What is racism?

Question

I am using up all my points but I have become enamored with this topic, and I would like to propose the following, racism is NOT about the difference in race but rather the more recognizable differnece in skin color. It would seem to me that if it were racism that racist would be just a offended by blond headed blue eyed buxom blondes from Sweden, as they are by African Americans. Just my thinking.

Answer 1

I quote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. "Racism is prejudice plus power." You are right, it is an issue surrounding skin color. Whether South Africa, Rwanda or the USA, racism ran along the color line. If someone doesn' t like me for my skin color, IT IS ONLY PREJUDICE. Racism is when someone has the power to affect my life, my livlihood or family for example.

It is important to note that in black countries settled by the English, lighter skinned people were pitted against darker skinned people to further weaken the country by causing infighting. In these countries, the racist settlers have left their racist seeds in the land. The grounds for racism now are not skin color, but shade. The whiter, I mean, lighter you are...the prettier you are in these countries. USA included.

Answer 2

Racism is a word composed of:

1. Race, which is a noun.
2. Ism, which is a suffix

Therefore, racism is word defining an attitude towards certain people, based on discrimination, hatered, etc. People could be black, coloured or white, etc. So it is not only a white attitude towards other races. Example:

Long time ago, ancient Egypt was conquered by people called the Hexos who came from Asia minor. They were white in colour. The monks of RA, the Sun God, hated them, and in order to cause the nation to up-rise against them, they told the nation that Ra hated the Hexos because they were white, which means they have not been purified and cleansed by the rays of Ra.

So regardless of how you look at the word, it is based on RACE.

Also it is worth mentioning that colour is almost synonymous to race or origin; White is Caucasian, black African, yellow Asian, brown Indian, Red Native American. This is may be why you are confused.

Answer 3

Racism, from my understanding, seems to be a prejudice against someone due to skin color, ethnicity and/or nationality. This prejudice can be incorporated into supremacy (the belief that one's race is superior to another) or segregation (the belief that one's race should be separated from one or all other races). Some argue that the later is more of a form of ethnic survival than racism, but most say it is a form of racism nonetheless.

There are some that believe certain groups can't be racist (such as minorities who are victimized), I disagree strongly with this notion (as a child of 7 I was racially intimidated by an African American twice my age) and feel everyone of any group can equally be racist.

Racism is a category of prejudice. Prejudice is a broader term that deals with the hatred of those who are different. This includes sexism as well as prejudice against various groups (overweight people, people you deem as unattractive, ageism, classism, etc...).

Answer 4

I'd like to say first of all that i believe racism is very wrong but it's also very old . It relates to skin color because skin color relates to race that relates to differences in the way we once lived and what we believed.People today have come a long way in trying to do away with racism but some stubbornly keep that brick wall firmly in place. I think it's really sad that we still carry the burden of our ancestors and fail to understand that differences are both interesting and wondrous ! Closed minded people miss so much of what life has to offer. Just my thoughts : )

Answer 5

Racism is a terrible mistake of human nature. It's mainly prejudice against skin colour, but it also expresses the anonymity and ignorance a nation feels against the others. When we don't know much about a nation different than ours, we choose to think it lower than us, which is a sort of misleading self-defence, because we always fear ourselves to be worse than others. Racism also occurs as a result of the hidden sadistic nature of humans. It is natural and undeniable that humans have always found a way to hate somebody in their life. This cannot be stopped, unless you ask yourself,' Why am I doing this?' Literally and empathetically.

Answer 6

Racicsm is about seeing a different culture differently to the point of stereotype. It is about judging a person based on their culture or percieved culture, emphasizing perseived because visual racism come in when one see people who are visibly from a culture that is not local to the area even without knowing where they are from or if, in fact, they were raised in the area. We also tend to lump people together, like black and white, even though there are many cultures of both white people and many cultures of black people.

Answer 7

I don't like Tyra Banks or Pamela Anderson...does that count? or maybe I'm just a sexist?! I don't care much for politics so I guess I'm a communist too. I hate contact sports too so I must be an intellectual. I do like sushi so I must be a sympathsizer. I like a beer every now and again...can't be an alcoholic...cause I don't go to meetings.

Maybe I'm just an American.

Answer 8

if i could give all the people what they wanted they wouldn't have an attitude~there for greed will consume us all~in these words lie the future of mankind~no one can stop desires, always looking for better than what u got will get some body else killed or worked to death to meet pay roll and the business of government is business, familiarity breeds contempt and the longer we live the more your going to c the tail wag the dog

Answer 9

It's not that all people are racist it's we can hate all skin colours.... it depends on the person and if we want to use a racist term to describe them... It's always gonna be a part of our culture.

Answer 10

"Racism" is a term used by people who have an unreasonable and undefendable position and have no defense for their arguments.

Thus, people who want to secure the US border with Mexico and stop illegal entry of Mexican nationals are called "racists" by those favoring illegal immigration.