Is everyone racist?

[nnmartin]

My theory is that everyone is racist, just that some people manage to mask it better than others.

This has become clear to me since living abroad for a number of years as well as general observations made whilst living in my own country.

In the region that I'm living now most countries have their own pejorative term for 'white person' and use it with casual abandon - just their normal way of speaking. We could not possibly use this kind of language in the West without causing offence or getting fired from work.

So, if , when leaving our countries, we have to put up with this daily discrimination why is there such a fuss back home about being politically correct on all occasions regarding nationality, skin colour and origin?

If you ran a store would you think it acceptable to charge people different amounts depending on their racial background?

If we are subjected to this kind of discrimination abroad why do we have to pander to the immigrant hordes invading our own shores?

note: in order to avoid the usual responses, I state that I am not talking people born and bred in the West from past immigration. That is different.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

Not sure about you, not judging you if you are racist either, but I'm certainly not racist, I think every race, species, gender, should get a right to live on this earth in the way they want to.

 

[nnmartin]

in theory that would be good, but doesn't seem to work that way in real life though.

 

[Rakhel]

[youtube]aHKIMOgoJoU[/youtube]
Everyone's A Little Bit Racist - Avenue Q - Original Broadway Cast - YouTube

 

[Madhuri]

I don't think I'm racist.

 

[The Sum of Awe]

in theory that would be good, but doesn't seem to work that way in real life though.

The theory isn't set to practice yet, it's pretty much anarcho-libertarianism

 

[cablescavenger]

My theory is that everyone is racist, just that some people manage to mask it better than others.

This has become clear to me since living abroad for a number of years as well as general observations made whilst living in my own country.

In the region that I'm living now most countries have their own pejorative term for 'white person' and use it with casual abandon - just their normal way of speaking. We could not possibly use this kind of language in the West without causing offence or getting fired from work.

So, if , when leaving our countries, we have to put up with this daily discrimination why is there such a fuss back home about being politically correct on all occasions regarding nationality, skin colour and origin?

If you ran a store would you think it acceptable to charge people different amounts depending on their racial background?

If we are subjected to this kind of discrimination abroad why do we have to pander to the immigrant hordes invading our own shores?

note: in order to avoid the usual responses, I state that I am not talking people born and bred in the West from past immigration. That is different.

Where are you from and where have you gone to work?

 

[JacobEzra.]

If we are subjected to this kind of discrimination abroad why do we have to pander to the immigrant hordes invading our own shores?

note: in order to avoid the usual responses, I state that I am not talking people born and bred in the West from past immigration. That is different.

Why should we stoop to a lower level? Maybe racism comes from ignorance, and unless your ignorant then you shouldn't be a racist.

Its bad enough that there are still backwards racist here, why make it okay?

 

[cablescavenger]

Racism is a word often used by people with an agenda to curry favour, gain an advantage, avoid a punishment, or to victimise, or create prejudice against someone who does not deserve the tag of a racist.

The word itself has become what it was intended to describe.

 

[Kathryn]

I don't think my family is racist.

 

[nnmartin]

Why should we stoop to a lower level? Maybe racism comes from ignorance, and unless your ignorant then you shouldn't be a racist.

I am not sure that ignorance is the correct word here - I think this so-called racism label is actually a natural state of mind.

Look in the animal kingdom , red ants and black ants - if one of the wrong colour goes near the wrong nest it is done for!

Imagine a human going to another country in the past with different skin colour - the local tribespeople would have them for dinner due to their difference in appearance.

Ok, today we have moved on somewhat and we are not animals but the basic instinct is still there.

Obviously avoiding hatred and unfair discrimination is the right way forward but it seems that being anti-racist in any form is not actually natural.

How about we charge 'foreigners' 3 times the value of any advertised prices?

Would that be fair? - it happens abroad a lot.

 

[Watchmen]

You claim everyone is "racist" without defining the term. Give it a shot.

 

[nnmartin]

some kind of prejudice or discrimination against a racial group or nationality would count as racist in today's terminology.


This would probably be close to the mark though: (from dictionary.com)

1.the belief that races have distinctive cultural characteristics determined by hereditary factors and that this endows some races with an intrinsic superiority over others

2. abusive or aggressive behaviour towards members of another race on the basis of such a belief.

 

[Madhuri]

Nnmartin, I think a lot of people are racist but I don't think everyone is. I am definitely not aware of any racist feelings in myself.

 

[Qymaen]

I'm of the opinion that everyone is racist. However there are varying degrees of racism, ranging from casual racism (like calling a person white, black, or asian) to extreme genocidal racism (like trying to commit genocide against the Jews, Palestinians, Native Americans).

 

[YmirGF]

Nnmartin, I think a lot of people are racist but I don't think everyone is. I am definitely not aware of any racist feelings in myself.

I agree. I do not tend to pay too close attention to the colour of people's skin or to their ethnic heritage. I'm far more interested in the people themselves.

Racism is a word often used by people with an agenda to curry favour, gain an advantage, avoid a punishment, or to victimize, or create prejudice against someone who does not deserve the tag of a racist.

The word itself has become what it was intended to describe.

I agree with this too. Racism is a charge often made by those who feel a need to buttress their sense of moral superiority.

 

[nnmartin]

ok, how about where I live now.

As a foreigner I have to pay 50-100% more on an apartment rental per month because I am a white. This is for the exact same apartment that a local would live in.

Isn't that racism?

Also if I need to use the public hospital here I have to pay 3 times the rate as a local. (no free health care for anyone) - isn't that racist too?

Now, yes , it is a very poor country - but apartment landlords are often rich here and the hospital system is generally awash with aid money so poverty is not an excuse.

This situation applies to other countries I have been to as well.

Would I be right on returning to my own country and putting a sign in my shop window saying 'foreigners pay more for all products because they are foreign'?

If I did that I would have the PC brigade onto me like a shot and would no doubt be fined and made to remove the sign. Call that democracy?

 

[Mcshane22]

First define race there are 5 distinct deffinitions, where as Mendalian population would be a term better used to distinguish phenotype diferences. Then lets discuss nnmartins theory, by asking if it is in our nature what purpose would it serve.
If we have an innate sense of xenophobia how does it help in the survival of the species. When looking in the civilized world we can say that these xenophobic tendencies have no place in civilized society; however when we look at tribal cultures such as found in Papua New Guinea we can see that something innate is at work. On this small exotic island there are over 850 different languages between all the tribes and clans. Each of these tribes some of which never have had contact with white people maintain there survival and isolation from others by oral tradition of stories. This oral tradition such as stories of monsters beyond the tree line, plays to deposition of thier xenophobia and keeps their children from venturing outside the confines of their territory. This idea couldn't have been more represented then in the movie "The Village" where the children were told of monsters beyond thiere established territory, this established the survival of the village
from outside influence. Ghost stories are told to keep children in line religion is used to keep the adults in line.

 

[Madhuri]

ok, how about where I live now.

As a foreigner I have to pay 50-100% more on an apartment rental per month because I am a white. This is for the exact same apartment that a local would live in.

Isn't that racism?

Also if I need to use the public hospital here I have to pay 3 times the rate as a local. (no free health care for anyone) - isn't that racist too?

What the???
What country is that?

Still, this doesn't mean that people are inherently racist and cannot escape the mindset.

 

[Mcshane22]

Madhuri I do believe that xenophobia is inherent in us in as a primal form of survival; however the same ability that we have to override other primal urges that do not work in the society of civilization such as cultural taboos ,we too can overcome xenophobia