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Thread: What is Racism?

  1. #1

    What is Racism?

    So Sergio Garcia said he would have Tiger over for dinner and serve Fried Chicken. Tiger is up in arms complaining that it is racist. Exactly how is
    that racist?

    Racism is defined as
    1. belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
    By saying that he will serve fried chicken he is saying one race better than the others? I dont think his joke was either funny or racist. Yes these guys hate each other. Was he just trying to call back a joke that Fuzzy Zoeller made in 1997? When Fuzzy said it was it Racist?
    "Be a philosopher. A man can compromise to gain a point. It has become apparent that a man can, within limits, follow his inclinations within the arms of the Church if he does so discreetly." - The Walking Drum

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  2. #2
    Five-O Diehard Ute's Avatar
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    What is Racism?

    It was obvious he's going above trying to be funny. It may not be racist by itself, but it is certainly a racial stereotype that has commonly been used by racists.

    And to say Tiger is up in arms is off base, his comments:

    "The comment that was made wasn't silly. It was wrong, hurtful and clearly inappropriate.''

    "I'm confident that there is real regret that the remark was made. "The Players ended nearly two weeks ago and it's long past time to move on and talk about golf."

    And Fuzzy's "joke" was certainly not innocent, as he said "tell that little boy not to serve collard greens and fried chicken". Fuzzy got himself in a lot of hot water and was dropped by two sponsors over the comment. (Taylor Made already commented on Sergio's comment)

    Is either man racist? Who knows, but they certainly used a racial stereotype to go after someone they don't like.
    Last edited by LA Ute; 05-22-2013 at 10:49 AM.

  3. #3
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    When I have Diehard over for dinner I'm serving donuts.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  4. #4
    Five-O Diehard Ute's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LA Ute View Post
    When I have Diehard over for dinner I'm serving donuts.
    I prefer bagels, but I'll never turn down a quality donut

  5. #5
    Well said, diehard. Also, MRD, there is no single definition of racism any more than there is a single definition of love.
    (thank you, Jarid, for paying for the server space to host this post. Love, Robin)

  6. #6
    A few years ago I took an anthropology class and came across the following and found it very interesting:


    "Biological anthropology encompasses three subfields. The first, primatology, is the study of the nonhuman members of the order of mammals called primates. . . . The second subfield in paleoanthropology, the study of human evolution on the basis of the fossil record. . . .

    "The third subfield is the study of contemporary human biological variation. Anthropologists working in this area define, measure and seek to explain differences in the biological makeup and behavior of contemporary humans. In the past, biological anthropologists defined what they perceived as significant differences among modern humans as 'racial' (quotation marks indicate that the meaning of this term is contested). Early anthropologists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries used the term 'race' to refer to social categories defined on the basis of skin color, hair texture, head shape, and facial features. These biological markers were supposedly associated with in-born ways of behaving and thinking. The controversial book, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life (Herrnstein and Murray 1994), is an example of such thinking in the United States in its assertion that 'race' determines intelligence and class position. In fact, DNA evidence clearly demonstrates that 'races,' defined on the basis of external physical features, are not scientifically valid categories; they lack internal consistency and they lack clear boundaries. Anthropologists do, however, recognize the reality of racism and that many people in many contexts worldwide discriminate against people on the basis of their imputed 'race.'"

    And:

    "Race refers to groups of people with supposedly homogenous biological traits. The term 'race' is extremely complicated as it is used in diverse ways in different parts of the world and among different groups of people. Therefore, it makes sense to put the word in quotations marks in order to highlight its multiple meanings. In South Africa, as in the United States, 'race' is mainly defined on the basis of skin color. In pre-twentieth-century China, body hair was the key biological basis for racial classification (Dikoetter 1998). The 'barbarian' races had more body hair than the 'civilized' Chinese people. Chinese writers referred to bearded, male missionaries from Europe as 'hairy barbarians.' Into the twentieth century, some Chinese anthropologists divided humans into evolutionary stages on the basis of amounts of body hair.

    "Anthropological and other scientific research demonstrates that biological features do not explain or account for a person's behavior or lifestyle. [Franz] Boas proved this point a century ago, and studies continue to pile up evidence. Rather than being a biological category, racial classifications are cultural constructions. They are often associated with discrimination against and cruelty toward those 'races' considered less worthy by those in power. Examples are numerous. A notion of racial purity justified Hitler in his program of exterminating Jews and others who were not of the Aryan 'race.' Racial apartheid in South Africa denied citizenship, security, and a decent life to all those labeled 'Black.' In the United States, although racism is denied politically, it exists in many domains. African American political scientist Andrew Hacker states that race is the most important criterion of social differences in the United States (1992). In his book, Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal, he writes that no one who is White in the United States can truly understand what it is like to be Black."


    Source: Miller, B. (2007). Cultural Anthropology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. p. 5, 21.
    Last edited by USS Utah; 05-24-2013 at 11:01 AM.
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  7. #7
    Malleus Cougarorum Solon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by USS Utah View Post
    A few years ago I took an anthropology class and came across the following and found it very interesting:


    "Biological anthropology encompasses three subfields. The first, primatology, is the study of the nonhuman members of the order of mammals called primates. . . . The second subfield in paleoanthropology, the study of human evolution on the basis of the fossil record. . . .

    "The third subfield is the study of contemporary human biological variation. Anthropologists working in this area define, measure and seek to explain differences in the biological makeup and behavior of contemporary humans. In the past, biological anthropologists defined what they perceived as significant differences among modern humans as 'racial' (quotation marks indicate that the meaning of this term is contested). Early anthropologists in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries used the term 'race' to refer to social categories defined on the basis of skin color, hair texture, head shape, and facial features. These biological markers were supposedly associated with in-born ways of behaving and thinking. The controversial book, The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life (Herrnstein and Murray 1994), is an example of such thinking in the United States in its assertion that 'race' determines intelligence and class position. In fact, DNA evidence clearly demonstrates that 'races,' defined on the basis of external physical features, are not scientifically valid categories; they lack internal consistency and they lack clear boundaries. Anthropologists do, however, recognize the reality of racism and that many people in many contexts worldwide discriminate against people on the basis of their imputed 'race.'"

    And:

    "Race refers to groups of people with supposedly homogenous biological traits. The term 'race' is extremely complicated as it is used in diverse ways in different parts of the world and among different groups of people. Therefore, it makes sense to put the word in quotations marks in order to highlight its multiple meanings. In South Africa, as in the United States, 'race' is mainly defined on the basis of skin color. In pre-twentieth-century China, body hair was the key biological basis for racial classification (Dikoetter 1998). The 'barbarian' races had more body hair than the 'civilized' Chinese people. Chinese writers referred to bearded, male missionaries from Europe as 'hairy barbarians.' Into the twentieth century, some Chinese anthropologists divided humans into evolutionary stages on the basis of amounts of body hair.

    "Anthropological and other scientific research demonstrates that biological features do not explain or account for a person's behavior or lifestyle. [Franz] Boas proved this point a century ago, and studies continue to pile up evidence. Rather than being a biological category, racial classifications are cultural constructions. They are often associated with discrimination against and cruelty toward those 'races' considered less worthy by those in power. Examples are numerous. A notion of racial purity justified Hitler in his program of exterminating Jews and others who were not of the Aryan 'race.' Racial apartheid in South Africa denied citizenship, security, and a decent life to all those labeled 'Black.' In the United States, although racism is denied politically, it exists in many domains. African American political scientist Andrew Hacker states that race is the most important criterion of social differences in the United States (1992). In his book, Two Nations: Black and White, Separate, Hostile, Unequal, he writes that no one who is White in the United States can truly understand what it is like to be Black."


    Source: Miller, B. (2007). Cultural Anthropology. Boston: Allyn & Bacon. p. 5, 21.
    Interesting. I think most academics today would argue that race is socially constructed. The ancient Greeks constructed identity of "us" & "them" based on spoken language.

    Sergio isn't an American, and may not be as plugged into stereotypes and their connotations as he should be. Who knows? Maybe it was a sincere attempt to think about what kind of food a guy like Tiger might like (based on a soul-food stereotype). On the other hand, I've met a lot of Europeans that were extremely racist in their conceptions of African Americans.
    σοφῷ ἀνδρὶ Ἑλλὰς πάντα.
    -- Flavius Philostratus, Life of Apollonius 1.35.2.

  8. #8
    Sam the Sheepdog LA Ute's Avatar
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    What is Racism?

    If I have Solon over for dinner I'm serving Greek food.

    "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye."
    --Antoine de Saint-Exupery

    "Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold."
    --Yeats

    “True, we [lawyers] build no bridges. We raise no towers. We construct no engines. We paint no pictures - unless as amateurs for our own principal amusement. There is little of all that we do which the eye of man can see. But we smooth out difficulties; we relieve stress; we correct mistakes; we take up other men's burdens and by our efforts we make possible the peaceful life of men in a peaceful state.”

    --John W. Davis, founder of Davis Polk & Wardwell

  9. #9
    Message Board Vagabond UteBeliever aka Port's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Solon View Post
    Interesting. I think most academics today would argue that race is socially constructed. The ancient Greeks constructed identity of "us" & "them" based on spoken language.

    Sergio isn't an American, and may not be as plugged into stereotypes and their connotations as he should be. Who knows? Maybe it was a sincere attempt to think about what kind of food a guy like Tiger might like (based on a soul-food stereotype). On the other hand, I've met a lot of Europeans that were extremely racist in their conceptions of African Americans.
    Just African Americans or also Afro-Europeans?

  10. #10
    Message Board Vagabond UteBeliever aka Port's Avatar
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    One other potential tangent here...

    Having lived in Spain, "Fried Chicken" is viewed as American as Hamburgers, Hot Dogs and Root Beer.

    KFC is viewed as "authentic" American food. Just like McDonalds and Burger King.

    Now, Sergio has played in the U.S. for quite a while.

    But it is possible that he's not all that atuned to the nuances of American eating habits and the racial stereotypes associated with them.

    He *may* have just meant that he would serve "American food" to the "American" rival.

    I also can see why it would just be easier for him to apologize for what he said rather than launch into such an explanation.

  11. #11
    Blackface/KKK in medical school. Democratic Governor Ralph Northam.

    https://www.npr.org/2019/02/01/69086...chool-yearbook


    I'd also like to understand the context of his comments about discussing infant death outside the womb. There's got to be something missing because that's absolutely nuts -- but that's for another thread.
    Last edited by mUUser; 02-01-2019 at 05:15 PM.
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