Why are people racist, and what do you personally think about racism?

right , i know . but i think it’s so stupid , like completley . We all breath air , all bleed blood , there ain’t no diffrence other than skin color . it just upsets me .

The root causes I believe of any hate issue such as racism, homophobia, sexism ect is ignorance and unintelligence.

Racism is the phobia, or more accurately hate, to one or more races of people. Some people aren’t used to seeing people of a certain race an it is almost alien to them. Take me for example, I am not racist but I come from an area of England which is prodominantely white. No one is really colour blind and sometimes it is different to see others of different races around but it isn’t weird.

Sometimes religion can spark racist disputes. Bible quotes such as this: “Completely destroy them—the Hittites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites—as the Lord your God has commanded you,” and “If a man beats his male or female slave with a rod and the slave dies as a direct result, he must be punished, but he is not to be punished if the slave gets up after a day or two, since the slave is his property.” can be interpreted as racist. I certainly interpret it as racist. The slave one as slaves back then were commonly black and therefore “lesser” ¬¬

Racism can be taught to children. The KKK was a racist group back before the ‘60’s attack on anti-black rights. KKK children were taught to shun black people and that they were “evil”.

In whole, my opinion on racism is the same as my opinion on homophobia, transphobia, sexism ect. It’s sick and unnecessary. However, I do look at it subjectively, no one is really colour blind, there are different races but all equal. I watch Family Guy and American Dad which are shows that host offensive humour such a racist jokes but I take the jokes because I know that the creator (Seth Macfarlene) isn’t actually racist. I am gay but I find the show’s gay jokes funny because I know he isn’t actually homophobic.

All in all, you have to find a line between humour and hate.

Yeah same here…but some people just can’t be reasoned with…. then they hypocritically pray to god or go to church with they’re religous, and burn crosses… Makes no sense.

Racisim is disgusting.. they probably were raised that way OR they think they’re better than black people because they’re white.. which is absolutely ridiculous :/

i totally agree . it’s stupid . God said all men were created equal .

i think charli said enough for all of us lol. But I’ll add that racism is just a sign of ignorance and misunderstanding. Racism is just a common way for people to pick on other ppl who aren’t their race; who aren’t like them. Racism is even in the dictionary. How is it that white is pure and holy and fresh, while black Is dirty filthy and like coal? Racism is simply to seperate the world from uniting and being as one. As Martin Luther King said “we should not be judged by the color of our skin, but rather the content of our character”

right

The KKK is still with us. After loosing many battles on the civil rights front they went on to fight against school desegregation, affirmative action, and immigration. After several successful lawsuits against it the KKK has splintered into a number of smaller groups so they are no longer a single legal target. The groups have also made alliances with Neo-NAZI and other white supremacist groups. The Klan has had a surge in membership after Barack Obama was elected president.

I know they are still there. I was referring to the time in which they were a mainstream and cultural “hit”.

And by mainstream hit I mean every other person you met was associated with it. Where I am now, the majority find it is immoral to be racist.

Many people are only visual. They see only what’s on the outside: skin color and features. People will compare other ethnicities to their own, and maybe even say, “I’m better.” What is continually driving humanity to be racist? Who knows…most likely insecurities and ignorance. Deep down, we’re all the same. Racism is pointless.

Humans are naturally tribal. Take away the race element, and we will be prejudged for being too fat, too ugly, wearing glasses, having red hair and freckles, believing in the wrong god, etc. etc. I don’t believe it’s as simple as being ignorant or stupid. People are fearful and suspicious of anyone who is different, that’s all. It’s human nature.

One of the drawbacks of our independence from Briton is that we maintained slavery longer than British colonies. Since slavery came after a long bitter civil war to the south freed blacks were a symbol and reminder of their defeat so there was a great deal of resentment against blacks. After slavery ended racism was institutionalized with Jim Crow laws and poll taxes and literacy tests kept blacks from voting and not being registered voters also kept them off of juries and kept them from running for local office. In the South many white juries would not convict a white defendant of killing a black person so order was maintained in the South with terror and violence. Blacks who did anything that whites thought of as disrespectful or uppity could be targets of violence plus random acts of violence kept all blacks living in fear. Segregation meant that blacks had to stay in their own neighborhoods, schools and colleges. Early on the courts decided that “separate but equal” was constitutional but everyone knew black only facilities were never equal to those for whites. Racism in the US continues due to the legacy of slavery, institutionalized racism, and segregation. We are slowly moving away from racism; my generation was less racist than my parents and our children’s generation is less racist than my generation.

Drew, how ironic that in a post about racism, which means, racial prejudice, you have decided that there is a group of people in America who belong to a category called “Redneck.” You might want to research who these rednecks are, where the term originated and why people are put in that category.

pinkpearl, regardless of the derivation of the term, what it refers to today is a racist. The term originally came from southern white farmers who worked in the sun and would get sunburned on the back of their necks. It was also a term used in scotland in the 1600s that refered to rebels who wore red scarves. Some say that that is where the term came from for southern racists, but that is debatable. Calling someone a redneck is not being racist. Unless you think hating racism is somehow racist.

As humanity has evolved, we have become more tolerant of others. There is no reason to think that trend will stop. Eventually racism and bigotry will be completely marginalized. Ignorance is not knowing about something or someone. Being fearful and suspicious of someone who is different IS ignorance. Once people actually get to know and understand about other people’s cultures and mores, they tend to lose the vitriol and hatred they had had towards them.

racism is one of the harsh truthts of life but since we all consider that democracy is the way in which we should aspire to live , and that everyone should have freedom of speech then racism is tottaly justified as if not acted upon expressing ones personal viewpoint on anothers race is just their opinion and thats wheere it should be left to, punishing him or a force of violent response against one is a crime that goes against the power of freedom to express oneself especially since we all want to live in a “free” country

Are you saying that racism is justified by free speech? Free speech may allow someone to express their views without government interference. It doesn’t mean it is any way morally justified or acceptable in society. There is no justification for racism, and all members of society should completely reject it and shout it down. Government can not limit speech, but people certainly can counter racist speech with their own voices. Racism should never just be ignored. It should be always be challenged and exposed.

Yes i am saying racism is justfiable by free speech, there is no way in hell you can justify whats right and wrong sadly ! Homosexuality for example is not morally justified or acceptable and is punsiable by life sentence and death where i live in the middle east so tell me is that wrong to ? Racism is justified as long as there is no punishment or a force of violent response to it ! Sticks and stones saying comes in here…Im not saying you should ignore racism or anything, im just pointing out in a so called free world we aim to establish racism is one of those things that must be accepted as a part of it sadly !

That is one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard. When something is justified, it means it is the right thing to do. Racism is NEVER right. If where you live homosexuality is a crime, that is wrong. Slavery used to be legal in the US too. Did that make it right? You need to learn the definition of justify.

if you want to put it that way , then racism is legal over here to. no punishment for racist comments and there are open job and matrimonial adverts where race color and even sexualitys is a preference…so if thats the law here then its RIGHT by your logic … so in this case pal racism is NOT NEVER right. You need to come out of this shell of what is right and wrong only in the USA …the world is bigger than that.

I said nothing about legality, nor was I only talking about the US. You can not legislate peoples personal feelings and views. When governments attempt to do that, they are wrong. But you can legislate actions, like anti-discrimination laws in housing and employment. I am not talking about theocratic governments in the mideast. In my opinion, and most other people too, those governments are in gross violation of basic human rights.

Exactly you cant legislate peoples personal feelings and views, which is why i said racism can be justified ! just cause you feel it so does not mean other people do as well…middle east, south africa , china for example have all examples of where a race is given preference over another so what can you do right ? Well they are not in gorss violation, maybe your a fox news follower and see middle east as a camel travelleing and tent living folks , its much more than that, the society we live in here is so multicultural and mixing you will not find a dinner table anywhere in the world where people of 3-5 religions and a house where people of 10-15 nationalities all sit together at the dinenr table and live like a family ! So the tolerant theocratic society is not that bad as most people here will agree !

Why are you equating the legality of something with justification for something? They do not always go hand in hand. I think you need to see what the definition of racism and justify.

Definition of RACISM 1: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race 2: racial prejudice or discrimination

Definition of JUSTIFY 1: to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable

Just because something is not illegal does not mean it is justified. Discrimination based on race is never justified, even if it is legal. And believe me, I am no FOX Noise follower…

you have your opinion i have mine…finish

And some opinions are more informed than others…

more like some people are less tolerant and more arrogent than others…typical of a person from the north american continent

I’ll let others decide who is less tolerant…

i think that is not cool its really mean !!!!:{:}:}