Shell B Wrote:Yes, I believe racism is a negative thing. I think it prevents groups from interacting with each other in productive ways and it spreads unnecessary hatred throughout the world. There is never a case where racism is not generalizing and pigeon-holing an entire group into a stereotype in which many of them likely do not fit. It is a flawed way of thinking that promotes violence. Now, I am not completely anti-violence. I know that the only way to protect people is often violence, but I do object to violence committed over superficial things like religion, skin color, geographic location, etc.
Racism is the result of valuing one 'race' higher than others at a particular thing. I can be a (positive) racist towards blacks in basketball. I would then favor Kenyan Bucks for a basketball team from the onset. Sexism is no different in this regard, and I can easily be so by valuing women higher than men or men higher than women for any single task. And like most things... they are a matter of degrees (strongly racist towards X for Y/weakly racist towards Z for A)
A generalization does not necessarily have no reasoning behind it... there are several reason that I consider no tree to be worth my talking to. A 'group' of similar bodies is necessarily attributing at least those values to that group. No tree can talk, no tree can hear, no tree can compete with me in Chess. If one miraculously escapes this mold, then it is no longer a tree, but a being worthy of a unique understanding.
It so happens that I cut a wise swath through 3 different types of trees we have around here. Birch catches slow and burns long. Spruce catches quick and burns quick. Alder is junk. This is a process of simplification that is generalizing 3 entire groups... but it is also a necessary function of our brains. If I had to judge every tree every time I saw a new one (or even an old one from a new side), I would never get out of a forrest.
Racism at its core then, is simplification. It depersonalizes entire groups (all of which are simplifications) to judge them on a whole. I agree that this is not entirely accurate with people (some whites infact are not sissies, and they are called russians), but it also is not entirely accurate with trees. The fact that there are two groups with different characteristics means that there are differences between both groups... and herein lies the crux of racism: a focus on what is different between things rather than on what is the same. It simplifies everything and draws back to look at their perceived differences, and the result is a difference in value that has some declaring the differences to be so minute as to wonder why the distinction and has others firmly believing that an entire set is inferior (and necessarily another superior).
I also object to violence committed over religion and skin color. Geographic location, on the other hand, is militarily strategic. I object to violence to take swampland, but to take a mineral rich mountain? I'll have violence if it's worth it
Please give me a home where cloud buffalo roam
Where the dear and the strangers can play
Where sometimes is heard a discouraging word
But the skies are not stormy all day
