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Dox47
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25 Aug 2011, 6:59 pm

I know I've changed up my usage quite a bit, using "bigot" to describe someone who dislikes another group based on generalities, and reserving "racist" for people who genuinely believe in racial superiority of one type or another. Racist does get over-used in the political arena, I've long since lumped it in with "terrorist" and "socialist" as terms that are virtually meaningless when used pejoratively in the media. Using racial slurs for example does not automatically make one a racist, merely coarse or insensitive.


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MarketAndChurch
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25 Aug 2011, 7:51 pm

John_Browning wrote:
"Racism" gets thrown around so much that it has lost most of it's meaning. Liberals throw it at people like a rock when they say something about social issues they disagree with, and now they are getting in the habit of doing the same thing with economic issues so that they can promote class warfare.

Nowadays when someone starts accusing you of racism, the proper response is something to the same effect as "GO f**k YOURSELF ret*d!! !". :twisted:


yea I actually don't mind being called one anymore because the term has been rendered meaningless for some time by the way it is applied to non-racists. I guess only a white supremacist could hold certain conservative views( like... wanting to close the border to limit the flow of illegals from down south) so I've been mistaken for a white who thought supremely of other whites despite being a polynesian from polynesia.


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MarketAndChurch
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25 Aug 2011, 7:53 pm

Dox47 wrote:
I know I've changed up my usage quite a bit, using "bigot" to describe someone who dislikes another group based on generalities, and reserving "racist" for people who genuinely believe in racial superiority of one type or another. Racist does get over-used in the political arena, I've long since lumped it in with "terrorist" and "socialist" as terms that are virtually meaningless when used pejoratively in the media. Using racial slurs for example does not automatically make one a racist, merely coarse or insensitive.


in the real world I've found this to be the case far too often.


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MarketAndChurch
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25 Aug 2011, 8:04 pm

Master_Pedant wrote:
MarketAndChurch wrote:
yea honestly I couldn't stand it if we switched our mexicans for your paki muslims for our mexicans. I don't think most Americans could actually... there would be a racial war and it would be bloody cause the leap is too great.

There is very very very very little commonality between muslims from culturally muslim countries and Americans yet from a very similar part of the world are Indians and they come to this country and thrive and move into the middle class faster then most other racial groups save perhaps for the Japanese. We have it good over here compared to the UK because you come to America to be an American whereas over there is a botched diversity exercise.


Wow, what a crock of shoot.

Canada has, by dozens of times, a more multiculturalist policy than the UK, probably has better race relations (J.J. Harper and more general brutality against aboriginals, and police brutality against an Eastern European in an airport aside) than either the US or the UK. The leader of the rightmost party praises multiculturalism while debating a Bloc-headed seperatist, for christ's shake (that last line was metaphorical).


I think the US model works best. We grant more legal citizenships then any other country in the world and more then the next 6 countries behind us combined. Though we have cut back a little on our H1b visas, we also take in more high-skill labor then any other country in the world and that has helped power our economic and intellectual hubs and making the best in the world. These immigrants have a fast-track to upward mobility and enter the middle class immediately.

It is not an issue for Canada, a country with the population of California, since you are a predominantly white country with such a small group of non-whites. That takes no effort. America is of the most ethnically diversely populated westernized country and in here it was a challenge, and I think with what we've gone through, we've made it out okay though there is still the issue with mexican immigrants, amnesty, and closing the border to mexico.


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Philologos
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25 Aug 2011, 8:18 pm

I cannot but think we weould be well advised do dump all of the "bigoted" labels like bigot, racist, sexist, the abominable "homophobe" and the like, and go straight to recognition of the primary Green monkey phenomenon of which they are all specific cases.



MarketAndChurch
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25 Aug 2011, 9:30 pm

Tequila wrote:
MarketAndChurch wrote:
One is deemed a racist if they don't want illegal immigrants from another country with a slightly different set of cultural values coming into the US and flooding our low-wage job market


The point is that millions of immigrants have made their way to the UK, often from very backward corners of the Earth that we do not share any cultural affinity with whatever. So, particularly backward Pakistani Muslims make up northern mill towns for instance, and have not integrated properly. The men get licence to behave like obnoxious yobs whereas the women are still treated as cattle and stuck under horrid shrouds in many cases (though some women wear it to deliberately wind up the majority community, I have no doubt).

This is all complicated by the fact we don't even really have control over our own borders - the EU has that power now.


http://www.newgeography.com/content/001 ... king-class

is this a realistic view on the working class in the UK?

How does race relate? America's large draw is economics or as Jeffery Kaye put it, coyote capitalism:

http://www.amazon.com/Moving-Millions-C ... 047042334X

but it seems that the large draw in Europe is benefits and welfare.


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25 Aug 2011, 9:49 pm

MarketAndChurch wrote:
John_Browning wrote:
"Racism" gets thrown around so much that it has lost most of it's meaning. Liberals throw it at people like a rock when they say something about social issues they disagree with, and now they are getting in the habit of doing the same thing with economic issues so that they can promote class warfare.

Nowadays when someone starts accusing you of racism, the proper response is something to the same effect as "GO f**k YOURSELF ret*d!! !". :twisted:


yea I actually don't mind being called one anymore because the term has been rendered meaningless for some time by the way it is applied to non-racists. I guess only a white supremacist could hold certain conservative views( like... wanting to close the border to limit the flow of illegals from down south) so I've been mistaken for a white who thought supremely of other whites despite being a polynesian from polynesia.

Are you saying that border security is racist or that liberals try to associate it with other racist agendas? :?


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MarketAndChurch
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25 Aug 2011, 9:56 pm

John_Browning wrote:
MarketAndChurch wrote:
John_Browning wrote:
"Racism" gets thrown around so much that it has lost most of it's meaning. Liberals throw it at people like a rock when they say something about social issues they disagree with, and now they are getting in the habit of doing the same thing with economic issues so that they can promote class warfare.

Nowadays when someone starts accusing you of racism, the proper response is something to the same effect as "GO f**k YOURSELF ret*d!! !". :twisted:


yea I actually don't mind being called one anymore because the term has been rendered meaningless for some time by the way it is applied to non-racists. I guess only a white supremacist could hold certain conservative views( like... wanting to close the border to limit the flow of illegals from down south) so I've been mistaken for a white who thought supremely of other whites despite being a polynesian from polynesia.

Are you saying that border security is racist or that liberals try to associate it with other racist agendas? :?


Im saying that the one trying to secure our borders is assumed to be racist, largely by those left of center or the people who've been sold the lie by the left. The race card will be used to emotionally disqualify everything the RIght tries to work for or against be it healthcare or the size of government.


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26 Aug 2011, 6:01 am

A big part of how one becomes a racist is the simple fact that some people are raised with such ugly thoughts and opinions, but otherwise may come across as a smart, kind person. A perfect example of this, I think, was American horror author and fellow Aspie, H.P. Lovecraft. Because of the environment in which he was raised, he embraced the notion that not only were Caucasians superior to non-Caucasians, but that non-Anglo-Saxons such as Slavs, Jews, and Mediterraneans were inferior to Anglo-Saxons and Teutons. So much so, he actually embraced the idiocy of eugenics for a time. Still, people who knew him had always regarded him highly intelligent and gentlemanly, it not more than a little odd. One friend even recalled him as being "good as gold." It was perhaps because he was so intellectually gifted, and good hearted, that he was able to eventually overcome his prejudices and grow as a human being. He even married a Jewish lady, and counted Jews among his close friends, such as fellow author, Robert Bloch, who gave the world Psycho.

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ruveyn
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26 Aug 2011, 10:53 am

What is race?

ruveyn



Dox47
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26 Aug 2011, 3:20 pm

I've never liked the sort of internet debate fallacy of disqualifying someone from consideration based on a single belief. It's the "that guy believes X, therefore I don't have to address his argument about Y" argument, used often against people like creationists and such. There's a long history of otherwise intelligent people having a few oddball beliefs, I know the ranks of eugenics supporters included Teddy Roosevelt among many others, and one half of the Nobel Prize team that discovered DNA keeps bringing up sketchy ideas about racial superiority (Watts? Can't remember ATM). My point is that it's fallacious to write someone off as unintelligent because of a single belief, or even a handful of them in the case of some religious people. Now a general pattern is something else entirely, but I've met enough smart people with seemingly dumb beliefs to not underestimate people based solely on them.


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26 Aug 2011, 4:58 pm

Vigilans wrote:
Quote:
Quote:
The belief that one race is superior to all others.

What does "superior" even mean?


White people are better than black people because A) B) C) etc ... ?


Gee, thanks. Have anything else to happily share? Huh?



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26 Aug 2011, 5:13 pm

Vigilans wrote:
The belief that each race has distinct and intrinsic attributes.
The belief that one race is superior to all others.
Prejudice or discrimination based upon race.



Never mind that racisms ARE countable.

The question I see here [recognizing that this is not yhour work] - how often does racism assume and asset the superiority of THIS group, as opposed to assuming and asserting the INFERIORITY of THAT group?

Most of the clear racists I have met [a group far too large for my taste, though small as numbers go] assert the INFERIOTITY od specific groups.



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26 Aug 2011, 5:46 pm

Vigilans wrote:
Okay that is a fair way of putting it. I get annoyed with anyone flippantly throwing the term 'racist' around. Its not exclusive to the left though, and I hardly consider mud slinging to be mostly done by them. Perhaps it is different in the U.K. though


I'm a lefty Brit and I can confirm that it is, Tequilla's comment are pretty accurate when it comes to recent British politics.

The labour party opened the floodgates to immigration in order to and I quote verbatim:

'Rub the right's nose in diversity' according to Tony Blair.

The official policy for the last 14 years has been to scream to racist at anyone who even mentions the word immigration, they were determined to have their way and refused to even consider any evidence to contrary.

Tequilla's comments about muslims is also a reflection of just how badly the doctrine of multiculturalism has broken down across western Europe, PEW global which does regular research on social trends and opinions did a couple of surveys on attitudes of muslims.

Muslims in Britain are twice as likely as muslims in Pakistan to think killing civilians in the name Islam is acceptable.


The whole multicultural thing in Europe over the last couple of decades was basically an attempt to remodel Europe into being more American like. The American way works because you guys are incredibly nationalistic (it doesn't matter if you are black, white, Irish, latino or Chinese, you are an American, I am not equating a belief in American exceptionalism with racism when I say nationalistic btw)

In Europe it is completely impossible for us to be nationalistic because we have literally thousands of years of national histories where all we were doing was invading and slaughtering each other. If you take a detailed look at European history before WWII it really is that bad, at no point is all of Europe ever at peace, why do you think the ancient Greeks had to outlaw war while the Olympics were held?

What we have ended up with is not a united Europe but a disgruntled and annoyed Europe where dozens of different minority groups live completely unintegrated in ghetto's and are filled with contempt and hatred for the country they live in.



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27 Aug 2011, 5:03 pm

DarthMetaKnight wrote:
A lot of people think that all racists are stupid but the sad truth is that racism often attracts intelligent, bright-spirited people. I have read some of the writings of the white nationalist David Lane and a lot of what he said that wasn't about race was pretty smart. Far from being a stereotypical conservative Christian redneck he was pro-environment, anti-capitalist and a neopagan who hated Christianity.

I have also read that neo-Nazi Jeff Weise (who was behind the Red Lake Massacre) was sometimes a nice guy. One other student at Red Lake Senior High School described Jeff as "the only one I talked to about my problems."

It's tragic how racism brainwashes so many decent people.


What? A well read educated person with neopagan leanings can be racist? How shocking!

Ever heard of Hitler?

But ofcourse ALL American Southern Baptists are redneck racists! Just look at that famous Baptist minister from Georgia- whatshisname- Martin Luther King Jr..

Actually- I get what you're saying. But its a rather klutzy way of saying it.



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28 Aug 2011, 12:05 am

DC wrote:
Vigilans wrote:
Okay that is a fair way of putting it. I get annoyed with anyone flippantly throwing the term 'racist' around. Its not exclusive to the left though, and I hardly consider mud slinging to be mostly done by them. Perhaps it is different in the U.K. though


I'm a lefty Brit and I can confirm that it is, Tequilla's comment are pretty accurate when it comes to recent British politics.

The labour party opened the floodgates to immigration in order to and I quote verbatim:

'Rub the right's nose in diversity' according to Tony Blair.

The official policy for the last 14 years has been to scream to racist at anyone who even mentions the word immigration, they were determined to have their way and refused to even consider any evidence to contrary.

Tequilla's comments about muslims is also a reflection of just how badly the doctrine of multiculturalism has broken down across western Europe, PEW global which does regular research on social trends and opinions did a couple of surveys on attitudes of muslims.

Muslims in Britain are twice as likely as muslims in Pakistan to think killing civilians in the name Islam is acceptable.


The whole multicultural thing in Europe over the last couple of decades was basically an attempt to remodel Europe into being more American like. The American way works because you guys are incredibly nationalistic (it doesn't matter if you are black, white, Irish, latino or Chinese, you are an American, I am not equating a belief in American exceptionalism with racism when I say nationalistic btw)

In Europe it is completely impossible for us to be nationalistic because we have literally thousands of years of national histories where all we were doing was invading and slaughtering each other. If you take a detailed look at European history before WWII it really is that bad, at no point is all of Europe ever at peace, why do you think the ancient Greeks had to outlaw war while the Olympics were held?

What we have ended up with is not a united Europe but a disgruntled and annoyed Europe where dozens of different minority groups live completely unintegrated in ghetto's and are filled with contempt and hatred for the country they live in.


Amen

It is the frustration that I hold myself over advocates of High Speed Rail and Universal Health Care. It can work, but make it work within the current parameters, change the current parameters to acommodate for it, or don't import that idea at all. High Speed Rail works better in Japan and Universal Health Care works better in France because there are a certain set of conditions that allow for its efficiency, cost-effectiveness, and financing.

One Reason Why It Works
The American system works because Americanism is an idea, and because it is believed, it still exists. Not speaking citizenry as that requires birth on American soil, but it is almost a border-less term as anyone can be an American in belief, no matter what country you live in, if you adhere to those values. You come to America to be American, and Americanism has a set of values that you must adopt first that makes this all work. You must respect "In God We Trust" (which in the present context is not exactly an affirmation to the existence of a divinity, but that you acknowledge that many of our principles were biblically sourced), "From Many, One" that no matter where come from on this earth, we put aside our cultural differences if it clashes with this Americanism(the Melting Pot, if you will), and, Liberty, the freedom to pursuit your dreams, including economic freedom, and live your life as you see fit(within legal and moral means).

Nationalism
It is hard for Europe to be nationalistic just as it is hard for the the American Liberal to put up an American flag on the forth of July. They equate symbols of nationalism with the ugly history of fascism. But it seems everyone is American at least once every 2 years in flag waving if your party overtakes congress or the presidency. You must find a way to demand that all outsiders who move into Europe must accept our western values of tolerance, equality, freedom, and liberty(within a socialist context). NO EXCEPTIONS! It took a long time to build these social institutions up and generations of inculcating these values, it on its own cannot go on autopilot and requires constant affirmation and reminding with every generation and all new newcomers or else we loose what we've worked to build up and revert to moral primitivism.

One Way It Can Work In Europe
I think one such model that might be exportable to Europe is the Singapore experiment. The general idea was to not allow more then a fourth of one ethnic group to live on each block, so you have Malayan, Chinese, Indian, and another group all living on each block and are forced to interact with one another. It makes sense for newcomers to want to live amongst their own, they share a shared history or story, speak the same language, etc. But it is not good for them to congregate exclusively amongst themselves as all they will do is harbor misconceptions about the outsider and construct self-imposed ghettos.


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