EPT
#1
I don't like white people. They are mean to me.
I don't like white people. They are mean to me.
+ Show Spoiler [#1 Poll] +
#2
Those damn Koreans practice sc so much it's unfair. They prioritize sc over more important things.
Those damn Koreans practice sc so much it's unfair. They prioritize sc over more important things.
+ Show Spoiler [#2 Poll] +
#3
Women aren't capable of running big businesses. They make fine lower managers but can't handle the demands of upper management.
Women aren't capable of running big businesses. They make fine lower managers but can't handle the demands of upper management.
+ Show Spoiler [#2 Poll] +
I will now address the following:
- What is/isn't racism
- What problem do I perceive about the topic of racism
What is Racism?
According to dictionary.com:
a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others
From Wikipedia:
Racism is the belief that the genetic factors that constitute race, ethnicity, or nationality are a primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that ethnic differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. Racism's effects are called "racial discrimination."
According to a random pocket dictionary I grabbed off a nearby bookshelf:
belief in the superiority of a particular race
Finally, we should answer the question: what is race?
large group of people with common ancestry and inherited physical characteristics
Based on those definitions (which vary slightly but are pretty similar) racism is a belief (conscious or not) that genetic differences among races determine their superiority or inferiority. The reason why I say 'genetic' differences is because people share the same physical characteristics if they have similar genetics... and they have similar genetics if they have a common ancestry.
I believe I can illustrate what is and what isn't racism by referring to a scene from A Raisin in the Sun. I haven't actually read the whole thing but I'll summarize the important part the best I can. An African American family (the Youngers) is going to move into a working class all-white neighborhood. The improvement association of that new neighborhood sends a representative (played by the voice actor of piglet in the movie actually), Karl Lindner, to attempt to bribe the family to choose not to move into the new neighborhood.
The fact that the association didn't want the black family to move in was discrimination. Clearly, the Youngers were being discriminated against. If they were white I'm guessing they wouldn't have been urged to change their minds about moving in. Is Karl Lindner a racist? The answer cannot be determined just from the information I have shared so far. As it turns out, Karl Lindner, despite being polite and honest (not what you'd expect a stereotypical racist to be) believes that the Youngers are inferior people. He has sympathy for them and doesn't blame them for it, but thinks they don't have the same capabilities as the white people he represents. This makes him a racist. It was not racist to bribe the black family to avoid moving into the neighborhood; it was racist to believe that their people are different. Of course those two things aren't completely unrelated and I won't try to claim that. The racist view is inspiring the discrimination (but racism and discrimination are not even remotely the same thing).
What problem do I perceive regarding the topic of racism?
A lot of people are just plain confused about what racism is. This is a very politically charged issue which makes it that much harder to educate people who are confused. If you say anything which doesn't imply an alignment with the believe that
<anything insensitive to a group of people> = racism = you are evil
then you are being a "racist." Good luck trying to explain to someone in public that something technically wasn't racist...
There is a scene in Family Guy I'm reminded of but can't find a clip of offhand (someone help me here!). Peter accidentally swallows his cell phone. When he hears the phone ringing he punches his stomach to accept the call, and everyone standing near him can hear the person on the other end of the call. While Peter is standing on a sidewalk a black couple happens to be standing near him. He suddenly gets a call from Quagmire (this is from memory):
Quagmire: Hey peter, guess what? I just had sex with a black chick!
Peter: UHHH Quagmire SHHHH <eying black couple>
Black Woman: What? He just said black chick.
Peter's reaction seems ridiculous but it's actually quite understandable because everyone is so paranoid about this issue (and obviously Family Guy is criticizing this popular viewpoint since it's ridiculous). It would be nice to live in a society where it was okay to say things about race, gender, etc, without having to worry as long as these statements weren't actually racist, weren't actually inappropriate stereotypes, and weren't actually discriminatory.
Results of the Polls: I don't know exactly what to expect but I'll just point out my thinking for each question.
#1: There is no evidence of racism in the statement. A lot of people think not liking a group of people of a certain race or from a certain country or region is automatically racism. It's not good to have such a belief but it's not racism.
#2: This isn't racism... it isn't a good statement to make but it isn't racism.
#3: A lot of you probably laughed at the ridiculousness of this example, but I think you'd be surprised how often the word racist gets abused so badly that even statements like these get thought of as being racist. Ironically this one is the closest to racist of the three examples though: it's sexist. I guess we could start this thread over again on the topic of sexism but it might not be necessary if you already get the idea of what I'm saying.
