Can you imagine ANYONE having this creep for a boss?

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 Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.
Martin Luther King Jr., Letter from Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963
US black civil rights leader & clergyman (1929 - 1968)

I used religion as a reason to discriminate against gays when I was young, using the same rationalization I used retribution to discriminate against white people too.

Although I resolved the race issue from life experiences, both positive and negative dealing with whites. It took the words of Rev. King above to make me realize that I am responsible to represent justice in all forms to all people.

People who harbor bigotry and racism haven't figured it out yet, please be patient with them.  

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 Honest anwer: no bigotry should be tolerated -- from Blacks, Whites or any other race.  It's just that simple!  Love is the key.  We must learn how to treat others with love, kindness and respect -- the way anyone in their right mind would want to be treated.

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 I too applaud the woman for asking whether black bigotry should be tolerated, as well as Mr. Visconti's reply explainining the difference between racism and bigotry.  My answer is - bigotry is wrong and we must all work to eliminate it from our society!  

Eric Holder recently described our society as "cowards" when it comes to race.  He's right.  We're too afraid to speak openly and honestly, preferring to be "politically correct".  But consider this - The pains of the past cannot be put to rest until we're willing to be candid about why we feel what we feel.  

I am a 50-ish African - American man.  I grew up in poverty, but attended a private college.  I was angry at and fearful of everyone white, not because everyone was racist, but because I was afraid ONE of them might be racist. By maintaining an attitude of hostility and aggression, I ensured that I would not be hurt by the majority.  I was wrong in my approach, but only only time and with open dialogue was I able to change.

We can't continue to be afraid, and I hope more people like this woman continue to ask questions and also offer honest answers.

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 I thought the question was better thought out and more definitive than the answer. F'instance, white people accuse blacks of being racist when we are just bigoted. Bigotry is one thing, racism is another. Racism is institutionalized. Racism has to do with power. Racism came with slavery, Jim Crow, lynching, cross burnings, gerrymandering, redlines, unemployment, servility, and a host of other ills that continue today in some form or another across America. So for these reasons, because every black family -- except perhaps Colin Powell and Clarence Thomas -- has some tragedy related to racist violence and/or psychology. Hence, as this gets passed down thru the generations, we continue to harbor resentments. The woman whose daughter must run into this must understand this, even if it becomes a lot to cope with. I hope she can fix her daughter's problem without pulling her out of school. Peace.

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 The two things I've noticed about this is:
a) They never properly define what a racist is or what racism is about. They try to blur the lines of distinction being racism and bigotry, because there really is no such thing as a "true" black racist in this country. They don't know it's true definition and history.
b) Then they try to blur the lines of distinction between a black person who is a bigot and a black person who is lashing out against bigotry, as was the case with Jeremiah Wright. Because he spoke out against hatred and bigotry, they called him a "racist" for doing it. The same thing happened with Dr. King, who was called a racial agitator for fighting against racism.

Bigotry is not okay for any race or ethnicity or even gender or sexual orientation, but people have got to be clear in their minds what racism is, what bigotry is, and how to draw the lines of demarcation between a person who is a bigot and a person who is speaking out against bigotry.

If you call a man a racist for being angry about racism, then call it reverse racism because he doesn't like being racially stigmatized, then you got a bunch of people who aren't trying to deal with the issue as it stands; you've got people who are trying to confuse the situation by redefining what is. That usually never works out and it makes things worse.

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 Great question and great response! I really appreciated the distinction you made between bigotry and racism. Very insightful. I think every liberation has its "in your face" phase, maybe releasing the suppressed anger and frustration. Of course that doesn't make it right, but When I was a teen in the 70's, I went through an unfortunate phase of thinking that I had a right to be hateful to whites. I was blessed to have white friends who tolerated me. I'm embarrassed now to think about how I must have hurt their feelings, but they remained steadfast in their friendship. This would be an excellent opportunity for the school to do some diversity and tolerance training, as you suggested.

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There must be a few definitions of racism on the Princeton website, here's the one I found: "The prejudice that members of one race are intrinsically superior to members of other races."

Racism is about hierarchy. A person with lower social power cannot be racist against someone with more power - but they can certainly be a bigot.

I don't speak for "all white people" - if you dispute that most white people think social programs most benefit black people, show me the study. It would be like refuting the law of gravity.

This has nothing to do with what soldiers were ordered to do in the Civil War - slavery was the cause of the war, it wasn't why it was fought. President Lincoln would not abide a succession - that's why we went to war.

I will answer your question about diversity training in another column.

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You are not correct that the minority culture cannot be racist towards the majority culture. That is why we have Title VII where color is one of the protected categories and white is one of them.

The Princeton University definition of racism is:

"a person with a prejudiced belief that one race is superior to others or discriminatory especially on the basis of race"

It does not say, nor any other definition state that you find on the Internet that it has to a majority only who can be racists. Minorities can be racist toward the majority since many minorities hold positions of power in and can do just as the majority does in the racial discrimination behaviors.

You always speak for the majority of Whites and this response was no different. "Most White Americans think the Civil Rights Era benefited Black People....and the overwhelming majority of Americans who fought for Equal Rights for all Americans were Black?! Lest we forget the Civil War where over 350,000 Union soldiers died and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 was passed by the majority in Congress and many other Acts since then including Affirmative Action that continues to this day. I think too that when you state that most Diversity training you see is garbage, you should expand upon that because how can a reader know what you are writing about? I would hope that the thousands I have taught diversity classes for do not have that opinion.

Maybe we should do a Bob Beckel/Cal Thomas Common Ground column that can bring out both sides of these perspectives. No one should tolerate racism, prejudice attitudes, or actions regardless of their ethnic heritage or color.

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You're right - but I also think our Attorney General is also right: We are a Nation of Cowards when it comes to race. It's a shame - as Annette Gordon-Reed points out in her new book "The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family", we are all one family. If we embraced that, the lift to our economy would spit us right out of this crash.

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It is time that both Afrcan Americans and White Americans set at a table and really talk about race. REALLY . Obama has open this door and we as Americans have to take this oppertunity

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This is a growing problem in many urban areas, and children are not the only age group participating. Black bigotry is used to deflect the unspoken and spoken white bigotry endemic in public within groups, adults prefer one on one rapport or gestures. Sadly, adolescents and grade-schoolers use more than their voices physical shoving and tripping can be involved escalating to the traditional and some new tactics of bulling.

This society has not curbed acts of bigotry from any source, and whites label bigotry as racism when they become a 'victim', mostly due to the view that (bigotry) is the act they feel carries less shame when they use it to assert their status in any given situation. This is where we have landed after the civil rights acts of the 1960's.

Do Blacks use deflective bigotry --yes? Does it work --NO, not any more than any from any other source of bigotry? The new age of bigotry exists because there no champions to voice the problem and target or contain the damage. Bigotry should not be tolerated under any circumstances from any source, yet we are humans and as the economy continues to fall, sadly, bigotry is among the social crimes, which will heighten in intensity and frequency. A most unfortunate state of events is bigotry, after all the last Presidential election accomplished.

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As a Black Man who has encountered racism and bigotry, the former is more tolerable since it's an intellectual belief in racial preference,whereas the latter is a belief in the social makeup of a group or person and more viscerally effective when utilized.

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It's rather disingenious to quibble over the distinction between racism and bigotry. When a person experiences hatred because of the color of their skin, they aren't likely to ask themselves whether they are encountering a racist or a bigot, nor does it matter much.

Hateful behavior should not be tolerated. Giving preference to people of one color or another should not be tolerated. It doesn't matter who is doing what to whom. We all lose when we tolerate such behavior.

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Thank you - you did a better job than I did.

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Great question. The response, however, did not clearly make a distinction between bigotry or racism.

Bigotry is a belief system as in: Most whites not just in america believe Blacks, and not just blacks, to be inferior.

Racism is a strong and blind preference of a particular race for their own particular group. Not all whites are racist nor are all blacks racist. Yet an entire ethnic group may believe that another group, whether within their own or outside their group, to be inferior, such as the caste system or royalty. Racism can transcend itself and vault a person into the upper echelons of society. Bigotry cannot.

How to deal with it is to change a belief system which is so embedded in a group's cultral consciousness as to be insurmountable.

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I can't believe someone defended Jeremiah Wright....WOW. The way he spoke about another person, and women, is intolerable. I'd be embarassed to be associated with him.

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 I appreciate your response to the writer, and the other comments that have been made. However, I think it's important to answer the question directly and unequivocally... NO!!! Bigotry, regardless of the race of the perpetuator should never, ever be tolerated.

As a Black man who attended an HBCU in the 60's I allowed myself to engage in anti-White rhetoric and behavior. I would like to think that it was a product of my youth and the times. Admittedly, it was temporarily satisfying, but there's no way I can say it was ennobling, rewarding, or enlightening ... not to mention "justified".

I came to understand that my path to maturity and spiritual awareness had to be trod without the burdens imposed by my racism, bigotry, gender bias, ageism and homophobia … all of which, in my view, are hubristic masks for our own insecurities.

Bigots, no matter their color or gender, are emotionally damaged souls unable to feel good about themselves without (falsely) feeling better than others. They should be pitied (if you feel generous), prayed for (if you are a theist), helped (if they will accept it), but never, ever tolerated.

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 I don't think any bigoted behavior should be tolerated. At the same time, I think what we are seeing is the result of a political and societal system that was constructed on the basis of categorizing people (along with their level of power and importance) by race. Although laws have changed and individual attitudes have changed over the years, the consequences of our country's racist system is still something our generation has to deal with.

I agree that bigotry can be done by anyone, but it doesn't become racism until it is backed up by a system/society that allows it. My question is, if White people make up the majority of the population and a majority of the people who are in positions of authority (the historical "majority" race in our society), why isn't there a greater outcry made by White people when bigoted behavior happens toward anybody (regardless of race/ethnicity)? There are White people who joined the efforts to end racism in our country, but people rarely hear of them. It seems like the majority of White people are passive about it (even though they believe it's wrong) until it happens to them.

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 "NO" is the correct answer.  Bigotry should not be tolerated under any circumstances from any source. why hasnt the white man resoponded correctly? why did he just ramble on semantics? Be a man and answer correctly, NOT politically.

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Your article was right on to state that minorities in a Majority system CANNOT be racists. I have said this for years and thank you white guy for finally bringing it to the forefront. There are bigots and bigotry is practised in every race not just black americans. I personally do not believe that bigotry should be tolerated in any form by any race. Thanks again white guy for clarifying the difference.

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I agree with the comment by Ralph Williams. The distinction between racism and racial bigotry is a luxurious intellectual exercise in defining belief systems or attitudes. In the real world, who cares? Racist or bigoted attitudes are harmful when activated in targeted behavior. What causes harm is the action or overt behavior that originates from either racism or bigotry (who cares which one?). It is the action that we should worry about which is why the laws proscribe discrimination as behavior(acts or omissions)rather than the attitude.

Acts range from verbal to physical, by individuals, groups,or insitutions and represent actual physical enforcement of bigoted or racist beliefs, creating discernable, measurable effects on the targeted recipients. Attitudes without actions create limited impact until expressed.

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 I couldnt quite follow the definitions given so I compiled a few and figured as best I could.  The difference between bigotry and racism is basically semantics.  Bigotry put simply is "I'm better than you and I like my people better than you" while racism is more like "The lowest of my people is better than the highest of yours and youre too ignorant to know it".  Racism is a little more aggressive but the point is the same - intolerance and discrimination.  Anything I say with regards to race in front of my Black friends I better be able to say in front of my white friends and I trust my white friends to smack me upside the head if I get it wrong.  They should expect the same.

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 Getting into semantic debates about whether disadvantaged racial groups can be guilty of racism -- as opposed to racial bigotry -- is like debating how many angels can fit on the head of a pin.  It detracts from the time and energy sorely needed for the hard work of advancing equal opportunity and justice in our society.

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 Being white (presumed by my appearance, but I am actually part Mexican)and having been the target of bigotry, up to and including physical violence perpetrated on me by people who didn't even know me personally, I can understand being bitter.  However, I was able to transcend this and realize not all people of any color or race act or think alike.  I have been very intimate friends with Latinos and Blacks and had some very open and enlightening discussions.  One thing I have noticed is that many times people have not personally experienced the bigotry themselves, but have been raised on "boogeyman" stories by their elders that have influenced their perception of white people as racists and bigots who are just waiting for a opportunity to hurt them.  When I asked many people if they had experienced this personally, they had to say "no," but Uncle Fred or Cousin Bob had some horrible experience.  This type of indoctrination is allowing the cycle to continue and cannot be changed until people begin to teach their children messages of hope instead of hate.  

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This woman's story sounds like the reverse of what happened to my son. My son, a young Black teen was given the opportunity to receive a full scholarship at a predominately White, prestigious private school. One of his teachers whose husband worked in the admissions office recommended him. She told me that my son deserved the opportunity because he was smart, intelligent and had a lot of character. I was elated when he was accepted and began his freshman year.

However, the elation did not last long. My son was among 20 Black students in a student body of 400. Although there was never any aggression towards the Black students, stereotypes ruled the day. Stupid, caustic questions from the White students and some of the teachers caused me to regret my decision for allowing him to attend the school. Upon graduation he was accepted at two predominately White universities, but turned them both down. He wanted to go to an HBCU and was accepted at Xavier University in Louisiana.

He told me that after spending four years with a bunch of White bigots he only wanted to be around Black people. This is what bigotry and racism does to us. We draw our lines in the sand and stay within our own boundaries. Because within these boundaries one does not have to explain why the palm of your hand is white and the back of it is black.

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The way this year is going, he'll move to New Jersey.

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I think there are differences between a bigot and aracist albeit the terms are used interchangeably. In my view, onecannot be substituted for the other. For example, racism is promulgatedby groups of people who exclusively think of themselves as having rightsand privileges that no one else has due to class status. Their thoughtsand actions are framed exclusively by birth right, privilege and class.In my view, bigots lack realistic perceptions of themselves. Some oftheir colleagues might be "Black, White, Asian, etc.," but a bigot willnot invite them into their homes. Bigots might marry outside of theirrace, culture, or background. However, they do not tolerate the rest ofthe family, children or friends. Everyone has their place in thecondescending bigot's live. Bigots limit themselves to what they think.Little do they realize they are narrow minded, hapless, morons, tooself-centered to be anything else. What they know can be placed on apin head. Thank God I come from a multi-racial family. None of us look alike, butin many ways we are alike. We are family. We bump heads, cry andlaugh. We go to all kinds of schools ---exclusive, inclusive, costlyand totally alien. We know that to be a worthy citizen andchange-agent, we must continue to be innovative, creative and beprepared for whatever comes our way. We must truly value others.Sticks and stones may break our bones, but neither words nor deeds willever hurt us. As Mahatma Gandhi said "You must be the change you wish to seein the world.".

Racism is a subset of bigotry. It is specifically bigotry against someone because of their race. If a person is a bigot against another race, that person is also a racist. Racism is a loaded term because of the history of institutional racism, laws and policies that required bigotry. Racism, sexism, ageism, homophobia, ethincism, disabilitism and all the other attitudes that discriminate against a person because of who they are are bigotry.Many people, especially African-Americans as well as some whites claim that black people cannot be racist because white people have the power position. Not only is the power position no longer inevitable, but I have experienced racism, both personal and institutional in situations where African-Americans were in possession.I worked for a school system in a major city where nearly all the political and much of the economic power is in the hands of the African-American community. This city has always had a strong, black middle class. There was a tendency to ignore institutional racism in the school system so personal racism was allowed to flourish. From the first day, I was informed by a co-worker that she hated white people because they had the following characteristics:1. Lie2. Treacherous3. Not clean4. Told other people's business5. StealShe also told me that if I let anything that happened in that department get "downtown", that she would have my job. Later, she threatened to "kick my fat white ass". This was after she had decided that I was the one who reported her for child abuse. I dealt with this woman for nearly 5 years because I loved my students and did not want her beating them like she did her own. None of our three principals would do anything about her because she had a first cousin who was an associate superintendent. The school system had a 90% black student population and a 75% black staff population when I started. 3 years after I left that school I was placed under a racist principal in the same system. She was first generation middle class. She had grown up in public housing. Her mother had worked hard to ensure her a college education. This principal ran off all her poor white children who were not in special education by making fun of their parents in their faces. There were three white teachers at the school, a Jewish man near retirement, a young disabled Marine, and me. First she put me in a terrible room. Then she did not want to get me some equipment my severely disabled students needed. Then she tried to exclude my students from assemblies. (That was easily solved. I said it was in their IEPs.) Finally she tried to exclude my class from some unexpected supply money. When I told her I was asking for the things the other teachers were getting because I cared about my students these were the words I will never forget and made me understand exactly where she was coming from: "YOU DON'T CARE ABOUT THOSE STUDENTS. YOU ALL NEVER REALLY CARE". Pure, unadulterated personal racism! She was mistreating my students because I was white!She decided to get me fired even though I was well acknowledged to be a highly skilled, excellent teacher and had a great reputation with the most disabled students. No one, white or black, not even the other racist and not even her could impugn anything about my teaching ability. She told the Marine not to be caught talking to me, assuming that we were friends based on race. In truth, I rarely even saw either him or the Jewish teacher. Finally, she denied me a contract and scheduled a hearing. I knew I was doomed when I walked in. She squealed, and gave one of the hearing officers a big hug and a kiss on the mouth. But despite my objection to the obviously close relationship, she was not excluded from the panel. She had two witnesses, both of whom were under her direct supervision. The third was an administrator who was on probation in her newly promoted position. She could not say a word against me but would not say anything for me either except that I had a good reputation. The other two gave weak responses without specific examples of the accusations. My main witness was the lead physical therapist and two paraprofessionals, one of whom she had coached and threatened by the principal to speak against me but who refused. She told her she would quit before she would speak against me. The other was at another school. I had several other witnesses, including other teachers who were supervised by the principal available (all black) but the system attorney and hearing officers wanted to cut the hearing short without hearing all the evidence from my side. I lost because she said I was insubordinate, but could not say what I had done. Later she took revenge on my paraprofessional by giving this woman, who had received "Distinguished" ratings on previous evaluations assessments of "Uncooperative" for that year and the next. Later, she told me she was recognized as the best severe/profound paraprofessional in the system. I had trained her. She would not leave that school because the supply teacher would not stay in the classroom and almost killed a student. Racism this was. If African-Americans are in the power position, as they were in this system, they can be just as racist as white people. Sometimes they are even more blatant about it because they fall back on the sins of institutional racism to which they were subjected as an excuse to blame all white people for it. (This was the co-worker's excuse. She had been discriminated against in the 1950s so she felt justified in hating all whites.) I have never been racist. No relative of mine owned slaves. None threw rocks at the Freedom Riders. I decided at the age of 7 that discrimination was wrong in spite of what my parents said about Dr. King being a communist. Calling racism by a weaker, more general name, "bigotry", dilutes the inherent evil of discrimination against people because of the color of their skin and makes it harder to confront it. The first thing you do with evil, just like when Jesus cast out demons, is call it by its name. No bigotry should ever be tolerated. To do so just fertilizes it. Racism is just the biggest weed in the garden and if you let it grow it the root will get so big it will take a backhoe to get it out. .

Luke I just so happened to drop by to see what all the hype was about the "ask the white guy" blog. Interesting stuff. I will have to disagree with your explanation that racism is an ideology reserved in an oppressor/oppressed relationship. I would agree that discrimination can only occur in a relationship where one has the power to oppress another, but racism has no such restrictions. In order to be racist, one must act in such a manner where a person's race, is the catalyst of the action. That is what the suffx ist indicates. Not a oppressive realtionship, just an active relationship as in nudist, philanthropist and many other ists that do not enagage in an oppressive relationship. Old are the days of disguising racism under a garment called oppression with the intent that one form of racism is acceptable depending upon your level of endured oppression. Racism is racism. .

A bigot is a bigot is a bigot.It is cowardly to attempt to excuse one's bigotry simply because they are the member of a minority group. No one race, gender, or ethnicity has the proverbial market cornered on bigotry.As for tribal mentality, and wanting to kill the other tribes, that may be true. It is certainly not what civil rights was purported to be, and not what MLK advocated. It seems that the issue has become less about equality than about who is on top.Let's consider a recent speech by a successful white lawyer, addressing graduating students at Stanford, and during the course of my speech I say "I would hope that a wise white man with the richness of his experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a Hispanic woman who hasn't lived that life."As a justice serving on the highest court our the country, Sotomayor will be called to check her personal biases at the door. Justice is colorblind. I am not convinced that she will behave in such a manner. Her position on Bakke, her ruling against white fire-fighter applicants, as well as her recent comments at Cal indicate that she is a racist, with an agenda.You can't have it both ways. If racism is wrong, and I believe it is, it is wrong for EVERYONE, not just for whites.Racism and bigotry are wrong, no matter who the racist or bigot is. It is my opinion that Sotomayors comments were bigoted, and indicative of racism. .