Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?

Go.

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Re: Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?

The definitions of 'racist' and 'good' are fairly fluid though, aren't they?

 

What i tend to think is no one is wholly good or evil, we're along a spectrum & none of us perfect. For sure, some people are by my definition, worse than others. Sadistic killers, those who are violent or cruel-they scare me the most. I'm not impressed by those who steal and con money from others, those who show contempt for everyone else by drinking, driving and so on.

But if you watch the news, you'll see for every person who died through being a law breaking idiot or who died because they were out and out criminals mixing in violent society, there will be someone in their lives who is claiming they were a good, kind person.

 

Racist behaviour is just one facet of the scorecard.

 

I also think people can have what we might call entrenched or 'racist', set views about a group but not extend them to the individual. For example my mother, who lived through WW2 and whose father was killed by a German, viewed Germans as a cold people.

Yet my father found a job for a new German immigrant in the 1960s and that man used to come round every Saturday night to socialise with my parents. We had German neighbours and mum was also close to them and when I challenged the 'cld uncaring' definition, she was quite abrupt and said she didn't mean THEM. 

Go figure.Smiley Very Happy We can't always control how we feel, only how we behave, I guess.

Message 21 of 41
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Re: Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?

The idea that people who claim not to be racist are good people is ludicrous. The attitude towards racism has changed over recent years and many people have jumped on the band wagon with their self-righteous support. There are calls to update the Dictionary definitions of racism. One strongly supported suggestion is, racism โ€œis a system of advantage based on skin color.โ€. I think that better captures the current use, or misuse of the term by people who support and condemn racism.

 

The social media trolls who target anybody they choose to call "racist" are doing so to incite hate and aggression. And a lot of people are getting caught up in it, both as supporters and victims.

 

download white power.jpg

 

The trolls have accused these people of being racists because they used the White Power gesture. And many people believe it - hence the power of the internet on human minds.

 

The use and abuse of the term "racist" for good or bad is rampant, and a lot of people are too frightened to open their mouth for fear of being accused of discrimination. Meanwhile, the true and dangerous racists are laughing their heads off because they barely stand out anymore - arguably, everyone is a racist. And BTW, I have never known one truly "good" person in my life; and I have been around for a while.

Message 22 of 41
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Re: Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?

Some excellent points of view in above posts.
Message 23 of 41
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Re: Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?


@not_for_sale2025 wrote:

And BTW, I have never known one truly "good" person in my life; and I have been around for a while.


We haven't met yet. lol

Message 24 of 41
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Re: Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?

So - NFS - how ' good ' are you at Trivial Pursuit. ??

 

I still recall my first try.

 

Question : - How many golf balls on the Moon. ??

 

Me : Geez - I didn't think anyone was that good. 

 

My team did win - even with me.

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Re: Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?


@domino-710 wrote:

So - NFS - how ' good ' are you at Trivial Pursuit. ??

 

I still recall my first try.

 

Question : - How many golf balls on the Moon. ??

 

Me : Geez - I didn't think anyone was that good. 

 

My team did win - even with me.


Well I chose not to Google and I don't know how many. But I can recall videos of astronauts on the moon hitting golf balls. So my answer is "some". Smiley Very Happy

Message 26 of 41
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Re: Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?

From memory - 3. lol

Message 27 of 41
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Re: Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?

Harry and Lloyd were in Las Vegas, sitting on a bench talking at night ... Harry asks, "Which do you think is farther away ... Florida or the moon?" Lloyd turns to Harry and says "Hellooooooo, can you see Florida?" Smiley LOL

Message 28 of 41
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Re: Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?


@domino-710 wrote:

From memory - 3. lol


Two balls and he used a 6 iron head attached to a tool for collecting rocks.

 

He shanked the first which means it came of the hosel of the club (the part the club head and handle are attached to) and it went straight right.

 

The second was flushed and went over 200 yards which is further than most golfers could hit one.good.gif

Message 29 of 41
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Re: Can you be Racist and a Good Person at the Same Time?


@icyfroth wrote:
Hollywood icon Bette Midler has apologised after mocking Melania Trump's accent during her speech on the second night of the Republican National Convention.
 
"oh God, she still can't speak English"
 
"a UGE bore! She can speak a few words in several languages. Get that illegal alien off the stage!"
 
 
Is Bette Midler a bad person for making those racist remarks?

 


 Only if the speaker could be understood - but even still arguably a matter of bigorty rather than racism

 

However the expectation in Amarica might be speaking with a mid-atlantic accent , like in the movies  ....

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