On Racism and What It Is Not (Necessarily)

[lhynard]

My last two public entries involving race[1, 2] -- as one might expect (because of the topic, not anything related to me) -- brought in many comments, to the point that I was overwhelmed. I admit that I did not even have time to read all of the conversation between dogs_n_rodents and izaaksmom. (I will get around to it eventually, and I will read the entries of you both

Comments

[shadewright]

Well, I agree that words should be precise, but what I really object to is the way that some people insist that a word means something that it does not, in order to further an agenda of their own. To whit:

Unique no longer means "one of a kind." It now means "unusual, but in a good way".

Why?

Because the word that previously meant "Unusual but in a good way," --special--now means "mentally handicapped and possibly disabled," or, "stupid," for short.

Why?

Because some well-meaning but ignorant people decided that the word we had that meant "mentally handicapped," was being used in a nasty way, even though it --retarded --meant "to be slowed down or rendered ineffective by outside forces." And, instead of insisting that being retarded was not the same thing as being stupid in the pejorative sense, they co-opted a perfectly good word--special --to do the work of another perfectly good word--retarded--because they wanted to steal the emotional connotation that special carried

[izaaksmom]

I get your point, but my problem arises from your "narrow" definition of racism. It seems that you are defining it based on skin color. It certainly can (and does mean) that. But some of the other things you described (dress, accent, etc) is, I believe not just discrimination. I believe that things move out of the realm of syereotype and discrimination the second an action happens. And let's be fair here. "Discrimination" implies making a wise choice based on KNOWN factors (I discriminate that this is beef due to the texture, taste, etc), not assumptions of what OTHERS might perceive if you make a choice (your boss example). That is racism (or classism, or accent-ism) because the boss is acting based on what others will think of HIM (he hired idiots...thus degrading trhe potential employee in the "loved animal" sense

[ubersecret]

For example, what if a bunch of people beat up a mentally retarded child. That's obviously a hate crime. But not racism, since it has nothing to do with race, per se. But what exactly is it? Handicapped-ism? Disability-ism? There's not words for this, so I wonder if people start calling it "racism" for the ease of understanding and emotional impact that shadewright was talking about.

Actually, you're the only person I've ever heard use "racism" as a generic term for "unkind discrimination." The confusion may be uniquely your own.

[izaaksmom]

??? I'm confused. I wasn't saying that beating up a Dwob's Syndrome kid was racism. (I would also say it is much more than "unkind discrimination") It is a hate crime (they hate the person and thus do violence...much like hate crimes against gays). However, it is not racism. What is it then? What is the catch word you use to describe this? I am putting forth that there are times when people would call this "racism" out of a lingual deficiency, not because it is.

[ubersecret]

I am putting forth that there are times when people would call this "racism" out of a lingual deficiency, not because it is.

Yes, and I'm saying that may not be true for anyone but you. Most people are keenly aware of the word's tight association with race (it's hard not to be: "race-ism") and would think it a far-from-obvious label for racially-indifferent forms of discrimination (or meanness, or whatever).