Racism, is it used as a defence these days?

[C14N]

I've never seen stuff like that considered racist. It would be racist if you complained about him being Asian rather than complaining about him hitting you or if you went around blaming all Asians for this.

Normally when people I know pull out the "that's racist!" card, it's as a joke.

 

[Sikratua]

I was called a racist once in high school. I enjoyed beating that person into a oozing mass, but not as much as I enjoyed telling him that I hated all people equally. Since then, I've realized that hatred is too much like respect, and refuse to give that to anyone.

 

[Knight Captain Kerr]

Yeah is insane if I call someone out on being an asshole I don't care what race sex or sexuality they are they are still an asshole.

 

[Wintermoot]

and another example of double standard,s
by their definition I pretty much have a free pass to throw racial slurs at people.
personally I don,t give a shit if you happen to be Caucasian/Asian/African/Artic etc. if I insult you deserved it.

 

[Riff Moonraker]

It's usually bored white people with unsatisfying lives who think like that.

I'm sorry, but you have to have been living in a box, if you think thats true. In fact, I wish *I* lived in that box, so that it wasnt true. But the OP is right, and it is worse than it has ever been before, at least as far back as I can remember.

I have been called a racist (and I most certainly am not) by disagreeing with President Obama, and his policies. I have seen them use that word quite liberally (pun intended) in the news as well, against anyone that bashes his policies.

 

[teebeeohh]

did you know that in 9 out of 10 cases the phrase " i am not racist, but" is followed by racism?

although i am happy that this seems to be a 1 out of 10 case.
The guy in your case seems to be just a stupid prick, i have run into my fair share of those, back in my school days a girl started shouting at me because i did better at an assignment than her and she apparently spend way more time on it than me and as a rule of thumb boys have to be worse at creative writing than girls.

 

[springheeljack]

I think allot of people don't actually know what racism is
I was on this form one time and this guy was from Australia and this girl made some disparaging comments about Australians and he called her racist....that was pretty funny

The thing is racism is still something that people have to deal with
but if someone is calling you racist for insulting them (and not in a racial slur way) then they are just a dumb ************

 

[David Hebda]

Yah, the "your a racist" card is the ultimate defense for any behaviors exhibited by a non-white and ya know what I'm sick of it. Am I a racist? No, but I am a culturalist (that being that I believe that my culture and cultures similar to mine {sharing similar beliefs and morals} are better then other cultures) The major difference is that I judge by the content of ones character not the color of ones skin

DO YOU REMEMBER THAT!!! Remember that speech! It was probably on of the best given in human history. And he didn't say "don't judge" or "just accept everyone as they are" No he said judge them by their actions, by their character, but don't pre-judge them by their skin color... but no today we can't judge anyone, for any reason no matter what... Makes me sick.

See http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/616-50-Cent-Blood-on-the-Sand

 

[scorptatious]

The way I see things, being called racist for not liking someone who happens to be a different ethnic group then you are is kind of unfair. It just seems to be a stigma that comes along with having ancestors who did horrible things to other races, which is something neither you or I had any control over.

Now if I did hate someone just because of their race, then yeah, I can be considered a racist. But being called that for any other reason is just ridiculous.

 

[BanthaFodder]

I like the way Denis Leary put it;
we'd hate you even if you WEREN'T black. if you're both black and an asshole, that does not make you a black asshole, it makes you a REGULAR asshole who happens to be black.

all of this PC "we can't offend anyone EVAR" bullshit needs to stop.
WORDS. YOU ARE BEING "HURT" BY FUCKING WORDS.

 

[trooper6]

Here is a very good article by Tim Wise about the "race card."

http://www.counterpunch.org/wise04242006.html

A taste of the article...written by a white person...in case you need to know that information:

"Asked about the tendency for people of color to play the "race card," I responded as I always do: First, by noting that the regularity with which whites respond to charges of racism by calling said charges a ploy, suggests that the race card is, at best, equivalent to the two of diamonds. In other words, it's not much of a card to play, calling into question why anyone would play it (as if it were really going to get them somewhere). Secondly, I pointed out that white reluctance to acknowledge racism isn't new, and it isn't something that manifests only in situations where the racial aspect of an incident is arguable. Fact is, whites have always doubted claims of racism at the time they were being made, no matter how strong the evidence, as will be seen below. Finally, I concluded by suggesting that whatever "card" claims of racism may prove to be for the black and brown, the denial card is far and away the trump, and whites play it regularly: a subject to which we will return."

 

[Gigano]

In some instances, undoubtedly so. Although in many others it's an accusation with some merit to it.

One could well speculate that individuals which happen to belong to some minority group, and who can't get ahead in life as fast as they want, would be tempted to choose to attribute this fact to their group affiliation rather than any personal failings and limitations, even when not always - in the present first world presumably not often - the case. And that some of them would give in to temptation.

This certainly doesn't mean that racism have been entirely eliminated as a problem; just that it has in some instances also been reversed, insofar as these untrue allegations center on a particular (majority) racial group. Which will give these majorities all the more reason to help crush the worthless filth which practise racism in any form, at any time, against any race, as it is the only ethically sound way they can protect themselves as well.

One should of course never assign any measure of (lack of) worth to ethically neutral group affiliations such as race - be they to a majority of minority group - but always strictly evaluate each individual on its own merits and the viewpoints it has itself chosen to express adherence to.

And of course the state should only accord rights and benefits only based on it's individual needs and qualifications, unless a downright state or grave risk of societal emergency makes temporary differentiation in regard to positive discrimination of certain groups a strict necessity.

 

[blindthrall]

It's usually bored white people with unsatisfying lives who think like that.

Sometimes, it is exactly this.

Sometimes it's a legitimate problem and ignoring and dismissing it as 'oh those silly white people and their self entitlement' is in itself a racist stance to take (it is in fact possible to discriminate against white people, a vast majority of us indirectly do in the form of double standards).

Some people do try to excuse otherwise inexcusable behavior or actions by discrediting the person criticising them, and in our 'enlightened' day and age, an easy way to discredit someone is to make them look like a biased and uncaring bigot (which isn't as hard as it sounds).

You beat me to it. If I were a minority I'd be concerned about society at large thinking all racism accusations were just people crying wolf, if unfounded claims keep being made.

And I know where the OP is coming from. This past New Years I got punched in the face by a black guy because he THOUGHT I said the word. But his friends broke everything up right away, and apologized to me for him.

 

[funguy2121]

In this day and age, anything offensive said to a non-white person will be labelled as "Racist!" by some politically correct people. Now, I'm not saying I'm racist, but, when I said something offensive about an Asian person who punched me and disfigured my face I'm apparently being "racist" even when it wasn't a racial comment. And he didn't punch me because I was racist. And whenever anyone white says anything to do with another race it's racism. And if I had hit the person who hit me, my school would have expelled me for racial abuse, but because the white guy got punched its just common assault.

I just want to know, are we too quick to judge things as racism or use it just as an accusation when the comments aren't meant to offend people's race. For example, if I said (and I am not saying I would say this, I am using it as an example) "That fucking ****** is a prick" I would consider that racist, but if I said "He is a prick," and I was talking about someone who happened to be black, I would also be called racist.

I wonder where you live that you feel that you'd be called a racist, in general, for daring to suggest that black men are pricks. I'm sure some of the lesser black people out there would accuse you of racism in any situation, but the same goes for lesser white people. The double standard you're describing is the result of centuries of cultural displacement and injustice, and it's a double standard that absolutely every race in every culture on this planet is guilty of.

I don't see where the oh-woe-is-me vibe is coming from. Statistically you're probably better off than most minorities whom you would deem a prick. Are you suggesting that you get the short end of the stick because you aren't given the same impunity to curse someone out? That's just shitty.

 

[SHIFTYMACO]

The problem with racism is that in some cultures certain things are considered racist while in others they are not.

And excellent example is this KFC Advert that ran in Australia and was pulled from air for being racist.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FftZt-Dw_hQ&feature=related

To an American this is giving noisy black people fired chicken to shut them up because there is a running joke that "Blacks love fried chicken".

To an Australian it is a guy offering some chicken to these noisy people to shut them up.
There was a major annoyance in the general Australian population because people called us racist for an advert which was not in our eyes racist.

The Americans put the connotations of "Blacks love fried chicken" to that advert while to Australians it was people enjoying chicken and they had never heard of "Blacks love fried chicken" joke/slur until it was pulled from air and the Americans made a big fuss over it

Its a dangerous road to tread because while some people are directly racist others are unknowingly so, and then there are those who take insult for perceived slights while others truly get targeted.

Intersting thread,

"I'm not racist, I just hate everyone"
"I don't make the stereo types, I just see them"

 

[TheSnarkKnight]

Whilst this does happen from time to time (dicks trying to get away with being dicks by calling their opponent racist), it'd be hard to say that it happened as often as dicks trying to get away with being racist dicks by calling their opponent an ovely PC dick.
Really, it's obvious that both these things happen, and I can't see what you're trying to point out other than that some people are dicks, and some of these dicks use the race card. Oh, and also that some people are idiots who, in order to not be seen as racist dicks, overcompensate like a man with a small dick buying a big car, and wind up assuming any racial minority is in the right, whether they're the one being the dick or not.
Capeesh?
Ps. I like using the word dick a lot, did you notice?

 

[WouldYouKindly]

Hate crime laws and a focus on race just creates an unnecessary focus on a fucking stupid difference. A lesson well learned from South Park.

 

[funguy2121]

Spoiler

If somebody tries to play the race card on me, I just ignore it and say it's not the 50's anymore. History is a ***** to erase though, and everybody who only hears how things were seems to think they are entitled to special treatment because of it.

Hell, I've seen a guy offer a black woman his seat because none were available and she tried to call him racist and was trying to make up for all the bad things his people had done to her people and whatnot.

Calling somebody racist is as old and tired as the very concept of racism. It's annoying and people need to grow the fuck up.

I can't help but feel like the minority because if I happen to say anything negative about somebody who isn't the same skin color as me they are suddenly entitled to not be treated like any other human being and learn to accept some form of criticism whether it be what they want to hear or not.

Go and watch Yahtzee's review of 50 Cent: Blood in the Sand right now. He addressed this issue better than anyone ever has, to my knowledge.

 

[Spoonius]

You know what they say... empty vessels make the most sound.

.

Subconsciously, everyone's a little bit racist. It can't be helped, and if affects every man, woman and child equally. Racism is only a problem when people are consciously discriminate to others due solely to their ethnicity.

As an Arab-looking man who lives in predominantly white Australia, I'm proud to say that I've never been blatantly discriminated against. One kid called me a ****** once when I was seven or eight, and another called me a terrorist more recently (to be fair, at the time I was dressed as a Somalian pirate for a pirate-themed party), but who honestly gives a shit? Getting worked up over something like that just reduces your life expectancy.

 

[2xDouble]

I refer you to Moviebob's other Big Picture [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/the-big-picture/2783-Correctitude] on this very topic. (Its not the one about Thor.)