The term "Racist" is overused

[Chemical Alia]

Meh, it happens. But racism is still very much alive in politics, as well. It's hard for some people to separate factors like race, gender and sexual orientation from policy. Closest I've ever been to that situation is having been called a close-minded racist by a couple of weeaboos for not appreciating or enjoying anime cartoons.

 

[Signa]

Do you people even know what RACISM means?

It's the irrational hatred (or intolerance) of a group (or individual) based solely on their RACE.

It's not a "white thing" and it's NOT a "religious nut-bag" thing OR even a political thing.

It's like when my supervisor called me a racist for calling him a "Stupid piece of SHIT".
I responded with "If SHIT becomes a RACE, then I'll apologise! Until then, GO FUCK YOURSELF!"

I stayed at that job for two more years before I quit, to work elsewhere.

That is the correct definition of racism, however, if you look at all the instances people cry "racism" you'll find that being "racist" is nothing more than identifying differences between sub-cultures, genetic features, or using a slur in a haphazard way.

I mean, I don't hate black people for having darker skin than I do, but when one acts like a jackass and I call him a ******[footnote]hypothetical situation here. I've never needed to do so. I will admit that I had a really nice black boss once, and I almost called him the N word when I was mad at him for having to lay me off when times were tough, but that just goes to prove what I'm talking about more. I didn't hate him for being black, I just was mad and wanted to hurt him verbally. You can't be racist for disliking one person, it's completely against the very concept of being racist.[/footnote], everyone will call me out for being a racist and disparaging an entire race. No. If you actually listened, I'm saying that individual is such a poor example of a human that he's disparaging his own race. Granted, I'd be pretty dumb to throw the N word[footnote]You'll notice I'm not actually using the word here. It's a taboo word that I have no problem throwing around to those that earn it, and no one has earned it here. The hypothetical person imagined above did. I thought I'd clear that up before some one jumps on me for talking like a racist[/footnote] around in front of a black person, but I think the N word is just being used these days as something for the blacks to dangle over the whites, in sort of a free-speech shackle. If I actually hated a person for a circumstance of birth, then yes, I'm a racist. Everything else is circumstantial of the situation and the people I'm engaged with.

 

[Saltyk]

Does it make me racist for noticing the most racist people I've met are non-Caucasians?

I don't think so. But, maybe I'm just racist like that.

In all seriousness, one of the most offensively racist people I have ever met in my entire life was black. He tried to hide it, but if you talked to him long enough, it became pretty obvious. I even called him out on his racism. His response?

You can't be racist if you don't have any power. It's only racist, if you can deny people something based on their race

Honestly, I was dumbfounded. He wasn't even denying his hatred of other races. Just saying that he wasn't "racist" because he wasn't in a position of power. So, I just called him a bigot.

It seems that some people use the charge of racism to deflect any counter argument. Even if you have a good point, the moment someone accuses you of racism, you are on the defensive. It doesn't even have to make sense.

 

[Hive Mind]

I don't think any of them changed really. Some of them changed in scope, but they all retain their meaning.

That's definition creep though, Hacker means "a person who delights in having an intimate understanding of the internal workings of a system, computers and computer networks in particular." - which is a positive view, but have you ever heard the word "Hacker" used in anything other than a backhand in media today?

Today we have Grammar Nazis (Autocratic personality who enforces "correct" use of language), Jew (which is offensive) and Jewish (which can mean anyone who purtains to be Jewish - regardless of ideology or ethnicity), Hater : a person who expresses intense feelings of hatred or spite, when the reason for this is perceived as unreasonable or spurious, newfags/oldfags (from the original private School version of fags - because I doubt all of 4chan are effeminate/homosexual), and racism; which is now a perceived influence on someone due to their perceived racial agenda - rather than the perceived influence of someone due to their ethnicity.

And most of the countries that have Racially charged political lobbies are those that have more stringent human rights than those countries that don't. That is why such countries have problems with mass immigration, because those immigrants are usually fleeing persecution in their own countries from issues including (but not restricted to) racism.

Mmm, I see what you're saying. You very clearly explain your position and for that I thank you. I still however must disagree. Sort of. Your points are all valid and I won't even try to rebuke any of them, but I still feel the spirit of the words is their greater definition.

If you would, I think the lyrics to a song (of all things) explain my standpoint perfectly;

"No defence against the indefensible. The space between words and things is once again total. No defence against the indefensible. The space between words and things is once again fatal. All naming is already murder: serviced muck on the killing floor. Soft-violence as pragmatic necessity: bullbaiting with the starved dogs of rhetoric. An arena sport like no other. Bring on the organ-grinders, carnival barkers, snake-oil paddlers, pork-barreling mouthpieces. Parceling out concerted blows of categorical reification. Deep bites with self-confirming payloads. Live seed for excessive entitlement and a snare for every congenital impulse. Absent a shot, we are condemned to be at war with words."

Inspiration: the function of representation comes to grief when words lose their connections with things -- in short, when language represents itself.
Mark Poster, The Mode Of Information​

To me, the exact words are not worth pointing out. The spirit of their definition is what matters. For example: a grammar Nazi -- clearly not what you (correctly) defined as a Nazi, but the idea of the word works.

I might not be making any sense at all. I find this very hard to convey in words. If it comes across as rambling, I'm sorry 'bout that. Hopefully enough of it made sense.

 

[The_root_of_all_evil]

but I still feel the spirit of the words is their greater definition.

Oh absoloutely, but all "laws" are made on the words themselves, rather than the spirit of the words.


You frusking pumpslider.

And there's also this (Which is TERRIBLY racist - but written equally by two people mocking racism)

 

[Gigano]

Undoubtedly.

Kind of takes time away from - and prevents forming a common front in - the fight against actual racism. Stopping unfair allegations of racism is of course equally important to stopping unfair allegations based in racism; so these hypersensitive puritanical types who'll throw the word out first chance are as much an enemy to common sense and decency as is the actual racists.

Never been accused by anyone of it myself though. Nor do I really pity those who are labeled so when criticizing Obama; it's not like the rhetoric or factual accuracy of allegations from the other side of the political spectrum is any better.

 

[Hive Mind]

but I still feel the spirit of the words is their greater definition.

Oh absoloutely, but all "laws" are made on the words themselves, rather than the spirit of the words.


You frusking pumpslider.

And there's also this (Which is TERRIBLY racist - but written equally by two people mocking racism)

That first video is bloody hilarious. I've always loved how the reverberated sound from one's mouth can generate so much anger in others. Simplistic of me? Yeah. But I still love it, lol.

I guess we will agree to our separate, but not unalike opinions

 

[Carlston]

I'd say for every ounce of criticism he's had he's either blamed Bush (the white guy) or whined racism over his skin, but since his reasons are "Well only whites don't like black's" he's a racist coward who just can't admit his own faults.

Every "other" president who's oddly been white can take their criticism with a grain of salt, why can't he?

 

[Robert Ewing]

I think it sucks that as soon as you don't like a black person or any non-Caucasian for ANY reason, you get labelled an evil racist. It seems that we have to be extremely friendly with all black people to avoid getting labelled racist.

And forgive me for sounding like i'm anti-social or anything, but there are a few black people that I just don't like. They constantly bully me, but I can't retaliate, because i'm freaking afraid that they will label me a racist, which will ruin my chance of gaining any friends.

It is far easier to retaliate to any white enemies that I may have, because I don't have this problem. It just seems sad that I'm literally afraid to bare a grudge against a black person, in fear that they will assume that I hate their entire race. I don't... I have just as many black enemies as I do white. I don't hate blacks, I hate the individual that happened to hate me as well.

I also hate that certain individuals use the racist card as a weapon. I'm sure you all know what I mean.

 

[Antari]

With Osama Bin Laden dead, the primary enemy now is political correctness.

 

[Furious Styles]

The main issue I have is the incorrect use of the term. Religions aren't races and neither are countries. Prejudice against Muslims isn't racism as Islam is not a race, it's a religion and a person of any race can be a Muslim. The same goes for Jews (you try telling me that Sammy Davis jnr and Mel Brooks are members of the same race) Christians and any other religious group. The same applies to nationalities. Disliking the French is not racist because the French are not a race. Disliking immigrants for reasons other than race is not racism, if anything its Xenophobia.

Prejudice against black people, asians, arabs, whites, aborigines, native americans and all other races or ethnicities is racist (provided their race is the reason for the prejudice), but racism is a specific term and is both over and incorrectly used.

 

[Trodamus]

In this thread: people of privilege and entitlement discuss things beyond their scope, education and understanding.

There are a few of you that doesn't apply to. So don't worry! I bet you're one of the smart ones.

But largely, I think the motivation for this kind of circle-jerk is the simple phenomena in that calling a white person a racist triggers the kind of reaction you'd see out of calling a black person a ******. You go nuts! You lose any ability to have a rational argument, scream about how it's unfair, racism is overused, people play the race card too often, etc.

When instead, the rational response would be to sit back and calmly discuss what is considered racist and why. Don't agree with the assessment? Well, you really aren't in a position to tell someone else when they should and shouldn't feel marginalized by your comments. But...that's obvious, isn't it? You knew that already.

 

[spartan231490]

How many of you here said you don't like Obama or think he is mediocre and are automatically called a racist. The term racist is starting to be used by people who are insecure to accomplish more for themselves. I am the not the slightest bit racist, i actually enjoy the company of many different races and i have many different friends spread across these races.I'm tired of being called racist by people themselves are In a way racist. I know many intelligent non-white races that think Obama is not a very good president. I don't have a problem with him he is just not the best president we have ever had and just because he is black does not mean he should be treated as such. Does anyone else deal with this or things like this, I honestly hate racists and I don't enjoy being called one. I see everyone the same except for deep rooted religious nuts.

It happens a lot, and it really really really . . . really . . . (3 hours later) . . . really pisses me off. It is the most irritating thing I have ever seen, when people project their own racist interpretations of your comments on you. They hear your comment, and interpret it as racist, so your the bigoted ass? Oh what was that, you have perfectly legitimate reasons for your negative comment about a black man that has nothing to do with the color of his skin? I don't care, you're being negative towards a black man, your a bigot! NO!
Going to stop before I type a 7 page rant on why people like this should be made surgically mute, and just say that I encounter it a lot, and that I hate it with an unparalleled intensity.

 

[Frostbyte666]

Yeah rascist gets thrown around a lot by idiots who are actually racist themselves and are projecting.

The thing with Obama always bugged me though with America going on and on about the 1st black president. My response was so what? can he do the job? Besides being from the UK we've already gone further by having a female prime minister. Again the main point is who cares? can they do the job?

 

[loodmoney]

Double post, very sorry.

 

[loodmoney]

In this thread: people of privilege and entitlement discuss things beyond their scope, education and understanding.

There are a few of you that doesn't apply to. So don't worry! I bet you're one of the smart ones.

But largely, I think the motivation for this kind of circle-jerk is the simple phenomena in that calling a white person a racist triggers the kind of reaction you'd see out of calling a black person a ******. You go nuts! You lose any ability to have a rational argument, scream about how it's unfair, racism is overused, people play the race card too often, etc.

When instead, the rational response would be to sit back and calmly discuss what is considered racist and why. Don't agree with the assessment? Well, you really aren't in a position to tell someone else when they should and shouldn't feel marginalized by your comments. But...that's obvious, isn't it? You knew that already.

I agree with this. If you are accused of racism, the accuser might be right, or they might be wrong. But to respond to an accusation by saying that "racist" is used too often is not a good solution. To limit the words usage to cases that you agree with might well limit how often actual racists are called out on their racism. This is not an acceptable result.

Not sure if I made myself clear just now, but basically: you don't get to define what is racist and what isn't. If someone says you are racist, ask what makes them say that.

(Another way to think about this: if the person calling you racist is part of a marginalised group, and "racist" is a term with some value that can be depreciated by ill usage, then simply assume that they know what they are doing. If it is a term that has currency, it is their currency to spend as they choose. Respect for other people's autonomy and all that, y'know?)

 

[pliusmannn]

If RE5 is racist, then why any other game (mainly shooter) is not racist? Crysis for example - you must kill Korean's, then more Koreans, then flying tentacle monsters...