[Original post: http://www.justsayhi.com/topic/show/147487]

Ok... I know that it is long... but everyone that has been posting in the proud to be human and proud to be white threads; I encourage you to read this and really look at yourselves, your posts and the other posts.

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Mark Halstead, Education, Justice, and Cultural Diversity: An Examination of the Honeyford Affair, 1984-85 (London: Falmer Press, 1988)

Our note: The following consists of excerpts from Halstead's book, pp. 139-55. Ellipses are omitted from the end of each major paragraph and his text begins with our (1).

6 Different Types of Racism:

Pre-reflective Gut Racism
Post-reflective Gut Racism
Cultural Racism
Institutional Racism
Paternalistic Racism
Color-Blind Racism

(1) Pre-reflective Gut Racism: This name is being used instead of the now redundant term 'racialism,' implying racial hatred. Its name suggests that it has emotional rather than rational origins and content. It can be observed in both individuals and groups. Its deep psychological roots can be traced to three main factors. First, there is a tendency to feel fear, anxiety, insecurity and suspicion in the presence of any persons and groups who are perceived as strange, foreign or unfamiliar....Secondly, there are certain motivational dispositions such as rejection, aggression, dominance and superiority which some psychologists consider fundamental to human personality....The third factor is ignorance of racial minorities, which leaves people open to the too- ready acceptance of myths, sterotypes and other fear-arousing communications.

(2) Post-reflective Gut Racism: This type of racism is concerned to provide a justification for the continuation of racial privilege, and this may involve the creation of an ideology of racial superiority and domination. Whereas pre-reflective gut racism may be attacked for making arbitrary distinctions between people on the basis of irrelevant differences, post-reflective gut racism counter-attacks by claiming that the differences are not irrelevant. Post-reflective gut racism therefore involves the post-hoc rationalization of practices emanating from racial prejudice, such as social avoidance, scapegoating and overt acts of racism. This rationalization may take two forms: first, the establishment and acceptance of an unfounded system of beliefs which would, if it were true, justify racial discrimination; and secondly, the misapplication of well-founded scientific theories to provide support for racist ideology. Both forms of rationalization may ultimately be the product either of conspiracy or self-deception.

(3) Cultural Racism: This term is being used with increasing frequency to draw attention to a shift in the focial point of much racism from physical characteristics such as social customs, manners and behavior, religious and moral beliefs and practices, language, aesthetic values and leisure activities. Whereas post-reflective gut racism seeks to explain and justify racist attitudes in religious or scientific terms, cultural racism attempts the same thing in cultural terms. It involves prejudice against individuals because of their culture. The culture of minority groups is seen as flawed in soem way, and thus as standing in the way of their progress. Unlike post-reflective gut racism, however, cultural racism does not involve belief in the existence of any biological incapacity to change. On the contrary, change is exactly what is sought. Minorities are encouraged to turn their back on their own culture and to become absorbed by the majority culture.

(4) Institutional Racism: In one sense, this type is closely liked to type three, for the institutions of a society are a product of, and a part of, its culture. But whereas cultural racism focusses attention on the differences or supposed flaws in the culture of minority groups which are said to justify their inferior treatment, institutional racism generally refers to the way that the institutional arrangements and the distribution of resources in our society serve to reinforce the advantages of the white majority....The standard analysis of institutional racism involves four steps:

a. The historical creation of an institution which is non-racist in intent because it is designed for a homogenous society. If it contains any elements of racism, these must not be conscious, because if they were the institution would exemplify type two racism.

b. A change in the context within which the institution exists, so that new minority groups are disadvantaged by the continued existence of the institution. For example, giving preference to the employment of the 'lads of the dads' may make it more difficult for new racial minorities to get jobs; and seeing exclusively white faces in school textbook illustrations might give black children a poor self-image.

c. The power of the white majority over the institution. The institution may be perpetuated intentionally for racist reasons (because the whites perceive it to be to their advantage to do so), intentionally for non-racist reasons (because, for example, tradition and normal procedures are highly valued) or unintentionally (in that customary procedures are adhered to unreflectively).

d. The moral judgment that once the discriminatory consequences of the institutional practices are raised to consciousness, anyone seeking to perpetuated them is guilty of racism. A stronger version of institutional racism involves the claim that merely going about business as usual in such a context makes one an 'accomplice in racism.'

The main difficulties with this analysis are its oversimplified view of white individuals as the source of institutional power and its assumption that the raising of individual consciousness is sufficient to bring about institutional change....
Institional racism, which I am referring to as type four, refers to the long- established organizational practices which disadvantage members of racial or ethnic minorities for no other reason that that they are members of those minorities.

(5) Paternalistic Racism: This type of racism refers to the process whereby the freedom of black people is defined or restricted by generally well- intentioned regulations that are drawn up by whites....It differs in two ways from institutional racism. First, it involves the initiation of new practices and procedures in response to the presence of racial minorities in the country, whereas institutional racism involves the failure to adapt long-standing practices and procedures to new needs. Secondly, it involves a more clear- cut wielding of power by white people, whereas it was argued above that in institutional racism it is a mistake to oversimplify the power that any individuals can wield in established institutions. Paternalistic racism implies that white people have the right to interfere in the lives of blacks for their own good and the power to define that good.

(6) Color-Blind Racism: Color-blind racism is the type which most closely corresponds to what is commonly called 'unintentional racism.'... What is it that makes color-blindness a type of racism rather than merely a misguided form of action? I want to argue that color-blindness not only leads to undesirable outcomes (the disadvantaging of black people by ignoring or marginalizing their distinctive needs, experiences and identity), but may also involve racial injustice. It is not a new idea (indeed it can be traced back to Aristotle) that there can be injustice in treating people the same when in relevant respects they are different, just as much as there can be in treating them differently when in relevant respects they are the same....When a color- blind approach is adopted to any social policy in this country, white people are usually able to dominate because the common experiences are defined in terms which white people can more easily relate to than blacks and which tend to bolster the white self-image at the expense of the black....Color- blindness falls down because it is based on an idealistic principle (that all people are equal) which may be valid sub specie aeternitatis but which fails to take account of the contingent facts of racial inequality and disadvantage in our present society. (139-55)


Carl Gutierrez-Jones
Department of English
University of California, Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, CA 93106
E-mail: carlgj@humanitas.ucsb.edu

Taken from http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/docs/Halstead.html

sorry i'm on my soap box now... but this is a topic that is very important to me.

shucks not this again it kind soundsd like got prolem with your very self but ok its good thang your sticking by all sisters and bothers u should be proud :off it topic:

Tanya I want my soap box back

sunshine, everything in the world is up to individuals, this is an opinion or view point.

I control me and my actions, I choose to be color blind cuz it works for me, not meant to work for all.

Well according to this article we all are prejudiced in our own ways. And I guess I tend to agree with this at least on some level. I am not prejudiced per say as to race, religion, ethnic background, etc....I have a rainbow of friends. And I am only speaking for myself here but I get so tired of the racial issues becomming a moan about things that happened in the past and that can't be changed. And I include my heritage in this as well...I am 70% american indian. Injustice has happened the world over and while there have been efforts made to equalize the injustice's ....let it go and be happy that the intial problems no longer exist. No one can undo slavery....no one can give the land back to the american indians....No one can give texas back to mexico...america will never be ruled by britain again (at least I hope not lol..) If you are going to choose a soapbox issue to fight for choose one you can actually have a chance at winning...individual rights not based on any preconcieved notions of nationality. No one can rewrite history no matter how much we might like to....jmho

sterotypes aren't always bad... they are a way for us to learn and categorize things, however... the above article I agree with. However, it needs to be noted that racism comes in all different kind of forms... and it never hurts to learn something new and look at how you view/approach/do things in your own life.

*bump*

why categorize people? why not learn from the past, recognize mistakes made and not repeat them?

People have got to stop playing the race card, the woe is me card, and stand up and accept responsibilities for their actions. jmo

Amen to that!!! Then again I believe I have posted that in another one of these threads earlier..Its JMHO but really, we have to stop placing blame and move forward.

Ok to clarify... when I stated stereotype above it was in the general psychology term (I should have clarified that to begin with) so it has nothing to do with race.

Definition of Stereotyping:
(about.com)
1. A conventional, formulaic, and oversimplified conception, opinion, or image.
2. One that is regarded as embodying or conforming to a set image or type.

(http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary)

2: something conforming to a fixed or general pattern; especially : a standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude, or uncritical judgment

2 a: to repeat without variation : make hackneyed b: to develop a mental stereotype about


Stereotypes are a natural response, but when those stereotypes do not change when new information is presented that is when they cause problems. Or when that belief set is acted upon, as with prejudice and racism, then there are bigger problems.

Fran have I told you today I love you???


My thoughts exactly boiled down in a nutshell....Life isn't fair...life is what you as an individual make of it...it isn't based on your race your religion etc....it is based on what you choose to do with it....

NO, you haven't proclaimed your love for me, but feel free to throw $$$

*bump*

*raises hand*

Question Tanya...where does Guilt Racism fit in these categories? There are people whose race issues are built on the guilt for their own families participation in slavery. IMO, this takes on either defensive or overprotective rolls both. What do YOU think bout that?

BTW...thought provoking no matter ones personal opinion on the matter.

great question No1s (how ya feeling?)

I think (now granted this is only my opinion)... those that may feel guilty about families past actions (only here in this context!) could fall into paternalistic pattern, that those need to make sure this doesn't happen again, and maybe apt to follow that one. (which would definately be over compensating)... or may claim to be color blind ---> 'I will not treat that group of people that way b/c of what my family did..... they are people just like me... etc'


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I want to say more about the color-blind type of racism...
The reason this falls into a category of racism is because it marginalizes and makes less of ones experiences and culture.

I know that some of you that say that you are colorblind, do not say it b/c you think that everyone is absolutely the same. However, you do have to take into consideration how someone was raised, experienced, and cultural background.

However, not adjusting how you approach individuals based upon the individual discounts their live and experiences.

My suggestion is to always approach another knowing that they may have life experiences similar and dissimilar than your own.

And yes, when the 'race card' is play in certain arenas and in particular ways it upsets me, but that is when they are brought into neutral subjects... For example, there was the chance a couple of years ago, that the Detroit Zoo was facing the possiblity of closing b/c of finanical reasons. The governor of the state, stated that if the city of Detroit could not figure out the problem, that the State would be willing to take over operations of the zoo because it was important to the whole state. A particular counsel member made the comment 'this ain't no plantation' [be me, I was furious when I heard that comment!, it was exteremely out of line!]

I just urge you all to take time to get to know people on an individual level! To try your hardest to not assume anything about anyone.

(((No1sLove)))) btw great question! [and its great practice for me as a future professor ]