Is it wrong to be racist?

A teacher came up with this question when a student in one of my classes said that the substitute was racist:

Is it truly wrong to be a racist person?

Elaborate.

I argued it isn't wrong to be racist. It is perfect human for all of man's actions and decisions. If someone's different, it may be unsettling but it does not mean to give them a title and a bad reputation from stereotyping and recurring events. No matter what you do or say, there will always be racist people. There are those mindsets that people have.

What do you think?

I agree with you to a certain level, like yes people judge people because there different. Its human to do so, But the problem is some people take it to far, like saying all black people should be slaves or should die. Its at this point i think racism is wrong.

A thing that really bothers me is the discrimination of racial discrimination (if you understand where I'm going with this).

I'm absolutely sick and tired of African-Americans getting angry over a person giving a derogatory racial term to them, especially those who get angry after calling another race a slur. I was exposed to people like this in high-school.

Walking down the hall, he hears the word 'nigger', and has a fit over the term, when, an hour later, he's loudly calling Caucasians 'crackers'. Of course, racism has limits. Once you start seeing inhumane treatment between races, it's a big problem. This is where I don't argue with the OP:

Is it wrong to be racist?

Well, is it wrong to exhibit yourself in unnecessarily violent manners? If you're uncomfortable around certain people and you act this way, yes.

Is it wrong to be silently racist and talk about it to others? Absolutely not.

Yes, there are certain degrees of racism. The EXTREMISTS are totally wrong.

I agree with AJ. Hypocrites about racism tick me off beyond extent. Especially nowadays. A white kid called a African-American a 'nigger' as a friendly gesture and the receiver of it got irate and started cursing him out. After the poor kid turned around, his 'clique' even said to him and he didn't act any different as if I called you guys by your names. I roll my eyes and walk away in such disgust. The premise of racism has been distorted beyond all means; to the extent of not actually self-realizing the facts of it. What are the boundaries between stereotypes, cliches, and racism? They're all about the same mind process but at different degrees towards society.

What I really hate is (AJ forgive me, only way to say it), Africans get offended when a White man says "Nigger" but it is okay when another African says "Nigger"

But yet, we can be called crackers, wiggers, and everything of the sort and it is okay?

Just my thoughts. I'm not racist at all, but I had to point that out.

MrMagic wrote:

What I really hate is (AJ forgive me, only way to say it), Africans get offended when a White man says "Nigger" but it is okay when another African says "Nigger"

But yet, we can be called crackers, wiggers, and everything of the sort and it is okay?

Just my thoughts. I'm not racist at all, but I had to point that out.

Halogen- wrote:

A thing that really bothers me is the discrimination of racial discrimination (if you understand where I'm going with this).

I'm absolutely sick and tired of African-Americans getting angry over a person giving a derogatory racial term to them, especially those who get angry after calling another race a slur. I was exposed to people like this in high-school.

Walking down the hall, he hears the word 'nigger', and has a fit over the term, when, an hour later, he's loudly calling Caucasians 'crackers'. Of course, racism has limits. Once you start seeing inhumane treatment between races, it's a big problem. This is where I don't argue with the OP:

Is it wrong to be racist?

Well, is it wrong to exhibit yourself in unnecessarily violent manners? If you're uncomfortable around certain people and you act this way, yes.

Is it wrong to be silently racist and talk about it to others? Absolutely not.

I said it too. Don't worry about it. If someone gets offended in this section of the forums, it's because they're acting immature and can't talk in an intelligent conversation. Their own fault.

Oh wow you did that say too, and I read your post too lol, my bad!

i tend to agree with whats posted above
Clearly racism isnt something to be desired but is unavoidable to a degree
any human mental process when confronted with an unknown variable will be wary
the point of the matter is to make sure you dont let your mental process become derogatory. Or inadvertanly offend someone

Recently i entered a training environment with a large number of different ethnic cultures and was forced due to proximity and exposure to all these groups of people to learn new ways of thinking and ideas. It was definitly a stressfull time at first cuz while i was raised not to think derogitivly of any races i wasnt used to interacting with the other cultures jokes that meant one thing to me in Indiana mean majorly different and sometimes offensive things to someone from new york or other areas and where i was from it was a primarily caucasian area so i had a hard time confronting my own mental preconceptions when suddenly confronted with people of different backgrounds where gangs and other less pleasant realities were the norm.

i hope i wasnt to long winded

Racism ..... Been going on for how many years? Ever since the high powered white men founded that there were actually people god burnt? (Oh, was that racist?)

Honestly, I've been called a guinea, wop, greaser, etc etc. If an African American can call me cracka, you best believe I'm gonna call him a nigger(a). Racism is just a part of society today, and it depends on the environment you live in. Aj, kayla, Sara and I all live in a potential all African American majority here. I can only tell you how many times I've walked down the street and heard, " hey nigga! how da hell have you been??" Man replies " yo nigga, my shizzle is on da chainnnnnn " I'm going to myself " really? .... fag " and walk away.

I believe that there is no such thing as racism anymore, but racial profiling and racial discrimination has been what the majority of problems are to this day. Honestly, you don't hear much about someone calling a black man a nigger anymore, you hear, nowadays, people bashing gays. Homo! FAG! Queer! etc etc.

IMO, and again, it is my opinion, we all have freedom of speech, if some black man is running down the street from just robbing a liquor store ( yes profiling I know ) I'm gonna call him a nigger. Wanna know why? The definition of NIGGER is an IGNORANT WHITE OR BLACK PERSON. OR just plain and simple, an ignorant person. If you get mad at me for calling you ignorant then yes you can yell at me, but just cause I used a racially harassed word and you FEEL its racism, you need to check up on your webster.com or latest dictionary.

I call AJ a pick with an s (spik) and he calls me guinea. So what? It's just a word?

"sticks and stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me"

Nuff said

Mikey to answer your question, no. I don't believe anymore, its wrong to be racist.

Not to mention, I'm a country boy.... Black people don't really like country boys Unless they are country as well And no, that is not profiling, check up your history XD

This is why I call black people crackers, they get pissed sometimes but it is funny.

I am Asian myself and I know how it feels to be called a "chink" and referred to "cooking cats" and having a "small dick." I don't take offense to these things.

To me, I've learned to accept and respect who I am over the past few years of racism. Things like "chink" doesn't boil me at all because I am happy to be an Asian.

Of course racism is wrong to the degree of segregation, but holding a little grudge against a person due to race is alright. I wish many people learn how to respect others, but that couldn't be convinced in such an imperfect world.

yes... it's wrong

Well of course it's wrong is certain situations. But, imo, it isn't wrong, when started from an opposing person. Two wrongs don't make a right I know, but honestly, that statement is far from being correct. It's just the way society is today. Eye for an eye

So you're saying today's society isn't wrong?

there are a LOT of annoying black people and when you see more and more black people acting the same way that annoys you. you tend to build a 'hatred' towards that. not necessarily there skin color but the way they act, and if people call that racist. your stupid.

Don't call people stupid for their beliefs - it makes you look stupid.

No, I'm not saying today's society isn't wrong. I'm saying that with the basis of interpretation to one who immigrates over here, they will see and think that it IS okay to say certain things. I personally don't like racism. Really, it pisses me off. Any ordinary person other than those I know and love that call me a Guinea you best believe I'm gonna flip out. It's just common courtesy to be respectful and adapt to that person's nationality/heritage.

of course racism is wrong the problem becomes when certain people get it in their head that they should act just like the stereotype what then do u do obviously u dont want to be racist but when they are acting just like the obnoxious stereotype i understand the temptation u just need to keep control of urself

Shadow Dancer wrote:

of course racism is wrong the problem becomes when certain people get it in their head that they should act just like the stereotype what then do u do obviously u dont want to be racist but when they are acting just like the obnoxious stereotype i understand the temptation u just need to keep control of urself

That's being stereotypical. Being racist means to think that you are better than another race. Like, (EXTREME EXAMPLE) having white skin can mean the mark of God and having black skin is the sign of the Devil. Stereotypes are not all wrong. It's the radical ones that are wrong. That ones that are completely offensive.

thats true we had to talk about stereotypes in a relations class for the army the main thing we got is that most stereotypes have a small grain of truth at thier core that due to ignorant or offensive people exploded out of proportion

You see though, actually, stereotypes only were realized when racism was at it's worst. Think about it.

"The store down huckleberry street was just robbed this morning. Locals said the man in mask was speak very gangsterish" OH, must be a black man

Stuff like that as an example.


But, here's a thought, have you realized, that most examples were giving is basically towards African Americans? Why haven't we used an example like Asians have small penors? Or the walk all light on there feet because they don't have anything holding them down in front or back? lol nothing. So why is it we basically look towards African Americans?

Most racism is about African Americans. To be honest of course. All you hear anymore on music and shows and movies and such, is the word nigger. I feel, if you wanna exploit yourself to that, then you're only encouraging that name even more. If black people take offense to that word, do NOT use it as an everyday word. Honestly, if you look at me and go " yo nigga how you doin " You bet your fucking ass I'm gonna say it right back like " yoooo niggaaaaa im good " i don't give a flying fuck if your mad at me after that or not. Don't say it. I won't say it.

Well, one thing (that you pointed out) African American stereotypes and racial slurs are very popular. Most likely it's because it's a growing fab. It's just easy to relate to because that's what's taught in school and is in the news all the time.

Well not "taught" in high school. To rephrase that, it's whats shown and seen more in high school. In the news, all you honestly see anymore is stereotypical casters. It's really become quite a frenzy. It's annoying.

true like i said if u act like a stereotype and then get mad when someone says the same thing you are all the damn time dont make it ok for you to say it and racist if someone else does isnt that itself racist if an african american can call caucasians "crakers" and his or her fellow african americans "nigga" and a caucasian cant isnt that racist?

$Frankie$ wrote:

You see though, actually, stereotypes only were realized when racism was at it's worst. Think about it.

"The store down huckleberry street was just robbed this morning. Locals said the man in mask was speak very gangsterish" OH, must be a black man

Stuff like that as an example.


But, here's a thought, have you realized, that most examples were giving is basically towards African Americans? Why haven't we used an example like Asians have small penors? Or the walk all light on there feet because they don't have anything holding them down in front or back? lol nothing. So why is it we basically look towards African Americans?

Most racism is about African Americans. To be honest of course. All you hear anymore on music and shows and movies and such, is the word nigger. I feel, if you wanna exploit yourself to that, then you're only encouraging that name even more. If black people take offense to that word, do NOT use it as an everyday word. Honestly, if you look at me and go " yo nigga how you doin " You bet your fucking ass I'm gonna say it right back like " yoooo niggaaaaa im good " i don't give a flying fuck if your mad at me after that or not. Don't say it. I won't say it.

I have never seen of or heard of people coming together to stop asian racism because they dont let it bother them. they know just like every other race that it is usually not a mean thing and just a good joke. relax with all this BUT ITS ALL BLACK PEOPLE, or CALL ME A GUINEA... its enough. Call me a cracker and i laugh at you. no big deal. Racism will always exist because there IS a difference in races, its wrong to segregate due to racism, but I don't see it as being wrong.

Calm down Kellen. Seriously, where I grew up, African Americans were the brunt force of racism and stereotypes. Not to mention, where I went to school, I was one of 8 white kids. Guess what the rest were. Walking down the halls hearing yo nigga come here dog. This and that shit. From where I am and where I grow up, you don't find many other stereotypes. That's why I made the post before.

Now, honestly, I DO take offense to the word Guinea. It is a demeaning word given to my ancestors. I won't tolerate being downgraded like that. I am happy with who I am, and just like the word nigga or nigger to black men, I take it the same way. Even though my word is more demoralizing in meaning and context. Do some history and you'll find that to be true.

Most of those words were created by American soldiers, says a lot about America. It has slacked off in today's time because the racial slurs and riots (etc.) have cooled down.

It may just be me, but I think the Asians are used to this badger. Most come from overseas and they're expecting a better life and mostly realize that it's going to be tough. That statement may be a giant generalization. But, it doesn't apply to Asians alone. All of the illegal immigrants can fall under this. They have a tough time today (especially in Arizona) because of the slams by the media and what the government has scared into us. I don't agree how the news and magazines are doing with the demeaning reports about the issue in America of the illegals. But, how can you blame them? It's their opinion on this subject.

I personally dont agree with illegal immigration pity parties. Im not saying thier life doesnt suck where their at and that we dont have it so much better here cuz thats true but if everyone who had a worse life than we do just snuck right in then life here would suck just as bad pretty soon so dont have a problem if you stay just as long as its legal so your paying taxes and whatever to keep the system somewhat in balance

"Oh I'm sick but i dont have insurance and I'm not a citizen of the US."
"Okay then, lets just give you the most expensive surgeries so the real citizens of the US will have to pay more taxes to pay off your operations."
"umm ok thanks"

IDC what race they are or what language they speak, but become a citizen, get a job that gets taxes taken out so you give back to the place you have been stealing from. pisses me off and we have to do something about it. We can't take this too far unless we start to physically hurt them. So what if we are 'racially profiling' people in Arizona. There shouldn't be a problem if you have the proper ID and you can just say "yea i live here". The only reason they care is because half of their family probably isn't legal and will be sent back to where they came from.

Amen Kellen!

I worked at a McDonalds in PA. My boss put me in charge of payroll/shift manager. So every Tuesday I would have to go in the back office and do the "accounting" if you will. I would see the Spanish/Mexican Americans payroll/hours. Three of them had the same Social Security number. I sat there puzzled because I didn't know what to do. It was my first time doing the payroll. I went to the GM and was like "what is this" He just shook his head and said just put it in, you'll see its normal. So what did I do? I only paid the one that had the social security number the longest. It was the woman and she was there 2 years before the other two. The other two got no paychecks while the woman got hers. HOWEVER, she was exempt to taxes. Again, what did I do? I taxed the Bitch. I learned some Spanish there, and told her, you want to work in the U.S.A.? You will fucking pay taxes like the rest of us. She said to me " I have family in Mexico that I send money to every two weeks." I said, " well, looks like they won't get the normal amount anymore."

She went to the corporation on me. I showed them what was going on, then called INS and got those three fucking deported. Fuck em.

I will always stand by the motto, " you work in the us, you pay taxes like the rest of us" I don't care what fucking country your from or what your story is, if I have to pay you have to. It's the American way of life. Get the fuck over it. Now there sitting in Mexico twiddling their fucking thumbs going " what do we do now " WELL if you didn't fuck up here in the USA maybe you would have a better life you fucking scandalous fucks.

Sorry.......shit makes me mad as HELL.

But, that's my story there >.>

What's up? I'm black. And knowing that I am the only black person in this community I think it's safe to assume that the term "nigga" doesn't know necessarily offend me anymore. It's like Krunky said, it's more about bashing on the homos now. I feel sorry for people who have to resort to racism just to win a fight or hurt someone's feelings. It's not right.

Is it okay to be a racist?
No.

Why do you care if someone calls you a saltine? or an albino? or a fucking piece of dark chocolate? If you dwell on what other people have to say about the color of your skin then doesn't make you in turn a racist as well?

If someone called you stupid and you reacted to that then you would be stupid for being dumb enough to respond aggresively. Same thing applies to racism, people take shit too seriously for the sake of their lives. Really now? Why the fuck do you care?

GG_Guru wrote:

What's up? I'm black. And knowing that I am the only black person in this community I think it's safe to assume that the term "nigga" doesn't know necessarily offend me anymore. It's like Krunky said, it's more about bashing on the homos now. I feel sorry for people who have to resort to racism just to win a fight or hurt someone's feelings. It's not right.

Is it okay to be a racist?
No.

Why do you care if someone calls you a saltine? or an albino? or a fucking piece of dark chocolate? If you dwell on what other people have to say about the color of your skin then doesn't make you in turn a racist as well?

If someone called you stupid and you reacted to that then you would be stupid for being dumb enough to respond aggresively. Same thing applies to racism, people take shit too seriously for the sake of their lives. Really now? Why the fuck do you care?

You aren't the only black person on here. I don't see being called a demeaning term makes you a racist. What other people say can have more power than what you think. Just look at the trolls on forums for example. Everyone flips on the trolls at least once because of what they said.

Another turn on this: Every single person on this planet is racist in some way. No one is going to be happy with the entire world and it's diversity. It's impossible because of human nature. If you're saying racism is not okay, then it's saying it's not okay to be human. Every single crazy idea or event done by a human is human nature. That's why I never compare myself to the norm or average because there isn't one. With this, it is not wrong to be a murder, rapist, thief, etc. because it's human nature. The morals and ethics of those titles (and everything else) are another story. Those are beliefs, not facts/truth.

Yea,me n i think shortboy are also 2 other black ppl in the community (there could be more but idk). When i moved to nc me n my friends prtty much joke about callin each other racists b/c the words we call one another is hilarious(and we still do to this day). If sme1 call me a 'nigger' i just respond by callin him a white crayola crayon or smethin. But there is an extend of naming calling but it usually doesnt reach tht intensity level. So for me i wld say its ok to be racist up 2 a point/level.

Racism...let's start by saying obviously, racism is wrong...but just what is truly racism?

People are getting called racist for just about anything these days, like laughing at a few "racist" jokes, or even for picking someone first in a basketball game. Is this really being racist?

Wikipedia says: "Racism is the belief that race is a primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race."

So basically...you are truly a racist when you believe that another race is INFERIOR to you and your own race, just because of their origin of decent. Also this means you truly believe that all races and people within those races conform to their stereotypes (such as ALL people of Asian decent MUST suck at driving).

For an example, lets say there is a Caucasian man managing over a bank (OH my god that is so racist, why can't he be black or Mexican?!?!), and he gets two applications for teller jobs in his bank. The first application is from an African-American, and because he is racist against African-Americans, he feels that they are inferior to his race...so when he sees that the second application is from a Caucasian, he decided to throw out the African-American's application (regardless if he has had more experience or not), and hires the Caucasian for the job.

If you do not truly believe that one race is superior to another, than you are not racist. Just because you know the stereotypes and you occasionally laugh at a few "racist" jokes does NOT give you the real title of a racist. If you walk up to an African-American and ask them to jokingly pick you some cotton, you aern't a racist (although you may be considered an asshole). For an example, go to this URL:
http://img13.imageshack.us/img13/8619/2204355.swf

I bet that 90% of you that click this will laugh, even for just a second...and you know what, it's okay, it doesn't make you a racist. People need to learn where the line really starts and ends...racism is obviously wrong...but what a lot of people are doing now a days, is really far from actual racism. This also means that people need to stop pulling the race card every single time they hear a term like "nigger" or "honky" or "chink" within their hearing distance. I GUARANTEE that is wasn't a REAL sign of demeaning your race to show their race's superiority to yours...so stop wasting your time.

Listen, racism is all mental.

When you look at a oriental, African, White, Orange, Purple, Blue, etc. etc. and think, wow they are really fucking stupid. That's not racism. When you look at them and say, wow, they are the lowest fucking people on this planet. Unless you associating THEM with the ENTIRE race, its not racism. I really feel that racism over the years has dwindled because everyone is just doing this shit nowadays. It's common to see black and white people fist fighting cause they wanna see who is superior race. It's been done, trust me. Even where I went to school.

I went to a school where it was full of muslims but i didn't hate on them for being that. I hated on them when they woudl walk around going OH YAYY 9/11 HAPPENED POWER TO OUR PEOPLE. Yeah you bet your fucking ass I kicked the shit out of a lot of them after that. Even on graduation day i pulled the turban off of this one kid and told him to clean and cut his hair. wtf do i care? You wanna offend me and expect nothing in return your out of your mind, its not racism, its self defense in a form of mentality.

~Zenzizenzizenzic~ wrote:

You aren't the only black person on here. I don't see being called a demeaning term makes you a racist. What other people say can have more power than what you think. Just look at the trolls on forums for example. Everyone flips on the trolls at least once because of what they said.

Another turn on this: Every single person on this planet is racist in some way. No one is going to be happy with the entire world and it's diversity. It's impossible because of human nature. If you're saying racism is not okay, then it's saying it's not okay to be human. Every single crazy idea or event done by a human is human nature. That's why I never compare myself to the norm or average because there isn't one. With this, it is not wrong to be a murder, rapist, thief, etc. because it's human nature. The morals and ethics of those titles (and everything else) are another story. Those are beliefs, not facts/truth.

I understand what you're saying, people cannot control the moral of their own actions and act based upon thir subconscience. Although some people are not aware that they are doing it, that alone does not give enough reason to justify the right to be racist. Most people are racist on their own accord, they feel that the opposite race is inferior to them and therefore illustrate negative images and attack their enemy with the intent to discriminate and injure the things that they feel is not supposed to be "human nature".

Everyone is equal. Whether they be purple of yellow or orange, people are always going to give each other a distinct opinion of what they think they are. It is human nature for people to judge but only if you are able to keep it locked inside your head and not parade it down the block telling everyone that person with a different color is bad? There is not enough plausible cause to say for sure if people are racist by accident but like I said, the more you dwell on it the more you are bound to be a purpose racist and that does not happen by nature.

We don't become good at FFR by nature? It's the practice of becoming good at it that makes us good FFR players. It's the same thing.

Human nature to be racist? I honestly doubt it, just about everything you do or think is because of what you see and hear throughout your earlier years in life. Being racist is not an instinctual trait that passes through our minds, but trying to be an alpha being of a particular region is. It is human nature to want to be superior...as it comes along with many benefits, somewhere along the line there was a person who decided to hit a whole group of people into inferiority in their mind by saying that they are the cause of things or that they aern't capable of doing what they can do, to make themselves feel superior. Soon people would start to join in or try to bring this feeling into their lifestyle...so that when they raised kids, those kids would truly believe that is was the reality, and as more and more generations passed...this thought grew and more races were involved...until pretty much every race in existence is slandered and the world is at war with itself over race.

I honestly doubt being racist is something we as human beings do instinctively...for if I were to raise a child until the age of 18 in nothing but a white room by himself...and one day I admitted a second human being of a different race into the room, I cannot imagine that being superior by default would be the first thing on their mind, or on their mind ever. If you raise a person up in a society...no matter WHAT you do...if the society thinks it is right, the child will conform to those beliefs. Now you could argue that there are people who go against the society's beliefs...but this generally only happens under two circumstances:

1) Instinct
2) The society is divided upon beliefs, IE: not everyone feels that what is happening is correct

When this is the case...alterations in the mindset can occur...and can make the child go against mainstream society. As an example, I dislike most rap music...even though the society generally enjoys all kinds of rap music. This is because the society I live in is divided upon beliefs, and I noticed that in my opinion rap music generally is just looped and bland gibberish. If everyone unanimously loved rap music...then I would have to imagine I would like it to...as there are no other varied beliefs to make me consider any thing other than liking it.

I thought it was about time I said something upon this in my own manner. Racism? Everything would be easier without it. But since we're humans it's a daily thing to happen between racial groups. High school everyone hung out in their own racial group, but the mexicans and african american groups always slurred each other and the white race as well. Sure to them it's perfectly okay, but once they get called a "beaner" or a "nigger" they take everything out of proportions and fights happen etc. I stay away from calling any other racial groups any offensive names/words just because I'm the chillest guy ever. At the moment Omaba is in office and the United States, as a majority, is at the lowest approval rating to this date. Is it based on weather or not he's african american? I believe it is. This and his "efforts" to help clean up the oil spill has made him the most frowned upon president. Bill Clinton may have, "Slept with that girl," but he was a great president. He got us briefly out of debt with foreign countries. I feel as though I'm rambling about different things, but it's all pointed towards the same concept. All americans are racist to a degree and it will always be there. I'm open to any critisim you guys have.

GG Guru wrote:

Is it okay to be a racist?
No.

Why do you care if someone calls you a saltine? or an albino? or a fucking piece of dark chocolate? If you dwell on what other people have to say about the color of your skin then doesn't make you in turn a racist as well?

If someone called you stupid and you reacted to that then you would be stupid for being dumb enough to respond aggresively. Same thing applies to racism, people take shit too seriously for the sake of their lives. Really now? Why the fuck do you care?

This post was overlooked and has a very important point.

http://www.snipeme.com/archive.php?year=2004&rant=offended

If you're offended because someone says you're black, then you yourself are racist. If you were secure about yourself and knew well enough you were black, you wouldn't take offense from such a statement. Like stated, why the hell should you care?

Like the camel example given in the rant I posted a link too, why would the woman care about what a T-shirt says? Is she actually AFRAID that her husband really IS "fucking a camel"? If she's bothered so much by it, then she must think that her husband *is* doing that.

The one thing people need to stop doing is being offended. If you have faith in your religion, it shouldn't matter if people say "you're a fucking Jew!". The only time it DOES matter is when hate groups are made (like the KKK for example) and they start doing bad shit. This includes murdering, threats, etc.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion. If you think black people are inferior, fine. But if you make them SLAVES, then you need to be dealt with. This was a huge problem back in the 19th century in America.

AND - something else I'd also like to say! Being black does not make you an "African". You can still be white, but an African American. How? Because you were *BORN* in Africa, and you moved to the United States! Therefore, you are an African American regardless of skin color! If you are black and you were born in America, you are an American! I'm mentioning this because I sometimes see rappers that are like "this is for my african homies" and they think anyone that's black is born in Africa. Yeah.

Racism, in light of greater offenses is comparatively morally acceptable? Absolute nonsense. It isn't wrong because of the thoughtless, rote drivel programmed into the unfortunate people that endorse it; racism is wrong because it's unnecessary and harmful. It is illogical, and to advocate or accept that behaviour on a personal level is ignorant. The differences between divergent populations of humans are almost certainly entirely physical, or otherwise minuscule and arbitrary. We all share the same neocortical schematic; there have been no eugenics on a global scale; there is no evidence to the contrary, and if anyone here believes otherwise, you have my condolences.

I'm African myself and I really don't see a reason to freak out when someone calls me a nigger. It just doesn't bother me because I dont care what the color of my skin is, we are all humans capable of the same things. What does get on my nerves if when it see another black person freaking out cause someone called them a nigger, then a few seconds later they're turning to their friends going "Yo wassup my nigga whats crackin' "it makes no sense and it really confuses me.

Let me just remind everyone about this forum area:

Flaming/spamming/idiotic behavior will NOT be tolerated.

I think the little of racism that every has was taught in school and the environment. All of the documentaries, history, classes, and literature discussions I've had have been about the bad issues of racism and where it comes from.

People take offense to name calling due to respect. If they respect a person, they wouldn't care what they call them. If they don't know the person and just comes up like he knows you, there's no respect.

Those that have respect for everyone (within reason) know not to care about meddlesome words. Each person is a human being, so in one aspect, we are all the same; capable of doing anything what another person can.

Lorika wrote:

Racism, in light of greater offenses is comparatively morally acceptable? Absolute nonsense. It isn't wrong because of the thoughtless, rote drivel programmed into the unfortunate people that endorse it; racism is wrong because it's unnecessary and harmful. It is illogical, and to advocate or accept that behaviour on a personal level is ignorant. The differences between divergent populations of humans are almost certainly entirely physical, or otherwise minuscule and arbitrary. We all share the same neocortical schematic; there have been no eugenics on a global scale; there is no evidence to the contrary, and if anyone here believes otherwise, you have my condolences.

hahahaha please. let me use big words in my argument to make my point seem stronger. HA!

and mikey no one is spamming so STFU thanks.

back to the point, just because it is unnecessary and harmful means its wrong? I don't understand. The internet is several times more unnecessary and illogical than anything I waste my life on, and difference in 'divergent populations' isnt all physical. There has to be a reason why they didnt co-mingle well to start with. I give EVERYONE a chance and have a few friends or acquaintances of every race, but theres lines between the way people ACT that caused racsim. I am quiet and reserved, if a group of people come up to me and are loud and obnoxious i am going to be annoyed by them. If i notice a similar loud group but with different people i try to find similarities between the groups i.e. way they dress, if they are clean or dirty, and if need be skin color. Nothing wrong with it at all. The more you actually pay attention to people the more you realize why people are 'racist' For most its not 'im white im better than you' its 'your a different skin color and most the people of a certain skin color are really annoying'. Racism has been blow out of proportion.

What we call racism is NOT racism at all. Racism is actually thinking your race is better than another race. Not "NIGGER!" "SHUT THE F*CK UP CRACKER!" "STAY OUT OF THIS SPIC!" thats NOT racism its just calling someone a dirty word based on skin color or attitude. I read an article in lit class written by an Afrian American that basically said this "black people can call other black people niggers because it means a dirty husband or father, or a cheap man, but if a white person calls them that word it has a bad connotation' I dont understand that. Both races say the word it means something bad but its 'offensive' if a white person says it.

ok back on point again. You dont see too much racism as in like i will use anything in my resources to harm you or kick you out of here. you see people not liking people whether based on skin color or attitude. there is nothing wrong with that, and if you think so, you have my condolences.


and funny link!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YHP4-DK9ekk&feature=player_embedded

kmay wrote:

Lorika wrote:

Racism, in light of greater offenses is comparatively morally acceptable? Absolute nonsense. It isn't wrong because of the thoughtless, rote drivel programmed into the unfortunate people that endorse it; racism is wrong because it's unnecessary and harmful. It is illogical, and to advocate or accept that behaviour on a personal level is ignorant. The differences between divergent populations of humans are almost certainly entirely physical, or otherwise minuscule and arbitrary. We all share the same neocortical schematic; there have been no eugenics on a global scale; there is no evidence to the contrary, and if anyone here believes otherwise, you have my condolences.

hahahaha please. let me use big words in my argument to make my point seem stronger. HA!

and mikey no one is spamming so STFU thanks.

Appreciate the fact that someone is actually well-spoken, not chastise them for being strong enough to state facts in this manner. And another thing: don't tell a moderator to stfu, gtfo, etc. - I don't care if it was a joke or not, they're allowed to reiterate any sort of forum rules if they feel like something is about to happen. This is a critical thinking thread - be mature.

@ Lorika: While I do agree with you on the sense that racism is wrong, there are a few things that I disagree with in what you've said. You say it isn't wrong because of the thoughtless drivel programmed into the people that endorse it; it's wrong because it's unnecessary and harmful. It's would be an obvious implication that most people who advocate it are ignorant, but who's to say that there aren't people out there who genuinely hate one of another race? Or an even better question: what about someone being of the same race that they so happen to hate? In this instance - it's not entirely a lack of knowledge toward their race (or even themselves), it's just unadulterated hatred. It's not quite correct to mix up actual hatred with a lack of knowledge towards one another.

Quote :

The differences between divergent populations of humans are almost certainly entirely physical, or otherwise minuscule and arbitrary.

While this is true, it doesn't change much; we do all common characteristics as humans - however, the issues stem within this physical aspect. Humans are very closely built in their direct genetics, the patterns, the contents within them, the structure, etc. But within those extreme similarities in structure lies the changes in the human body that make each and every one of us different. Those changes - anything from the color of our hair to the complexity of our skin, happens here. These bodies, while structured very similarly genetically, lead to very different results upon birth. It's a bit of a stretch off of the topic, but it's just to prove that, while the differences are physical, the problems tied into racism usually follow based off of these physical differences.

I do like what you've brought up though, it's definitely a enough to stimulate a good conversation

Halogen- wrote:

kmay wrote:

Lorika wrote:

Racism, in light of greater offenses is comparatively morally acceptable? Absolute nonsense. It isn't wrong because of the thoughtless, rote drivel programmed into the unfortunate people that endorse it; racism is wrong because it's unnecessary and harmful. It is illogical, and to advocate or accept that behaviour on a personal level is ignorant. The differences between divergent populations of humans are almost certainly entirely physical, or otherwise minuscule and arbitrary. We all share the same neocortical schematic; there have been no eugenics on a global scale; there is no evidence to the contrary, and if anyone here believes otherwise, you have my condolences.

hahahaha please. let me use big words in my argument to make my point seem stronger. HA!

and mikey no one is spamming so STFU thanks.

Appreciate the fact that someone is actually well-spoken, not chastise them for being strong enough to state facts in this manner. And another thing: don't tell a moderator to stfu, gtfo, etc. - I don't care if it was a joke or not, they're allowed to reiterate any sort of forum rules if they feel like something is about to happen. This is a critical thinking thread - be mature.

@ Lorika: While I do agree with you on the sense that racism is wrong, there are a few things that I disagree with in what you've said. You say it isn't wrong because of the thoughtless drivel programmed into the people that endorse it; it's wrong because it's unnecessary and harmful. It's would be an obvious implication that most people who advocate it are ignorant, but who's to say that there aren't people out there who genuinely hate one of another race? Or an even better question: what about someone being of the same race that they so happen to hate? In this instance - it's not entirely a lack of knowledge toward their race (or even themselves), it's just unadulterated hatred. It's not quite correct to mix up actual hatred with a lack of knowledge towards one another.

Quote :

The differences between divergent populations of humans are almost certainly entirely physical, or otherwise minuscule and arbitrary.

While this is true, it doesn't change much; we do all common characteristics as humans - however, the issues stem within this physical aspect. Humans are very closely built in their direct genetics, the patterns, the contents within them, the structure, etc. But within those extreme similarities in structure lies the changes in the human body that make each and every one of us different. Those changes - anything from the color of our hair to the complexity of our skin, happens here. These bodies, while structured very similarly genetically, lead to very different results upon birth. It's a bit of a stretch off of the topic, but it's just to prove that, while the differences are physical, the problems tied into racism usually follow based off of these physical differences.

I do like what you've brought up though, it's definitely a enough to stimulate a good conversation

To clear the confusion up: There were 2 posts before my post; one said "I wish everyone was like you" and the other said "2 words...Standing Bear."


I've said in a past post that we are all human. So, we are capable of the same features and aspects as every other human. Some have to be lucky with genetics but that still gives the chance to have that feat. Anyway, with this, I logically deduced that every action, right or wrong, is being human. Someone said that I was wrong because racism is wrong. Here's what I must say: right or wrong is not absolute for racism. That's a moral decision. I am more along the lines that racism is bad but not wrong. I'm not sure about it being good/right because I haven't seen much good use of it yet, but that doesn't mean I should shut myself off to the lighter said and instantly say it's bad because I don't know why it could be good.

I recently had a chat with a person at Barnes & Nobles because he was reading Racism: A Short History and I asked him if he thought it was good or bad. He simply told me this: All I've seen from here [the book] is that racism is bad and then the list of reasons why it's bad comes. To understand both sides and truly know your answer, think about how racism is RIGHT or GOOD. That could lead to a whole new idea of what you think about racism.


So, the challenge is to think on the both sides of racism. Don't just give up because you believe it's wrong. That leaves you ignorant of the nature of racism.

Speaking of thinking on both sides of racism, I found this.

http://www.shmoop.com/to-kill-a-mockingbird/race-theme.html

Quote :

To Kill a Mockingbird goes beyond the simple message "racism is bad" to attempt a more complex examination of how racism works. All forms of racism are not the same: some are born of hate, some of fear, some of laziness, some of self-righteousness, some of all these combined. What all racisms have in common in this book, however, is a failure of imagination: the inability to see that even someone who looks, and talks, and acts very different from oneself is fundamentally the same as every other human being. The history of race in the novel, as in America, is based on drawing distinctions solely for the sake of discrimination.

This is EXACTLY why judging people from their physical characteristics is stupid as fuck. Oh, you happen to be taller than I am. You're automatically better than me for being taller? How about skin color? Just because your skin is darker than mine due to your different immune system, I'm suddenly better because my skin is lighter?

I'll bring up this point: The majority of society is taught not to question authority. People discriminate against others because it's what they've been told repeatedly over and over again, and never to question it. "Authority" can mean parents, teachers, government, etc. the people that have power over you, and as long as they're the ones that provide the information, you shouldn't question it (which is basically what the majority of society does).

When I was in Indonesia, my mother was repeatedly asked what religion she was (my family is atheist, just FYI). She had to reply with something other than atheism; if she replies atheism, she'll get into trouble or at least be disregarded (Indonesia has a lot of muslims, and no I do not think all muslims are radical terrorists, but they can be a bit nosy). I don't want to get into a bashing religion discussion, but religion can make you extremely paranoid of others that are different.

People need to realize that the world we live in is not perfect. Every human being is different in some way, which can include physical characteristics, personality, etc. I don't care about what a person looks like (unless it's something like they're obese or anorexic, then I start worrying a little bit and have pity, but I don't try thinking anything bad). The "perfect" stuff is artwork, and maybe your own fantasy world if you have one. In works of art, you can have your person be anything you want; hair color, whatever. THAT is perfection. Every human being is a human being, regardless of how much they may differ from you.

my opinion stated again.


No, it is not wrong. Humans make mistakes and and judge, okay, but also as humans we are always in competition with each other. Physically or mentally, we try to beat out other people and when other people become groups of people we feel superior. Its natural to feel that way. Its primitive. However when people give it a name it becomes something 'immoral' or 'wrong' I don't see why that is. Its just trying to out do your competition.

kmay wrote:

my opinion stated again.
Previous post: there is nothing wrong with that, and if you think so, you have my condolences.


No, it is not wrong. Humans make mistakes and and judge, okay, but also as humans we are always in competition with each other. Physically or mentally, we try to beat out other people and when other people become groups of people we feel superior. Its natural to feel that way. Its primitive. However when people give it a name it becomes something 'immoral' or 'wrong' I don't see why that is. Its just trying to out do your competition.

You actually stated a different opinion. You first talked about associating people by the way they look and how you can use that with another similar group. That's stereotyping. You even said that people are racist but you later said that racism today is not racism.

Your previous post: So you're saying that your answer is absolute? You're telling all of the other people in this thread that think racism is bad that they're wrong. They feel different than you. There are no absolutes in feelings. Each person has a different perspective you and must respect that. That's why the issue is associated with good/bad and right/wrong. Saying something "is" and saying you think are two totally different things that you have to distinguish. Your last post doesn't help this post at all with the way your attitude is looking at this (You're first two sentences and your video link).

You are confusing two totally different things. What you're talking about is Natural Selection with Survival of the Fittest. Competition is within Survival of the Fittest, but that has nothing to do with racism.

Racism:
1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2 : racial prejudice or discrimination

Racism is not about beating someone up or competing. It's the feelings towards a certain group based on physical characters. It cannot be mental characters because they cannot judge that. Plus, on top of that, there are thousands of people that have similar thoughts but are totally different (like FFR, I like FFR, AJ likes FFR, but we have different tones of skin, height, age, and hair). Which is why name calling has been associated with being racist. You talk down to a person/group because you DO think you're tougher/better than them. Words are a use of intimidation.