[MD] Racism

[Heather Perella]

David H.,


     [David H.]
> I think the problem is deeper than your think.  I
> think that racism is a mistake inherent in a SOM
> which claims our behaviors and attitudes are
> determined by our physical characteristics, not the
> other way around.  It shouldn't matter (and it
> doesn't) whether your white, black, blue, green,
> purple or any of the other shades in between. 
> Historically people of a certain race have all come
> from the same culture and this fact IMHO confuses
> matters.  
> Physical characteristics have no bearing on your
> social behavior or intelligence which consequently,
> are things that can change.  What should really be
> be being discussed IMHO is the quality of cultural
> behaviors, some of which are good, others not so.

     I'm not differing from your opinion.  I agree.  I
was pointing out how 'things' or issues in this
culture turn racist.  It is this heavy scientific
defining of physical characteristics.  Anthropologists
and sociologists study the cultures of people.  Yet,
what is fact and real, due to this SOM culture, puts a
slant on what the mainstream U.S. culture focuses
upon, which is skin when defining others.  We hear
people are black, white, Latin, Jewish, but we don't
hear in the mainstream knowledge (political polling,
political forums, news, etc...) what the culture is in
the minds of these different peoples.  They are
grouped according to color.  In our knowings of
different people in this culture, it is the knowings
that they are different in color.  Such and such
politician went to Georgia to talk with African
Americans today.  This is something we usually hear
about, but what issues and who are these African
Americans from Georgia that this politician talked to?
 In the end, all that we find out from the news story,
for the most part, is that they are African Americans.
 Notice the focus is on the color, not the culture. 
That was my point.


SA

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