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Can Racists be Good People?

Are racists good people?


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On the heels of reading how it's just totally ok and no big deal to accuse people of racism because, hey, it doesn't mean you're a bad person if you are, I'm wondering if most people agree. Are racists good people?

Need a minute to get the poll up.
 
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My step grandfather is unbelievably racist, I once dated an Asian girl and he told me not to "mix with those people" because "they're not like us".

So I ended up marrying Japanese.

And you wouldn't want to hear what he has to say about blacks.

He's still a good guy, was a volunteer fire fighter etc.

Just one aspect of him.
 
Depends. Simply being a racist does not automatically make you a bad person. The problem you'll run into is that severe racism can often manifest itself in bad ways. Take the KKK for example. Or the Nazis.
 
On the heals of reading how it's just totally ok and no big deal to accuse people of racism because, hey, it doesn't mean you're a bad person if you are, I'm wondering if most people agree. Are racists good people?

Need a minute to get the poll up.

ever see the movie THE WILD GEESE. mercenaries sent to rescue the proper president of an african country

one of the mercenaries was a Boer who constantly insulted blacks including the president his mercenary unit freed. IN the end, the racist south African died protecting the black president from attackers. I guess actions spoke louder than words
 
ever see the movie THE WILD GEESE. mercenaries sent to rescue the proper president of an african country

one of the mercenaries was a Boer who constantly insulted blacks including the president his mercenary unit freed. IN the end, the racist south African died protecting the black president from attackers. I guess actions spoke louder than words

Actions speak louder but they don't make words go away.
Especially in fiction.
 
I would have to go with some are. To use an analogy, many otherwise "good people" will kill any snake that they encounter and see absolutely no reason not to. When asked why they will usually say "why not?", it could be poisonous/dangerous, snakes are creepy/icky/slimy or some biblical nonsense connection to satan. You could try to educate them, rationally explain the error in their thinking or tell them to seek professional help but you are unlikely to change many minds. ;)
 
Actions speak louder but they don't make words go away.
Especially in fiction.

I tend to worry more on how people act than what they say.

if some drunk says "I am going to kill you" and he is obviously unarmed and drunk, I don't worry much

if he says nothing and starts to pull a weapon, I will shoot him if I can

plenty of people claim they are not racist but treat other races poorly. and I know people who bad mouth blacks, jews, Asians etc but treat everyone well.
 
I don't think racism is ever a good aspect of a person. But I believe a person can easily be a good person overall despite that particular aspect. I've certainly known people who are racist as any, but are overall probably good people.
 
A bigot can be a decent person in other ways, but they are bad in a significant way. Bigotry allows people to accept the unacceptable when it happens to the people that they are prejudiced against. Bigotry is a leading cause of humanity's worst behavior, such as warmongering, genocide, colonizing, enslavement, oppression and exploitation. Greed, envy and exagerated or irrational fear are the other significant causes.
 
If you believe there are Inherent Genetic group differences that inevitably (or more precisely, 'on average') lead to different cultural/achievement outcomes, you COULD be called a racist. 'Color' me in that column.
Racism| Define Racism at Dictionary.com

More narrowly, if you hate/discriminate against other groups, I think the term has more bite.
 
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My step grandfather is unbelievably racist, I once dated an Asian girl and he told me not to "mix with those people" because "they're not like us".

So I ended up marrying Japanese.

And you wouldn't want to hear what he has to say about blacks.

He's still a good guy, was a volunteer fire fighter etc.

Just one aspect of him.

Do you think accusations of racism should be made lightly? I'm sincerely asking for your opinion on that (not at all suggesting it's something you do). And the reason I ask is that it's occurring to me that, for some, it may be no big deal to say that about someone because to them, it's not the same as saying they're a bad person. By the same token, it's difficult to not take extreme exception at being accused of it.
 
If you're not the target of their racism, yes.
 
Uh, no.

Racists and good in the same sentence? Doesn't work for me.
 
There are no 'bad' people...just messed up people. Racism is more about ignorance (and sometimes mental imbalance) then anything else.

On the flip side...people that seem good can be REALLY messed up.

Society tries to categorize people FAR too much, imo.

Love everyone, trust no one.
 
Uh, no.

Racists and good in the same sentence? Doesn't work for me.

I think that's reasonable. It would be like somebody telling me, "he fights dogs for a hobby but he's a good guy." For me, that act alone would define that person entirely for me.
 
In hindsight, kind of.....eh, sort of.

It's hard to admit, no doubt, at least for me.

Gandhi was a racist and we can all agree he was a force for good in the world.

Love everyone, trust no one.

Trust issues are a sign of weakness or childhood issues you need to work out.
 
My next door neighbor in the Bay Area was an ethnic Chinese from the mainland...

I heard her say a really inappropriate statement about a Filipino neighbor.

She caught the look on my face and explain... "Oh, I am racist. I know it. We Chinese are some of the worst about racism" She went on a tear about Koreans, Japanese, Filipinos, etc.

She even went on to describe the terms she used for folks from different provinces in China.

And yet she was Professional in the medical field, a member of the PTA, her children straight A students and well adjusted. And, being in the Bay Area she had to interact with all races. It appears she did not let her personal likes and dislikes get in the way...
 
Many of us have had grandparents etc that we know are good people but may have done or said racist things. I think racism has been vilified into the modern day "heretic" when it stems out of ignorance. And I know plenty of non-white racists as well, most are actually good people.
 
My next door neighbor in the Bay Area was an ethnic Chinese from the mainland...

I heard her say a really inappropriate statement about a Filipino neighbor.

She caught the look on my face and explain... "Oh, I am racist. I know it. We Chinese are some of the worst about racism" She went on a tear about Koreans, Japanese, Filipinos, etc.

She even went on to describe the terms she used for folks from different provinces in China.

And yet she was Professional in the medical field, a member of the PTA, her children straight A students and well adjusted. And, being in the Bay Area she had to interact with all races. It appears she did not let her personal likes and dislikes get in the way...

Most of the world is racist, its the human condition. Its only in a few places on earth that we get hung up on it.
 
Do you think accusations of racism should be made lightly? I'm sincerely asking for your opinion on that (not at all suggesting it's something you do). And the reason I ask is that it's occurring to me that, for some, it may be no big deal to say that about someone because to them, it's not the same as saying they're a bad person. By the same token, it's difficult to not take extreme exception at being accused of it.

Racists and other bigots don't believe or see their bigotry because they think it is based on sound information That "information" is likely a combination of the views of their family and community and their personal experiences, rather than statistics and research results.

Not actively discriminating against others is not enough if you passively accept discrimination in your community. It isn't enough to not own slaves. If you buy your cotton from the merchant with slaves because it is cheaper, you are supporting slavery.

If you find that you are often accused of bigotry you should look deeply within to see why, because it does not happen to most people very often.
 
Racists and other bigots don't believe or see their bigotry because they think it is based on sound information That "information" is likely a combination of the views of their family and community and their personal experiences, rather than statistics and research results.

Not actively discriminating against others is not enough if you passively accept discrimination in your community. It isn't enough to not own slaves. If you buy your cotton from the merchant with slaves because it is cheaper, you are supporting slavery.

If you find that you are often accused of bigotry you should look deeply within to see why, because it does not happen to most people very often.

In RL, if I've ever been accused of it, I don't remember it. Here, I'm told I'm guilty of "unintentional" racism just by virtue of being white in the US or that I'm not racist but I support racism by denying how racist I am.
 
In RL, if I've ever been accused of it, I don't remember it. Here, I'm told I'm guilty of "unintentional" racism just by virtue of being white in the US or that I'm not racist but I support racism by denying how racist I am.

Sounds like the salem which trials, if you drown you are not a which!
 
the answer of course is "some are"

but of course it really depends on the form of racism IMO. How extreme is it?
a KKK member? no
somebody that just "thinks" some racist things "could" still be a good person.

thoughts/feelings are different from actions
 
Racists and other bigots don't believe or see their bigotry because they think it is based on sound information That "information" is likely a combination of the views of their family and community and their personal experiences, rather than statistics and research results.
....
All my opinions on Race (and most else) are based on Statistics/Science, not Anecdote as your blanket nonsense.
My 'political lean' on almost everything, be it Right and/or Left (I get 'likes' about equally), is Science /math, as are many of my posts and group Team Science.

For instance, If I claim the demonstrable statistical Truth that East Africans are better distance runners/marathoners because of their Inherent physical traits, you would apparently claim that's "Racism" based on your knee-jerk everyone-is-the-same PC.

Laughably, most on the left are 'Liberal Creationists' who, like YEC Creationists, want to deny Evolution upon/after the appearance of H sapiens 100,000 years ago despite widely different sets of geographical demands and Obvious physical differences. (Which they goofily say are only melanin).

In fact, even most things that are mean-spirited 'racism' are based on Demonstrable statistics, if occasionally abused ones.
Since there ARE group traits, there ARE stats to back them.
So, Contrary to your claim, it's PCers who try and Rationalize those "statistics" away as, ie, "socioeconomic", "my neighbors is..", etc.
But stats (such as Athleticism, IQ, profession, Life/country/national outcome, etc) back differences between 'races'.
 
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