50 shades of racism

[Deleted]

Why is the "racist" tag so easily applied to people?

For example, I'm not a racist, not at all, but I do like making fun of racial stereotypes and I don't mind when people make fun of my race's stereotypes. Yet it seems that if I do that, I get labeled as a racist. Why? How does that work?

Shouldn't there be some sort of clear differentiation between being racially "snarky" and being an outright racist?

For example, I was on a FB page and someone posted a picture of a black Jesus, to which I replied, "Oh look, father gets someone pregnant and bails. Makes more sense than white Jesus", pointing at the racial stereotype that lots of black men in the USA bail on their family, a racial stereotype that some comedy shows also point at, mind you. Yet, I was called a racist.

Being called a racist these days seems to be like being called a troll just for not agreeing with someone's opinion on a public forum.

[Ahovv]

Why is the "racist" tag so easily applied to people?

For example, I'm not a racist, not at all, but I do like making fun of racial stereotypes and I don't mind when people make fun of my race's stereotypes. Yet it seems that if I do that, I get labeled as a racist. Why? How does that work?

Shouldn't there be some sort of clear differentiation between being racially "snarky" and being an outright racist?

For example, I was on a FB page and someone posted a picture of a black Jesus, to which I replied, "Oh look, father gets someone pregnant and bails. Makes more sense than white Jesus", pointing at the racial stereotype that lots of black men in the USA bail on their family, a racial stereotype that some comedy shows also point at, mind you. Yet, I was called a racist.

Being called a racist these days, seems to be like being called a troll just for not agreeing with someone's opinion on a public forum.

Because people confuse cultural observations with the idea that races are inherently significantly different.

[Deleted]

Maybe people don't like it when you perpetuate harmful stereotypes.

Still doesn't make one a racist. To be racist one has to actually hate/despise one or more other races.

[Breccia]

Why is the "racist" tag so easily applied to people?

For example, I'm not a racist, not at all, but --

Shhhhh shh shh shh. Quiet.

Nothing good comes after that phrase.

[Deleted]

Shhhhh shh shh shh. Quiet.

Nothing good comes after that phrase.

Only a sith deals in absolutes

[ciggy]

Everyone is racist to a degree, Being called a racist has zero meaning anymore. The only way racism will die is when we stop talking about it, or race ceases to exist.

[Prokne]

Still doesn't make one a racist. To be racist one has to actually hate/despise one or more other races.

To be racist means you believe that one race is superior to others. That superiority then leads to things like hating other races and doing bad things to them, but the important part is the superiority. Your quote about a black father abandoning his child when a white father wouldn't is racist because it says that white men are better fathers than black men.

Some people would say that someone is racist just for believing that races exist. While I don't believe that race is real, I don't think this is sufficient for being racist as the real problem is unequal treatment and beliefs about different races. Basically there is no reason to believe that an entire race is better or worse than another at anything.

[Wells]

Never understood the logic behind "racism will go away when we stop talking about it".

Seems to presuppose that everyone who acts racist and every system that operates in a racist manner just can't help themselves because people talk about it.

[Deleted]

When you do or say things that are often associated with racism, it isn't all that weird for people to think you're one, even if you're just joking.

[Macaquerie]

Why is the "racist" tag so easily applied to people?

For example, I'm not a racist, not at all, but I do like making fun of racial stereotypes and I don't mind when people make fun of my race's stereotypes. Yet it seems that if I do that, I get labeled as a racist. Why? How does that work?

Shouldn't there be some sort of clear differentiation between being racially "snarky" and being an outright racist?

For example, I was on a FB page and someone posted a picture of a black Jesus, to which I replied, "Oh look, father gets someone pregnant and bails. Makes more sense than white Jesus", pointing at the racial stereotype that lots of black men in the USA bail on their family, a racial stereotype that some comedy shows also point at, mind you. Yet, I was called a racist.

Being called a racist these days seems to be like being called a troll just for not agreeing with someone's opinion on a public forum.

The thing is that the stereotype of absentee black fathers is a factual, legitimate problem that a lot of people have had to deal with growing up. So while it may just be a joke to you, to someone who had to grow up in a broken home it is certainly something that can open up a lot of old wounds just from reading. The real issue is the lack of empathy, plenty of white kids grow up without fathers as well but it's not something that blacks or other minorities tend to laugh at or joke about, so why not show them the same courtesy they show you?

[Deleted]

To be racist means you believe that one race is superior to others. That superiority then leads to things like hating other races and doing bad things to them, but the important part is the superiority. Your quote about a black father abandoning his child when a white father wouldn't is racist because it says that white men are better fathers than black men.

Some people would say that someone is racist just for believing that races exist. While I don't believe that race is real, I don't think this is sufficient for being racist as the real problem is unequal treatment and beliefs about different races. Basically there is no reason to believe that an entire race is better or worse than another at anything.

All races have stereotypes based on some kind of behavior that seems to happen a lot within that race, whether true or not, and imo, it should be acceptable to make fun of those stereotypes without meaning you hate or feel superior.

[ciggy]

Never understood the logic behind "racism will go away when we stop talking about it".

Seems to presuppose that everyone who acts racist and every system that operates in a racist manner just can't help themselves because people talk about it.

Nah dude, more of a when it's not a point of contention like it is now, when you don't even realize it until someone points it out. Morgan Freeman is the one that I heard say it first, and I just complete agree with him and I think that's what he meant. I think the exchange was something along the lines of "when you think of me as an actor and not a black actor and when I think of you as a reporter and not a white reporter"

I don't mean if we bury it, I mean more when we actually don't even think about what race someone is.

- - - Updated - - -

Also, stereotypes are always based in fact.

[Wells]

Nah dude, more of a when it's not a point of contention like it is now, when you don't even realize it until someone points it out. Morgan Freeman is the one that I heard say it first, and I just complete agree with him and I think that's what he meant. I think the exchange was something along the lines of "when you think of me as an actor and not a black actor and when I think of you as a reporter and not a white reporter"

I don't mean if we bury it, I mean more when we actually don't even think about what race someone is.

Still, the entire reasoning assumes that everyone in society wants to move on from race. Its basically just unilateral disarmament on the part of people who value equality.

[ciggy]

Still, the entire reasoning assumes that everyone in society wants to move on from race. Its basically just unilateral disarmament on the part of people who value equality.

Yeah, I think at the rate races are being homogenized it's just a matter of time. I remember when I was a kid (in the 80s) that kids of mixed races were treated so harshly, now you really have a few generations of mixed race kids, it's just melting together. That sounds horribly racist if you take in the worst possible way.

That is part of racism to me, to be racist you have to have a bit of malicious intent.

[PACOX]

Still doesn't make one a racist. To be racist one has to actually hate/despise one or more other races.

Some people seem to think you're only racist if you're wearing a hood and burning a cross. Otherwise you're just making cultural observations or have justified prejudices toward particular races.

[Prokne]

All races have stereotypes based on some kind of behavior that seems to happen a lot within that race, whether true or not, and imo, it should be acceptable to make fun of those stereotypes without meaning you hate or feel superior.

In some way making fun of stereotypes because they can't possibly be true due to how absurd they are is a way of disproving racist ideas. You have to do it the right way. My guess is that people read your comment and thought it was something you actually believed and not a sarcastic statement. Of course you could have kept your joke to yourself because the people reading the black Jesus post probably aren't the kind to think it is funny.

[Deleted]

Yeah, I think at the rate races are being homogenized it's just a matter of time. I remember when I was a kid (in the 80s) that kids of mixed races were treated so harshly, now you really have a few generations of mixed race kids, it's just melting together. That sounds horribly racist if you take in the worst possible way.

That is part of racism to me, to be racist you have to have a bit of malicious intent.

That depends entirely on the country you live in. It's not the case in Sweden at all, it's very rare to see mixed couples here.

[Deleted]

For example, I was on a FB page and someone posted a picture of a black Jesus, to which I replied, "Oh look, father gets someone pregnant and bails. Makes more sense than white Jesus", pointing at the racial stereotype that lots of black men in the USA bail on their family, a racial stereotype that some comedy shows also point at, mind you. Yet, I was called a racist.

Racial stereotyping is er....racist. Not sure why this intellectual hoop is so hard for you to jump through.

[Deleted]

Some people seem to think you're only racist if you're wearing a hood and burning a cross. Otherwise you're just making cultural observations or have justified prejudices toward particular races.

Racism in Swedish, as defined by: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nationalencyklopedin, but ran through google translate:

1. The perception that it is reasonable to divide the human race into a number of distinct breeds based on phenotypic differences, ie external characteristics.

2. The assumption that there is a correlation between, on the one hand, such phenotypic differences and, on the other hand, inherited mental and intellectual aptitude, behavior and temperament and moral character.

3. The assumption that these inherited traits are common to all members of the respective breeds.

4. The belief that races allow themselves to be classified in a hierarchy, depending on the quality of the inherited characteristics.

5. The notion that this hierarchical classification entitles members of the supposedly superior races to dominate, exploit and even annihilate members of the supposedly inferior races.

If you don't fit all 5, you're not racist.

[Deleted]

Largely because most people won't know you well enough to know whether you genuinely have ill-will towards people of the minority you make a joke about.

I have a group of friends where "close to the bone" jokes and comments are standard, they never make it into a work environment, onto facebook or generally where other people may see because they simply wouldn't understand the context and way in which we talk to each other. That's just life though. I don't talk to them about WoW, the people who are friends and also like WoW I don't talk about general life in my city because its meaningless to them etc.