Is being a racist really a big deal?

[Stir]

Most wasn't slave "trading". It was just enslaving "period", to bolster their own societies. And what was actually done TO the slaves was far different and less harsh than chattel slavery. Socieities like the Akan, Yoruba, and Benin put harsh penalties on anyone who injured slaves and (especially in the case of the last one) allowed them to become prominent members of the society after their work debt was paid off. To the point that they would become (I guess you can call it or simplicities sake) a "duke" where they would be given property and would own land. In addition to being granted a respectable title and responsibilities, pending their role.

Actually, no. Most of that was buying slaves from locals and shipping them away. Sure; not all African civilizations were so crude and nasty... But a fair number of them wás. You can try to sugar-coat it all you want, but the Mayans ate people and burned down rainforests, the Zulus traded in slaves, and the Norse made clothing out of Christians. We've all got things down the line of our ancestors that we're not proud of; maybe we shouldn't romanticize them too much.

[BreathTaker]

It's just plain stupid to label those who address racial issues RACISTS, but that's how it goes on most internet resources.
They just fear. That's a shame and the reason racial differences raise hatred in some cases.
If it was allowed to speak freely - it would not grow teh hatred that much. When you feel you can not even discuss the point which concerns you, you feel everybody's against you and start hating.
Don't worry, damn those who label you racist, unless they're a court.

[LilSaihah]

Oh, but brain size (to body mass ratio) is related to IQ.
However, ex-utero socio-economic development is directly related to brain size, something a lot of people overlook.

IIRC, underdevelopment of brain size is mostly a result of malnourishment during development. Brain size is also a product of genes, which is where this whole racism/race-realism disagreement is caused.

[Deleted]

I know what we were talking about, but that doesn't refute what I said.

I wasn't being smart. Just clarifying i am indeed talking about slave trading. That slaves had different "values" in different societies is a different matter.
They were taken from villages, enslaved and sold.
The Europeans in Africa weren't actually enslaving people as in "capturing" them themselves. They were dealing with the African elite, that was selling them already enslaved people.
It's history, not opinions.

[BreathTaker]

And also, here in Russia, we never had blacks as slaves, we never insulted them for just being black, that's why us calling them Black or the famous N-word is NOT AT ALL AN OFFENCE. It hurts to meet rage when you call them the N-word in the internet, not meaning ANYTHING bad.
And we lol at those who call them afro-americans, for lol, they're propbably not even from america and good guys, why are they offended?

[staart]

Because people are idiots.

It's okay to hold your own species in higher regard than other species; human-animals

It's not okay to hold your sub-species in higher regard than the rest of the species; different ethnicities


Double standard pave the way for a lot if not most people.

[oxymoronic]

well. we can always take real life evidence. The evidence points to black people being failures at all levels, in all places of the world. I'll give examples

Black people are more likely to be in prison
Black familiese are horribly broken
Black neighborhoods are filled with crime
Black cities inherit all the problems of black neighborhoods as well as having broken city budgets (look at Detroit)
Black countries are crap. Countries that were prospering under colonialism or apartheid are breaking down to extreme forms of poverty without their white benefactors.

The fact is, is that black people prosper no-where on this earth. Racism or colonialism isn't sufficient to explain this because other countries that were also colonized and have non-white populations are prospering in their own way.

While this may be true I expect you are going to find some harsh criticism in the next coming hours and somebody will mention the white man is the boogey man.

[Booshman]

Actually, no. Most of that was buying slaves from locals and shipping them away. Sure; not all African civilizations were so crude and nasty... But a fair number of them wás. You can try to sugar-coat it all you want, but the Mayans ate people and burned down rainforests, the Zulus traded in slaves, and the Norse made clothing out of Christians. We've all got things down the line of our ancestors that we're not proud of; maybe we shouldn't romanticize them too much.

Actually the Zulu weren't that heavily invested in trading slaves to Europeans, when compared to Nigerian and Ghanaian groups. The two main groups who shipped the majority of the descendants of Black American and Afro-Brazilians. Your accusation that I'm "sugar-coating it" and "romanticizing things" is incorrect as I've already acknowledged that there was indeed trading going on.

[Elegiac]

While this may be true I expect you are going to find some harsh criticism in the next coming hours and somebody will mention the white man is the boogey man.

It's partially true; a bending of statistical probabilty, and bad logic (the conclusion is not supported by the premise).

[Booshman]

I wasn't being smart. Just clarifying i am indeed talking about slave trading. That slaves had different "values" in different societies is a different matter.
They were taken from villages, enslaved and sold.
The Europeans in Africa weren't actually enslaving people as in "capturing" them themselves. They were dealing with the African elite, that was selling them already enslaved people.
It's history, not opinions.

And that's still "enslaving them"....

[alturic]

Wrong. The correct statement is 'poor people are more likely to be in prison, commit crime, have broken families'. White people in similar socioeconomic circumstances have pretty much identical incidences of violence and crime.

You're also vastly oversimplifying. Africa was the most recently colonized and deconolized of the continents, of course it's going to be worse off.

So what you are saying is that black people are almost inherently poor? It must be the oppression, right?

[oxymoronic]

Most wasn't slave "trading". It was just enslaving "period", to bolster their own societies. And what was actually done TO the slaves was far different and less harsh than chattel slavery. Socieities like the Akan, Yoruba, and Benin put harsh penalties on anyone who injured slaves and (especially in the case of the last one) allowed them to become prominent members of the society after their work debt was paid off. To the point that they would become (I guess you can call it or simplicities sake) a "duke" where they would be given property and would own land. In addition to being granted a respectable title and responsibilities, pending their role.

Societies like who? And where are they now? I rest my case.

[Stir]

IIRC, underdevelopment of brain size is mostly a result of malnourishment during development. Brain size is also a product of genes, which is where this whole racism/race-realism disagreement is caused.

Well; it's not entirely true.
I would again like to refer to 'We are our Brains,' a book written by Dick Swaab, who also touches on the point of brain development and the effects of neglect, solitude and information (or a lack thereof). The brain needs to do things in order to develop. The less it has to do, the less it physically develops.

[Elegiac]

So what you are saying is that black people are almost inherently poor? It must be the oppression, right?

Black people have a large sector of their society that is poor, yes. It doesn't owe to any deficiency inherent in the race itself, merely geopolitical circumstance.

I suggest you take a look at Guns, Germs, and Steel to understand why Africa and much of the Americas are and were backwards-ass compared to Eurasian civilizations.

[NeonX]

And we lol at those who call them afro-americans, for lol, they're propbably not even from america and good guys, why are they offended?

I think you've answered your own question, it's because people are lumping them in with all the negative stereotypes of black American's even though they are not from that culture.

[Booshman]

Societies like who? And where are they now? I rest my case.

You need to make one in order to have one.

[Deleted]

And that's still "enslaving them"....

I think you're missing the point here.

[Elegiac]

And that's still "enslaving them"....

If you purchase someone as a slave, the enslavement has already been done. Furthermore, while people like to demonize Europeans for slavery; it was only European intervention that put down the slave trade in the first place.

[Deleted]

being disrespectful of someone regardless of the reason is a big deal

[Booshman]

If you purchase someone as a slave, the enslavement has already been done. Furthermore, while people like to demonize Europeans for slavery; it was only European intervention that put down the slave trade in the first place.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/enslavement

"The state of being a slave."

While Europeans did step in, it's a little known fact (usually to keep the self serving "Noble Whitey" trope alive) that there were already kingdoms which were in the process of abolishing it on their own. Some for moral reasons and others because it ceased to be lucrative.