# Am I being racist?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-racist/100766>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [March 29, 2002, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-racist/100766 "2002-03-29T16:41:27Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 3

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**Author:** ![rjung](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/45deac/32.png) [@rjung](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rjung)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-racist/100766/41 "2002-04-01T21:43:28Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Thea Logica \*  
> BTW- I wouldn’t necessarily expect someone from Chicago to know the blues, etc. American music is well… I mean, American Culture is an oxymoron- we have so many subcultures, cultures within cultures…
> 
> But when you’re talking about most other places in the world, you are talking about a group of people in a geographical area where culture, customs, musical/dance styles would be **homogenous** within, but distinct from the country next door

I think that’s your problem right there. Why do you presume that Iranian culture is homogenous?

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**Author:** ![Yondan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/278dde/32.png) [@Yondan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yondan)\
**Post date:** [April 1, 2002, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/am-i-being-racist/100766/42 "2002-04-01T22:07:58Z")

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> [@](#):
>
> \*Originally posted by Thea Logica \*  
> \*\*OK, look, if you asked a randomly selected American to recommend some good American music to dance to-
> 
> Some might recommend an anthology of big band swing. Others might recommend a disco collection, or some really funky, um, funk. Or someone who was into classical might recommend waltzes.
> 
> But they’d come up with _something_. This is basically what I was asking Cyrus to do. I seriously doubt that his mother kept him in a soundproof box.  
> \*\*

Boy, even though you “quit bugging him” some time ago about this, it sure is bugging you. Why is that? Maybe he’s just not interested in music. I’m an athlete, living in America, but I don’t give a shit about pro sports, and would be hard pressed to name any athletes currently playing. Even the team names have changed!

Maybe his mom used to beat himn records as a kid. Maybe his older brother tied him up with unspooled eight-track tape and forced him to watch while he did air bands to ABBA for hours on end. Who knows?

To **Chrome Spot** who said:

> [@](#):
>
> Sorry, slight [hijack] This is probably a gross simplification, but inserting the condition of “power to oppress” is a nice little semantic trick used to insinuate that only people of white European stock can be racist. [/hijack]

You are correct, that is a gross oversimplification. The point is that it takes power to be oppressive, not to imply that a particular racial group can be oppressive alone. A lone Eskimo driving a convertible and running over caucasians because he likes the way they squeak is being racist even though his power is limited to himself and his machine. It is worth noting that this isolated power is nothing compared to intrinsic, systemic power and privilege enjoyed by others.

Anyone, however, can be ignorant and prejudiced, regardless of social power or status.

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