Is racism on American college campuses serious ?

<p>I'm asking this cause I live in the Boston area and know that Harvard is already a racist college. I've also heard that BC is a very racist college towards blacks & Asians. I've read stories of black students being the only black in there and the professor asking them for the "black" point of view. The part with the Asians is that I've heard that drunk white people call them racial slurs and have even witnessed this myself on the subway.</p>

<p>Is this true ?</p>

<p>This makes me want to work as a scientist for biggest American's enemies.</p>

<p>I'm not attending a black college because the field I want to enter (computer science, mathematics, & mechanical engineering) is an almost all white/Asian field.</p>

<p>At my school, I don’t think there’s much racism against black people, though there aren’t really many black people there. Many people from my school are also from small farm towns, so I mean while it’s not excusable, it’s at least a bit understandable.</p>

<p>Asian people are sort of looked down upon too because they often won’t hang out with people of other races and will only speak their native language…and they generally don’t go out much. But there are obviously exceptions and I think that stereotype is based more on behavior than ethnicity.</p>

<p>I’ve heard about racism at BC, but that’s interesting about Harvard. Never heard about the Harvard incidents. </p>

<p>As a minority myself, all I can say is just have tough skin all your life. All minorities are going to experience racism at some point in life, and you just need to be tough and truck forward because reacting isn’t worth it. IMO, racism = ignorance, so it just shows the person’s ignorance. Now, of course this is easier said than done, and of course if you experience racism from a college professor you might want to do something about it, but I’m just speaking in general. </p>

<p>Every college campus has racism simply because there is a racism all over the world, so you can’t escape racism, and you have to realize that there’s not going to be no college where everyone is not racist. Perfect example would be my school. My school was ranked 5th happiest school in the US by some college rating organization, and there has been a few racist incidents over the last months of last semester. </p>

<p>I’m not saying suck it up and be “happy” that you’re not experiencing as much racism as you could be, but what I am saying is to be strong, have tough skin, and ready to move past all ignorance.</p>

<p>there’s tons of covert racism throughout all institutions of higher learning, i would say. so while you probably won’t have someone yelling racial slurs at you, don’t be surprised if someone comes up to you trying to put on their best slang they learned from BET and rap music when they just speak normally to other people. don’t be surprised when people touch your hair without asking. don’t be surprised when people make patronizing remarks about how black people suck but you’re okay because you’re ‘not like the rest of them.’ the list goes on and on. i’m not asian, so i can’t speak from that end but my south asian friends get a lot of *<strong><em>. kinda the same type of *</em></strong>, where people are racist in ways that are hard for white people to understand are racist.</p>

<p>I think your school is the school where a professor wrote a book I bought about doing math in your head.</p>

<p>Like everyone else said racism is everywhere and we can’t avoid it.
I’ve dealt with it when I was younger and b/c of that I learned to have thicker skin and learned to speak up when I need to. Some battles aren’t worth fighting b/c some people out there just want to get under your skin and enjoy seeing you get all heated and angry…whatever you do don’t let them get the better of you.</p>

<p>The college I’m going to now is majority minority but I want to prepare for when I have to go to a predominantly white college. I also lived with white people for 9 months and they were very racist toward me, but the thing is that the other black guy (a staff member) was (in my opinion) meaner than them. I grew up down south and the whites (plus Latinos more on their side) would say racial slurs.</p>

<p>This is one of the reason’s why I want to get my own apartment instead of living at a college (other than my #1 reason being able to download or go to whatever site I want because college networks block certain sites.) and would rather deal with racism in the real world than college.</p>

<p>^Off-topic, but can you really not go to certain sites on college networks? With mine you can go to any site but if you’re torrenting a bunch they’ll catch you.</p>

<p>My college has an enormous population of Asians, and everyone’s really nice about it. I know a lot of people who do the joking racism, but I haven’t run into any harmful racism.</p>

<p>These are likely isolated incidents and they may not even be completely factual. You’re talking about one of the most liberal schools in Massachusetts, in Cambridge none the less! If you actually think Harvard is racist then you’ll probably find every school in the US racist as well.</p>

<p>To “Kcombs” just because people are liberal doesn’t mean they can’t be racist. The majority of people in Cambridge believe in the one drop rule. </p>

<p>[?One-Drop</a> Rule? Appears to Persist for Biracial Individuals | Harvard University Faculty of Arts and Sciences](<a href=“http://www.fas.harvard.edu/home/content/‘one-drop-rule’-appears-persist-biracial-individuals]?One-Drop”>http://www.fas.harvard.edu/home/content/‘one-drop-rule’-appears-persist-biracial-individuals)</p>

<p>lol I thought sadcollegestud’s post was reference to the dumb argument that people use to say that girls who dress provocatively “deserve” it if they are raped. But that’s off topic.</p>

<p>I think you’ll find racist people at any college you go to. Some of my friends will say offensive things without realizing how offensive it is. A lot of them went to a high school with a very homogenic population, and only know what they’ve seen/heard in the media/stereotypes before they actually meet a minority.</p>

<p>^^ I believe stereotypes exist for a reason. So unless they’re horribly outdated go with 'em.</p>

<p>Meh, I dunno. One of the stereotypes I’ve constantly had to battle with is people’s surprise at my lack of an “Asian” accent. They’ll sometimes squint their eyes and talk in what they think is an “Asian” accent as a joke. It annoys the **** out of me because I’ve had to deal with people talking down to me all my life because they didn’t think I’d be able to speak English well. But whatever, they’re the ones looking like dumbasses, so…</p>

<p>You can’t get away from racism in today’s world, but a lot of left-leaning LACs have students that are REALLY insistent that no one stereotype or judge minorities, LBGT students, etc. My experience with the Grinnell students has been that, while there’s still self-segregation and some individual students still hold racist attitudes, the overall student population would never allow overt racism. Find the school that fits you, and I’m sure racism won’t be anything to worry about too much.</p>

<p>If were going to talk about stereotypes consider this: A school where over 90 percent of the students are black has 1)A bottle of hot sauce on every table in the cafeteria and 2)A Fried Chicken Wednesday. LOL, thats called acknowledging that a stereotype exists and taking it in stride.</p>

<p>That thing about the racism at Harvard is suprising. I’ve never heard that before. Racism isn’t as bad as it used to be and in 50 years it won’t be as bad as it is now. As it is you’re going to see it at some point in your lifetime, unless you just stay in one place all your life. </p>

<p>Not trying to be racist, but from what i’ve seen a lot of Asian people do tend to stick together during school and not hang with anyone else.</p>

<p>■■■■■.
From the beginning plus that sad, angry guy.<br>
OP is making some pretty inflammatory comments- and is s a new poster.<br>
I think, with his attitude, it may not have been race that bugged people.</p>

<p>ps. The Harvard article is not about racism or race-perception at Harvard- or even in Cambridge. It’s a study done by Harvard professors and reported to their peers.</p>

<p>Wiseone’s comments show little wisdom.</p>

<p>I went to HS in the south and all the blacks where very racial towards me, and the latinos just ignored everyone and talking spanish to each other and the asias couldn’t drive because of slanty eyes and all the white guys talked in high pitched voices for someone an all the white wimenz dressed in daisy dukes and dressed pro vok a tiv a ly
and when I went to college everyone everywhere was racists! But covert racists like ninjas they would come in through your windows snatchin yo people up, hide yo kids, hide yo wife because they rape’n everyone up in here. you don’t have to come and confess we gunna find you we gunna find you.</p>

<p>My school is 40% Asian and 35% white and while it is true that a lot of Asians stick together, I have a really diverse group of friends/acquaintances and I’m Asian as well. Most of my friends are white. I think it’s because I’m a stoner and we tend to befriend each other though. The extent to which I’ve experienced racism here isn’t very much at all, just that some white girls will snub me at parties and such, but I date/hook up almost exclusively with white girls (in a long distance relationship with an Estonian girl ATM) so it’s a little difficult. Not very bad at all though; no overt racism. Too many Asians here for that.</p>