Racism - your thoughts about it.

[curiousnathan]

Yes it is a topic that is hurtful, dangerous and can cause terrible fights.
But in all seriousness what are your thoughts about it? Should people be punished for being racists to another?

Because this is such a delicate topic to dicuss I prompt you not to get angry and warn you:

IF THERE IS ANY RACISM OR ABUSIVE LANGUAGE OF ANY SORT, I WILL BE CONTACTING A MODERATOR IMMEDIATELY TO CLOSE THIS THREAD.

Edit: All opinions and views must be treated equally, if someone might ndiasgree mention it but in a nice way please.

 

[Christopher]

I think Racist people are some of the most ignorant people in the world I mean whats the basis there. its like if someone only eats red M&Ms, and you ask why do you only eat the red ones ,and they reply they don't like the others because their fathers great great great grandfather said they were bad. where is the logic in that its just idiocy.
as for punishing racist people you can't. its impossible to fine stupidity out of someone nor can you beat or imprison them for their blatant stupidity. you can only hope they do not taint their children with the same ignorance they were subjugated to .

edgy topic here it might get ugly. but those are my thoughts ^

 

[curiousnathan]

edgy topic here it might get ugly. but those are my thoughts ^

That's why I wrote a message in bold letters.. would you like it any bigger?

 

[Timbjerr]

I don't see much room for debate here. In this day and age, people of the younger than thirty demographic have rarely encountered racism nor have they been ingrained to believe that there is any merit to being racist.

My peers and I even think of race so trivially that it's not uncommon for us to make racial jokes at the expense of eachother with the understanding that none of it is serious.

 

[PlatinumDude]

Racist people are rather ignorant, like someone said. They don't care on how good or helpful the person they hate is at something; no matter what, that person of that race is almost always offended. And that causes that person to be mistreated, which is very hurtful.

(sorry if this is offensive; that's my opinion and basis)

 

[Wings Don't Cry]

Well plenty of people I know are racist including me, but we like to be racist to our own country as a form of joke just because my parents and my friends' parents all think their own race is the perfect race. So we sometimes enjoy pointing out the faults of our own races, just to annoy our parents.

Then there's the people who are racist to just be plain nasty and well that just doesn't seem right, last year a teacher was discriminating against Koreans in class and got stabbed, so I guess some people get really offended. Of course the person shouldn't have taken justice into his own hands like that.

 

[Dawn]

I think racism is as dead as it will ever get. X_X
I mean, I can't stress how dead the dead horse that is racism is. And yet it's still one of the instant top problems when someone thinks to kick when they think of discrimination.

 

[helix]

Imho... And ramble ahead.
Unfortunately, racism will never die. So long as everybody has some sort of feature of individuality, and so long as there is one tiny iota of a feature of difference from one human to another, discrimination will exist, and racism is just a part of that. Whilst it may not be as prevalent as it was in some points in history, and it may appear non-existent at times of interaction between two people of different races... It happens. Some people may be discriminating against others without even realising. It's just that deeply ingrained into us.
People probably should try to avoid racial discrimination against others as much as possible, but whether we like it or not, there will be clashes, whether they are tiny brushes of difference, communication problems, or large-scale international issues. It's an unfortunate thing, and it is a thing that can be restrained through education and understanding, but it's also an inherently, painfully existent thing. Ignorance can never be completely abolished so long as the people have a measure of freedom, for there are those who can still choose to walk with the blanket of naivete over their eyes, and remain unpunished for their personal beliefs. Surely we can be educated and taught that race is not a measure or a specification of particular qualities in a person, but not even a staple like education can be properly attained worldwide, so how can ignorance be combated?
People retain measures of racism. It is a personal belief, and personal beliefs are supposedly tolerated. It is only when these personal beliefs fester and become an active hatred, and those of ignorance to take more malicious action against those whom they discriminate, that tragedy will arise.

 

[Surmonter]

Racism will never go away, because stupid people will never go away. Stupid people come up with stupid ideas, such as racism. Assuming evolution's real, Humans will become one race (assuming society doesn't collapse, so we can still have mass racial exchanges between continents) then they will come up with something like racism to take its place.

 

[NarutoActor]

It's annoying but not as prominent as it was in the past. The word racist is starting to be over used.

(I work at DD and its annoying when people say "You work there I thought only Indians worked there.

 

[Charizard★]

Racist people are ignorant.

I've dealt with racism for all my life and its cruel. I've gotten cussed at, rocks thrown at me, threats and I've been beat up a couple of times. I don't understand why people have to hate one specific race.

 

[Percy Thrillington]

This happened in America during the early 1960s. A man pours Hydrochloric Acid into a hotel pool to get the coloured people out of it. 99.9% of people who say a racist joke from time to time will express moral outrage when seeing this photo. Fifty years ago, nearly every white person in America would agree with it. Racism is still prominent, but it's nowhere near as bad as it used to be, especially as it's used around here for the sake of humour, not malice.

I had something else to say but I forgot it. Will edit if it springs to mind.

 

[Bloo]

I've been cursed at, had rocks thrown at me, rejected, and mistreated. But what can I do. Basically, If you put three people with the same exact possesions in a room, all the same race.. they'll find some way to make themselves look better, and compare themselves to others. I guess some people are equal, but some people are more equal than others.

 

[Dawn]

At the same time, saying something racist, in a joking manner or not, can get you murdered if said near the right people. Y'know what wouldn't surprise me on top of that? It wouldn't surprise me if some people watching the ensuing news thought it was okay said person died because they were racist bearing a "He got what he had coming" attitude. I call that psychotic, because said people obviously have no grip on reality.

While racism is not dead, and never will be, crying out against has definitely been... over-played.

For instance, who knows someone who believes Racism = Discrimination? I know I do.

The feet of ignorance above has created dozens of fallacies due to the comparison of racism to other forms of discrimination. *Cough* Homophobia *Choke* Sexism *Sniffle*... See, while Racism is automatically discrimination, discrimination is not automatically racism. Simple concept? Coulda fooled me. God clearly forbid people discriminate the difference between an orange and an apple, because comparing any form of discrimination to racism is like a war cry to the respective side, even if the comparison is completely out of context in reality.

It's as if everyone lost sight of the actual reason racism is bad. You know it's discrimination to acknowledge that black and white people have different color skin? Racism was wrong because people falsely accused blacks and whites of having differences they simply didn't have, such as intelligence.

I mean, in the case of racism, there are so little true differences (See: Skin Color and only skin color) it's pretty much completely negligible. Thus, "equality" pretty much completely works. Like saying 3.9999999 = 4. If people understood the above concept I just ranted about though, they would not try to apply this logic to other forms of discrimination where people may be discriminating between a bit more than the color of one's skin. Yet, people do.

Thus, I rage.

 

[Livewire]

Racism, more specifically "Race' is an illusion - it is a social construct, nothing more.

It's an unfortunate reality of society, its always existed, and it probably always will. :/

 

[twocows]

Times have certainly improved, but racism still exists. One thing that upsets me is the response to it, though. It's much like some parts of the feminist movement: there is a problem, so the solution to the problem is the other extreme. That's the logic behind a number of government policies, most prominently affirmative action (though there are certainly others). While there does need to be some oversight regarding institutes who obviously accept fewer minority applicants (especially out of proportion to the surrounding demographics), forcing places to fulfill quotas is not the way to do it. If there is a problem, it should be investigated and dealt with to be sure, but I imagine the majority of businesses and educational institutes no longer discriminate based on race. To deny a white person a position because he is not black due to affirmative action is state-enforced discrimination, and that is unacceptable in any form.

 

[Shanghai Alice]

Racism, racism, racism...

In most aspects of "modern" life, GENUINE racism doesn't exist.

Go back fifty years ago, when I could tell an African-American that they're really good at running, or that maybe they aren't so good at... I dunno. Marching band, or something (Yes, I'm thinking of a specific clarinet player from my school).

You know what they'd say back then?

"Oh. Okay."

Nowadays?

"Is that because I'm black?"

Most "racism" is simply the cries of "Wolf! Wolf!", in an attempt to gain either sympathy or intimidate another person.

Also, "racism" is, hysterically enough, only possible in whites. It's a fact.


Discrimination, on the other hand, is another issue entirely.


However, concerning genuine racism...

If you're actually racist, you're an idiot. However, if you get super offended because someone says, I dunno, "All Italians are in the Mafia," you're equally as stupid.

Don't be racist, but learn to take a joke about your own country.

I frequently boast about how America is the best country in the world, or about how all Italians own submachine guns, or about how the Brits always need America's help...

Don't take me seriously. Really.

 

[Metatron]

I'm gonna hope that everyone who posts here has a similar attitude toward racism.

In short, racism sucks. Don't be racist or I'll hate you forever.

 

[Shanghai Alice]

Also, I'd like to add that I live in... Alabama (I know, I know, I'm not happy about it either...), and there are quite a lot of...

Let's be honest with ourselves...

Black people. They call themselves that. Everyone calls them that. Most of them don't care.

There are so many that it's almost impossible to be racist towards them. Sure, people will make fun of them occasionally, but most realize that it's all in good fun.

Also, I'm discriminatory towards morons who think sweater vests are awesome. *Throws his sweater vest in the washer after having worn it for three weeks straight, even in 90+ degree weather*

 

[Daydream]

Living, in the North East of England, I find that a lot of the older generation can be (not always) incredibly racist, and it occasionally passes on to the children. This often leads to me falling out or arguing with older relatives because any kind of prejudice is really unnecessary in my eyes.

Sure we have to be able to take a joke about our country once in a while (Brits drink tea and have nasty teeth!) but when it stems to condemning a whole race based on the actions of a few? It becomes unacceptable.