Should racism be classified as a mental disorder?

We live in a world of gray. The world is neither black or white, hot or cold, good or bad etc. Its a world of gray. Some people however can not live in a world without absolutes. It may drive them nuts, or their brains simply can not function properly. Whatever the case may be, not being able to rationally and logically come to a conclusion is be definition a disorder. I think this even goes beyond racism. You could apply it to a lot of aspects of life. Maybe we should start studying the brain patterns of so called racists, and study this more.

 

You're not the first person who thought the medicalization of opinions was a good idea. The Soviets pioneered the approach I think.

 

There is nothing wrong with an opinion. How a person gets to that opinion via the use of logic (or lack thereof) should determine rather or not that person has an issue.

 

I'd say that 'racism' is surely not a positive thing.

 

I think 'racism derangement syndrome' should be classified as a mental disorder

 

That is distressingly naive. Some opinions are just inherently wrong: for instance, if a person said "there is nothing wrong with having sex with an 8 year old child" that is not an opinion that the person should have.

 

No opinion is "wrong". There is no such thing as right or wrong for that matter. And in some cultures having sex with boys is ok. Hell, some people in our culture think its ok (Sandusty). If the logic is sound, then for them at least, its ok. For the record, its not ok.

 

Should entire peoples of cultures be considered mentally deranged if they're racist?

Pretty sure Nazis hated minorities, but I don't know if I would say they were mentally deranged.

Some radical muslims hate other people of religious backgrounds, but that's not religious, so I'll regress from that.

However, I do believe that racism is rooted in human evolution based on such distant differences before groups made contacts with one another. The Spaniards and English considered natives 'savages' but I wouldn't go so far to call those empires and their people as mentally deranged. quite the opposite actually.

 

Political correctness would never allow this. Because it would inevitably put a good 75% (I'm being conservative here with that estimate) of the American black population in the "mentally ill" category. And that would only create more racism. Thus perpetuating the cycle.

 

I view it as learned ignorance. Unfortunately it passed on from generation to generation.

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You are wrong, iAWESOME. There is such a thing as right and wrong, especially in a specific cultural context, and if you don't accept that you might as well throw away the entire justice system and live in anarchy. If you think that having sex with children is not OK and you are agreeing with that societal opinion and one supported by the evidence, you have a DUTY to oppose the opinions of those who feel it is OK to have sex with kids.

If you can't stand for something, you can't stand for anything.

 

The problem is that behaviors cataloged as mental disorders are aberrant, which is why for instance religiosity has never been classified as such (though I'm sure you'd like to see the circa 2/3 of humanity that's non-nominally religious classified as mentally ill ). Any psychologist that isn't a liberal hack will tell you that the human brain in general has a natural preference for alike-looking people, even and especially as babies.

 

Along with 75% of the white, Hispanic, Asian, and Islamic population in the US.

Racism is not a mental disorder in America, its a way of life.

 

I was initially going to have at this, but I have to agree that the ACTIONS are wrong.

An opinion, as such, may be offensive, insulting, aberrant in your eyes, and disgusting, but having that opinion is NOT wrong. It is, however, very morally wrong to try to control the thoughts of another...

You seem to be suggesting legislation to ban such thinking while I purport that suggesting such legislation is what's wrong and should not be.

If we cannot disagree in thought, in ideas then what are we but clones of one another?

I support free thinking. I am disgusted by some of the thinking, especially the American thinking to legislate and ban and spy and war and arrest and torture and imprison but I support anyone's right to have those ridiculous, moronic, stupid and barbaric ideas. I mean if you want to become an international leper disgusted across the globe, who am I to interfere?

 

Racism should definitely NOT be 'tolerated'. (There is nothing good about it.)

 

Can blacks be racist? I hear it both way.

 

Any human being can perpetrate racist expressions (word/deed); that is indisputable.

The real question is WHY would they would do such a thing?

 

In answer to your question; if the deranged and paranoid posts on this forum are anything to go by, I'd say 'yes'. Those idiots need their heads read.

 

So you are saying your not a racist if they have a justifiable reason to hate a group? If they can come up with a reason that allows them to justify to themselves then its ok.

 

You are assuming that the vast majority of people arrive at their opinions through some variation of the scientific method. Obviously that's not the case. So you seem to be of the mind that if someone has arrived at their opinion "incorrectly," then they are mentally ill.

You really need to think through the implications of this. How do you think that could be applied now in our society. Are there any particular group of people that you may think arrived at their opinions illogically?

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Then racists are mentally ill?

 

I suppose some racists are mentally ill; that is, I think racism is a SYMPTOM of some neurosis. But not being a mental health expert, I won't guess at what that mental condition might actually be.

 

So Herr Doktor, hospitalization vill be necessary, ja?

 

I'm not the BEST writer participating in this forum, but don't you think I would have said that, if I meant that?

(I meant what I said, no more and no less.)

Actually, when it comes to solving the problems of racism, knowing how/why people are screwed-up... goes as long way toward helping to mitigate the related issues.

And that is why I placed the 'emphasis' upon "WHY", as I did. The reasons for the person's 'mindset' is part of the solution to the puzzle... not an excuse for their racist thinking/behavior.

 

No. In most cases it is merely a change of 'heart' (not the one that pumps blood).

 

No. There aren't actually that many genuine mental disorders, and racism is most certainly not one of them. Don't let a minority of wackos define 'normal' thinking for you. As humans, we have many quirks that may be described as failings. We aren't all the same, nor should there be any expectation that we be so!