In this CBS video made in 1968, they decided to take a look at how blacks and whites viewed racial issues.
They went out and did about 1,000 surveys and a few interviews. In this article, I will focus on the white respondents.
The thing that immediately surprised me about the video wasn’t the shockingly ignorant and backwards racist opinions expressed by the white participants. I mean it was 1968, only three years after the Civil Rights Act.
What surprised me was how familiar the things they said were. Here is some of the types of opinions white people interviewed in the video made when talking about black people.
- Black people are lazy.
- Black people are untrustworthy.
- Black people are loud.
- Black people are violent.
- Black people are too different.
- Black people do not parent their children correctly.
- Black people are looking for handouts.
- Shoot black rioters on site as an example to the rest.
- Black people complain too much about slavery.
- Why should I have to pay for mistakes other people made over 100 years ago? None of MY ancestors even owned slaves!
- Black people complain too much about racism.
- Black people are more racist than whites.
- Black people have lower IQs than whites.
- I don’t want to live next to black people.
I bet most people would be hard pressed to identify if these opinions where made in 1968 or at the most recent Tea Party rally.
I found the video to be both fascinating and disturbing. If you read the many comment sections on stories that are even vaguely race related, you recognize many of these opinions.
We have conservative media like Fox News and many talk radio programs promoting many of these views even today. And just like the people in this video, conservative-minded and even some liberal-minded white Americans carry some of the same opinions, prejudices and misconceptions about black people.
I expect many, if not most, conservative-minded people reading this article and watching the video to say I’m a “race baiter.” Personally I consider the term a badge of honor. If I can bait people into thinking about race and how other people outside of their bubble view racial issues, then I consider my mission accomplished to a certain extent. I’m not writing to “whine” about how whites treat or treated blacks. I write to remind people that history matters, attitudes don’t completely change even in 47 years.
But listen, we’ve come a very long way from 1968.
There were signs of hope in this video. Later in the video they focused on common ground, and how many white attitudes have improved when asked about the prospect of integration and equality. Polls did seem to indicate a more progressive attitude shift over the past 30 years, prior to 1968.
And while most whites in 1968 opposed interracial dating, in today’s society interracial dating isn’t seen as being as divisive of an issue. In fact, it is more widely accepted in most communities around the country. We have the first black president of the United States. We have a record number of black millionaires in this country. Race relations have come a very long way.
The vast majority of Americans living today in general, shame and shun blatant hostile racism. However, we still have a very long road to travel before people who think like those in this video are no longer welcome around the family dinner table or at the bars wear we relax in.
We may never see eye to eye on every issue related to race in America, but we can at least learn to stop thinking of people in terms of the worst examples we see, read, talk and hear about. I wonder what people will say about us 47 years from now?
I chose to focus on one part of this video; however, the other part which covers black attitudes in 1968, is also compelling, and I plan to write another story exploring that in more detail.
The first 15 minutes of this video focuses mainly on negative white attitudes toward blacks in 1968. At the 43:24 minute mark they show more progressive white attitudes towards race relations during that period.
Here is the video:
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CJL9tPy3rtc&w=640&h=480]
Featured image via YouTube screen grab
