What is racism?

What is racism exactly?

rac·ism
n.
The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability and that a particular race is superior to others.
Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
rac'ist adj. & n.

We have been hearing that we are racists because we dont agree with the politics of certain political individuals for about a year now.

Would you agree that a statement such as:

“I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experiences would more often than not reach a better conclusion than a white male"

Would fall under the definition from Dictionary.com shown above? It appears that Ms. Sotomayors statement hints that she believes that her race would allow her to make legal decisions BETTER than a white man. "race accounts for difference in human character or ability"

"I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to
suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites."

Here Obama is implying that he did not want to attach himself as a white person as if he would be better off being 100% black.

So, if i say that Obama is out of his gourd for spending 3 trillion dollars on failing business and federal bail-outs. Does that statement meet the criteria for racism?

What about if I said, "Obama doesnt have any experience to be president."

Taking it out of politics...What if I say that the kid who (happened to be black) held up a pharmacy with a gun was acting like an animal and got what he deserved when was shot and killed...Is that racism?

I think we need to stop using this word racism so lightly because it is losing its meaning more and more every day. 10 Years ago being a racist meant attending cross burnings and wearing you bedsheets outside on your head. Now you are a racist for merely disagreeing with someone.

Originally posted by BingeBob
What is racism exactly?

rac·ism
n.
The belief that race accounts for differences in human character or ability

This is actually true to a certain extent.. it's called culture, I believe.

and that a particular race is superior to others.
Discrimination or prejudice based on race.
rac'ist adj. & n.

opinions

...

I think we need to stop using this word racism so lightly because it is losing its meaning more and more every day. 10 Years ago being a racist meant attending cross burnings and wearing you bedsheets outside on your head. Now you are a racist for merely disagreeing with someone.

Racism is like many other negative words. In that it can be used wherever it will get the most effect. Anyone can call anyone else a racist if it fits their politics or ideals. Other words like this include, but not limited to:
Terrorist
Extremist
Radical
Cultist
Traitor
Liar

Heck a pharmacist is a drug dealer, right?

Racism is a weak instinct that wants us to favour our own kind out of the fear that the other race might be better then you for some dumb stupid insecure reason.
People choose to hide behind race out of comfortability in who they deal with.
After watching the national geographic special on prison life I see that in an environment where survival is essential people tend to hide behind race and stick with like minded people.
Is it a survival tool or an insecurity??

I am so sick of the rubbish that only whites are racist. There should be no such term as reverse racism, racism is racism. If blacks are racist they are racist, if hispanics are racist they are racist.

The double standards is amazing,a nd so many white people must get killed all the time, and the other groups just make up what ever saying the white person is racist.

Sickening.

Racism, Racism, Racism. Racism is the philosphy that one race is superior than the others. However, when we look at it we are all mutts, mixed with all sorts of races. Infact their are NO such thing as Races. If we all look at our hands and look at someone elses hands we see the same make and the same design we are all one and the same. Weather one believes in Creation or Evolution. We are all connected.

reply to post by BingeBob


good post ... the thing i think that's hilarious are the people who believe in the Bible, and are still 'racist'

If they truly believe in the Bible's words then that means that they believe that Adam & Eve happened, which therefore means that everyone technically are descendants of them. Which means everyone is related and no one is better then the other ... sorry had to throw that out there and point out the hypocrisy in some people.

And speaking of racism ... i don't know if it's true anywhere else, but i've met more black people that are racist, then whites ... especially after Obama got elected.

Flame if you want, just throwing some things out there.

[edit on 6-6-2009 by baseball101]

To me racism is less about the colour of someone's skin and their racial differences and more about a person subscribing to hatred out of sheer ignorance. I personally think it has more to do with insecurity than someone who actually thinks they are somehow superior, and the same applies to those who accuse you of being racist when you crack a joke etc. I'm white and British & there's absolutely no one on this planet who could offend me racially. As a labourer, I've been called everything under the sun by people of all colours and creeds and I just laugh my ass off. I'm comfortable being white and British & there's nothing anybody can say that will change that. For some insecure people it's so easy to hate and racism is just another excuse to do so.

[edit on 6-6-2009 by kindred]

Originally posted by DrumsRfun
Racism is a weak instinct that wants us to favour our own kind out of the fear that the other race might be better then you for some dumb stupid insecure reason.
People choose to hide behind race out of comfortability in who they deal with.
After watching the national geographic special on prison life I see that in an environment where survival is essential people tend to hide behind race and stick with like minded people.
Is it a survival tool or an insecurity??

this i agree with. I personally can't stand any form of racism and I've been through a lot of it in my lifetime.

[edit on 6-6-2009 by jouseroni]

Originally posted by baseball101
reply to post by BingeBob

 

good post ... the thing i think that's hilarious are the people who believe in the Bible, and are still 'racist'

If they truly believe in the Bible's words then that means that they believe that Adam & Eve happened, which therefore means that everyone technically are descendants of them. Which means everyone is related and no one is better then the other ... sorry had to throw that out there and point out the hypocrisy in some people.

And speaking of racism ... i don't know if it's true anywhere else, but i've met more black people that are racist, then whites ... especially after Obama got elected.

Flame if you want, just throwing some things out there.

[edit on 6-6-2009 by baseball101]

I'm black myself and I've experienced TONS of racism towards me from whites and latinos (especially when I lived in the south, man I'm glad i'm outta there lol). I'm personally not racist against anyone and I love everyone but to me you're comment doesn't make any sense I think everyone is equally racist. Theres just as much idiot black guys who are racist as there are whites... believe me. In my experience though I've only noticed racism against me and never seen anyone I know personally being racist to anyone white. I hang out with whites, blacks, mexican, indians whatever everyoens cool in my book. I do admit however that my grandparents are a little bit racist towards whites but I don't blame them they grew in the early to mid 1900s in the south... so what do you expect?

Also a lot of people seem to think every single black person is one of these "the white man is holding me down" people. I just want to say that a good portion of black people don't think like that and think its retarded to think like that.

I don't know I've just noticed that in my experience people who say things like "there are more black racists then whites" don't even know any black people and they just go by what they see in tv. I'm not talking about you because I don't know you I'm just saying the people I've met in the past who think this are like that.

[edit on 6-6-2009 by jouseroni]

[edit on 6-6-2009 by jouseroni]

[edit on 6-6-2009 by jouseroni]

In Australia, if an Aboriginal person is persecuted in any which way, it is enough to make anyone these days scream 'racism' - regardless if they actually did commit the crime in a guilty manner.

I always thought that the term racism simply indicated the identification of races and that racialism was the idea that races could be ranked...?? Assuming this clarification, yes, we are all racist. But the idea that races can be ranked and that some can be considered more superior than others is growing to be very obsolete. It is time that individuals looked beyond skin colour as some sort of social barrier - race is basically a social concept, not a biological one. It's an ideology about human differences.
And these days, these ideologies are practically bred into being - i was brought up to believe a certain fear of Aboriginal people - but of course, it has nothing to do with their skin colour than it does with how these people were raised and the society they live in, which contribute towards their social behaviour. I've since learned much about the truths of Australia's first European colonisation and know exactly why some of them are the way they are.
It comes from a long history of persecution, segregation then assimilation in an act to try and breed out the culture, and practically genocide in some areas. Many can't imagine the sheer suffering that was inflicted upon this proud and strong race of people. It's shameful.
And yet, many Australian's today hold a tunnel-vision focus on the violent and alcohol-ridden aspects of their existence. Not enough people ask why they are like that. And when the question is actually raised, of course the answer is the manner in which they are raised and the type of family and society they were brought up in. What they don't realise is that this behaviour has long-winded history attached to it.
The persecution of their race at the hands of the first colonial settlers played a part in this, but didn't have to. Racism or racialism, however you want to refer to it, are concepts based on fear and desires of control and greed. We could learn so much from culture if we just learned to look past these factors.

Racism is the recognition of difference between races.
Since we all say "I'm white" or "I'm black" or "Im asian" etc. etc. we are all racists. Simply making a point of the difference is wrong.
It is more correct to say "We are all human."

And while we sit around and accept the lies, the illusions, the deceptions and the divisiveness they laugh as they rob us blind and run off with the goods.

What did they get you to buy today that you did not need?

What propaganda did they use to define you or make you wish ill will on a person you have never met?

What items do you believe that you can't live without that did not exist five years ago?

The situation that we should be fighting is "conditioning". If we succeed at that the others will fade into the dust.

Originally posted by BingeBob
Taking it out of politics...What if I say that the kid who (happened to be black) held up a pharmacy with a gun was acting like an animal and got what he deserved when was shot and killed...Is that racism?

I would actually argue that holding up a pharmacy at gunpoint is a very human thing to do. And that humans are animals; and thus, everything we do is "acting like an animal."

Whether or not he got what he deserves is a matter, of opinion, but I would argue that it depends on the situation. If he was posing a legitimate physical threat to others, then offing him may have been the least-bad option. If he wasn't, then arresting him and granting him due process (even in an open and shut case) would obviously be the best outcome, from a societal perspective (keep in mind, police shooting people who don't pose a legitimate threat is a recipe for social unrest -- and deep distrust and fear of police, who we "trust" to protect us from the people who do wrong in society -- which can potentially lead to billions of dollars in damages (example: the riots that took place following the Rodney King case)).

I'm avoiding the "would this be racist" question because it's my opinion that most "racist" people are simply too lazy (or, in rare cases, they're too stupid) to think about things in any reasonable degree of depth. It's easier to just make racist assumptions. So, the above example isn't racist in and of itself, but in a large number of cases where this type of thing is said, it's being said by somebody who adopts racist views because of the relative simplicity of being racist.

Accusations of racism are the only option morons have when faced with irrefutable factual arguments.

being called a racist isnt a bad thing nowadays.

Racism is always a bad thing whether it is Black or White.It should end or else everyone gets involved in it someway or the other.The only way to end is making people aware of it. Several Anti-Racism Organisation are working for this perspective. We should help those making people aware and get help when needed.

reply to post by jouseroni


Apparently you have never lived in Atlanta or Augusta.

I used to work for a construction company and they have been sued enough where you can count it on both hands by black people for discrimination because they were fired for being late, drunk, high or just not working.

Many more quit because didn't like being told what to do by a white foreman. They would throw down their hardhats saying that the foreman was racist. I quote one such person.

"That @#%@ cracker is racist and I am going to sue."

The boss told him to help me (I'm white) clean the dirt off a curb. Kind of ironic that he would call the foreman a racist while spewing racial words himself.

I could go on and on about my expireances. Not all have been bad, but I have seen it in enough states and countries for it to leave a bad taste in my mouth.

Astonishing genetic evidence reveals that everyone alive today who is not African descends from just one successful, tiny group which left the continent in a single crossing, an event that may have happened around 70 thousand years ago.

I think the group consisted of about 200 families. I think 1 in 25 alive today are descended from Gengas Kahn.

How can we be rascist when we all come from the same place.

I find it ironic that you were just called a racist by moderator masqua, in your thread about not being able to say the name of the country nigeria without being censored, and had the thread locked.

Remember, you agreed not to say things like Nigeria when you signed up!

Originally posted by jouseroni


I'm black myself and I've experienced TONS of racism towards me from whites and latinos (especially when I lived in the south, man I'm glad i'm outta there lol). I'm personally not racist against anyone and I love everyone but to me you're comment doesn't make any sense I think everyone is equally racist. Theres just as much idiot black guys who are racist as there are whites... believe me.

This is a point that people often forget, racism exists in all cultures and peoples. It's just the fact that the racism of the "majority" is far more visible then those of other groups. (For various reasons.)

Originally posted by BingeBob
Would fall under the definition from Dictionary.com shown above? It appears that Ms. Sotomayors statement hints that she believes that her race would allow her to make legal decisions BETTER than a white man. "race accounts for difference in human character or ability"

Not because of her race, but because of her experiences as a member of that race. Put into context of what else she wwas saying, it makes perfect sense.

If she just out and out said "I'm better because i'm a Latina" then yeah, that'd be racism.

"I ceased to advertise my mother's race at the age of 12 or 13, when I began to
suspect that by doing so I was ingratiating myself to whites."

Here Obama is implying that he did not want to attach himself as a white person as if he would be better off being 100% black.

Actually his statement is anti-racist. Apparently as a child he was doing his best to remind white people of his white mother so that they would like him more - ingratiating himself. Maybe not an unreasonable approach for a biracial kid in the time period, but still catering to racist expectations.

So, if i say that Obama is out of his gourd for spending 3 trillion dollars on failing business and federal bail-outs. Does that statement meet the criteria for racism?

Not at all

What about if I said, "Obama doesnt have any experience to be president."

Depends. Have you ever supported a white guy who had no experience as a president? Say, John McCain? Sarah Palin? George Bush in the 2000 elections? Bill Clinton in the 1992 ones? Ronald Reagan in 1980?

Come to think of it, George H.W. Bush is the only president in decades to have any sort of presidential experience prior to running for president.

So if you supported pretty much ANY presidential candidate except for Bush I, but then turned on Obama for his "lack of experience"... well, maybe it's not racist, but it's definitely likely.

Taking it out of politics...What if I say that the kid who (happened to be black) held up a pharmacy with a gun was acting like an animal and got what he deserved when was shot and killed...Is that racism?

"Acting like an animal" you say? Would you ever say this about a white kid? That he was "acting like an animal" and "deserved to die"? Maybe you would, I don't know. But I know a lot of people wouldn't. They might say he needed to be dealt with, and have no problems saying he was in the wrong and the pharmacist was right to defend himself... But they probably wouldn't describe a white kid as an animal that deserves to die.

It's like the difference between "finding" and "looting" - different fords for different races doing the same thing.

I think we need to stop using this word racism so lightly because it is losing its meaning more and more every day. 10 Years ago being a racist meant attending cross burnings and wearing you bedsheets outside on your head. Now you are a racist for merely disagreeing with someone.

No, Racism was a lot smaller than the klan, buddy. They were an obvious and loud representation of the concept. But a hospital where the only black workers were some janitors who made two bucks less than white janitors? My mom teaching me years ago that black people are the children of Ham and that they wanted to be slaves?

Most racism is vastly more subtle than cross-burnings and skinhead rallies.