Poll: Poll: Is it racist if it's true or the only examples of this group match this?

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Hazzard

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Jan 25, 2012
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Every person I have met from the Scandinavian countries seems to be obsessed with vikings.
Am I right in thinking every Scandinavian is like this?
Am I racist for thinking this?
Is it my fault for finding something in common with 5 people from a sub-continent and coming to the conclusion that they are all like that?
 

Angie7F

WiseGurl
Nov 11, 2011
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I think stereotypes exist for a reason, so no I dont hink you are being racist.
But if you use that impression in a hurtful manner, then that is racist.
 

Spambot 3000

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Aug 8, 2011
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Racist? I would say ... no?
However, I would not jump to the conclusion that a large population of people are 'all like that' because of your experience with 5 or so. That certainly is not correct.
 

Angelowl

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Feb 8, 2013
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Why wouldn't we be? I mean, vikings are awesome! Remember that they are pirates amongst other things, and as you know everything is better with pirates. XD

Seriously though, generalisations are intended for populations, as a rough guide for the average or majority. Often based upon to little sample size and thus giving faulty implications. Generalisations in themselves are not bad per se, but using them for judging individuals is missing the point.
 

Keoul

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Apr 4, 2010
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You are indeed racist, but not to the degree where we should be all up in arms about it.
Treating an entire race differently just because of their race would qualify you as a racist, assuming that all Scandinavians are obsessed with vikings is indeed a racist thought, but as I said before, it's not so bad that you should make a big deal about it. I mean it's not exactly something negative like say "Asians can't drive", it's just a weird quirk you noticed.

Just remember being racist isn't necessarily a bad thing, the word itself has been shone in a bad light because of a few extremists who are aggressively racist such as how Hitler thought all Jews were evil and all that jazz. Though granted I can't exactly think of an instance were being racist is a good thing, it's not completely evil and terrible either.
 

Hazy992

Why does this place still exist
Aug 1, 2010
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Well seeing as how you haven't met every single Scandinavian and they've all told you they're obsessed with Vikings, you're still stereotyping.

So yeah it's wrong to think that as you can't generalise every Scandinavian to the small sample size you've met.
 

Thaluikhain

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Jan 16, 2010
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It's racist (if you are counting Scandinavian as a race), it's just not much of a problem.

If everyone thought Scandinavians were different from "us", that'd become a problem, if you and a few otehrs have some vague idea like that, but not enough to affect anything, it's not too bad.

OTOH, if you make that assumption about Scandinavians, I'd be surprised if you didn't others about other groups, though, TBH, everyone does that to some extent.
 

Gigano

Whose Eyes Are Those Eyes?
Oct 15, 2009
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Truth is never immoral.

...though it's never accurately gauged by the experiences of one person either. As a Scandinavian who's not particularly obsessed with vikings, I take grave offence at being profiled couldn't care less if people thought I were, but it'd be a factually incorrect assumption.

You can't generally see if people are from Scandinavia. So if you know it, it's probably because they've talked about it. In which case Scandinavian history, particularly the most famous part of it, is likely to come up.

Still, feel free to assume I'm a tall, blonde, muscular god of fighting who loves raping and pillaging around the English countryside.
 

Batou667

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Oct 5, 2011
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"The problem with stereotypes isn't that they're untrue, but that they're incomplete"

I forget where I read that.
 

JimB

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Apr 1, 2012
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Hazzard said:
Am I right in thinking every Scandinavian is like this?
Are...are you serious? Are you really asking, "I know five people who have both A and B in common; therefore, does everyone person who has trait A also possess trait B?"

Hazzard said:
Am I racist for thinking this?
Closer to nationalist than racist, but for the definition of the word that I think you're probably using, yeah, pretty much.

Hazzard said:
Is it my fault for finding something in common with five people from a sub-continent and coming to the conclusion that they are all like that?
Of course it is, and you know it. You wouldn't be coming here asking us to ease your guilty conscience otherwise.
 

Thaluikhain

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Milk said:
It's not racist becase (from what you have said) you don't think yourself to be superior because of their like of vikings.
I'd disagree, you get (so-called) "benevolent racism" that watch. The way thinking native americans are "noble savages" is bad, despite the "noble" in it, or all black people are athletic or asians are good at computers.

Of course, this involves yourself thinking yourself superior to them, it's just easier to overlook this. Once you start thinking members of a race are inherently different to you, you're more or less going to end up with problems.
 

Froken Keke

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May 21, 2011
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Hazzard said:
Every person I have met from the Scandinavian countries seems to be obsessed with vikings.
Am I right in thinking every Scandinavian is like this?
Not true in even the slightest. Atleast not about me.
I actually find that most non-Scandinavians seem to know more about vikings and their culture than us.

I don't really give a shit if you think we do, though.

It isn't that strange, either. Like, do you really expect people from Egypt to be really into ancient egyptian mythology? They're probably extremely fed up with it.
 

ImperialSunlight

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Nov 18, 2009
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It's just a stereotype. Racism does not apply unless you treat people of a race differently than you would treat another race, and I don't think Scandinavians' apparent interest in Vikings is going to make you shun them... I hope.
 

Something Amyss

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Dec 3, 2008
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Well, last I knew "scandinavian" wasn't a race. But that's still prejudice.

theemporer said:
It's just a stereotype. Racism does not apply unless you treat people of a race differently than you would treat another race, and I don't think Scandinavians' apparent interest in Vikings is going to make you shun them... I hope.
Racism doesn't necessitate different treatment. That certain "races" share specific attributes is still racist.

I should add that not all racism is created equal. Thinking black people all eat fried chicken is not on par with burning a cross on a black family's lawn. People equate it more with the latter and assume a statement of racism is equivalent to calling someone a klanny.
 

hooblabla6262

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Aug 8, 2008
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I grew up on a native reservation. Many outsiders claim that those who live on reservation are all drunks.
Many who live on reservation are drunks, so I correct them by saying "most, not all".

Stereotypes frustrate me.
 

Jamash

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Jun 25, 2008
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No, but it's pretty naive to think that the 5 people you've met are representative of an entire culture.

You have to examine where and how you met them and ask yourself whether those circumstances are normal for all of Scandinavia.

For example, I've met a few Greek people, but I don't think that all Greek people are well spoken, well educated, fun loving, partying, attractive young women, because I know that the Greek people I met at University aren't representative of the entire country.

Not everyone in Greece has the opportunity or desire to study in Britain and the Greeks I met are more likely to be a certain type of person that isn't restricted by nationality, nor representatives of their nationality.

Likewise, I would be a fool for thinking everyone in Sudan is a pot smoking, hip-hop loving, video game playing dude and it would be a great holiday destination just because of my experience with some Sudanese people (who were also the children of high ranking Diplomats and similar "elite classes", hence them studying in the UK).

So, these 5 Scandinavian people, where did you meet them and what demographic did they fit into? If you met them in the UK and they were students, then not only would they not be representatives of the entire population and age groups, but they may also not have been behaving normally as they would do in their own countries. They could have been playing up the obsession with Vikings because it's what you expected them to talk about, or because it's a taking point and an easy conversation to have in a foreign land.

You have to also consider that they could have been taking the piss and only pretending to be obsessed with Vikings because it's a stupid stereotype that certain people will fall for because they are too eager to believe it without thinking (like this one Cuban guy I knew who would play up the Communism, Castro idolatry and revolutionist spiel to certain people, even though he wasn't like that at all).
 

FoolKiller

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Feb 8, 2008
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Hazzard said:
Every person I have met from the Scandinavian countries seems to be obsessed with vikings.
Am I right in thinking every Scandinavian is like this?
Am I racist for thinking this?
Is it my fault for finding something in common with 5 people from a sub-continent and coming to the conclusion that they are all like that?
I think your sample size is way to small to make that sort of judgement so it is racist.
 

felbot

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May 11, 2011
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well no you're not racist, you're kinda silly though thinking all Scandinavians are obsessed with Viking's, i mean sweden alone consists of like 9 million people, all of them cant be obsessed with it.