In other words this form of racism or rather intolerance - which is think is different from the "traditional' US racism - is based on reaction to actual differences in social behavior rather than prejudice. And of course it is not limited to the US - I've seen that quite a bit in other countries. People more easily associate with those of the same cultural/educational background as themselves in, say, South Africa, Kenya, Mexico, or India than with people of different cultural/economic background who live next doors.
OTOH, it is hard not to see that fanning these kinds of sentiments is central to the GOP strategy of political mobilization.
Wojtek
On Fri, Jan 27, 2012 at 1:14 PM, // ravi <ravi at platosbeard.org> wrote:
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> While I may not agree with CB that this (US politics and the current election cycle) is all about white supremacy, I think direct and indirect appeals to racism are a large component of the ongoing GOP primaries (as well as larger politics). The question is, why does it work in the southern states? More than one study has shown that tolerance increases when people are exposed more to the groups they are intolerant towards. By that measure, whites in the southern states, with the largest populations of African-Americans (and perhaps with lesser segregation than in the North?), should have learnt by now to both understand the lives of black people and worked out ways to live with them. However, despite their higher rates of poverty (and therefore, likely, dependence on welfare programs), white people in these very states seem to be the ones who respond enthusiastically to dog whistles (or direct attacks) tying welfare to black people.
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> Thoughts?
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> —ravi
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-- Wojtek http://wsokol.blogspot.com/