Racism: what is it that you fail to understand???

The BBQ Pit
1

*This is really a question, but it is not suitable for GQ. If I put it in GD, it will get ugly really fast, this is where it will end up, so it might as well start here. And, well, the issue irks me (and others), the freedom to spit will be helpful.
*

Like you right-wingers, I just do not get it. What is so difficult about the concept of racism? You keep asking, “why is this racist when that is not?” And we keep trying to explain it to you, and you go “ok”, and next week the thing circles back on us again.

Seriously, what is your malfunction? Are your brains so tightly wired that you cannot grasp the subtleties of this? No, I never called you racist for disliking Obama or objecting to his policies, just cut that out. How much help do you need to understand this?

And do not go calling me namby-pamby because I prefer to start out by treating people with respect instead of instinctively looking for ways to demean them. There was a story some years back of a shop where one of the pipe fitters forced them to change their terminology because the word “jig” bothered him: yes, it sounds absurd, but if people like you could have shelved the epithets for a change, this kind of thing would not happen. Your haughty ignorance is poisoning the well for all the rest of us.

And no, I do not buy the lame-ass excuse that racism is natural human behavior, pre-schoolers get along fine with each other in a mix, they have to be taught that those kind are icky.

I just want to know, why are (many of) you like this? Why can you not understand? Do you need us always by your side to constantly guide you through the treacherous maze of not-treating-other-kinds-of-people-like-shit?

no offense meant, this has been kind of building for a while

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Some examples would be nice. What are you even talking about? Stupid pundit du jour? Some incredibly retarded poster (lord knows we have enough of them here)?

3

Aerosmith did it better.

4

Well, here in America, we have a long-standing tradition of treating other people like shit, and it’s going to take a few more generations at least to work it out of our system, and even then, only if there’s a demonstrably good reason to do it.

5

I think a lot of the ‘faux-ignorance’ (and that’s all it is; of course they “get it”) gets thrown up as a cover because a lot of right wingers also happen to be racists.

6

Yep, the ol’ “racism doesn’t exist anymore so I can’t be racist” excuse. Always a favorite.

7

My family has mastered the “Mock Outrage” defense:

*“Whaaat? If I didn’t like them, would I be calling them a cute word like picaninnies?”
*
(actual quote, I’m afraid…)

8

If you are honestly looking to build understanding, the way you have phrased your questions won’t work. No one is going to feel like helping you out with a reasoned, thoughtful answer. All you are doing is convincing those who disagree with you that liberals are hotheaded and irrational. There’s no opening for dialog here.

On the other hand, if you just want to express antipathy toward the willful refusal to acknowledge that something is racist even when the evidence suggests that it is - well, sure. I agree with that.

9

Hmmm. Maybe people legitimately disagree with what constitutes a racist act. An gander at recent threads seems to indicate that is indeed the case.

You admit there are subtleties at work. Then why can’t you see how different people might judge those nuances differently? Seriously, what is your malfunction?

10

Affirmative action is racism. Government sponsored racism.

Yay!

11

I’ve reluctantly come to grips with the fact that I’m a racist. NASCAR, Formula One, IndyCar, I like 'em all.

What?

12

I am kind of struggling with this idea, it seems tinged with irony. Does that make me as bad as them? Have I become Archie Bunker?

Perhaps it is because my thesaurus does not list “subtlety” and “nuance” as synonyms for “open to interpretation”. Often that is the case, sometimes not.

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The entire history of Humanity is the history of a semi-intelligent herd species. We settle into families, packs, clans, tribes, nations. At every single one of those levels, people who are not part of that group are “other”, and are treated as ‘less than we are’. This is not some Great Mystery, nor is it an intentional act of evil. It is us, being the animals we are.

Of course, as I say over and over on this board;

The beauty of being Human is that we can conceive of things like Justice, which does not exist anywhere in the Universe, and then set about creating it in our World.

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and your point is? When something has subtleties the differences are not stark, but nuanced. And as such, are usually open to interpretation. Is this really new ground?

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Personally, I think the real issue isn’t as much classical racism, as much as the problem that here in the US, ethnicity and poverty seem to be very tightly coupled.

In other words, I think people are less openly racist and hateful than people think, and more classist / anti-poor than we’re willing to admit.

However, it’s really hard to separate the two. If you say you’re against “welfare abuse” it’s assumed you’re being racist, when technically there’s nothing racist about it. Or talking about immigration reform automatically implies that you’re discussing illegal Mexican immigration, when it may be a broader discussion.

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You know, there are two ways to read that, and the most common one is probably not what you were thinking. :smiley:

But I commend you on the courageous move you have taken to stand up against racism. Now all you need to do is learn how to put together a coherent argument. Props for posting this in the pit, though!

ETA: Rape week is suddenly not looking so bad…

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I’m struggling to recall when it hasn’t been Race Week…

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Yeah, it turns out I’m a racist bigot. Love F1, can’t stand NASCAR. Go figure.

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The OP is asking a group of dumb people what they don’t understand. That’s probably not going to be very productive.

20

Fuck, I love boobs, though.