So, this was a big thing a few months ago with the Ferguson trial, riots, and protests. As well as the fact that there's been several other accusations of a white cop killing an unarmed black kid.

But that's not the question that this thread is trying to address. The question pertains to the discussion of these topics. A lot of people will be saying stuff only to immediately claim, "I'm not racist, but..." Which is complete horse crap to me...

REGARDLESS! We all know what racism is. For those that don't, it's thinking one race is superior to the other.

The question is, at what point is the comment racist?

Ugh, I don't know if it makes sense, but it's all personal opinion. Obviously saying something like "My race is better than this race!" is racist as fuck, and you should be slapped for such accusations. However, we're talking about the less obvious stuff. Stuff like, "The blacks are the cause of the riots in Ferguson." Shit like that.

Note, we don't have to talk about Ferguson. It was just a discussion about said riots that brought up this question

Well, apparently I have no idea. If something is based on statistics and science, and it points to something like black people having X trait more developed than white people at the same age range, is assuming that to be true racism?

I think most stuff is racism. I think assuming anything, regardless of what it is based on, about another race is racism. However, is that really 'wrong' in all cases? Well, most people think horrible and evil when they think of racism (slavery, etc.), but they can't really do that if they also label beliefs and thoughts as racism. It's not fair to simply declare someone's beliefs as wrong. I think it's fair to enforce peace, eg. not being able to kick the shit out of someone because they are a certain race. However, when you say stuff like "you should be slapped for such accusations", I tend to disagree pretty vigorously.

Honestly, I kind of loathe discussion about 'isms', because people have vastly different ideas of what it is and how horrible it is. I could say something is racist but have a different idea of how bad that is, when someone else just labels horrible things done to other people with race involved as racism. I think this is because everyone also has different ideas about different races, sexes, etc., and this carries over into their own personal definition of terms applying to them.

TL;DR - Assuming things about someone because of their race is just kind of lazy and dumb. Treating someone differently for the same reason is also dumb (in almost all cases). Is it racism? I don't know.

Racism isn't just simply to think your race is superior. Its a lot bigger than that. And it isn't something you can understand unless you have been discriminated against.

>>3 This is incredibly vague and not helpful to anyone.

Yeah, why does it exist? XD I don't exactly have a real reason. But what Anon says is true regardless of how vague it is Inuhakka-san.
But my speculation is that when the two worlds (Europe and Africa) finally collided, both sides were just so different from eachother that one simply assumed that the other was an "uncultured savage". But really they were both civilized in their unique way. And Europe, having the greater power with their guns, simply used their gun instead of their brain. This lead to that and everything soon turned into just one cluster-fuck that was so huge, and already burned into every one's brain that it unnecessarily still lives today.

BTW great topic thread, I haven't seen one of these in a loooooooooooooong time

>>5 It's not really, though. You can't understand racism until you've been discriminated against? Racism isn't an experience, it's an idea. That's why I said it was vague.

^

>>6 Thanks. I like asking deep questions that promote discussion. Open discussion promotes open-mindedness because you get to see both sides of the story.

Besides, I think the world needs people to openly discuss the deep things like this. Serious issues that people are scared to talk about because it makes them uncomfortable. That's the only way shit gets handled.

Well, I agree that racism is assuming things or generalizing another race, but I don't think it's inherently bad. I think it's the intent that makes it bad.

For instance, you can say Canadians are a bunch of wimps becuase they never fight. Or you can say the Canadians like to handle things in a polite nonhostile manner. They say the same thing, but the former is being a jerk, and the other is looking at how this is a good thing.

I mean, hell. People joke about how polite Canadians are all of the time. While it's racism and assuming, it's still a complement. I don't know abotu you, but I've love it if someone said Americans are polite. Rather than calling them trigger happy morons.

>>9 Same thing happens with Asians, they are generalized as smart. This is actually based on something factual, but it's obviously not universally true. If you walk through Toronto, you will quickly see not all Canadians are nice.

I like your example of Canadians being portrayed differently with the same idea. Makes me think the problem is people being shitty to each other and just using race as a way to do/justify that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfccrwUlROU
Watch this short film called "Tzafar". It's very good, and straight to the point.

>>11 Short, sweet, and to the point. I like this one more, though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQzAMWm4nkI

I couldn't find the English one, sorry. However, I can tell you what happened. The white lady was bitching about having to sit next to a black man and demanded to be moved. The attendants talked, and the attendant came back apologized to the man for the lady's rudeness and gave him a seat in business class.

I friggen love that karma. Because she was a bitch, and he was so calm about it. Then he got the better seat. Lol. I just love that.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dz9pwjx9vSg

That one's pretty good as well. I love WWYD.

>>7 I did not say that it wasn't vague, but there was some truth to his statement. I as well have also faced discrimination.

I think a lot of things pertaining to race and racial ideas stem not from the race, but more from cultural upbringings. Nature Vs Nurture you know? In factI read part of an interesting book on the subject. If you find psychology and how the human brain works to be interesting. Maybe you should check out the marshmallow test.

Anyways, I think racism is more the idea that a race always has a certain attribute. Although some positive, it's still racist to assume all canadians are polite. I think that's more just how their culture formed is all. Same with other countries. The very idea that a race could have much of a difference if born in your country is kind of silly in all honesty.

Yes! I've seen that one too! That one is good. >>12

As I see it, it only becomes "racist" when your /intent/ is to harm or offend. People these day like to believe that legitimate ignorance is racist, which is an incredibly unfair judgement considering being ignorant is to know no better. Other like to think that each and every thing relating to race is racist, which is ridiculous. There /are/ legitimate differences between races, which people don't like to accept, bone growth, health conditions, and the common structure of their faces. Let's say I told a racial joke, in the wrong context, it seems offensive, those that are super sensitive [-cough-usually American anglos-cough-] will take offense, claim that the joke is funny to absolutely no one, despite say, the race involved, enjoying it, they will claim that they only laugh to "hide their pain" which, as those of us who are younger, know that this is a complete lie, very VERY few people laugh /realistically/ to hide pain.
I suppose those raised in Japan know the best about understanding the context of a statement, as your words carry different meaning in /how/ you say them.

^