Closet Racists and the Things They Say

I read this somewhere else on the board (by Dorothy) and it deserves its own thread.

- Sometimes, when closet racists say 'I'm not racist because I have a Black friend or [ethnic] wife', it is followed by some sort of racist comment.

- Secretly racist people love to bring up they have minority friends or wives. This is how they think: they stereotype and are racist against minorities, but they see their 'friend' or 'wife' as not of that minority. For example, Joe will think 'Asians are rude, dirty, rat people' in his head, but will also think 'my wife Sue Kim is basically White and is essentially not Asian, or not like those dirty Asians'. This is why it is possible for a White guy to marry an Asian girl, yet still be racist against Asians, and also have a secret superiority complex over Asian guys.

-Studies show how individuals of color are used to justify racism and racialization of the entire group they come from. The closet racist would likely say "Oh those Asians, oh those blacks, stealing our jobs, blah diddy blah" but quickly follow up with "But Mr. Wong down the street.. I like him. I know him. He's hard working." A professor also stressed the importance of how, when talking about their one ethnic friend, those interviewed would always mention how HARD-WORKING those people are, signifying that's it's somehow OKAY for those people to be here because they're in a servial position, working hard and adding to the economy.

Check this out, an LA Times article about the growing Asian population in Chino Hills, and White residents who are secretly xenophobic and racist about it:
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-chinohills12apr12,0,7537913.story?coll=la-home-local

(From P.Yu):
According to the article, one resident wrote to the city council that he didn't want to see "little Chinatowns all over the Hills filled with Asian signs he can't read." It's a threat to his way of life. Diversity is okay, as long as diversity doesn't mean nonwhite "foreign" populations becoming the majority with their markets and language and signs and smells and food.

Take Larry Blugrind, a Chino Hills resident, who says that opening a 99 Ranch Market would "result in a run-down center that is the equivalent of a Chinese Pic 'N' Save less than a mile from the kind of high-quality shops our city has been trying to attract to this area."

He plainly assumes that there's no way a Chinese establishment could possibly be one of these "high-quality shops" that he wants so badly. But here's the real kicker:

Reached by telephone, Blugrind explained that he "enjoyed having a diverse community — his daughter-in-law is Japanese". "My worry is that 99 Ranch could be a steppingstone for it to become all Asian," he said. "I don't want another Hacienda Heights."

I love it. One of our favorite lines: "But I can't be racist. My [wife/ daughter-in-law/ co-worker/ dentist/etc.] is [insert race here]." I'm sorry, Mr. Blugrind, but what the hell does that fact that your daughter-in-law is Japanese have anything to do with the matter being discussed here? The guy is a closet racist.