[theapportioner]

Let's reserve the word for when people are actually preaching negativity towards other races, and not everytime someone just uses the word "race".

The reality in the United States is that the legacy of racism is perpetuated through institutions and through continued segregation, especially against african-americans. Fighting against overt racism is scratching the surface. More later.

Focusing on, and searching for racism in everyday life seems to me only to sustain difficulties between people of different races.

Fine rhetoric, but prove it. The difficulties are sustained because of institutionalized racism (banks, real estate, etc.), lingering cultural perceptions exacerbated by the legacy of segregation years ago, etc. If you -don't- focus on it, they will continue.

FUCK political correctness. Let's make a good joke about Mexicans and if there's any of them around that feel offended, there's always the good old well-meant "sorry."

It's one thing to do it in a relatively isolated and self-selecting forum where the culture of "mocking" is known and established (that is, people come here to mock), and where the participants are aware of the purpose and intentions of the jokes made. It's another matter to do it in a more public arena where people sensitive to such remarks may be around.

I find it shameful that people here are frothing at the mouth over this. It's so easy to change a few words you say. Why do people find it so inconvenient?

A white and a black are applying for a scholarship. They are completely identical in their applications, sports, leadership, you name it. The only difference is race.

You missed the point.

And lumping all people with pale skin into WHITE isn't?

Lumping people into categories such as 'asian' is insulting to those who would rather be associated with their ethnicity. It completely steamrolls over the sweeping cultural differences amongst asians -- i.e. Vietnamese versus Japanese. It's a peculiarly American tendency to look at everyone who is not European in origin as "the others".

For instance, the stereotype that all asians are smart violin players who are proficient in math, but have poor social skills. It's bunk, because many Vietnamese, Cambodians, etc. are struggling in schools.

More later.[/quote]