[quote]Bricknyce wrote:
Never been through a tragedy of any sort.
[/quote]
Well, glad to hear that.
Race is a hot button topic. It always has been and it likely isn’t going to stop being one for quite some time.
You wrote:
“Personally, I believe races differ in stature, intellect, cognitive ability, physical strength, emotionality, behavior, aptitude, inclination and so on and I will most likely never be convinced otherwise nor do I care to argue this point.”(emphasis mine)
I think that, although you didn’t specifically come out and say it, people may have gotten rather upset hearing you say that you think the color of someone’s skin determines their intelligence or ability for cognitive thought.
Those are the same types of arguments that KKK members and other fascist groups used for decades to justify legal segregation. Even though you might not be hateful of other “races”, you are unknowingly perpetuating “racist” (often used for hateful purposes) ideas. This is what I was referring to when I said “outdated”.
True.
Like I said above, I don’t think that you are pro slavery or pro fascism or anything like that. But, unfortunately some of the concepts that you mentioned were (and sometimes still are, think of the genocide that’s happening in Darfur as we speak, people killing other people based solely on their “race”) used to justify atrocities committed upon groups of people. Scientists used to actually believe that “Negroes” were a separate “race” of humanoids than “whites” and used that to justify enslaving them.
This is one of those subjects where there is a lot of emotional connection involved, especially in the States. It doesn’t seem to be something that many people can talk calmly about without emotions running high. Yes, I know you may think that people over-reacted (and perhaps they did), but also realize that there is historical relevance to their anger.
Cool.
I addressed what I was referring to as “outdated” above.
What makes a difference more or less significant though? Most people classify people into races based on skin color. It’s easy to spot (even from a distance) and right in from of your eyes. So, you could say that skin color is the most “significant” difference between the “races”, but I tried to show that it’s only one of many methods of classifying people into groups, and doesn’t necessarily have any correlation to any other traits.
Nor do I claim to be an anthropologist, nutritionist, endocrinologist or anything other than a carpenter and a personal trainer as those are the only two jobs that I get paid for. But I do have knowledge in other fields/areas as well. And do a fair amount of personal research on topics that interest me. The concept of “race” just happens to be one (that and having an anthropologist for my gf probably helps too).
Cool. And no one (at least I hope no one) was suggesting that you must love every single member of any “race”. I’m sure you know quite a few “white” people who you aren’t too fond of. That doesn’t make you racist against “whites”.
I think it was the “I’ll NEVER be convinced otherwise” that set off people’s “bigot” alarms. It also would have been interesting to read some of the literature that you have read. And once again, I hope I already explained the whole “outdated” thing.
Unfortunately I think that’s how people took some of the things that you said; that you were implying that “non whites” (which is a constantly changing category) were less intelligent, respectful, etc… It might have not even been close to what you meant, but that’s how I think people took it.
Fair enough. And I didn’t push the envelope and even warned against others passing judgement on you.
What is frightening about the topic of race is the power that it has to manipulate people’s perspectives. It has been used for centuries now to justify genocide, slavery, and repression upon groups of human beings. Those are some pretty frightening implications if you ask me.
By continuing to continue the whole “use and them” mindset you are unwittingly perpetuating one of the greatest tools of atrocity in the history of the human race.
Also, though when the topic is used in regards to dog breeds the implications aren’t as dire, this same method of thinking is actually used to justify the destruction of certain breeds of dogs. Ever heard of BSL (Breed Specific Legislation)? It’s usually targeted at “pit bull type” breeds.
Basically, when a community decides to instate BSL, owners of loving, caring family pets (who have never done any harm to anyone) usually have a certain time frame to either move or get rid of their beloved dog. If they fail to do so, the city can come, seize the dog and destroy (kill) it. Even though the dog has never been a menace!
This is all based solely on the way the dog looks. “It’s a “pit bull type”, so it must be dangerous”. That’s the same type of thinking involved in “she’s asian, she must be smart/a good student”, or “he’s black, he must have good genetics for bodybuilding”. It’s associating two completely unrelated traits based solely on appearance.
Some of what you say about having different values, beliefs, religions and such is true. Those don’t have to do with genetic factors though, but social ones. Like I said, “race” is real, just not from a biological standpoint.
Fair enough.
Yet, you’d most likely find that “blacks” who live in upper class neighborhoods, go to good schools, and work in white collar jobs act significantly different than “blacks” who live in lower class neighborhoods, go to crappy schools and work in blue collar jobs.
You’d find the same thing of Asians, Whites, or any racial group. Go to China and tell me that the poor “Asians” act the same as the rich ones.
Class and social status has as much to do with behavior (if not more) than skin color. And “race” has been one of the tools most often used to perpetuate the social “order” that keeps certain groups down, while privileging others.
No, I wouldn’t expect you to change your way of life simply because of something that I (or anyone) said to you over the web. But, I was hoping that I might at least get you to consider the lens through which you view your experiences.
[quote]
And what is wrong with COLLECTIVE thought anyway, being that Testosterone is supposed to pride itself on being so hardcore and manly. Aside from the differences within races (as Sento made mentioned of) what about the COLLECTIVE and SIGNIFICANT differences between races? Surely, this has no weight in our PC feminized world. Or in a thread where my views are akin to the start of a Holocaust?! People might say “you are generalizing”. Well folks, generalizing has its merit. Everyone on this board generalizes and discriminates in nearly every facet of their lives. Anyone who says otherwise is full of shit in my book.
Back to the things I truly care about most: lifting, spending time with friends and family, and getting paid. Have a nice day to all of you intolerant ones. [/quote]
Hey man, just for the record I wasn’t judging you. I know you stated that you have your reasons (based on what you believe to be credible sources) for your beliefs. I can respect that. I may not agree with some of those beliefs, but I don’t hold them against you.