zhoominator said:
I understand where you are coming from, and within the parameter's you're thinking, you are correct. However, those parameters include an overabundance of importance on prejudice based on race. See, in America, where the civil rights movement is still fresh in our minds, crying "racism" has become an effective tool to use against other people. As such, almost all Americans distance themselves from racist principles and the people who believe in them as much as possible; this results in labeling racists as "bad people", when they're really just clinging to a generally harmless dislike of a people for no good reason. I could compare one's prejudices to their personal choice of religion, but that argument would be nitpicked to pieces.
...so, instead, let me put it this way, let's pretend there's a village somewhere that is entirely white. The village isn't white by choice, it just is, and it's self-sustaining, so nobody really comes or goes unless they need something badly. Within that village, is a white man who acts as a doctor. He heals all the children and elderly, delivers babies, and pitches in around the village to help with the upkeep even though he's only expected to do his job. He's got a good sense of humor, a loving wife, and three children who he loves dearly. He's the best father in the world, a wonderful neighbor, and probably one of the nicest guys you'll ever meet. Now here's the thing: he's never met them, but he has an inherent distrust of people of other races. He will never harm a person, even if they're not white. In fact, he'd save the life of a colored person. He wouldn't like them, trust them, or treat them in the friendliest manner, but if they're put on his operating table, he'll do his damnedest to save their lives.
Now, tell me, is that man a bad person just because he's racist? No, he isn't, because he hasn't done anything to harm anyone in spite of his prejudice, and would still refrain if given the chance. The only way that a person can be measured as either good or evil based on their beliefs is by judging the way those beliefs have been acted upon, and nothing more. If a man believes hispanics are superior to all other races, but still treats everybody around him with grudging respect and patience, then his beliefs are irrelevant because they do not effect the world around him. And isn't that what good and evil are, just a measure of how you effect the world around you? Good means helping, bad means hurting, and if you've done neither you don't count as either?
That's my take, anyway.
