Our generation's racism

[StBishop]

Fat-people-ism would be my guess.

Implying it's a bad thing.

(I think I just proved your point.)

Ugh, hating religions is vulgar.

I can understand the intellectual distaste for organised religion, it is reasonable. But hating a person for what they believe is simply boorish.

Let's get off the emotional bent and approach this intellectually for a bit.

Islam is a religion, but it is closely tied with a certain political and cultural identity that most reasonable people in the West strongly oppose. Yes, even in my country which you gleefully deride, we are not keen on the appalling lack of gender equality in the Muslim World. In addition, their societies tend to be far more theocratic and dogmatic than those of the West. Some of their legal systems are stuck in the dark ages.

Before you write up a list of however many labels you can think of for me, I do believe that the Muslim world carried on the political inheritance of Greece and Rome while the European West was floundering in the post-classical dark age. However, the West took it back over by the middle of the last Millennium, and the Muslim world stagnated, still to this day. Non Muslims living in the Muslim world are far worse off than Muslims living in the West.

I prefer a strong West to keep the Muslim world in check. Not all societies are created equal. It's annoying that I have to say this, because it's obvious, but this belief has nothing to do with racism or religious bigotry.

So because there are countries who have a society you disagree with (no judgement either way because this isn't the important part) where Islam is the major religion, this makes Islam a problem? What about Muslims who are raised in western society who hold mostly western views on many of the things you dislike.

The religion is the same but the things you dislike are not. This would suggest that the religion is not the problem.

What I'm getting at is this; Islam isn't the problem with the 'Muslim world' as you term it. It's the societal views which, you're right, were probably informed on very old school values which came from religion, but America and the UK had old school values once upon a time too, the religion didn't stop social change. Religion isn't the problem here.

Personally, the current generation we live in is probably the most accepting there has ever been, I don't think that we are likely to have any sort of bias against people in the future. That being said, there are still people out there who are incredibly bigoted that are in our generation, but they will probably be the last of their kind.

That's kind of my point. Each generation is more accepting than the previous. So what will out descendants think we were bigoted about which they think is fine?

 

[StBishop]

Edit: Too many posts. =/

 

[idodo35]

probably like you said or possibly something new (maybie interplanetary relations?) but id like to believe that i will personally stay open minded to the stuff to come...

 

[lRookiel]

I'm English and I think we have a big racism problem over here, I enjoy some jokes but I have no real problem with any race because hating over skin colour is pointless really.

Religion on the other hand..... I have a BIG problem with some aspects of different religious beliefs for just being plain cruel (I won't say which ones).

 

[RustlessPotato]

Muslims. Seriously. This generation is fucking FILLED with hatred towards Muslims. The first thing anyone thinks of when they hear Muslims is 'EVIL BASTARDS!'. I am one of the exceptions because the first thing that pops into my mind when I hear Muslim is that something is evil and despicable but its not Muslims, its the stereotype that surrounds them. I think (and hope) that the next generation will look back on us and think 'What the fuck was their problem with Muslims?'. Seriously. Muslims aren't all bad people. The majority of them are good people. Saying a small group of Muslims reflects their people as a whole (in this case the small groups would be terrorists) is like saying Westboro reflects Christianity as a hole (although I know a lot of you think they do. But I don't think a small group of internet users who hate Christianity reflect on internet users as a whole. Ha, see how I spun that around?).

That is indeed true. But I have to say this though.

In my country (Belgium), there was recently a group of extremists called Sharia4Belgium that demanded that Sharia law was established in Belgium and at some point threatend with violence. After some more hatespeeches they were arrested I think. Because i don't involve myself in such sillyness, I didn't follow the story quite closely.

Every reasonably Muslim I knew automatically responded with: "yes but not all Muslims are like that. And when they want Sharia they want some values of Islam integrated in this society. You have to respect their beliefs." Which annoyed me, because when you're in another country and plan to live there you should live by that other country's standard. But moreso they gave me the impression that they would be kinda ok with Sharia being integrated.

my point is, I think the majority of the muslim world would better help themselves to publicly condemn those extremists, fight against them, show the world that they're not ok with extremists giving Islam a bad reputation. Instead of saying "we're not like them". Then do something about them.

This is coming from a guy whose had a stepdad for 8 years. Prayed 5 times a day, didn't eat porc. But kept his religion to himself and adapted into society.

 

[Elate]

-snip-

There's a pretty significant fat acceptance movement and some members are actually trying to equate the "oppression of larger peoples" with what happened to African Americans in the past.

I'm pretty sure that fat people weren't enslaved. Not to mention everything else which has happened to, well, all non-white ethnicities.

Fat acceptance movement!? Are you serious?

Last I checked being overweight was because you have little self control and a poor diet, not because you were born that way. What's next, bulimia acceptance movement? These people need help, not toleration.

 

[StBishop]

Ignoring the fact that "whites" wasn't ever a derogatory term. Yeah.
Not offended, just shocked that you'd use an out dated term.

EDIT: I realise that I'm overly touchy about racism, I grew up in the country and people there were not only much, much more racist than city folk, but they genuinely believed that there was no such thing as racism any more.

... That would seem to be an Aussie thing. Never seen anyone take issue with 'blacks' before.

I think it's more of a "me" thing. I tend to be rather fragile about racism. Especially subversive racism like "oh, they can't help being poor, it's not their fault" kind of stuff. Which is what I tend to see, so anything with an "us" "them" connotation rustles my Jimmies as when I normally encounter it there's very strong negative connotations. Particularly pity or judgement, especially unwarranted pity.

ie. Unemployed, parent funded, yuppie student living off of undeserved student benefits 'pitying' a guy who works two jobs so his kids can go to a good high school. Oh and this guy happens to be anything other than white. A white guy in the same situation is an "Aussie battler" or "Hard working".
It's not hatred, but it's just as harmful.

So yeah, it's not an Aussie thing so much as me being a little uptight because I've become cynical and see dickheadedness in innocent comments.

Ugh, hating religions is vulgar.

I can understand the intellectual distaste for organised religion, it is reasonable. But hating a person for what they believe is simply boorish.

Depends on what those beliefs are. I'd say it's reasonable to hate members of the WBC.

I certainly agree. I don't think it's reasonable to hate all Jews because a Jew once stole your TV (trying to avoid racist stereotypes). Or hating all Buddhists because a Buddhist family you lived near were all violent and obnoxious when you were growing up.

 

[Woodsey]

spoiler

Alright, well, it's really just a plural. "Not all blacks are racist, not all whites are racist."

 

[Patrick Buck]

Religon hating.
Thats the next thing coming. Won't be that much of a problem where I live, (In the country, in england) but I already know certain people who get really, irrationally angry over religon, and then damn everyone who belives in it.
He is an idiot.

Capatcha "Do more sit ups"
WHAT? NOT YOU TOO INTERNET. STOP JUDGING ME.

 

[LilithSlave]

But our generation still has racism....

 

[Lt._nefarious]

smartism where the general public are afraid of the intelligent and linuism where people discriminate against people whom have linux on there desktops...

 

[The Funslinger]

Ugh, hating religions is vulgar.

I can understand the intellectual distaste for organised religion, it is reasonable. But hating a person for what they believe is simply boorish.

I've actually seen people on this website brazenly state that if it were up to them, religion would be illegal (some people even suggesting gruesome punishment). Yeah, guys, you know what also crushed a religion with brutal oppression? The Holocaust. Being even handed about it doesn't make you any better. Yeah, yeah. Godwin's Law. I'm still right.

I've also seen people say the same of marriage, which rankles me even more. What, you think you have the right to take that away from everyone, just because you fail to see the point? Get off my planet.

I get that some people have to have the "edgy" opinion, but there are some freaking children on this website. Like the short sighted individuals who think outlawing guns will cure gun crime.

To get back on topic, though, while I feel religion has no place in logical and scientific decision making, it's got a lot of traditional and cultural value. Some of the history it represents is absolutely incredible, and religion definitely does help a lot of people find inner peace.

I'm an atheist, but come on, guys!

Captcha: ginned up

Not yet, but I'm working on it.

 

[Relish in Chaos]

Personally, I?m against religion in all its forms, but I dislike Islam the most because I?ve found it to be one of the most harmful, made even worse by the fact that it?s the second-largest religion. And I didn?t come to this conclusion via influence from the media or anything. I've had personal experience with Islam, because my mother?s a Muslim herself (who?s mentioned on one or two occasions that she thinks homosexuality is wrong and parents are meant to be a man and a woman) and, when I was younger, forced me to pray, fast at Ramadan, and learn Arabic and about Islam at the Islamic equivalent of a Sunday school. I?ve read the Qur?an and multiple other Islamic books too.

And yes, it is disgusting and horribly fascist propaganda. Just look at the state of the Islamic countries and fucking Sharia law. Not even the Red States are as bad as them. No, they?re not all terrorists and they?re not all misogynists. But most of them aren?t open-minded or remotely liberal either, and nonchalantly preach discrimination.

 

[zelda2fanboy]

Racism against Hispanic people and Mexican immigrants. It was big a few years ago and I don't think it ever goes away. I once got in the habit of reading a site of "serious" political editorials, only to eventually realize it was nothing but xenophobic rants about white privilege. I think all the anti-bullying campaign are actually drumming up more bullying than there might otherwise be, and that could develop into a social system of agreed-upon subjugation.

I can see transphobia being a problem, too. I'm about as open minded sexually as one can get, but I still think there's probably something at least slightly wrong with people who don't accept their own bodies. I don't think it affects me at all, of course, but there's always a slight sense of annoyance when someone asks to be called by a special name or different gender identity just because he/she feels like it. Can't you just be a boy who likes to wear women's clothes? Or a girl who likes to behave "manly?" Why do we have to change your name (or worse, have painful life threatening surgery) in order to fully "accept" what you think you are? Like I said, minor annoyances. I wouldn't in real life discriminate against a person like that.

(Never pick a fight with a transvestite. Remind me of a line from that book Please Kill Me, something to the effect of "you have be a badass ready to defend yourself if you're a man in a dress.")