Me and my thought of what's racist and not

[AniJan]

So, a lot of times, I don't know if something is racist or not.

For example, my dad said that most black people live in poverty, and I answered with a, "Isn't that racist and stereotypical?"

My dad then answers it by saying it was simply a general statistic. And that got me thinking: "Is it racist or not?"

 

The other time, one of friends who was not of the African American race explicitly shouted "nigga" when he lost a game of speed. I then told him that what he said was racist, and he answered with a(paraphrased):

"I didn't mean it in a way that's offensive."

Again, that got me thinking, "Is it racist or not?" Does reason justify ones words? Sure it does, but.....(confused).

My friend is black and he says "nigga" all the time for some whatever reasons. I then thought to myself, "Wait, is it still racist if someone uses a demeaning word aimed specifically towards that person's own race?"

 

Can someone help me identify if something's racist or not? Furthermore, in complex situations?

[79wjd]

As far as I'm concerned, something is only racist if you're being derogatory in your statement. If you're not saying something with the intention of being hurtful to an individual or a group then it's not racism. 

[Andreas Lilja]

Nigger and nigga are not the same thing. 

 

Use by non-Blacks is cultural appropriation. Whether that's right or wrong is another debate altogether. 

[PlayStation 2]

Well it all depends on who you're asking. If you threw Mexican slurs at me, yes it'd be racist per se, but would it actually offend me? To answer that, no. 

The more appropriate question here should be "is what I'm asking going to offend the person I'm asking?" rather than "is it racist?"

[WindirBear]

The people that do not get offended by saying nigger are the people I can respect.

 

Like idubbz said, either it's all okay, or none of it is.

[MadyTehWolfie]

18 minutes ago, AniJan said:

So, a lot of times, I don't know if something is racist or not.

For example, my dad said that most black people live in poverty, and I answered with a, "Isn't that racist and stereotypical?"

My dad then answers it by saying it was simply a general statistic. And that got me thinking: "Is it racist or not?"

 

The other time, one of friends who was not of the African American race explicitly shouted "nigga" when he lost a game of speed. I then told him that what he said was racist, and he answered with a(paraphrased):

"I didn't mean it in a way that's offensive."

Again, that got me thinking, "Is it racist or not?" Does reason justify ones words? Sure it does, but.....(confused).

My friend is black and he says "nigga" all the time for some whatever reasons. I then thought to myself, "Wait, is it still racist if someone uses a demeaning word aimed specifically towards that person's own race?"

 

Can someone help me identify if something's racist or not? Furthermore, in complex situations?

Statistically that statement is correct. As for the "Nigga" comments its a bit of a grey area as Ive seen all races say that to each other. The black community worked hard to take back that work in my opinion if all races can say it in a positive way who cares? Same reason I dont get upset when people call me a fag, or when my friend and I call myself a Wej instead of a jew becuase I spend all my money instead of saving it lol. It really depends on the person you say it around less what it actually is. Words mean nothing but the meaning you and the people around you give it. If you think about it with a existentialist frame of mind itll make more sense. 

[TheKDub]

15 minutes ago, AniJan said:

My friend is black and he says "nigga" all the time for some whatever reasons. I then thought to myself, "Wait, is it still racist if someone uses a demeaning word aimed specifically towards that person's own race?"

 

You could think of it like a white person saying "All white people are fat!", that'd be racism even though they're white, they're still saying something about the race as a whole.

 

@djdwosk97 What if someone said "All black people can run really fast", that's not really derogatory, but it's still technically racist.

 

Racism: "the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races."

 

So anything that's saying something about an entire race would technically be racist, so even saying "White people have light skin" could be considered to be racist, though I don't see how someone would really be offended by it.

[WindirBear]

4 minutes ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

Well it all depends on who you're asking. If you threw Mexican slurs at me, yes it'd be racist per se, but would it actually offend me? To answer that, no. 

The more appropriate question here should be "is what I'm asking going to offend the person I'm asking?" rather than "is it racist?"

You damn Mexicans aren't a race.

[PlayStation 2]

Just now, WindirBear said:

You damn Mexicans aren't a race.

I know that. 

Just setting up bear traps.

[79wjd]

1 minute ago, TheKDub said:

 

@djdwosk97 What if someone said "All black people can run really fast", that's not really derogatory, but it's still technically racist.

 

Racism: "the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races."

 

So anything that's saying something about an entire race would technically be racist, so even saying "White people have light skin" could be considered to be racist, though I don't see how someone would really be offended by it.

I'd say that's stereotypical, not racist. I know the technical definition of racism, but imho there has to be a negative connotation for something to be racist.

[MadyTehWolfie]

Just now, TheKDub said:

 

You could think of it like a white person saying "All white people are fat!", that'd be racism even though they're white, they're still saying something about the race as a whole.

 

@djdwosk97 What if someone said "All black people can run really fast", that's not really derogatory, but it's still technically racist.

 

Racism: "the belief that all members of each race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race, especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races."

 

So anything that's saying something about an entire race would technically be racist, so even saying "White people have light skin" could be considered to be racist, though I don't see how someone would really be offended by it.

Saying white people have light skin is not racist but a fact of life. If you said white people are bad because they have light skin then that would be racist. 

[WindirBear]

1 minute ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

I know that. 

Just setting up bear traps.

Is it true? You cleaned his restrooms?

[MadyTehWolfie]

8 minutes ago, WindirBear said:

You damn Mexicans aren't a race.

 

7 minutes ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

I know that. 

Just setting up bear traps.

Its kind of a mix up within the Hispanic community depending on where they are from, for example a lot of Spanish people from Spain dont consider themselves to be anything but Southern Europeans. As for the native inhabitants of the Americas ( the Indians and the Aztecs ect. I believe they are more closely related to Asians as they are the closest to the Americas when the Ice land Bridge was still around during cave man times.) Today's Mexican communities and southern american peoples can probably trace themselves back to a mix of Southern Euro and Asian peoples. Isnt history and geography fun?! One of the reasons my minor is in history I love learning about new people and communities.

 

Edit: Pretty sure both the Mongols and the Islamic world conquered Spain at one point might be wrong on one of them though. 

[PlayStation 2]

1 minute ago, MadyTehWolfie said:

 

Its kind of a mix up within the Hispanic community depending on where they are from, for example a lot of Spanish people from Spain dont consider themselves to be anything but Southern Europeans. As for the native inhabitants of the Americas ( the Indians and the Aztecs ect. I believe they are more closely related to Asians as they are the closest to the Americas when the Ice land Bridge was still around during cave man times.) Today's Mexican communities and southern american peoples can probably trace themselves back to a mix of Southern Euro and Asian peoples. Isnt history and geography fun?! One of the reasons my minor is in history I love learning about new people and communities.

Hispanics genuinely are interesting as they come from all over the place. 

 

From what I remember Puerto Ricans have more in common with Africans than they do with whites and those from Europe. 

 

Now I'm mixed. But that doesn't really show easily. But essentially, I'm Irish and Mexican mixed and I do end up looking more white than Asian or black or whatever else I could look like. 

[MadyTehWolfie]

Just now, Dan Castellaneta said:

Hispanics genuinely are interesting as they come from all over the place. 

 

From what I remember Puerto Ricans have more in common with Africans than they do with whites and those from Europe. 

 

Now I'm mixed. But that doesn't really show easily. But essentially, I'm Irish and Mexican mixed and I do end up looking more white than Asian or black or whatever else I could look like. 

Im not familiar with the early history of the islands around Mexico/South America to be honest so I cant comment on that. However when we look at race there are only three major differences with other races being a mix of the three or just two. Mongoloid Negroid, and Caucasoid. The difference being superficial with some differences in what is more or less common in terms of illness or disease for each of the races mentioned. Thats why I dislike it when a past sociology professor tried to tell my race is only a social construct and there are no differences in genetics between the races. That is the biggest lie ever but its not big difference just the parts of your genes that control the type of features you have and your susceptibility to certain illness or disease. Racists use this to be racist butthats and I dont support that but to say there isnt a difference on some genetic level is stupid just its a superficial one and I for one am glad it exists otherwise we would all look the same and that would make my sex life very boring in deed. 

[captain_to_fire]

30 minutes ago, Dan Castellaneta said:

Well it all depends on who you're asking. If you threw Mexican slurs at me, yes it'd be racist per se, but would it actually offend me? To answer that, no. 

The more appropriate question here should be "is what I'm asking going to offend the person I'm asking?" rather than "is it racist?"

I approve of this message. 

[dexT]

If you don't know if something is racist or not, it probably isn't.

[dexT]

Just now, Kumaresh said:

Just in case, use the guideline set by the highest authorities of modern citizens looking for social justice : "Everything is sexist, everything is racist, everything is homophobic and you need to point it all out". I'm not sure about all the other

"-isms", but I wouldn't want to do something as offensive as independent thinking, that would be ableist and offend those who aren't capable of thinking, of whom there appear to be many. 

Word up ;p

[Tech_Dreamer]

Pfft , don't bring in Statistics to an emotional argument *grabs scaled amount of popcorns*  , Think we're starting to notice where things are actually racist or just used as an excuse to win arguments real quick .

[yathis]

17 hours ago, AniJan said:

most black people live in poverty,

That is actual fact, so its not racist at all.

 

17 hours ago, AniJan said:

shouted "nigga"

That is not racist as most black people say that word, hence its not racist.

 

 

 

I would say everyone is racist, EVERYONE.

Because if you are walking late at night, and its dark out, and a minority is walking towards you, your heart beats faster. You say no words, but YOU are racist.

 

 

[Clanscorpia]

7 minutes ago, yathis said:

That is actual fact, so its not racist at all.

 

That is not racist as most black people say that word, hence its not racist.

 

 

 

I would say everyone is racist, EVERYONE.

Because if you are walking late at night, and its dark out, and a minority is walking towards you, your heart beats faster. You say no words, but YOU are racist.

 

 

If anyone walks towards me late at night my heart beats faster. Its called /human nature/ 

[yathis]

2 minutes ago, Clanscorpia said:

Its called

Racism

[Clanscorpia]

5 minutes ago, yathis said:

Racism

No, fight or flight, if you see someone walking towards you that late you'll become more away. Welcome to million years of evolution

[yathis]

Actually, their heart rate beats faster when the other person is not of their own kind.

You are right it is human nature, and human nature is racist, and that is a proven fact.

So when people say "Oh I am not racist" I laugh at them and their little tiny soap box.

 

[AntonChigurh]

When a word isn't used with hurtful intent, it's not racist. Imho I think the whole "racism" thing is completely overblown. The second you say anything that could be misconstrued (or even something that couldn't) as offensive, you're automatically a bigot. Like for instance, when you said your friend yelled "nigga' after losing a game, if he wasn't doing it with the intent to put down black people or demean them, then that's perfectly fine. it's just another use of crude everyday slang.