What's Wrong With Racism?

[The Ardent Atheist]

Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm racist. It's not something I choose to be. When I see a black person in public, I do my best to avoid them. Of course it's not fair, but why should I care? My dislike of black people hurts nobody.

 

[Terese]

It's not particularly nice. That's all. The racists people talk about are those who actively hurt, either physically or psychologically, the ethnicity they hate. i won't force you to like something. But i find racism quite shallow.

 

[Nietzsche]

Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm racist. It's not something I choose to be. When I see a black person in public, I do my best to avoid them. Of course it's not fair, but why should I care? My dislike of black people hurts nobody.

You are just the gift that keeps on giving.

 

[The Ardent Atheist]

You are just the gift that keeps on giving.

What's wrong with racism, though? It's human nature.

 

[Terese]

What's wrong with racism, though? It's human nature.

You'd call racism human nature? What for?

 

[Nietzsche]

What's wrong with racism, though? It's human nature.

Mild prejudice is human nature. First impressions based solely on sight are 100% human nature. We had to assume every giant cat with a knife drawer for a face was gonna kill us. But racism is blanket assumptions of entire cultures based solely on your own pitiful ignorance.

 

[Corthos]

What's wrong with racism, though? It's human nature.

It's really, really not...

 

[Skwim]

Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm racist. It's not something I choose to be. When I see a black person in public, I do my best to avoid them. Of course it's not fair, but why should I care? My dislike of black people hurts nobody.

I'm sure they appreciate your efforts to avoid them. I'm a white agnostic. Please put me on your list of people to avoid. Thank you.

 

[Quagmire]

Really man?

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[Quagmire]

What's wrong with racism, though? It's human nature.

You may have just answered your own question.

 

[psychoslice]

At least you are honest, a lot of people don't like other races, but they keep it to themselves which we should, even animals seem to not like other animals other than themselves, birds don't like other species, so why are humans any different ?, but as I said its best to keep it to yourself.

 

[Unveiled Artist]

Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm racist. It's not something I choose to be. When I see a black person in public, I do my best to avoid them. Of course it's not fair, but why should I care? My dislike of black people hurts nobody.

Racism in and of itself doesnt hurt anyone. Its an unhealthy form of prejudice when you take how you about others to a more confrontational level like hurting others, names, stereotypes, etc.

But just avoiding people because of race? In my humble opinion that sounds, well, off. Its like my avoiding everyone who has long hair.

Id be personally questioning myself with all these long haired people around here, how can I healthy talk with them without belittling my long-haired-morals? What about my morals makes it healthy to not associate with a Person rather than judging him or her based on hair length?

But I live around diversity so to be racist here is like going back before the 1950s or so and the civil rights march etc. Racism still exist.

I dont see any healthy forms of it.

 

[The Ardent Atheist]

It's really, really not...

Humans are tribal by nature. We tend to look at those from other tribes with distrust. This is observed all primates.

When I say I'm racist, it doesn't mean I hate black people or that I wish them harm. If I was looking to hire someone, I wouldn't discriminate against black candidates, and if I saw a black person who needed help, I'd help.

But if I see a group of young black guys dressed up like gangstas and I'm alone and it's 10:30 at night, you bet I'll avoid them.

I know what it's like to face racism; I'm half Japanese/half White and I've been called names by people from both races. It does hurt terribly to be hated for race, but I've encountered so much obnoxious arrogance from black people that I've become predispositioned against them.

 

[Sunstone]

Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm racist. It's not something I choose to be. When I see a black person in public, I do my best to avoid them. Of course it's not fair, but why should I care? My dislike of black people hurts nobody.

What's wrong with racism? Well, even though you'll probably be a racist for the rest of your life, and so you'll never actually experience the truth of the point I'm going to make, one person that racism hurts is you. It hurts you because it deprives you of experiences you yourself will probably never be in a position to have, and that, if you were to have them, you would be unable to appreciate them. Because you're a racist, you would most likely dismiss those experiences as ones you didn't want to have anyway. After all, they must sound like trivial things to you: Things like the friends you'll never have because you're racist, the points of view you'll never understand because you're racist, the people who will never love you because you're racist, and so on. But don't worry. You'll never regret what you never knew was possible, or always dismissed as insignificant.

 

[George-ananda]

Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm racist. It's not something I choose to be. When I see a black person in public, I do my best to avoid them. Of course it's not fair, but why should I care? My dislike of black people hurts nobody.

Well you are an atheist (no afterlife concerns) and you don't hurt anybody, so why care?

Me, I dislike no one because of their ethnicity, but I believe that some differences seen between ethnicities involve genetic differences and that is enough to make even me a despised racist in many eyes. I will stand my ground against the thought police.

 

[crossfire]

Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm racist. It's not something I choose to be. When I see a black person in public, I do my best to avoid them. Of course it's not fair, but why should I care? My dislike of black people hurts nobody.

If you want to hold onto irrational biases, that's your business. You are only harming yourself. However, if you try to spread your prejudice to others, then you are spreading the harm you do to yourself to others minds, which can then escalate to actual harm to those who are the target of the prejudice via group egregore/tribalism. Be mindful of what your contribute to the tribal egregore.

 

[Corthos]

Humans are tribal by nature. We tend to look at those from other tribes with distrust. This is observed all primates.

My "tribe" has members that are African American as well as folks of Asian and European descent (I, myself, am a white mutt with a splash of middle eastern among other things). Caution regarding strangers is natural, true, but race has little to do with that. Family is family regardless of race.

But if I see a group of young black guys dressed up like gangstas and I'm alone and it's 10:30 at night, you bet I'll avoid them.

Alright. Let me ask you this... If you saw a group of young white guys dressed that way when you were all alone at 10:30 at night, would you avoid them too? What about Asian guys? Honestly, if people look like they are up to no good, then will you really be avoiding them according to their skin tone?... =/

It does hurt terribly to be hated for race, but I've encountered so much obnoxious arrogance from black people that I've become predispositioned against them.

Hmmm... Just curious, but have you met many people of African descent from other countries (especially from the African continent)? Would you assume they would act the same way? What about African Americans from other states? People who live far out in the country? Maybe folks who come from different cities?

People often forget that this country is a country of many different cultures and sub-cultures. An African American guy who grew up in Detroit, fighting to survive on the streets, is likely going to have a different outlook on life than one who grew up in the relatively uneventful suburbs of Portland.

 

[Deathbydefault]

Thoughts? Opinions?

I'm racist. It's not something I choose to be. When I see a black person in public, I do my best to avoid them. Of course it's not fair, but why should I care? My dislike of black people hurts nobody.

I'm anti-human in general, not sure if that's exactly racist.
It's fine to have a bias, playing to it overly is the issue.

Don't like black people? Whatever, none of my business.
Advocating for the death and torture of black folks? That's where it becomes a social problem.
Voting for a racist who wishes discrimination? That's also a problem.
Telling kids that one skin color is better than another? Yet another problem.

If you just evade, I don't see an issue.
If you're at a family dinner and drop racist slurs in front of naive children, there's a problem.

So how racist are you by what I've said here?

 

[vaguelyhumanoid]

Humans are tribal by nature.

Eurgh, what's that awful stench?

I guess it's just the massive pile of BS emanating from the claim that white people are a tribe. Look at this map:

Spoiler

Germanic tribes in the Migration Period. Do you see one marked "white"? And if you dial back the clock a few centuries, an imperial Roman would consider any Germanic person to be as foreign as an African or Arab, and likely much more savage. Or imagine telling Queen Boudicca that she's the same "race" as the Romans - it might not go well if you value your limbs.

 

[eiskalt]

Racism is pretty pointless. Its like calling a group of people, which can develop and prosper, by a certain trait. But they can lose that said trait or gain a new one as time passes. Like men have always been the hard workers and warriors in all societies. But now any woman can be a warrior and a technician, construction worker etc. And it is obviously wrong, to assume people are like the stereotype build around them. It is best to experience for yourself, how the person is, instead of conjuring up pre-judice. It is to your benefit.