For the purpose of this discussion I am talking about the USA specifically.
It seems there is an ongoing debate about how we define and view racism. I personally adhere to the standard dictionary definition of racism which simply requires the belief in racial superiority or inferiority. I thought this was a straightforward topic that wouldn't need debate but it appears there is an ongoing discussion on how this word should be used and what it applies to exactly.
For example, there are sociology circles that stand firm that racism is only applicable in relation to an overall power structure. So within the confines of the US, only white people are capable of being racist as they control the overarching power structure that minority groups live in.
It would seem institutional racism is a clearer term to use for something like this, but I've been told that phrase is redudant since all racism is institutional. The idea that racism requires power doesn't seem new, but it seems that the term power is now required to be in totality within that society. So while a white business owner only hiring white employees would be both racist and practicing racial discrimination, a black business owner only hiring black employees would simply be using racial discrimination. Funnily enough, a black owner hiring only white employees would be racist and practicing racial discrimination.
I know that language evolves but I don't like the idea of the meanings of words changing unnecessarily. To me that seems to completely change the usage and purpose of the words, and confuses what exactly someone is trying to convey when describing the actions of others. Whether it is necessary or not is ofcourse a personal view though.
So how do you view the usage and definition of the word racism? Is power a requirement, and if so to what degree?
It seems there is an ongoing debate about how we define and view racism. I personally adhere to the standard dictionary definition of racism which simply requires the belief in racial superiority or inferiority. I thought this was a straightforward topic that wouldn't need debate but it appears there is an ongoing discussion on how this word should be used and what it applies to exactly.
For example, there are sociology circles that stand firm that racism is only applicable in relation to an overall power structure. So within the confines of the US, only white people are capable of being racist as they control the overarching power structure that minority groups live in.
It would seem institutional racism is a clearer term to use for something like this, but I've been told that phrase is redudant since all racism is institutional. The idea that racism requires power doesn't seem new, but it seems that the term power is now required to be in totality within that society. So while a white business owner only hiring white employees would be both racist and practicing racial discrimination, a black business owner only hiring black employees would simply be using racial discrimination. Funnily enough, a black owner hiring only white employees would be racist and practicing racial discrimination.
I know that language evolves but I don't like the idea of the meanings of words changing unnecessarily. To me that seems to completely change the usage and purpose of the words, and confuses what exactly someone is trying to convey when describing the actions of others. Whether it is necessary or not is ofcourse a personal view though.
So how do you view the usage and definition of the word racism? Is power a requirement, and if so to what degree?
via International Skeptics Forum http://ift.tt/2iy0Get
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