I think most people, if not all of us, are slightly racist... not in the sense that we hate people of other races, but we pay attention to details like that... kind of like a subconscious racism that isn't that important because we don't exaggerate it. At least, I guess that's how I see it. I know I'm that way. I don't think any of us can truly say we see all people as equals, because I'm fairly certain everyone sees this difference in their minds. Correct me if I'm wrong though. =P And be honest. Haha.

Although, that frame of mind might be because I live in eastern Kentucky, and it's inhabited mostly by white people. It's become more diverse over the past few years, though, which I think is a good thing. When I stay with my dad in Hawaii, too, the tendency to point out different races in my mind disappears, because I get used to seeing Hawaiians and Asians around there.

So I guess it has a lot to do with someone's surroundings... if their parents or the people they've been around are racist, they might be more likely to pick up that racist behavior, at least to a certain degree... and it also might have something to do with who they live around... if it's a more diverse community, they're not as likely to think of it, or if they're in a bad place where certain races are stereotyped, then that would have something to do with it.

But, as a whole, I think a lot of us can say we make that difference in our mind, but it's not necessarily a negative type of racism. (Sorry, I ranted, blah!)

Oh... and as far as racist jokes go? I find a lot of them amusing. That doesn't mean I'm going to go out and offend someone who's a different race than I am just because I am amused by some of the jokes, though.

I'm not racist but sometimes if I get really mad, I do use racist words.

But that's just because I want to make them mad as well, I don't really hate anyone because they have different skin colors. :/

Ha ha! I think I love you. :) Although technically Lister is as white, possibly more white, than he is black. So you weren't really wrong originally. ;)

Shrugs I don't know really. There are definitely generational differences in the way people are perceived. Sometimes I feel these should be respected perhaps. A friend of mine is half Nigerian, half Grenadian - she once had an old lady at the care home she worked in threaten to poor porridge over her head because the porridge was cold. The lady wouldn't believe that it was actually a white girl who had served the cold porridge. My friend just laughed at that later, although she must have found it quite frustrating at the time. This lady clearly was somewhat racist due to being from an older generation, and it is really kind of sad that she is now in a position where she needs help from people and cannot choose who the care home she lives in employs. Not that it is right to choose such things based on race, but it's a bit late to change those attitudes.

Attitudes need to be changed moving forwards, and to be honest, I think in the UK at least among my age group (I am 25) things are fairly good.

Although I feel uncomfortable with how relaxed some people are about racist jokes. A joke is one thing, but constantly using racial slurs just because only white people are around is uncomfortable. A friend of mine uses racist words quite frequently and I guess it mainly makes me uncomfortable as I'm not sure if he has any friends who aren't white and British. Therefore he only makes these comments in front of other white, British people, yet that doesn't mean they can't also be offensive to white people. He used the word Chinky in front of a friend of mine he hadn't met before who had been in a 3-4 year relationship with a Chinese girl and spent months travelling China with her. I could tell by the look on this friend's face that he was shocked and offended. Shrugs That may be talked off as a joke, but since it isn't really funny how can it be, particularly when it is also potentially offensive?

I'm no more racist that most people. Which isn't very racist at all... but with little spots of judgement here and there. It happens.

However, my boyfriend is quite racist. He hates natives with a firey passion. It seems to take everything out of him to avoid attacking them. o.o We live in an area where there are a lot of natives around.

I remember wondering how he got to be so racist... but then I went to his house for dinner... and there were some native people on the news... and you should have heard the things his mother said. My mouth just dropped. o_o I couldn't believe it. I guess it's sort of in his blood...plus his friends are very racist as well. Not just to natives.

I am not against certain ''races''. I might have some preconceived notions, but they don't stop me from getting to know people. I'm more ''racist'' against certain kinds of people.

Subconsciously I think we all acknowledge each others physical appearance, including our colour differences. The difference is, whether or not you're okay with it. I try to judge people on their individual actions rather than the pre-destined colour of their skin.

Yeah, I laugh at race jokes, but who doesn't? I have enough respect for people that I'm not gonna scream racist insults at any person just because they're different. Thats a cowardly thing to do by anyones standards.

As far as I'm concerned, we are Human, we all have the same blood in our veins, why fight over something none of us can physically change?. Embrace the diversity ;)

to anyone claiming to be a non-racist --

who would you prefer to learn about ice fishing -- an alaskan native or an african-american?

is the answer to this question racist?

like , i believe racism is actually hating on or physically or emotionally attacking someone based purely on race. to me, laughing at jokes about black people with fried chicken, asians getting yelled at by their parents for an a- or anything along those lines isn't racist. 'stupid nigger' and 'fucking yellow rat' is racist.

i tend to judge people by their color at first, but if we get along well and become friends i go totally race-blind.

i'm a white kid who has gone to schools usually dominated by african americans. surprisingly, i don't get shit from them for my paper white skin tone - i get it from other caucasians. 'how idiotic can you get, albino freak?'

:P when i read this question i honestly thought "whoever is better at it" but i dont think the answer would be racist. if you answered alaskan native, itd be because theyre NATIVE and probably had to ice fish sometimes in their life? because its ALASKA, not because theyre inuit or eskimo or anything.

but i agree with most people here.. if youre dressed in gangsta mode (lol ) then i'm stayin away from you no matter what. but i'm pretty much skeptical about anyone. anyone can be a bitch or mug you regardless of how theyre dressed.

the minority at my school is actually WHITE PEOPLE. it's multicultural week at my school.. let's list the cultures being celebrated

Polynesian culture Asian culture African culture Gay culture Latino culture

it makes me raaaage, honestly. i've heard multiple students in multiple classes say they think the world would be a better world without white people.

I'm not racist, or rather, i try not to be/hope i am not; I will make/laugh at racist jokes; but only to the people who: a) can take it b) don't mind it/makes one back.

I have been teased for being really, blindingly white (considering i am: canadian, scottish, dutch, english, native and vietnamese.) by my friend; but i know she's joking. I can't stand people who are racist to the extreme, it's just annoying. Especially all the Asian jokes... and black jokes

I'm German, and I adore Hitler, so people automatically think I'm racist.

I'm not :l Racism annoys me, to be completely honest...

See, being one of the only whites in an all black school.. yeah. We got made fun of. Kinda reverse of what you expect in the U.S, eh? DX

I'm not racist. I had an ex boyfriend who was, and if he said something offensive, I'd ignore him for long periods of time. I think that you're still a person, no matter what the fuck you look like on the outside |:< If we didn't have different races, cultures, looks, we'd be bland. The animals would own over us in the differentiality.

Another thing that makes me mad is like, homophobics; I don't like them. You should be able to love whoever you want to. If you're happy, thats all that matters, right? I, in particular, don't 'roll' that way, but most of my friends do, and I respect them because they're strong and stand for what they believe in.

Now I'm rambling. I'll stop posting, but yerrr. I dun like racism Dx

i'm not racist. the race you are doesn't bother me, but the way that you act certainly does. i don't think that disliking a black person, or most black people, for reasons other than their race makes you racist. i hate how quick people are to jump and call someone racist.

i haven't seen much racism. there's only a handful of people who aren't white at my school; 75%+ of the people are dutch. :P

@: At my school in Scottsdale, we have 1 black person and 3 people of mixed heritage. The majority of the kids come from white upper-class families. I've heard a lot of anti-Hispanic and anti-Semitic language, despite the teachers' attempts to stop it.

I agree with you, it's weird that people are so racist even when the population is really homogenous. (New word yay :D)

thanks for answering my question, girl ^_^

likewise, franchises like the NBA are consistently being accused of racism because it so happens that most of the players are black. one could assume that these players are chosen based on merit... NOT skin color....but really, isn't it about culture (i mean, isn't that what everyone in this thread is arguing?) and wouldn't it seem more likely that a black person is more likely to play basketball due to culture pressure than anyone else?

my point with the question is that either way you answer.... you are a racist. our culture imposes such a paradox.

I think that for most people it's not a question of racism, but more of a question pertaining to discrimation or prejudice. I define racism as actually acting upon your discrimination or prejudice--like doing some actual harm towards a person or group based upon the prejudice you formed. The reason I think this is that, everyone does have some form of instilled prejudice/judging people, and I guess that's kind of natural, since people like to 'categorize' people or order them, I guess. Considering that there are no actual races--but social structures that are formed by how people have turned out to look, it doesn't really make sense to discriminate against people. Race I believe was just some term to define a group of people that look a like. o.o; But you know, everyone is equal--I believe that everyone has human dignity, and therefore should be respected as equals. Their humanity should not be put down just because of their skin color, situation, or differences from yourself. Honestly...that's stupid. You have no idea who they are or where they come from. But sometimes society portrays different races negatively and you grow up with that sort of environment. Media often portrays races in certain ways and stereotypes too. I also do believe that racist views can develop from your parents--even if you try to deviate from their values. But then again, you can't blame racism on that--you should be able to discern what's right. Seriously, how different are we from everyone else?

Let's see...I've never really experienced racism. I'm multi-racial, my mother is Filipino and my dad is Polish. But I have a couple things to share. So yeah. When I was about 10, my family was going home from vacation and we stopped in Kentucky. We decided to go go-carting, so my sister, my mom, my dad, and I were watching the track from outside. My dad decided to go by a nearby snack store thingy, and this white guy came up to my mom and told her "Why don't you go back to your country?" My mom just stared at him and didn't do anything, he was pretty menacing. You know, it's rather pathetic how that guy had to wait until my dad left to confront some mom and her little kids. What a coward. -.- And when my dad came out of the store and he saw him coming, he ran away. bahaha.

I guess I've felt often times that I've been discriminated against. I used to go to an elementary school where most of the kids were white, a few black kids, a few hispanic kids, and one other asian girl went to school. I had a lot of good friends there and everything, all different races too. I never had any problems with anyone at all. But it's like--I felt different than everyone and my culture, so I felt almost out of place. I like being different--but it's nice to have a couple people that look like you? Sometimes, and I know this sounds stupid, but if I'm in a primarily white town or place, I feel like I'm being judged in some form. But you know, I'm not prejudiced/scared of white people...I mean, I am in fact half white. o.o; And sometimes I feel bad for my dad, I turned out looking more Asian than anything, so it's like...weird. But it's not a problem between us at all or between my parents. I guess it's just some external crap that I should get rid of.

Now in high school and now that I'm off to college, I can see a bigger population that is more diverse. I believe my college is actually the most diverse in the United States--religiously and racially. So I'm excited to see how that turns out, I love meeting new people and learning about their cultures. I think what's a big part of racism is that people are ignorant and therefore make assumptions about people. What we need to do to overcome this stupidity is to be open to everyone and not see their skin color or appearance as just that, but seeing them as a person that they are. But I don't think that one should forget their nationality--just not take it to a certain degree that becomes harmful to other people.

I think most what I do if I'm prejudiced of someone is if people are dressed like gangsters--doesn't matter if they're asian, black, white, latino, etc. If they're looking at me weirdly or just acting all scary, I'll definitely avoid them. xD But other than that, I don't really see myself as a huge discriminator.

Um, sorry...@; That was way longer than it was supposed to, but I hope someone found some truth in there.

while i agree that the bulk of the population is in love with defining racism by the negative singularly, i completely disagree that the term race is a man-made social structure to categorize people that 'turned out to look alike'. what a completely bizarre thing to say.

once said in an adjacent topic that humans could essentially be divided into breeds. i completely agree with the analogy. there is so much more genetically involved (and different) between races other than skin color. evolution came first.... the term came second. ^_^

I can see what you come from, but if you think about it, it's proven that the human race originated from Africa and then migrated to other places in the world. I don't think it's a different breed at all--it's just that people changed some of their appearances when they moved to the certain parts of the world because of the different situations. I live in the midwest right now, so I'm pretty even in tone, but I imagine if I lived in Antartica or a place without much light and there was a lot of snow, that I would gradually become lighter. Same with if I lived in a more hot climate--my skin would be darker and you would need a darker eye color to protect your eyes. So if you think about it, it's not like a different breed, but we're just adapting. There's differences in nationalities--does that mean they're a sub-breed of a breed/race? Take for example, differences between Germans and French--they're supposed to have differences. Or Swedish and Spanish? They definitely look different but still considered the same race. I think it's the same between races, there is no difference...seriously.

As mentioned in an anthropology newsletter:

You can find the link here

the thing is... nationality falls under culture and by your own statement, culture doesn't apply. the fact that people distinguish race through nationality/culture is not my concern (i already stated that). even in your quoted text, it argues for cultural relativism as a basis for (the new definition of) race.

however it doesn't necessarily dismiss physical/environmental differences in the human species -- which is what i've been defining as race from the start of this thread. ^_^

all domestic dogs fall under the same blanket heading of 'dog'.... but clearly there are different breeds. the same could be said for humans.

How about the part where I said that where people live affects how they look? I don't think you addressed that at all. My text says that it was made from culturally created attitudes--there is no difference to me. If that's how you feel, so be it. It's just my opinion. c: