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chris1989
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28 Oct 2022, 2:00 pm

I don't know why but I seem to think that criticism of something or someone leads to one being accused of things like a ''racist'', ''fascist'', ''an imperialist'' etc. For example, I do remember when some people disapproved of the actions committed by the Israeli government against palestinians of being ''antisemitic'' when all they did was disagree with the certain political and military actions of the government. If that is the case, then is it racist to criticise the governments of other countries such as China or Zimbabwe. I'm sorry if this seems a controversial and sensitive topic.



ToughDiamond
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28 Oct 2022, 3:44 pm

I can relate to your frustration about this matter. I've often been freshly surprised at how defensive people get when I criticise or question an assertion. But I somewhat disapprove of criticising a person, though it depends on the circumstances. I have less of a problem with laying into people who are powerful and harmful.

I think it depends on the subject, the context, and the level of maturity of the participants. My current thinking on these matters is:

Subject: a lot of people have strong but flawed views about politics so they quickly lose their sense of reason when those views are challenged, and go on the offensive. Ditto religion.

Context: there's a time and place for challenging people's views. For example, if somebody is upset or otherwise in a passion about something, it's usually better to let them rant and wait till they've calmed down before questioning the validity of their assertions, though sometimes they're embarrassed by having gone too far, and then highlighting their mistakes might set them off again. Sometimes they'll spontaneously retract what they said without being prompted. Discretion and diplomacy in these matters is quite an art, and I don't think many people are good at it. It's often good to just let it go rather than risk doing more harm than good, but if we take that approach to excess then we cease to be assertive and we can get trampled down.

Maturity: A lot of people haven't been well educated in critical thinking, so they often mistake their own bigotry for the objective truth. And some have emotional baggage that they've not resolved, which can lead to them being easily and unexpectedly triggered into a hostile response. There's also the problem that the critic can ply their craft in an immature way, e.g. being too blunt, failing to cushion their criticisms appropriately or forgetting to allow the other person a dignified way to withdraw.



Mona Pereth
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28 Oct 2022, 3:51 pm

Under most circumstances at least, it certainly shouldn't be deemed "racist" just to criticize the actions of any government.

The tone, manner, and/or context of a particular criticism might be racist, however. For example, criticism of Israel isn't intrinsically any-Jewish, but can become anti-Jewish if it occurs in the context of a general "Protocols of the Elders of Zion"-style grand conspiracy ideology. Likewise, criticism of various Black African governments isn't intrinsically racist, but can all too easily be used to justify or encourage racist attitudes.

Also, racism might have a real though unacknowledged role in deciding what the Western powers (or other great powers) will actually do, if anything, about the issue being criticized.


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