![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by slugdoo on August 13, 2007, at 2:41:22
Something has happened to me over the last month, like 3 times while I was out shopping. After today, I am like what is going on?
First of all, I am not shopping during a busy time of day but there will be people blocking the isle, and I want to get past. Most of the time they do see me, but they do not move out of way, like I would do if I see someone trying to get around. So I say excuse me, and today the kids did move, there were like 5, but in the next isle I heard the mother telling the kids that they can stand wearever they want in the store! I was shocked to hear that, but now I got to thinking.
The other times it happen one was with a boy with a cart and his mother was on the cell phone talking. It looked like I could get around, but it was close so I said excuse me, the boy heard me, he didn't move, but I went through anyways, because like I said it was tight. Well I bumped into their cart and the mother just in a very loud voice, said, all you had to do is say excuse me, and I would have moved. I told her I DID say excuse me, you just didn't hear me. Then I looked at the kid, and asked did I say excuse me? He said he didn't know, but he did. I tried to be nice about it because I do feel intimidated to a degree.
Okay it happened another time, same thing
basicially .I have friends of a lot of different diversities, I do not concider myself to be predjustice at all. I in fact challege other people who I see who are being that way who I know. So what is it you think that is going on? Am I being treated this way because I am white or was it just coincedence or something else? I just don't get it, I try to be respectful when I am shopping, I don't use the whole isle with my cart, I try not to block it. I just don't get it.
It almost seems to me, that people are being rude on purpose, to intimidate me, to make it look like I am doing something wrong. When in fact all I want to do is pass by them to continue shopping, there is room for 2 carts to pass in an isle.
Posted by slugdoo on August 13, 2007, at 3:05:12
In reply to Is there such a thing as reverse discrimation?, posted by slugdoo on August 13, 2007, at 2:41:22
I am kinda scared to post over here, I am not trying to be uncivil, I have tried my best to post in the babble way, but like I said this board scares me. I hope my comments are okay, I don't want to cause any problems.
Posted by Honore on August 16, 2007, at 14:43:37
In reply to Re: Is there such a thing as reverse discrimation?, posted by slugdoo on August 13, 2007, at 3:05:12
I tend to here's such a thing as dislike or resentment, or, one could say, prejudice against white people by people of color-- but I wouldn't call it reverse discrimination.
I'd just say that when there are racial ideas running around in a culture-- about one race being superior or one race getting more of the goods of a society, or being somehow preferred, there is usually a response from people of other races. That response can range from not holding it against other people of the privileged race, to have a kind of hatred of them. I guess it may permeate our culture on all sides, and be very hard to eradicate. Somehow though, I wouldn't call it reverse discrimination.
However, I've frequently been in supermarkets and have people of all races block the isles and ignore me when I tried politely to wait for them to move, or said, excuse me, or so. Some people appear to be in their own world, or to be caught up in what they need, and very unreponsive to the outer world, and to what I consider a norm of behavior. So I don't necessarily think what you experienced was discrimination-- just the widespread self-involvement of people and their indifference to or unawareness of people around them.
Honore
Posted by slugdoo on August 18, 2007, at 7:09:36
In reply to Re: Is there such a thing as reverse discrimation?, posted by Honore on August 16, 2007, at 14:43:37
Hi Honore,
Yeah, I know I am part of the race with privledge, but I don't feel that way myself, but I am aware that we do have certain privledges.
I guess I would be inclined to think people were just into themselves, if they didn't say the stuff they did afterwards or if they acted apologetic for not seeing they were blocking the isle.
The other day when I was in Chicago,(crowed) I encountered someone who was walking across the line of traffic( diagonally), against the direction of traffic, with a group of 5 in a straight line, looking behind her(for a long time), I might add, and she ran right into me. She said in front of my kids, "out of my way, bitch", you don't own this place. (she does?) Her friends just laughed. I didn't say anything, just shook my head, but they were in a stance, wanting to "start something". I just keep walking with my family in disbelief of what happened.
So I feel something is going on, not just ordinary "in my own world" behavior. It feels to me like aggression.
Posted by zazenducke on August 20, 2007, at 11:15:33
In reply to Is there such a thing as reverse discrimation?, posted by slugdoo on August 13, 2007, at 2:41:22
It's about the content of people's characters/values not the colour of their skin :)
Reverse discrimination would be nondiscrimination wouldn't it?
Of course people from different ethnic groups can act badly towards each other. Of course white people can be discriminated against-just the same as asian or hispanic or any other ethnic group can be discriminated against.
To label one group the eternal discriminator and say they alone are unable to be discriminated against is just well discriminatory.
Posted by fayeroe on August 23, 2007, at 21:34:03
In reply to No. discrimination is discrimination, posted by zazenducke on August 20, 2007, at 11:15:33
i have to differ with you, zaz......i am not a racist but it is getting harder and harder not to notice the rudeness that is visited upon one in the grocery store.......and the parking lot of said grocery store.
Posted by caraher on August 24, 2007, at 21:52:15
In reply to Re: No. discrimination is discrimination » zazenducke, posted by fayeroe on August 23, 2007, at 21:34:03
I'm inclined to side with both sides. On one hand, I agree that "discrimination is discrimination" and there's nothing "reverse" about it. Oh, except that "reverse" is a handy label for cases of discrimination that reverse the usual power roles.
So it's at least a useful shorthand...
Posted by fayeroe on August 26, 2007, at 13:51:48
In reply to Re: No. discrimination is discrimination, posted by caraher on August 24, 2007, at 21:52:15
> I'm inclined to side with both sides. On one hand, I agree that "discrimination is discrimination" and there's nothing "reverse" about it. Oh, except that "reverse" is a handy label for cases of discrimination that reverse the usual power roles.
>
> So it's at least a useful shorthand...I've never felt that I had "power" to run over someone with a shopping cart or a pickup truck because of my race.
In fact, due to the fact that it is a different culture, it could be said that it is "life as usual"....I don't know.
Courtesy is good, in any language.
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Politics | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.