| | You use the word 'caucasian' in your last paragraph - if there are no physical racial characteristics, then what is that? Damnit, Steve! Its called "7AM and we're out of freaking coffee!!" Helloooo! Its obvious! ;)
The term 'race' refers to populations distinguished by physical characteristics and/or by similarity in genetic make-up. Which is basically useless. A "so what?" kind of thing.
'Race' isn't 'species' it is sub-species. I disagree.
But racists lump people together by genetically transmitted, visible, physical traits and if they are allowed to have things their way they will cause great harm. History is full of horrific examples. The history of this is long, but it didn't begin with simple physical traits. It began by observing cultures, which appeared to be of lower caliber than that of the observer's. Race was then associated with the observed culture. If the observed culture were equal to that of the observer's, there would be no such thing as Bob P's joke, and no such history.
Its romantic to think all of the American Indian tribes got along, but they didn't. Some had higher social structures than others, and I have no doubt jokes were made about one or the other.
There are some things human beings probably won't return to. Such as believing that the sun revolves around the Earth. Slavery and the idea of "human to a degree" is another. Current technology won't let us go back there. It isn't possible to go back unless the technology is removed.
The claims that there is no such thing as 'race' are political correctness driving bad science. It ignores genetics. No race gene. Gnome proved it. There is no "race" gene. No sub species in bipedal primates. Only "human beings."
But it doesn't matter. If it was true that there are no genetic markers for race and it was just a social construct used by racists to identify their victims, it would still have the same evil effect. And it would still work just fine for racists to identify victim groups and to make up jokes.
Say we got rid of everything having to do with racial hatred. Its gone. A thing of the past. Do you really think "hate" will be eliminated too? It won't be. If its not a joke about race, it'll be a joke about some other idea.
Did you hear the one about the psychologist and the biologist? Jokes are about ideas. They don't mean anything if they're simply about some isolated, disconnected physical trait.
Fat jokes are about ideas. Ethnic jokes are about ideas. All jokes are about ideas.
So, forget all the bad science. Pay attention to the psychology and the politics. I thought psychology was a science. And politics? What about it? I have some jokes about it!
Some groups of people are picked out because of physical characteristics, like skin color. Then they are associated with a negative cultural or character trait. And sometimes this is done in the form of a joke.
Look, I don't know if you're living in an incredibly insular environment or what, but there are some very funny things associated with cultures. There isn't anything particularly funny about physical traits removed from their cultural environment.
You say that the association isn't directly between race and a character trait - that it is a culture that is associated with a race. But that is just racist sleight of hand trickery. Steve, please. You're just being way too white here. As if you're above making assumptions based on what you know, what you've experienced. Come on. As if while you're walking down the street, a bunch of gang bangers approaching wouldn't make you a little nervous? Get over yourself.
They take a character trait, wrap it in a cultural concept, then associate it with the race. And if that is too direct, they cast the whole thing as a joke.
Right. Who made up "ho?" Must have been all those Mexicans. Maybe it was the Chinese. Who made up that word, homie? Who was trying to wrap up whom, and in what? Explain that, then square it with the above.
If racsim is allowed to run rampant, it results in genocide or slavery. I know you believe this, but I don't.
I don't believe it because there are just too many far better ideas out there, ideas developed over the past 100 years that squashed the bad ones for ever.
We won't be teaching the sun revolves around the Earth ever again.
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