Racism and Why
As children, most of us were given a playground definition of racism. Racism meant assuming bad things about someone just because of the color of his/her skin. Think about this definition. Its apparent simplicity actually contains three separate components. First, a racist has "bad intent." Second, a racist makes prima facie assumptions. And third, a racist targets an immutable characteristic; in other words, something we cannot change and which we did not choose.Let's begin with the notion of race as an immutable characteristic. Race is in our genetic makeup. We did not choose our ancestors. The luck of the draw, the miracle of creation, determined our racial heritage. An integral part of liberal culture is respect for immutable characteristics. We do not deserve either praise or slander for them. We did not earn our race, nor can we be blamed for it. Immutable characteristics are only one part of us. An individual also has ethnicity, culture, religion, morals, political affiliations, opinions, beliefs, feelings and traditions, for example. None of these other parts of individual identity are completely, exclusively, directly tied to race. Not even ethnicity and culture are absolutely predetermined by race, much less othe
prejudice alone does not indicate racism. fit the full meaning of racism. Everyone is prejudiced, but not everyone is racist. The real racist is irrational, because he comes to conclusions about racial identity due to false premises or even no premises at all. But what about those individuals who use evidence and personal experience to come to certain conclusions about racial identity? Of course, some of these "rational" individuals may use flawed evidence or employ faulty reasoning. For example, someone may say: All the Caucasians I know are drunks. Here is a Caucasian I do not know. He must be a drunk. While this individual is using evidence, personal experience and reason to come to his conclusion, his logic is faulty. anything." When anyone, even a "leader" of the Asian community, uses the term "racist," they must PROVE their usage is warranted, and their proof must withstand criticism. If we are to continue seeking an understanding of racism, the meaning of racism must be accessible to all, regardless of the color of one's skin.
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Approximate Word count = 1419
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)
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