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Is the shared economy racist?

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Re: Is the shared economy racist?

#151

Post by omonra »

Jun8 wrote: post #110
tw268 wrote: post #106

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you call a stereotype when it is backed by statistical data? The a priori belief that is most common is that no stereotypes are true. It's the polite thing to believe. But if you are of a certain analytical mindset, you can be argued out of it with enough data and anecdotal evidence from friends.

An oxymoron :-), i.e. stereotypes are by definition not backed by reliable data ( http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stereotype )

What do you call an accurate assessment of a group that may be unflattering or unpleasant?

And what if said assessment is correct in 90% of the cases - how do the 10% for whom it fails would feel?

Re: Is the shared economy racist?

#153

Post by omonra »

theorique wrote: post #66
learc83 wrote: post #30

This isn't limited to white hosts either. My brother stayed with a black couple during an internship in DC last summer (he's white). They told him that after several bad experiences they no longer host black guests.

There's no racism like the racism of respectable, middle-class blacks against the "thug class" of lower-class blacks. Chris Rock had a routine about it which I will not repeat.

Wait, how can feelings of member of same ethnic group towards each other be classified as racism?

Re: Is the shared economy racist?

#154

Post by jack-r-abbit »

richardjordan wrote: post #88
runarberg wrote: post #78

From my experience YES! Before I start, I'd like to note that I am a young white, non-handicapped male. Most of my participation in the shared economy comes from hitchhiking, and I've done a lot of it. Only once has a car stopped that had a black passenger in it. I don't think that black people are racist towards white hitchhikers, but I think there is a deep barrier of trust at issue. Black people do experience raci…

I think there's an alternative explanation to your anecdotal suggestion black drivers don't pick up white hitch-hikers. Picking up hitch-hikers is inherently risky. Given that in any altercation or conflict the establishment and authorities will pretty much always view the black participant with suspicion and the white participant with favor, as experienced on a regular basis in day-to-day life by said driver, I thin…

It is kind of interesting to hear it explained in that way. Because it also sounds like a stereotype. Black driver has experienced, day-to-day, that white people have mistreated him and no longer trusts them and thus will not put himself into that situation by picking up white hitch-hikers. My step mother was a bit racist. It sickened me. But my dad would justify by explaining that she grew up in a bad area and she was often mistreated by her black peers. It still made no sense to me as a young teen. But that is almost exactly what you describe in the black driver not picking up white hitch-hikers. How many experiences like that does one need to have to make it socially acceptable to do that?

Re: Is the shared economy racist?

#155

Post by theorique »

tw268 wrote: post #132
theorique wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There exists a win-win equilibrium for upper class people. It's an advantage for wealthy, educated blacks to live in mostly white neighborhoods, because it shows that they've "made it" according to the (admittedly racist) standards of success. And it's an advantage for the white majority in such a neighborhood to have a few blacks around to demonstrate how incredibly non-racist they are. (Obviously, the underclass (o…

I don't get the romanticization of the under class. In poor neighborhoods, there are lots of noise, litter, and crime and few good role models. Why would you want that in your neighborhood? To prove how open-minded you are?

Almost nobody wants that. Even liberals who speak on behalf of the poor generally don't want their kids to attend the same schools as "the poor", nor do they want to live in the same neighborhoods as "the poor".

Generally, a poor neighborhood is a good place to be from, to contrast with present circumstances and look at how far you've come. It's not a good place to be.

Re: Is the shared economy racist?

#156

Post by joesmo »

wyager wrote: post #23
joesmo wrote: post #12

I don't think any of this is specific to AirBnb or Uber. What is described here is just plain racism, something that's blatant all over America (some might say, it's what defines America), especially in regards towards black people. The black friend in the story knew this and wasn't surprised. It's only surprising to people who think this is something of the past, as if somehow people have improved and this shouldn't…

> plain racism, something that's blatant all over America (some might say, it's what defines America) Have you ever lived in any continental European country? As someone who has spent about half their life in northern and western Europe and the other half in America, I can tell you with 100% confidence that Europeans are, in general, more xenophobic and racist than Americans.

Yes and I don't doubt it, but that still doesn't change the situation in America one bit. I didn't mean to imply that America is more or less racist than any other country, only that it is a defining factor of Americans, something that's hardly news to anyone living here, I should hope.

Re: Is the shared economy racist?

#157

Post by theorique »

omonra wrote: post #153
theorique wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no racism like the racism of respectable, middle-class blacks against the "thug class" of lower-class blacks. Chris Rock had a routine about it which I will not repeat.

Wait, how can feelings of member of same ethnic group towards each other be classified as racism?

Some people refer to it as "internalized racism".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internalized_racism

It's a bit different from having prejudice against a "different" group, but related.

Re: Is the shared economy racist?

#158

Post by joesmo »

wyager wrote: post #145
richardjordan wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Having grown up in the UK, lived in many countries around the world, and now been in the US for 15 years I dispute that. To fight anecdote with anecdote... Moving from the UK to the US I was shocked by the pernicious levels of institutionalized racism and the undercurrent of subtle racism. It's everywhere. There's certainly more of a veneer of tolerance here, which covers up a deep seated pathological racism, which i…

>Moving from the UK to the US I was shocked by the pernicious levels of institutionalized racism and the undercurrent of subtle racism. It's everywhere. Would you please provide some examples?

Police. Judicial system (all levels). Penal system. That's a good start.

Re: Is the shared economy racist?

#159

Post by facepalm »

I'm not sure how these services operate, but I wonder if a difference to traditional hotels is that they get applications, rather than reservations on a first come, first served basis?

If AirBnB landlords receive applications, maybe they just wait for an attractive one (ie a single male landlord could prefer to rent to attractive women).

I'm not trying to defend racism, just wondering how to alleviate the problem. I suppose traditional hotels don't get to look at a profile of the people who book with them. At most they could infer something from their name.

Re: Is the shared economy racist?

#160

Post by true_religion »

omonra wrote: post #105
vishaldpatel wrote: post #101

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Racial discrimination is when someone is discriminated on the basis of their race. It doesn't matter how friendly the perpetrator is to people of other races.

Right - but you appreciate the difference between someone a) disliking all races different from one's own b) using one's life experience to form opinions about people and grouping them by - age / race / occupation / ethnicity / etc. I think that using same word is wrong - as they are completely different phenomena.

Disliking all races different from your own is xenophobic. There is a different word for it. :)
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