CDZ POLL: The "Is It Racist" Quiz

[hjmick]

Started in the CDZ in an effort to keep name-calling to a minimum. I'm sure we can all do that.

Quick background: I'm of mixed race (half Hispanic half European), my wife is also of mixed race, as are (obviously) our beautiful children. Our Christmastime family photos put any Celebrate Diversity! poster to shame, from Spanish & Mexican to Japanese to Nigerian. Not a full-bloody whitey amongst us.

Perhaps as a result, I take the terms "racist" and "racism" very seriously, and it saddens me to see the way the terms have been diluted and trivialized by people who feel they gain advantage by spraying them around like water.

So let's see where we stand. Please identify all terms you would normally feel are racist, and please comment, thanks.

For the record, I picked #6 and #7. I think #5 is borderline, and would depend on the situation.
.

#6, #7 & #8.

#8 because it is not the race of the people that make a country, or state, a shithole but the state and condition of its infrastructue.

 

[TNHarley]

Context is needed...I think the birther crap is racist...I think criticism of Obamacare is not.

I don't see the birther crap as racist. No one is saying that he is inferior because they're pretending he's Kenyan or that Kenya is inferior.

They're just playing partisan politics, trying to discredit him and his agenda and Democrats and whatever the hell else they're trying to discredit.
.

Birtherism is partisan politics, but what it does is plays into some people's racism. They could have conjured up any number of batshit conspiracies. Say he's running a child sex ring out of the basement of a pizza shop, or something. What they went with was him being born in an African nation. It conveniently would disqualify him for office while at the same time playing into his being "different".

Yeah, I can see that. For some it plays into their already-held racism, justifying it in a way.

But on its own, I don't think it's racist, it's just more mindless conspiracy crap. Calling them all racist is a broad brush that just makes people more defensive.
.

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

 

[Coyote]

Which comments are racist?

Generally speaking, people are racist; comments aren't racist. Remarks can indicate a person has racist leanings or is a racist, but no single comment is, by itself, a probative indicator of one's being thus. Some remarks are more probative in that regard than are others.

At the end of the day, I doubt that many folks in the U.S. will attest to being racist; consequently, in determining whether any given individual is a racist, observers must use one's statements -- what one has said, how one said them, the circumstances in which one said them, what be the foreseeable implications of the statements, etc. -- to determine the nature and extent to which one is a racist. That said, slightly racist and overwhelmingly racist are both racist.

That is why I think intent plays an important role.

I'm sorry. I don't understand what you mean by that.

Words are just words without intent of the person that makes a comment racist.

There is always a lot of yelling over books written in another era suddenly being declared racist. Like Tom Sawyer. But that wasn’t the authors intent. It was the way it was then.

 

[Coyote]

I don't see the birther crap as racist. No one is saying that he is inferior because they're pretending he's Kenyan or that Kenya is inferior.

They're just playing partisan politics, trying to discredit him and his agenda and Democrats and whatever the hell else they're trying to discredit.
.

Birtherism is partisan politics, but what it does is plays into some people's racism. They could have conjured up any number of batshit conspiracies. Say he's running a child sex ring out of the basement of a pizza shop, or something. What they went with was him being born in an African nation. It conveniently would disqualify him for office while at the same time playing into his being "different".

Yeah, I can see that. For some it plays into their already-held racism, justifying it in a way.

But on its own, I don't think it's racist, it's just more mindless conspiracy crap. Calling them all racist is a broad brush that just makes people more defensive.
.

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

There was no secrecy...that is the whole point.

 

[JoeMoma]

I don't see the birther crap as racist. No one is saying that he is inferior because they're pretending he's Kenyan or that Kenya is inferior.

They're just playing partisan politics, trying to discredit him and his agenda and Democrats and whatever the hell else they're trying to discredit.
.

Birtherism is partisan politics, but what it does is plays into some people's racism. They could have conjured up any number of batshit conspiracies. Say he's running a child sex ring out of the basement of a pizza shop, or something. What they went with was him being born in an African nation. It conveniently would disqualify him for office while at the same time playing into his being "different".

Yeah, I can see that. For some it plays into their already-held racism, justifying it in a way.

But on its own, I don't think it's racist, it's just more mindless conspiracy crap. Calling them all racist is a broad brush that just makes people more defensive.
.

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

 

[Coyote]

Birtherism is partisan politics, but what it does is plays into some people's racism. They could have conjured up any number of batshit conspiracies. Say he's running a child sex ring out of the basement of a pizza shop, or something. What they went with was him being born in an African nation. It conveniently would disqualify him for office while at the same time playing into his being "different".

Yeah, I can see that. For some it plays into their already-held racism, justifying it in a way.

But on its own, I don't think it's racist, it's just more mindless conspiracy crap. Calling them all racist is a broad brush that just makes people more defensive.
.

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

 

[JoeMoma]

Yeah, I can see that. For some it plays into their already-held racism, justifying it in a way.

But on its own, I don't think it's racist, it's just more mindless conspiracy crap. Calling them all racist is a broad brush that just makes people more defensive.
.

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

Sterotyping?

 

[TNHarley]

Birtherism is partisan politics, but what it does is plays into some people's racism. They could have conjured up any number of batshit conspiracies. Say he's running a child sex ring out of the basement of a pizza shop, or something. What they went with was him being born in an African nation. It conveniently would disqualify him for office while at the same time playing into his being "different".

Yeah, I can see that. For some it plays into their already-held racism, justifying it in a way.

But on its own, I don't think it's racist, it's just more mindless conspiracy crap. Calling them all racist is a broad brush that just makes people more defensive.
.

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

There was no secrecy...that is the whole point.

No secrecy? Really?
he wouldn't even release his birth certificate.
I guess people saying Trump is hiding something in his taxes are racist?
Even IF there wasn't secrecy like you falsely claimed, how is that racism?
Paetisans can't make up reasons not to like the opposition?
Is that really where we are at now? White people can only dislike a black man for his skin color? Smh...

 

[TNHarley]

Yeah, I can see that. For some it plays into their already-held racism, justifying it in a way.

But on its own, I don't think it's racist, it's just more mindless conspiracy crap. Calling them all racist is a broad brush that just makes people more defensive.
.

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

Then why did you pick that option?

 

[Coyote]

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

Sterotyping?

I don’t think so. Why would that belief persist in the face of major evidence to the contrary? Compare that persistence to McCain, who had a short lived Birther controversy over Panama. Evidence was accepted in one case but not the other.

 

[Tilly]

Context is needed...I think the birther crap is racist...I think criticism of Obamacare is not.

I don't see the birther crap as racist. No one is saying that he is inferior because they're pretending he's Kenyan or that Kenya is inferior.

They're just playing partisan politics, trying to discredit him and his agenda and Democrats and whatever the hell else they're trying to discredit.
.

Birtherism is partisan politics, but what it does is plays into some people's racism. They could have conjured up any number of batshit conspiracies. Say he's running a child sex ring out of the basement of a pizza shop, or something. What they went with was him being born in an African nation. It conveniently would disqualify him for office while at the same time playing into his being "different".

Yeah, I can see that. For some it plays into their already-held racism, justifying it in a way.

But on its own, I don't think it's racist, it's just more mindless conspiracy crap. Calling them all racist is a broad brush that just makes people more defensive.
.

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Wondering is fine, but deciding someone’s intent and designating them racist on your assumption is just plain wrong and damaging - and has eventually led to the cheapening of the word to the point where many people just don’t care if such an insult is hurled at them anymore. The left has done that.

 

[TNHarley]

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

Sterotyping?

I don’t think so. Why would that belief persist in the face of major evidence to the contrary? Compare that persistence to McCain, who had a short lived Birther controversy over Panama. Evidence was accepted in one case but not the other.

So? Being a political hack is racist now?

 

[Coyote]

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

Then why did you pick that option?

Because of what I said above. I am open to discussion on it and if I am met with a better argument I will change it.

 

[TNHarley]

I don't see the birther crap as racist. No one is saying that he is inferior because they're pretending he's Kenyan or that Kenya is inferior.

They're just playing partisan politics, trying to discredit him and his agenda and Democrats and whatever the hell else they're trying to discredit.
.

Birtherism is partisan politics, but what it does is plays into some people's racism. They could have conjured up any number of batshit conspiracies. Say he's running a child sex ring out of the basement of a pizza shop, or something. What they went with was him being born in an African nation. It conveniently would disqualify him for office while at the same time playing into his being "different".

Yeah, I can see that. For some it plays into their already-held racism, justifying it in a way.

But on its own, I don't think it's racist, it's just more mindless conspiracy crap. Calling them all racist is a broad brush that just makes people more defensive.
.

IMHO the birther stuff was about his eligibility to be president.

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Wondering is fine, but deciding someone’s intent and designating them racist on your assumption is just plain wrong and damaging - and has eventually led to the cheapening of the word to the point where many people just don’t care if such an insult is hurled at them anymore. The left has done that.

Get outta my head! Lol

 

[Coyote]

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

Sterotyping?

I don’t think so. Why would that belief persist in the face of major evidence to the contrary? Compare that persistence to McCain, who had a short lived Birther controversy over Panama. Evidence was accepted in one case but not the other.

So? Being a political hack is racist now?

Is that what you think?

 

[TNHarley]

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

Then why did you pick that option?

Because of what I said above. I am open to discussion on it and if I am met with a better argument I will change it.

You are getting hammered with it as we speak

 

[Tilly]

Which comments are racist?

Generally speaking, people are racist; comments aren't racist. Remarks can indicate a person has racist leanings or is a racist, but no single comment is, by itself, a probative indicator of one's being thus. Some remarks are more probative in that regard than are others.

At the end of the day, I doubt that many folks in the U.S. will attest to being racist; consequently, in determining whether any given individual is a racist, observers must use one's statements -- what one has said, how one said them, the circumstances in which one said them, what be the foreseeable implications of the statements, etc. -- to determine the nature and extent to which one is a racist. That said, slightly racist and overwhelmingly racist are both racist.

That is why I think intent plays an important role.

I'm sorry. I don't understand what you mean by that.

Words are just words without intent of the person that makes a comment racist.

There is always a lot of yelling over books written in another era suddenly being declared racist. Like Tom Sawyer. But that wasn’t the authors intent. It was the way it was then.

Sadly many people decide they know the intent of others when it suits them.

 

[TNHarley]

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

Sterotyping?

I don’t think so. Why would that belief persist in the face of major evidence to the contrary? Compare that persistence to McCain, who had a short lived Birther controversy over Panama. Evidence was accepted in one case but not the other.

So? Being a political hack is racist now?

Is that what you think?

Thats what i took from your post

 

[Tilly]

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

Sterotyping?

I don’t think so. Why would that belief persist in the face of major evidence to the contrary? Compare that persistence to McCain, who had a short lived Birther controversy over Panama. Evidence was accepted in one case but not the other.

There are people who just don’t believe the ‘evidence’. Doesn’t make them racist.

 

[Tilly]

I would disagree...the reason being....despite clear evidence countering it, it persisted. No other president has been subjected to that sort of ongoing delegitimization or demeaningly referred to as “ the Kenyan imposter”...when you choose to believe it...I have to wonder what is behind that belief.

Maybe the secrecy or the fact that his publisher published that?
You can't just make up intent. You can't just make up racism..
That's why that claim gets laughed at more every day...

Being a conspiracy theorist nut job does not make someone racist.

And by the way, sometimes a conspiracy theorist nut job is right.

I agree, that doesn’t mean someone is racist...but I suspect a high proportion of racists buy into it.

Then why did you pick that option?

Because of what I said above. I am open to discussion on it and if I am met with a better argument I will change it.

The thing is, you don’t know why people don’t believe the evidence but are making assumption and deciding they are racist.