Is being a racist really a big deal?

[Deleted]

Yeah, being racist is really no big deal ... as long as you keep it to yourself and never bother anyone with it. Ever.

And some people don't seem understand the difference between racism and nationalism/patriotism, it seems.


The Racist Tree (short story)
http://imgur.com/upuAg

[Deleted]

Yes it is. There is no logical reason to hate someone or a group of people based on their race, gender, age or sexuality. We all are human, and everyone should be viewed as equal on a basic level.

But please never confuse race with religion. It's a whole different ball game. Religion is open to criticism as it is a CHOICE, and in some cases it needs to be held accountable for leading people onto the wrong path.

[Bender]

This isn't a product of race, its a product of poverty.

The ignorance involved in racism is what I find to be most bothersome. It's devoid of any and all logic.

This. If you present a big 200 page statistics report on crime (for example) to a racist the only thing they'll see in it is that *insert ethnic group x" is overrepresented in relation to their population size. The reasons why they are overrepresented is completely ignored and when you try to reason with them they'll either ignore you or mock you for "believing in sociology hippie bullshit" or whatever. Even "smart", well spoken racists that have a lot of good arguments for their cause completely dismiss social sciences as a scientific field and thus you can't argue with them because they consider the science on the field to be completely invalid. When all your ammo is statistics you can build a pretty solid case for yourself if you choose to ignore all underlying reasons why the statistics are the way they are.

[Cybran]

Oh yeah, because I always hear Irish, Italian, Polish, Scottish, etc...etc... being demonized all the time. Wait. No. That's just another strawman that some "Woe-is-me!" white people like to use, that isn't reflected to any serious degree in reality.

Do you know when the Klan had the most members in it's history?

When they were trying to stop Irish and Catholics immigrants they had over 4 MILLION protestant members. The Drunken Irish/Scotsman, the Italian mobster, the Dumb Pole? You really have no idea what you are talking about, have you?

[Grimtide]

Oh yeah, because I always hear Irish, Italian, Polish, Scottish, etc...etc... being demonized all the time. Wait. No. That's just another strawman that some "Woe-is-me!" white people like to use, that isn't reflected to any serious degree in reality.

Ofc you don't hear about it. We are not allowed to complain. Then we're just being racist.

[Kasierith]

Do you know when the Klan had the most members in it's history?

When they were trying to stop Irish and Catholics immigrants they had over 4 MILLION protestant members. The Drunken Irish/Scotsman, the Italian mobster, the Dumb Pole? You really have no idea what you are talking about, have you?

If your perception of society is that the Klan's racial views are the norm, than you have a pretty warped vision of reality.

If you are a proud black, jew, asian, then good for you. If you are a proud European then you are racist. If you are a proud Arab then you are a terrorist. The people who act with this mindset are the true racists imo.

I'm a proud Russian. Am I a communist now?

[Cybran]

If your perception of society is that the Klan's racial views are the norm, than you have a pretty warped vision of reality.

Do you intentionally misread my post? He claimed that there were no stereotypes and no prejudices between "white people". I just told him that the Klan (which is the most well known hate group) had more followers when they were oppressing catholic immigrants rather then black people. This is a historical fact.

[Grimtide]

I'm a proud Russian. Am I a communist now?

I'm sure some people would think yes!

[Kasierith]

Do you intentionally misread my post? He claimed that there were no stereotypes and no prejudices between "white people". I just told him that the Klan (which is the most well known hate group) had more followers when they were oppressing catholic immigrants rather then black people. This is a historical fact.

He said there were no stereotypes and prejudices? Care to quote him on that?

[Cybran]

He said there were no stereotypes and prejudices? Care to quote him on that?

Here:

Oh yeah, because I always hear Irish, Italian, Polish, Scottish, etc...etc... being demonized all the time. Wait. No. That's just another strawman that some "Woe-is-me!" white people like to use, that isn't reflected to any serious degree in reality.

He literally said that there are no Irish, Scottish, Polish and Italian stereotypes and negative depictions in media.

[Wildtree]

There was a time when Negro was the correct term for someone of a certain colour, black was considered an offensive term back then. Who knows when it got twisted round but it is very strange.

We've became obsessed with the Negro/black issue, because of it's misuse to the extreme.
If we look back.... For the longest time, the term used for this ethnic group was Moor. All over Europe that was the politically correct term. As time progressed, Negro came to use, coexisted, or often replaced it. And everything was fine..

There's a German candy.. Almost every German loves it. It's called either Moor's Head, or Negro's Kiss.


Recently, about some 10 - 15 years ago, there's really a minority of people making a big deal out of it. Challenging the name of the candy racist..
I want to bring that up, because racism can very well become a paranoid perversion. Which in this case it clearly is.
No one ever had any racist thoughts about that yummy piece. And it's popularity comes entirely from the fact of how it tastes and not because most Germans are white and hate blacks..

---------- Post added 2013-01-28 at 08:01 AM ----------

I'm a proud Russian. Am I a communist now?

I am sure, for some (uneducated) you are.. Unfortunately there's a higher number to be found in the US tho. I'm a proud German, and I had my share of fighting off the details..
Proud German = Nazi.
What irks me isn't so much the situation of being labeled a Nazi, which is horrible enough already, it's the fact that there's an almost 2000 years of culture and history involved with being German, and it gets either ignored or due to a horrible lack of education is unknown to those who claim such comparison as valid for them.
It's stupid. As my Grandfather used to say. if stupidity would hurt, some people would run around all day, screaming in pain...

[Kasierith]

Here:

He literally said that there are no Irish, Scottish, Polish and Italian stereotypes and negative depictions in media.

I think you need to redress your interpretation of the word "literal."

[Knight Gil]

There is a racist in everyone, as much as some of you might deny it and think you are holier than thou.

Sorry to break it to you, but no.

[kouby]

So to sum up some comments here, if you're only racist in your own head and don't express it, it's somehow ok?
Is this really how some of you think? It's amazing.

And yeah, sorry to break your bubble, but no, not everyone is racist, you're just trying to make yourself look like less of an idiot than what you actually are by trying to make people believe this crap.

[Hiricine]

The person harmed most by racism in our society is the racist, who fails to appreciate the worth of other people for superficial reasons. However, we often mistake stereotyping for racism, which is a tool used by normal people to make predictions and judgements until they can gather more information and by racists as a tool of hatred.

[Yautjalv426]

I have no problem with Arabs and I hate Muslims. What does this make me?

[kouby]

I have no problem with Arabs and I hate Muslims. What does this make me?

An Islamophobe who's probably been watching too much TV and not got out enough in to the real world.

[Cybran]

I think you need to redress your interpretation of the word "literal."

Is this your whole argument?

[Kasierith]

Is this your whole argument?

If I must really spell it out for you.... yes. You strawmanned his post. Not much more to get into, and it's not really worth my time to dissect a post whose basis is a logical fallacy.

[Austilias]

An Islamophobe who's probably been watching too much TV and not got out enough in to the real world.

Keep thinking that.