Your view on racism, and do you believe this is racist?

[MaoExE]

I've recently found out people believe I'm genuinely racist. When pointing out someone I will use the color of their skin to point them out. Not to insult them or anything of that matter.

It seems that a simple calling people white or black is "Racist". It's not as if I'm spouting racial slurs at someone or anything close to it. It's actually gotten to me so I took the time out to review the definition of race.

http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/race
(Gotta love dictionary.com)

I don't see how "black" and "white" are considered races in general. You don't go around calling Asians "yellow" when regarding their race, you call them what it is. (Ex: "Vietnamese")

Also on another part, it seems wide spread that people can act a color. If it's racist for me to call people "black" and "white" wouldn't it be on the same level if not WORSE, to say someone is acting "white/black". If you ever ask someone what they mean, they go "It's because they're doing XXXXX", which basically is saying that color of people act in such a manner.

/rant

So Escapists what are your thoughts on this.

 

[GrandmaFunk]

the racism inferred in descriptions is usually based in that descriptor implying a lack of normality.

ex: you see a white man stealing your truck and you report it as "a man stole my truck", but the next day you see a black man stealing your car and report it as "a black man stole my car"

it's sadly pretty common in the way news is reported

 

[piplink]

i dont think its racist to define a person as black or white like "you remember that one guy on that one show" "the black one" "yeah him", that wouldnt be racist. BUT if your insulting a person and using words like ****** and cracker to insult him, thats racist.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Well i see no issue. When we realise race isnt some scary thing to put on a pedestal and tip toe around so fucking carefully we as a society will MOVE ON. My advice for race. Treat it like eye colour.

Eye colour - genetic, 100% cosmetic, unchangable by will, a good discriptor.

There. Thats all the qualities race deserves to have.

It isnt some huge scary intimidating monster. Its a goddam physical attribute. Can you IMAGINE people getting so fucking hung up over hair colour? Isnt it goddam insane? Slavery is dead. id say a VERY tiny proportion of the world is legitimately racist. Racism is when someone doesnt get a job they are best for. Racism is when someone doesnt get a house sold to them or a loan granted because of race. Pointing someone out is not goddam racism anymore than saying "This wall is black" or "This phone is white" or "this issue is huge for no freaking apparent reason". I swear we hunt racist like its a gorram which hunt, there are NOT as many as everyone thinks. If everyone was more hung up about being NICE to people and less about if saying "The black guy with the red shirt, yeah him" is racist we would live in a nicer society.

/rant

 

[Batou667]

Using somebody's skin colour as a description is no more inherently racist than mentioning their hair colour or height. My brother has quite vivid ginger hair, and I'm fairly certain people refer to him as "that ginger guy" if they don't know his name. That's not discrimination, it's a useful shorthand way of identifying a person by their defining features. Just like you'd point out a certain friend in a crowd by saying "the really tall guy" or "the girl with the nose stud". As long as you weren't sneering disdainfully while you were talking, how could anybody get upset about that?

It's a shame that certain sections of society are so hyper-sensitive about the possibility of giving offence that harmless, non-pejorative adjectives have become taboo. For example, a lot of Americans don't say "blackboard" because it contains the word "black" - they say "chalkboard" instead. God only knows how they describe black paint. "Midnight umber"?

 

[GrandmaFunk]

For example, a lot of Americans don't say "blackboard" because it contains the word "black" - they say "chalkboard" instead.

that's mostly because a huge portion of chalkboards are actually green, not black.

 

[Erttheking]

Here's how it works for me

African American- politically correct term
Black- Casual term
Negro- Kinda racist
N****- VERY racist.

 

[BiscuitTrouser]

Here's how it works for me

African American- politically correct term
Black- Casual term
Negro- Kinda racist
N****- VERY racist.

See heres where i dont really understand. I just said that word. Just now. No one was around to hear me. And suddenly "I became a racist!" But wait. I didnt. And thats the point. Racism: To descriminate or be prejudice over race. I said a word. But i dont do or feel either of those things. How can a word be racist? It hasnt made me racist? It hasnt made me hate anyone or jugde anyone or treat anyone different. I understand the connotations, and although i dont ever say that word to people, nor do i want to, it always puzzles me how a word can be racist, as if a collection of letters, although used by racists to indicate their racism, can be inherently showing an ideal. I just used it a second ago and i dont show those ideals. And i never will. Always makes me think. Makes me value the intent behind words a lot more than the words themselves.

 

[triggrhappy94]

it's sadly pretty common in the way news is reported

Stylebooks (the guide on how to write for reporters and other writers) normally say not to mention race (ever) enless it's a key part of the story--like the "Mexican workers union is picketting"--or if it's describing a suspect in a crime--"if you see this 6'2" African American man please call the police".

It's also worth mentioning that calling someone racist (as a reporter) doesn't warrent a libel lawsuit. The word has been used so frequently that it's almost completely lost its meaning.

It originally meant that you believed that one race is better or worse than all the others. More commonly it is used to say that someone hate a certain group of peopl, which for all intent and purposes is racism.

Interestingly enough, (and I can't seem to find the article now), but racism supposably came from early humans distrusting every one who wasn't part of their tribe. It was a survival technique, because they didn't know what diseases the outsiders might have. Made sense then, but not now.

In my opinion, mention race when it's relevant, like when it's the defining characteristic that separates one person from everyone else. Let's say you're sitting in a busy park when you see some one doing something funny and you want to point him out to a friend. "Look at the guy in red" there's twenty people wearing red. "Look at the tall guy" 'tall' is a relative term and there's thrity people who could be considered 'tall'. "Look at the African-American/Black guy" there's about five people in the park who are black and one of them was doing something funny.

 

[triggrhappy94]

For example, a lot of Americans don't say "blackboard" because it contains the word "black" - they say "chalkboard" instead.

that's mostly because a huge portion of chalkboards are actually green, not black.

Ironically enough, most "blackboards" have been replaced by "whiteboards".

 

[chowderface]

An old parable for your consideration:

A child goes to his grandfather and says, "Grandfather, Jimmy says I'm prejudiced, but I'm not! Why would he say that?" His grandfather asks, "Who is Jimmy?" "Jimmy is my Jewish friend," the boy says. "Then you are prejudiced, because you think of him as your Jewish friend, not your friend."

 

[Batou667]

For example, a lot of Americans don't say "blackboard" because it contains the word "black" - they say "chalkboard" instead.

that's mostly because a huge portion of chalkboards are actually green, not black.

Really? I was in a chatroom years ago, for some reason blackboards came up in conversation, and one American girl was like "Oh my gosh, we don't use that word".

I assumed it was quite a widespread attitude?

Ironically enough, most "blackboards" have been replaced by "whiteboards".

...and whiteboards have been replaced with Interactive Whiteboards. I think mine may well be the last generation who actually had black blackboards and chalk in school... well, the chalk was actually gypsum, much like how pencil "lead" is actually graphite... I'm going off-topic here, aren't I?