There is never an unjust yelling at a dog! 
Plus, everything everywhere is the fault of some dog somewhere.
Newsflash! I also don’t, and wouldn’t, use the word ‘Bitch’ at a woman! :eek: I also wouldn’t call my mother a ‘cunt’ Maybe you don’t seem to understand that some people can actually control their actions and the words coming out of their mouth?
Good, neither am I. I stand with you against this mighty man made of straw.
Then you missed my point, which was that relatively minor (even trivially minor) acts of racism and bigotry might be as “easy” to do by mistake as stepping on a dog’s tail.
I’m certain I’ll never be part of a lynching, or become a slave dealer. But I’m not certain that I’ll never accidentally say something that’s just a tiny bit racist or bigoted to someone. And if I do, by mistake, I hope someone calls me out on it, so I can learn from it.
Not a huge deal to discuss and acknowledge this. This isn’t the end of the world. It’s okay to talk about these types of things.
Isn’t it possible that there are potentially racist or bigoted things, even if they are very minor-league stuff, that you aren’t aware of? On the off chance you make a mistake some day, and don’t realize it, don’t you want to be open to this possibility so someone can help to educate you and you can improve yourself?
Could you explain what a trivially minor act of racism or bigotry would be? And explain how you know they would be trivially minor? Or would they only be trivially minor to you, but you have no way of knowing if the recipient of your act of racism or bigotry would consider it trivially minor or not? Or are you using your privilege to determine the strength of the racist and bigoted acts you might accidently do one day?
Dude, everything you’ve been saying today has been based on the diluted, distorted, vastly expanded meaning of racism. If manson1972 and Squallous do not believe that people of specific genetic subgroups have intellectual and personality traits that are dictated by those genes, then they are not racists. They may have prejudices, but that is not racism.
I am not aware of minor-league racist or bigoted things. Sorry, I don’t have the time to chop up racist and/or bigoted acts into little groups based on what “league” they are in (some of that sentence stolen and paraphrased from Chris Rock).
These are all good questions, and I have no certain answers for any of them. I’m only using my opinion and my judgement, flawed as they might be. In my understanding, an example might be asking a person that appears to you to be Asian where they’re from – they might find this very slightly offensive, especially if you’re assuming that they are not from America. Another example – a very light-skinned person makes a reference to being black – you’d never discussed this with them before, and in surprise you respond with skepticism, like “you’re not black, are you?” or something like that. A third example – you might wear a jersey with a team logo that some individuals from the ethnic group that the logo caricatures finds offensive.
These are pretty minor things, at least in my judgement. I’m sure I’ve made similar mistakes in my life. But when I’ve been called out on them, I’ve tried to learn (and I’ve probably failed sometimes too) so that I can try to minimize the chances of making such mistakes in the future.
Again, not a huge deal. It’s okay and can even be good and positive to talk about the smaller aspects of racism and bigotry, in my opinion.
I haven’t accused them of being racists. I don’t have any reason to believe that they are. But I think well-meaning, non-racist people can still sometimes, by mistake, say or do racist things.
EDIT: We might have some disagreements on the definitions of words and concepts like racism and bigotry. That’s okay to discuss as well. Having these discussions is okay and can be a good and positive thing.
What kind of racist conversations are you in? Who the hell asks those things? NOW it’s clear why you must subscribe to the opinion that everyone can inadvertently say or do racist things - because if EVERYONE can make the same mistakes you make, then you are not as bad a racist or bigot as people think you are. You are just making “mistakes” to learn from.
“you’re not black, are you?” just shaking my head at that one.:smack:
Also, the only sports team clothes I wear are the University of Maryland and the Baltimore Orioles. And if anyone takes offense to a terrapin or a bird, then fuck them
Yes, we do. As I mentioned, I define racism as the belief that person has intellectual and personality traits that are genetically determined by group. For instance, wearing blackface is rude and in poor taste, but it isn’t racist. Saying that all black people are stupid or lazy or violent is racist. Wearing a sombrero and a poncho to a Halloween party is not racist. Saying that all Mexicans are lazy is racist. Commenting on, disagreeing with, or parodying cultural practices may or not be polite, but they are not racism unless you claim that those are innate, inborn traits of the group. And racism isn’t limited to the dominant cultural group–for instance, when black football player Reggie White said that blacks are good at worshiping, whites are good at making money, Hispanics are good at fitting 30 people in a house, and Asians are good at inventing stuff, that was racist.
If you haven’t read it before, you might like The Mismeasure of Man by Stephen Jay Gould.
Wow, I’ve never met such incredible resistance to a simple recommendation for a bit of humility. I hope you are indeed as perfect as you seem to think you are, and best wishes to you, friends, and family.
And if you think I’ve said something racist or bigoted, please do call me out on it. As always, I want to be a better person, and I want to continue to learn.
We believe you, but I bet the dog isn’t so certain.
I just did let you know that questions like you posted are not ones to be asked. Instead of resisting the lesson I’ve given you, you should take it as something to learn from, to make you a better person. I don’t know why you are resisting it. It would never even occur to me to say the “minor league” things that you used as examples.
Indeed. A great lesson. I don’t ever plan to say those things or anything like them, which is why I identified them as racist. But there may be other things I haven’t thought of. Since you already know every possible racist thing ever ,hopefully you can help me identify them.
LOL!
I agree with almost everything here, except the “all Mexicans are lazy” part. Not because I think all Mexicans are lazy of course, but Mexican isn’t a race. Is saying “All Americans are arrogant jackasses” racist? “All British people have bad teeth”? Other than that, I agree. I’d go with Hispanic if I were to make the same point.
Sure, just run them by me before you say them, and I’ll let you know. Here’s a tip: Don’t ask people about their nationality unless they bring it up. Don’t ask about their race unless they bring it up. Don’t assume anything about a nationality or a race. Don’t think an individual of a certain nationality or race is anything like any stereotypes you may of heard about that nationality or race. Don’t start a sentence with “I’m not racist but…”
When these get ingrained into your very being as things “not to do” then you won’t have to worry about accidently doing any of them.
It’s not that hard.
Thank you. Such lessons are always worth hearing, no matter how many times they are said.
And a counter tip back to you: don’t worry about trivial distinctions, like whether a statement is racist or bigoted because it referenced a nationality rather than a race or ethnicity. Saying something negative about all Mexicans is just as bad, and should receive just as much criticism, as saying something negative about all Hispanic people. The word racism is now often used to encompass a broader set of bigotry than the old categories of race alone.
I do worry that there might be things that even such a colossal intellect like yourself might not have considered, though. But I greatly appreciate your help.
There’s glory for you.