Will talking about black people ever stop being called racism?

[xytech]

So, I'll start off by saying I'm not a racist. I believe people are worth alike regardless of their skin colour.

I just want to talk about this one thing that has been annoying me lately. Here in Norway under some price awarding the band Madcon gave out an award to another band, Plumbo. The award was for best hit (I believe), which was møkkamenn. Under the speech they said something like "when I look at you the song get an entirely new name, mokkamenn". For this tiny innocent comment they got bu'd off the stage, someone threw a beer at them and madcon raged.

I just don't get it. We live in a modern society, racism is mostly history. If madcon had been fat and they comment was something about that everyone would just laugh. But only because they said something refering to madcons skin colour all hell broke loose.

On another note, imo people seem to care way too much about what you call black people. Personally I call them black, just as I call myself white and asians yellow (gulinga), and just general; humen. However tho some seem to react when you say black and correct you by saying "darker skinned" or something like that. This just seem ridicilous and rather racist to me. Sometimes I feel like I just cant mention them at all because in one way or another someone will find it racist.

Anyways just my opinions, I'd like to hear yours though (if anything of this made any sense at all)

Edit; I see calling someone yellow may be bad, in english I prefer calling them asians myself. In norwegian though they are called "gul" which is translated to yellow. This is mainly because they call themselves "gul".

[TommyJohn]

First off, i have no idea why what you explained was racist because I have no idea what the bands actually said to each other. Did they say something along the lines of "we didn't realize you were black and now it makes the song sound different" ?

That is racist. They are viewing the song different entirely because of their race. Can't really get a more clear cut definition of racism. Racism is not mostly history. It is actually really prevalent. At least it still is in a lot of America (sadly).

Calling an Asian "yellow" would get you run out of town by pitchfork and torch wielding mobs. I'm a Caucasian (read: not "white") and I find calling someone "yellow" to be incredibly insulting and racist. You pointed out your racism in your own statement "Just as I call [...] Asians yellow". Just call them Asians. You, by adding the unnecessary step of calling Asians yellow, are in fact directly pointing out the perceived color of their skin when talking about them. Again, pretty clear cut racism there.

The thing about stuff that's "offensive" is that it is entirely in the eye of the beholder. You could be saying, what you believe to be, the most pleasant and friendly thing to someone, but if they don't share your mindset they can be offended by it. It doesn't matter what you said or why you said it....if someone took offense to it, it IS offensive. That's what makes racism such a touchy subject and so hard to remove from society. What is racist to one will mean nothing to another. As long as people are alive and breathing, someone will take offense to everything. It's when the broad spectrum of society agree that something is offensive that it's treated with a higher level of severity.



Off Topic: In English the plural for human is humans. The "man" part of the word actually has nothing to do with man/men or woman/women.

[starlord]

white black yellow red are all pretty racist terms if you stop to think about it. its categorizing them purely by the color of their skin, disregarding any other physical or cultural differences. or even implying a significant difference when there isnt one.

[RenegadeXan]

white black yellow red are all pretty racist terms if you stop to think about it. its categorizing them purely by the color of their skin, disregarding any other physical or cultural differences. or even implying a significant difference when there isnt one.

so calling someone American or Canadian is racist?

[zEmini]

Racism will forever exist as long as there are people who get offended.

[Providence]

Wait so the black people said something about black people and they got boo'd off stage?

[starlord]

so calling someone American or Canadian is racist?

why would it be?

[Revik]

@OP - To answer your question. I am not sure. One thing I do know is as long as we have our current mindset making special exceptions and allowing these racial exceptions to continue racism will never end.

One of the ugly things to come about from all this is the reverse double standard being put on the preceived "majority".

Personally I get racism. People like to categorize people and happily shelve them into their sterotypical jar. IMO there is no getting around this because as humans this is what we are. Only education and experience can teach us otherwise.

At least in America there is no way racism could be a majority held belief. Obama proves that. I was sincerely looking forward to a day when we would get rid of all these racial programs because we simply don't need them anymore. Obama proves that it is now possible for ANYONE to be president and that there should be no more preferential treatment. But alas not to be.

[lifeinblack]

describing people's skin colours is only racist to people who are racist. to non-racist people there is nothing racist about the colour of a person's skin.

[starlord]

describing people's skin colours is only racist to people who are racist. to non-racist people there is nothing racist about the colour of a person's skin.

the thing is, thats not really what the terms are about... simply describing color. my skin is light but im not in fact purely of european descent. so i wouldnt actually be "white". i would be "colored".

[emulsion]

Racism is not mostly history. It is actually really prevalent. At least it still is in a lot of America (sadly).

[snip]

The thing about stuff that's "offensive" is that it is entirely in the eye of the beholder. You could be saying, what you believe to be, the most pleasant and friendly thing to someone, but if they don't share your mindset they can be offended by it. It doesn't matter what you said or why you said it....if someone took offense to it, it IS offensive. That's what makes racism such a touchy subject and so hard to remove from society. What is racist to one will mean nothing to another. As long as people are alive and breathing, someone will take offense to everything. It's when the broad spectrum of society agree that something is offensive that it's treated with a higher level of severity.

It is only prevalent because of the politics of hypersensitivity/victimhood that you describe.

[Bolson13]

It is another one of those "theory isn't practise" kind of things:
In theory it shouldn't have to matter calling somebody black or white or yellow.
In practise though some of these things (maybe not even the colours but stuff like the "N" word) are just so heavily loaded that you are better to just leave it alone.

Let's hope in a 1000 years from now people will look back and think we were a bunch of dumbasses with our racism and nuclear standoffs and stuff like that. Hopefully focussing on more important issues like making the best beer from various vegetation in the galaxy. Now thats a dream worth chasing!

[yazu777]

playing malzahar is racist because it supports the stereotype of perasia. djinn skin? vizier skin? shadow prince (of persia) skin?

[lifeinblack]

the thing is, thats not really what the terms are about... simply describing color. my skin is light but im not in fact purely of european descent. so i wouldnt actually be "white". i would be "colored".

if your skin is white then call yourself white. if its brown, call it brown. you are attaching all this extra baggage and meanings to skin colour and thats exactly what i meant in my post. its just skin colour bro. it has no meaning. its just pigmentation.

[starlord]

It is only prevalent because of the politics of hypersensitivity/victimhood that you describe.

so if i call you a (insert insult here), its your fault for being offended?

---------- Post added 2012-01-18 at 01:45 PM ----------

if your skin is white then call yourself white. if its brown, call it brown. you are attaching all this extra baggage and meanings to skin colour and thats exactly what i meant in my post. its just skin colour bro. it has no meaning. its just

no ones skin color is white unless they're dead, or black unless they're burned.

the thing is, the terms DO have extra baggage attached. you cant simply ignore it. if you call someone a faggot it doesnt matter that you only meant a bundle of wood.

[emulsion]

so if i call you a (insert insult here), its your fault for being offended?

If you call me a [insert racist insult here], does that mean racism is ubiquitous or that you are racist?

[Duridi]

I am surprised this incident didn't reach this forum quicker. Maybe the translation is why.

First off, i have no idea why what you explained was racist because I have no idea what the bands actually said to each other. Did they say something along the lines of "we didn't realize you were black and now it makes the song sound different" ?

The song that won the award is called Møkkamann, but by changing one letter it turns into Moccaman. Møkka basicly mean shit, so the song is called "Shitty man". Anyways, the guys handing them the award(Madcon) are black, and the band recieving the award said "Now that I see you guys, our song suddenly get a different meaning - Mocca man". It was intended as a joke, but were recieved very badly. The drama is over now though, and were concluded as a joke gone wrong.

However, Madcon doesn't exactly set a good example either from before... and their response to this bad joke were not very pretty either. The end result was that everyone had to apologise to eachother, and as mentioned, the drama were called off by eventually concluding that it was a joke gone wrong.

[Urti]

On topic, Racism is largely a problem of percieved versus intended offense. Person A can make a statement with innocent intentions but if person B is offended the statement is racist. If person B isn't offended, then the statement isn't. Best example is the case of the N-word. Some instances its a hateful slur, others not. All entirely dependent on the listener's point of view. Racism will be around for a while because no reasonable society has (or ever will) made it illegal to offend people. How would you even enforce that kind of thoughtcrime law? In the US we have laws that are intended to even out the effects of racism in the public sector so as to (ostensibly) even the playing field, but as long as my boss doesn't breal any laws, he's free to hate my everloving guts in the privacy of his own home. He just can't act those views out in the society at large.

Off-topic: Am I the only person bothered/puzzeled by the term Caucasian? My family hasn't lived within 2000 mile of the Caucasus Mountains since the friggin Neolithic... It's like calling asians "Fujians" or africans "Kilimanjarobites".

[starlord]

If you call me a [insert racist insult here], does that mean racism is ubiquitous or that you are racist?

it would mean that i was racist. racism not being ubiquitous does not mean racism doesnt exist.

[Deleted]

i guess people get offended because it has been used for the wrong reasons.
im sure people wouldnt have been if someone never called a black person black to be offensive, no one would have cared.