What is racism?

[Wag more]

I see the word racism used regularly on HOP and it seems to me that some of us have different definitions of the word.

1. Can blacks be racist or is racism limited to whites only.
2. If you think Obama was a lousy pres does that make you racist?
3. If you reject the welfare state mentality are you racist?
4. If you question taking down Confederate statues are you racist?
5. What exactly are the elements that make up racism?
6. Are there really different races or are racial classifications inappropriate?

It would be nice to have a non emotional discussion here with no name calling.

So let me present my opinion to start. Obama was a crappy pres. But not cuz he is black. He started out by lying to us (Obamacare will be debated on CSpan). His leadership was marginal as he did not even attempt to cross the bridge with Congress. He ran our deficit through the roof (from below $10 trillion to over $20 trillion). His Iran nuke deal was a disaster and he lied more than once to sell it. So Obama was the pits but none of my problems with him involve his skin color or his parentage. He did the least and cost the most of any recent pres. Obama's spending was unsustainable.
So I have a very low opinion of Obama.
Does that make me racist?

 

[dogtowner]

Often confused with bias, Racism is the belief that one race is inherently supine to another.

A.Lincoln in the 4th Lincoln Douglas debate demonstrates it.

"While I was at the hotel to-day, an elderly gentleman called upon me to know whether I was really in favor of producing a perfect equality between the negroes and white people. [Great Laughter.] While I had not proposed to myself on this occasion to say much on that subject, yet as the question was asked me I thought I would occupy perhaps five minutes in saying something in regard to it. I will say then that I am not, nor ever have been, in favor of bringing about in any way the social and political equality of the white and black races, [applause]-that I am not nor ever have been in favor of making voters or jurors of negroes, nor of qualifying them to hold office, nor to intermarry with white people; and I will say in addition to this that there is a physical difference between the white and black races which I believe will forever forbid the two races living together on terms of social and political equality. And inasmuch as they cannot so live, while they do remain together there must be the position of superior and inferior, and I as much as any other man am in favor of having the superior position assigned to the white race. I say upon this occasion I do not perceive that because the white man is to have the superior position the negro should be denied every thing. I do not understand that because I do not want a negro woman for a slave I must necessarily want her for a wife. [Cheers and laughter.] My understanding is that I can just let her alone. I am now in my fiftieth year, and I certainly never have had a black woman for either a slave or a wife. So it seems to me quite possible for us to get along without making either slaves or wives of negroes. I will add to this that I have never seen, to my knowledge, a man, woman or child who was in favor of producing a perfect equality, social and political, between negroes and white men. … I will also add to the remarks I have made (for I am not going to enter at large upon this subject,) that I have never had the least apprehension that I or my friends would marry negroes if there was no law to keep them from it, [laughter] but as Judge Douglas and his friends seem to be in great apprehension that they might, if there were no law to keep them from it, [roars of laughter] I give him the most solemn pledge that I will to the very last stand by the law of this State, which forbids the marrying of white people with negroes. [Continued laughter and applause.]”

Per your questions:
1 yes
2,3,4 no
5 see above
6 yes, ask a medical examiner if he can tell race even if skin is long since gone.

 

[PLC1]

I see the word racism used regularly on HOP and it seems to me that some of us have different definitions of the word.

1. Can blacks be racist or is racism limited to whites only.

1. Yes, of course. Anyone can be racist.

2. If you think Obama was a lousy pres does that make you racist?

   If you think he was a lousy pres because he was black, then yes Otherwise, no. Some people opposed him because of race (but would never admit it). Others opposed him due to political ideology.

3. If you reject the welfare state mentality are you racist?

   What does welfare state have to do with it? Nothing, really. More whites than blacks are dependent on the welfare state.

4. If you question taking down Confederate statues are you racist?

   No. People have the right to protest the confederate statues and ask that they be taken down. They don't have the right to physically remove them, and doing so is simple vandalism. Still, vandalism doesn't come even anywhere close to violence against people you disagree with, which is what happened in SC.

5. What exactly are the elements that make up racism?

   The belief that some are inherently inferior due to their race, and that not everyone is created equal (equal under the law).

6. Are there really different races or are racial classifications inappropriate?

   Definitely inappropriate. There is very little genetic variation in the human species. Physical manifestations of what we call "race", i.e., hair and skin color, are irrelevant .
   [/QUOTE]

 

[Wag more]

The US gov, in their infinite wisdom, requires race ID on a job app. They also divide "ethnicity" and "race" into different categories. The ethnicity choices are

1. Hispanic or latino
2. Not hispanic or latino

The race choices are

1. Native American or native Alaskan.
2. Native Hawaiian
3. Black or African American
4. Asian
5. White

I have no clue what the gov definition of ethnicity vs race is. Whatever the difference may be is important only to the bureaucrats.
Next there are 3 races that are all Asian. Native Americans, Native Hawaiians and Asians are all Asian in origin. Why does the gov call these different races?
First off any fertile male of any race can mate with any fertile female of any other race and produce a "biracial" human baby. We are all humans. The concept of race is not scientific or genetic in origin - it is a bureaucratic invention. The next time you fill out a job app, check the box that says "other" and write in human.

 

[Wag more]

Some Islamic apologists in HOP have called me racist because I point out the negatives about Islam. But middle easterners are considered white by race. Racism occurs when a person considers one race superior in intellect to another. How can I consider my race (white)
superior to middle easterners when we are all the same race?

 

[PLC1]

The US gov, in their infinite wisdom, requires race ID on a job app. They also divide "ethnicity" and "race" into different categories. The ethnicity choices are

1. Hispanic or latino
2. Not hispanic or latino

The race choices are

1. Native American or native Alaskan.
2. Native Hawaiian
3. Black or African American
4. Asian
5. White

I have no clue what the gov definition of ethnicity vs race is. Whatever the difference may be is important only to the bureaucrats.
Next there are 3 races that are all Asian. Native Americans, Native Hawaiians and Asians are all Asian in origin. Why does the gov call these different races?
First off any fertile male of any race can mate with any fertile female of any other race and produce a "biracial" human baby. We are all humans. The concept of race is not scientific or genetic in origin - it is a bureaucratic invention. The next time you fill out a job app, check the box that says "other" and write in human.

My former employer would survey the staff every year (as if our ethnicity changed from year to year), no doubt due to some government mandate. I'd cross out "native" and "or native Alaskan" and mark "American," but someone in the central office would change it to "white" every time. No one ever said a thing to me about it.

I was asked to survey my class the same way. The last year before I retired, I had one lone "white, not Hispanic" student, but she'd been designated "A" in the record, A for "Anglo," no doubt. Anglo was slang for "not Hispanic."

Since A meant Asian, She was recorded as such, thus making my class 100% "people of color," which is yet another racist and totally absurd designation meaning "anyone whose ancestors didn't come from Europe."

Oh, and my Scottish ancestors would turn over in their graves if they thought their descendants were called "Anglos."

 

[dogtowner]

https://jenjdanna.com/blog/2012/7/10/forensics-101-race-determination-based-on-the-skull.html

We are all the same species, not the same race.

 

[dogtowner]

Some Islamic apologists in HOP have called me racist because I point out the negatives about Islam. But middle easterners are considered white by race. Racism occurs when a person considers one race superior in intellect to another. How can I consider my race (white)
superior to middle easterners when we are all the same race?

We have all these words because the mean different things. Not everyone understands this. They think there are way more synonyms that there are.

 

[PLC1]

https://jenjdanna.com/blog/2012/7/10/forensics-101-race-determination-based-on-the-skull.html

We are all the same species, not the same race.

There are subtle physical differences between subspecies of humans, yes. These differences are much less than they are among older species, as we have not had time to evolve apart as much.

There is little genetic variation in the one remaining species of the genus homo, this likely due to the the species having been reduced to only a thousand or so breeding pairs as recently as 70,000 years ago.

Culture, on the other hand, evolves much more quickly than does the genome. Therefore, there are great differences between the various human cultures. That is what really defines us as being one set of humans or another, culture.

When we begin to apply physical differences to determine ethnicity or whatever we want to call different subsets of species homo sapiens, our system begins to break down.

 

[dogtowner]

There are subtle physical differences between subspecies of humans, yes. These differences are much less than they are among older species, as we have not had time to evolve apart as much.

There is little genetic variation in the one remaining species of the genus homo, this likely due to the the species having been reduced to only a thousand or so breeding pairs as recently as 70,000 years ago.

Culture, on the other hand, evolves much more quickly than does the genome. Therefore, there are great differences between the various human cultures. That is what really defines us as being one set of humans or another, culture.

When we begin to apply physical differences to determine ethnicity or whatever we want to call different subsets of species homo sapiens, our system begins to break down.

Never said racial differences were dramatic but they do exist. And it doesnt take much difference in the genome to make differences in the finished product. Shoot there is relatively little difference than us to pigs but that doesn't make me as good as bacon.
Clearly societal differences are their own thing.

 

[Wag more]

PLC1
Your post makes a lot of sense. Those that call me racist are using the wrong term. I believe our US culture, history and laws are far superior to that of Islam.

I ain't no racist. I'm a culturalist cuz muslims are the same race as me.

 

[dogtowner]

PLC1
Your post makes a lot of sense. Those that call me racist are using the wrong term. I believe our US culture, history and laws are far superior to that of Islam.

I ain't no racist. I'm a culturalist cuz muslims are the same race as me.

Technically you're a bigot.
But be aware that this is not necessarily bad. If you held this view because you think turbans are silly, that's bad. If you had problems with violent behavior that their dogma demands, that's not.

 

[Wag more]

One more reason races are a political invention:
Whites are defined as descended from European peoples.
Spain is the original home of Hispanic peoples. Spain is also in Europe. So it seems to me that hispanics are also of European descent.
So why is there a "hispanic" race and a different race called "white" if they are both descended from Europeans?

The gov breaks people into 6 races. But 3 of those races are Asian and 2 are European descent.

It makes more sense to break people into 3 classes:

1. Descendants from Africa
2. Descendants from Asia
3. Descendants from Europe

All humans can mate with other humans regardless of their descendants place of origin. Races were invented by govs to divide people into groups so as to play one group off against another.

 

[PLC1]

One more reason races are a political invention:
Whites are defined as descended from European peoples.
Spain is the original home of Hispanic peoples. Spain is also in Europe. So it seems to me that hispanics are also of European descent.
So why is there a "hispanic" race and a different race called "white" if they are both descended from Europeans?

The gov breaks people into 6 races. But 3 of those races are Asian and 2 are European descent.

It makes more sense to break people into 3 classes:

1. Descendants from Africa
2. Descendants from Asia
3. Descendants from Europe

All humans can mate with other humans regardless of their descendants place of origin. Races were invented by govs to divide people into groups so as to play one group off against another.

Yes, and also so we could kill and enslave people of other races with the (pretended?) belief that they really aren't human beings like us.

 

[dogtowner]

Let's not confuse scientific classifications with legal ones.