Am I Racist?
Am
I racist because I laugh really hard at some racial jokes even though I know
they're not "sophisticated?" Am I racist because I think it's good
that the medical profession looks at race instead of being
"colorblind?" Am I racist because I have thoroughly mixed feelings
about affirmative action? Am I racist for believing that some generalizations,
even about race, are rooted in truth? Am I racist for feeling cultural
background is a major determinant of who most people are? Am I racist because I
think it's okay that sometimes people racially segregate on their own?
I get pretty tired of people pretending
there is no difference between cultures or nothing to talk about in these
subjects. We are not all the same. Not all racism is the same. Bad racism can be
divided into three varieties:
1) Xenophobia ------> False
Assumptions And Unfair Treatment
It is pretty self-explanatory how this
happens. A community or individual doesn't understand another people but doesn't
have the humility to admit that they don't understand. So they make, or buy
into, bullshit generalizations.
Some common generalizations are rooted
in truth and some are not. But even if they have some truth in them, they don't
ever apply to the entire group. So they mean less than racist people think.
Aside from whether a generalization has some truth in it, there is a right and
wrong way to treat people that results from what you believe.
It is wrong to pre-judge someone
without giving him/her a fair chance. Though most people I know don't believe it
makes any difference, it is also unfair to slander someone by casting doubt upon
him/her. An extension of this type of slander is the Fox News variety: skewing
the meaning of statistics to not account for economic circumstances, for the
difficulty of building a foundation from very little, and for the effects of
racism.
2) Fear/Envy + Inferiority/Superiority
Complex = Hatred.
This is the scariest kind. Think KKK.
Think Nazi Germany. Proponents of these philosophies have stumbled, one way or
another, onto the notion that one race is *better* than another. And they're
silly enough to believe it.
What arrogance it is to think, at this
point in history, that you KNOW precisely why race even exists. Maybe we all
have different strengths. Maybe we all serve G-d a different way. Maybe we just
got exposed to different amounts of sunlight. I don't know. But at least I have
the balls to admit I don't know.
3) PC Conformity------> Dishonesty
and Awkwardness.
These are people who are scared of
saying the wrong thing. They know they don't relate to other cultures that much,
but for some stupid reason they like to pretend that they do. When you notice
one of them saying or doing something racist and point it out, (s)he'll say
something like, "Me? Some of my best friends are [insert race here.]"
Fucking PC idiocy. Go to Black
People Love Us. That site cracks me
up.
Anyway, good
racism exists too, regardless of the PC nonsense you've been fed. Three
categories again:
1) Scientific Observation
I'm not talking about The Bell Curve
here. That's slanted bullshit. But it's good that medical professionals look at
race, because, the more information we have, the better our chances of treating
and curing disease. In general, collecting factual information is good. It's how
the information is used that really makes a difference.
2) Good Humor
That's right, you PC fucko. It's funny
if no one takes it seriously. The only one taking it seriously...is you. It's OK
to laugh. Sure these jokes usually get old fast, but it gets people thinking and
that's a good thing. Of course, if the jokes are not funny, then they're just
racist.
3) Cultural Diversity
As much as I hate the ads promoting
this concept, there is some truth in them. Once you get past the lack of
familiarity, there is a lot to be gained by being around other cultures: new
forms of thinking, new language, new art, new music, and tasty new food. Without
our own cultural (not necessarily ethnic) reference point, we cannot fully
appreciate just what we are receiving, so it is in fact a form of good racism to
"celebrate our differences."
So am I racist?
Yep. In conclusion, I am racist. You are
racist. Your mom is racist. There is racism in most parts of this world (all the
parts with people). Much of it is bad and much of it isn't bad at all. Bad
racism is arrogant and good racism is intelligent. Problems arise. The answer is
the same. In Hillel's words, "Do unto others as you would have others do
unto you." Anything less isn't so much prejudice so much as it
is...assumption-filled stupidity.
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© 2006 FussyPucker.