Was thinking about this from the rape thread, and I realise I really don't know how the "racism" term works.

humans like to categorise... its a human trait. We group like things together all the time, and generalise them.

where does racism fit in? does it only apply to negative traits? what exactly constitutes a "race" of people? skin colour? nationality? ethnicity? I understand that saying "abo's are evil" is a racist comment. but where to draw the line? "aboriginies are more likely than white australians to commit a crime?" <-- made up but is that racist if the stats back it up? If so why?
"aboriginies are more likely to have a darker skin colour than germans" <-- is this racist?
"white men can't jump" is apparently ok... if we had a "black men can't play tennis" movie would that be a problem? Are either of these racist?

discuss. (this should be fun...)

a rape thread and now a race thread

this just gets better

Racism is casting an indian guy on a TV show so that we can laugh at his silly accent as his says in a very exaggerated accent 'noooooo bingo!'.

racism is any time you automatically assign an individual with the traits of an entire race. whether or not that is ok with your social group is all about your level of political correctness. we are all racist because we all have the ability to discriminate differences & race is an obvious difference.

as it is political correctness that determines if racism is acceptable or not in a particular community... it is the majority of that communities race that usually can be slandered with racist remarks without social stigma. ie: in a white community you could say 'whities are dumb c***s' & it's not considered racist even though it obviously is.

i always though racism was being mean to jiggabooos

tsk. i think you'll find they prefer to be called 'boongs' :D

There is one race, the human race.

There is one race, the human race.

Yeah, and there is global peace and no poverty too.

'Racism' is a card overplayed in todays society. People need to harden the f*** up and accept that yes, sometimes, stereotypes are just that.

It s***s me to tears when a stereotype is used to make a comment backed up by statistics, yet people still have a cry. The people who winge are, imo, worse than actual racists in many cases.

Of course you can say "White men can't jump". Everyone knows there's no such thing as racism against whites. </sarcasm>

Of course you can say "White men can't jump". Everyone knows there's no such thing as racism against whites.

There's no racism against whites, we're superior, therefore we can't be offender.

Racism is believing you are better then somebody because they are not like you. It usually involves double standards and most people are chokers with that, myself included.

If you're white, you're automatically racist, if you're male you're automatically sexist. Doesn't seem to apply when the roles are reversed. Generalizations ftw.

Trust me, wom...I mean feminists are the biggest sexists out there

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racism

Racism is believing you are better then somebody because they are not like you.

naw. that is a common self-centered superiority complex ... i feel the same about most other whities & other races... inferior degenerate foghats... especially south-siders! ;D

heh

it's like for example saying all black people are dumb and all arabs are terrorists.

what about saying all asians are slanty eyed?

are you talking about asians or slopes?

it's like for example saying all black people are dumb and all arabs are terrorists.

prove me wrong on the arab part of that comment.

People called me racist, but I hate all you f***ers equally.

no, north-siders are!

prove me wrong on the arab part of that comment.

now now, don't be racist.

north-siders blowcocks!

well this turned out pretty much as well as I had hoped it would...

South siders have Logan, Kingston, Darra, Inala.

North siders don't have those.

racism is any time you automatically assign an individual with the traits of an entire race.

I would argue that it is in fact the opposite: racism is assigning the traits of an individual to an entire race or ethnic group
ie. That guy from Papua New Guinea is very disorganised, therefore all people from Papua New guinea are disorganised.

we are all racist because we all have the ability to discriminate differences & race is an obvious difference.

I would disagree with this. It is not racist to simply point out a difference in appearance or cultural heritage etc at least in the sense that I understand racism. To me, racism is indicating a point of difference in a derogatory way, and is inherently tied to ignorance and fear. Racism is inferring that because of someone's race or ethnic background, they will necessarily have a certain (usually negative) trait.

Therefore it is not racist to say people of Asian descent have a different type of eyes to a European person. It is offensive to use this point of difference in a derogatory manner eg. "All asians are slanty eyed mongrels".

Some words or descriptions have become derogatory by association with the fact that many people use them as a negative point of difference and they are widely accepted as racial slurs eg referring to Asian people as "slanty-eyed". It is when a race or group becomes characterised and thus dehumanised by these terms that they become offensive. In the same way, the word "black" has been at times controversial when used to describe people of African descent. However it is now widely accepted as politically correct to speak of someone as "black" without causing offense. However the term "coloured" to decribe people of this racial group is considered offensive, as is the term "negro" (commonly used in pre-1960s America).

"Racist" and "racism" are complex issues and extend far beyond the words we use.
However, racism seems to be inherent within many of our systems and patterns of belief and it is doubtful that there is any simple solution to eradicate it. The process requires education, tolerance and understanding.
Generally speaking, racism stems from ignorance. We fear what we don't understand.





last edited by IncrEdible_vEgetable at 15:50:54 11/Dec/07

last edited by IncrEdible_vEgetable at 15:51:52 11/Dec/07

and there we have another problem. can you have 2 different people saying the same thing and only 1 be "racist"?
I'm obviously eluding to the usage of the term "n*****". It seems that whether it is racist or not is based on the colour of your skin. Is deciding who's allowed to use the term not racist because its not "derogatory" or is the fact that there are double standards inherently racist even though there's no negativity towards either of the groups?

in the last 30 or 40 years it has been forced into our heads that racist words such as n*****, kike, chink and so on, are somehow bad and thta saying them will make you feel akward around people. The words have no sub-meaning behind them. Its the person's intent that matters. If your saying something in order to slander or degrade an entire race then that pretty much makes you a racist however little or big it may be. However there are times when racism and fact do get a bit mixed up. Would saying "black people have bigger lips than whites" make me a racist even though its true?

There is racism towards whites in other countries around the world.

Would saying "black people have bigger lips than whites" make me a racist even though its true?

In this day and age that'd depend on whether you're black or not. Surely all the non-racists would agree that its fine to say that if you're black.

This is a response to the first post in the thread.

Racism comes out of business. Agriculture, farming etc... Generally when things aren't going so well we like to find something to blame. It's easier to blame the outsider because there are less repercussions for bad-mouthing someone who is alone or in the minority.

It is pretty well established that this is the reason for American prejudice in the south against blacks.

It is the same mentality we have about 'asians taking jobs'.

last edited by Idol at 16:41:11 11/Dec/07

the reason why a white person can't call a black person the 'N' word and yet a black person can call a white person a whitey, is because as a whole, whites were never subject to slavery/submission to another race
so we have to 'step lightly' so to speak, burn 'em all I say

racism is treating people and situations differently because of race.

if you always throw rocks at people when they cut across your lawn... and if you see that the next person is of islander extraction so decide not to throw a rock, that is racism

if a kid that lives near you gets hurt running away from the police but he isn't the same race as you so you decide to not set cars on fire and throw bottles at police, that's racism

I've tried many times to be racist cept all you f***ing minority groups look the same to me

Racism comes out of business. Agriculture, farming etc... Generally when things aren't going so well we like to find something to blame. It's easier to blame the outsider because there are less repercussions for bad-mouthing someone who is alone or in the minority.

It is pretty well established that this is the reason for American prejudice in the south against blacks.

Wow. SO insightful.

I see now. It's not because White Europeans thought their culture superior and used brute force to enslave millions of Africans to build a nation empire, in the process subsequently degrading and dehumanising generations of black people, resulting in racial tension and prejudice we see inherent in the system today. And it has nothing to do with the fact that the black population was given a bare minimum of resources and backbreaking labour to perform so the white slave-owners were able to profit while the black slaves sprialled down into a ever-increasing regime of poverty and misery, which most had little or no hope of getting out of.

It's because white people needed someone to blame for their crops dying and their cornershops going out of business.

It's because white people needed someone to blame for their crops dying and their cornershops going out of business.

It's hard to stay in business when you're getting robbed every other day ;)

Racism was WWII.

Lets kill millions of Jews simply because they are Jewish.

Youre not looking at an individual - a lawyer husband with a loving wife and three daughters, who enjoyes reading the paper and taking his girls to the park in the afternoon.

You're looking at a Jew.

Having said that there are obviously degrees of racism, the Nazi regime being probably the most extreme.

Ill admit Im a racist. I always bitch about the indian technician every time I call dell, and the asian shop assistant who cant understand what Im saying let alone conjure a response to my query.
That said, most of these issues are more of a language barrier and an attitude towards the individual - like if youre coming to an english speaking country, and plan on working in a service industry - learn the f***ing langauge.

But then, I still bitch about all the asians that dawdle, walk in packs, and walk at the speed of 3 meters an hour in Queen Street mall every day when Im on lunch and Im trying to get things done. For them, I will generalise. Stupid asians.

people that annoy you: N*GGERS

There is nothing racist about being annoyed that the Australian company you have just called has no employees in Australia you can talk to. It is absolutely intolerable to speak to an Indian person over the phone. That's not racist - it's true. This person is from a very different culture, has a whole different accent, doesn't understand half the stuff you say, there is no onus on you as an Australian to pretend you're fine with that.

'Racist' would be to say an Australian person with Indian heritage cannot work at an Australian call center with other Australians.



last edited by Idol at 17:33:13 11/Dec/07

Jews are doing pretty well for themselves though now, with all their gold etc.

"the term "racial discrimination" shall mean any distinction, exclusion, restriction or preference based on race, color, descent, or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition, enjoyment or exercise, on an equal footing, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political, economic, social, cultural or any other field of public life (United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination).

Wow. SO insightful.

I see now. It's not because White Europeans thought their culture superior and used brute force to enslave millions of Africans to build a nation empire, in the process subsequently degrading and dehumanising generations of black people, resulting in racial tension and prejudice we see inherent in the system today. And it has nothing to do with the fact that the black population was given a bare minimum of resources and backbreaking labour to perform so the white slave-owners were able to profit while the black slaves sprialled down into a ever-increasing regime of poverty and misery, which most had little or no hope of getting out of.

It's because white people needed someone to blame for their crops dying and their cornershops going out of business.

You're a bit of an idiot. You have a very romanticised view of the world. The situation is not so dramatic. What I told you was the truth.

You think white people had black slaves because they were on a POWER TRIP ???

Truly mental.

These were business people exploiting an untapped resource. When the cotton dried up though - who do you blame? Do you blame the authorities for not helping you out? Do you blame God? Or is it easier to blame the new Africans that arrived in town this season?



last edited by Idol at 17:43:06 11/Dec/07

Racism comes out of business. Agriculture, farming etc... Generally when things aren't going so well we like to find something to blame. It's easier to blame the outsider because there are less repercussions for bad-mouthing someone who is alone or in the minority.

It is pretty well established that this is the reason for American prejudice in the south against blacks.

ahahaha, whaaaaat?

you crazy mang. l2history.

edit:

You think white people had black slaves because they were on a POWER TRIP ???

Truly mental.

hahaha holy s***... l2readingcomprehension as well plz.

what IV said was pretty much spot on.

last edited by taggs at 17:44:49 11/Dec/07

and for our forefathers mistakes we will pay forever...

on a power trip? or saving copeous amounts of money with almost free labour?

slave labor is the only reason we are where we are today, communism wasn't going to work so we had to use collars

don't get me started on this topic, aye Whoop :)

racism relates to social darwinism and the idea that some races are superior at a evolutionary level.
i think its racialism(?) that means just slandering a race.

taggs, what I am saying on this subject comes from my university lectures... it makes a lot of sense if you think it through.

i personally dont think any term along the lines of, n*****, nignog, abo, the darkness, slanty eyes, sand monkey, or anythign of the like is racist, funny if anything. however that doenst mean i go walking the streets calling black person i meet the darkness, because i know that it does offend some people and those people will probably punch me in the face.

however on a forum which is fairly anonymous its fair game as long as its within the forum guidelines.

being racist to me is to specifically discriminating against another class or race of humans, and it works both ways, aka positive discrimination.

however not everyone deserves to be treated equally cause clearly azn's can not drive.

exactly. every single one of you would have laughed at a racist joke before. doesn't mean you'd tell it to someone with the intent of s***ting on them.

taggs, what I am saying on this subject comes from my university lectures... it makes a lot of sense if you think it through.

and how did the black slaves get there in the first place in order to become 'outsiders'?

the europeans enslaved them through force, killing many of them in the process. they did this because they believed it to be their right as they thought of themselves as biologically and culturally superior to the people they were enslaving. i remember studying racism in modern history at high school and reading copies of slave owners' diaries where they honestly beleived that by removing africans from their homeland and families to perform a life of backbreaking labour that they were doing them a favour. somehow i think that prejudice against african-americans in the south runs a little deeper than what you're claiming.

what you're saying may be true on some levels, but to try and say that it is the cause of all racism is utterly simplistic and stupid.

edit: actually i don't really care that much what uni/course it is

last edited by taggs at 19:54:55 11/Dec/07

cue Tokyo Breakfast

Groganus is the king of the racists. But I have to ask what is with your handle? Every time I see it I think "Grog <space> Anus", which leads to a variety of mental images.

Groganus is the king of the racists

Nah.. some people will do anything for attention though.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xj0TO_2tWS4

uh, then you're wasting your money. racism has been been around for a lot longer than cotton farms in the us have been there.

If you want a lesson in how to be extremely racist, read the "Flashman" book series.

Seriously... read them, they're so goddamned funny!

prove me wrong on the arab part of that comment.

There was a middle eastern student at UQ that i tutored. She was annoying and stupid but unless she was trying to undermine the free world by lowering my IQ by proximity i'm pretty sure she wasn't a terrorist.

Funnily enough her name(i assume an "english" name because hers would make life difficult for her) was fairly common in the degree so she ended up being known as "Dirka Dirka" XXXX(name withheld because it'll incriminate me).

Funnily enough, just like the bang bus in Planetside, everyone knew who you were talking about even the first time they heard the name.

The process of bringing slaves to america was not a 'racist' process. There were white slaves, indian slaves, it was not a discriminatory selection. When I talk about racism I am talking about racial prejudice, the fear and hatred of people who live among you. Not about people from one place screwing over people from another place. That isn't racism... that's life!!!

last edited by Idol at 14:16:22 12/Dec/07