Are You a Racist?

[F1fan]

If "RBG" means Ruth Bader Ginsburg, then Clinton nominated her for the Supreme Court, not Reagan.

I meant Sandra Day O'Connor, the first woman.

I need to stop doing hit and run posts.

 

[Stevicus]

I have a slight automatic preference for whites over blacks.

The test is "stupid" in that it was criticised for not being very scientific. One shouldn't take it too serious. The only thing that it's good for is to show that we do have unconscious biases. Being aware of that helps to overcome those biases.

Another thing that strikes me is that it seems to focus on racism as some kind of internal psychological condition, as opposed to a political stance one might take.

I suppose one could draw a distinction between personal racism as opposed to an actual political position advocating specific proposals and policies.

That's where the rubber meets the road. Otherwise, it's only just about "feelings."

 

[Audie]

See the wonderful play "M Butterfly" by David Henry Hwung

Ok

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Ok

I mean it -- it really is good. And you, possibly more than any other member here, will get a lot of it.

Think about Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly. Well, in this, a real Chinese person (we presume a woman) talks about how a Japanese girl falls for an American -- and how the west sees itself in relation to the orient. Here's a wonderful speech from the play:

"Consider it this way: what would you say if a blonde homecoming queen fell in love with a short Japanese businessman? He treats her cruelly, then goes home for three years, during which time she prays to his picture and turns down marriage from a young Kennedy. Then, when she learns he has remarried, she kills herself. Now, I believe you would consider this girl to be a deranged idiot, correct? But because it’s an Oriental who kills herself for a Westerner—ah!—you find it beautiful."

 

[Stevicus]

I know guys like that.
But they're all Asian.
(Must marry someone acceptable.)
But at least they don't say "oriental".

At least up until the 1990s, the word "Oriental" was considered acceptable, and then, suddenly that stopped. Then, "Asian" became the preferred term to use. We could have always used "Occidental" instead of "Westerner."

Of course, I've heard some even more derogatory terms used for just about every race and ethnicity out there. And I'm sure they exist in every language, too.

Sometimes I wonder if the push towards sanitizing the language like that might have had the opposite effect of what was intended.

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

At least up until the 1990s, the word "Oriental" was considered acceptable, and then, suddenly that stopped. Then, "Asian" became the preferred term to use. We could have always used "Occidental" instead of "Westerner."

Of course, I've heard some even more derogatory terms used for just about every race and ethnicity out there. And I'm sure they exist in every language, too.

Sometimes I wonder if the push towards sanitizing the language like that might have had the opposite effect of what was intended.

So, so right! I think of all the protests over the "Oriental" or "Arabic" dances from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. And Disney did a beautiful job of the former in "Fantasia."

Again, look at Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird." The "N" word is used frequently in it, and we have to know that -- and see it and hear it -- to know just how powerful a suppressor of both the rights of some and the conscience of others depended on it.

I absolutely hate our modern tendency to try to suppress words -- even the most offensive ones. We need to confront them, up-front, boldly, see them for what they are, talk about them because otherwise how can we agree just how cruel and repressive they were?

Reading history means reading it as it happened -- not as we would like it to have happened. If we do that, we learn nothing at all.

 

[Audie]

I mean it -- it really is good. And you, possibly more than any other member here, will get a lot of it.

Think about Puccini's opera Madama Butterfly. Well, in this, a real Chinese person (we presume a woman) talks about how a Japanese girl falls for an American -- and how the west sees itself in relation to the orient. Here's a wonderful speech from the play:

"Consider it this way: what would you say if a blonde homecoming queen fell in love with a short Japanese businessman? He treats her cruelly, then goes home for three years, during which time she prays to his picture and turns down marriage from a young Kennedy. Then, when she learns he has remarried, she kills herself. Now, I believe you would consider this girl to be a deranged idiot, correct? But because it’s an Oriental who kills herself for a Westerner—ah!—you find it beautiful."

Maybe i will skip that

And Suzie Wong

 

[Evangelicalhumanist]

Maybe i will skip that

And Suzie Wong

As you wish....

 

[Revoltingest]

Maybe i will skip that

Sounds very skip-worthy.

 

[Stevicus]

So, so right! I think of all the protests over the "Oriental" or "Arabic" dances from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker. And Disney did a beautiful job of the former in "Fantasia."

Again, look at Harper Lee's "To Kill a Mockingbird." The "N" word is used frequently in it, and we have to know that -- and see it and hear it -- to know just how powerful a suppressor of both the rights of some and the conscience of others depended on it.

I absolutely hate our modern tendency to try to suppress words -- even the most offensive ones. We need to confront them, up-front, boldly, see them for what they are, talk about them because otherwise how can we agree just how cruel and repressive they were?

Reading history means reading it as it happened -- not as we would like it to have happened. If we do that, we learn nothing at all.

One thing I'll say about the 1970s is that it was truly a time when people would "let it all hang out," to use the slang of the decade. It was when a lot of these issues (and words) were confronted and openly discussed. It wasn't really until the 80s and 90s that there was this push to sanitize everything.

 

[Heyo]

One thing I'll say about the 1970s is that it was truly a time when people would "let it all hang out," to use the slang of the decade. It was when a lot of these issues (and words) were confronted and openly discussed. It wasn't really until the 80s and 90s that there was this push to sanitize everything.

It has become a tool for gatekeeping by the (mostly white) "woke" crowd, to be able to remember what you are allowed to call moors negroes blacks coloured people people of colour African Americans this week.

 

[Audie]

It has become a tool for gatekeeping by the (mostly white) "woke" crowd, to be able to remember what you are allowed to call moors negroes blacks coloured people people of colour African Americans this week.

Just let someone try to call me a
" woman of colour "

 

[ChristineM]

Honestly, there's many people who fetishize those of certain ethnicities, and it comes from racist stereotypes. I've met multiple women and a man who had a racist sexual fetish for black men (and it's formed its own nasty subculture), and it's totally gross and dehumanizing. It happens with other racial and sexual combinations, too. People are certainly capable of having sex with people they don't view as equals or fully human.

And it still takes tolerance of the other parson to let them into your body, equal or not

 

[Audie]

And it still takes tolerance of the other parson to let them into your body, equal or not

Then theres kind of an extreme opposite

 

[ChristineM]

Then theres kind of an extreme opposite

Is there? Would you? Would I? Would anyone you know?

Would any "normal" woman (or man) allow someone they consider loathsome into their body?

 

[Audie]

Is there? Would you? Would I? Would anyone you know?

Would any "normal" woman (or man) allow someone they consider loathsome into their body?

Allow, no.

 

[Stevicus]

It has become a tool for gatekeeping by the (mostly white) "woke" crowd, to be able to remember what you are allowed to call moors negroes blacks coloured people people of colour African Americans this week.

I think it was largely a creation of upper class (mostly white) folks in Corporate America.

 

[Revoltingest]

Just let someone try to call me a
" woman of colour "

In Hong Kong, you'd be just a woman of color.
It's similar to how you don't eat "Chinese food"...it's just "food" to you.

Every now & then, we'll hear some announcer or other
talking head refer to a someone from another country
as "African American" just cuz they're black. It's the
only acceptable way for many woke folk to say "black"
these days.

Bruno knows about the African Americans in Africa....

 

[Audie]

In Hong Kong, you'd be just a woman of color.
It's similar to how you don't eat "Chinese food"...it's just "food" to you.

Every now & then, we'll hear some announcer or other
talking head refer to a someone from another country
as "African American" just cuz they're black. It's the
only acceptable way to say "black" to many these days.

Bruno knows about the African Americans in Africa....

There is often a kind of awkwardness in
the USA, people ( white ones ) trying to
notice but not notice you're not caucasian
calculate what you might be and what is the
pc way-
Or those who are hostile and have varying
ways of showing it.
Its not so bad just blending in.

 

[JustGeorge]

Every now & then, we'll hear some announcer or other
talking head refer to a someone from another country
as "African American" just cuz they're black. It's the
only acceptable way for many woke folk to say "black"
these days.

I found it interesting to learn that many of the Africans I knew often objected to the term 'African American'.

They felt Black Americans(which is how they called them) were of a much different culture than they, and didn't really like their own nationality brought into it.

Knowing both Africans and Black Americans, I thought they had some valid points. Probably a similar situation I'd face if I went around saying I was German American due to having family members immigrate here from Germany many many generations before I was born(despite the fact I know beans about Germany or its culture). Germans would probably object.