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I am from India (currently living in NY) and I find it really surprising that it was only 50 years ago that there was race discrimination in US. My college frie

I am from India (currently living in NY) and I find it really surprising that it was only 50 years ago that there was race discrimination in US. My college friends are all over the world (UK, rest of the Europe, Germany, Australia etc.) and based on my conversation with them, USA is the place with least amount of 'racism' against Asians (I put racism in quotes because there is no blatant, in the face racism in USA. It's more about subtle racism against Asians). In a place like NY, it's practically non-existent.

jaysonelliot 14y ago
The photos of overt discrimination against African-Americans in 1962 remind me of the overt discrimination we are seeing against gay people today. I hope a similar retrospective in 50 years will see people saying "I find it surprising that there was discrimination against gay people at one time."
- solutionyogi 14y ago
  Amen. On the same line, I hope 50 years from now, people will be amused that marijuana was illegal just like I feel amused when I heard about prohibition.
  - epo 14y ago
    Why does racial discrimination make you bring up the criminalization of marijuana? Have you been smoking too many drugs?
  - bwanab 14y ago
    Not to put a damper on your hopes, but 40 years ago I would have said the same thing about 2012.
- rome 14y ago
  I don't see any similarity between the two. Blacks were trying to obtain equal rights. The right to marry same sex is one that no one has, not just gay people.
  - freehunter 14y ago
    How about: "I don't see any similarity between the two. Gays were trying to obtain equal rights. The right to be a black man and vote is one that no one has, not just black people." Straight people have the right to marry. Gay people don't. Same exact issue. If you're not gay, you by default don't need the right to marry same-sex, just like if you're not black, you don't need the right to be black and vote.
    - rome 14y ago
      Actually everyone except blacks could vote. Contrary to popular belief, gay people can marry, just not same sex. This isn't a statement against same sex marriage, I'm just making a subtle distinction. Gay people have never experienced the maltreatment that blacks have in this country.
      - freehunter 14y ago
        Now I'm wondering if blacks could vote if they dressed up in whiteface and pretended to be white to fool the voter board. You know, denying everything they are. Just like a gay person marrying the opposite sex. Gays have benefited from the liberalism and civil rights movement in that the majority of the population doesn't hate them for being different. But you can't deny that they're being harrased, beaten, killed, pushed to suicide, thrown from their homes, and subjected to punishments designed to "fix" them. It's doesn't have to be "black had it worse", the point of the matter is gays have it bad. I'm not trying to put words in your mouth since you didn't come out and directly state your viewpoint, I'm just trying to show how fallacious the words you did say are. Especially when we're on the verge of starting things down the right path. Both blacks and gays have been are are being violently persecuted for something they can't change. Telling gays to marry straight is highly offensive.
        rome 14y ago
        I did not tell anyone to marry, let alone tell gays to marry straight. I never said that gays weren't treated badly. I also never said that gays should pretend they are not gay to get married. Nothing I said was false or was meant to slight gay people. My comment was a response to someone comparing the two plights. For me, the differences are worth discussing.
ralfd 14y ago
50 years ago the american civil war was only 100 years ago (does that make sense?) Strangely the sixties doesn't seem that long ago for me personally. I wonder how the contemporaries of Kennedy thought about 1912, when there were few cars/planes, no radio, no television, no talking movies, no color polaroids, William Howard Taft was president and Europe/Russia/China/Japan was ruled by Emperors.
jaysonelliot 14y ago
I know we still have a ways to go before we're a country free of racism, but it still makes me really proud to hear you say that about America. Thank you for coming to the US. I think of the United States as a country that belongs to the whole world, and it really makes me happy when people from other countries like America enough to move here. As a visitor from India, you're making our country a stronger, better place. I hope you decide to stay.
gaius 14y ago
I am from India (currently living in NY) and I find it really surprising that it was only 50 years ago that there was race discrimination in US Really? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit As bad a American segregation (or South African apartheid) was, it was nothing compared to the Indian caste system, which is still practiced today.
- solutionyogi 14y ago
  I guess I was not clear in my comment. In no way, I was implying that India is better than USA. My surprise stemmed from the fact that based on my current experience, it seems odd that it was barely 50 years ago that race discrimination was rampant. I would have thought that those things would have put behind 100 years ago for USA to be where it is.
  - mturmon 14y ago
    It's worse than you might imagine. The federal Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968. Before that time, it was legal to have a "covenant" that prohibited blacks from living in certain neighborhoods (housing developments). It was some years after 1968 that it actually started being enforced with some vigor. You can still talk to older people (say, people in their 60s) in Los Angeles, who chose the house they now live in because that neighborhood allowed blacks, asians, or mixed-race couples to buy property, and other nearby neighborhoods did not allow it. In other words, even these blatant and widespread effects of racism are not past history by any means. Note: I'm not disagreeing with what you've said, just trying to add some historical background.

jaysonelliot 14y ago

The photos of overt discrimination against African-Americans in 1962 remind me of the overt discrimination we are seeing against gay people today. I hope a similar retrospective in 50 years will see people saying "I find it surprising that there was discrimination against gay people at one time."

solutionyogi 14y ago
Amen. On the same line, I hope 50 years from now, people will be amused that marijuana was illegal just like I feel amused when I heard about prohibition.
- epo 14y ago
  Why does racial discrimination make you bring up the criminalization of marijuana? Have you been smoking too many drugs?
- bwanab 14y ago
  Not to put a damper on your hopes, but 40 years ago I would have said the same thing about 2012.
rome 14y ago
I don't see any similarity between the two. Blacks were trying to obtain equal rights. The right to marry same sex is one that no one has, not just gay people.
- freehunter 14y ago
  How about: "I don't see any similarity between the two. Gays were trying to obtain equal rights. The right to be a black man and vote is one that no one has, not just black people." Straight people have the right to marry. Gay people don't. Same exact issue. If you're not gay, you by default don't need the right to marry same-sex, just like if you're not black, you don't need the right to be black and vote.
  - rome 14y ago
    Actually everyone except blacks could vote. Contrary to popular belief, gay people can marry, just not same sex. This isn't a statement against same sex marriage, I'm just making a subtle distinction. Gay people have never experienced the maltreatment that blacks have in this country.
    - freehunter 14y ago
      Now I'm wondering if blacks could vote if they dressed up in whiteface and pretended to be white to fool the voter board. You know, denying everything they are. Just like a gay person marrying the opposite sex. Gays have benefited from the liberalism and civil rights movement in that the majority of the population doesn't hate them for being different. But you can't deny that they're being harrased, beaten, killed, pushed to suicide, thrown from their homes, and subjected to punishments designed to "fix" them. It's doesn't have to be "black had it worse", the point of the matter is gays have it bad. I'm not trying to put words in your mouth since you didn't come out and directly state your viewpoint, I'm just trying to show how fallacious the words you did say are. Especially when we're on the verge of starting things down the right path. Both blacks and gays have been are are being violently persecuted for something they can't change. Telling gays to marry straight is highly offensive.
      - rome 14y ago
        I did not tell anyone to marry, let alone tell gays to marry straight. I never said that gays weren't treated badly. I also never said that gays should pretend they are not gay to get married. Nothing I said was false or was meant to slight gay people. My comment was a response to someone comparing the two plights. For me, the differences are worth discussing.

ralfd 14y ago

50 years ago the american civil war was only 100 years ago (does that make sense?) Strangely the sixties doesn't seem that long ago for me personally. I wonder how the contemporaries of Kennedy thought about 1912, when there were few cars/planes, no radio, no television, no talking movies, no color polaroids, William Howard Taft was president and Europe/Russia/China/Japan was ruled by Emperors.

jaysonelliot 14y ago

I know we still have a ways to go before we're a country free of racism, but it still makes me really proud to hear you say that about America. Thank you for coming to the US. I think of the United States as a country that belongs to the whole world, and it really makes me happy when people from other countries like America enough to move here. As a visitor from India, you're making our country a stronger, better place. I hope you decide to stay.

gaius 14y ago

I am from India (currently living in NY) and I find it really surprising that it was only 50 years ago that there was race discrimination in US Really? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalit As bad a American segregation (or South African apartheid) was, it was nothing compared to the Indian caste system, which is still practiced today.

solutionyogi 14y ago
I guess I was not clear in my comment. In no way, I was implying that India is better than USA. My surprise stemmed from the fact that based on my current experience, it seems odd that it was barely 50 years ago that race discrimination was rampant. I would have thought that those things would have put behind 100 years ago for USA to be where it is.
- mturmon 14y ago
  It's worse than you might imagine. The federal Fair Housing Act was passed in 1968. Before that time, it was legal to have a "covenant" that prohibited blacks from living in certain neighborhoods (housing developments). It was some years after 1968 that it actually started being enforced with some vigor. You can still talk to older people (say, people in their 60s) in Los Angeles, who chose the house they now live in because that neighborhood allowed blacks, asians, or mixed-race couples to buy property, and other nearby neighborhoods did not allow it. In other words, even these blatant and widespread effects of racism are not past history by any means. Note: I'm not disagreeing with what you've said, just trying to add some historical background.