What is it? I have been on political boards for years, yet it seems I somehow still cant define it. Please help.
The dictionary is always useful. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/racism?s=t Racism noun 1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others. 2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination. 3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
Racism as applied means anything connected to race. It's a lame guilt by association term, conflating racial abuse with racial pride and defence. Even applying standard ancestral taxonomy to humans is "racist" apparently.
I posted this becaue in another thread one side was saying obviously racist things, the other side would say something to refute those things, then the other side would call the other racist. Seems silly. One thing I have noted is one side of the poltical specturm seems to think nothgin they say is racist, if they dont say the entire race is inferior. So if they note even one black that is not something, they can say anything they want about the rest of them.
No. You could not be racist in any sense and still see that the word covers too many bases, from scientific opinion to murder, to be meaningful.
You will find many racists will attempt to justify their racism under the guise of proclaiming that racism does not exist, even to the extent of denying what racism actually means; 1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others. You already have one doing just that on this thread.
Well there's the problem! To most Left of Center posters anything that does not adhere to Politically Correct leftwing propaganda bullet points doctrine regarding the issues of race and racism is automatically racist in nature no matter what. That's why back in 2008 the radical Left not only got away with intimating that the Clintons were racist during their primaries contest against Barack Obama but on posting forums across the United States fanatical Obama supporters called adamant Hillary Clinton supporters racists and . . . were NOT slapped down for that by forums systems moderators. Ironically, the radical Left's turning on both the Clintons and the THINKING half of the Dem Party's pool of voters rather broke the backbone of Political Correctness in the respect that Right of Center posters could SEE how bogus the entire Politically Correct sacred-cow racial doctrine of the Left really was in its political and ideological nature. When otherwise good Dem Party voters temporarily became racists according to Political Correctness doctrine simply because they strongly and adamantly preferred an experienced Hillary to an Obama with zero meaningful national level experience and a very dodgy background, then the Right knew that they could safely begin systematically chipping away at the former impenetrable wall of leftist doctrine. PS: I'm rather proud of this as my eleven thousandth post. There are probably an infinity of better ways in which to utterly waste time but this one is quite entertaining . . .
A dodgy background? Doing what, getting a good education? Getting involved in community organizing? Teaching Constitutional Law? Raising a family? What exactly is so dodgy about Obama's background? I want an answer from you on that. I didn't witness any accusations by Obama supporters against Hillary supporters of racism simply for being Pro-Clinton. Can you list some examples?
That's weird. I could have sworn that I had the Ignore feature engaged. Let's see now, how does one work this? Go to the poster's View Profile page and then select 'add to ignore list'. Seems straightforward enough. So why didn't it properly engage months ago when I first initialized it? Oh well, the second time around is the charm I suppose. Click! There done. hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, now don't that dial tone sound nice? . . .
Of course racism exists. It's saying or doing anything connected or supposedly connected to race, spurious definitions aside. Which isn't always wrong. So who cares if one is "racist".
Post #2 has a good definition, but like many things on the forums some will make semantic pretzels. Like its not really racist if I first say "I'm not racist... but..." which is often followed by a racist remark. Something that I have learned is that the biased often do not consider their bias as bias... they see their view as firmly based in an objective logic. We all have bias that we are blind to... and some of us have bias that we are fully aware of. For example I have a bias towards Christians... but it is something that I am working on as its wrong and my bias says more about me than anything else... and what it says is not good.
There's no point making a definition which is at odds with how the word is actually used in reality. People are routinely called racist for opposing one way massive immigration, positing genetic behavioral differences between races (which is almost certainly correct), and even applying basic ancestral taxonomy to humans (which is irrefutable).
And who gets to define this actuality and reality? You? Me? Someone else? Is it not subjective? If not then why? Indeed they do... so what... let them. Do you allow others to define your reality? Do you believe that you can control how others define racism? Just because a definition is not universally accepted does not mean that we should just throw out the definition. If we did we would have to throw out all words and communicate by grunts and clicks.
This is exactly my point. The word is used with any number of definitions and essentially boils down to "anything connected to race". Since there is no coherent defintion it's meaningless. The very construction of the word "rac-ism" ensures this sense, and its vague scattershot guilt by association nature is what is used to shut down reasonable discussion of race. We should indeed throw out your definition, for exactly the reasons you describe. Why not be more precise. Speak of 'racial intolerance' or 'racial abuse', or 'racial classification'. Screaming 'racism' at everything is dishonest rhetoric. Check out similar effects with 'Fascism'. http://orwell.ru/library/articles/As_I_Please/english/efasc
How exactly do you get 7 billion people to agree upon a definition? Do you not understand that your rejection of my definition has no effect upon my definition or how I use it?
It's fine if you define it. I'm just stating the fact that the word as used, unlike most words, has wildly differing apparent definitions and without definition (which I recommended above in the use of qualifiers) is pretty much name calling.
>>>MOD EDIT: INSULT<<< You will find many racists will attempt to justify their racism under the guise of proclaiming that racism does not exist, even to the extent of denying what racism actually means; 1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others. You already have one doing just that on this thread.
I have specifically stated racism exists in this thread so you are simply slandering me. Also can 'atomism' mean the belief that atomic weapons should be used and applied in practice to anyone who talks about atoms? Sounds like an ad hoc rhetorical definition. Further, does your definition apply to me? Show that it does.
Really, so you don't deny that racism means "1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others."?