Race and racism anon meme thing

[dreamer_easy]

International Blog Against Racism Week begins tomorrow, 6 August. Before the week officially starts, I'd like to try something a bit dodgy.

For the next twenty-four hours, you can leave an anonymous message here with any questions you have about race or racism. IP logging is off and there are no LJ Toys or other IP-capturing stuff to worry about.

I know many people are afraid to say or ask things about these subjects, for fear of looking stupid or causing offence. I'll delete anything that's obviously just supposed to be abusive, and anything that uses insulting words, but otherwise, anything goes. POC, please be warned: that means there may be annoying, frustrating, or offensive material - you may prefer not to read the comments left here.

I can't guarantee answers to questions that are posted, but I will try to respond if I can. I won't judge or lecture anyone for honest curiosity or confusion. (Keep in mind I'm just a well-meaning White middle-class liberal, and no expert on racial issues.)

The twenty-four hours is up, folks! You can still post anonymously, but IP logging is back on. Thanks for your comments!

Comments

[angriest.livejournal.com]

Prior to 9/11, the largest successful terrorist act against the USA was committed by a white Christian. Religious terrorism is committed by radical fanatics, not necessarily by those of a single religion. But I do see your point about the odds of a terrorist act in the developed world being committed by a radicalised Moslem in a contemporary sense.

It annoyed me because even if the odds are greater, another human being that I do not know anything whatsoever about does not deserve my fear or bigotry. Every individual deserves the benefit of the doubt. I'd like to be the person who doesn't fear or feel negative towards anybody, and the culture of fear that's been developed around me makes it harder for me to do that.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Sorry about that Islamophobic nut, Grant. I've banninated him, and I'm screening anonymous comments now, so I can just delete his conspiracy theories.

I have no doubt that, especially post-9/11, Muslim Australians sometimes experience a frisson of fear in the presence of Anglo Australians. After all, we're more likely to shout abuse at them, or rip off their headscarves, etc. Of course, only a small number of Anglos would ever engage in threatening, violent behaviour like that, but of course statistically we're the ones most likely to do it.

[angriest.livejournal.com]

I meant to reply the other day and got distracted...

My thinking is that even if every terrorist attack in the developed world in the past 7 years has been committed by a radicalised Moslem, you're still looking at a tiny minority of people among over a billion Moslems worldwide, most of whom are intelligent, rational, wonderful people.

It is fundamentally wrong to fear all of Islam because of the actions and intentions of a violent minority who have distorted their religious ideals to allow for racist, murderous zealotry, just as it would be fundamentally wrong to fear all Christians because of some crazy evangelicals blowing up abortion clinics or lynching black and gay people. It's not what we do.

[kateorman.livejournal.com]

Basically, it'd be like refusing to leave your house in case of meteorites.

[angriest.livejournal.com]

In Japan, in the one year (1995) they had both the Hanshin earthquake and the Aum Shinri Kyo subway gas attack.

The gas attack killed 12 people, severely injured 54 and affected about 980 people.

The earthquake killed 6,436 people, injured tens of thousands more, and cost Japan 2.5% of its GDP (about 10 trillion yen) in damage.

Why do we fear the arbitrary death from one so much more than the other?