Why do YOU hate racism?

[Logan Westbrook]

If we could all get over arguing about the semantics of 'hating' racism, we might actually be able to get a decent discussion going here.

As a white male, I often find that I can't always trust my first reaction when it comes to racism, or any form of discrimination. Becoming defensive when accusations of prejudice get thrown around is entirely normal response, but it is rarely a useful one; better to take a moment to examine that reaction and try and perceive the issue objectively, rather than subjectively.

You may think that an off-colour joke is harmless, but doing so perpetuates the idea that as long as it is not overt, racism is ok. Prejudices are often subtle things and we unconsciously cling to stereotypes without ever realising it.

I have found that this video has some useful advice for talking to others about racism.

 

[awmperry]

Not everyone hates racism - indeed, many seem to base their lives on it - so "Why do you hate racism" is perhaps jumping the gun.

Anyway, my own philosophy is perhaps best summed up by, er, a line from Muppets Take Manhattan:

"Peoples is peoples. No is buildings. Is tomatoes, huh? Is peoples, is dancing, is music, is potatoes. So, peoples is peoples. Okay?"

I've tried to indulge in a spot of recreational racism, but I never seem to get the hang of it. My best friend, a Chinese girl, never has the decency to be properly offended when I call her "slitty-eyes"; it's tremendously annoying.

Anyway, did I have a point I was getting to? I'm pretty sure I had. Oh yes.

In my view, it's perfectly fine to make fun of stereotypes and differences, as long as there's clearly no malice in it. But genuinely discriminating is wrong, whichever direction it goes. Whether it's misogyny, affirmative action, "his nose is too big", whatever, that's wrong. People are people, and every tribe - of whatever stripe - has its idiots. No race - assuming you believe in race - is better or worse than any other, they're all made up of people with about the same saint-to-arse ratio.

While I'm at it, positive discrimination annoys me too. Affirmative action, for instance, doesn't that say "We think black people are too stupid to get into (INSERT JOB HERE) on their own merits"? Or why did my university have an Afro-Caribbean Society and an LGBT Society but no White Society and Straight Society? People are people, and I don't see why it should be acceptable to be proud of one's heritage one way but not another. Can you imagine the uproar if I'd tried to organise a Straight Pride parade?

People are people, and the sooner humans get over the idea of "I'm better than them because I'm purple" the better.


(Oh, and an acquaintance of mine - not a native English speaker, but thinks he is - recently defined the word "paki" as meaning "anyone Asian, really, any of those towelhead rock-throwers". I may have started avoiding him since.)

 

[Logan Westbrook]

Or why did my university have an Afro-Caribbean Society and an LGBT Society but no White Society and Straight Society?

We do have one, we found the name unwieldy though, so we just call it 'society'.

 

[Ignignoct]

Or why did my university have an Afro-Caribbean Society and an LGBT Society but no White Society and Straight Society?

We do have one, we found the name unwieldy though, so we just call it 'society'.

DAMN!

Beat me before the "INB4 WHITE HISTORY MONTH IS ALL YEAR LONG!"

 

[AngloDoom]

It's pointless ways for insecure retards to throw an insult back at a person they only just met; they know no little bits of gossip or scandal about their life so they need to insult their appearance to get across their 'point'. So, they choose one outstanding feature on the person's body. If the person, however, is simply a normal or attractive person, but of a different race then they just go ahead and insult their race.

It's the pre-historic version of 'your mum' jokes. They make you look retarded, but somehow it's still funny to people who enjoy reading 'The Sun' or watch 'Big Brother'.

I hate racism because of all the points above, and the fact that people don't know what they are on about half the time. I don't mind ignorant or stupid people; I hate loud people who are stupid and ignorant. I used to live in Germany as a result of my father being in the military; where he was posted his family would follow. When I came back to England, people made racist jokes about me assuming I was German. Someone even approached me and started say "You is ze German-Nazi, eh?" and when I said "Dear God, you're German too?!" he went "Oh, I didn't realise you spoke English." Despite the fact I was in an English school. I told him I wasn't German, and he walked away with his tail between his legs.

Another example is more recent. I live in an area with a lot of Polish people in simply because there used to be a lot of jobs here that have now dried up. The Polish people still live here, but the locals give them shit for 'stealing jobs' despite the fact that half of the people who say that either have a job, or are too stupid to get one. My friend was walking home when he saw this black lizard-like creature scuttle across the road. He turned to a nearby man and said "What was that? I've never seen that before." The man replied "Probably those damn Polish!"

That is why I hate racism; it's just plain moronic.

 

[awmperry]

No - society includes all of those. The "Society Society" includes white, black, pink, yellow (or, in the case of the curious rash on my elbow, a sort of maroon, but that's beside the point)... every conceivable colour and background and orientation. Why is it acceptable to have intrinsically discriminative clubs to say "I really like being black" while a club to say "I really like being white" is seen as bad?

Personally, of course, I think both concepts are fine as long as they stay at "I like being..." and don't stray into "I'm glad I'm not..." or worse. It's like nationalism; I'm proud to be English and Swedish, I like my countries, and given the chance I'd fly my flags. But I can't do that, because "it might offend immigrants". Why? Chances are they came to Sweden because they thought they might like it there too, right? The fact that I like my country shouldn't implicitly mean that I hate other countries, and that's where I think a lot of people go wrong.

Nationalism or pride shouldn't be equated with xenophobia and prejudice. The former are good and don't look down on other people; the latter are bad.

 

[Logan Westbrook]

No - society includes all of those. The "Society Society" includes white, black, pink, yellow (or, in the case of the curious rash on my elbow, a sort of maroon, but that's beside the point)... every conceivable colour and background and orientation.

I think a better description would be that society contains every creed and colour.

 

[scape]

just another thing that means that little bit less to me...

 

[awmperry]

Nilcypher, a very perceptive and, to someone with my mindset, delightfully pedantic point well made. Yes. I will happily amend my statement per your suggestion.

 

[Sweep117]

If we could all get over arguing about the semantics of 'hating' racism, we might actually be able to get a decent discussion going here.

As a white male, I often find that I can't always trust my first reaction when it comes to racism, or any form of discrimination. Becoming defensive when accusations of prejudice get thrown around is entirely normal response, but it is rarely a useful one; better to take a moment to examine that reaction and try and perceive the issue objectively, rather than subjectively.

You may think that an off-colour joke is harmless, but doing so perpetuates the idea that as long as it is not overt, racism is ok. Prejudices are often subtle things and we unconsciously cling to stereotypes without ever realising it.

I have found that this video has some useful advice for talking to others about racism.

You, sir, are a brilliant, brilliant man. I was trying to figure out what to say in reply to this thread and what everyone's been saying but I don't have to say anything because you said everything for me.

I find it funny that many people here are arguing over the differences in how they hate racism rather than, for example, giving a personal story of racism touched your life. That seems to be what the OP was looking for, but I've been wrong before.

I too am a white male and aside from a handful of white people, all my friends are of different races. (I hate the word race used in this way because all one race but I can't seem to think of another word) Every once in a while someone says something that I find somewhat offensive. Before I say anything though, I think. Like nilcypher said,

Becoming defensive when accusations of prejudice get thrown around is entirely normal response, but it is rarely a useful one;

I doubt any of the racism I have felt from my friends was meant to be a racist remark. Much of it stems from stereotypes and lack of information/misinformation.

Reverse the roles it's still the same. I would never knowingly make a racist comment toward anyone. Not my friends, not to a casual acquaintance, not to a random guy on the street talking about my mother. Due to my own lack of knowledge of other cultures though, I can't help but occasionally say the wrong thing. Sometimes, we need to step back and think.

(I admit, I have told and been told and laughed at racist jokes. Some worse than others. A. Only with a person or people I know and trust. B. Half the humour is the stereotype in the joke. I know that's not true. This joke is playing on a generalization. That's pretty funny.)

 

[Red Right Hand]

What I truly hate is when people don't get all up in arms about someone of an ethnic minority who is rascist to say a white guy, yet it is so much worse for the white guy to be rascist to the ethnic minorities. A rascist can be an ethnic minority aswell

 

[Duh]

Or why did my university have an Afro-Caribbean Society and an LGBT Society but no White Society and Straight Society?

We do have one, we found the name unwieldy though, so we just call it 'society'.

DAMN!

Beat me before the "INB4 WHITE HISTORY MONTH IS ALL YEAR LONG!"

agreed

excelent burn

 

[Alphavillain]

It helps to turn these things on their heads. Racism is obviously hatred of people who don't look like you, or have different cultural practices. But put another way, racist thinking presumes that I, as a white person, will automatically like -and here's the rub, RESPECT- white people because they are white. Automatically respect, despite the way someone treats me, or the way they conduct themselves. Which just highlights the stupid blanket thinking of racism.

 

[Booze Zombie]

The way I wanted to word my original idea for this thread was actually "What do you think of racism?". I wish I had now, people get caught up on little words too much.

 

[jamesworkshop]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdvVpijAsiE

 

[Kajt]

Because judging people by how they look, and not their personality, is just stupid.
One of my friends think every single german is a nazi, which is really annoying and disturbing.

 

[Spudgun Man]

The way people mistake racisem for skin coulor and not actual race as in ethnical background.

 

[Not Good]

I for one enjoy racism and racial stereotypes so long as it's not being used for beratement. Think black guy jokes, and even with friends of varying races they tell jokes to each other that, by definition, belittle another race and they're all okay with it. So it's not like it's a big deal really.

Your first line will have people going for your head

Elaborate please.

 

[Del-Toro]

A couple of racist jokes ( the whole slanty eyes thing) aren't something to get worked up about, I actually found that quite funny, and given Japan's mindset at the time (think Nazis of the Pacific) it actually has an acute accuracy to it.
Either way, I don't like racism because it's a waste of energy, you have people giving off these cookie cutter reasons for hating racism, I always strive to be the black sheep. Furthermore, I tend to take stereotypes with sort of thought of "Not universal, and don't use to prejude, but at one time, and at least in one place, they were accurate in a high enough occurance to become engrained in the public mind". Futhermore, alot of these stereotypes are self brought. For example, this is a true story, I wish I could unsee it but I can't. At Air Cadet Summer Training(think military camp, but it looks GOOD on a resume) I saw in my barracks, a black kid brought to tears due to racial slurs, and of course public opinion turned heavily against the cadet responsible (he might even have been kicked out). Later that night, however, this same kid brought to tears was literally pimp walking to his bunk for stand to (before bed headcount basically). What I'm saying is that whilst judging someone based on race is an idiotic practice, the assumption that all stereotypes are dead wrong for all members of that group is terribly naive and small minded. I know that the anti racism folks get portrayed as open minded, but these people have obviously never seen a livin stereotype before, god knows I have.

 

[Ignignoct]

Okay, moment of truth here...

I've been telling racist jokes all my life because hatred empowers the Dark Dragon Blade whose power I am hopelessly controlled by.