Question

I am curious as to whether the author has considered doing a study of all races rather than just white students. I wonder if this isn’t more of a “group think” type of thing where students feel more free to express feelings around people who are just like them? In other words, do Asian (realizing that “Asian” represents a very heterogenous population, but used for simplicity’s sake) students disparage white and black students in settings where there are only other Asian students around. Do African-American students disparage other races when in a situation where they know they are “safe” to express their feelings? I think you may find a certain amount of that in each group but probably not nearly to the extent in the white group. I have no real idea but it might be worth looking at.

TA, at 7:05 am EST on February 2, 2007

the n-word

It would probably be interesting to study every subgroup on campus who might use this term. It seems that young persons of colour seeming hip and in tune with popular media figures also use this term for each other, viz., Niggah not to mention all the rest of the rap which is swearing in rhythm. I would also like the word monitors to research common use of the F— term too, while they are at it. Young people can be casually foul mouthed in a lot of directions, not limited to bigotry. “Word”

bystander, at 7:05 am EST on February 2, 2007

Power

While I would not argue the point that many subgroups probably make many of the same negative comments when on the “frontstage", the saience of power can not be lost in the discussion of the results. Conidering that, on average, people of color will find themselves in far fewer positions of power than people of color. That said, negative “backstage” comments made by students who are far more likely to assume positions of power following their formal education may, potentially, have detrmental implications for people of color in the future. In other words, while the comments may presently being taking place on the “backstage", the potential for these students to act, albeit subtly, in accordance with their present, negative view of people of color, is frightenting.

Chris Smith, at 7:50 am EST on February 2, 2007

What about B.E.T.?

Just wondering, because this PC stuff gets so confusing —

Is B.E.T. (Black Entertainment Television) going to stop showing music videos that use the N-word?

And B-word? and H-word? And require more clothes on everyone? And no gang signs?

Has B.E.T. reaped, what they sowed? Or this just another Bush/Cheney/Reagan plot? Like crack and AIDS?

L.L., at 8:10 am EST on February 2, 2007

Re: Racist Banter Behind Closed Doors

“Nearly 70 percent of students whose journals were viewed were white women, and the vast majority of students attended one of five colleges in either Florida or Georgia or a large university in the Midwest.”

Nothing new here. Look at the Congressmen people of Georgia elect..Lynn Westmoreland, Nathan Deal, Phil Gingrey among others. I travelled with these clowns back in late September 2006 on a flight to Atlanta from Washington DC. Also some white workers at a Japanese auto plant were making racist jokes about their employers and did not want it to go out of the room for the fear of loosing their jobs.

What is surprising is the attitude of white women. Alexandra Robbins’s Pledged seem to indicate that white women and girls who segregate themselves (in sororities) tend to be equally racist and bigoted.

George Chell, at 8:21 am EST on February 2, 2007

Why was this study conducted only in the south and in one conservative state? Was the author attempting to prove a result she had already written? What happened to the northeast, the west, and the southwest? I don’t believe most people will view the selected venues as proof of a nation or a people. The content of the book sounds like it will be unfortunate and, yes, disappointing. But, anyone who believes this is uniquely a “white” problem is kidding themselves. It just means that they haven’t lived as a minority in any other setting. For several years I lived in a majority black neighborhood, shopped in majority black stores, rode on majority black transportion and learned first hand that racism can be a result of group think, or even a comfort zone, but is not the result of someone’s skin color. During those years, I could count on being looked over by any number of servers at local restaurants, who would look past me to see what the black person behind me wanted to order or how many people were in their party. I could count on being the last one in a shoe department to be waited on. I also could count on slower service. I learned the racist slang of young blacks who had no problem making comments about my hair (blond), face or body (petite). If you attend a show by a black comedian, then you will almost assuredly see jokes and steroetypes about whites and other non-blacks. This doesn’t mean that blacks are any worse as a group of people, it just means that to think this is a white syndrome is to stick your head in the sand and practice the same racism you criticize. We all need to work better to fight steroetypes. The people I hold dearest are people who share my experiences and vision, and often look nothing like me. And, because of this, I am comfortable in my skin. We all need to work to ensure that the situation continues to improve within all racial groups. Targeting a single group and saying “it’s all their fault” is inaccurate and unhelpful. All this said, it is a valid point that if whites hold power, then perhaps they have a higher responsibility to fight racism.

SG, at 8:52 am EST on February 2, 2007

Research Ethics

It would be interesting to have a clear statement as to whether or not this study was approved by the University of Florida Institutional Review Board. It probably was.

But it is a fundamental tenant of research ethics that participants must provide informed consent. From the write up it seems unlikely that these unwitting participants knew their comments were being recorded for later publication. It also seems unlikely that they gave their consent to this.

I can readily imagine someone quoted in this book recognizing a statement they made, and being very upset (deservedly so or not) to find out they were ‘outed’ as engaging in racist behavior.

We were discussing the ethical propriety of studies like this in a research class earlier this week, so these points are not moot.

Bruce Thyer, Professor at Florida State University, at 9:42 am EST on February 2, 2007

And...now what??....no surprise

From my perspective…as a mainstream African American male who was born in the 50’s…and struggled for success and have ‘always’ been behind my peers…both whites & blacks….this is powerful stuff….and soooo very true. I was forced because of racism while fighting to earn a living in the rap culture generation…N-word, B-word H-word etc……to work in civil rights and black economics. I was exposed to a wealthier white world while younger but never welcomed to be apart of it…..racism, sexism and hiring quotas... etc.. keep me out. I never gave up and have found that younger whites today….many of them a lot younger than myself…very very prejudice, klannish and suffering from old school racism….they really recent us as black folks and have no idea of the history of America with regards to black & white….only that we as blacks represent a threat to their access to modern things…such as I Pods, MP3’s and the internet plus health insurance & jobs.

Fast forward to today and other ethnic groups are being factored in to the equation for comparison. The issue of this research as stated above represents the future of American leadership and yes a backlash a lot greater than those MLK mocking parties here of late will be forth coming. Their privileges as whites are astronomical (if only because of certain social morals) and much is underfoot to try and block any further success minorities will make in this country without first adding to their privileges…for example a ‘whites only scholarship’ as a new concept to counter blacks gains; or the when MLK was made a National Holiday a another day was put on the books too…Pulaski Day.

Furthermore affirmative action is currently under fire in a lot of states too. Comments about BET (which is white owned) and why there are any thing black such as companies, universities, restaurants, newspapers, churches.. Etc…and why certain language allowed…people forget we were purposely locked out and we as blacks fought for every ones civil rights….and won. It’s no surprise that in private situations whites say unappealing things about us because when ‘need more’ is put on equal footing with ‘privileges’…guess who wins… necessity is the mother of invention. In sports, educational ideas, social ideals and survival concepts etc.. Blacks are unstoppable and we adjust to the need. Revealing the true organizational culture of mainstream America is no surprise and much is yet to come.

Greg Harris, at 9:46 am EST on February 2, 2007

Quoting W.C. Gau “Can’t wait to see the spike in black-on-white crimes that result from this publication. This study should have been more fairly balanced by studying all ethnicities. Mark my words, this book will cause a societal backlash, on many levels. Today’s “scholars” should think before they put pen to paper.”

Fortunately for whites, even if it happens, which I doubt it will, you would only see a “spike” in crimes committed against whites. Think about the “day in and day out” savage crimes that are committed against people of color by a racist system. I don’t mean by individuals, though that also happens, but the systemic process of keeping people of color out of the equation in the attainment of the so called “American Dream.” I urge you to read Paul Gorski’s column in today’s www.Tolerance.org for a poignant piece on poverty and class. What he speaks about affects people of color disproportionately. Yet, some continue to berate and speak mindlessly about people of color without considering the impacts that this racist system has on a segment of our society that is constantly bantered and prevented from achieving their full potential.

JBH, University of Vermont, at 11:41 am EST on February 2, 2007

Comment on the comments

I would say that the comments posted here are just as interesting as the results of the study. Generally, I would think that the education level of the average IHE reader is at the graduate level, and yet we seem to play out the same tired dialog that we see on talk shows when racial issues are the topic.

There are the “I’m confused” people, pretending to (like Stephen Colbert) be totally color blind and thus shocked, shocked by evidence of prejudice. There are the “vicarious victims” and the “everybody does this” people, and so on. When we take on these highly stylized roles, I think we avoid real discussions about prejudice (not just racial, but classist) and the inequality that remains in our society.

QuakerProf, at 11:50 am EST on February 2, 2007

Yea QuakerProf!

Sisco, at 1:16 pm EST on February 2, 2007

Funny Thing is....

You know the funny thing is if at any given moment you go to mainstream America’s….main street…say downtown North Michigan Ave in Chicago….the new generation of blacks who are known as the bing bing generation or the Rap culture…the ones who are being mocked and talked about in private by those concerned whites….basically are missing in action. That culture because of institutional racism that Americas organizational cultural society has done such a good job of controlling has keep them locked out; they are MIA’s….and only to be seen in entertainment pursuits or sports on prime time…old school singing and dancing based in entertainment or gladiators on the grid iron.

Choices made by them from education to careers and including their deplorable language are made by them….and it affects all who watch or are close by. As an African American who believes in education they are a disappointment and competing with ethnic groups that may have a higher value. Moreover because again institutional racism they don’t understand and the jails are full with them also based in their choices…I don’t blame them however; our history of abuse from the powers that have ruled or the classes that have maintain control are the real causes. A discussion of class as is so often pointed too on these education blogs or even in the office is by far a better alternative than fighting it out in the streets.

Also we are always encouraged to be tougher skinned and to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps….but as stated above by JBH those younger whites and their roles of power are growing …and growing to leadership such as CEOs and elected positions…..their power does affect Americas direction and social climate. Education is the answer and I don’t necessarily blame those younger whites however racism is a learned behavior and it’s a value that can be pasted from generation to generation. If America truly wants to live up to Dr Kings dream then much is still needed for the African American’s healing process….and many are completely against it….but as a very famous singer from the 60’s said….the revolution will not be on the internet or televised and brought to you by Coke Cola…but in the streets of mainstream America.

Greg Harris, at 2:25 pm EST on February 2, 2007

Rather than respond to Professor Bonnell’s comment, I submit the following url’s to shed some light on the man behind the comment. There has been a good deal of controversy in his past over his choice of words and how “thick-skinned” some of his students have been:

http://www.freedomforum.org/templates/document.asp?documentID=10913

http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Chateau/6630/

T Moore, at 3:00 pm EST on February 2, 2007

A broader study would be instructive

Multiple surveys show more liberal attitudes on issues of race among Millennials. See:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/lifestyle/2006-06-28-generation-next_x.htm

In terms of social/dating behavior:

“A Gallup Poll last year says 60% of 18- to 29-year-olds have dated someone of a different race.”

We should pay attention to what people do as well as what they say.

Also, the use of backstage derogatory terminology may be a widespread characteristic across the entire ethnic spectrum. More study would be welcome. Some readers may recall Jesse Jackson’s 1984 backstage reference to Jews as “Hymies.” See:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-...s/special/clinton/frenzy/jackson.htm

The human tendency to view all “outsiders” with suspicion is at least partly at play here. It’s another evolutionary trait that was apparently useful once, but now does more harm than good.

GP, at 11:06 am EST on February 3, 2007