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Redefining Racism and Sexism

Apex

Somewhere Around Nothing
What are everyone's thoughts on the redefining of the terms "racism" and "sexism" by the social justice movement? If you are unfamiliar with this, the movement defines racism and sexism as one way streets. That it is only possible for oppressors (white straight men) to be racist and sexist against the oppressed (everyone else). A perfect example of this is shown in this youtube clip of a woman from London's Goldsmiths University. Note: she was recently charged with threatening communication by tweeting #killallwhitemen.



So, what are your thoughts on defining racism and sexism as being a one way street?
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
I prefer more objective, fair, & useful definitions.
It's certainly irony meter melting insanity that the most sexist & racist
people I see are those SJWs who claim to be fighting sexism & racism.
Add to this their dishonesty, paranoia, histrionics, violence, myopia &
poor grammar, & we see a perfect storm of annoying.
 

Laika

Well-Known Member
Premium Member
She is technically right. Sexism and Racism describe systematic discrimination based on long-standing structural inequalities. The terms originated from times when these inequalities were put into the force of law, representing collective group legal and moral norms, rather than individual behaviour. It's got more complicated since equal rights have largely been achieved and the inequalities are no longer formal but are "hidden" behind a mask of professed equal oppurtunities and equality before the law, even when they have unequal results. So it's the distinction has blurred quite a bit.

Many people on the right have tried to turn it on it's head by accusing the "politically correct" mob of reverse racism or reverse sexism. However, racism and sexism are terms which are used to assert group rights, of women and ethnic minorites against other groups that have social dominance, rather than individuals. This is why it is so hard to reconcile the group rights asserted in demanding politically correct behaviour and equal social treatment, with the individual rights of free speech and expression. Political correctness goes beyond simple legal equality and therefore challanges cultural norms in a way that sits uneasily with the liberal concept of individual rights and on free expression because it is trying to change a whole culture rather than individual behaviour.

Therefore, she isn't a sexist or a racist, but you can legitmately call her "prejudiced" against White Striaght Men.
 

freethinker44

Well-Known Member
I prefer more objective, fair, & useful definitions.
It's certainly irony meter melting insanity that the most sexist & racist
people I see are those SJWs who claim to be fighting sexism & racism.
Like this?

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/shirtstorm

It's by far one of my favorite things that happened in 2014.
SJWs complain women are judged by what they wear instead of what they achieve.
Man lands a probe on a comet 6.4 billion km away, accomplishing one of mankind's greatest achievements... ever.
SJWs lose their minds over what he's wearing.
I love it.
 

Sunstone

De Diablo Del Fora
Premium Member
The words racism and sexism have more than one meaning. As it happens, some folks can emotionally deal with that fact better than some other folks. That is, some folks insist only their own preferred meaning for the terms are correct, proper, right, fair, sacred, or whatever. They must be lots of fun at parties, those folks.

Racism and sexism in the sense of a prejudice or bias against someone or some group on the basis of race or sex are certainly the most popular usages. But racism or sexism in the sense of a systemic or structural bias against people of a particular group is also a legitimate usage, and one that points out some objective truths the other usage does not.
 
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Reactions: gsa

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
She is technically right.
Um, this has been address elsewhere on this forum, but no. Discrimination is discrimination, and bigotry is bigotry, period. Being either "privileged" or disadvantaged" does not magically change this.

People don't like it simply because they believe that acknowledging that others outside their "peer group" being victimized will somehow trivialize their own victimization. But in reality it's pure hypocrisy.

It's quite wacky, and does far more to hinder than does it to help the fight for rights and equality.
 
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Father Heathen

Veteran Member
The word racism has more than one meaning. As it happens, some folks can emotionally deal with that fact better than some other folks. That is, some folks insist only their own preferred meaning for the term is correct, proper, right, sacred, or whatever. They must be lots of fun at parties.

Preferring original dictionary definitions over arbitrarily ***-pulled definitions makes me such a sourpuss.
 

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
Like this?

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/shirtstorm

It's by far one of my favorite things that happened in 2014.
SJWs complain women are judged by what they wear instead of what they achieve.
Man lands a probe on a comet 6.4 billion km away, accomplishing one of mankind's greatest achievements... ever.
SJWs lose their minds over what he's wearing.
I love it.

I remember that. It was quite a tear-jerker right here on RF, too.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Like this?
http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/shirtstorm
It's by far one of my favorite things that happened in 2014.
SJWs complain women are judged by what they wear instead of what they achieve.
Man lands a probe on a comet 6.4 billion km away, accomplishing one of mankind's greatest achievements... ever.
SJWs lose their minds over what he's wearing.
I love it.
Well, their outrage wasn't about fashion, but rather the statement his shirt made (to them).
Still, their reaction was over the top & mean.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Preferring original dictionary definitions over arbitrarily ***-pulled definitions makes me such a sourpuss.
I prefer current definitions when the originals fall out of common usage.
But I suspect we don't disagree, & I might be inadvertently quibbling.
 

gsa

Well-Known Member
The words racism and sexism have more than one meaning. As it happens, some folks can emotionally deal with that fact better than some other folks. That is, some folks insist only their own preferred meaning for the terms are correct, proper, right, fair, sacred, or whatever. They must be lots of fun at parties, those folks.

Racism and sexism in the sense of a prejudice or bias against someone or some group on the basis of race or sex are certainly the most popular usages. But racism or sexism in the sense of a systemic or structural bias against people of a particular group is also a legitimate usage, and one that points out some objective truths the other usage does not.

Yes.

Unfortunately, college campuses can easily be turned into echo chambers when your overriding concern is coddling students and preventing them from expressing (or hearing) points of view that they will encounter on a regular basis outside the hallowed halls of academia. In fact if they are paying attention they'll realize that they're encountering it in their own courses.

What really discredits the fringe of these movements is not the belief in structural inequality, but their own boorish use of those definitions as both shield and sword to shut down discussions. It is done in bad faith and is no different from equally Orwellian conservative talking points about, say, "religious liberty."
 

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
I seriously doubt you would say what you just said if you knew how dictionaries are compiled.

Perhaps I should've just said that I prefer definitions that are consistent. Why would anyone find it necessary or useful to redefine the term in such a way that only serves to dismiss a potential portion of victims for completely arbitrary reasons? How would an innocent white kid who got bullied and beaten by a group of black kids somehow be less of a victim than a black kid who got bullied and beaten by a group of white kids? If someone redefined "rape" to mean only forcible sexual assault by strangers, would you suggest that we respect both the original and the "new meaning"?
 

Father Heathen

Veteran Member
Well, their outrage wasn't about fashion, but rather the statement his shirt made (to them).
Still, their reaction was over the top & mean.

Granted, the shirt was in bad taste, but the reaction was disproportionate indeed. In fact, they still demanded his head even after he tearfully apologized.
 

Revoltingest

Pragmatic Libertarian
Premium Member
Granted, the shirt was in bad taste, but the reaction was disproportionate indeed. In fact, they still demanded his head even after he tearfully apologized.
There is no slack to be cut for anyone who offends the SJWs.
It's the nuclear option. Would this be a "macro-aggression"?
 

SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
I personally think it's entirely hypocritical. I mean have you met Indians? Many of them are nice polite people, but boy can they be racist. But what? It doesn't count if the victims are white? What kind of racist **** is that?
 

SomeRandom

Still learning to be wise
Staff member
Premium Member
Like this?

http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/shirtstorm

It's by far one of my favorite things that happened in 2014.
SJWs complain women are judged by what they wear instead of what they achieve.
Man lands a probe on a comet 6.4 billion km away, accomplishing one of mankind's greatest achievements... ever.
SJWs lose their minds over what he's wearing.
I love it.

OMG! Shirtgate!!! Proof that the internet is even more inane than I thought.
Talk about a huge let down. The article bashing this poor guy made the shirt sound like Hitler. I was expecting like naked bloodied women in chains being torn to shreds and on fire. Instead I get just another Sci Fi shirt with heroines on it. Boring.

But real talk, that whole debacle was an embarrassment to mankind.
 
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