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Is everyone a little bit racist?

Is everyone a little bit racist?

  • Total voters
    53
I don't think every one is. The military does wonders to kill racist ideas. It's hard to be racist when you live closely with those of other races.
 
Redress said:
I don't think every one is. The military does wonders to kill racist ideas. It's hard to be racist when you live closely with those of other races.
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Actually I saw the reverse. I saw happy go lucky people come in the army and leave full blown racists. I know why some of it happens, but far to much is just typical army bull****.
 
Dav said:
So I was listening to the Avenue Q song that gave this thread its name and wondered what DP would think... is everyone racist, if just a little bit?

Sorry, I suck at opening posts, so just vote and explain.
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Everybody hates somebody. Ain't no gittin' around it.
 
Redress said:
I don't think every one is. The military does wonders to kill racist ideas. It's hard to be racist when you live closely with those of other races.
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The Army taught me to look past a person's race before I hate their guts. I learned that there are more, better reasons to hate someone.
 
You either have a little bit of racism in ya, even if you do not express it
or you are a liar :lol:

I think many people who do not act racist, or talk racist, will have a racist thought that they frown upon without expressing, even if it is a joke or a stereotype
 
apdst said:
The Army taught me to look past a person's race before I hate their guts. I learned that there are more, better reasons to hate someone.
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best post you ever made here, better go back and thank you:2wave:
 
I think the real issue is cultural bigotry.

Nobody hates anybody because their skin is a different color. That's just stupid to hate because of skin color. Nobody hates anybody just because of their race.

People are bigoted to those of a different culture than their culture. It doesn't matter what color or race they are. It's not necessarily bad opinions of other cultures, but stereotyping.

I think it's wonderful that there are different races and different cultures. It makes life a whole lot more interesting. But I wouldn't feel that way if I saw everybody as exactly like me. There would be nothing to admire about other cultures if I didn't see any differences.
 
Color-blind isn't possible and if that's your standard for non-racist, it's an unattainable standard. I remember a commercial from years and years back where a grandfather and grandson are talking about the grandson's friends and the grandson mentions someone is his "Jewish friend", as though that's a horrible thing to say. No, it simply differentiates that friend from other friends who are not Jewish. One can recognize people are of different skin colors, I have friends that are black, white, asian, hispanic, you name it. It isn't in pretending that everyone is colorless, it's in treating all of them exactly the same without any regard for their skin color.

To suggest that people have to pretend nobody is any different is ludicrous.
 
I think too many people are confusing the use of a stereotype with racism.

Racism means you think your race is better than another, or that a race is inherently weaker or 'less than' another race in some way.

Recognizing or even falling prey to stereotyping is not racism in and of itself.

Black guys are supposed to have bigger dicks than white guys. That's not racism. That's a stereotype.

Asian people are supposed to be good at martial arts. They're also supposed to be really smart. That's not racism. That's a stereotype.

Obviously there are both negative and positive stereotypes. But neither are racist in and of themselves.

So again, while many people - if not most - fall victim to using stereotypes, that in no way indicates racism or even bigotry. Racism is learned, it is not inherent and because of that it is not something that is present in every person. I completely and wholeheartedly disagree that "everyone is racist".
 
rivrrat said:
I think too many people are confusing the use of a stereotype with racism.

Racism means you think your race is better than another, or that a race is inherently weaker or 'less than' another race in some way.

Recognizing or even falling prey to stereotyping is not racism in and of itself.

Black guys are supposed to have bigger dicks than white guys. That's not racism. That's a stereotype.

Asian people are supposed to be good at martial arts. They're also supposed to be really smart. That's not racism. That's a stereotype.

Obviously there are both negative and positive stereotypes. But neither are racist in and of themselves.

So again, while many people - if not most - fall victim to using stereotypes, that in no way indicates racism or even bigotry. Racism is learned, it is not inherent and because of that it is not something that is present in every person. I completely and wholeheartedly disagree that "everyone is racist".
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Good post. :applaud
 
rivrrat said:
I think too many people are confusing the use of a stereotype with racism.

Racism means you think your race is better than another, or that a race is inherently weaker or 'less than' another race in some way.

Recognizing or even falling prey to stereotyping is not racism in and of itself.

Black guys are supposed to have bigger dicks than white guys. That's not racism. That's a stereotype.

Asian people are supposed to be good at martial arts. They're also supposed to be really smart. That's not racism. That's a stereotype.

Obviously there are both negative and positive stereotypes. But neither are racist in and of themselves.

So again, while many people - if not most - fall victim to using stereotypes, that in no way indicates racism or even bigotry. Racism is learned, it is not inherent and because of that it is not something that is present in every person. I completely and wholeheartedly disagree that "everyone is racist".
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Pretty much sums up my beliefs, although I'd certainly go the full mile and say that *all* people discriminate/stereotype. That's not to say it's ok just because it's not labeled "racist" -- stereotypes can often be more hurtful than full blown racism.
 
Cephus said:
Color-blind isn't possible and if that's your standard for non-racist, it's an unattainable standard. I remember a commercial from years and years back where a grandfather and grandson are talking about the grandson's friends and the grandson mentions someone is his "Jewish friend", as though that's a horrible thing to say. No, it simply differentiates that friend from other friends who are not Jewish. One can recognize people are of different skin colors, I have friends that are black, white, asian, hispanic, you name it. It isn't in pretending that everyone is colorless, it's in treating all of them exactly the same without any regard for their skin color.

To suggest that people have to pretend nobody is any different is ludicrous.
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It's incredibly annoying when you're having a conversation with someone about someone else and they refuse to share the one identifying characteristic of the third party.

"Oh, you go to school with my friend Ben, do you know him?"
"Name sounds familiar, but I'm not sure"
"He's tall, brown eyes, brown hair"
"Uh...."
"Friendly guy, really nice person, outgoing"
"Not sure..."
"He like sports and reading books"
"It's kind of a big school..."
"...........he's a gay Indian guy"
"Oh ****, yea, Ben!"
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Kill Niggers. Whitey enslaved my grandma 150 years ago. Jfuh is a chink. Tashah is a Kike....and well Jallman....we don't know what Jallman is so we'll just save the noose for later. Everyone is racist to some degree.
 
Taylor said:
Pretty much sums up my beliefs, although I'd certainly go the full mile and say that *all* people discriminate/stereotype. That's not to say it's ok just because it's not labeled "racist" -- stereotypes can often be more hurtful than full blown racism.
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Discriminating and stereotyping are completely different things. I agree that most people fall victim to stereotyping, but I completely disagree that "all" discriminate.

Hatuey said:
Kill Niggers. Whitey enslaved my grandma 150 years ago. Jfuh is a chink. Tashah is a Kike....and well Jallman....we don't know what Jallman is so we'll just save the noose for later. Everyone is racist to some degree.
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Bull****. There are no "degrees" of racism. You either think your race is superior, or you don't. You either think another race is inferior, or you don't. So no, everyone is NOT racist "to some degree". Racism is a learned belief, therefore it is impossible for it to be inherent in everyone.
 
rivrrat said:
Bull****. There are no "degrees" of racism. You either think your race is superior, or you don't. You either think another race is inferior, or you don't. So no, everyone is NOT racist "to some degree". Racism is a learned belief, therefore it is impossible for it to be inherent in everyone.
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Learn the definitions of racism riverrat. :

racism - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary
* Main Entry: rac·ism
* Pronunciation: \ˈrā-ˌsi-zəm also -ˌshi-\
* Function: noun
* Date: 1933

1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2 : racial prejudice or discrimination
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Now here is the definition of prejudice :

prejudice - Definition from the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary

* Main Entry: 1prej·u·dice
* Pronunciation: \ˈpre-jə-dəs\
* Function: noun
* Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin praejudicium previous judgment, damage, from prae- + judicium judgment — more at judicial
* Date: 13th century

1 : injury or damage resulting from some judgment or action of another in disregard of one's rights; especially : detriment to one's legal rights or claims
2 a (1) : preconceived judgment or opinion (2) : an adverse opinion or leaning formed without just grounds or before sufficient knowledge b : an instance of such judgment or opinion c : an irrational attitude of hostility directed against an individual, a group, a race, or their supposed characteristics
synonyms see predilection
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If you define racism as believing your race is superior or another race or races are inferior, then I'd say most people are not racist at all. If you want to talk about prejudice and sterotyping, then yeah we're probably all guilty to some extent. But then again, when does sterotyping stop and just become playing the odds?

Is is racial prejudice to be a little more nervous when driving through a black urban neighborhood? Or is it simply acknowledging the reality that most black neighborhoods in large cities have higher crime rates?

I used to work in home improvement sales and when I had a sales call to a immigrant family from the Middle East, India, or Asia, I always upped my opening price 10 to 15% higher than normal. This wasn't due to some racist policy, but due to my experience that people from those cultures were far more likely to want to haggle and would take it to further lengths than Americans of any color. And just to so everyone knows, the opening price was never the final price and everyone got the same final price.

Sales taught me that sterotyping isn't necessarily a bad thing. Our race, ethnicity, job, and age all play a role in who we are as people. My presentations to construction workers were different than my presentations to lawyers. I didn't use the same pitch on a 80 year old widow that I used on a newlywed couple in their early 20's. And yeah, I had a slightly different style for blacks, whites, Mexicans, and other ethnic groups. There were times I had to adjust based on the individual, but in general I recognized certain patterns based on age, race or ethnicity, and job. Sterotypes exist and persist because there are different tendancies in different groups. Trying to deny this is ridiculous.
 
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rivrrat said:
Yes... and?
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Do you not understand that you're using a ridiculously narrow definition of what racism is? It's like trying to describe an egg by saying 'it's round'. Do I have to spell it out for you or something?
 
Hatuey said:
Do you not understand that you're using a ridiculously narrow definition of what racism is? It's like trying to describe an egg by saying 'it's round'. Do I have to spell it out for you or something?
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I don't see how the definition you posted differed from mine at all.
 
Taylor said:
Then we're certainly defining them differently.
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If I say black men usually have bigger dicks than white men, how am I discriminating against an entire race? I'm not stopping anyone from doing anything. I'm not refusing service to anyone. I'm not implying that one race should be favored over another in any situation whatsoever. So, how am I discriminating?
 
rivrrat said:
If I say black men usually have bigger dicks than white men, how am I discriminating against an entire race? I'm not stopping anyone from doing anything. I'm not refusing service to anyone. I'm not implying that one race should be favored over another in any situation whatsoever. So, how am I discriminating?
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In that sense, discrimination refers to an action whereas a stereotype would refer to a belief.

Would you agree that discrimination is acting based on stereotype?

For example, depending on your attitude toward big dicks, if you know you're going to have sex with 10 men, and you like big dicks, you are going to discriminate against the white guys. If you don't like big dicks, you are going to discriminate against the black guys.

In that sense I still would assume that *everyone* has stereotypes and that *everyone* discriminates.
 
rivrrat said:
I don't see how the definition you posted differed from mine at all.
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Except of course you didn't read what I said or posted. I just stated that everyone is racist to some degree. EVERYONE holds some sort of racial prejudice whether they like it or not. Here is what you said in that rant of a post :

Bull****. There are no "degrees" of racism. You either think your race is superior, or you don't. You either think another race is inferior, or you don't. So no, everyone is NOT racist "to some degree". Racism is a learned belief, therefore it is impossible for it to be inherent in everyone.
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The definition of 'racism' doesn't rely solely on thinking your race is superior to others. It also relies on having prejudiced views on race. Thinking your race is superior because of XYZ is a prejudiced view on race. Thinking that black people all eat watermelon and chicken is a prejudiced view on race regardless of whether you think they are superior to them. Am I getting through to you yet? I know you like to make up your own definition for words and concepts(ie. Squaw) but the world is a little more complex then that. Racism being 'a learned belief' is irrelevant. Everyone holds some sort of racial prejudice. Even 4 year old black kids who don't know the definition of 'race' have prejudiced views on race. Find me a single person on this planet who doesn't and you'll have found yourself the biggest bull****ter in the world.
 
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My dad was a racist. He believed in the Klan Arayan brotherhoods and what not. I was affected by it when I was a kid but as I grew up and began learning for myself I out grew it. My wife is Filipina. If my dad were alive today we would not be aloud in his house.

Racism is a sick disgusting thing but I do believe that we are all affected by it to some degree. Call it what you want sterotyping etc all those things are the seed of racism. Get carried away with your sterotypes, race profiling or what ever and it is just a short trip to full blown rascim.
 
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