Current Events > Why is racism more prevalent today than it was in the 90s?

(+) Yeah! (+)

Sure, you had the Rodney King situation, but that was a big, big deal. For the most part, people saw each other as people, regardless of race. We were a diverse nation, and we were okay with it. These days, there's a real "us vs. them" mentality.

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The racism has become less acceptable on a systemic scale and pushed more to the fringes and exists in cels on the internet. If we're lucky it's a death knell.

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I disagree with the premise. Just to give one bit of data: opposition to interracial marriage has dropped significantly over the last two decades.
https://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2017/05/18/2-public-views-on-intermarriage/
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obama
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I don't think it is. The social interactivity of people in modern day compared to the 1990s is tremendously different. I think there is a heightened level of awareness of it now, I don't think people just decided to become more racist. People are now being called out on it more, and it's becoming a firmer social issue now that more people are aware.

There's an old saying they use in the restaurant and retail business. One person has a good experience, they are likely to tell one person. A person has a bad experience, they are likely to tell 10 people. The internet and social media in modern times makes it a lot easier to spread a message and raise awareness.

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It hasn't changed that much, there's just so much more coverage of things thanks to stuff like the internet, social media, & whatnot-- and big media has been pushing racist narratives a lot more than they used to.

It's not.

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It just seems that way because we have a racist president. Overall, systemic racism is way down

It's not, not at all. There's been spikes compared to Obama's time.

It's weird how fast we've evolved, really. Remember how it was a big deal at the end of Korra, how two girls held hands? Now gays are just no big deal at all. Mr. Ratburn got married to a guy, and the biggest complaint about that was how low quality the flash animation was.

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What is everyones obsession with race.

I don't know how you could be a functional ideological racist and live in the United States. You couldn't walk around a major city without your head exploding.

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It was easier to ignore in the 90s.

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Guide posted...

Mr. Ratburn got married to a guy, and the biggest complaint about that was how low quality the flash animation was.

Didnt Alabama try to ban that episode
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Less ignored and the invintion of social media.
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Social media?

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Orlando_Jordan posted...

Sure, you had the Rodney King situation, but that was a big, big deal. For the most part, people saw each other as people, regardless of race. We were a diverse nation, and we were okay with it. These days, there's a real "us vs. them" mentality.

1) Obama won

It made the racists that were previously dormant or complacent raving mad. They got angry and organized. They created the proto-MAGA (tea party) and MAGA later

2) Social Media

It had a double effect. It allowed all sorts of unsavory characters, such as flat earthers, anti-vaxxers and incels to band together. It also shone a light on how little consequences racism had (see point 3)

3) Lack of consequences

People suspected that cops could just go around shooting black people they pull over and get a couple days of paid leave and then get back to work in a couple weeks. Social media confirmed it, so now they're emboldened.
Racists can now deny service to people based on race, religion or sexual orientation, or even marriage licenses (e.g. Kim Davis) and they get the "Duck Dynasty free speech award" or shitty fundraisers like gofundme that fatten their wallets for saying or doing racist shit, they're emboldened too.

4) MAGA

'Nuff said

they've resorted to dog whistling, questionable policies and legal practices to give racist plausible deniability.

judges selling kids to prisons is pretty old but fairly recent news to the mainstream, for example. then there's the people who support these policies enough to vote.
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Social media.

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The_Freecs posted...

What is everyones obsession with race.

Well, there is no longer just one prominent faction of racial supremacists anymore, the far left are also racial supremacists as opposed to just the far right back in the day. It's also the reason there is so much racism now unlike the 90's.
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Philoktetes posted...

obama

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Hop103 posted...

The_Freecs posted...

What is everyones obsession with race.

Well, there is no longer just one prominent faction of racial supremacists anymore, the far left are also racial supremacists as opposed to just the far right back in the day. It's also the reason there is so much racism now unlike the 90's.

What a silly take. What evidence is this even based on?
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Yeah I'd say that the Obama election caused a lot of people to out themselves as racists, and the rise of smartphones and social media enabled individuals to record and disseminate racist experiences that they had or observed. People are now less tolerant of it and so every racial incident becomes a big news story.

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Obama's election sure did cause people to out themselves, lmao. but he didn't create it. nobody who wasn't already racist became racist due to Obama. he just made them so angry that they couldn't maintain a poker face anymore.
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RickyTheBAWSE posted...

Obama's election sure did cause people to out themselves, lmao. but he didn't create it. nobody who wasn't already racist became racist due to Obama. he just made them so angry that they couldn't maintain a poker face anymore.

Yeah, I think that's what he meant. Glad it happened, too.

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With social media in general nowadays, people can't help themselves from posting racist comments or opinions. And they do it under their real picture and real name!

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People get caught in those algorithms and see nothing but racist shit in their feed. That was me in 2017 until I decided to stop reacting to and sharing those videos. I still watch, but I mostly get funny videos now since that's all I like and share.

A lot of people get caught up trying to argue with bots, LMAO. They will come in and say some outrageous type of shit and get people responding lol.
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Almost everyone on my feed are liberals so I see a lot of stories shared about racial incidents.

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2Privileged4U posted...

People get caught in those algorithms and see nothing but racist shit in their feed. That was me in 2017 until I decided to stop reacting to and sharing those videos. I still watch, but I mostly get funny videos now since that's all I like and share.

A lot of people get caught up trying to argue with bots, LMAO. They will come in and say some outrageous type of shit and get people responding lol.

This is very true.

John_Galt posted...

Philoktetes posted...

obama

explain @Philoktetes @John_Galt

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I remember Amadou Diallo being a big deal in 1999. Seinfeld had that episode about Elaine dating a black guy.

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Guide posted...

It's weird how fast we've evolved, really. Remember how it was a big deal at the end of Korra, how two girls held hands?

That's cause it came out of nowhere.

Marvel and DC had both had gay weddings featured in their comics by that point, and gay superheroes since the 1980's.

The Korra thing was two characters who had previously exclusively dated men then deciding to be a couple in the last minute.

Imagine that in another series? Like In Deathly Hallows Ron and Harry just hold hands and walk into the sunrise.

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Internet/Social Media

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Being more aware of a thing doesnt make it more prevalent. Its not. That said the prevalence of the internet and people being able to so easily find an echo chamber for their views has made people who are racist more willing to be open about it.

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The media

It isn't

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Less coverage back then + more things were acceptable back then than they are today

While it seems worse due to the media and kneejerk movements like BLM, we are far better today than we were back then

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I think the internet enables people.

In the 90s, if the sight of a white woman with a black man bothered you, you kept it to yourself or shared it with a confidant whom you trusted not to lose face in you. Today, people with such mindsets go online and share their unwarranted opinions anonymously. They also feel reaffirmed in knowing that there are others who feel the same way.

I hate to say it, but I think that we as a society got the internet before we were ready for it.

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Skye Reynolds posted...

In the 90s, if the sight of a white woman with a black man bothered you, you kept it to yourself or shared it with a confidant whom you trusted not to lose face in you.

Yeah, no. You're downplaying folks' willingness to speak up in public about something they don't agree with. I'm speaking from experience on the other side of the equation.

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Rika_Furude posted...

Less coverage back then + more things were acceptable back then than they are today

There are definitely more things acceptable nowadays than there used to be. People from the past would clutch pearls about basically everything. It's just harder to be a bigot than it used to be. That's not the same as less things being acceptable.

I find it funny when you see some old conservative ranting about the hedonism and moral decay of modern times, while also being upset they can't talk about the blacks the way they used to.

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Orlando_Jordan posted...

For the most part, people saw each other as people, regardless of race.

CE shitposter didn't see it, so racism didn't exist.

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The internet

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Its not. The 90s were pretty bad too. You also had the OJ trial and the tail end of the Central Park 5 situation. Nothing has really changed since the 60s except white supremacists not being allowed to be open as much as they were. Its just talked about more these days than in the 90s

And black people are waking up more to reality after being lulled to sleep in the 80s and 90s

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MabusIncarnate posted...

I don't think it is. The social interactivity of people in modern day compared to the 1990s is tremendously different. I think there is a heightened level of awareness of it now, I don't think people just decided to become more racist. People are now being called out on it more, and it's becoming a firmer social issue now that more people are aware.

There's an old saying they use in the restaurant and retail business. One person has a good experience, they are likely to tell one person. A person has a bad experience, they are likely to tell 10 people. The internet and social media in modern times makes it a lot easier to spread a message and raise awareness.

This

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Click based media led to outrage culture. The existence of racism is more profitable than ever.

Tired-Insomniac posted...

MabusIncarnate posted...

I don't think it is. The social interactivity of people in modern day compared to the 1990s is tremendously different. I think there is a heightened level of awareness of it now, I don't think people just decided to become more racist. People are now being called out on it more, and it's becoming a firmer social issue now that more people are aware.

There's an old saying they use in the restaurant and retail business. One person has a good experience, they are likely to tell one person. A person has a bad experience, they are likely to tell 10 people. The internet and social media in modern times makes it a lot easier to spread a message and raise awareness.

This

nah. the majority of stories don't get coverage. I understand trying to reconcile disturbing information with naive optimism, but we can't just say things because it feels good.

but it's true that the internet is useful for spreading awareness. there's nothing wrong with knowledge, lol
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Skye Reynolds posted...

I think the internet enables people.

In the 90s, if the sight of a white woman with a black man bothered you, you kept it to yourself or shared it with a confidant whom you trusted not to lose face in you. Today, people with such mindsets go online and share their unwarranted opinions anonymously. They also feel reaffirmed in knowing that there are others who feel the same way.

I hate to say it, but I think that we as a society got the internet before we were ready for it.

Goes both ways though. Back then if someone used the N word, you just slugged them and went on with your life. Now it gets a great outcry on facebook as whatever demographic that person is has a racism problem. You also wouldn't get similar outcries from "I don't like the Cosby show or that shitty Catwoman movie" while today you're just expected to cheer for diversity regardless of quality. Sharing cultures and finding common ground was encouraged. Now if you're white you risk "cultural appropriation" for doing the wrong thing. It creates the image of a larger problem than exists, and serves to create and empower the racists people want to fight because the group went from cool to controlling.

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lightwarrior78 posted...

Goes both ways though. Back then if someone used the N word, you just slugged them and went on with your life. Now it gets a great outcry on facebook as whatever demographic that person is has a racism problem. You also wouldn't get similar outcries from "I don't like the Cosby show or that shitty Catwoman movie" while today you're just expected to cheer for diversity regardless of quality. Sharing cultures and finding common ground was encouraged. Now if you're white you risk "cultural appropriation" for doing the wrong thing. It creates the image of a larger problem than exists, and serves to create and empower the racists people want to fight because the group went from cool to controlling.

Thats just another way of stating "ignore it and it will go away" .

Ignoring obviously hasnt worked as its still here. The only way to combat white supremacy is to call it out and stay on its tail.

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Orlando_Jordan posted...

For the most part, people saw each other as people, regardless of race

lol
Orlando_Jordan posted...

We were a diverse nation

LMAO

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There are more things seen as racist today. Back in the 90s, something like a chicken joke would no unnoticed because no one cared. It's just a joke. Look at the rap music we had then. Horribly homophobic and sexist, yet no one cared.

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The internet.
Good ol' boys may not get much pushback in rural Alabama, but the internet is a bit larger than that.