I didn't want to hijack Q's post about eBay and Amazon.

So what is racism? I Googled the word and I realized I don't agree with all the definitions. Maybe some or all of you will disagree with me. But some of the definitions stated that racism is a belief and/or hatred towards another race feeling they are somehow inferior to oneself. Generally speaking. I didn't want to post long drawn out definitions here. Now some of those definitions went on to state that one has to act out of that hatred as well to be a racist. I am paraphrasing here so don't get your panties in a bunch.

But let me ask this question. Is one racist if he hates another race but never says a word about it nor acts upon his hatred? In other words if he keeps his feelings to himself and never acts out on his feelings? If no one knows a person hates blacks is that person a racist? And if you say yes he is then how can you prove he is a racist? Then why do some of those definitions and articles that speak about racism leave out that one has to act upon that hatred as well?

That brings me back to my comment in Q's post about eBay and Amazon. If you have to act out of hatred in order to be racist then what is the difference between someone who hates blacks and acts out against them and someone who hates the confederate flag and acts out against it? It might seem like a stretch to some of you. But personally I don't see the difference. The feeling of hatred towards a race is exactly the same as the feeling of hatred towards a symbol of racism.

What I don't understand is why these same people who are calling for removing the confederate flag from our sight are not calling out for the same thing towards the swastika? Go ahead and bash me if you have extreme racial hatred towards me. 

Good post. That's pretty deep thinking.
Good point about nazi and swastika items. Why stop at the confederate flag?
While we're at it, we better ban Shirley Temple movies and just about every cowboys and indians Hollywood movie. Just to name a few.

Charlton Heston said political correctness is tyranny with manners.

The 1A says you can say just about anything you want, but the PC police have really cracked down on that. 

If a particular race demonstrates attributes/behaviors that are a statiscal probability, and members of other races make assumptions based on that, are those members rascist or making an educated guess based on statistics?

Are they racist?  Is it really their fault if it's probability?  Wouldn't the race displaying those attributes be responsible for changing the stereotype? 

Personally, I think racism gets thrown around way to much. If someone is rascist, but as you mentioned doesn't act on it or impede others, who cares?  That's their choice. 

People are quick to bring that to topic and it's a one way street in my opinion (see protected classes).

 

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"Can't we all just get along ?"

The 1A says you can say just about anything you want, but the PC police have really cracked down on that.

Not exactly...  "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech..."

The First Amendment restrains Congress, not private citizens or other groups.  The First prohibits the government (with rare exceptions; see "yelling fire in a crowded theater") from abridging your freedom of speech, but it's perfectly OK by the First for other people to disagree with your speech and even to attempt to shame you for it.

So, like it or not, political correctness is protected by the First Amendment...  unless the government attempts to enforce it.  That's why I'm absolutely opposed to laws against "hate speech."  Say what you want, as long as you don't levy direct threats or incite others to illegal violence.

Not exactly...  "Congress shall make no law...abridging the freedom of speech..."

The First Amendment restrains Congress, not private citizens or other groups.  The First prohibits the government (with rare exceptions; see "yelling fire in a crowded theater") from abridging your freedom of speech, but it's perfectly OK by the First for other people to disagree with your speech and even to attempt to shame you for it.

So, like it or not, political correctness is protected by the First Amendment...  unless the government attempts to enforce it.  That's why I'm absolutely opposed to laws against "hate speech."  Say what you want, as long as you don't levy direct threats or incite others to illegal violence.

I am offended by your hate speech

Just because racists use imagery doesn't make that imagery racist. KKK members also fly the Stars and Stripes at their rallies. Should we ban that flag?

Or, horrors, homosexuals and that sickening rainbow fag , I mean flag. 

Isn't that hate speech and/or racism aimed at all those still disgusted and revolted at their mental illness?  There are multitudes out there refusing to accept what they do to each other is anything other than depravity, so waving that flag in their faces has to be inflammatory and hateful..............

This ceased to be about "racism" when Obama took office.

This is about payback, or revenge if you prefer.

Blacks are no longer interested in actually "curing" racism, they're much more interested in having free reign to practice it themselves, without consequence. Because they feel "whites" and those that disagree with them "deserve it".

You can be accused of being "racist" for eating a sandwich with white cheese on it, the term itself has lost any significance because if you disagree with a black person about the time of day, you're racist. It doesn't matter that you're correct. As far they're concerned, they should be allowed to do what they want, to whomever they want, whenever they want. If you try to arrest them for it, well RACISM!

The truth is, many black people are more racist than those they accuse of it. Note I said "many", not all. There are a great many that feel the way we do about the direction this country has taken. They view Obama with disdain, not because of the color of his skin, but because of his actions. His administration, complicit with the media, have set race relations back 50 years. We're right back where we started in 1965, riots and all.

Racism?

Frickin Haole, you know what racism is.

 

Racism?

Frickin Haole...

 

You called? 

I'm an equal opportunity racist, everyone gets their share of hate. Especially my own race, can't stand chinese people.   

Is it called racism if one hates all races?   

in all seriousness our beautiful United States of America is still very young, our forefathers had slaves, this country was built on slavery, i dont support that kind of dehumanization but it is part of our history, an ugly part of our history.

I can't expect the wounds carved into that dark part of our history to heal themselves so quickly, I mean, them people over in the mid-east are bickering about shit that happened millennia ago!
 

What if in the distant future there will be no such thing as racism, humans will all be mixed up ethnicities.
The question will no longer be "Is he/she racist?"  The question in the future will be "Is he/she inherently evil?" 

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Why can't the UFOs just come pick me up and retrofit me with an indestructible iron man-ish suit, so I can help rid the world of stupid already...

Drop enough acid and it will happen...

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RACISM is more than just hate.

You can be Racist if you see another Asian (say, Japanese) and if he or she doesn't speak Japanese, you say, what's wrong with you? Aren't you Japanese?

He or she can say, No, I'm American.

Then you say, well that is f*cked up.

In fact it is not. You decided that his or her SKIN COLOR has anything to do with his or her MIND or SKILLS.

If a white skinned guy speaks Japanese, that should not be something surprising. For the same reason.

The HATE comes in when people discriminate based on something. Could be skin, could be gender, could be height. "Short people are more stupid than tall people." or "Left handed people are better at shooting pistols than crossbows." Whatever.

What if in the distant future there will be no such thing as racism, humans will all be mixed up ethnicities.
The question will no longer be "Is he/she racist?"  The question in the future will be "Is he/she inherently evil?"

The bigots will find something else to discriminate. Maybe the city where you're born. Maybe your hair type (curly or straight). Etc.

Racism and Discrimination and Hate are all very different things.

People lump them together in one.

Racism is simply a belief that all members of a specific "race" have a specific trait or characteristic.

Racial discrimination is treating people of different races differently than you would someone of another race.

Everyone knows what hate is.

I think people hate other people because of their skin color or something that has happened to them or someone they know by someone of a specific "race" and tend to lump everyone of that "race" or skin color together.

A lot of times that hate based on race is passed down from generation to generation and the current generation couldn't even give you an honest answer about why they hate the people that they hate, except for some three generation old excuse.

I agree with what KK just said.

Also, it has to do with our brains.

Of course, our brains like to take shortcuts, because it would be a real hassle to have to look at every rock on the ground, every bird, every tree, and think all over again what that is about.

Easy to have stereotypes.

Same with people, except people are much more complex than a rock. But the brain doesn't work that way.

It is a hassle for most people (especially stupid bigots) to have to assess EVERY SINGLE PERSON UNIQUELY. But that is actually what should be done.