black and white

[cfos]

A few thoughts:

1. Lou Reed's single "The trouble with a classist". Great song.

2. The Professor and the Madman, a book by Simon Winnchester: very interesting book based on the formation of the first Oxford English Dictionary. Who would have believed that over 10,000 definitions were provided by a criminally, insane murderer?

[Khushi]

[Tyris]

I'm proud to say I treat everyone on a case-by-case basis, and give every person one chance. Just one, though. After that you either get classified as "asshole" or "potential friend".

It is, however, handy to be able to notice race. If you want to give a description of someone, mentioning their skin colour is useful, as is their height, hair colour, girth, accent etc.
_________________
You can't look dignified when you're having fun.
♪You're just a chestburster gnawing on my heart, baby...♪

[hypnosys]

heeooo Spideygirl... me black? hohoho
Genetically I'm asian, legally I'm Argentinian, metaphysically I don't know who I am.

Right now my american status is: Legal american Alien.

I really don't care about racism. It's simply stupid to judge someone based in irrelevant things, it's a subtle falacy.
You can reject someone to work at your shop since is not qualify for that because he didn't go to school and doesn't have the required skills.
That discrimination is justified and is necessary. It is Rational.
But denying someone who is fully skilled and efficient because of his race, religion, or whatever is simply brainless.
That race discrimination is not justified. That's Irrational.

But some people can't differenciate between those two cases.

I heared an anti-racism propaganda where a girl in a wheel chair is denied access to a restaurant. It can be perfectly Rational, maybe illegal, but still rational. Illegal because in some countries all commercial places must have accesses and places by law for disabled people.

And we have to differenciate between an Stereotype, where the facts are based on false ideas from a Archetype, where the facts are real.
You can say, hey, there are black people. That wouldn't be racist. It is a fact, they have more melanin and their skins are black.
If you say, hey there are black scumbags, that would be racist.

The same denominator is in all irrational discrimination and is easily identifiable, which is irrational hate or aversion.
Secondly is the generalization of the negative characteristics of a group. They are all that way.

Actually I'm a bit scared of black people, specially at night in black neighborhoods.
It is not because of the people per se, you can feel the fear in the neighborhood, with bullet-proof windows everywhere.
And I'm not discriminating.

And there is the other face of the coin, the paranoia of the "victims" of racism. They feel constantly victimized or offended.
If I ask a black guy if he does break dance or dances hip hop someone can be offended of that stereotype, and feel that stereotyping is racism, which is not.
Maybe I really like hip hop very much (and many many korean and japs likes hip hop and rap) and I admire black people because of that. That woudn't be racism at all.

However, It has to be understood, black people as well as jewish people were victims of great oppression, those wounds won't heal in a short time.
Is like when you are a victim of a robbery and you were beaten up, you will be worried and scared all the time someone does a sudden movement, you will see suspects everywhere and everyone.
This is the same, but in a society in a big scale.

Sorry I gotta go back to study, so you won't hear from me for a while ^^

PS: interesting spideygirl, what made you think I was black?? LOLL