What is Racism?

reply to post by FyreByrd


Hmmm, you got me thinking. I like that.

One word you used I think pretty much sums it all up ~ "different"

Perceiving a group of individuals as different can bring about fear. Fear of the 'difference'. That fear then becomes hatred. While, with understanding the "different" you lose some of the sense of fear and so on.

Either way, all that we can do is make a conscious effort to be friendly to everyone. WWJD. For reals. What would Christ do? I don't care if you ('you' in general) don't believe in or hate organized religion but Christ Jesus taught us how we should treat each other. That was a gift.

reply to post by kimish


thanks a lot, I think my post still wasn't as firm or clear as others, but I will gather these thoughts and will post some other day. Thanks for your star...

Originally posted by kimish
Race is a biological construct not a social construct. To say that race is a social construct is to say that the differences between a chihuahua and a great dane are only social differences. Race as a social construct is a PC term. If race is a social construct then why are some races more prone to some diseases and others are not? Cycle Cell Anemia is an example. If race is a social construct then why is it that certain drugs for ailments work for some races and not others?

edit on 21-5-2013 by kimish because: (no reason given)

edit on 21-5-2013 by kimish because: (no reason given)

Wrong. Homo Sapien is our genus; all extant human beings are homo sapiens. There is one race, and that is the human race. Variation in body type, skin color, and immunity is simply evolution in action causing us to best adapt to survive in our environment.

For example, darker skin is able to better resist sunlight because the places in which it evolved experience a great deal of sun. Pale skin, however, is ideal for places with less sun, though overexposure will cause it to burn easily. Being fat and short is great if you live in a high altitude environment, as the more stout you are the less oxygen you need, so on and so forth.

As for the differences between men and women, do some research into the evolution of sex and sexuality and you'll understand why men and women are so different behaviorally. In a nutshell, however, aggression and risk-prone behavior in women were not successful traits, so aggressive, risk-taking women are not dominant in today's culture.

Basically, the physical differences that we have are not evidence of a difference in race, they are just examples of how evolution works.

Racism is pretty clear. There are people out there who want everything to fall under the banner of racism because racism, rightly, carries lots of emotional weight.

Therefore, they (usually wet behind the ear middle class liberals) want to exploit that and see that people who make remarks about x nation or x collective are considered racist, even though there is no racial/ethnic sense to the claim. It's cashing in on a buzzword, devaluing the real thing in the process.

There's a pretty obvious effort from some quarters to muddle all bigotry and prejudice(say that of xenophobia or religious intolerance) with racism. I've even heard it said that you can't make remarks about people living in caravans because they're deemed a "group", now I've got nothing against travelers but come on, that's funny isn't.

Actual racism as was defined and as the word was created for is pretty clear, and those that suffer from it know what it is.

We have the word racism for bigotry on grounds of race/ethnicity. We have sexism for bigotry on grounds of sex. There's homophobia and the like for bigotry based on sexual orientation. Xenophobia for bigotry founded on bigotry for nations and there people. And you can keep going. There's lots of terms like this and all have fairly obvious meanings. To see people exploiting the severity of racism and using it as a catch-all phrase is disappointing. I'm sure people who do it mean well but to me comparing something like a dislike of religions or a dislike of a country with good old fashioned racism is doing real racism a huge disservice and sort of trivialising it if you ask me

Originally posted by kimish

Originally posted by FyreByrd

Originally posted by kimish

Originally posted by ShadellacZumbrum
reply to post by FyreByrd

 

Racism is basically the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race.

Wrong, racism is the belief that one race is superior to another race. If you believe that is what racism is then you are wrongly misguided.

But how can you define Race - you state it's biology but that doesn't work. How would you describe race to a blind person?

If you just go on apperance then it's a subjective decision not a biological one.

???
Then why is it that forensic anthropologists can tell the race of a person by their skeletal remains? Would that be social or... biological?forensicpathologyonline.com...

Center of gravity, is that social or biological?? www.sciencedaily.com...

But it's all a social construct, right??

Why can't we just acknowledge the differences and embrace the uniqueness? One thing that breeds hate is misunderstanding. If we are all led to believe that race is a social construct then are we not misunderstanding the truth? Hence breeding forth hatred?

Why do you chose to set the focus on certain differences instead of others ? Why don't you say that people with different blood types belong to different races ? And what would you say if the blood type was a visible difference ? What about people with different eyes colors, do they belong to different "races" ? What about the size of people, isn't that difference enough to say that tall people belong to a different "race" ? etc etc.

And, why do you think you can make the choice for me when you say that this or that difference = a different race ?
see here
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Racism is the belief in races, whether one is talking biologically or sociologically.

What used to be a social construct has, in America particularly, been institutionalized by the medical profession to such a degree that it is used in the US census. Most western countries have, in recent decades, disassociated themselves from using such ideas. Racism today has evolved into separating people, one from the other, by their obvious differences, such as hair, eye and skin colour, etc., instead of their standings in relation to their conquerors (e.g. East Indians to the British Empire, American Indians to the European settlers, African slaves to the slavers, etc.) Where this current new line of thinking will eventually fail is in the multicultural blender that this world is increasingly becoming. When everyone is partly everyone else through mixed marriages, the notion that medical distinctions can be made based on biological sub-groups will fade away..

The 'Tower of Babel' scenario, where disparate 'tongues' led to chaos, is a perfect analogy to the 400 year old idea of racialism and it's going to fade away in the same manner as flint knapping did.

There is only 1 race of humans on this planet.

reply to post by kimish


im sure that racism and prejudiced go hand in hand. Many claim to be prejudiced and not racist simply because they don't want to use the word "racist" . Certain races feel superior to others based on preconceive opinions, stereotypes and false history. Only difference is nowadays everyone is conditioned to these stereotypes and false facts but accept it as normal and feel its just the way things are.

Ive seen so many racist ATS'ers saying crap like "im not racist but look how they behave", "do you see white people doin this?"

Honestly, i know exactly what racism is its many different forms, and its sad to see that in 2013 racism is still prevalent especially in a place like ATS. In fact the more i see people expressing how they truly feel about another race when they get mad or feel attacked, the more i distrust the society i live in and start to understand were some of the radicals are coming from. In 2013...its sad man...

reply to post by gosseyn



reply to post by DestroyDestroyDestroy

Originally posted by masqua
Racism is the belief in races, whether one is talking biologically or sociologically.

What used to be a social construct has, in America particularly, been institutionalized by the medical profession to such a degree that it is used in the US census. Most western countries have, in recent decades, disassociated themselves from using such ideas. Racism today has evolved into separating people, one from the other, by their obvious differences, such as hair, eye and skin colour, etc., instead of their standings in relation to their conquerors (e.g. East Indians to the British Empire, American Indians to the European settlers, African slaves to the slavers, etc.) Where this current new line of thinking will eventually fail is in the multicultural blender that this world is increasingly becoming. When everyone is partly everyone else through mixed marriages, the notion that medical distinctions can be made based on biological sub-groups will fade away..

The 'Tower of Babel' scenario, where disparate 'tongues' led to chaos, is a perfect analogy to the 400 year old idea of racialism and it's going to fade away in the same manner as flint knapping did.

There is only 1 race of humans on this planet.

edit on 22/5/13 by masqua because: clarity

Well then if what you say is true then shouldn't we do away with canine breeds? Instead of wolves, coyotes, dingos and dogs, we should just label them canines?

Basically what you're saying is that recognizing race is racism itself. So then, are we all racist of canines?

of course we all know, essentially, what racism is. a collective superiority complex shared and promoted by like-minded individuals or groups. but why it is, i have no idea. i honestly can't get my head round the reasoning of racism. never been able to understand what makes someone hold racist views. i've never had them. it's puzzling.

Originally posted by RoScoLaz
of course we all know, essentially, what racism is. a collective superiority complex shared and promoted by like-minded individuals or groups. but why it is, i have no idea. i honestly can't get my head round the reasoning of racism. never been able to understand what makes someone hold racist views. i've never had them. it's puzzling.

It's caused out of fear of the unknown. I believe I listed some good reasons (as to why people hold racist beliefs) in my previous posts.

reply to post by kimish


i dont think its caused by the fear of unknown...its what they know or think they know that causes the split

reply to post by FyreByrd

It got me to thinking about race in the USA. I don't consider myself racist but I am prejudiced towards certain groups of people, is that considered racism? When we Pre-Judge another about anything is it Racist?

If you pre-judge based on the color of one's skin, then yes, it is racism.

Also, it is the pinnacle of irrationality. If one pre-judges based on something so superficial, he must be used to being wrong.

Originally posted by kimish
Well then if what you say is true then shouldn't we do away with canine breeds? Instead of wolves, coyotes, dingos and dogs, we should just label them canines?

Question: Are all breeds of dogs 'dogs' or are they various breeds?

Standard breeds exist only because interbreeding is not allowed. Good thing we don't treat humans the same way... isn't it? In the same way, is a caucasian a breed or a race?

Originally posted by masqua

Originally posted by kimish
Well then if what you say is true then shouldn't we do away with canine breeds? Instead of wolves, coyotes, dingos and dogs, we should just label them canines?

Question: Are all breeds of dogs 'dogs' or are they various breeds?

Standard breeds exist only because interbreeding is not allowed. Good thing we don't treat humans the same way... isn't it? In the same way, is a caucasian a breed or a race?

edit on 22/5/13 by masqua because: clarity

ETA: Yes, all dogs are dogs. But we have breeds of dogs to distinguish. Just as humans, correct? So by your logic there are no 'breeds' of humans. They are all one. As are dogs. But we label dogs by breeds because there are biological differences.

Inter breeding does occur, that's why we have mutts. In Austrailia dingos are breeding with domesticated dogs thinning out the dingo population. Soon enough dingos will cease to exist in Australia. But dogs are dogs and so forth. And there are 'breeds' of dogs. If there weren't breeds of dogs than names such as English Mastiff and Irish wolfhound wouldn't exist, right? They'd all be called 'dogs'?

Inter breeding is also the cause of different breeds. For example, the Dogo Argentino en.wikipedia.org... is a culmination of 10 breeds bred over a period of time to make one breed. And when Dogos are bred with other Dogos they have Dogo puppies. The same Breed/race

Is Caucasian a breed or a race? Well, because us humans are 'special' we label our breeds as races.

Originally posted by kimish
ETA: Yes, all dogs are dogs. But we have breeds of dogs to distinguish. Just as humans, correct? So by your logic there are no 'breeds' of humans.

I suggested no such thing. One may distinguish one 'breed of human' from another. That's normal.

Inter breeding is also the cause of different breeds. For example, the Dogo Argentino en.wikipedia.org... is a culmination of 10 breeds bred over a period of time to make one breed. And when Dogos are bred with other Dogos they have Dogo puppies. *The same Breed/race

* bolding mine

And there we have it... you just related 'breed' to 'race' with canines. I suppose fruit flies and horse flies are also separate races by that line of reasoning.

Is Caucasian a breed or a race? Well, because us humans are 'special' we label our breeds as races.

What makes a human special in nature? Self-awareness? Cunning? The ability to organize as a group? Our immense ego?

These characteristics are evident in other species as well (a fact you are likely aware of). Why are you not satisfied with the idea of breeding alone? Why must you go that extra step and run with 'race'? Is it that immense ego at work... that we need to set ourselves apart from the rest of life on this planet because it makes us feel 'special'?

Racism is linked to the very un-scientific premises that there are such things called races to begin with largely connected with eyeballing others based solely on looks and drawing conclusion on supposed behavior of any given group good or bad..if you can excuse a lil personal antidote.back in my Navy dayz I was accosted in a friendly manner by a white sailor who asked why I spend my down time with the Blacks..this knocked me for a loop as I am in no way more exotic looking from any of my black shipmates but I did have an accent which I never got rid of because chicks the world over dug it....but I did seemed less angry and in your face until provoked, so I told my accoster that I am black but he responded..yes you are black but not black black! for him black meant a group of people with a particular set of negative characteristics that according to him I did not share, in the reverse many of my black friends would say about a white guy that they liked that ..hey he is cool for a white guy!! the obvious assumption that whites have to earn coolness which really meant becoming more human,for many non whites their feeling is born out of past aggression due to colonization or Slavery and continued repression mainly through institutions, but before you say that any given non white group colonized and enslaved each other there is a difference when your oppressor looked like you for it is far more difficult to unite and get em..meanwhile I suspect many of the racist attitude of some Whites is a feeling that the Non whites can't wait to get back at them for deeds done to them past and present,better to keep them suppressed than allow them parity should they take over and behaved in the same manner as did their ancestors.

Originally posted by masqua


* bolding mine

And there we have it... you just related 'breed' to 'race' with canines. I suppose fruit flies and horse flies are also separate races by that line of reasoning.

Well of course, they are different, are they not? Generally speaking they are both flies (Note I say 'generally speaking'). They are both flies (for the sake of argument) but they are different. So do we call them all fruit flies or horse flies? No, we label them due to their biological differences. Just as we label human races upon biological differences, which you claim is wrong.

reply to post by Spider879


What you described is stereotyping. I agree, stereotyping is a form of racism.

Originally posted by kimish
Well of course, they are different, are they not? Generally speaking they are both flies (Note I say 'generally speaking'). They are both flies (for the sake of argument) but they are different. So do we call them all fruit flies or horse flies? No, we label them due to their biological differences. Just as we label human races upon biological differences, which you claim is wrong.

There are biological differences in people who have evolved in varied climates and different foods. It's also why there are no wild parrots living in the Canadian north. They wouldn't survive the winters.

You label human biological differences as race, but stop short designating any other species in the same way. It's obvious that this is just mental gymnastics based on the egotistical notion that humans are not part of the fauna of this earth. Next will be the notion that we 'came from another planet' and colonized the earth somewhere around 8 million years ago.

Originally posted by masqua

Originally posted by kimish
Well of course, they are different, are they not? Generally speaking they are both flies (Note I say 'generally speaking'). They are both flies (for the sake of argument) but they are different. So do we call them all fruit flies or horse flies? No, we label them due to their biological differences. Just as we label human races upon biological differences, which you claim is wrong.

There are biological differences in people who have evolved in varied climates and different foods. It's also why there are no wild parrots living in the Canadian north. They wouldn't survive the winters.

You label human biological differences as race, but stop short designating any other species in the same way. It's obvious that this is just mental gymnastics based on the egotistical notion that humans are not part of the fauna of this earth. Next will be the notion that we 'came from another planet' and colonized the earth somewhere around 8 million years ago.

It's all semantics. If we were to label each race as a species, well then, that would make us animals, wouldn't it? (even though we are animals). This is why I stated before that humans are 'special'. Politically Correct comes to mind when I think about the whole 'race' issue.

Evolution did bring about different species and breeds of certain animals. Why wouldn't it be true with humans? Oh, it is! We just call our breeds/species 'races' to make it sound more civilized.