Snoo
The Legend
You're right. We can until you state racism is part of the liberal agenda. I'm fine discussing both sides of the spectrum, as the first 2.5 pages happened.. but I'll call you on your bull****.
Come on then, America, what happened?
- Thread starter Ian
- Start date
You're right. We can until you state racism is part of the liberal agenda. I'm fine discussing both sides of the spectrum, as the first 2.5 pages happened.. but I'll call you on your bull****.
I was listening to an interview this morning on NPR this morning with the famously alt-right wing news outlet Breitbart News, who's former chief Steve Bannon is now a political strategist for President-elect Trump. When confronted with Breitbart's famously racist headlines, Breitbart simply turned and accused NPR of racist programming through it's Code Switch podcast. There was no rebuttal, but a mere accusation thrown back to the otherside.
In that light, going forward in this discussion, I'm asking that rebuttals and arguments both not rely on shere accusation and allegation, but rather present their case with facts/sources to prove it: Polling numbers, scientific studies, anything. If you can't be bothered to do the research to back up your claim, others should hardly be bothered to read it.
In that light, going forward in this discussion, I'm asking that rebuttals and arguments both not rely on shere accusation and allegation, but rather present their case with facts/sources to prove it: Polling numbers, scientific studies, anything. If you can't be bothered to do the research to back up your claim, others should hardly be bothered to read it.
My thoughts on racism.
I think it's impossible rid the world of racism completely. I think people are inherently a bit racist. Human beings just tend to pick on whatever makes anyone else different.
It's like, if you had brown hair, and you met a blond haired person who was a bit of knob, you might refer to them as "that blond ****" or something. It's not nice, but it's not because you have anything against blonds, it's only that particular person. Their hair colour is just one of the most striking things that makes them different from you. It's something we do as humans. It's not likely you would be demonised and called a "hairist" for that.
I think the same happens with race, except that it has a different outcome in that you do tend to get demonised as a racist. In reality, you're just using race as an obvious way of differentiating someone you don't like from you. Generally, if someone is a decent person, I don't think people care about their skin colour.
Of course there are people out there who do have a very real hatred for another race, and they hate people of that race whether they're nice or not. But whilst you might not agree with that viewpoint, I think it is important to respect people's opinions, no matter how extreme, for the sake of freedom of speech and thought. I don't believe you can have a truly free and successful society without those things, and in any case, what really matters is whether people act upon their "racist" opinions.
So if someone said that they hated white people, that would essentially be fine, because it's just their opinion. But if they then went and actually harmed some white people, that's where we should draw the line.
The problem today is, it's getting to a point where holding certain opinions or saying certain things is literally becoming criminal. It's worrying how people can get punished by the law in the UK and other western countries for just saying certain things, or even telling certain jokes. It sounds remarkably similar to somewhere like North Korea.
As a rule of thumb, I think it is always best to err on the side of freedom of speech when it comes to these sort of issues. So if someone says something that you consider to be racist, I think it is best not to vilify them or try and have them silenced - just respectfully disagree with their opinion. If they're not harming anyone, it doesn't matter.
Words should only be criminal when they become directly threatening.
On another note, if the last year or so has shown one thing, it's that one of the most prevalent forms of discrimination isn't actually to do with race, or gender, or sexuality, or religion... it's politics.
The amount of discrimination that occurs due to political differences between people is insane. I personally know someone in my family who refuses to let anyone in her house who supports Trump. You also get some Democrats, who supposedly oppose racism against blacks, who have been awful to black people because they support Trump. At the same time, Trump supporters are often thought to be racist, but it seems they're mostly happy to welcome black Trump supporters into their clan because they share the same political view. It's often fundamentally political, not racial, discrimination.
I believe you can sort of teach yourself not to be racist, as a lot of our younger generation have attempted, but it's tricky because it's easy to take it too far and start discriminating against your own race, which still makes you racist. There's also that inherent subconscious racism in us, which is hard to avoid. I think the best way to deal with things is to try not to be racist but not be too finicky about it.
So if a movie happens to include an all-white cast, instead of throwing up a fuss, I think we should just watch the movie and enjoy it, because there may have been no racist intentions at all. Even if there were, that would be their choice, and if you don't like it you can simply not watch the movie and support other filmmakers who are happy to have black people in their cast.
With the younger generations today actively trying not to be racist, I think we're heading in the right direction, we just need to be careful not to take it too far. Freedom of speech and thought need to be maintained. Embrace that people will always have opinions on other people!
I think it's impossible rid the world of racism completely. I think people are inherently a bit racist. Human beings just tend to pick on whatever makes anyone else different.
It's like, if you had brown hair, and you met a blond haired person who was a bit of knob, you might refer to them as "that blond ****" or something. It's not nice, but it's not because you have anything against blonds, it's only that particular person. Their hair colour is just one of the most striking things that makes them different from you. It's something we do as humans. It's not likely you would be demonised and called a "hairist" for that.
I think the same happens with race, except that it has a different outcome in that you do tend to get demonised as a racist. In reality, you're just using race as an obvious way of differentiating someone you don't like from you. Generally, if someone is a decent person, I don't think people care about their skin colour.
Of course there are people out there who do have a very real hatred for another race, and they hate people of that race whether they're nice or not. But whilst you might not agree with that viewpoint, I think it is important to respect people's opinions, no matter how extreme, for the sake of freedom of speech and thought. I don't believe you can have a truly free and successful society without those things, and in any case, what really matters is whether people act upon their "racist" opinions.
So if someone said that they hated white people, that would essentially be fine, because it's just their opinion. But if they then went and actually harmed some white people, that's where we should draw the line.
The problem today is, it's getting to a point where holding certain opinions or saying certain things is literally becoming criminal. It's worrying how people can get punished by the law in the UK and other western countries for just saying certain things, or even telling certain jokes. It sounds remarkably similar to somewhere like North Korea.
As a rule of thumb, I think it is always best to err on the side of freedom of speech when it comes to these sort of issues. So if someone says something that you consider to be racist, I think it is best not to vilify them or try and have them silenced - just respectfully disagree with their opinion. If they're not harming anyone, it doesn't matter.
Words should only be criminal when they become directly threatening.
On another note, if the last year or so has shown one thing, it's that one of the most prevalent forms of discrimination isn't actually to do with race, or gender, or sexuality, or religion... it's politics.
The amount of discrimination that occurs due to political differences between people is insane. I personally know someone in my family who refuses to let anyone in her house who supports Trump. You also get some Democrats, who supposedly oppose racism against blacks, who have been awful to black people because they support Trump. At the same time, Trump supporters are often thought to be racist, but it seems they're mostly happy to welcome black Trump supporters into their clan because they share the same political view. It's often fundamentally political, not racial, discrimination.
I believe you can sort of teach yourself not to be racist, as a lot of our younger generation have attempted, but it's tricky because it's easy to take it too far and start discriminating against your own race, which still makes you racist. There's also that inherent subconscious racism in us, which is hard to avoid. I think the best way to deal with things is to try not to be racist but not be too finicky about it.
So if a movie happens to include an all-white cast, instead of throwing up a fuss, I think we should just watch the movie and enjoy it, because there may have been no racist intentions at all. Even if there were, that would be their choice, and if you don't like it you can simply not watch the movie and support other filmmakers who are happy to have black people in their cast.
With the younger generations today actively trying not to be racist, I think we're heading in the right direction, we just need to be careful not to take it too far. Freedom of speech and thought need to be maintained. Embrace that people will always have opinions on other people!
Smithy
Strata Poster
This is the problem with the supposed "fairness" when it comes to debating things like racism, climate change, real issues.
You'll have a scientist on one side of a split screen and on the other, a bloke whose funded by oil companies to tell you it's all a lie and it doesn't exist and, rather than actually calling out this absolute bollocks for what it is in the face of irrefutable facts and evidence, these idiots are actually given an equal platform under the guise of 'fairness and equality'.
Ironically enough, given this is what the right tend to bleat about all the ****ing time, being too politically correct has led to this mis-match.
Racism, xenophobia, sexism, the list could go on and on, but it's been legitimised and normalised by not standing up to it and calling it out for what it is.
You'll have a scientist on one side of a split screen and on the other, a bloke whose funded by oil companies to tell you it's all a lie and it doesn't exist and, rather than actually calling out this absolute bollocks for what it is in the face of irrefutable facts and evidence, these idiots are actually given an equal platform under the guise of 'fairness and equality'.
Ironically enough, given this is what the right tend to bleat about all the ****ing time, being too politically correct has led to this mis-match.
Racism, xenophobia, sexism, the list could go on and on, but it's been legitimised and normalised by not standing up to it and calling it out for what it is.
Up until a year or so ago I would have argued that racism was declining, but, obviously not. It's clearly not. It's so much worse than we all thought, towards all minorities, but, if you want to watch a group fight, try and take their rights.
In a way, I'm kind of excited to watch him try and come for us.
Why would you come for the groups of people who have grown up fighting, seen their parents and elders before them fight, and expect them to stand down.
Minorities make culture, we have made leaps and bounds of progress in the last century, and if some man with a bad wig thinks he'll take that away, he has another thing coming.
Team homo for team black and team women and team mexican and team whatever else the ****.
In a way, I'm kind of excited to watch him try and come for us.
Why would you come for the groups of people who have grown up fighting, seen their parents and elders before them fight, and expect them to stand down.
Minorities make culture, we have made leaps and bounds of progress in the last century, and if some man with a bad wig thinks he'll take that away, he has another thing coming.
Team homo for team black and team women and team mexican and team whatever else the ****.
Um, no. Sorry, but no. I'm hoping you're being slightly naive with that rather than being willfully ignorant, but they're not the same. The intention will never be the same in that situation because you're not using skin colour merely to identify the person.
"I wish that lazy blonde idiot would hurry up."
"I wish that lazy black idiot would hurry up."
Please tell me they have the same, innocent intention.
Sythe
Mega Poster
Uh guys I know it's been a while since anyone has said anything in this thread, but I just wanted to apologize for some things I said earlier. I was being way too harsh and rude and that was uncalled for. I was just really angry at the time because one of my best friends found out that I voted for Trump and now they hate me =/ So yeah sorry about that...
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