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do you consider yourself one, if even a 'smidge'??? Myself, yes, I do consider myself a 'smidge'. I'm being honest here.....I'd be lying if I said 'no, I am 100% NOT racist, ever'.
Here's dictionary.com's #1 entry:
1.a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
and got this sentence off of wikipedia:
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, racism is a belief or ideology that all members of each racial group possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially to distinguish it as being either superior or inferior to another racial group or racial groups.
I think you could leave off the last part of the Oxford Def. "especially to distingush it as being either superior or inferior to another group or racial group." The first part sums it up. People who are racist believe that racial groups posses charactaristics that are only found with in that ethnic group. even if these charactaristics are positive or bode well for that group . For instance the belief that African Americans make better runing backs in the NFL.
White racism toward African Americans IMO is not so much a direct result of Slavery, but segregation. All Whites who didn't own slaves where given the right and responsibility to police African Americans at will. This is were the KKK grew out of. Poor whites had more hatred for African Americans than some Slave holders.
Last edited by thriftylefty; 03-27-2009 at 07:27 AM..
do you consider yourself one, if even a 'smidge'??? Myself, yes, I do consider myself a 'smidge'. I'm being honest here.....I'd be lying if I said 'no, I am 100% NOT racist, ever'.
Here's dictionary.com's #1 entry:
1.a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.
and got this sentence off of wikipedia:
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, racism is a belief or ideology that all members of each racial group possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially to distinguish it as being either superior or inferior to another racial group or racial groups.
As you posted in another thread about blacks not passing down their views to their children, I hope you heed your own advice since admitting the truth.
I think you could leave off the last part of the Oxford Def. "especially to distingush it as being either superior or inferior to another group or racial group." The first part sums it up. People who are racist believe that racial groups posses charactaristics that are only found with in that ethnic group. even if these charactaristics are positive or bode well for that group . For instance the belief that African Americans make better runing backs in the NFL.
White racism toward African Americans IMO is not so much a direct result of Slavery, but segregation. All Whites who didn't own slaves where given the right and responsibility to police African Americans at will. This is were the KKK grew out of. Poor whites had more hatred for African Americans than some Slave holders.
And some slave owners were free blacks living in the south who did everything white slave owners did.
"In many instances, free black slave owners shared a similar view of slavery with their white counterparts. Slave owners of both races occasionally manumitted a trusted servant and in the same moment requested the sale of another slave."
If it makes me a racist, like most of the other whites I know, to hate it when they put the white dude in the basketball game with 2 minutes left to play and we're down by three, then I guess I'm a racist too. What can I say? I'd rather have the black dudes on my team pull off a victory than to have some white guy embarrass us by getting stripped of the ball or stepping out of bounds with the game on the line.
And some slave owners were free blacks living in the south who did everything white slave owners did.
"In many instances, free black slave owners shared a similar view of slavery with their white counterparts. Slave owners of both races occasionally manumitted a trusted servant and in the same moment requested the sale of another slave."
If it makes me a racist, like most of the other whites I know, to hate it when they put the white dude in the basketball game with 2 minutes left to play and we're down by three, then I guess I'm a racist too. What can I say? I'd rather have the black dudes on my team pull off a victory than to have some white guy embarrass us by getting stripped of the ball or stepping out of bounds with the game on the line.
There's a story behind black slave owners and why they purchased and resold their own people. Maybe before posting a link owned by someone who also did not tell the entire story, you should do a little more research on Black History. I would go into it, but we have people on this post that would turn that piece of history into something degrading, so i will not go there.
Having participated in many discussions on 'Nature v Nurture' where no conclusions could be reached --I still think 'Nurture/Values/Development of Abilities' is more important.
I think you could leave off the last part of the Oxford Def. "especially to distingush it as being either superior or inferior to another group or racial group."
The latter part is the operate portion of the definition and can not be left off under any meaning of the word. From a historical and sociological point of view, lacking the belief in a hierarchical leaves the meaning without malice or malignant consequences which would relegate racism to a benign state of being. Simply believing that there are characteristics of one group vs another, without ranking the superiority or inferiority of those differences is no more harmful to society than redheads recognizing their hair to be different than blonds.
The latter part is the operate portion of the definition and can not be left off under any meaning of the word. From a historical and sociological point of view, lacking the belief in a hierarchical leaves the meaning without malice or malignant consequences which would relegate racism to a benign state of being. Simply believing that there are characteristics of one group vs another, without ranking the superiority or inferiority of those differences is no more harmful to society than redheads recognizing their hair to be different than blonds.
I uderstand your point but I am reminded of the book "The other America" where the writer describes how when the young white child sees the young black child he thinks that black kids don't get cold , and that's why they don't wear coats, or they don't get hungry and that's why they skip lunch unlike the white kids who require sandwiches, milk, and cookies and apples at mid-day. Although the white kids harbors no malice, his belief that blackness makes the kids different and thats why he dosen't have to share his lunch or loan the black kid an old coat, Its what I think people believe when they drive accross an indian reservation and see the way our govement lets them live.
Last edited by thriftylefty; 03-27-2009 at 04:11 PM..
Reason: spelling
I uderstand your point but I am reminded of the book "The other America" where the writer describes how when the young white child sees the young black child he thinks that black kids don't get cold , and that's why the don't wear coats, or they don't get hungry and that's why they skip lunch unlike the white kids who require sandwiches, milk, and cookies and apples at mid-day. Although the white kids harbors no malice, his belief that blackness makes the kids different and thats why he dosen't have to share his lunch or loan the black kid an old coat, Its what I think people believe when they drive accross an indian reservation and see the way our govement lets them live.
Perhaps I should read this book. But my point still stands, at least for the interim.
Nope. I do do discriminate against bad behavior, though.
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