Why is racism wrong?

[David Sims]

Whenever I go to an atheist forum, I see a lot of good sense in atheist arguments contrary to religion. But I often see a lot of unexamined positions, unquestioned assumptions, and inferior reasoning from atheists in the areas of the forum where "other" topics are acceptable for discussion.

I've recently been examining racist arguments without taking the attitude that there just must be something factually incorrect about them. I've noticed a few things about them.

First, racists often rely far more extensively on empirically derived facts than their opponents do. That is, racists don't "just make it up" and then rantingly insist upon their narrative. Instead, they do quite a bit of research before they write.

Second, racists are usually more fair in their conclusions and in their presentations than they are usually credited for being.

Third, the opponents of racism, whom I'll call "egalitarians," are usually the ones who sound as if they were defending some sort of preconceived quasi-religious orthodoxy. Strip away their pejoratives, or ignore them, and judge the racist viewpoint in the light of its own merits, and racism seems at times to be rather convincing.

Has anyone here ever actually followed a racist vs. egalitarian debate closely? Especially one in which neither side held the privilege of writing rules of permitted speech conveniently in its own favor and then using their censorship/banning powers as means of seeming to win.

[Kayenneh]

Proof for your assertions, please.

[My imaginary friend is GOD]

But racist arguments are based on BAD science. Race itself is not a scientifically sound concept. It is a cultural concept. That is why views of race and racial categories vary within different cultures. The closest thing that comes to racial categories in science is in biological (forensic) anthropology, which categorizes all humans into three categories: Caucasian, African, and Asian, or more offensively termed, Mongoloid. This categorization is inherently flawed, because people who are Hispanic, for example, end up being classed in totally different categories, even within the same families. It's bloody bad science.

[David Sims]

Proof for your assertions, please.

But I have not, so far, made any assertions.

[Silver]

But I have not, so far, made any assertions.

If one is going to logically deduce your position from what you have already mentioned in your original post, it is that you seemingly have no problem with racism due to the egalitarian position.

[CleanShavenJesus]

First, racists often rely far more extensively on empirically derived facts than their opponents do. That is, racists don't "just make it up" and then rantingly insist upon their narrative. Instead, they do quite a bit of research before they write.

Second, racists are usually more fair in their conclusions and in their presentations than they are usually credited for being.

Give me an example of this.

[Nine]

But I have not, so far, made any assertions.

You sure?

First, racists often rely far more extensively on empirically derived facts than their opponents do. That is, racists don't "just make it up" and then rantingly insist upon their narrative. Instead, they do quite a bit of research before they write.

Second, racists are usually more fair in their conclusions and in their presentations than they are usually credited for being.

Third, the opponents of racism, whom I'll call "egalitarians," are usually the ones who sound as if they were defending some sort of preconceived quasi-religious orthodoxy. Strip away their pejoratives, or ignore them, and judge the racist viewpoint in the light of its own merits, and racism seems at times to be rather convincing.

Has anyone here ever actually followed a racist vs. egalitarian debate closely? Especially one in which neither side held the privilege of writing rules of permitted speech conveniently in its own favor and then using their censorship/banning powers as means of seeming to win.

*Bolding mine

[Faith No More]

Fuck, insanity beat me to it.

[Nine]

Fuck, insanity beat me to it.

<3 it was just too good to ignore.

[Captain Colostomy]

Racists, and apologists for same, can kiss my ass.

Guess I'm no egalitarian then.