Thread: need your opinion

I think that racism will exist as long as there are social injustices, major differences between rich and poor, hardships and perceived injustices for large groups of people. Because it is always too easy to cast the blame for the problems upon those people who are not like us, the others. If the others are perceived as coming better out than us, this always leads to racist outcry (Surely "they" are criminal or get benefits "we" don't get...). We see this all the time in Europe and America where the immigrants gets the blame for all problems in society.
On the other hand, when the class differences are small and most people get what they need, then the level of racism is low.

Racism as nationalism and bias to certain look for a mate will always be around. as far as prejudice. It can't be wiped until classism is addressed.

In US I notice living on base and near post the more equal the financial status the less the color of your neighbor is noticed.
Assimilated people basically do not stand out as targets for ire either.

I barely register people that are dressed casually fitting to the neighborhood Same growing up. The kids I played with were same socio-economic status families.

I think that a good set of laws against workplace discrimination, and a ban on the media racebaiting should do the trick.

I live in a country with very little racial tension. We pride ourselves on being a melting pot, and very few people can claim they are "pure" this or that, we are all mixed.

Originally Posted by SheLikesKitties

very few people can claim they are "pure" this or that

Absolutely no-one can, unless they mean pure homo sapiens. The problem arises when some imagine that they can and that the claim is of any significance.

Some students spent half a lesson tied up in knots after one asked me if I was "pure English". After getting absorbed in questions ranging from whether having ancestors from areas at various times either English or Scottish/Welsh (the borders have moved many times) made a difference, to whether being 'pure English' would mean having had no ancestors living in what is now England prior to 400AD ('you mean if your ancestors lived in England you can't be English?') and whether being so would mean necessarily being a Saxon/Norman hybrid or whether the Normans should be counted as non-English (which would imply there are very few demonstrably 'pure English' people alive anywhere now), they gave it up having realised the whole concept made no sense.

Racism (as such, as opposed to nationalism and sheer dislike of strangers) will disappear when everyone reaches the same conclusion.

SW