greenhouse1014 wrote >>
I don't buy that racism requires an action to exist. Racism is looking at a person's race before anything else and making your judgements based on that. Just like sexism is putting a person's gender in front of everything else in making judgement. It's like some of my black friends argue, that they can't be racist because they don't have the power to act on it. I call bullshit on that. Any of the isms denote looking at whatever it is and using that factor as overriding judgement on everything else.
ugh, damn, just reread your post and its early. Sorry, we agree on that.
But, I find it very hard to believe that there isn't discrimination tied into racism. Even if it's an unspoken, unacted on, personal discrimination will alwats cause you to react a certain way, tied to whatever your ism is. Even the act of disregarding your personal tendencies in order to avoid the appearance of discrimination is discrimination in a sense.
That said, there's a difference literal meanings of words and accepted perceptions of words. Sometimes they do not mesh due to the organic nature of our language.
You're right, though. Stereotype doesn't necessarily equal racism, but there is an ism there to cause the stereotype. It's the "isms" that catch us.
my opinion.
Last I checked, ageism, sexism, racism, classism, homophobia, xenophobia, etc. are all forms of discrimination.
Stereotypes are standardized or generalized conceptions of different groups. I agree that they are not always intended to be "bad". They are absolutely a normal function of your mental filing system.
Still - I think what tarahk said about southern women is absolutely a gender based stereotype that is specific to a certain part of the USA.
I guess what I was trying to point out in my original comment, is that comparing ignorant women who live in the south and say similar things to ignorant people who assume fast food Chinese places serve cats isn't a very positive thing to say about either group. But, I am also quite sure that Tarahk knows that - I was just being sassy when I pointed it out.
Anyways. Women's Studies Class, anyone? ;)
PS - I'm about to totally discriminate against this shitty ass thread.
PEACE.
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