Racism

[petewood]

I read this in a sunday magazine and it reminded me of some of the posts on this forum:

Racism is a unique affliction in that those who suffer from it are those who are least concerned over it. Bigots do not agonise over whether their attitudes are properly sensitive or not. They are unashamed of their loathing for everyone who doesn't look like they do.

It went on to suggest an online racism detector:

Such a website need only invite you to select a picture of someone of a different skin colour, and then ask, "Everything else being equal, would you care in the slightest if this person moved in next door/married your sister/booked you for speeding?". If you click "yes" you are re-directed to www.bnp.org,uk.

 

[AdamW]

These are all minor symptoms of a much bigger disease. If you sneeze, does that mean you have influenza? No. So, anyone who tries to make racism such a black and white issue (if you will pardon the pun) obviously doesn't have a clue. Also it is badly worded.

Everything else being equal... married your sister

This is incredibly stupid. Would it make me xenophobic if I would rather my sister married a southerner than someone from liverpool, all else being equal? Or what if I would rather my sister married someone with a PhD than someone who left school at 16, all else being equal? So, why would it make me racist if I would rather my sister married someone who would give her children that would follow more closely in her image?

As for the neighbours and speeding, what difference does it make? If you are speeding, you are speeding. Your own fault, not the person who books you.

 

[petewood]

Would it make me xenophobic if I would rather my sister married a southerner than someone from liverpool, all else being equal?

If you are a southerner it would seem to be discrimination due to bigotry, and if you are not a southerner it would seem to be discrimination due to no apparent reason.

Or what if I would rather my sister married someone with a PhD than someone who left school at 16, all else being equal?

That would make sense to me.

So, why would it make me racist if I would rather my sister married someone who would give her children that would follow more closely in her image?

Because you are discriminating purely on grounds of racial characteristics.

 

[pipme]

Don't take things too seriously ..... Mostly here it is edgy banter.

 

[Freddie]

 

[WoodYouLike]

A few months ago I said to someone: let's brainstorm about....

She told me the following and my mouth dropped to the floor (a hardwood floor in this case)

"sorry, but you cannot call that brainstorming, that's an insult to all persons with brain damage"

Oh well, she was American, but I ask you, where is this world coming to??

 

[AdamW]

Because you are discriminating purely on grounds of racial characteristics.

I do not disagree with that, that is indeed racial discrimination, as I am discriminating due to race.

But racial discrimination and racism are two different animals. Racism can not exist without racial discrimination, however racial discrimination can exist without racism. Also having a PREFERENCE is not the same as having a HATRED.

It is easier to see if we compare sexual discrimination with sexism. In a factory, a woman can have the same job as a man. However, by law she is not allowed to lift items as heavy as a man is allowed to. This is not sexist, it is common sense.

A black man can not father white children, that is common sense. I am white, my family is white, having white skin is a family tradition that has been with us for at least 100 years. So, I would PREFER my family to be white, that is part of what we are.

Now, if I meet the girl of my dreams and she is black, I will hopefully marry her and have mixed race children. If either of my siblings meets the partner of their dreams and he/she is black, great! I would rather my sister married a black man who worshipped her than a white man who didn't. But, all else being equal, I would PREFER he was a white man. That isn't to say I would be pi**ed off if he wasn't. If my sister was a le*bian, then I wouldn't care either way because there wouldn't be the issue of genetics.

However, the point(lessness) of the quoted article was "all else being equal". Nothing is ever equal. Having a bias on the one property that isn't equal is not a bad thing.

 

[AdamW]

A few months ago I said to someone: let's brainstorm about....

She told me the following and my mouth dropped to the floor (a hardwood floor in this case)

"sorry, but you cannot call that brainstorming, that's an insult to all persons with brain damage"

Oh well, she was American, but I ask you, where is this world coming to??

We call it "thought showering" now (seriously ), however the new-improved version is called "mind mapping" and has a few differences.

 

[WoodYouLike]

however the new-improved version is called "mind mapping" and has a few differences.

I think according to my 'friend' that 'mind-mapping' would be an insult to all people gone out of their minds

 

[david and julie]

Quote:
Or what if I would rather my sister married someone with a PhD than someone who left school at 16, all else being equal?


That would make sense to me.

It may may sense to you, but it is still a prejudiced and crass comment nevertheless, is there any evidence that a man with a PhD makes better husband material?

In these PC gone mad times, some would say discriminating against people of, presumed lesser intelligence, is just as discriminatory and therefore as bad, as racism. I do except neither of you meant it that way, but it could certainly be taken to be so.

 

[Freddie]

can someone please delete this thread its one of those things that does your head in and is pointless

 

[nstreet]

can someone please delete this thread its one of those things that does your head in and is pointless

That would be discriminating against people who write pointless threads!. We cant have that now an we.

 

[kendor]

can someone please delete this thread its one of those things that does your head in and is pointless

we could have a running poll with each thread along the lines do you wish to lock this topic? Yes/No and when enough yes's are voted that's it.
Now wouldn't that be fun.

 

[AdamW]

Ah, but if you all voted "yes delete", and two of us said "no, keep it" then WE would be a minority. And you can't discriminate against minorities

D&J, I should have thought that one through a bit better. To be honest, someone who leaves school at 16 is far less likely to be weird than someone with a PhD in my experience

 

[pipme]

.........
Now wouldn't that be fun.

Discriminating against misery .. not on brother !!