Surprised by Racism

[polimicks]

Every once in a while, chilling in ultra-liberal Seattle, something just floors me, utterly and completely.

I ran into an old co-worker on the bus this morning. She was my first boss at the University. And we were chatting about what was going on in our lives, and how we dodged a bullet by getting out of having to transfer to Children's Hospital when our old department went. We had been laughing about the coporate blame culture that permeated all of our interactions with Children's staff when we had to deal with them, and all of a sudden she said something that just completely floored me.

"I couldn't work somewhere where all the signs are in Spanish and English. That's disgusting. This is America."

I faltered, but said, that since Children's is a charity hospital, that they were pretty obviously trying to make themselves more friendly to the largest immigrant population in the area, the people most likely to need their services. Her follow up response kind of took me aback as well.

"It's not like those people who come up here can read."

*head meet desk*

You know, I'd like to say I jumped up and read her the riot act. But I didn't. I pretty much just sat there in dumb amazement. I mean, she is older, but still...

I just don't understand when otherwise intelligent, rational people evince such amazingly irrational, stupid thought processes. Do you know what I mean? It's like a decent, relatively well-mannered person, who came in behaving very nicely, suddenly dropped trou and took a shit on your coffee table.

And I realize that my viewing racism like this is a luxury I have because of my super, pale honkey-ness. But still... I expected this shit in Eastern Washington (and was frequently surprised when it didn't happen), but in Seattle?

I've never understood racism, as in, I've never understood how anyone could fall into that mindset. It's just so... dumb. I mean, I do understand the underlying pathologies intellectually, but practically...? Maybe my folks did a better job with us than I usually give them credit for.

Comments

[kurosau.livejournal.com]

I too wonder where racism and other forms of prejudice come from. I've always presumed that it's a matter of rejecting the other in favor of the self and the like.

Also, have you ever noticed how many people are prejudiced against poor people and how many people excuse it? Because, after all, poor people are OBVIOUSLY POOR BECAUSE OF THEIR OWN LAZY FAULT.

[sarmonster.livejournal.com]

I think its instinctive xenophobia.
My theory is these are the same people who want to kill off any bears, cougars, or coyotes in their area, are generally afraid to go camping without a gun, and feel illogically threatened by anything they don't identify as their 'herd'.

[kurosau.livejournal.com]

I don't agree only in that I think racism is a much larger problem than the sort of people that would ruin a camping environment.

Additionally, there are also plenty of people that would go camping with a gun not because they're afraid, but because they're sensible. In some places, it's important to do things like lock your food up in bear boxes and carry a gun just in case you run into a really bad situation.

[sarmonster.livejournal.com]

Sorry, lemme qualify that: People who go camping with a gun in Western Washington.

Kodiak island, sure. Sierra Leone, yeah, bring your gun.

[kurosau.livejournal.com]

::nod:: I'm inclined to agree. I can't think of anywhere around here where I'd be going armed if I went camping. Maybe the rainforest? Maybe?

[sarmonster.livejournal.com]

Nope. I go up the Quinault valley several times a year: There are cougars and black bears out there, but they're afraid of people. Young black bears will raid your food if you leave it out, and have approached us, but you're not going to get attacked by one.
I've run across scat, but I've never even seen a wild cougar.