I do believe and hope that the younger generations will not suffer from this affliction.

Of course, there will always be those who have to find a rationale to tear some down in order to be superior. And too many find this easier than actually working towards and accomplishing something on their own.

No one (ethnic, religious, gender) group should be either exalted or damned, nor is one group superior or inferior to any other.

Racism (bigotry of any kind) is a synonym for ignorance.

Good post. Appreciate.

I have to admit it is getting better. A little better all the time.

Younger people, according to polls I have read, do not carry the same bias that my parents did or my generation did after that.

People do not get away with saying the things they once said.

But we face our cowardice by bring up the subject in our writing.

And you have just done that.

Just curious. Your expression that it "needed said," sounds like Pennsylvania. I love to place expressions, and I am just guessing, but if you don't mind responding to that, I am, as I said: curious.

No, it will never go away. All forms of prejudice will remain until the end. Ignorance is passed on like a family heirloom.

I am hopeful, however, that the election of Obama will make the majority of Americans raise their standards about who should be our leaders. I hope for a time when all elected officials are judged by their knowledge of current events, American and world history, how many languages they speak, the countries they have traveled to, and what efforts they have made to reach out to people who are not like them.

(I am a white guy) Hope I don't make anyone angry here, but racism isn't going to end. I grew up in a fairly liberal household so far as black-white race relations go, my best friend as a kid was black, no problem from the family. I always thought that stereotypes were foolish and ignorant, remnants of old hatreds destined to die out. Then I moved to Atlanta. I moved into an apartment complex that was suprisingly cheap for the amount of space I got, of course I had only seen it during the daytime when I signed the lease. Of the 300 units in the complex, I was one of three white renters, the rest were about 90% black and 10% hispanic (mexican, central american).

(Side note: hard luck white folks end up in trailers, and hard luck black folks end up in apartment complexes. not sure why, but would not want to live in either of them.)

Funny thing about stereotypes, they come from somewhere. There were two driveby shootings, about a dozen "cops" style raids into apartments a couple street brawls, and yes my place was busted into. Funny thing happens about a year after I am there, the apartment complex hires on a spanish speaking manager. Within a year, the neighborhood changes to 70% hispanic and 30% black (and me and the other two white folk). Why the change? from the black folks who I talked to in the neighborhood, the sentiment was that they did not want to live around mexicans, so they moved out and the hispanics moved in. Is that racist? the neighborhood changed, no more "cops" style raids, no drivebys, yeah, there were 10 people in the 2 bedroom apartment next door. Crime in general went down, or at least underground, there was a definate whorehouse across the street made up of 6 hispanic ladies who would service the predominately male residents, MS13 would run drugs through the complex, but any violence that occered was internal and quiet. All in all, it was a great improvement.

Does this make me racist? Well I would never live in a black neighborhood again, not due to some hereditary bias but from my own experience. As individual people anyone can find commanality and get along, and I view any person of any background with the same respect.

There is a certain incongruity to racism. White folks, in general, will feel that it is wrong to judge anyone based on skin color, and will usually be somewhat ashamed if they do so. The same does not hold true for everyone. Again, this is my own experience, so feel free to refute me, but in general ask a black person how they feel about hispanics, or asians, or indians. Every type of person has thier own hierarchy. Talk to a person from senegal or anywhere in africa about how they feel about amrican born black people. Or a black haitian or jamaican. For some real fun, ask say a chinese person how they feel about japanese vs. thai or filipino. How about asking a Cuban how they view mexicans, or brazilians, or columbians.

My main point is that there is a lot of bias out there, it just seems like most of the guilt for feeling that way is on the white folks.

"I mean do they really want everybody to think only african americans are in ganges and sell drugs and all the other bad stuff."

Yes, as a matter of fact. I do think there's a nonconspiritorial group of interests out there that wants white America to believe that about black America.

We have made progress. I was raised in a terribly racist home, and although the same racist thoughts are present today, the words are no longer spoken. Until this election, I didn't realize the feelings were still there.

I never even saw a black person (except on t.v.) until I was in my mid teens. When I realized they were just regular people like me, except with a better tan, all the racist crap I had been taught went out the window.

We still have a long way to go, but at least we are moving and in the right direction.

Hrebendorf, I understand what you're saying but it always makes me nervous when people use the election as a barometer for shifting racial attitudes. A lack of bigotry, prejudice and racism was only one part of the equation as to why Obama was elected. Some people voted for him simply because he was Black, some because of the guilt that was mentioned earlier and some because they really felt he was qualified. We don't have anyway of knowing the breakdown or percentages of who did what and why.

A significant and historic moment in history for sure, but the idea is far from becoming the norm. If he screws up, I doubt if I will see another Black president in my lifetime.

I don't see how I suggested that at all and you actually proved my point. Because there are many reasons people voted for him is the main reason placing too much significance on this being a watershed moment could be dangerous. We have come a long way of that there is no doubt but I don't want people to become too complacent in thinking that there isn't more work to be done because a Black man is in the White house. That wasn't meant to disparage or you or your post.

People vote for various reasons, not all of them make sense. That's the way it's always been.

We disagree on the chances of another AA becoming president. I know, he knows and many Black people know the pressure is on. We know the feeling of having to do twice as much, work twice as hard, be twice as smart to prove our worth. It's a reality for many of us in this society.