Poll: Is it okay to pardon racism from a very old person?

[boradam]

When I hear older people say "Negro", "Kraut", or the like, I'm perfectly fine with it. Back then, it wasn't viewed as being racist to call them that, I know older black men and women who are perfectly fine with being called that when from another older person -- you don't apply current context and logic to the context used back in the past. A southern man or woman who would've been the nicest person you know saying negro could be the same as a friendly neighbor calling a hispanic man living down the street a mexican.

 

[krazykidd]

a friendly neighbor calling a hispanic man living down the street a mexican.

I don't think that's the same thing . I actually get mad when people call me African . And i get mad for asian when people call them chinese ( except if they actually are chinese in that case they lucked out . I mean in a world with this much education there is no excuse for calling hispanics"mexican", black people " Africans "and Asians "chineese" . That's like calling russians "comunists" . It's funny how no one calls caucasians: Europeens .

But anyways that's not the point of this thread . Just a little side note and a personal pet peeve of mine .

Also what is a "Kraut" ? I have never heard that before .

 

[Ryotknife]

a friendly neighbor calling a hispanic man living down the street a mexican.

I don't think that's the same thing . I actually get mad when people call me African . And i get mad for asian when people call them chinese ( except if they actually are chinese in that case they lucked out . I mean in a world with this much education there is no excuse for calling hispanics"mexican", black people " Africans "and Asians "chineese" . That's like calling russians "comunists" . It's funny how no one calls caucasians: Europeens .

But anyways that's not the point of this thread . Just a little side note and a personal pet peeve of mine .

Also what is a "Kraut" ? I have never heard that before .

German. I believe that is what the allies/americans liked to call them. Americans like to come up with nicknames for everyone they fight. Charlie for Vietnese for example. Also, please dont ask why we come up with these names. If you havent noticed we suck at making up names.

As a german american ive heard Kraut used quite often (mostly on old people). Granted it does not have the negative connotation that other race nicknames have (at least anymore, cant speak of how it was used in WW2).

 

[Mycroft Holmes]

It's situational like with everything. It's never ok to pardon it, but it is ok to overlook it in light of who else they are.

My grandfather didn't think blacks on average were as smart as white people. He also refused to vote for Obama because he thought Obama was going to enact policies favoring black people. He definitely had racist views in relation to white superiority. But he was also the guy who hired hispanics, and blacks and homosexuals when contractors weren't encouraged to and other ones weren't doing so. And he did it at equal pay to any white worker he hired when wage laws didn't require it. He was the guy who pissed off an entire town in Alabama because he refused to have his groceries rung up before a black person who was in the line ahead of him. So at the end of the day he never let his beliefs in that regard compromise his morality. He was completely fine with his daughter marrying an Italian and with his grandson dating a black girl(actually half black but society even today says that anyone with even a drop of blood from any other race is automatically not white even if that is their largest racial percentage. lol Obama.) Anyways my point is, he was a hell of a lot better of a man than most everyone else from that generation with regards to racism. And so I can overlook some racist beliefs because he never let them guide his actions.

If however someone is just a complete asshole racist: Then no, being over 60 or over X age does not at all excuse them from anything. Judge someone by their actions, but judge them by all their actions.

and their brains aren't fully functioning

Actually, except for cases of dementia, our brains only get better with age. The reason why old people tend to get absent minded later on is the same reason why the absent minded professor is a common enough occurrence.

 

[rob_simple]

My Nana and Papa both still call black people 'darkies' but beyond that they're pretty liberal, so I don't let it bother me too much. To be honest, it bothers me more when middle-aged members of my family refer to black people as 'coloured', because it sounds like they're trying not to be racist by being kind of racist.

I imagine it might be different in America, but in the UK most of the old people racism I encounter is just the terminology they use, most of them don't really care one way or another; at least not enough to campaign for any sort of change.

 

[Abomination]

They'll be dead soon enough, so there's no point wasting effort trying to convince someone who will only hold an enlightened opinion - should you even be successful - for a couple of years before the problem just takes care of itself.

 

[Subscriptism]

It's slightly more acceptable but it's still not ok.

 

[Coppernerves]

*snop*

Some of it is just relativism and the ever-shifting vagaries of the euphemism treadmill. Reading smearyllama's post above is a case in point: I hadn't realised that "oriental" was considered politically incorrect, and hopefully I'm not some belligerent old fogey. It literally just means "of the East", the counterpart of occidental, and we don't hesitate to call ourselves Westerners, do we? But hey, if somebody out there has decided that it's now an offensive word, then I guess that's cool with me. But you can see how easily unintended offence can be given. It's the whole black/coloured situation all over: which one is the racial slur and which one is the polite and progressive euphemism? Let's see, it's 2013, which isn't divisible by four, and the month has an "e" in it, so that means... *holds finger to wind*
*snop*

It seems as if just about every polite word for someone who is, in some way, a minority, be they a ginner, retard, or paki, at some point starts getting used as an insult, so we have to come up with some new word and call the old word impolite.

We really need to stop being offended by euphemism and pay attention to context instead, otherwise we'll just be wasting time arguing and coming up with new terms for old concepts.

 

[Starik20X6]

No. It's no more okay than a man saying he thinks women shouldn't ever become anything other than homemakers and housewives. Age has nothing to do with whether or not what you're saying is an outdated, harmful belief. Times change, and you either change with the times or get left behind.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

If you make a racist comment? Who cares. It could be normal reaction, hell in this country black people can use "******" as a positive, but a white person cant. Black people cant have it both ways. Yes, talk to old people and say that what they say isnt allowed. Its just words. But if its racism as in violence or killing, then no, it should not be pardoned.

 

[SonOfVoorhees]

But as for the word ******. Is either offensive or it isnt. In which case both blacks or whites should be arrested for saying it. Racism goes both ways and a word should not be dependent on colour of the person saying it.

 

[Adeptus Aspartem]

Depends. 100 year old and probably senile? Just cut them some slack.
70 and well aware of the hate they're spewing? No tolerance. Age is not an excuse to be an asshole, you can still be held responsible for what you say/do.

I have called people out in certain occasions before - no matter what age they were.

 

[afroebob]

Interesting question, I wonder what the answers would be if there were actual answers and not 'they're going to die anyways lol' answers. It kind of destroys the point of a poll when the answers are stupid as shit.

 

[Ariyura]

I guess it depends on if they're intentionally being racist or they just don't know. I once had an old man ask me if it was okay to call me a "Colored" person. He said if that's not the term then he wasn't sure what to refer to me as. I said how about my name. He apologized and said I don't mean any harm, I know times have changed...

I know this man meant no harm, but on the other hand I work with people in the mental health system. I've been called every name in the book by older people who think we're still living in the past and they can call me that ****** Girl all they want.

Again, I know they mean harm but you can't show them weakness, they say it just to get a rise out of you, and the best retaliation you can give them is just not to show that it affects you in anyway. Boy do they get pissed off lol. So yes and no. I'm a bit conflicted honestly.

 

[krazykidd]

Interesting question, I wonder what the answers would be if there were actual answers and not 'they're going to die anyways lol' answers. It kind of destroys the point of a poll when the answers are stupid as shit.

It was the obliged joke option to an extent . But it basicall boiles down to , why would you care what old people say , their opinion is irrelevent and outdated . Sorry to offend .

 

[el_kabong]

Nope. In this country (by which I mean America), true racism (not to be confused with edgy humor) should not be tolerated by anybody.

 

[BytByte]

You don't forgive or pardon them simply because they are older, but you do have to understand that they are a product of their time. The culture around them posited racism, sexism and the like as more acceptable, so that style of thinking, kind of rubbed off on some of them. It's still bad, very bad, but you can at least see why they would be more racist than people today.