I thought and I'm all sad because I thought people in that city were better than that.

It seems like it's almost impossible for people to think of people that they don't personally know as individuals. I try to understand it, I really do, but I get so tired and end up just doing it myself and grouping all of humanity together and giving it up for insane and irrational and impossible to save from itself.

[Phx_Dem]

58. The racial self-segregation

one sees in schools and playgrounds doesn't help any.

I used to work with juvenile delinquents in a secure care facility, these kids were especially prone to segregating themselves based on race. Partly due to this the staff went out of their way to mix up the kids room assignments, the results were very encouraging. For many of these kids, their roommate was the first friend they had from a different race and as a result many of the stereotypes they held were changed.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

63. Not an unusual attitude among immigrants of any type

People who feel insecure in their surroundings often try to make themselves feel better by looking down on someone else. In the U.S., there are ready-made prejudices for Latinos to adopt, some of which overlap with the prejudices they had back home.

Most Latin American countries are racially mixed, with the actual mixture depending on the country's history--Native American, African, European in varying percentages. In some countries, the ethnic categories overlap with socioeconomic categories, in others not so much.