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January 12, 2006, 2:12 pm PST
01/12 Racism Experiment
Quote From: squidgeI was raised in an area where there was little or no contact with anyone other than white people. My Dad was an extreme racist until about ten years before he died. I think he was like George on your show, he finally met some African/American's and became friends with them. As I got older I came to recognise some of his beliefs that were handed down to me, so I changed my attitude. My husband and I raised our kids to accept everyone as equal, and I believe our adult children do not see skin color they only see people, some good and some bad. As I watched the show today I also wondered how it might have been if my white Swedish grandparents had been treated as different as people of color when they came to America in the early 1920's? I am half Swede and half mix, should I be labeled "SWEDISH/AMERICAN"? Actually, many White European immigrants faced discrimination upon entering the USA. The way we see "White" today is very different than what "White" used to be. In the past, Jewish people were considered their own race, as were Italians, Irish, and so on. When the Irish began settling in New England in large numbers, the discrimination against them was awful. Irish people were denied jobs and decent housing because of their Irish "race". Obviously, times have changed, but looking at our past should make it obvious that the stigmas we place on so-called "race" are ridiculous.
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