I don't 'get' Racism...

[Lilani]

Pretty straight-foward, i just don't understand racism.
Why are people Racist?
What is it about the colour of you're skin that makes you 'better' than others?
I just can't put my finger on it, why is there racism in the world?
To me it doesn't make any logical sense.
So, what are your thoughts on this?

First, your avatar is probably the greatest thing I have ever seen.

Second, I think the problem is you don't think like a racist. With racists, it's pretty black and white (no pun intended...well maybe a little). For them, they DO believe that all black people are inherently bad people. Or that all hispanics are lazy, or whichever stereotype you'd like to pick. It is quite simple. Skin color >>> inherently bad. There's no two ways about it. And just as you believe anyone who could think that is just not seeing common sense, the way they see it, that sort of thinking IS common sense. It's not them that's wrong, it's the rest of the world that's blind.

Racism is, essentially, a sweeping generalization. And racists find reasons to stick to those generalizations at all costs. Why? It varies. Some have had genuinely bad experiences, and others are just brought up in an environment that cultivates racial tension. Personally, I think it's an easy way for them to channel their problems and frustrations without having to put too much thought into their targets. It's as easy as looking at the color of their skin. Also, there is quite a bit of group dynamic and camaraderie in racist groups and gangs, so it could also come from that need to have a group that will stand by your side with a common enemy.

It does make me mad, though. Racism is ignorance at its absolute best. The ugliest, most stubborn form of ignorance that can be.

 

[Renegade-pizza]

As a great professional troll/reviewer once said: "People are shit."

EDIT: I'm talking about Yahtzee and someone did call him a professional troll.

 

[EonEire]

The prominent racist tones in my city are from people seeing Nigerian asylum seekers being perceived as abusing the social welfare system and other people from the city not receiving the same treatment, example being that there are some asylum seekers who have been given houses from the social welfare and there are Irish people whom have been on the waiting list for years and were bypassed.

This seems to be what is the driving force behind the racism towards that particular community in my city.

 

[Zacharious-khan]

I've always thought its a combination of fear of the mysterious and lack of confidence in penis size. Most people are inherently afraid of things they don't understand and projecting hate on it is a good way to dissipate that anger. Long story short people are retards.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

Pretty straight-foward, i just don't understand racism.
Why are people Racist?
What is it about the colour of you're skin that makes you 'better' than others?
I just can't put my finger on it, why is there racism in the world?
To me it doesn't make any logical sense.
So, what are your thoughts on this?

People are mentally wired to seek out a group of piers who they can identify with on many different levels (physical appearance included) for protection and to fear anything that is too different or has the potential to change things. This was how we survived in pre-historic times before civilization had got off the ground and you can still see this behavior in most species of 'social' animal today. Find the group you belong to, stick with them, and perceive anything from the outside as a possible threat.

In our modern world we no longer have any need for this instinct, but that doesn't mean we can just switch it off, it's hard-wired into our psyches. Some people are better at, or simply intelligent enough to control this trait so it doesn't manifest itself as prejudice. Unfortunately, others will look for modern social excuses to justify this fear that they cannot control.

All this "(Insert foreign nationality or non-native ethnicity here) are taking our jobs/money/law and order/women/traditional values/sense of national identity!" bullshit are just the 21st century excuses that people make to justify a natural instinct to fear anything that is different to them, because they don't understand why that fear is there.

 

[alandavidson]

Racism is just another way of asserting yourself above another human being. Saying that your culture is better, your ways are better, YOU are better, is what racism is.

I'm of the opinion that we need to be a melting pot (globally, not just nationally) and accepting others cultures, learning about them, and ultimately blending them into our own to create a unique and vibrant culture that we all share.

Then racism will be truly dead.

 

[A Free Man]

I think it makes perfect sense. Keep in mind I'm not endorsing it just saying that I at least understand why it exists. It's the same kind of thing you see when you mix any groups together. Some of the groups will try to prove their dominance over the other groups by diminishing the other groups respectabiliy. Not that I fully understand all of the psychology behind it but it basically seems that since other cultures are often foreign to people who have never been exposed to those cultures they will naturally look upon those practices as weird or abnormal and since the two are different they will try to prove their is better by diminishing the other.

 

[Roxor]

I'm thinking that racism comes from people being disturbed by appearances which differ from their norm. Much like how a synthetic character who is mostly human but falls short comes off as unsettling because they're human enough that the flaws stand out (the Uncanny Valley). I think the psychological basis for racism comes from seeing other humans as slipping into the Uncanny Valley from the human side.

 

[deadxero]

May as well say "I don't understand stupid."

The only people that get stupid... are stupid. Be happy you don't understand it

 

[Loonyyy]

You don't understand why people might find petty and ignorant reasons to be nasty to each other?
Your high school years must have been amazing.

 

[Dr. Crawver]

I can remember seeing one racist who was good enough to sit there while being questioned really harshly about his feelings, and he eventually broke down crying, and said what I think is the reason for a lot

"look at me? If I'm not better because of my skin, what else do I have?"

 

[Arcticflame]

I don't find the concept of racism difficult to understand, it's simple, people fear things that are different as it introduces the unknown. Whether it's irrational or not, I believe that racism is rooted in a human's natural instinct of fearing, or being wary of, what they are not used to.

Now if a person is raised in a society where you see people from all races regularly, you counteract this instinct through conditioning someone to being used to different races.

People are pack animals, if a person perceives themselves as being part of a particular group, they often automatically find other "groups" threatening.

 

[Kevon Huggins]

I fail to even begin to understand it
Even though it happened to me

 

[Stublore]

It all comes from way back when the 'civilised' white man 'found' the 'uncivilised' black man and taught him how to live etc. Since then it's been drilled into SOME peoples heads that white people are superior to black people. (At least that's the case with white on black racism.

Racism in general comes from some people thinking it's necessary to conform, and being different (in any way) obviously doesn't conform, so naturally some people will discriminate against the people who're different.

Hold on a sec, are you saying that before the "white man" found the "uncivilised" black men, racism did not exist?
Is this something which in your opinion is something only "white man" is capable of?
Is it something "white man" invented?
Before the "white man" ventured out of Europe every other civilisation was living in harmony and did not discriminate against other cultures and peoples, it was something they needed to be taught?
Oh the fucking irony!

 

[Alrocsmash]

I appreciate the Morgan Freeman clip. See people for what they are. If you are a poorly dressed thug African American, and I feel uncomfortable around you, it is not racism to me. Its the fact that you have poor speech, approach me in a threatening manner and look like a shady mother fucker. I don't give a shit if your skin color is white, black or blue with poke-a-dot stripes, I would feel weird around this person.

Racism is pointless. It is just one more thing that holds us back as a species.

 

[Sougo]

Is saying south koreans are better at RTS racism or fact?

Actually thats a stereotype. There are positive stereotypes like saying anyone from S.korea is automatically gonna rules at RTS, and then there are the negative ones, which we are all familiar with.

Stereotypes aren't necessarily racist since they go beyond race. Needless to say they are usually just false as its just not possible to categorize a group of people with a particular trait. S. koreans may be better in general in RTS, but not all of them will be top level.

 

[Flaming Narwhal]

It's an illogical hatred of another people based on their melanin levels. What's there to get?

 

[Sexual Harassment Panda]

Ignoring the social and cultural reasons for racism...I'm pretty sure fear of everything different to yourself was a key survival tool at some point.

Countless years of evolution have trained us to be a neurotic, fearful and often hateful species. Our cultural expectations and ideals have changed rapidly into something that arguably doesn't line up with our biology.

Or, something...