NationStates Jolt Archive

How do you define the word "racist"?

I define it as one being proud of their race, like a sexist, or nationalist.

There is nothing wrong with being proud of your country, gender, or race as long as you don't act superior to other races. You can be proud of something without thinking you/it are above all others.

There is nothing wrong with being proud of your country, gender, or race as long as you don't act superior to other races. You can be proud of something without thinking you/it are above all others.


Thats my thinking, but I'm nationalist and a tad racist I'd say.

There is nothing wrong with being proud of your country, gender, or race as long as you don't act superior to other races. You can be proud of something without thinking you/it are above all others.



I define it as the belief that 'races' have intrisic superiority or inferiority in their ability to think or function socially, or having intrinsic positive or negative traits in these areas.

I would expand it to simply belief in 'races' at all I suppose.

Examples are "jews are greedy" "black people are dumb" "mexicans are dumb" "white people are rescourceful" "asians are smart" etc etc.

Or of course, "typical [black, asian, white, jew, arab, etc etc]"

There is nothing wrong with being proud of your country, gender, or race as long as you don't act superior to other races. You can be proud of something without thinking you/it are above all others.


Pride in the accomplishments of a country can be a good thing, such as pride americans may have felt about winning the second world war or landing on the moon.

The idea of racial identity is in itself a racist idea, so pride in a race is racist in the same sense as hatred of another race.

Any idea that is based upon racial classification is racist.

The belief that one's race is inherently superior to another or all other races.

Racist is discriminating against some due to their nationality or heritage. This inculdes not giving someone equal treatment at a job or school due to race. Also if you wont date someone because of their race it is racism. If you think that your race is better or superior to another race, it is racism. These are just a few examples of racism...the list could go on for a while.

The belief that one's race is inherently superior to another or all other races.

So Nationalists feel that their country is inherently superior to ALL others?

Racist is discriminating against some due to their nationality or heritage. This inculdes not giving someone equal treatment at a job or school due to race. Also if you wont date someone because of their race it is racism. If you think that your race is better or superior to another race, it is racism. These are just a few examples of racism...the list could go on for a while.
exactly!

when you make a snap judgement about someone with scant evidence you are prejudiced. when you HATE people because of the group you place them in you are a bigot. when you DO something about it, you are a racist (if the group is a racial one)

in order to be a racist i have to have the ability to hurt a person because of their race. this includes employment, housing, social interactions, shooting them.

if *I*, as a person sitting in the wilds of new mexico, hate australian aborigines, i am a bigot. i cant be a racist because i have no means to affect any aborigine in any way good or bad. i can be a racist over any of the other racial groups since they exist in my town and i can at least spit on someone i dont like because of his race.

bleck! im glad im just prejudiced, i sure would hate to have to spit on all those strangers!

Pride in the accomplishments of a country can be a good thing, such as pride americans may have felt about winning the second world war or landing on the moon.

The idea of racial identity is in itself a racist idea, so pride in a race is racist in the same sense as hatred of another race.

Any idea that is based upon racial classification is racist.


So it is wrong, for example, for a black person to feel proud about who they are and what there race is when they learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement during Black History Month?

exactly!

when you make a snap judgement about someone with scant evidence you are prejudiced. when you HATE people because of the group you place them in you are a bigot. when you DO something about it, you are a racist (if the group is a racial one)

in order to be a racist i have to have the ability to hurt a person because of their race. this includes employment, housing, social interactions, shooting them.



I asked Mr. Webster what he had to say on the subject:

Prejudiced: A judgement or opinion formed before all the facts are known

Bigot: Someone who holds blindly or intolerantly to a particular opinion.

Racism: Belief in the superiority of one race over another (So you dont have to actually act upon it. You just have to believe it to be a racist)

The belief that one's race is inherently superior to another or all other races.
^*what Friedmanville said*

here's an interesting question though....

a lot of people don't beleive in their own race's superiority per se but a lot of americans make instant prejudices (that might be redundant) about other people of a different race. Anyone who has been to intolerance.org and taken a quiz there knows what I'm talking about. Basically, one might instinctually make judgements about other peoplenot because they believe their race is superior, but because that's just what they have heard and seen and all. It's not even their fault. are these people racist?

So it is wrong, for example, for a black person to feel proud about who they are and what there race is when they learn about Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement during Black History Month?

I believe there is a difference between pride and racism. I'm all for having pride in yourself, your heritage, and where you came from, as long as you know that your race isn't better than any other race. I believe black people and Americans in general should be proud of Martin Luher King Jr. and the civil rights movement. ~Kayla

I asked Mr. Webster what he had to say on the subject:

Prejudiced: A judgement or opinion formed before all the facts are known

Bigot: Someone who holds blindly or intolerantly to a particular opinion.

Racism: Belief in the superiority of one race over another (So you dont have to actually act upon it. You just have to believe it to be a racist)
mr webster is wrong. at least in a political context.

a racist isnt a benign believing that ones group is better than another, everyone tends to believe that. it is the evil acting on it in such a way as to hurt someone of the other group just because they are a member of the other group. (group in this case being "race")

if it were just thinking you were better than other people, it wouldnt be wrong, it would be human.

here's an interesting question though....

a lot of people don't beleive in their own race's superiority per se but a lot of americans make instant prejudices (that might be redundant) about other people of a different race. Anyone who has been to intolerance.org and taken a quiz there knows what I'm talking about. Basically, one might instinctually make judgements about other peoplenot because they believe their race is superior, but because that's just what they have heard and seen and all. It's not even their fault. are these people racist?

I think these are examples of racism in your subconscious. You can't control it if you think something as a first impression and as long as after the initial thought you tell yourself, "That's not true. Don't be stupid" Then I won't hold anything against you. But if you honestly believe in the stereotypes then I think its racism.

anyone who considers racism a valid concept falls into their category of racism

take away the language and people will not be able to think about it!

here's an interesting question though....

a lot of people don't beleive in their own race's superiority per se but a lot of americans make instant prejudices (that might be redundant) about other people of a different race. Anyone who has been to intolerance.org and taken a quiz there knows what I'm talking about. Basically, one might instinctually make judgements about other peoplenot because they believe their race is superior, but because that's just what they have heard and seen and all. It's not even their fault. are these people racist?
they might be.

everyone has prejudices. its human. we judge people on their appearance be it clothing style, skin color, hair style, whatever. it pays to guard against it because these automatic judgements are so often wrong. that sweet looking blond haired boy might be a killer and that black gansta looking kid might be the most gentle kid youll ever meet.

its not RACIST unless you start doing something about these automatic judgements. if you start getting into fights with black kids because of the things you mutter under your breath when they walk by, you are a racist. if you refuse to invite the black kid to your party because you dont associate with black people, you are a racist.

if you stop talking to your sister because she is dating a black kid, you are a racist. if you feel awkward when you meet your sisters new boyfriend because he is black and you are nervous about how he might act, you are HUMAN. if you give him a chance, you are just fine.

if it were just thinking you were better than other people, it wouldnt be wrong, it would be human.

Thinking you are better than other people is human. Thinking your race is better than other races isnt. Thoughts like, "I'm smarter than him/her" "I'm better looking than her/him" or "I have way more common sense then him/her" are human things to think. Thoughts like, "White people are ugly" "Black people are criminals" "Mexicans are poor" "The French are snooty" "Canadains are dumb" etc. etc. are not just having human thoughts. It's being racist.

Saying "I am better than john" is not racism.

Saying "My 'race' is better than john's race" is racism.

Also, saying "I am proud of my race is racism, because it implies that races exist and that they can be stratified.

However, saying 'I am proud to be norwegian, because norwegian individuals have done great things and i consider them to be related to me is not racism, because it is predicated upon the merits of individuals and one's relation to those individuals, not the merits of norwegians in general.

It is not a readily apparent distinction, but it is the one that I make.

So Nationalists feel that their country is inherently superior to ALL others?

Yes, nationalists think there country is superior, but I don't know if it has to be inherently. Though there may be some element of racism within that nationalism, such as such as the superiority of the aryan race, Germany, NAZIs, etc.

Thinking you are better than other people is human. Thinking your race is better than other races isnt. Thoughts like, "I'm smarter than him/her" "I'm better looking than her/him" or "I have way more common sense then him/her" are human things to think. Thoughts like, "White people are ugly" "Black people are criminals" "Mexicans are poor" "The French are snooty" "Canadains are dumb" etc. etc. are not just having human thoughts. It's being racist.
it can be
but it IS human to think that your "group" is better than others. different people define their group differently.

for example, its common for americans to think that the US is the best country that has ever existed in the history of the world. this is just our way of thinking that OUR group is better than other groups.

its common to think of your highschool as being better than others or at least your "group" in your school.

its common to think that your state is better than other states.

see what im saying?

so if for some reason your group is your RACE, you naturally think that your race is better than others. i suppose its true that to identify yourself as primarily a member of your race probably DOES mean you are a racist. it certainly isnt the way i identify myself. it must take a certain turn of mind for a white person especially to think of himself as WHITE.

Thinking you are better than other people is human. Thinking your race is better than other races isnt. Thoughts like, "I'm smarter than him/her" "I'm better looking than her/him" or "I have way more common sense then him/her" are human things to think. Thoughts like, "White people are ugly" "Black people are criminals" "Mexicans are poor" "The French are snooty" "Canadains are dumb" etc. etc. are not just having human thoughts. It's being racist.


That may be human too. A certain amount of apprehension towards what is different may be wired into humans. You can see this in the phenomenon of self-sorting. Look at an ethnically diverse high school lunchroom....normally we see predominantly black kids sitting in some tables while others are predominantly white kids. This isn't to say these groups have animosity towards each other, just that humans gravitate towards those who are similar.

for example, its common for americans to think that the US is the best country that has ever existed in the history of the world. this is just our way of thinking that OUR group is better than other groups.


Thinking Americans are the greatest and that America is the greatest IS racism. Frankly, as an American, I am disgusted by it. I'm constantly hearing "America is the greatest country" And I just want someone to explain to me why? What makes America so great? Canada has everthing America has except no evil government, very low crime rates (Major cities have about one murder a yr compared to the thousands that happen in US cities), they have universal health care, they dont have slums. I saw where the "poor people" live in Canada, it looked just as good if not better than the middle class neighborhood that I live in. I'm not trying to dis on America cuz I love America. It is where I was born and where I'm being raised. But I love America the way an adult would. I see Americas faults and I accept them because its part of what America is. I do not love America the way a 3 yr old loves their mommy. I dont see America as perfect and as always right. I believe that all nations have their goods and bads but no nation is greater or worst than any other nation.

Pride in the accomplishments of a country can be a good thing, such as pride americans may have felt about winning the second world war or landing on the moon.

The idea of racial identity is in itself a racist idea, so pride in a race is racist in the same sense as hatred of another race.

Any idea that is based upon racial classification is racist.

But then there often can be a grain of truth in many of these ideas, for example do you think it is a coincidence that the Kenyan athletes win the steeplechase at almost every world championship or olympic games, or do you think it is a coincidence that the 100 metres event is dominated by black people?

But then there often can be a grain of truth in many of these ideas, for example do you think it is a coincidence that the Kenyan athletes win the steeplechase at almost every world championship or olympic games, or do you think it is a coincidence that the 100 metres event is dominated by black people?



Who can say really.

Perhaps they simply train the best.
I
Perhaps if every kenyan was an olympic runner then there would be some merit to this idea.

I wonder, in ten million blacks, how many are olympic atheletes.
In ten million whites?

In one hundred million of each?

Is the number even statistically significant?

But then there often can be a grain of truth in many of these ideas, for example do you think it is a coincidence that the Kenyan athletes win the steeplechase at almost every world championship or olympic games, or do you think it is a coincidence that the 100 metres event is dominated by black people?
Yea, but that's cultural, not racial. For instance, it's not rare to hear European Americans remark on the superior musical talent of Africans here in the US -- "Blacks have such good voices," "Blacks are such good entertainers," "Christina Aguilera, well she's got a Black voice." But I know those statements are off the mark because I'm African and American-born. The reason one finds so many musically-disposed Africans in the US is that music plays such an important part in African spritual traditions. And since Africans here in the US for so long spent such a large amount of time in churce, there was produced what seemed to be hordes of musically-disposed Black Americans. If you thought about it, you'd notice that prominent African American singers don't seem to work at the same level as many of their predecessors. Beyonce Knowles isn't as good as Aretha Franklin or Luther Vandross or Billie Holiday. That's because, since the integration migrations of the '60s and 70's, the church doesn't play such a central role in African communities here in the US.

There's nothing anatomical about it. Biologists have always known that one would more likely find difference within a constituent racial group than between members of one race and members of another. In short, if European Americans were raised in African American churches, they'd likely be musically-disposed too.

I have seriously considered extending my own definition of "racism" to all who refuse to accept the now scientificialy proven fact that all members of the entire human race are brothers and sisters of the same "dawn mother."

I'm not going to go into great detail about the proof of this, except to say that geneticists have proven it using mitochondrial DNA studies of every race on the planet. We are all descended from an "African Eve."

I have seriously considered extending my own definition of "racism" to all who refuse to accept the now scientificialy proven fact that all members of the entire human race are brothers and sisters of the same "dawn mother."

I'm not going to go into great detail about the proof of this, except to say that geneticists have proven it using mitochondrial DNA studies of every race on the planet. We are all descended from an "African Eve."

Well of course we all descended from one extremely early hominid. If you believe in evolution it would almost be common sense. Hell Rats and humans were both descended from the same creature 76 million years ago...

here's an interesting question though....

a lot of people don't beleive in their own race's superiority per se but a lot of americans make instant prejudices (that might be redundant) about other people of a different race. Anyone who has been to intolerance.org and taken a quiz there knows what I'm talking about. Basically, one might instinctually make judgements about other peoplenot because they believe their race is superior, but because that's just what they have heard and seen and all. It's not even their fault. are these people racist?
Yes.

It doesn't have to be a concious or malicious act. My opinion is that a majority of the planets inhabitants are racist to one degree or another. Even if education and progress proves old attitudes erronous, it's hard to erase what is imprinted in our minds by family or peers, especially that done at an early age.

I have the luxury of coming from a background where the multiculturalism is generations deep. I am not unique in this in the area I live, so there has been virtually no social stigma attached to this. It has taken a lot of patience and understanding to overcome the belief that a great majority of my fellow humans are ignorant and evil in their attitudes torward each other. I had to come full circle and realize that hating someone for racial predjudices that are so deeply ingrained that they are almost part of their personality is almost as bad as racial predudice itself.

I personally refuse to acknowledge 'race' among humans. I think it demeaning and equivelent to the subclassification of domesticated animals into 'breeds'. I believe we should be above that.

Besides it is used solely as an excuse to devide or subjugate others. I have never come across a single person who acknowledges race or believes in racial pride who doesn't believe he or she is a member of the most superior of the divisions.

Well of course we all descended from one extremely early hominid. If you believe in evolution it would almost be common sense. Hell Rats and humans were both descended from the same creature 76 million years ago...
So explain racism then.

Besides it is used solely as an excuse to devide or subjugate others.
Exactly. Racism is a system of control.

they might be.

everyone has prejudices. its human. we judge people on their appearance be it clothing style, skin color, hair style, whatever.

I don't like:

Hippies
Long Hair on guys
Short hair on girls
Anarchists
Stoners
Jerks
White trash

Am I intolerant?

I think it's one's actions towards a person of another race is what deems a person a racist.

We all have our prejudices. But it's how we act on it, it's what that matters.

I don't like:

Hippies
Long Hair on guys
Short hair on girls
Anarchists
Stoners
Jerks
White trash

Am I intolerant?
yes you are

except for the "jerks" where you have to have some knowlege of the person in order to give them that label. the rest are judgements based on apperance, political opinion, habits and economic status. people are way more than those things, to dislike them for one small part of themselves without bothering to see if your opinions are correct in their case is intolerant.

How are you even defining Race? We could get all brown eyed people and call them a race, regardless of skin color. It's indisputable that there are differences between us, but seeing as how we can all breed togethor, I say that makes us one race, human.


I hate the French... lol, but then again who doesn't? Even the French hate the French.

Thinking your nation is great, or even the greatest, IS NOT RACISM, it's an opinion and it all depends on how one wants to measure greatness.

racist=stupid

its not like some people come from out of space

My take on the whole thing is that while it's perfectly valid to be proud of yourself or those very close to you it's absurd to be proud of your country or race. Especially country, pride in a country (IMHO) breeds arrogance, complacency and laziness. There's nothing wrong with being patriotic, but I feel if you really do think your country is great you should feel privelleged, not proud. Maybe then you may do something productive with those feelings. One of the reasons I am determined to work in a field that directly benefits my country is because I accept that its greatness (as I see it) was built on the back of the hard work of others. I don't feel proud because what have I done to be proud of?

yes you are

except for the "jerks" where you have to have some knowlege of the person in order to give them that label. the rest are judgements based on apperance, political opinion, habits and economic status. people are way more than those things, to dislike them for one small part of themselves without bothering to see if your opinions are correct in their case is intolerant.

You're confusing intolerance with prejudice. If you hate x you are prejudiced. If you think x shouldn't be free to do y you're intolerant.

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Yar!

Ultra extreme racism, to where you act upon it, is pretty much a wasted emotion. However, it is human nature to look at someone different than us, and think that we're better than them. It's also human nature to want to be around people like ourselves. How many movies have you seen where a white guy and a black guy are the best friends? How often does that happen in real life? Not too often. White people generally socialize with whites, blacks generally with blacks. I'm not saying white and black people don't socialize, just not to the extent that they do within their own race. It isn't racism. It's human nature.

Also, labeling someone something because of their race, ie, Asains are smart, blacks are lazy, french are arrogant, etc, isn't racism, it's stereotyping. And often, there's a hint of truth in stereotyping.