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

[the_bob_delusion]

Go.

[the4masters2013]

No.

[*kazumi*]

Yes.  I grew up in Europe where we did not see many people of other skin hues.  We were taught the history of Europe, and the magnificent achievements of Europeans.  The art, music, architecture all "obviously" superior to the colored people.  The fact that there were times that people in other parts of the world had very well developed societies back at times when our ancestors were pretty much still very primitive, was never mention.  We were told that as being white Europeans we are superior to other races.  It was a big shock to me when, at the age of about 10, I read somewhere  about  other civilizations, much older than that of Europe, and certainly much older than that of north parts of Europe.  Then I met some people from Japan and realized they are not any different to us.  But my mother remained quite racist for the rest of her life, thinking that we are superior.  BUT, she was very kind and loved everybody, she did NOT hate people of other nationalities or races. If she was still alive she would condemn the treatment of black people in America, but she would be horrified that people from ME and Africa are allowed to come to Europe, settle and marry Europeans.  I imagine she would say that mixing races cannot be right.  That does not mean she would want the people killed or mistreated.  Just as when her best friend, a pediatrician, adopted little baby gypsy girl, my mother was horrified, thought that cannot end well, as "they" are of lower intelligence, are immoral, and cannot be trusted.  She tried to talk her friend out of it.  But once the child arrived, my mother welcomed her to our house, and was very kind to her.  She would never treat anybody openly as inferior. 

My mother would have had total meltdown if she knew I, in one stage, had a relationship with a black man.  And she did have total meltdown when my daughter started to study Japanese at uni, language and Japanese literature.  The way she put it was: "do not let her do it, you do not want her to get 'Asianized' "(what ever that might mean).  Thankfully, she was still living in Europe, and we were here, so we just ignored her.

So, yes, you can be nice, caring, generous and still think that some races are not as good as yours.  But she was born in 1911.  It is sad that in 2020 some people still think they are superior to others.  You can be proud of your heritage without insisting that  your heritage is better.

[springyzone]

Yes, of course.

The biggest mistake we can make in life is thinking at all races and all nationalities and all people are 'the same'. They aren't.

The social values, the 'rules' if you like, are radically different between cultures. The way people look on others is part of their upbringing and the social values around them.

But every society has some basic rules about behaviour, that help their society jog along with a minimum of trouble. So there will be cultural attitudes to such things as murder, theft and usually ceremonies around important life stages eg reaching adulthood, marriage, death.

It is perfectly possible to be a responsible, caring member of your society. To tow the line, obey all the rules, but not extend that care to those outside the general society.

Racism is not a white 'disease'. Not at all. If anything, you wll probably find it more deeply entrenched in a lot of Asian societies. You only have to read the stories of those children who were born to Vietnamese women of American partners during the Vietnam war.

Or read of how Japense businesses are run.

It's why slavery (across all cultures and colours, I am not talking just  or even mostly of US) has been tolerated and slave lives considered of less or no value compared to others in society.

It doesn't mean everyone in Asia or Japan or anywhere else is all bad or even mostly bad. Just that they have a different world view.

When you think of it, there is something, not exactly racist, but all the same that very same sense of personal superiority, in people who claim they are better than other people or have the only claim to 'goodness', simply because they see others as racist or with a differeing viewpoint.

There are some in our society who think meat eaters are evil & misguided. They claim the moral high ground & who is to say they aren't right. We kill animals without a second thought, we have used animals in experiments simply because we have that power, is that such a huge jump from using people from a different culture or less powerful people as slaves? It is all a matter of perception.

[freddie*rooster]

The biggest mistake we can make in life is thinking at all races and all nationalities and all people are 'the same'.

Another big mistake we make is thinking we are good people.

Because some AH will come along and soon ruin your day by

letting you know you are nothing special.

[zanadoo_56]

Yes.

My late uncle was a good person, but to the end of his life he hated and mistrusted the Japanese....but that was because he had been a Prisoner of War in Changi in WWII. He survived - just- physically (he was skin and bone when rescued) but he was never able to forget what happened.

Note: he never acted on his feelings towards any Japanese people he saw.

[twyngwyn]

What's your definition of good?

[the_bob_delusion]

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@lionrose.7 wrote:

NO

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Are you Racist? Do you consider yourself a good person?

[rogevibe]

Who here has dated a person from a totally different cultural heritage or racial heritage ? 

[icyfroth]

Bette Midler apologises after mocking Melania Trump's accent

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!"

View video here

Is Bette Midler a bad person for making those racist remarks?

[the_bob_delusion]

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@twyngwyn wrote:
What's your definition of good?

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Moi and I'm racist. Oh, and everyone else is racist too.