So when i was flying back to Tampa from Cleveland after Thanksgiving i was sitting at my gate ready to board and one of the stand by passengers was of Arabic decent. He was waiting and waiting and i saw him getting upset and he was speaking to his buddy, also of Arabic decnt. So, they finally call him and his name was Muhammad!!! WTF?? Now, we made safely but i was a liitle nervous!
Am I racist?
I think the way youre posing the question is fundamentally flawed. Are you racist? Do you discriminate? Do you have biases? These all assert that someone is either racist/biased/discriminatory or they are not. Its a very "black and white" way of viewing racism. Instead, one should look at racism/biases/discrimination on a continuum, especially in terms of context. Context is everything!!
In the situation above, you may have reacted in a racist manner, but would you have reacted similarly in a different context? If you saw a muslim person walking down the street, would you have reacted the same way as you did in the airport setting? Probably not. Thus, in some contexts you may be racist, and in other contexts, you are not racist. Thus, its impossible to ask, "Am I racist," as if the answer is always going to be a strict dichotomy (yes or no).
So, I think the answer to your question is, "Yes, in some contexts I may be racist, and in other contexts, I am not racist." Again, its on a continuum.
