Defining racism. Your thoughts?

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24 Dec 2013, 3:48 pm

in the centuries and decades following that, I think the Australian government had a vicious policy of persecuting the children of aboriginal-white relationships. There was a race purity policy that rang of something from nazi germany.

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thomas81
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24 Dec 2013, 3:49 pm

http://www.multiculturalaustralia.edu.a ... -democracy

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jrjones9933
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24 Dec 2013, 4:10 pm

Aprilviolets wrote:

I think everyone is just sick of the way Aborigines keep banging on about what happened over 200 years ago are they still going to go on and on about it in 1000 years time.

This is completely disingenuous, just like the people in the US who point out that slavery ended 150 years ago, and want everyone to ignore institutional racial discrimination that continued for another 110 years, and the widespread discrimination that continues to this day. Or did the aboriginal people suddenly begin receiving equal treatment under the law in Australia 200 years ago?

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24 Dec 2013, 4:56 pm

thomas81 wrote:

Dillogic wrote:

When someone is treated differently by the rule of law based on their ethnicity.

That's it.

I am not comfortable with this definition. When you reduce racism to a legal construct like this, it gives governments the power to define the parameters for what does and what doesn't constitute racism.

I see. You and your Way Left Leaning Friends want that power for themselves, right?

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24 Dec 2013, 5:36 pm

jrjones9933 wrote:

naturalplastic wrote:

jrjones9933 wrote:

Misslizard wrote:

Origin of the word Thug.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thuggee

I addressed this on the previous page, and no one has responded to that part of my post.

The well known fact didnt seemed to need a response, but Ill respond to it now by saying that it just underscores my point.

The term had its origins in India two centuries ago. Pronounced "tug" back then it referred to a murderous criminal cult of sorts that was eventually stamped out.

Then by the mid twentieth centurey it had somehow crept into English (with the TH sound) as a term for any strong arm, or goon, or extortionist.

And thats what it still means now, even in the context of rap music. The term has never had anything to do with being an ethnic label for African Americans, and thus has no relevence to the subject of racial slurs.

From the previous page

jrjones9933 wrote:

When a term has been used to systematically discriminate against an ethnic group, it becomes racist. Do you plan to reclaiming the swastika because it had a religious significance before the Nazis used it? If you go around putting swastikas on things, people will assume you are a racist. If you go around calling people thugs and they do not engage in criminal behavior, no one will know what you're talking about if they are white, and everyone will know what you mean if they are black. They'll know you're saying some racist BS.

naturalplastic, your assertion that the term thug has not been used as an ethnic slur has no basis in reality. It has been repeatedly used to mischaracterize black men by being used to refer to them when they have no association with any criminal activity. It employs an old racist stereotype with which everyone is familiar, and is an ideal racist dog whistle thanks to twisted logic like that cited above.

You kinda lost me.

Forget about the ancient Indian 'tugs'- thats actually irrelevent.

To most Americans the word "thug" means a White American strong arm for a 20th Centurey American White gangster. Like the word 'gangster' it's a job title, and not a racial term. And like 'gangster/gangsta' its recently gotten appropriated by the hip hop music scene by Blacks themselves.

So I don't see where you coming from.

The only folks Ive ever heard of who 'systematically' refer to innocent Black males as 'thugs' ARE innocent Black male recording artists themselves.

Whites are more likely to refer to Vladimir Putin as a "polished thug" than to use the term on any Black individual.

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24 Dec 2013, 5:58 pm

Racism and discrimination has always confused me, are we not all homo sapiens :?: As far as I know I did not have a choice where on this planet I was born or what color my skin would be.

I see racism and discrimination as a tools used to divide people, spread fear, and keep people subject to their own ignorance.

Why cut off your nose to spite your face?

Then again "divide et impera" is a very effective.

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24 Dec 2013, 6:02 pm

naturalplastic wrote:

The only folks Ive ever heard of who 'systematically' refer to innocent Black males as 'thugs' ARE innocent Black male recording artists themselves.

Whites are more likely to refer to Vladimir Putin as a "polished thug" than to use the term on any Black individual.

The term came into popular usage as a racist dog whistle when Trayvon Martin was labeled a thug, but the idea had been brewing since Obama became president. The right-wing media, though, realized that by branding Trayvon a thug they could devalue his life.

You didn't bother to respond to my original point about other perfectly reasonable symbols that have been taken over by racists. It stinks that they become unusable after that, but we have no shortage of other ways to refer to criminals. I don't fault people for failing to notice racist dog whistles at first, but the more you see it the more it should become perfectly obvious.

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24 Dec 2013, 8:32 pm

Also a clothing brand. http://www.thuglife-store.com

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25 Dec 2013, 12:47 am

I haven't looked at the link, but if they managed to get Swisher to market a few things under their name, they would make a s**t ton of money.

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25 Dec 2013, 4:09 am

I always thought it was the hatred and prejudice of another person of different skin color and belief of superiority over others!

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25 Dec 2013, 11:13 pm

jrjones9933 wrote:

naturalplastic wrote:

What was your 'original post'? I thought I did respond to everyone you said by saying "I dont understand where you're coming from'.

Okay-I see now where you're coming from. But I dont see it. If you watch Fox all of the time you might hear the world 'thug' used as a code word for young black males. But you said yourself that thats only a recent trend. Its hardly a long standing systematic use of the word.Its not an example of what you're complaining about. And on top of that: for the last 20 years young blacks have styled THEMSELVES as thugs, and continue to do so.

So using the word 'thug' is hardly the same thing as wearing a swastika medallion around your neck.

We're forbidden to utter the word 'thug', but to be hip we are REQUIRED to shop at thuglife.com? That doesnt make any kinda sense.

jrjones9933
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25 Dec 2013, 11:43 pm

If you want to refer to actual criminals as thugs, no one will call you a racist. If you call President Obama or Trayvon Martin a thug, people will call you a racist. No one is forbidding you to do anything.

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26 Dec 2013, 6:37 pm

Aprilviolets wrote:

I think everyone is just sick of the way Aborigines keep banging on about what happened over 200 years ago are they still going to go on and on about it in 1000 years time.

I think many, including myself are sick of people banging on with "it happened 200 years ago, why don't they just get over it". Your statement demonstrates a complete lack of thought and comprehension on the matter. It did not happen 200 years ago, it was still happening in 1970's with kids being routinely taken from their parents and raised in faith based institutions or in households in a servile capacity.

Watch this http://www.sbs.com.au/firstaustralians if you wish to have more than a puerile understanding of the issues involved.

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26 Dec 2013, 7:59 pm

^Thank you (see previous page for context) I didn't know that the same thing was happening in AU as in US, but I kinda guessed.

naturalplastic, I responded to your comment on the previous page and I look forward to continuing our conversation.

Last edited by jrjones9933 on 26 Dec 2013, 10:38 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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