toldailytopic: Racism. Should people have the right to be racist?

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chatmaggot

chatmaggot

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Knight said:
That's the point of this thread.

It isn't a sin to be racist.

Not only is it not necessarily sinful, it's often times good! (i.e., Mexican people working in a Mexican food restaurant is a good thing, not a bad thing.)
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I wouldn't want anyone else making my Mexican food.
 
Rusha

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Son of Jack said:
I'm having trouble understanding how racism, which is a legally-protected right, isn't immoral or evil or wicked. Jesus made a point of saying that sin starts in the heart or the thoughts (Matthew 5-7 comes to mind). If that is true of adultery and murder, it would seem to hold with racist thoughts and actions, no? Lawful does not equal moral.
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When I think of racism, I usually think KKK and Aryan hate groups which I doubt anyone would argue are reasonable or moral.

However, what about someone who has a REALLY bad experience at the hands of an individual or people who are another race?

I don't think it would be racist for them to be untrusting and even suspicious in such a case. Also, what of those children who are actually brought up by racist parents and family members? Until they are older and can discern, it would be perfectly reasonable for them to be racist.

Depending on the person using the word (racist), I also believe that it is thrown around way too often. I had the accusation made towards me in another forum several months back because I am against illegal immigration, and I believe that anyone who is living in OUR country should be mandated to learn enough of our language to co-exist.

IMO, yes, spreading hate for the sake of hatred is ALWAYS evil. However, I like to know *why* someone might have misgivings towards another race before I make my conclusion.
 
Nathon Detroit

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Son of Jack said:
You and I have a completely different definition of racism and racist then. As I understand it, racism implies a devaluation of the individual on the basis of something that isn't a choice. That's ridiculous. No way that it is right and GOOD to devalue an individual on a racial basis.
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That's true, but the problem is... in today's society no matter what you say about any race the victim mentality pounces and declares that WE ARE devaluing other humans with any mundane comment. I would argue that many times we are NOT devaluing other humans.

This of course is not to say TRUE racism doesn't exist, because there are sick people who think that they are superior to other races etc.

So, lets get back on track....

Do you think I should have the right to hire anyone I want to work for my business? Or should the government have the authority to tell me that I need to hire people of other races?
 
Nathon Detroit

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noguru said:
Is it a sin to be inconsiderate of others? If racism is the result of being inconsiderate then that is the only question that needs to be answered. I think different Christians have differing views on whether being inconsiderate is a sin or not.
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Inconsiderate is not an objective term, therefore NO it is not a sin to be inconsiderate.
 
Arthur Brain

Arthur Brain

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DocJohnson said:
He does, but it's not meant as a derogative statement any more than calling the Jews "sheep" is meant to be derogative.
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Apparently to call someone a dog at that time was highly derogatory. So I've been informed by several people who have used this passage to justify being insulting as oppose to the racism aspect...
I appreciate your views on this but Jesus does not call the woman a dog when reading the passage.
 
noguru

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Knight said:
That's a great point and I agree completely. My mom is 100% Italian and there are more stereotypes about Italians than any other group (I think). It doesn't bother me at all. Many stereotypes about Italians are actually very accurate.
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I am 100 percent Sicilian (genetically, although I was born in Connecticut - all four of my grandparents were born in Palermo), and I am never offended by stereotypes about Italians or Sicilians. I laugh at most comments about Italians. Especially when the person does not know the origins of the supposedly derogatory comment. Like when someone calls me a WOP and does not even know what they are saying. WOP - is an acronym for without papers. At the time that this label was coined there were two major groups of immigrants. The Italians and the Irish. At Ellis Island there were two lines for immigrants. One was for immigrants who had papers from the country they came, the other line was for those who did not. Most Italians did not have papers. Ironically when people call me a WOP they have no idea that they are wrong. All four of my grandparents had their papers.
 
DocJohnson

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Knight said:
That's a great point and I agree completely. My mom is 100% Italian and there are more stereotypes about Italians than any other group (I think). It doesn't bother me at all. Many stereotypes about Italians are actually very accurate.
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This was a point I made on another thread regarding the interracial couple that was denied a marriage license...

DocJohnson said:
That limited definition would make everyone a racist.

Consider:

- everyone thinks there are actual differences, genetic differences, between racial groups that have real consequences

- everyone feels more of an affinity for or sense of belonging to people of their own ethnic group

- everyone tends to put the interests of their "people" or ethnic group ahead of the interests of other groups just as they put their own family’s interests over others

How about we include other even broader definitions while we're at it...?

“Civil rights laws were not passed to protect the rights of white men and do not apply to them.” - Chairman Mary Frances Berry, U.S. Commission on Civil Rights

“Only whites can be racist.” - Cornell University

“[Racism is] The systematic subordination of members of targeted racial groups who have relatively little social power in the United States (Blacks, Latino/as, Native Americans, and Asians), by the members of the agent racial group who have relatively more social power (Whites).” - Seattle school district
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Yazichestvo

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elohiym said:
Mat 15:26 But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children‘s bread, and to cast it to dogs.
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It only says she was "of Caanan", which would generally imply that she was a gentile who had existed outside of Jewish culture. Since culture is ideological, it's not necessarily racist if the Abrahamic deity treated one of the Caananites differently. In a way, the imporance of ideology in this instance is demonstrated, because she is rewarded once she accepts God, and becomes a "dog of his flock" on that merit alone. :D

As DocJohnson pointed out, the role of a dog to its master is more or less analogous to that of a sheep following a shepherd, isn't it? In fact, you could argue that an especially loyal dog would be far better than any sheep. Only if you get bogged down by the strict definition is this at all "racist". It starts out ethnocentric, but this is clearly overridden by faith.
 
elohiym

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Arthur Brain said:
...but Jesus does not call the woman a dog when reading the passage.
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Again, I would explain this to you, but it is not meet for me to take time from my children to reason with dogs.

Did I just call you a dog?

¿Habla Inglés? :idunno:
 
The Berean

The Berean

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noguru said:
I am 100 percent Sicilian (genetically, although I was born in Connecticut - all four of my grandparents were born in Palermo), and I am never offended by stereotypes about Italians or Sicilians. I laugh at most comments about Italians. Especially when the person does not know the origins of the supposedly derogatory comment. Like when someone calls me a WOP and does not even know what they are saying. WOP - is an acronym for without papers. At the time that this label was coined there were two major groups of immigrants. The Italians and the Irish. At Ellis Island there were two lines for immigrants. One was for immigrants who had papers from the country they came, the other line was for those who did not. Most Italians did not have papers. Ironically when people call me a WOP they have no idea that they are wrong. All four of my grandparents had their papers.
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So do you prefer The Godfather or Goodfellas? :chuckle:
 
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