Do you think everyone is a little bit racist?

[Deleted]

stop these threads already!
everyday I see word "racist" in topics on this forum
geeeezzzzz

[Deleted]

Do you think it's acceptable to be a racist while on the tax payer's pay roll, he works for the BBC which is funded by the tax payer and some of them are a minority. It's interesting that you're willing to overlook his casual racism, as a minority I will revel when he is sacked ofc if he is guilty.
It's interesting you mention "see no colour" propaganda because I too disagree with the idea of robbing minorities of their heritage in a bid to justify that you're not a racist.

Are you familiar with his antics?

He often says questionable statements, on a host of things, the BBC loves and hates him in equal measure; He brings huge success to top gear and is quite popular amongst the "Lads", but i feel he's on his way out soon.

[Dendrek]

Bigotry is instinctual. It's an evolutionary reaction of fear and hatred towards the unknown. Just because we've evolved the instinct to hate does not mean we should embrace it though.

But while bigotry is instinctual, racism is a very specific and culturally developed form of bigotry that is not inherently natural. In other words, you are born with an inclination towards bigotry, but you learn racism. Unfortunately, racism is so common is modern culture (probably in any culture) that it's probably inevitable that everyone has racist thoughts every now and then.

[Tailswipe]

I was just reading a newspaper article about Jeremy Clarkson (top gear: uk car tv show) supposedly using the N-word and It made me wonder if everyone has racist thoughts and we have been conditioned to repress them to the point we aren't consciouly aware of it anymore?
I say this as a minority as a fan of the show I won't tune into top gear anymore if Jeremy Clarkson doesn't get sacked.

He recited the first line of "eeny, meeny, miny, moe". He didn't even recite the second line that contains the offending politically incorrect word. In any case the word nigger is used liberally in Hollywood films by African Americans. I'm not even certain if it's classed as offensive anymore.

[Asphyxiate9]

My Grandma is a racist, though she reminds me greatly of Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino (2008). She had some people from the middle east move in next door to her and she had a repulsive attitude. 3 years later when they were moving out she was sad that they were leaving since they were so nice to her.

I hate racists myself, my grandma excluded for obvious reasons, but I cant say i've never laughed obscenely hard at a racist joke before.

[Pool of the Dead]

Racist? No.

Prejudice? Yes.

[Deleted]

My Grandma is a racist, though she reminds me greatly of Clint Eastwood in Gran Torino (2008). She had some people from the middle east move in next door to her and she had a repulsive attitude. 3 years later when they were moving out she was sad that they were leaving since they were so nice to her.

I hate racists myself, my grandma excluded for obvious reasons, but I cant say i've never laughed obscenely hard at a racist joke before.

Good, good, let the dark humor flow through you!

...I mean, TERRIBRU.

[Shinra1]

Well what do you expect, minorities are seen as "different" because they are. If I as a white male went and stood in Mecca I'm pretty certain a lot of the locals would have some weird thoughts, especially if I went around in a group of white people and didn't interact with the locals. The racist undertones don't apply to individuals not in any way shape or form, but rather groups which don't integrate. Like I can honestly say I've never thought twice about Piriya but then it's different when I see the groups.

Also, assuming 99% of the white people have racist thoughts is in itself a racist thought so here we go in circles and we're on page 1 of the thread Assuming that we have bad thoughts because we're white. Not that I'm bothered by it but it's quite funny.

Acknowledging that people are disparate is one thing but attaching a stereotype to their race is another and that's where I personally draw the line.
Regarding my comment that 99% of whites are secretly racist, I'm not sure it was intentional or otherwise but in your example about the group of white people in Mecca where you demonstrated that the majority will always be prejudiced to the minority the inference from that confirms my suspicion 99% of white people are prejudiced.
Again that's not to say 99% of white people are racist but I was just noting the irony in what you said.

[Baracuda]

No, I think most people are very racist hypocrites. Most seem normal and condemn obvious racists.

[Shinra1]

Are you familiar with his antics?

He often says questionable statements, on a host of things, the BBC loves and hates him in equal measure; He brings huge success to top gear and is quite popular amongst the "Lads", but i feel he's on his way out soon.

I actually don't think they'll sack him and after watching the video apology he posted on youtube I couldn't help but laugh at how backwards he is as he tried to backtrack his way out of it. I am familiar with his antics as I'm a fan of the show or rather was a fan of the show but I don't think we should be letting him off the hook so easily. Maybe a pay cut for a while? BUT I suppose he's too wealthy and old to care...

[Deleted]

no people are just oversensitive lol

if you say black people have lower iq than white people and white people have lower iq than asians then youre somehow a white supremacist lol

[Calzaeth]

"Nigger" gets to become a racist word again when black rappers and actors stop using it to mean "non-paleass mofo". However, after doing some reading up on Mr. Clarkson... he's a handful, isn't he? Naming a black dog Didier Dogba. Not gonna lie, it made me giggle.

[Revi]

Bigotry is instinctual. It's an evolutionary reaction of fear and hatred towards the unknown. Just because we've evolved the instinct to hate does not mean we should embrace it though.

But while bigotry is instinctual, racism is a very specific and culturally developed form of bigotry that is not inherently natural. In other words, you are born with an inclination towards bigotry, but you learn racism. Unfortunately, racism is so common is modern culture (probably in any culture) that it's probably inevitable that everyone has racist thoughts every now and then.

Studies with babies would suggest otherwise. From a very, very young age we prefer people of our own race, simply because they look similar to us and those we feel safe with. This behavior starts way before we even learn to speak.

Not saying it's natural in the sense that we're born with it, but it happens as a result of self-preservation instincts which ARE natural. If anything, equality is what's culturally developed.

[Shinra1]

Yeah. I don't think it's bad thing unless you act on it. Thoughts are fine, I suppose.

The thing is the nursery rhyme that he uttered is inherently racist. I'm not sure why some people are denying that he even said the N word because that rhyme is well known by everyone however most have the courtuesy not to utter it.
What I think is truly despicable are the people who believe that being casually racist is acceptable when the intention is to be comical rather than offensive.

[Deleted]

Studies with babies would suggest otherwise. From a very, very young age we prefer people of our own race, simply because they look similar to us and those we feel safe with. This behavior starts way before we even learn to speak.

Not saying it's natural in the sense that we're born with it, but it happens as a result of self-preservation instincts which ARE natural. If anything, equality is what's culturally developed.

from google search on friends looking similar to us http://arxiv.org/abs/1308.5257

[rayvio]

I think we all develop some prejudices based on personal experiences (if most of your encounters with a certain subset of people are negative it's easy for a developing mind to draw a connection), upbringing (if your parents/friends/etc keep telling you things about a subset of people you're likely to believe it) but most of us realise how irrational they are as we grow older and so we grow out of them. especially those of us in multi-cultural areas who are often exposed to these different subsets of people and can tell from our own experiences that they don't all conform to stereotypes or such
there's a big difference between that and actual racism though. racists continue their prejudicial beliefs despite any evidence to the contrary and will usually refuse to even listen to arguments that conflict with their belief

[Dendrek]

if you say black people have lower iq than white people and white people have lower iq than asians then youre somehow a white supremacist lol

If you make a BS sweeping statement about one group or another, especially without corroborating evidence, that doesn't necessarily make you a racist, but it certainly says something about you.

[Deleted]

I think we all develop some prejudices based on personal experiences (if most of your encounters with a certain subset of people are negative it's easy for a developing mind to draw a connection), upbringing (if your parents/friends/etc keep telling you things about a subset of people you're likely to believe it) but most of us realise how irrational they are as we grow older and so we grow out of them. especially those of us in multi-cultural areas who are often exposed to these different subsets of people and can tell from our own experiences that they don't all conform to stereotypes or such
there's a big difference between that and actual racism though. racists continue their prejudicial beliefs despite any evidence to the contrary and will usually refuse to even listen to arguments that conflict with their belief

lol i was more tolerant of minorities before i had to interact with them on a daily basis and see the shit they do

If you make a BS sweeping statement about one group or another, especially without corroborating evidence, that doesn't necessarily make you a racist, but it certainly says something about you.

its already known that it's like that

[Draenox]

Yes, the key difference is whether or not you decide to act on the thoughts.

[Theodoxus]

I hate the term racism, and describing ethnicity as race. It's not like black people are night elves and Asian people are gnomes... But there's really nothing I can do about that - like 'global warming' it's just a stupid name that stuck.

Be that as it may, I've found that as I've been in more integrated populations, I tend to see people as more individuals rather than a representative of an ethnic group. I think it's important to acknowledge a person by how they comport themselves rather than what minority they belong to. I'm just as wary of a white hoodrat as I am of a black or latino one. Likewise, I'm perfectly comfortable with blacks and latinos who comport themselves in a friendly or professional manner.

Desegregation, on a personal level, is the vaccine to racism. But everyone, for themselves, must make that choice - to recognize in themselves that there is irrational thought regarding another human being. I know plenty of people, of all ethnicities, who feel comfortable living in their little segregated world, thinking those who are not like them different and unworthy.

As noted above, it doesn't really matter - people are wrong minded on a ton of topics - until it affects someone else. Think whatever you want, just don't act on it. And know that the only way to grow is to change.