Wrong To Help Kids Of Certain Race?

[GoodLuckTurtle]

I've read a lot of news articles in my area, and there are some politicians of a certain ethnicity, and they state in their articles that their goal is help the kids of their own ethnicity. There are some articles about a few politicians in my area, and it kept mentioning how he or she is a "Latino role model" or "a good role model who helps with the Latino community and Latino students," just because the said politician has ancestry in a Latin American country. Some people in the comments section said it was unnecessary to bring up his ethnicity nonstop in the article. While it's great to assist children, especially those that are struggling, there are children who are struggling with various issues who are of any ethnicity, race, faith, and background.

I think if we want to be progressive, we should help all of each other. There's nothing wrong with "ethnic pride" in my opinion, but I think it's unnecessary to help kids just because they are of a certain ethnicity or race. Some people I've heard say they do things like that as a political force. I also think it would lessen racism if we stopped with stuff like that. It divides us.

What do you think? Is it okay to help out certain kids because they're of a certain race/ethnicity, or should people just help all children?

[MOSFET]

At 7/21/13 02:49 PM, BigFatKid wrote: I've read a lot of news articles in my area, and there are some politicians of a certain ethnicity, and they state in their articles that their goal is help the kids of their own ethnicity. There are some articles about a few politicians in my area, and it kept mentioning how he or she is a "Latino role model" or "a good role model who helps with the Latino community and Latino students," just because the said politician has ancestry in a Latin American country. Some people in the comments section said it was unnecessary to bring up his ethnicity nonstop in the article. While it's great to assist children, especially those that are struggling, there are children who are struggling with various issues who are of any ethnicity, race, faith, and background.

I think if we want to be progressive, we should help all of each other. There's nothing wrong with "ethnic pride" in my opinion, but I think it's unnecessary to help kids just because they are of a certain ethnicity or race. Some people I've heard say they do things like that as a political force. I also think it would lessen racism if we stopped with stuff like that. It divides us.

What do you think? Is it okay to help out certain kids because they're of a certain race/ethnicity, or should people just help all children?

Depends.

I don't see anything inherently wrong with identity politics. It's an important vehicle to express a group's concerns. In fact, silencing these people will probably lead to more racism down the road. If they aren't allowed to articulate their view of the world, how are we ever going to make a laws that are fair to everyone?

I wouldn't worry about that politician. He is probably running for office in a small Latino community. If not, then I don't see him winning any sort of election with that kind of talk.

[Camarohusky]

It is iffy to help someone solely because of their race, however, you really miss the point here.

The people you question aren't helping people because of their race, they're helping them because of the communty. Due to de facto segregation, as well as a similar cultural background, the US has remained more of a salad bowl than a metling pot. A latino helping "the latino community" is almost always nothing more than a member of the latino community helping out their communty. The common understanding of culture, circumstances, and upbringing means member of groups are more likely to know what other members of ther same group are feeling and experience, and how to help them grow.

While it may appear on the putisde that it's a wholly race based thing, there's actually very little race involved at all.

[GoodLuckTurtle]

At 7/21/13 08:45 PM, Camarohusky wrote: It is iffy to help someone solely because of their race, however, you really miss the point here.

The people you question aren't helping people because of their race, they're helping them because of the communty. Due to de facto segregation, as well as a similar cultural background, the US has remained more of a salad bowl than a metling pot. A latino helping "the latino community" is almost always nothing more than a member of the latino community helping out their communty. The common understanding of culture, circumstances, and upbringing means member of groups are more likely to know what other members of ther same group are feeling and experience, and how to help them grow.

While it may appear on the putisde that it's a wholly race based thing, there's actually very little race involved at all.

I'm going to ignore your spelling errors, but I agree with you. However, keep in mind, the specific politician that the article was talking about was born in the US. He's really an American who has heritage from Mexico City. Also, keep in mind that he's actually in a correctional facility right now pending trial for felony charges, so he isn't a role model to children anymore.

Most of the kids he helps are born in the US. I've met many kids and befriended many people in my city who have parents from all around the world, and almost all of them are assimilated to American society. Most of us consider ourselves Americans, and while some of us like to be attached to our cultural heritage, we do remember that we are Americans above all things. Many young people I know don't like being labeled as "Latino" or "white" or whatever, and just want to be called American, or just themselves. I can understand though, if he wants to help children who just moved to the US and don't speak English, and can speak Spanish with them and help them learn English.

Also, I have many relatives in the US who don't speak English at all and I grew up with some relatives who don't speak English. I never had people assist me in helping me to understand my cultural heritage's community's problems, but I seemed to ended up fine. I guess it really depends on the individual.

I think it is a good thing what he is doing, but I think that we could also have more help out the whole community of American youth in general, whether they are rich, poor, religious, non-religious, whatever their ethnic background is, etc.

[NordicThunder88]

It's pretty racist to favor and only help a certain few based on their race or skin color. Don't they we are all human? Race is just a social construct. I think she is just a neo-nazi latino supremacist if you ask me. Talking about the advancement of latino and only latino people. Just racist

[Korriken]

so, if it's ok that a black or latino politician wants to focus on helping black/latino children, would be it fine for, say, a white politician to say he wants to help the white children?

[NordicThunder88]

At 7/21/13 10:16 PM, Korriken wrote: so, if it's ok that a black or latino politician wants to focus on helping black/latino children, would be it fine for, say, a white politician to say he wants to help the white children?

It should be. Otherwise it's completely racist.

[Camarohusky]

At 7/21/13 10:16 PM, Korriken wrote: so, if it's ok that a black or latino politician wants to focus on helping black/latino children, would be it fine for, say, a white politician to say he wants to help the white children?

You're assuming that the system doesn't already favor white children, which it clearly does.

[Korriken]

At 7/21/13 10:21 PM, NordicThunder88 wrote:

It should be. Otherwise it's completely racist.

you would think, but it seems like every time some kind of group or whatever emerges that is pro white, it's likened to the Klan and people throw race cards at it, which is why you never see any kind of "white entertainment television"

on the other hand, 'whites' are so diversified such a thing would be impossible to even consider.

Kind of sad the minority races allow the media and society to lump them together according to race. i mean, seriously, if I was black (and still the same me), I would condemn the BET channel. I know many blacks who do. Most of them are intelligent enough to be able to think for themselves and reject the place society has prepared for them.

[GoodLuckTurtle]

At 7/21/13 10:16 PM, Korriken wrote: so, if it's ok that a black or latino politician wants to focus on helping black/latino children, would be it fine for, say, a white politician to say he wants to help the white children?

Yeah that's what I'm talking about. It's okay if the person wants to help kids who have difficulty speaking English and can teach them in their native tongue how to assimilate to American society and speak English, while also teaching them to stay attached with their cultural background.

I'm partially Asian and I'm sure I've never heard about Asian-American activists going into schools to help out the "Asian community."

[NordicThunder88]

At 7/21/13 10:31 PM, BigFatKid wrote:

At 7/21/13 10:16 PM, Korriken wrote: so, if it's ok that a black or latino politician wants to focus on helping black/latino children, would be it fine for, say, a white politician to say he wants to help the white children?

Yeah that's what I'm talking about. It's okay if the person wants to help kids who have difficulty speaking English and can teach them in their native tongue how to assimilate to American society and speak English, while also teaching them to stay attached with their cultural background.

I don't know man, that reeks of double standards. The only way to get rid of racism and prejudice, is to just stop bringing up race. Stop bring up racism, stop bringing up the past, don't even bring up racism. We just have to call each other human. And if blacks or asians can make their own groups, white people should be able too. Otherwise, equal treatment for all, special privileges for none.

[GoodLuckTurtle]

At 7/21/13 10:29 PM, Korriken wrote: Kind of sad the minority races allow the media and society to lump them together according to race. i mean, seriously, if I was black (and still the same me), I would condemn the BET channel. I know many blacks who do. Most of them are intelligent enough to be able to think for themselves and reject the place society has prepared for them.

I like some hip-hop and rap that may be featured on BET, but for the most part, that channel is trash and should be taken off the air. It's offensive to the human race, and generally doesn't promote anything positive. I've heard Bill Cosby condemn BET before, and he's right.

[poxpower]

At 7/21/13 10:21 PM, NordicThunder88 wrote:

At 7/21/13 10:16 PM, Korriken wrote: so, if it's ok that a black or latino politician wants to focus on helping black/latino children, would be it fine for, say, a white politician to say he wants to help the white children?

It should be. Otherwise it's completely racist.

Well it's not, if you do that you will lose your job.
Yes it is racism. Most people are racist against whites. The excuse is that whites are well-off so it's ok.

See below lol

At 7/21/13 10:29 PM, Camarohusky wrote:

At 7/21/13 10:16 PM, Korriken wrote: so, if it's ok that a black or latino politician wants to focus on helping black/latino children, would be it fine for, say, a white politician to say he wants to help the white children?

You're assuming that the system doesn't already favor white children, which it clearly does.

I'd love to hear the explanation for that one.

[NordicThunder88]

At 7/21/13 10:54 PM, poxpower wrote:

It should be. Otherwise it's completely racist.

Well it's not, if you do that you will lose your job.
Yes it is racism. Most people are racist against whites. The excuse is that whites are well-off so it's ok.

Ofcourse they are

[GoodLuckTurtle]

At 7/21/13 11:01 PM, NordicThunder88 wrote:

Well it's not, if you do that you will lose your job.
Yes it is racism. Most people are racist against whites. The excuse is that whites are well-off so it's ok.

Ofcourse they are

It's just a stereotype that they're well off. We know there are white people are poor. I know many, many white people who are poor and live in crappy neighborhoods. The majority of the homeless people in my city are Caucasians, many of whom are suffering from mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Poverty has no correlation to race. Every race, ethnicity, etc. has plenty of poor people.

[NordicThunder88]

At 7/21/13 11:05 PM, BigFatKid wrote: It's just a stereotype that they're well off. We know there are white people are poor. I know many, many white people who are poor and live in crappy neighborhoods. The majority of the homeless people in my city are Caucasians, many of whom are suffering from mental illnesses such as schizophrenia.

Poverty has no correlation to race. Every race, ethnicity, etc. has plenty of poor people.

So you basically contradicted yourself and admitted it was wrong to only help one race of people, right?

[GoodLuckTurtle]

At 7/21/13 11:07 PM, NordicThunder88 wrote: So you basically contradicted yourself and admitted it was wrong to only help one race of people, right?

Did I actually say that it was okay to help out one race of people? I never really said that I did, but I had mixed opinions on the subject. My original post suggests that it seems strange to exclusively help a certain ethnic group of people, especially children.

[poxpower]

At 7/21/13 11:05 PM, BigFatKid wrote:

Poverty has no correlation to race. Every race, ethnicity, etc. has plenty of poor people.

Yeah it does lol.
Proportionally, there's more poor black people than poor white people.
That's what a correlation is. Blackness is correlated to poorness.

[GoodLuckTurtle]

At 7/21/13 11:16 PM, poxpower wrote: Yeah it does lol.
Proportionally, there's more poor black people than poor white people.
That's what a correlation is. Blackness is correlated to poorness.

Maybe what I meant was, poverty has no color. Sure, black people are more vulnerable to poverty, but many white people live in low-income neighborhoods too. It's obvious that wealthy neighborhoods in the US are mainly white or Asian, but stereotypically when people think of ghettos they think of a community populated by African-Americans. Many poor neighborhoods across the world have many Caucasian residents. Even though it may not be the norm, it still exists.

Poverty affects all types of people, and we shouldn't just only encourage a certain ethnic group to do well in school and succeed, but we should encourage ALL youth, regardless of their background. All kinds of youth are affected by poverty, and it's not just stereotypical African-Americans or Latin Americans.

Also, this may or may not be related: http://wearenottrayvonmartin.com/ Many people suggesting that Trayvon was profiled before the shooting, and it shows many people who identify as white saying that they feel bad for how minorities are profiled a lot. In my opinion, I don't think Zimmerman really shot Martin because of his skin color, but anyone is free to think differently.

[Camarohusky]

At 7/21/13 10:54 PM, poxpower wrote: I'd love to hear the explanation for that one.

Look around you. White people get paid better for the same jobs. White people are more likely to be chosen for jobs. White people are expected (by strangers) to be smarter and better educated. Entertainment in the US is largely geared toward white people. Most role models and people of power in this country are white people (dispropotionate to the demographics). White kids do not get followed and thought of as criminals as often.

This contry was built by white people for white people. How the hell is the system NOT geared to help them? And NO, examples of poor white people do not refute this at all. Some white people choosing not to or being completely unable to succeed in the system does not mean the system is not very white friendly.

Any white person who says otherwise either has an agenda, or is blind to what is around them.

[GoodLuckTurtle]

At 7/21/13 11:33 PM, Camarohusky wrote: White people are more likely to be chosen for jobs. White people are expected (by strangers) to be smarter and better educated.

You may be right about everything else about white people having power, being bosses, managers, CEOs, and being chosen as actors in the leading roles for movies and TV shows, etc. However, there's one exception: Silicon Valley. Some of the highest-paying high tech jobs you can find in the US are there, where Yahoo!, HP, and Google have their headquarters. About half of the people who work at those companies are of Asian descent, mainly of Indian, Chinese, and Korean origin. The home of Apple, Inc., Cupertino, California, is over 60% Asian-American. The rest is mainly Caucasian. Some of the CEOs and co-founders of software engineering or engine search website companies there are immigrants from India or China.

Even though it's just one place where it's like that, the place with highest concentration of high-tech companies in the US, is dominated by non-Caucasians.

[Entice]

At 7/21/13 10:29 PM, Korriken wrote: Kind of sad the minority races allow the media and society to lump them together according to race. i mean, seriously, if I was black (and still the same me), I would condemn the BET channel.

If a black person has to actively condemn BET to not be seen as a stereotype by others then they're either stereotypical in more significant ways or surrounded by racists lol.

I know many blacks who do. Most of them are intelligent enough to be able to think for themselves and reject the place society has prepared for them.

Not liking things like rap just because you're black and don't want to be seen as a stereotype is just contrarian, not some sort of progressive way of thinking. I don't see it how it helps anything.

[NordicThunder88]

At 7/21/13 11:33 PM, Camarohusky wrote:

At 7/21/13 10:54 PM, poxpower wrote: I'd love to hear the explanation for that one.

Any white person who says otherwise either has an agenda, or is blind to what is around them.

That's a complete load. Why is the mass media always making white people and white criminals to look like KKK Neo-Nazis whenever they can. Why is black-on-white crime rarely exposed? White people may not be expected to commit crime, but they are often the victim of it

[poxpower]

At 7/21/13 11:33 PM, Camarohusky wrote:

Look around you. White people get paid better for the same jobs. White people are more likely to be chosen for jobs. White people are expected (by strangers) to be smarter and better educated. Entertainment in the US is largely geared toward white people. Most role models and people of power in this country are white people (dispropotionate to the demographics). White kids do not get followed and thought of as criminals as often.

The problem with all of these is that you just assume it's that way because of racism.
Note that asians still do better than whites in many instances of this.

Just saying that the people in power are white doesn't prove this nation is slanted to give white people an advantage.

In the meantime I can easily point to specific programs and legislation that benefits non-whites like path to citizenship, affirmative action, no child left behind, black history month.

But you are just making assumptions that because whites are more successful, therefore this nation is artificially propping them up.

Well maybe you ARE right in some instances but you can't just assert it with no data to back it up. I'm sure racism is still a factor in a lot of places but I've never been shown that in 2013 it's massively responsible for the failures ( or successes ) of non-whites / non-caucasians.

[Feoric]

What this country really needs is someone who will think of the struggling white people, the most persecuted people out there.

[4761]

I am also ambivalent on this subject.

On one hand we have selective racial support, which is essentially an unfair way of tending to people's needs simply because of their skin color. Charity for a single race seems quite hypocritical and counterproductive to the whole "equality" message. I cannot imagine how struggling kids of non-Latino ethnicity might feel if someone offered a struggling Latino kid food and water instead of the former simply on the basis on what they are.

Then again, I come to realize that Latinos, Blacks, and other minority races have starving recognition and overall representation of the United States. As Camarohusky articulated, this society, more subconsciously than consciously nowadays, favors Caucasians much more than any other race. It would be very beneficial for Latino and other minorities to garner support and burgeon their influence so that the racial inequalities we face today are effectively eliminated. This way, just like the black slaves or the more fortunate black citizens of the Segregation period, the playing field is leveled.

However, for there to be selective support, I feel that there needs to be a very justified need. In the case of blacks and other demographics in past times (as well as women and oppressed religious groups), selective support should be used as a last resort for peoples who are vehemently restricted and excluded from most civil rights that the government ordinarily would grant to the peak demographic.

There are not so many inequalities in US society that Latinos and other minorities are treated as absolute scum of the country, the very bottom of the social ladder. For this reason, we should hold a reasonable moderation with our selectivity and instead grant honorary recognition, not actual support, to these unfortunate races.

Selective support to the needy just appears more to be a band-aid in this situation and sends the wrong message more than it would help in the long run. However, I understand where the politician is coming from; he has reasonable intentions.

[NigvonMartin]

nah man. only white people can be racist brotha

[SmilezRoyale]

The only people who ever really feel guilty about consciously helping "their own" are whites, by and large.

This idea that all forms of altruism must be Universalized for *all* of humanity is both something particular to the western mind and also quite ahistorical.

It's was also well established, however hesitantly, by Professor Putnam that social capital is largest in homogeneous societies smallest in more heterogeneous societies. People's willingness to trust and aid one another are strongest when they imagine themselves amongst the company of those "like them".

I suspect this is part of the reason that support for a large welfare state is strongest in the mostly ethnically homogeneous Scandinavian countries.

I don't even really see a reason why whites should embrace this universalistic conception of welfare. By and large, members of the other racial groups don't perceive it as genuine intra-racial altruism. Blacks especially seem to treat white platitudes about treating people equally as codewords for white supremacy.

There's nothing explicitly wrong with helping other groups, but nor is there anything wrong with helping one's own in-group. Let the Latinos aid the Latinos, and let's not kid ourselves in thinking that the well being of all humanity is somehow at the top of everyone's welfare list.

[Iron-Hampster]

At 7/21/13 10:29 PM, Camarohusky wrote:
You're assuming that the system doesn't already favor white children, which it clearly does.

Privilege [X]

[Korriken]

At 7/21/13 11:56 PM, Entice wrote:

If a black person has to actively condemn BET to not be seen as a stereotype by others then they're either stereotypical in more significant ways or surrounded by racists lol.

that wasn't the point at all. the point is, I refuse to let others tell me how to live. I live in Texas, but I'll be damned if I let the media tell me that I have to be some retarded drunken redneck.

Not liking things like rap just because you're black and don't want to be seen as a stereotype is just contrarian, not some sort of progressive way of thinking. I don't see it how it helps anything.

They don't like rap because they're black. They don't like rap because rap (along with hip hop and other trash music genres) are mostly filth and talentless garbage being mass produced and thrown at you.