The following question was posed to me during 8th Period Study Hall in the cafe by Dan Monikowski. Please respond...."Could it still be considered racism if someone believes that a race other than their own was superior or that their own was the inferior race?" Is it racism? Yes or No?
9 comments:
I do believe that it is still racism. It is still believing that a certain race is systematically inferior to another so it should count as racism. Discussing this with my friend she came up with a good example...
Adolf Hitler believed in an Aryan race(blond haired blue eyed people). He believed that Aryans where the Superior race and all others where inferior(which questions why Jessy Owens beat Germans in the Olympics..but that isn't on topic).
Adolf Hitler however, did not believe himself to be of the Aryan race and subsequently did not think he was part of the superior race. I do believe that he is racist, solely on those facts(disregarding all other).
I also thought about this question and remembered the blond and brown eye study. When the blue eyes where told they where not as good as blue eyed people, where picked on and received lower scores, where they racist because they really believed that they where inferior?
(As a side, I find it ironic that the study focused on eye color because one of the defining features of Hitlers mis-defined Aryan race was blue eyes over brown eyes)
There would be no other word for it that racism.I also do not think that the term racist should be limited to those that believe their own race because(however rare), there has got to be people out there that believe they are part of the inferior race.
I do believe that this would still be considered racism. Just because you don't consider your race the superior, you still believe that there is a superior race and that's racist. The definition of racism should be changed to the belief that a race is superior to others. I agree with dan's example, Hitler was basically a walking contradiction cause not only was he not Aryan he was also part Jewish. But that doesn't change the fact that he was still a very racist individual.
I agree with Dan and Girffin saying that it is considered racism if you believe another race is superior to another thats not your own. All the races in the entire world should be looked at as equal and when one person puts one race on a pedestal then the races are no longer equal. Since this question has been brought up the definition of the word "racism" should be changes. Instead of having it say "one's own race is superior" it should say "any race superior." All races in the world in equal in every way and should be displayed that way. No one should put any race on a pedestal and unbalance the races.
I believe this is a very good question. The way I veiw racism, or my definition, is anything that prejudges a race or clasifies individuals of a race in one way or another. A racisit belief is one that can be both positive or negative, and what I mean by this is it could say somthing good about a race or bad. I believe that viewing a race other than your own race as superior is racism. I believe the example Dan gives with Hitler is very valid and very good. I never thought of it that way but when you put it like that Dan it makes perfect sence.
Although our society is used to the term 'racism' meaning that one believes their race is superior, it is also considered racism if one views their race as inferior to others. As Mike said, it sets an imbalance between races. This imbalance exists whether one race is being viewed as superior or inferior, because they are not equal, as they should be. I agree with previous blog posts which used the example of Hitler to show that a racist individual does not need to believe that they are superior. Overall, I think the term 'racism' should include thoughts that indicate any inequality between races.
I do believe that it is still racism. no matter what way you look at it if you think that your race or another race is better than another its racism. I also do believe that the definition of race should be change.
I still consider it to be racism because it doesn't matter what race the person who has these beliefs is, it is racism either way. Even if you believe that your race is inferior to another then i would still consider it being racism. This is because no matter what your race is no one race is superior to another and that is not the way to think.
This can still be in the idea of racism because either way, you believe in a superior race, regardless if you were in the minority or not.
This can also be noticed in the study of the fourth graders, where even the minority in this study realized that they were not as superior, and accepted thisfact, on both days.
THis idea should extend past your own race, to all races. and dan provided an excellent idea with this question
(but provided an awful pictue (: )
Racism is known to many of us as thinking that another race is inferior to our own. So if the tables were to turn I don't see why it WOULDN'T be considered a form of racism. Although I do think the meaning of the word in that case wouldn't be negative, as it would when used in any other context, but personally I wouldn't know what else to call something like that. This could actually be a good example of looking at racism in a "positive light" instead of the negative way we usually use it or see it used. So although by feeling a race other than your own is superior, you are being racist, almost like you’re racist to your "own". It doesn't have to be looked at as a bad thing.
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