Poll: Is Not Dating a Certain Race Racist?
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Merriam-WebsterJohnny Novgorod said:
rac·ism: A belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
Oxford Dictionaries
racism: The belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races.
prejudice, discrimination, or antagonism directed against someone of a different race based on the belief that one?s own race is superior:
Dictionary.com:
rac·ism [rey-siz-uhm]
noun
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.
2. a policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering such a doctrine; discrimination.
3. hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
Racism is not solely the act of making a choice based on race. Because dictionary.
I think there're a lot of "especiallies" and "usuallies" in those definitions and there's room for a less negative interpretation of the word. I THINK, but I'm not sure anymore, that it's not about hate or praise, it's just about judging based on race, and nothing more. Though it is usually associated with negative connotations.DrOswald said:
No. Sexual preference isn't a choice, if you don't find certain physical features that just happen to be associated with certain races attractive then there isn't really anything you can do to change that. I honestly don't see the need to make the issue any more complicated than that.
So, if i'm not into dark skin im racist.
And if i'm not into blond hair.. i'm a.. hairist? blondist?
That being non-bisexual = sexist was mentioned already.
You can't choose whom you find attractive. Also just because i'm not into dark skin doesn't mean i think they're inferior or anything - they just don't appeal to me physically that much.
PS: On that note, most women are heightist, because many don't date guys smaller than them. And heightism is a thing.
And if i'm not into blond hair.. i'm a.. hairist? blondist?
That being non-bisexual = sexist was mentioned already.
You can't choose whom you find attractive. Also just because i'm not into dark skin doesn't mean i think they're inferior or anything - they just don't appeal to me physically that much.
PS: On that note, most women are heightist, because many don't date guys smaller than them. And heightism is a thing.
This whole thread reminds me of an article I once read about a pornstar.. Alexis Texas I think it was... who refused to have sex with black dudes in her videos.
No matter how much ultra-PC liberals try to spin it it is NOT racist to have a preference and you don't need to date someone of any other race to "prove" that you aren't some racist scumbag.
No matter how much ultra-PC liberals try to spin it it is NOT racist to have a preference and you don't need to date someone of any other race to "prove" that you aren't some racist scumbag.
It's really not bad at all. I have a racist penis, I will fully admit that. You can present to me the most gorgeous black or latino woman alive and I won't get anything. I don't have anything against them, I'm just not sexually attracted to them.
Thread over. People can date who they want, but yeah, if someone consciously cuts out an entire race, the potential is there.
Italians--god. Always forcing their extended family and delicious food on people. It sickens me!Elementary - Dear Watson said:
(Can this become a stereotype, please?)
Anyway... gonna throw my hat in the "No" category. Since people have already quoted from the dictionary, I'll skip that.
Now, if you found someone completely attractive in every way, but refuse to date them simply because they're Asian, black, white, whatever, well, then you're probably kinda racist. I hope you get stuck with some Italian who forces you to meet a neverending list of relatives and feeds you until your heart explodes.
This was a joke. I hope that's obvious... but I still feel like I need to put this in here.
Edit: you know, I've been thinking about this a little more, and the guy in the OP's post is probably racist.
I mean, not wanting to date someone because you don't find them attractive is one thing, but saying "I won't date a black girl," yeah--that's totally racist. You might not find that many black girls attractive, but flat out saying you won't date them kinda crosses over from preference to racism; by saying you won't, you're refusing to even acknowledge them, thus avoiding the physical attraction part and avoiding them simply because of race.
I guess it's a bit of a gray area, but I'm leaning towards racism, in cases like this guy's, anyway. It's one thing to have a preference, but saying "I won't date X" goes a little beyond preference.
You did mention him specifically, though. Your OP mentions his circumstances specifically, and paints him as being unfairly accused/attacked for a simple statement of preference. I understand wanting to remove all context in order to have a hypothetical discussion, but the problem is you DIDN'T remove all context...only the part where he was being a ludicrously overt racist and thus the condemnation he was facing was completely understandable. It's just a confusing misrepresentation of the situation, and contains an editorial slant that is sympathetic towards the guy and paints him as the innocent victim of a judgmental mob. Beginning a hypothetical conversation with a "leading" argument like that DOES "obfuscate the issue".mrblakemiller said:
And that's problematic for the discussion at large, because naturally just having a sexual preference is not remotely problematic, but sometimes the ways in which those preferences manifest is.
"I've never found a black girl attractive."
"Sounds reasonable I guess."
"Just the thought of sleeping with one is like beastiality."
"Wait...what...?"
Absolutely not.
That's like saying if I don't want to date men, I'm homophobic.
Sexual preference isn't something that can be changed at the drop of a hat.
You're either attracted to someone or you're not.
I suppose the [i/]reason[/i] for not being with them may play a factor. Like if you're attracted to someone but you stay away from them because you think they're a sneaky Chinaman or something, that's racism.
That's like saying if I don't want to date men, I'm homophobic.
Sexual preference isn't something that can be changed at the drop of a hat.
You're either attracted to someone or you're not.
I suppose the [i/]reason[/i] for not being with them may play a factor. Like if you're attracted to someone but you stay away from them because you think they're a sneaky Chinaman or something, that's racism.
You know, reading this kinda got me thinking a bit more about the subject. I don't find the idea of having a preference to be racist at all; if you generally don't find a certain race to be attractive, fine--whatever. But, as per the OP, saying "I won't date black girls" goes a bit beyond that preference, I think. You might not find that many black girls attractive, and not dating them based on the fact you don't find them attractive is alright (if a little vain), but flat out saying you won't date them crosses over from preference to racism; by saying you won't date them, you're refusing to even acknowledge/meet them, thus avoiding the physical attraction part and avoiding them simply because of race.BloatedGuppy said:
I guess it's a bit of a gray area, but I'm leaning towards racism in cases like this guy's, anyway. It's one thing to have a preference, but saying "I won't date X" goes a little beyond preference.
It's still racist, but that doesn't mean that you don't have the right to do that. It's especially racist if you've consciously made that the decision.
See, that's something I've always found to be incredibly obtuse about society: We confuse racism for evil. *NOW HOLD ON! I'm not saying that being racist is NOT evil - it is; however, my point is, that not everything we define as being racist is inherently harmful or necessarily offensive. In fact, sometimes positive things can be racist, like: Black people have big schlongs, or Asian people are math geniuses, etc. That's still racist, despite having a positive connotation.
The above is also true of things that are, what I like to call 'neutral', or rather, harmless, like the aforementioned question. See, you have the right to decide who and what kind of race to date, and that's okay - you don't owe anyone an explanation or a rationalization because that's your own personal choice and you're harming no one in the process. But, it's still racist, because (and I'm talking a bit out of my ass here, if that weren't already evident) the definition of 'racist' is to discriminate between races - discriminate's definition is to differentiate or distinguish, okay? Not hurt or harm or abuse or offend, even - you just make the difference between certain races and that difference affects you, ergo your choice (or whoever you may be talking about, sorry it was TL so I DR) of who to date.
Oh, and before any squirming-in-their-seats moralistic nitwits decide to berate me, without further knowledge - YES I do in fact date people from another race than my own, so your ad hominem, moral-high-ground argument is completely invalid, sorry. I'm not trying to propagate any belief that we ought to be dating only people from our race, or whatever may be going through your sick, little mind.
In conclusion: Yes, it's racist because you (or whoever) make(s) the difference, but you also have that right, as long as you don't parrot that shit around, like it's the new gospel and don't make a cult of that and start sacrificing people to the great god of racial cleansing... or whatever.
See, that's something I've always found to be incredibly obtuse about society: We confuse racism for evil. *NOW HOLD ON! I'm not saying that being racist is NOT evil - it is; however, my point is, that not everything we define as being racist is inherently harmful or necessarily offensive. In fact, sometimes positive things can be racist, like: Black people have big schlongs, or Asian people are math geniuses, etc. That's still racist, despite having a positive connotation.
The above is also true of things that are, what I like to call 'neutral', or rather, harmless, like the aforementioned question. See, you have the right to decide who and what kind of race to date, and that's okay - you don't owe anyone an explanation or a rationalization because that's your own personal choice and you're harming no one in the process. But, it's still racist, because (and I'm talking a bit out of my ass here, if that weren't already evident) the definition of 'racist' is to discriminate between races - discriminate's definition is to differentiate or distinguish, okay? Not hurt or harm or abuse or offend, even - you just make the difference between certain races and that difference affects you, ergo your choice (or whoever you may be talking about, sorry it was TL so I DR) of who to date.
Oh, and before any squirming-in-their-seats moralistic nitwits decide to berate me, without further knowledge - YES I do in fact date people from another race than my own, so your ad hominem, moral-high-ground argument is completely invalid, sorry. I'm not trying to propagate any belief that we ought to be dating only people from our race, or whatever may be going through your sick, little mind.
In conclusion: Yes, it's racist because you (or whoever) make(s) the difference, but you also have that right, as long as you don't parrot that shit around, like it's the new gospel and don't make a cult of that and start sacrificing people to the great god of racial cleansing... or whatever.
Just as being physically attracted to one race over another is not racist, not being attracted to a race is not racist.
For one thing, i'd put it this way:
If you (mostly uses as "anyone") don't want to date people of your same sex, does that make you homophobic?
If you don't want to date people of the opposite sex, does that make you heterophobic?
If so, earth would be a bipolar planet of homo- and hetero-haters... but it kind of isn't.
Some claim, genetically our preferences are influenced by what would most likely create the best offspring... which is easily undermined by sexual preferences which are very unlikely to create offspring. Some claim, all our sexual preferences are just constructed and we would all be free to just love and have sex with each other and whatever we wanted to... but then, why won't i be aroused by some people, no matter how hard i try?
So, sexual preferences appear to be something much, much more complex, which we still can't fully understand (if ever).
On the other hand, you might have sexual preferences, but not act upon them (in a healthy way). Ever heard of someone who is attracted to the same sex, but doesn't act upon it? Yes, that does exist, but then is influenced by (constructed) norms and still doesn't automatically make that person a homophobic, most likely it just tells that said person is afraid of opposing norms. Or, a hard question which bugs me since some years by now: Why do sexual abusive people, who can rationalize their behaviour as "antisocial" and sometimes even condemn themselves, too often still feel the "need" to follow their abusive bevahiour (modern psychologists examine this matter for decades now and still can't come to a uniform conclusion, some say there probably is none and on a side note, this is NOT to support sexual abuse, as healthy sexual behaviour can only occur on consent, but i'd say this is a bit different topic)? And what about people who actually can be considered racist and may still have sexual encounters with people of that race - you know, historically, all the slaves who were seen as inferior but sexually encountered, raped, or hold as "love tools" nonetheless (would like to exclude the possibility that this still happens today, but it likely does, somewhere, maybe closer than you might think).
So, a much more interesting point on this matter might be to question the definition of race itself! What quantities and qualities of aligned genotypical, phenotypical, or even social features determine a race anyways, or to get to the base, what is a "race" - other than a sportive speed contest - to begin with? Well, this is kinda cycled in itself, as "race" is a determination made through (common) features to distinguish... well, (common) features. So, by definition, it is an ever shifting common agreement/ consense and people who don't like to think in "racial-categories" might want to drop the term alltogether. Side-note: In a similar fashion you can extend this to "gender" and the discussion around it.
Sooo, in conclusion,
#1 not being attraced to certain features by itself just tells that you aren't attraced to those features, but not necessarily makes you bipolar opposed to those features.
#2 On the other hand, you can be attracted to certain features, but not act upon it, which by itself just tells, that you probably don't want to break with specific norms.
#3 Categorizing by race AND believing that one or more specific races are superior/ inferior makes you a racist by definition.
Of course, #3 might occur with either #1 or #2, as mentioned
If you (mostly uses as "anyone") don't want to date people of your same sex, does that make you homophobic?
If you don't want to date people of the opposite sex, does that make you heterophobic?
If so, earth would be a bipolar planet of homo- and hetero-haters... but it kind of isn't.
Some claim, genetically our preferences are influenced by what would most likely create the best offspring... which is easily undermined by sexual preferences which are very unlikely to create offspring. Some claim, all our sexual preferences are just constructed and we would all be free to just love and have sex with each other and whatever we wanted to... but then, why won't i be aroused by some people, no matter how hard i try?
So, sexual preferences appear to be something much, much more complex, which we still can't fully understand (if ever).
On the other hand, you might have sexual preferences, but not act upon them (in a healthy way). Ever heard of someone who is attracted to the same sex, but doesn't act upon it? Yes, that does exist, but then is influenced by (constructed) norms and still doesn't automatically make that person a homophobic, most likely it just tells that said person is afraid of opposing norms. Or, a hard question which bugs me since some years by now: Why do sexual abusive people, who can rationalize their behaviour as "antisocial" and sometimes even condemn themselves, too often still feel the "need" to follow their abusive bevahiour (modern psychologists examine this matter for decades now and still can't come to a uniform conclusion, some say there probably is none and on a side note, this is NOT to support sexual abuse, as healthy sexual behaviour can only occur on consent, but i'd say this is a bit different topic)? And what about people who actually can be considered racist and may still have sexual encounters with people of that race - you know, historically, all the slaves who were seen as inferior but sexually encountered, raped, or hold as "love tools" nonetheless (would like to exclude the possibility that this still happens today, but it likely does, somewhere, maybe closer than you might think).
So, a much more interesting point on this matter might be to question the definition of race itself! What quantities and qualities of aligned genotypical, phenotypical, or even social features determine a race anyways, or to get to the base, what is a "race" - other than a sportive speed contest - to begin with? Well, this is kinda cycled in itself, as "race" is a determination made through (common) features to distinguish... well, (common) features. So, by definition, it is an ever shifting common agreement/ consense and people who don't like to think in "racial-categories" might want to drop the term alltogether. Side-note: In a similar fashion you can extend this to "gender" and the discussion around it.
Sooo, in conclusion,
#1 not being attraced to certain features by itself just tells that you aren't attraced to those features, but not necessarily makes you bipolar opposed to those features.
#2 On the other hand, you can be attracted to certain features, but not act upon it, which by itself just tells, that you probably don't want to break with specific norms.
#3 Categorizing by race AND believing that one or more specific races are superior/ inferior makes you a racist by definition.
Of course, #3 might occur with either #1 or #2, as mentioned
, but doesn't really change anything, in this specific case doesn't even tell us if it is #1 or #2.mrblakemiller said:
Yes, because your choice is determined partially by race. Therefor it is racist, however, it's not a bad thing to have preferences and is not a harmful form of racism.
Taking racism as what it literally means btw, not as outright hatred.
I personally find darker skinned women more attractive than those of my own race.
Taking racism as what it literally means btw, not as outright hatred.
I personally find darker skinned women more attractive than those of my own race.
If not wanting to date a certain race is racist then a dude not wanting to date another dude is being sexist.
Perhaps the better question is why give a damn, there is this instinct in a certain section of society to go around desperately trying to find and condemn 'racists' like its February 1692 in a town called Salem. Just relax guys, stop trying to burn the witch, sorry racist, by creating a problem where there is not.
As it happens my wife is of another race from me, and I have employees of all races for the simple reason that individually they were the right/ best qualified person for the job. But I would still be considered a racist under this BS because I don't find certain races attractive either.
Perhaps the better question is why give a damn, there is this instinct in a certain section of society to go around desperately trying to find and condemn 'racists' like its February 1692 in a town called Salem. Just relax guys, stop trying to burn the witch, sorry racist, by creating a problem where there is not.
As it happens my wife is of another race from me, and I have employees of all races for the simple reason that individually they were the right/ best qualified person for the job. But I would still be considered a racist under this BS because I don't find certain races attractive either.
I feel the need to inform you now that I'm black but my hair isn't.Shadowstar38 said:"I don't like black hair"thaluikhain said:
*All black people become included in this catagory*
Suck on it.
Side note: the picture I picked however, may be unintentionally racist given the subject matter.
Indeed, according to my birth certificate, my hair is dark brown. And sometimes when I'm in the sun for a long time, it gets this sort of reddish hue in areas.
OT: I... guess it is a little racist. Maybe. This is coming from a black girl who for many years didn't find black men all that attractive...
But I don't think it should be in the same category of prejudice and whatnot.