Anti-racist week....does it make sense to you ?

[BruceVC]

https://www.dw.com/en/south-africas-anti-racism-week-a-drop-in-the-ocean/a-19120704

https://www.bernama.com/en/world/news.php?id=1941657

Hi Guys, do these links make sense  to you? Then one paragraph says White Supremacy sits at the center of politics, economic and economics ....and do you  think  this is about SA or the USA ?

I know these are reports are annoying but I am not sure it is true, for example I didnt know it was racism week this week and I dont believe the level of racism is this prevent. But this may be USA?

 

[Hurlshort]

Oh yeah, I'm sure racism is no longer an issue in South Africa. Well done Bruce. 

[BruceVC]

8 minutes ago, Hurlshot said:

Oh yeah, I'm sure racism is no longer an issue in South Africa. Well done Bruce. 

Thats what I thought, its vastly reduced. I am glad you noticed it because I am going to mention your comment in a talk show. On this show the comments from a California Liberal really matter.... its seen as positive and most people are very anti-trump

And then sometimes comments from an American liberal seem to matter more than someone who is a citizen from the South Africa and I can guarantee you we will have different views but I dont mind 

[rjshae]

How do we celebrate? Tear down some random statues?

[Gorth]

A strange thing racism... I'm fully convinced it's an issue with and of society. When I was a kid and through most of my teenage years, I grew up in a place where i think you could say racism was effectively non-existing in daily life. Why? Because the population was 99.99% Danish. There was an Inuit from Greenland living in the neighborhood, but he was more an "object of curiosity" than an object of hostility or derision. I know things changed and they changed a lot, mostly for the negative since. Still, It's something you learn, racism isn't bred into your genes (not to be confused with fear of that which is different or not understood).

 

Meh, still just trying to live life, judging other people and myself (yes, I'm sometimes quite judgemental, including where my own actions are subject of introspection, why did I do this, why didn't I do that? etc.) by actions and deeds rather than simple physical appearances.

 

If someone wants to create increased awareness about racism (or most other kinds of discrimination), power to them.

 

Edit: So much discrimination has somehow ended up becoming embedded in our language and our choice of words too. I know people resent political correctness and it gets out of hand sometimes. It can be part of what perpetuates a problem, although I think it's often more a symptom of underlying problems in society.

[BruceVC]

1 hour ago, rjshae said:

How do we celebrate? Tear down some random statues?

But I think these links are inaccurate, I wanting you guys to confirm that in the sense before I raise it within SA

I think its suppose to only represent SA and if you read the link below. It basically suggests " white supremacy " exists in things like religion and education and that is nonsense and a lie.  I am just annoyed that someone could write something like racism and link it to everything...and I want to complain but only if you think its warranted 

[BruceVC]

30 minutes ago, Gorth said:

A strange thing racism... I'm fully convinced it's an issue with and of society. When I was a kid and through most of my teenage years, I grew up in a place where i think you could say racism was effectively non-existing in daily life. Why? Because the population was 99.99% Danish. There was an Inuit from Greenland living in the neighborhood, but he was more an "object of curiosity" than an object of hostility or derision. I know things changed and they changed a lot, mostly for the negative since. Still, It's something you learn, racism isn't bred into your genes (not to be confused with fear of that which is different or not understood).

 

Meh, still just trying to live life, judging other people and myself (yes, I'm sometimes quite judgemental, including where my own actions are subject of introspection, why did I do this, why didn't I do that? etc.) by actions and deeds rather than simple physical appearances.

 

If someone wants to create increased awareness about racism (or most other kinds of discrimination), power to them.

 

Edit: So much discrimination has somehow ended up becoming embedded in our language and our choice of words too. I know people resent political correctness and it gets out of hand sometimes. It can be part of what perpetuates a problem, although I think it's often more a symptom of underlying problems in society.

I hear you but I am sorry I didnt explain properly. I am raising this because its inaccurate suggestion of the degrees of racism,  its like people just write anything they want irrespective of truth and I want to know if you think I have the moral agency to complain and expose it on talk shows ....I dont want to do it if I am overreacting ?

[Gorth]

59 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

I hear you but I am sorry I didnt explain properly. I am raising this because its inaccurate suggestion of the degrees of racism,  its like people just write anything they want irrespective of truth and I want to know if you think I have the moral agency to complain and expose it on talk shows ....I dont want to do it if I am overreacting ?

Hard to say Bruce... the two articles linked to are SA specific. Not living there, not experiencing the SA society, all you get is second hand information. I think the only thing most of us can do is to compare with our own local experiences wherever we live at the moment. In Australia, racism is alive and well. Doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon.

But that is irrelevant for racism in SA other than as giving the impression that it may be a larger than local problem and if it's a problem in enough parts of the world, it may also be a problem in SA. I know, still not really answering your question, but I think your question is difficult to add much to for outsiders (if you want to talk specifically about racism in SA).

 

[BruceVC]

1 hour ago, Gorth said:

Hard to say Bruce... the two articles linked to are SA specific. Not living there, not experiencing the SA society, all you get is second hand information. I think the only thing most of us can do is to compare with our own local experiences wherever we live at the moment. In Australia, racism is alive and well. Doesn't look like it's going anywhere soon.

But that is irrelevant for racism in SA other than as giving the impression that it may be a larger than local problem and if it's a problem in enough parts of the world, it may also be a problem in SA. I know, still not really answering your question, but I think your question is difficult to add much to for outsiders (if you want to talk specifically about racism in SA).

 

If I understand you correctly  you cant answer because I am asking you to agree to something that you cant legitimately answer because you cant comment about racism in SA and you cant just accept my view because then you would be assuming I am right but you cant say that as you dont live in SA ?

[Gorth]

9 minutes ago, BruceVC said:

If I understand you correctly  you cant answer because I am asking you to agree to something that you cant legitimately answer because you cant comment about racism in SA and you cant just accept my view because then you would be assuming I am right but you cant say that as you dont live in SA ?

That's a very complicated way of putting it

 

But in short yes. All I can do is take your word for it based on what I know of/about you at this point in time. Based on that, I actually will take your word for it, as I believe it's an issue that is important to you and you have given it a lot of thought, based on your past posting history.

[Keyrock]

Shouldn't every week be anti-racist week?

[BruceVC]

1 minute ago, Gorth said:

That's a very complicated way of putting it

 

But in short yes. All I can do is take your word for it based on what I know of/about you at this point in time. Based on that, I actually will take your word for it, as I believe it's an issue that is important to you and you have given it a lot of thought, based on your past posting history.

Sorry, it was complicated  And you right. I cant ask you to comment on something,  like SA racism, you cant corroborate ...thanks for making me see that 

[BruceVC]

15 minutes ago, Keyrock said:

Shouldn't every week be anti-racist week?

You are so right and you revealed a real deep contradiction within  the so called event. And the people who created this event arent racist and didnt think about  what  not being racist means because they assumed white people  are inherently sort of racist

So they  think this event makes sense but the truth is a person who is not racist is never racist because its part of their value  system and what would a week mean of people going around  saying " I am not racist everyone ...look at me " 

Well spotted, you added a whole level of additional criticizing to this idea. Try to comment in future if you can on this type of discussion  because you dont normally get involved and you have good instincts 

And  now I am not going to escalate this to anyone because its too inconsistent to take seriously 

[Azdeus]

6 hours ago, Gorth said:

A strange thing racism... I'm fully convinced it's an issue with and of society. When I was a kid and through most of my teenage years, I grew up in a place where i think you could say racism was effectively non-existing in daily life. Why? Because the population was 99.99% Danish. There was an Inuit from Greenland living in the neighborhood, but he was more an "object of curiosity" than an object of hostility or derision. I know things changed and they changed a lot, mostly for the negative since. Still, It's something you learn, racism isn't bred into your genes (not to be confused with fear of that which is different or not understood).

 

Meh, still just trying to live life, judging other people and myself (yes, I'm sometimes quite judgemental, including where my own actions are subject of introspection, why did I do this, why didn't I do that? etc.) by actions and deeds rather than simple physical appearances.

 

If someone wants to create increased awareness about racism (or most other kinds of discrimination), power to them.

 

Edit: So much discrimination has somehow ended up becoming embedded in our language and our choice of words too. I know people resent political correctness and it gets out of hand sometimes. It can be part of what perpetuates a problem, although I think it's often more a symptom of underlying problems in society.

I had similar experiences growing up. There was one girl at school whose parents were from Chile at my first elementary school, and just before I moved a kid from the middle east moved in. Noone cared. Then I changed school, and I was the only one with brown hair and brown eyes, and I got bullied alot for it. Something I think has it's origins in the fact that alot of parents out there were literal neonazis that were bullied out from town by the prominent punker scene, so they were taught by their parents. The racist bullying mostly stopped once their parents found out who my parents were and they moved to other things to bully about instead.

[HoonDing]

 

[BruceVC]

33 minutes ago, HoonDing said:

 

Only you could post something like this 

Also I can only imagine how much people have bullied and been racist with you, how is racism in the Netherlands ?

[Gfted1]

7 hours ago, BruceVC said:

It basically suggests " white supremacy " exists in things like religion...

What if it is? I cant be 100% certain, but I feel confident that Jesus was not in fact a white dude. Yet thats how hes portrayed by the largest religion (by adherents) on the planet. Then this cult indoctrinates their descendants from birth to believe this is an absolute truth. Kooky stuff.

[Malcador]

8 hours ago, rjshae said:

How do we celebrate? Tear down some random statues?

Nah, not random.  Tear down every Confederate one. Won't fix anything, but neo-Confederate tears is a resource we must harvest.

[Guard Dog]

Jesus was the ideal. Loves everyone unconditionally. Hell even dogs can’t pull that one off. He is the model we should all follow. As for me I decided to go in a different direction. Misanthropy. Hard to be called racist when you hate all the SOBs equally and avoid their company!

[Malcador]

That made me curious if there's a giant statue of Christ in the US, like Cristo Redentor or something, given the prominent role Christianity has there.  Did find - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Kings_(statue) . They made it out of Styrofoam, what a disgrace.

 

[rjshae]

My thinking is that we all have biases -- it's how our brains are wired for survival. Whether you control them or you let them control you determines whether you are racist/sexist/tropist. I think we should allow some leeway for people having biases; don't shun them just because of some questionable statement, but do let them know if you find it objectionable. Where racism hurts and often should not be tolerated is when it has an impact on a person's major life choices and economic opportunities. I think that is where the government often needs to step in. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and all that whatnot. Thanks.

[BruceVC]

46 minutes ago, rjshae said:

My thinking is that we all have biases -- it's how our brains are wired for survival. Whether you control them or you let them control you determines whether you are racist/sexist/tropist. I think we should allow some leeway for people having biases; don't shun them just because of some questionable statement, but do let them know if you find it objectionable. Where racism hurts and often should not be tolerated is when it has an impact on a person's major life choices and economic opportunities. I think that is where the government often needs to step in. Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, and all that whatnot. Thanks.

I have studied and introspectively looked at my own prejudices and biases for years, for me I can  generally control the ones still prevalent. But what was easy for me was my core fundamental  views on the rejection of common bigotries which are sexism, racism and homophobia. And what made it easier to address these things was raised by my mom and gran and we never experienced these things because my mom doesnt practice these things

And in SA this for some white people, my age , their parents were bigots in some ways so they have had real examples of being exposed as racist or sexists and they have had  to suffer the consequences. So in other words your parents behavior can inculcate certain views that you sometimes may not be aware of 

Nowadays I still  sometimes create wrong impressions in RL because I frame things wrong or make someone think Im condescending and I try to learn to not do it again. But my problem is not being a bigot but rather been seen as " white, male, privlidege " ( I think this is the best way to explain it )

@ Rjshae 

I meant to ask you this earlier but what race are you? It makes no difference to how I enjoy your posts but I use to think you were African American but nowadays I think you white and because I engage with you I always like to know these things if you dont mind sharing

But for me my agreement with peoples views is not  about what race they are but rather the substance  of what they say 

 

[Bartimaeus]

1 hour ago, Malcador said:

That made me curious if there's a giant statue of Christ in the US, like Cristo Redentor or something, given the prominent role Christianity has there.  Did find - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Kings_(statue) . They made it out of Styrofoam, what a disgrace.

 

Struck by lightning and burned to cinders; if that isn't a vote for iconoclasm by God, I don't know what is - deus vult!

Edited March 19, 2021 by Bartimaeus

[rjshae]

6 hours ago, BruceVC said:

@ Rjshae 

I meant to ask you this earlier but what race are you? It makes no difference to how I enjoy your posts but I use to think you were African American but nowadays I think you white and because I engage with you I always like to know these things if you dont mind sharing

But for me my agreement with peoples views is not  about what race they are but rather the substance  of what they say 

I'm Anglo-Saxon by heritage. I don't consider myself "white" as such because to me that represents a number of different ethnic groups.

[rjshae]

8 hours ago, Malcador said:

That made me curious if there's a giant statue of Christ in the US, like Cristo Redentor or something, given the prominent role Christianity has there.  Did find - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_Kings_(statue) . They made it out of Styrofoam, what a disgrace.

Christ of the Ozarks; it's 20 meters in height.