# What is Racism? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [March 28, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865 "2004-03-28T04:32:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Science\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Science\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Science_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/1 "2004-03-28T04:32:10Z")
What is Racism? by Thomas Jackson The following article was Originally Published in American Renaissance, Vol 2, No. 8, see [http://www.amren.com/](http://www.amren.com/) What is Racism? Everyone talks about “racism” but no one ever defines it. AR’s assistant editor has given it a try. by Thomas Jackson There is surely no nation in the world that holds “racism” in greater horror than does the United States. Compared to other kinds of offenses, it is thought to be somehow more reprehensible. The press and public have become so used to tales of murder, rape, robbery, and arson, that any but the most spectacular crimes are shrugged off as part of the inevitable texture of American life. “Racism” is never shrugged off. For example, when a white Georgetown Law School student reports that black students are less well qualified than white students, it sets off a booming, national controversy about “racism.” If the student had merely murdered someone he would have attracted far less attention and criticism. Complete text at [http://www.commonsenseclub.com/racism.html](http://www.commonsenseclub.com/racism.html) ---
**Author:** ![Science\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Science\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Science_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/2 "2004-03-28T05:16:05Z")
By the way, I should mention that I myself am “a person of color,” but I still found this article to have some merit when pointing out the many double standards within the whole field of racism activism. Science Girl ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 7:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/3 "2004-03-28T07:32:44Z")
I’m confused, what’s the debate? ---
**Author:** ![Science\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Science\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Science_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 7:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/4 "2004-03-28T07:45:40Z")
> [@Master Control](#): > > I’m confused, what’s the debate? Are Whites uniquely critisized for ethnocentrism when all other racial groups display the same ethnocentrism for their own group? ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 8:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/5 "2004-03-28T08:18:33Z")
> [@Science Girl](#): > > Are Whites uniquely critisized for ethnocentrism when all other racial groups display the same ethnocentrism for their own group? Ah yes, this is something I’ve thought about myself (and not that this makes any difference, but I’m about as white as they come.) Anyway, I’ve noticed that minorities are allowed to express points of view that would get whites into trouble. For example, a white who expresses the opinion that whites should only date and marry other whites is deemed a racist (and usually they are), but if a black person says that blacks shouldn’t date/marry non blacks, well, that’s OK. Or if a white person spouts off all of the things that are great about being white, again, they’re usually pegged as racist (and again, they usually are), but a black person who does that is simply expressing “black pride”, or for Native American it would be Native American pride, and so on. I also wanted to post as to why I think this double standard exists, but I’ve been stuck for 5 or 10 minutes unable to do so. Not because I don’t have an opinion on the subject, but because I am having the **hardest** time typing it out. All I can mange to get out is that it’s my belief that this is due in part to things like this countries racist past as well as other factors like political correctness and… Hell, I’m going to have to post back later when I can get my thoughts in order. ---
**Author:** ![Science\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Science\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Science_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/6 "2004-03-28T08:26:12Z")
> [@Master Control](#): > > . All I can mange to get out is that it’s my belief that this is due in part to things like this countries racist past All races have been racist in the past. But only white racist history is taught in schools and shown in the media: the racism of all other races in the past are hidden from public view. So, why are Whites the only ones who feel bad about it? Well, I guess it’s part genetic, see [http://home.comcast.net/~neoeugenics/host.htm](http://home.comcast.net/~neoeugenics/host.htm) My parents are very racist, they hate White people, they believe in Brown pride. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/7 "2004-03-28T08:40:20Z")
> [@Science Girl](#): > > All races have been racist in the past. But only white racist history is taught in schools and shown in the media: the racism of all other races in the past are hidden from public view. So, why are Whites the only ones who feel bad about it? Well, I guess it’s part genetic, see [http://home.comcast.net/~neoeugenics/host.htm](http://home.comcast.net/~neoeugenics/host.htm) > > My parents are very racist, they hate White people, they believe in Brown pride. First, not that it matters, what ethnic group do you belong to? I’m just curious. Second, wow, it’s 12:30AM from where I’m posting right now and I’m getting too tired for coherent thought. I’ll have to get back to this post tomorrow after I’ve had a good night sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/8 "2004-03-28T08:55:39Z")
> [@Science Girl](#): > > All races have been racist in the past. But only white racist history is taught in schools and shown in the media: the racism of all other races in the past are hidden from public view. So, why are Whites the only ones who feel bad about it? I assume that you are speaking on a national level, not a global one, though you don’t specify it. The reason only white racism is taught in history courses in school is fairly simple - it is because (despite what your neoeugenics friends think about the Jewish NWO controlling everything) whites have been the only dominating race in the nation’s history. Other races simply haven’t had the chance to dominate history and cause a real large-scale effect. As for the media, I disagree with you completely. The fact that even in a liberal state like California, something like “Affirmative Action” can be overturned so easily does not speak of media repressing reverse-racism. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 9:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/9 "2004-03-28T09:00:48Z")
**SG:** \*All races have been racist in the past. But only white racist history is taught in schools and shown in the media: the racism of all other races in the past are hidden from public view. \* ?? Really? I learned about lots of kinds of racism and ethnic discrimination in general in school and college and from the media, from the ancient Spartans’ prejudice against the “helots” to present-day Japanese discrimination against the Ainu. White racism may be the most visible and most significant type of racism in contemporary US culture, but I’d hardly say that other types are “hidden from public view”. **MC:** _For example, a white who expresses the opinion that whites should only date and marry other whites is deemed a racist (and usually they are), but if a black person says that blacks shouldn’t date/marry non blacks, well, that’s OK._ OK with whom? Plenty of people (including me) are offended by **anybody** ’s trying to make rules about whom other people should be allowed to marry. What I think you’re trying to get at is that although there are examples of racial chauvinism and prejudice in pretty much all racial groups, racism from the politically/socially dominant group gets the most attention and the most disapproval. ISTM that this is a natural consequence of the fact that usually only the racism of the dominant group has a significant impact on the legal/social status of other groups. All prejudice and hatred is bad, but in practical terms it’s worse when it’s expressed as institutionalized oppression and discrimination. ---
**Author:** ![EasyPhil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e47c2d/32.png) [@EasyPhil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EasyPhil)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 9:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/10 "2004-03-28T09:10:10Z")
> [@Science Girl](#): > > By the way, I should mention that I myself am “a person of color,” but I still found this article to have some merit when pointing out the many double standards within the whole field of racism activism. > > Science Girl What are the double standards? You mention you’re “a person of color”, what color would that be? Where are your parents from and what’s their cultural background? PS: I think you’re a white person. ---
**Author:** ![Science\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Science\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Science_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 9:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/11 "2004-03-28T09:18:58Z")
> [@Master Control](#): > > First, not that it matters, what ethnic group do you belong to? I’m just curious. Brown ethnic group. ---
**Author:** ![Zagadka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zagadka/32/7272_2.png) [@Zagadka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zagadka)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 9:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/12 "2004-03-28T09:20:40Z")
> [@Science Girl](#): > > Brown ethnic group. Brown is not an ethnicity, it is a color. Do you need us to explain what “ethnicity” is to you, or can you find a definition in your catalog? ---
**Author:** ![Science\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f14d63/32.png) [@Science\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Science_Girl)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 9:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/13 "2004-03-28T09:24:52Z")
> [@EasyPhil](#): > > PS: I think you’re a white person. LOL. Ya, wouldn’t that be something, me a White girl. Actually, I’m glad I am not White, I’d just be part of the White sheep masses waiting to go to “Heaven” where you get year round free buffet of pork ribs and beer. Actually, if I had to pick a race, I’d want to be Jewish, I’d have high intelligence, great wealth, and great social status. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/14 "2004-03-28T12:36:17Z")
**SG:** _Actually, if I had to pick a race, I’d want to be Jewish, I’d have high intelligence, great wealth, and great social status._ Unless, of course, you turned out to be one of the many Jews who are dumb, poor, and/or lower-class. **Science Girl** , you are not exactly covering yourself with glory so far in the fight against ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![mascaroni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@mascaroni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mascaroni)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/15 "2004-03-28T12:36:38Z")
I’ve heard it often on the board that race is a ‘social construct’… Being English, I’m not 100% sure about what that means (because you lot over the pond speak a different language…) but, from what I can gather, it means that race is an artificial invention to distinguish people with different skin colour. So where does that leave ‘Racism’? Another ‘social construct’? What about… Tutsis v Hutus… Racist? Serbs v Croats… Racist? Tottenham v Arsenal… Racist? From my own point of view, I think culture is more important than race in regards to people ‘fitting in’. I tend to have far more in common with my friends of Jamaican or Indian ancestry than I do with the French… ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/16 "2004-03-28T12:39:04Z")
**SG:** \*Actually, I’m glad I am not White, I’d just be part of the White sheep masses waiting to go to “Heaven” where you get year round free buffet of pork ribs and beer. \* Well, you said you intended this thread to draw attention to the phenomenon of non-white racism against whites, and I guess you’re succeeding, although perhaps not quite in the way you intended. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 4:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/17 "2004-03-28T16:08:39Z")
> [@Zagadka](#): > > I assume that you are speaking on a national level, not a global one, though you don’t specify it. > > The reason only white racism is taught in history courses in school is fairly simple - it is because (despite what your neoeugenics friends think about the Jewish NWO controlling everything) whites have been the only dominating race in the nation’s history. Other races simply haven’t had the chance to dominate history and cause a real large-scale effect. > > As for the media, I disagree with you completely. The fact that even in a liberal state like California, something like “Affirmative Action” can be overturned so easily does not speak of media repressing reverse-racism. Well said. Now that I’ve gotten my sleep, I was going to post something similar, but since you already posted this, it would make my post redudnant. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/18 "2004-03-28T16:15:29Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > **MC:** _For example, a white who expresses the opinion that whites should only date and marry other whites is deemed a racist (and usually they are), but if a black person says that blacks shouldn’t date/marry non blacks, well, that’s OK._ > > OK with whom? Plenty of people (including me) are offended by **anybody** ’s trying to make rules about whom other people should be allowed to marry. > > What I think you’re trying to get at is that although there are examples of racial chauvinism and prejudice in pretty much all racial groups, racism from the politically/socially dominant group gets the most attention and the most disapproval. ISTM that this is a natural consequence of the fact that usually only the racism of the dominant group has a significant impact on the legal/social status of other groups. All prejudice and hatred is bad, but in practical terms it’s worse when it’s expressed as institutionalized oppression and discrimination. Good point. I wasn’t trying to say that it’s OK for minority members to be racist, just that they’re less likely to be called on it than whites. Either that, or their views get rationalized as having a good reason behind them, whereas there’s no good reason for whites to talk like that. And I agree 100% with you reason for this. ---
**Author:** ![Nobody](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/94ad74/32.png) [@Nobody](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nobody)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/19 "2004-03-28T16:19:03Z")
> [@Zagadka](#): > > Brown is not an ethnicity, it is a color. Do you need us to explain what “ethnicity” is to you, or can you find a definition in your catalog? I’m sure that she knows what ethnicity is, she’s just not giving a straight answer. I guess for some reason, she doesn’t want us to know. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2004, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865/20 "2004-03-28T16:19:21Z")
> [@Science Girl](#): > > By the way, I should mention that I myself am “a person of color,” but I still found this article to have some merit when pointing out the many double standards within the whole field of racism activism. > > Science Girl If you’re a “person of color,” why does your website contain the phrase “pro-White”? Unless, of course, you consider white to be a color. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-racism/236865.md?page=2)