# Hey you racist "realists" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [November 20, 2013, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329 "2013-11-20T09:30:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 9:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/1 "2013-11-20T09:30:43Z")
[Tell me again how racism doesn’t exist in America any more. You thick fuckers.](http://www.upworthy.com/know-anyone-that-thinks-racial-profiling-is-exaggerated-watch-this-and-tell-me-when-your-jaw-drops-2?c=upw1) This video is… wow. Just wow. Fucking _incredible_. Basically, a film crew gets three people to pretend to steal a bike, and checks the different reactions. The difference between the white boy and the black boy is… absolutely astounding. Racism, alive and well. Fucking christ. ---
**Author:** ![Longshanks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Longshanks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Longshanks)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/2 "2013-11-20T12:53:22Z")
Did you really need to see that video to be sure that people are bigoted and racist. Tell me if you were there and saw a black guy stealing a bike aswell as a white guy, would you have acted any different from the rest of those people. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/3 "2013-11-20T13:15:16Z")
Just another one of those things that’s hard to quantify. Unfortunately, there’s probably many little incidents like this in which black people and white people are treated totally differently- and individuals are so accustomed to it that it just becomes “normal”. And we wonder why outcomes are disparate… ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/4 "2013-11-20T13:19:35Z")
Oh Jeebus, don’t poke the “racial realists”. It only validates their feelings of righteous indignation. Better to ignore them until they emerge from their underground lairs of their own volition, _then_ poke them. ---
**Author:** ![DrFidelius](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drfidelius/32/3447_2.png) [@DrFidelius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrFidelius)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/5 "2013-11-20T13:29:55Z")
I haven’t watched this particular video, but I recall a similar exercise where passers-by actually would assist a blonde girl in her attempt to steal a bike. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/6 "2013-11-20T14:08:22Z")
> [@DrFidelius](#): > > I haven’t watched this particular video, but I recall a similar exercise where passers-by actually would assist a blonde girl in her attempt to steal a bike. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/ge7i60GuNRg/maxresdefault.jpg "What Would You Do? Bike Theft (White Guy, Black Guy, Pretty Girl)") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ge7i60GuNRg) Black man gets harassed by a mob and the police called and the confronted by a shouty man, white man gets ignored and given “the benefit of the doubt”, white woman gets helped to steal the bike by three different men. Which really ought to be just as much trouble for feminists as for “race realists”, OP. ---
**Author:** ![Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/budget_player_cadet/32/205_2.png) [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Budget_Player_Cadet)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/7 "2013-11-20T14:13:25Z")
Yeah, I figure deal with one disgusting pack of slimeballs at a time… ---
**Author:** ![tomndebb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/b9e5f3/32.png) [@tomndebb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomndebb)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/8 "2013-11-20T14:18:06Z")
> [@Budget\_Player\_Cadet](#): > > Yeah, I figure deal with one disgusting pack of slimeballs at a time… However, you appear to be missing your mark. The posters most often labeled “race realists” tend to be posters who believe that intelligence testing provides an objective truth regarding different ethnic groups. The posters who would most often deny that racism is a serious problem in the U.S. tend to be a different set of posters. (You could call them “racism deniers” or something.) ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/9 "2013-11-20T15:02:13Z")
The best thing about these people is that they bend over backward to interpret bad data while calling themselves “realists.” > [@tomndebb](#): > > The posters who would most often deny that racism is a serious problem in the U.S. tend to be a different set of posters. (You could call them “racism deniers” or something.) Although they second group does often show up to “defend” the first. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/10 "2013-11-20T15:12:56Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > However, you appear to be missing your mark. > > The posters most often labeled “race realists” tend to be posters who believe that intelligence testing provides an objective truth regarding different ethnic groups. > > The posters who would most often deny that racism is a serious problem in the U.S. tend to be a different set of posters. (You could call them “racism deniers” or something.) Most of the former are also members of the latter. Anyway most of our scientific racists would probably agree with treating the young black man differently though instead of quoting Rushton they’d start quoting Richard Cohen or Michael Levin.\* \*. Admittedly most of them until reading this post are probably too dumb to have heard of Levin. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/11 "2013-11-20T15:14:55Z")
The thing I always wonder about What Would You Do is what have they edited out. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/12 "2013-11-20T15:22:30Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The thing I always wonder about What Would You Do is what have they edited out. Like how many times does hubby walk over to help leggy blonde while his wife calls the cops? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Debaser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/3da27b/32.png) [@Debaser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Debaser)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/13 "2013-11-20T16:15:40Z")
> [@Inner\_Stickler](#): > > The thing I always wonder about What Would You Do is what have they edited out. This. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/14 "2013-11-20T16:19:47Z")
Also, the one with the runaway and the truckdriver just made me think a pervy old couple could make out like bandits in terms of taking advantage of runaways. ---
**Author:** ![iiandyiiii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/iiandyiiii/32/7924_2.png) [@iiandyiiii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iiandyiiii)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/15 "2013-11-20T16:32:32Z")
> [@Debaser](#): > > This. Supposing that it was not edited dishonestly, and the depiction in the video is an accurate summary of what really happened, would the results surprise you? ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 6:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/16 "2013-11-20T18:30:09Z")
> [@tomndebb](#): > > However, you appear to be missing your mark. > > The posters most often labeled “race realists” tend to be posters who believe that intelligence testing provides an objective truth regarding different ethnic groups. > > The posters who would most often deny that racism is a serious problem in the U.S. tend to be a different set of posters. (You could call them “racism deniers” or something.) The problem you correctly point out is one that is at the heart of most of the discussions concerning race, genetics and performance. There is a really, really strong desire on the part of the OP and others to conflate the racial with racist to fit their purposes. As you say, I have no idea what the OP thinks this has to do with racism. I don’t know of anyone in those threads that denies that it exists, and has very real effects. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/17 "2013-11-20T18:33:19Z")
> [@magellan01](#): > > There is a really, really strong desire on the part of the OP and others to conflate the racial with racist to fit their purposes. There is a correct understanding that people who pretend to be describing racial differences are, in real life, just racists who dress up their prejudices in fancy words. ---
**Author:** ![Inner\_Stickler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inner_stickler/32/318_2.png) [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/18 "2013-11-20T18:39:43Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Supposing that it was not edited dishonestly, and the depiction in the video is an accurate summary of what really happened, would the results surprise you? While I really wish I could assume that all the editing was aboveboard, I’ve been burned far too many times and I just don’t trust how many reactions they cut out until they got to a juicy one. ---
**Author:** ![magellan01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@magellan01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/magellan01)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/19 "2013-11-20T18:52:34Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > There is a correct understanding that people who pretend to be describing racial differences are, in real life, just racists who dress up their prejudices in fancy words. Complete an utter nonsense. Guess you were absent the day they explained sets and subsets. ::shrug:: But your pathetic attempt to put forth such nonsense proves the point I made. So, thanks! ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2013, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329/20 "2013-11-20T21:15:26Z")
Disclaimer, OBVIOUSLY there is still racial bias among people. But when I saw this originally on WWYD about a year or so ago, my exact thoughts at the time were (though the announcer said otherwise), that these two kids were NOT “dressed alike”. I suspect it was done on purpose by the show, but the white kid (who also looked much older than the black kid), was dressed in clothing that fit, and the black kid was dressed all saggy. That is what would have stood out to me. I think it would have been a much more clear story if the two kids had been the same size (the black kid is much smaller), same age, and were actually wearing the same thing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-you-racist-realists/674329.md?page=2)