Lately, I’ve been exploring US history, particularly interracial relations. I noticed that during the various historical periods there have been various ups downs in relations, from the slavery period, civil war, Reconstruction, Jim Crow laws, Civil Rights movement, up to the recent racially fueled crimes. I wonder how today’s interracial relations compare to historical periods. Is it at a high point despite setbacks? Or was there a time when racial groups were more tolerant than today?
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> Or was there a time when racial groups were more tolerant than today?
Absolutely not. You will find no minority group who would like to go back in history and live in a different time period.
It’s the best it’s ever been.
I didn’t live through any of those eras so I don’t know. I’m sure you can read history books on that. Racism definitely exists though, just like it exists pretty much everywhere else.
>recent racially fueled crimes.
Is this an actually studied thing that reputable sources have determined or is this a “I’ve read a thing somewhere” anecdotal observation?
I would say it’s at its High Point
Anybody who DOESN’T think it’s the best it’s ever been is either being intentionally obtuse to try to make a point, or has no idea what they’re talking about
I think America has a long way to go but it’s 100 percent better now than in anyother time period and I think it’ll get even better as time goes on
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I think America has a long way to go but it’s 100 percent better now than in anyother time period and I think it’ll get even better as time goes on
Certainly better now than at any other time in U.S. history. Of course, that doesn’t mean there’s not still substantial improvement to be made.
Today is better than it ever was, by far. Though we still have a ways to go.
I dated a black girl in high school and had to conceal it from my stepdad, for fear of him having a problem with it. Now the sentiment is more like, “I fucking dare you to say something, dad.”
>was there a time when racial groups were more tolerant than today?
Definitely.
Anyone who thinks “today” is the peak of tolerance is naive. Things have decayed significantly since the Clinton administration and are going to get worse.
And the blame goes around equally for that. The right does its part, but it was the left that killed comedy. The millennial generation will be remembered as Neo-Zwinglians.
Its not as racist as other countries.
America as a whole is currently the least racist it has ever been. It is also simultaneously much more racist than it should be.
I did not live through those eras but I can say it’s better now than before. I live in an area that back in the day, Black people weren’t supposed to be in a certain part of town after dark. It was not a sundown town and this was maybe the 80s – 90s. I live in that part of town now and other than a few double takes, I’m doing alright.
I feel like things were at their best in maybe 2010-2014 but still everything now is miles better than before. But even then DEI wasn’t as big of a focus so I guess right now is still arguably as good or better.
I would be confident saying it’s never been less. More people are generally aware in a way they weren’t even 10 or 15 years ago.
There are certain things in the States I’m pessimistic about but race relations isn’t one of them, the opposite, I’m optimistic. None of the problems are insoluble.
As an aside, I’ve met two, let’s call them Confederate revivalists in my time down here, and both of them explicitly said that while they embrace segregation, they would not favor bringing back slavery. Which was something of the raison d’etre of the Confederacy. So that’s extremely funny to me.
Born in 1965. Was in high school from ’79 to ’83.
Interracial relations may have been set back the past 4 years–but it’s the smallest blip that ever blipped compared to the way things were in the early 1980’s, where casual racism was just “boys being boys.”
And the 1980’s was a golden era of racial harmony compared to the 1950’s and 1960’s where a black man could be strung up to die on a ‘hangin’ tree’ for looking at a white woman the wrong way.
*I will absolutely take today’s social media shit storm over people literally being murdered by the god-damned KKK.* Especially since, during the 1950’s, being a “Grand Wizard” or whatever the fuck you call being part of the KKK’s leadership was seen as a reason to vote for someone for political office, rather than the badge of shame it is seen as today.
I never saw racism in America….maybe its “hidden”. But in France, Germany and even Italy, I saw blatant racism against blacks.
It is marketly better according to everyone I talk to who was alive during the early and mid parts of the century.
But if you listen to liberal politicians or the media they act like it’s worse than ever. They need racial tensions to be alive and well.
Something I think about is the case of Emmett Till. Went from up in Chicago to Money, Mississippi to visit some family for the summer. He is said to have been trying to flirt with a white woman. It is commonly believed that he did this as a bet with his friends. The woman’s family found him, beat him to the point he was unrecognizable, and killed him. His family was only able to ID him by the ring he was wearing on his finger. He was 14.
The people who killed him were taken to court and were found innocent, even though Till’s great uncle gave a first hand account of him abducting Emmett. Then they publicly said they, in fact, tortured and killed Emmett.
I am a black guy myself and while I didn’t date at the time, but kids catch feelings pretty quick. The most racially intolerant things that happened to me was someone telling me her dad said I couldn’t take her to a dance because I’m black. Times have changed.
today is easily better than any other time in American history in that regard
America is the least racist and bigoted than it has ever been. Still room for improvement.
Racism in Texas is very extreme, i dont know about other parts of the country.
In the 1920s the KKK had between 3-6 million members including prominent politicians.
Today they only have between 5-8 thousand members.
I’d say that’s an improvement.
As a Hispanic male, I can say, with all the confidence in the world, that there is no period of American history I would want to live in other than this one. Racism hasn’t gone away, nor has it been decreased. It merely hid away and festered with all the progress we’ve made with civil rights and all, and now it is coming back out because a lot of people feel as though they have a right to be racist/discriminatory. But even then, this period of time is better than any other
The post-WWII economic boom? I probably wouldn’t have been able to enjoy that, *even* if I had served in WWII with distinction. POC soldiers came home and still faced plenty of discrimination
Also, I love having the ability to look up whatever information I want to, whenever I want, at the palm of my hand. I also really like looking at stupid memes. This period of time has its issues but I’m coolin’ here
In my personal experience, very little has changed. People have just gotten more discreet. Business and government especially.
Wouldn’t want to go back to the past tho
A lot of people think it’s worse today and they’re not crazy for thinking that, it’s just that social media granted black people access to the personal views and ideas of very racist white nationalists
America is more tolerant now of different people, ethnicities, nationalities, sexualities, genders, political beliefs and hobbies than any other time in history. Nobody who is a minority would enjoy america even 30 years ago.
Much less. Doesn’t mean it’s not bad today (it is), but it’s definitely better today than it ever has been. I am someone who’s lived a life full of terrible racism in this country. Even I can say this.