Racism

Racism is a scary thing.
We all know that.
Racism was what caused The Holocaust. Racism is what Apartheid is based on. Racism is what caused Muslims to be discriminated against after the 9/11 attack even though some of them were raised and born in America and had as much right as any other American citizen to be there.
Being a Malaysian-born Chinese, racism has always been around. I just never realized it was what it was. My dad complains about a lazy Malay co-worker and someone else will say, " Ah, you know how those Malays are like, they're always lazy!". Or there will be jokes at the dining table about how indians shake their heads a lot when they talk ( there will of course be a need to demonstrate when this subject is on) or how they talk with their Indian accents.
Sure these racist jokes are funny. But I'll bet the Jews during the Holocaust didn't find it so funny when they were forced to go on the Death March ( where they literally had to walk until they died) or to go into the Gas Chambers. I bet they didn't think it was so funny then.
I've had some pretty racist experiences while I've been here in Australia. I've had people driving past in cars while I'm waiting at the bus stop and they stick their heads out and scream, " F***ing Asians!!!!" or even worse, throw bottles out of the car.
And recently with all that's been going on in Melbourne and sydney with all the seemingly racially-motivated attacks on indian students, you start to wonder if racism is as funny as sometime we make it out to be.

But then again, sometimes I wonder if we are being racist ourselves when we accuse others of being racist.
There are times when I'm sitting in a groups of largely Australian students and I feel like they're being rude to me just because I'm Asian. I then start thinking that they're bring racist and won't talk to me because I'm Asian. But I wonder. Could it be because I don't talk as much as they would like me too? Could it be because I don't smile enough? In other words, could it all just be because of my personality itself, and not my skin colour and shape of my eyes?
By thinking that they wouldn't want to talk to me because I'm Asian and they're Australian straightaway, and then withdrawing myself, aren't I being racist as well by assuming that just because they're Aussie they would be mean to me?

Of course, there really ARE circumstances when your assumptions are based on fact as there can be some really racist people around here. We can't expect everyone to be perfect, can't we?
Hell, I confess I love racist jokes at times and I think they can be quite a hoot.
But I was just wondering about Racism and what it all means.
Needed a sounding board and where else but my blog?
I hope I haven't offended anyone by sounding my thoughts.
If I have, really REALLY sorry.