Leftists Purging History or Al Queda in America

[Catholic_Lady]

I think you misunderstood my point. I don't think African Americans should *ever* be called the N word by a white person. I wasnt trying to say "if you can do it I can too", or anything like that.

CL, I think what you might not realize is that a lot of people who are racist don't consider themselves racist.  For instance, if I were to ask my dad today, 'hey, are you racist against African Americans?' his answer would be somewhere along the lines of, 'No, I'm not racist.  I just don't understand why so many black people are lazy, and would rather sell drugs and live off of welfare, than get a job."  Maybe that's all he saw through his tunnel vision growing up in a small, poverty-stricken village, with essentially zero opportunities for education beyond high school.  

Whatever the reason, his position is rooted in ignorance; in a baseless, demonstrably false stereotype.  As an adult he's thrown his lot in with a racist ideology, despite the fact that he doesn't necessarily "mean" it.  

What practical difference is there between an ignorant racist and a willfully ignorant racist?  From the standpoint of how these opinions affect our fellow humans and society at large, there is no difference.  The outcome is the same: perpetuation of racist attitudes through out the fabric of our culture.

Racism is what it is, whether or not an individual "means to be," or not.

I would agree with that. But saying black folks are lazy, etc, IS in and of itself a prejudice.

I otherwise wouldn't be so quick to label people racists.

For example, people here are calling Neo a racist. Nothing he has said has indicated to me that he is in fact a racist person.