Is this racist, does my teacher have a right to punish me for this?

[Rblade]

this makes me kind of angry, it's complaining about these kind of things that makes people numb to the entire discussion. You should focus on real acctual racism instead of someones racially biased gut feelings (which he can't change) otherwise people will start ignoring the topic all together.

shout every day and people will start ignoring you all together.

shout once a month and people will listen, and listen good.

 

[Exerzet]

We were discussing attraction in psychology today and we did a worksheet, one of the questions being about what we find attractive in the opposite sex. When it got to which physical characteristics we find most attractive, I listed:

somewhat tall
healthy-looking, ie in good shape but not too skinny
dark hair
white skin

and some other things, but that last one was what got me in trouble. Now, at no point did I say I find other skin colors unattractive, and I did not say that I find colored people unattractive, just for their skin color. All I said was that it was one of many physical characteristics (saying nothing of personality and intellectual traits) that I find attractive. And also, it's not like I'd turn down a girl just because of her skin color, to me it's just one trait that I notice, and there are many more (saying nothing of intellectual and personality traits). To me, dating a black or asian girl would be no different than dating a blonde, yes I prefer dark to blonde hair but I can still find her attractive and nice (hopefully). I thought I was being honest about a personal opinion in a mature discussion about a mature topic.

In short, it's no different than my finding dark brown hair more attractive than light blonde hair. It's only a superficial thing.

Anyway, she didn't even give me a chance to explain what I meant by that, and wouldn't hear a word of it when I tried. Now I have to write a paper about racial tolerance. Is this right? Am I a racist, just for finding one skin color more physically appealing than the others?

EDIT/UPDATE: Okay, so the term 'colored people' comes off as racist. Just a poor choice of words on my part, sorry. I'd actually been told it was the politically correct term.

That teacher is a part of the biggest problem integration faces, nowadays. Overly sensitive people. People who go looking for just about anything they can call racist, and feel "Righteously" offended by. I wrote a psychology-paper on the subject of subconcious racial-sensitivity, and this was a major part of it. How can we possibly hope to eliminate racism, when people go looking for it when it isn't there? Oo;

In short, no, saying that you find white skin attractive is not racist, and your teacher was in the wrong. After all, if you'd written "Milky skin" or "Silky skin" or even "Chockolate" skin (that last not being a synonym) you'd not have been in trouble at all. Just the mere mention of color. Any color, is enough to push people over the edge these days.

Damn... that wasn't in short at all ><

 

[Campaigner]

I've heard from friends and comrades in both Sweden and Belgium how politically correctness have reached new heights and your post proves it.

Today in "higher education" in some educations - like European Studies that a Bulgarian comrade studied here in Sweden - they drill politically correctness (White people have done this and that and must "repent" and colonized countries are victims and we must feel sad for them) into you and are adamant about it.

My comrade in Belgium told me that he have been punished just like you have been now!
What they're doing is pure oppression that belongs in the sovjet union. Up until a year ago I had no IDEA that politicial correctness was that hard today.

So go the authorities and fight the system!

....What's funny is that they would have been more successful if they had skipped the oppression and just tried to influence and argue instead.

While it's perfectly normal and acceptable to have a certain ethnicity be amongst the things you prefer in a sexual partner, it's usually something you leave off the list when discussing it publicly. Why? It's impossible to make said preferences clear without sounding like a racist asshole. I only like white girls! I'm not attracted to Latinos! See? There's just no way to go about it, so you're better off keeping that shit to yourself.

But yes, it's completely nonsensical that you're getting punished for it.

A white person saying he prefers white people only sounds bad today because the establishment & massmedia says that it is.


First post btw. I've been watching Zero Punctation and saw the threads and decided to jump in.
Didn't become active before since this place to seems to be a bit politically correct. I've seen the posts people got banned for and I say it's too harsh.

 

[sinterklaas]

Whatever you do, DON'T WRITE THE PAPER.

This is not racist. I find black girls unattractive and there is NOTHING racist about this. Your teacher is full of crap. Don't give in to this bullshit.

Not to mention 'colored people' isn't racist either.

For the love of God, for the love of all that is holy, for the love of whatever the fuck you believe or do not believe in DO NOT WRITE THAT PAPER!

 

[Deimateos]

EDIT/UPDATE: Okay, so the term 'colored people' comes off as racist. Just a poor choice of words on my part, sorry. I'd actually been told it was the politically correct term.

It got replaced by a much worse term, eg "African"-American. If I went Africa, I wouldn't even know where to start looking for family, so it annoys me when people (black or not) use it, as if having African relatives at some point 300 years ago is more important than being an American. It's one of those word that harms more than it helps

Are you a racist? No. Is your teacher a bigot? Absolutely.

Definition of BIGOT
a person who is obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices; especially ne who regards or treats the members of a group (as a racial or ethnic group) with hatred and intolerance
Examples of BIGOT

He was labeled a bigot after making some offensive comments.
an incorrigible bigot who hasn't entertained a new thought in years

a person who is utterly intolerant of any differing creed, belief, or opinion.

Here's the reality. What you stated were preferences, which are dictated more by how you were brought up. From a statistical point, if you were able to spent an equal amount of time with every woman on earth, you would be attracted to a number of mates from every ethnic group.(Statistically this is true of everyone). This is because biological attraction is controlled by many factors in your body beyond your mind's control. Despite what your preferences are, you will just feel inexplicably drawn to them. When biology isn't in play, your preferences will usually win out.

This is something bigots like your teacher can't understand. Go through the proper channels, and have those channels tell your bigot teacher to stfu for you.

Truths like this would make your teacher's head implode

 

[Ledan]

We were discussing attraction in psychology today and we did a worksheet, one of the questions being about what we find attractive in the opposite sex. When it got to which physical characteristics we find most attractive, I listed:

somewhat tall
healthy-looking, ie in good shape but not too skinny
dark hair
white skin

and some other things, but that last one was what got me in trouble. Now, at no point did I say I find other skin colors unattractive, and I did not say that I find colored people unattractive, just for their skin color. All I said was that it was one of many physical characteristics (saying nothing of personality and intellectual traits) that I find attractive. And also, it's not like I'd turn down a girl just because of her skin color, to me it's just one trait that I notice, and there are many more (saying nothing of intellectual and personality traits). To me, dating a black or asian girl would be no different than dating a blonde, yes I prefer dark to blonde hair but I can still find her attractive and nice (hopefully). I thought I was being honest about a personal opinion in a mature discussion about a mature topic.

In short, it's no different than my finding dark brown hair more attractive than light blonde hair. It's only a superficial thing.

Anyway, she didn't even give me a chance to explain what I meant by that, and wouldn't hear a word of it when I tried. Now I have to write a paper about racial tolerance. Is this right? Am I a racist, just for finding one skin color more physically appealing than the others?

EDIT/UPDATE: Okay, so the term 'colored people' comes off as racist. Just a poor choice of words on my part, sorry. I'd actually been told it was the politically correct term.

What's her email? I would love to tell her how bullshit this is. We ALL do this! I prefer people with whiter skin, doesn't mean I would never date a girl with dark-skin. It's like me liking red hair, or large breasts. It's not that I WOULDN'T date someone who doesn't perfectly fit my criteria, it's just that I notice that I am more often attracted to someone who has these physical characteristics. But personality is more important.
Dude, this is complete and utter bull. Stand up for yourself. Talk to your parents. And the principal/counselor. And don't write that essay. If you feel like you have to, write a short essay explaining how you are not racist. Just so you have something to hand in.

 

[arealperson]

This is a psychology class. What is the lesson behind the lesson? is there a subtler point being made, perhaps about preconceptions?

-snip

No.

No.

Also: no.

Hanlon's Razor tells us that we should never rationalize something as intentionally evil when it can equally easily be explained by stupidity or incompetence. Tie that into Occam's Razor: when presented with two answers to a question, the answer that requires the fewest departures from the norm is usually the correct one.

Consider the situation at hand: the teacher has singled out one student, accused him of racism, and then assigned him, and only him, a paper in which he must indirectly apologize for being racist.

Now, consider the two conflicting explanations: yours, which calls for the teacher to A) be faking outrage B) be knowingly making a false accusation against a student C) be doing A and B while also assigning a single student additional work without due cause, and D) believes A-C to be worth the valuable lesson that she has orchestrated for the student to learn.

Or, alternatively, mine, which only requires that the teacher is irrational and bad at her job.

Never assume brilliance when stupidity is far, far more likely, mate.

All said and fair, I never meant to stipulate that the possibility was the only one, or even the best. &nbsp;Part of it was assuming the best of intentions, part of it was choosing not to overreact (or react in what ever subtle manner you so choose), part of it was not being able to see it from the other side (we are getting a biased viewpoint, obviously), and part of it was that the answer to this type of scenario gets predictable and boring very fast.

How many times did you need to read that sexual preference is not racism? &nbsp;Or that the OP should go over the teacher's head? &nbsp;I realize that my scenario may seem ridiculous when you apply the 'outrage' of being made an example in class over something misconstrued, but I think in many ways there are more important things to be worried about and one needn't be so uptight. &nbsp;If the problem exists as portrayed, it could be solved by a simple 'loosening' of the teacher's attitude, as I suggest.

Lastly, I think the line between brilliance and stupidity is drawn far too narrow, as it really doesn't take much thought to take applied psychology to any given scenario. &nbsp;Lies, manipulation, ulterior motives; these aspects of every day life are taken completely for granted.

 

[TheEnglishman]

Not racist, but probably a case of needing a little more tact in phrasing things. Yeah, I can understand how nice fresh skin would be an attractive quality, but phrasing it as "White skin" can be open to interpretation.

 

[Fronken]

There is nothing wrong with being attracted to certain things, and just because you think white girls are more attractive doesnt mean that you think other colours are UNattractive, its just your preference.

So no, you are not a racist, and your teacher has no right to punish you for it.

 

[Hoxton]

I >WISH< this happened to me, I would destroy that f*cking teacher to the f*cking oblivion. Wouldn't stop untill she is fired and her life is destroyed. Make the best of this bro. UNLEASH THE BEAST IN YOU.
Take it to the fucking media and get her publicly destroyed.

 

[uzo]

Damn this sucks. Although to avoid the whole issue you could've chosen a word like 'contrasting'. But it sucks even more that you might need a thesaurus to get around a puritanical ***** who perceives hate where there is none.

You could also just say you have the hots for Snow White. She fits the bill.

 

[Sgt. Dante]

In the first place asking kids about their sexual preferences is a bit weird, but to then berate them for giving an honest answer is absurd.

Take this above your teachers head, talk to a guidance counsellor or a head teacher...

I personally like girls with pale white skin, gothic style chicks basically. What your tastes say about you is your business and I?m honestly surprised that you were even asked in class.

Brutal honesty time, I don't find 'coloured' girls attractive, I find certain Asians cute but not attractive and dark doesn't do it for me. This is not a racist thing, I have several black friends and get on well enough with my Asian neighbours (their dog on the other hand...) but I?m only ?attracted? to white girls, and even then only tall, naturally pretty, reasonably slim girls.

Short, fat, scars, excessive piercings, bottle blondes, too much makeup, skankily dressed and idiots all turn me off a girl. I have several friends with all these qualities but I simply don?t find them attractive.

For that matter, men don?t do it for me either, but this doesn?t mean I hate gay people. It just means that there is no sexual attraction. I mean c?mon, it?s called a preference for a goddamn reason.

 

[bader0]

i honestly think that the teacher is the one promoting racism here, hear me out. if you say that you are not attracted to people with dark skin on the same list as you say that you are attracted to females, or males that are slightly tall then that dark skin becomes a physical feature rather than a racial issue. The only reason the teacher would get angry about it is if she saw it as the latter. Or if she was just really freaked out about being politically correct. This is utter BS, if you treat black people differently than you treat white people you are a racist regardless if you are treating them better or worse. It is the subconscious separation of races that is truly racism.
So OP i honestly think that what you did on that list is the kind of thing that is helping to abolish racism by making it a non-issue and i applaud you for that.

 

[Deimateos]

.....It's like me liking red hair, or large breasts. It's not that I W...................

Mmmmmm, Christina Hendricks.... Oh, sorry, you were mentioning bull uttering or something? Please continue, don't mind me

 

[deus-ex-machina]

It's no worse than asking "Blonde or Brunette?" and that is a classic question.

It's not racist for you to ask survey questions as long as you cover options.

People DO have preferences and that in itself is not racist. Just because a person will not find a particular race attractive does not make them racist so asking such a question should not be held in the same light. Finding someone attractive is VERY different to finding them inferior or disgusting. I myself know an asian girl who only find white guys attractive, but all her friends and obviously her family are asian. She is not racist.

It is a physical, probably sexual preference. Not ethnic cleansing.

I have filled out many surveys that ask me for my sexual preference, which is perhaps rude and unnecessary for a company to know, but I didn't find it offensive.

In fact, I imagine most dating websites will ask those very questions.

If you were an adult, this would not be happening. Your teacher obviously has some grudge and I would be taking this higher than them. You do not deserve to be punished if you can justify your reasoning for asking such questions.

BUT you do need to take into consideration that if you are making a survey, you need to consider all options. In my school, if I had not done this I would have been marked down for not being open thinking, not closed minded.

This is a case of political correctness. By 'dark skinned' did you mean black, 'olive skinned' (a term used to be used for mediterranean people) or well tanned or guido?

Perhaps you should have had more options, but this is not a reason to punish you unless you are already a known racist. It is more along the lines of limited options or perhaps bad wording on your part. You're a student. You're meant to learn from mistakes especially those not made delibrately.

 

[SilverUchiha]

If you write the paper, don't even bother taking it seriously. Maybe even go as far as saying everyone is a little bit racist and if your teacher can't accept that universal truth, she needs to shut her lying face. ... Or something along those lines.

I guess what I'm getting at is that everyone has sexual preferences and that's just how we work. It's your teacher's fault for asking such a loaded questing in the first place. She should have expected answers like that... or worse. Sounds like she's just an idiot more than anything else.

 

[Quellist]

Not racist at all, your teacher is a dick, best report this guy imo.

 

[AngloDoom]

I don't understand the teacher's problem. Even if you were a rampant racist, do they expect you to get scolded and go "You're right, I find [suchandsuch] more attractive now."

Hell, I prefer women with very pale skin so black women just can't do it for me in the same way. It's about appearance, you have every right to state your opinion on such things.