Being Proud of your race

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Back in my republican years I was proud of my race — my race insofar as they're what I sprang from — all the way up until I finally felt forced to look square in the face at the fact that it wasn't proud of me. Since then my attitude about my skin color has been: don't lump me in with the (American) majority just because I happen to look like one of them; if you ask them: they'll tell you — they don't know me.

Today I think of myself as belonging to just one race; a race whose members can look like absolutely anybody. (Which feels pretty neat, actually.)

I agree.

I have said this and have been misunderstood because there is no proper word. I never meant to say "my race rules and everyone else sucks" but it was interpreted that way. I think usually this is also the case with minorities. Unfortunately it does get taken as sort of this weird double standard.

However, there are racists. Though for some reason white racists are the only people who get any kind of acknowledgment. My old apartment was in a town where it went Hispanic, African American, and a handful of whites. I don't know why but that was the population breakdown. I met plenty of racists living there, and the general consensus was that It's acceptable because white people have oppressed them. That really made me mad, because I haven't oppressed anybody. Everybody, of any race, has some generalization about some group (not just race, but anything else as well) they can tack on because they don't know any better. I also knew a guy I worked with who was constantly complaining that white people just automatically assume he was going to steal something because he was black. I finally told him, then stop stealing stuff from the store! Damn, he was caught in the act several times. Duh. People don't help matters by perpetuating negative stereotypes. Like it or not, "ghetto" culture is a combination of bad stereotypes that people are reinforcing. Getting an education, having a career, and having morals isn't conforming to "white standards", It's about not being a thug. White people have thugs too, they're called white trash.

Racism will end when people stop talking about it constantly.

I agree with this - I am a Mexican mestizo (i.e. a mongrel of Spanish and indigenous ancestry, with some other bloodlines as well). I find the American obsession with race annoying (but still a lot better than countries that are simply in denial about racial discrimination).

I agree with skahthic as well.Race is simply some
-thing people are born into.Better to have reason
for being proud of what we do,rather than what
we are.

I'm proud of my race.

I'd like to say that I'm not racist. I'm not sure though. I've struggled with white supremacist thoughts. I try to find a balance between pride in my race and acceptance of others. It's hard.

Guys, I don't mean to start any trouble, but did you read the definitions for race? I think that all of us are the same race here...hopefuly human...

Anyway, I am grateful (not proud) for my heritage, for example: the good people I grew up around...I am not proud, because it is not something I created, or worked at, I was just lucky that it was given to me.

I can definitely dig this...but I am guilty of stereotyping people still and that's shameful...my grandma would turn in the grave if she would know.

Is pride in X functionally the same as being pride in not being non-X?

Or, perhaps some people use 'pride' to express a comforting sense of belonging. Not to a divisive self referencing segment of existence, but to a sense of identification with the one/infinite-consciousness that is being interpreted through differing perspectives of tribe,race,species etc.

[quote]Or, perhaps some people use 'pride' to express a comforting sense of belonging.[quote]

I sure hope so...

At the end of the day, it's all about context, really - have a look at the actual statement being put out there, and see whether or not it is actually racist. The word pride can mean either thing, so it seems that if someone says solely that they're proud of their race, it should be seen as "not enough information to know what they're talking about".

Context, definitely. I'm proud to be Scottish-Irish-German-Polish-Welsh-Norwegian-French Canadian-English-Puerto Rican, but that doesn't mean I'm proud not to be anything else. Just happy with who I am. Since I'm probably the only person on Earth with my ethnic makeup (by percentages I mean, there may well be people with all the same nationalities, but I'm sure it's in different quantities)... anyway... I think the only person in my ethnic group is me. Talk about minority, eh? lol

I'm half Irish and half African American. I feel proud to be African American. My Dad is black and was raised during segregation in the south. He fought for his rights and for his future children to have equal rights and I am proud of him, I'm proud of coming from such a strong people. I'm saddened at the toll mistreatment in this country has taken on African Americans, but proud nonetheless. I don't feel the same way about being Irish, but I do love being Irish. I love learning about Irish culture and history, researching my genealogy, listening to Irish music. My usesrname reflects that. I guess I'm proud to be Irish too, but in a different way. I do love learning about several other cultures too, but Ireland is closest to my heart. I definitely don't feel anything at the exclusion of others though.

I'm not proud of anything that's outside of my control.

Heck, I'm barely proud of things that are in my control.

I'll build respect out of humility and quality action on my part...

Pride is over rated...