How Television changed the quality of life?

Has my racism improved the quality of my life?

• I was raised to be non judgmental. My first three days in the army changed all that. I found my black comrades moral standards to be low as far as respect for each other, and towards me. Partly from this experience, I raised my family in a small 99% white village. The only blacks in my village are children being raised by their grandmothers because their white mothers have embraced a culture of abandonment. My daughter was going to date a black lad from her school and I dissuaded her . She went on to marry a white man and has a happy life. This black lad she was going to date has sired 2 children, both being raised by their grand parents, with mom hanging around. I've met blacks in college with higher aspirations and abilities than myself . But they were few. Am I wrong to gauge my acceptance of other races based mostly on their histories for supporting their families? I believe my wariness and avoidance of black culture has benefited my family and me. Has my racism improved the quality of my life?

• Answer:

  Well, it improved your life if you an American by having slaves help a great deal to build your country - so on that level, selfishly, yes. In more immediate matters, I would have to dispassionately say yes also. However, EVERYONE should be given a fair shot in life (I say this in case anyone thinks otherwise in this sort of discussion). I am of Italian descent, if you dissuaded your daughter from marrying one of us, and it turned out he became a mafia thug, then anti-italian racism would have served you, but only by luck since most of us are decent people. The same would hold true with anti-black racism. If the black man was decent and every indication was he was ok, then that should not have mattered. I would have to grudgingly admit that if I was white bread and my daughter went out with an Italian, I would be wondering if Tony Soprano would be my in-law.