"There is nothing wrong being racist"

[Realitycrash]

You made all of that up. There is no way you have a friend who had absolutely no reservations about saying something as ridiculously racist as "The best parts were where niggers were killed". Unless you have a time machine and like hosting movie nights in 1850.

Wow, you have clearly lived a nice, quiet and secluded life, haven't you? I meet those kind of people every week (I'm a bartender), and trust me, I'v heard far worse.

 

[Merkavar]

I started arguing that you can't judge people just for their skin colour or where they come from, but I could see how he were getting angry so I stopped. He gets angry very easily and I don't want that to happen.

basically i think your being weak. you should have argued that racism is bad and not cared if he got upset or angry. your friend sounds like an idiot and if you cant get him out of the 50s and into 2012 you should stop hanging with him etc, kind of like being friends with a pedo or something, its wrong and if you dont stop them and just hang out like therisnt anything wrong your pretty much saying you think its ok.

try to educate them, if that doesnt work maybe try beating it out of him or ignore them completely

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

There's certainly something wrong with being a racist, but I really don't think it's the heinous thing people make it out to be. I, personally, don't judge people based upon groups as I'm a strict individualist, but I can see how people would get to their perspective.

Race isn't just skin color, it goes deeper than that. Biology influences human behavior and race certainly has a biological component. That doesn't mean one group is better or worse, just that they're different. To see this difference and to assign worth based upon it is ignorant(as you clearly pointed out), but it's neither unusual nor the most terrible thing a person can do.

I don't have any racist friends, but I also really don't have many friends so it's kind of a non starter with me.

Actually, biologically and anthropologically speaking... the concept of "race" among humans is so blurred its nearly impossible to catagorize. The supposed "racial" differences are less varied than male and female and even something so simple as living at different altitudes has a more noticable effect, biologically speaking.

So really, racism goes about as far as "You look different." and no further. Anyone claiming it has more depth is wrong and twisting facts to support their bias.

Most supposed "racial traits" are misinterpreations or flatout ignorance of socio-economic influences rather than simply being born, its all "self-fulfilling prophecy" logic.

Pretty much. Race is such an odd thing, its like we took a physical feature and went "Hey guys, for no apparent reason lets make THIS a HUGE DEAL!". I treat race like hair and eye colour. Its the same. Its a physical trait that varies in members of the human species. I dont hate all tabby cats, or all grey dogs and theres no reason to have ANY particular feelings toward anyone from a certain "race". Preference is fine, i like blondes for example, but active negative feelings? Thats just silly.

Im just tired of how everyone treats race all the time. Yeah my friend is black, ill say "Yeah Victor, the black one, over there in the red shirt" because its a destinguising feature like hair colour. I fail to understand how it reached such a pedastal in our society where it can gather such STRONG feelings of hatred and fear of the topic. Why even waste the time.

"HEY LOOK YOUR ALLELES FOR THIS INSIGNIFICANT TRAIT ARE DIFFERENT FROM MINE! HATRED"

Its stupid no matter how you look at it. Some people are black. Some people are white. The Key word here is "people".

 

[JokerboyJordan]

I don't dislike people because of their skin colour, I will dislike them if they're rude, obnoxious and loud.
If they also happen to be black, of course I'll be prejudice, but I know that not all black people are like that.
Although, stereotypes are stereotypes for a reason, that does't give you the right to make assumptions.

I don't say "All black people are loud"
I say "All black people I know are loud"

If that makes me racist, then I'm racist.

What your friend said, IMO, is racist, he has no such right, merely a biological/mental preference reinforced by past experiences.

 

[Arcane Azmadi]

If I were you, I simply wouldn't be his friend any more. Hell, I'd never even talk to him again. The guy is an asshole.

He's also wrong. You can't just say "there's nothing wrong with being racist" and it suddenly becomes true. That may be his opinion, but he's wrong. That's like killing someone then defending yourself by saying "there's nothing wrong with murder." Or less extremely and more amusingly, like wearing no clothes, going about on all fours and saying there's nothing wrong with it because there's no difference between human beings and cows ("we're all mammals aren't we?"). It's WRONG.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

People are judged by the company they keep. This friend of yours sounds to me like a stupid, selfish, credulous asshole. If you continue to call him your friend, you are the same.

I don't agree with this. I have friends that can be pretty huge assholes at times when they want to be. I have friends that will play pranks and do horrible stuff when they are drunk. Who cares what a stranger thinks of you based off your circle of friends. Most people are smart enough to seperate people based on personality, at least I hope so.

What you're willing to tolerate in those you associate yourself with is part of your character.

Nope, wrong again. Thanks for playing the game and here is a gift basket of lovely parting gifts.

It sounds like you're in denial. I wonder how many racist friends you have and just what kind of awful people you may be willing to tolerate to try and deny that said tolerance is part of one's character. It's blatantly obvious after all simply by the fact that said tolerance varies from person to person and is thus a personal characteristic.

Sounds like your guessing because you have never met me. I am living proof that your wrong, so are other people. I choose to be friends with them because the good far outwieghs the bad. I don't absorb character traits like some blob because I hang out with different people. None of my friends are racist, either am I, sorry big guy, your wrong.

Sorry man but if all my friends are members of the KKK, actively lobby for the destruction of property due to race, or are violent criminals then i am NOT a nice person. Tolerating someone despite a bad aspect says "This is ok to have as a character trait". You tolerate it. And sure for greed, occasional shitty jokes and all round occasional assholery thats fine. Everyone does that from time to time. Its human. But to tolerate a hate speaker or someone who attempts to inspite hatred toward a minority tells that person that what they are doing is ok. It directly implies you are ok with what they do and support. "Im friends with you, you get societal acceptance despite your horrific outlook, it must be ok". Basically if i went around punching people in the face, and people still liked me, it sends a clear message that its fine to do that shit. Its not. And enabling these people is wrong.

I say that although company kept can be an indicator its hard to say unless you know the person like you do. However remaining friends or helping someone who does such terrible things isnt a good character trait. At all. It indicates you are willing to tolerate hatred in people. And thats not ok. Theres a difference between being human (all the things you listed your friends do, occasionally being bad) and being a hate mongering monster.

 

[Kushan101]

In a fairly ghastly kind of way - he's right really. Providing he isn't harming or being abusive towards anyone else because of their ethnicity/colour/location they were born in/whatever and he keeps it in a non-violent way: then he can hold whatever opinion he likes, no matter how ill informed it is.
I can't stand stupid people, which is just as unfair, but I'm not intending to stop it.

 

[badgersprite]

There is something wrong with being racist, because it's not like racism is just a harmless opinion. Racism, like all other forms of prejudice, actively works against the rights, liberties and life quality of other people, even if only in subtle ways. It is an actively harmful and oppressive state of mind that has a negative impact on innocent people around you, and every little bit of racism contributes to making society a worse and unpleasant place for other people to live in.

 

[ckam]

Don't be friends with a guy like that. It's the best advice I can give you; generally a good idea to stay away from people that give off a bad influence.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

People are judged by the company they keep. This friend of yours sounds to me like a stupid, selfish, credulous asshole. If you continue to call him your friend, you are the same.

I don't agree with this. I have friends that can be pretty huge assholes at times when they want to be. I have friends that will play pranks and do horrible stuff when they are drunk. Who cares what a stranger thinks of you based off your circle of friends. Most people are smart enough to seperate people based on personality, at least I hope so.

What you're willing to tolerate in those you associate yourself with is part of your character.

Nope, wrong again. Thanks for playing the game and here is a gift basket of lovely parting gifts.

It sounds like you're in denial. I wonder how many racist friends you have and just what kind of awful people you may be willing to tolerate to try and deny that said tolerance is part of one's character. It's blatantly obvious after all simply by the fact that said tolerance varies from person to person and is thus a personal characteristic.

Sounds like your guessing because you have never met me. I am living proof that your wrong, so are other people. I choose to be friends with them because the good far outwieghs the bad. I don't absorb character traits like some blob because I hang out with different people. None of my friends are racist, either am I, sorry big guy, your wrong.

Sorry man but if all my friends are members of the KKK, actively lobby for the destruction of property due to race, or are violent criminals then i am NOT a nice person. Tolerating someone despite a bad aspect says "This is ok to have as a character trait". You tolerate it. And sure for greed, occasional shitty jokes and all round occasional assholery thats fine. Everyone does that from time to time. Its human. But to tolerate a hate speaker or someone who attempts to inspite hatred toward a minority tells that person that what they are doing is ok. It directly implies you are ok with what they do and support. "Im friends with you, you get societal acceptance despite your horrific outlook, it must be ok". Basically if i went around punching people in the face, and people still liked me, it sends a clear message that its fine to do that shit. Its not. And enabling these people is wrong.

I say that although company kept can be an indicator its hard to say unless you know the person like you do. However remaining friends or helping someone who does such terrible things isnt a good character trait. At all. It indicates you are willing to tolerate hatred in people. And thats not ok. Theres a difference between being human (all the things you listed your friends do, occasionally being bad) and being a hate mongering monster.

Am I at work? Not only did I not need this kind of explanation, but you went to the extreme. I was pissed off because he used the word denial. I can't stand a stranger using that word when they can't think of a way to get a point across. I don't really know you that well so I will just say your in denial, there, I win.

Erm no you are on a forum for discussion. Forgive me if i my attempt to discuss on a discussion topic on an open forum surprised or startled you. Next time i will give warning. You are here in your free time, i imagine, because you enjoy discussion. Apparently i am wrong, so I'll keep it brief.FYI what you read up there is a way to get your point across that isnt denial, christ you cant please some people

Fair enough you are offended by the word denial. Im just saying that while judging someone SOLEY on the company they keep is stupid, its a good indicator of what kind of people they admire and respect. Which shows the kind of person they are. Brief enough for you?

 

[cthulhuspawn82]

I think everyone who posts on the internet about race should say what race they are first, if only because it would make it absolutely bloody obvious why it is that some people don't think racism is that bad, or that it's a "thing" anymore. (Hint: if you don't notice racism or think it's that bad, you've probably not spent much time on the receiving end of it.)

I'm white, but I'm also not stupid, wilfully ignorant or blind.

Because the validity of someones opinion is based on their race? Because white people are willfully ignorant or blind by virtue of being white?

Dude, you totally got this racism thing down.

 

[badgersprite]

There's certainly something wrong with being a racist, but I really don't think it's the heinous thing people make it out to be. I, personally, don't judge people based upon groups as I'm a strict individualist, but I can see how people would get to their perspective.

Race isn't just skin color, it goes deeper than that. Biology influences human behavior and race certainly has a biological component. That doesn't mean one group is better or worse, just that they're different. To see this difference and to assign worth based upon it is ignorant(as you clearly pointed out), but it's neither unusual nor the most terrible thing a person can do.

I don't have any racist friends, but I also really don't have many friends so it's kind of a non starter with me.

Actually, biologically and anthropologically speaking... the concept of "race" among humans is so blurred its nearly impossible to catagorize. The supposed "racial" differences are less varied than male and female and even something so simple as living at different altitudes has a more noticable effect, biologically speaking.

So really, racism goes about as far as "You look different." and no further. Anyone claiming it has more depth is wrong and twisting facts to support their bias.

Most supposed "racial traits" are misinterpreations or flatout ignorance of socio-economic influences rather than simply being born, its all "self-fulfilling prophecy" logic.

Pretty much. Race is such an odd thing, its like we took a physical feature and went "Hey guys, for no apparent reason lets make THIS a HUGE DEAL!". I treat race like hair and eye colour. Its the same. Its a physical trait that varies in members of the human species. I dont hate all tabby cats, or all grey dogs and theres no reason to have ANY particular feelings toward anyone from a certain "race". Preference is fine, i like blondes for example, but active negative feelings? Thats just silly.

Im just tired of how everyone treats race all the time. Yeah my friend is black, ill say "Yeah Victor, the black one, over there in the red shirt" because its a destinguising feature like hair colour. I fail to understand how it reached such a pedastal in our society where it can gather such STRONG feelings of hatred and fear of the topic. Why even waste the time.

"HEY LOOK YOUR ALLELES FOR THIS INSIGNIFICANT TRAIT ARE DIFFERENT FROM MINE! HATRED"

Its stupid no matter how you look at it. Some people are black. Some people are white. The Key word here is "people".

It's even more ridiculous when you realise race and ethnicity is also qualified very differently depending on where you live. To a person living in Australia or America, race might be a matter of grouping people together based on colour or region of origin, e.g. "All Europeans are white, all Africans are black, all Asians are just Asian, all South Americans are just Hispanic," but, if you were in a different country or time period, race might have a completely different meaning.

An Englishman two hundred years ago probably wouldn't have considered himself the same race as an Irishman or an Eastern European. Japanese people who actually live in Japan probably wouldn't consider themselves the same race as the Chinese or Koreans or Vietnamese. The Hispanic community is also immensely racially diverse, including white Europeans, Asians, black Hispanics and indigenous Americans, yet they're all just Latino and that's it? And, when it comes to the Mediterranean, where exactly do we draw the line between where someone is Middle Eastern or not? You can have Caucasian Turks, black Israelis, very brown Italians and Greeks who may have descended from North Africans two thousand years ago. It makes no sense, except as a means to categorise people and assign an arbitrary degree of worth to them.

Race is such an arbitrary, made-up concept that makes so little sense the more you think about it. And yet we let it influence so much, and have such a negative and unfair impact on people's lives. And, let's be real, racism is incredibly serious: there were more genocides and acts of ethnic cleansing in the 20th Century than at any other point in history. Yet we still let those attitudes permeate our supposedly more developed societies?

It's ridiculous. Why am I given extra advantages and opportunities and born into a better position in life just because I'm a fair-skinned Caucasian? As a white female, why is it guaranteed that I have a much longer life expectancy than anyone else on the entire planet? Why do people see me as an individual first and not my colour, whereas ethnic minorities are almost invariably compared to other people of the same colour or ancestral origin by default, even by people who try not to be racist? They're viewed as their race first, but I'm viewed as an individual person (or possibly my gender) first. No one has ever told me, "Oh, you're okay. You're different from other white people," or had to say, "I don't like loud, obnoxious people, but it's cool because I know not all white people are like that." I'm not forced to disprove a stereotype just to be considered worthy to talk to, yet so many other people have to put up with that kind of crap every single day of their lives. The burden is on them to validate the worth of all people of their race to the people around them? What the actual fuck kind of bullshit is that kind of attitude?

Ugh. Thinking about all this is just depressing me. Racism is so ridiculously ingrained in our society that we don't even notice the extent to which privilege and prejudice operates, and it's all based on nothing. It just kind of makes you want to slap the world and tell it to stop being so fucking stupid and get its shit together.

 

[Robert Ewing]

This sentiment would be true if nobody was generally offended by racist terms and stereotypes. Which may be true for some demographics and racial groups already, being white British, I sure don't get offended by any racist terms aimed at me! But people will always find a way to be offended at something. It's just the context that determines what you are offending them with is racist or not. If it isn't racism, it's always something else.