But some Homo Sapiens (I won't mention their names because we all know who) are inferior to chimps and some even lower non-primates!!

my friends are more like chumps

@JackPedigo over here many of our political variety are so spineless they can't rate as vertebrates

barely

I believe there are many animals totally equal to humans. Horses, dolphins and whales, crows and ravens, certain dog breeds (tendong towards smarter, more independent and generally between 35 and 70ish pounds...i like shepherds/herders and mostly cannot STAND small dogs unless theyre well behaved) and most cats (can't stand mothers cuz they become total fucking assholes lol, as well as the ones that will swat at or attack you for almost no reason). There are definitely others - maybe gorillas - but theyre not coming to mind atm. Im exercising pretty hard while i write this so thats likely partly why.

@Neraven Totally eh? Yeah right, whateva

@CapriKious yeah i didnt used to use that word seriously...how far ive fallen lol

@Neraven When a dolphin, elephant or raven etc. tells me I am a racist, I will reconsider my position.

@CapriKious -eyeroll- just cuz they can't talk doesn't mean they aren't intelligent, compassionate and in some cases creative.

@Neraven I would never deny your points. Other than some singular instances of these species showing empathy for ours and other species, I think we have yet to find undeciphered treatises from any of them on the welfare of other species. That there are modal differences in our communication patterns there can be no doubt. That they live and should be given every consideration as such, You will get no argument from me.

@icolan you live in a vacuum

@icolan, I'm using racist in a broader sense. For example, a person raised in an entirely White experience would feel uneasy if suddenly plunged into a wholly Black experience. You can substitute another race or two or religion or cultural background instead. Of course, there are always exceptions, but the rule is the same.

@icolan Again, I'm not using it in a strict sense. I think we're going to have to let this go.

@icolan last time. If you are raised and remain in a single race cultural norm, then you will have no actual, (other than television or movies); knowledge of another race's root behavior. And since humans tend to feel safer among familiarities, That person will see their own culture as better than the other race's customs.

However, you can apply the same effect to other religions, (Christian versus Muslim); nationalities, education, just about any set of variables.

For example, I am white, and until I became friends with a woman from Nigeria, I had no idea of how she perceived my actions. When her brother asked me out, my hesitation was there even tho I have never seen myself as racist. To be fair, they see American Blacks as condescending and racist toward Africans as well.

Another example is a Native friend of mine sees Natives from downriver, not on the same level as those from upriver. This behavior is a common prejudice among area Natives.

@icolan; [thebodyisnotanapology.com]

[huffingtonpost.com]

[theroot.com]

[au.reachout.com]

But can we or should we still identify or be identified by race? Should 1/4 of me blame 3/4 of me for the stolen generations? I do not believe we should continue to use these classifications. I must be an australcaucasoid.

BUT the existence of different races does not exist. Genetically two people of different "races" are just as likely to share most of their genetics as two people of the same race.

ok, this is my take on the issue: in theory races can exist without racism developing out of it. racism, on the other hand, can only exist if there are races to begin with. as it seems that races genetically do not exist in practice, we can not call the discrimination of people of various skin colour, facial features, hair, etc. racism. i would have liked to have the option to vote "no, i am no racist, but i do perceive the diversity in people's natural appearance", @Rugglesby. that's my position anyway.

@Blindbird, by saying that different races do not exist you are also stating that racism does not exist. racism can only exist if there are different races. i acknowledge the difference in people's outer appearance. does that make me a racist? i do not judge or discriminate people for their outer appearance. does that make me a racist? as long as we need to emphasize the fact that "all humans shall be treated equal" there is obviously some discriminating ism going on. only when we learn to realise the difference between discrimination & distinction can we free ourselves from the centuries-old shameful attitude of racism, sexism, genderism & all the other isms that have held our potentially promising species in blindness for each other's beauty.

@walklightly nope. That is false. Race does not have to exist genetically to exist in some peoples minds. I can absolutely state that race is not a thing genetically AND that racism exists socially . Your argument is nonsensical.

yes, @Rugglesby, i agree, the classification "race" is truly outdated, & with it the term "racism", as the latter originated from the first. so what are we squabbling about here?

It is if your Jewish,live in northern Ireland or the subcontinent of India and many other places.

@macrobius The word " choice " is to some extent redundant. It may seem odd on a site like this but one cannot opt out of ones culture that easily. Though I am an atheist by choice culturally and racially I am still a WASP. I once asked two friends of mine from northern Ireland a question. (Each of them came from opposite sides of the divide). " If you you were standing at a bus stop and a total stranger walked up. Could you tell if they were catholic or protestant? " They both answered yes.

@macrobius Tell that to someone who lives in Belfast, Glasgow or even Boston. The P separated me from catholics in education and to a certain extent culturally as an adult. Irrespective of my own personal views. I can no more go back in time and scrap all the catholic schools in my neighborhood than I can change the colour of my skin. That does not mean that should or do adhere to any tribal constraints regarding friendship or relationships. Just what I was born into.

@Eazyduzzit that is what I say also, but every time I make any comment at all re "X" religion, I am called a racist by many people.

excellent points, I have thought on the tribalism angle a lot. Speaking of tribe, the Noongar people of Western Australia are close blood relatives of mine, my mother refuses to acknowledge this as she was adopted and raised by British parents, she is even fairer than I am. She has many arguments, bottom line is she is racist claiming she only takes after the other side of the family.

yes, brilliant. thank you.

you had me Gnarloc until I read the 'lady' analogy. In these days of gender diversity, I don't even know where the word lady sits in 2018. Is a lady someone who doesn't swear or spit in public? Someone who doesn't have a tattoo, someone who crosses her legs and sits up straight? Is it a compliment or not?

Hear Hear well said!!

@MsDemeanour It is related to an old joke by a comedienne. In which she relates that if you have to say you are a lady, you aren't a lady. The context of that day was what you are describing, someone with manners and from the 'upper crust' of society. Too true, as you point out, that in today's world it doesn't hold the same meaning.

@MortalsWrath some of your experiences mirror my own, I have run training programs for Aboriginal Cultural Interpretation Rangers, taught bush skills to kids who identify as indigenous and am often on the receiving end of racial prejudice because I am NOT black yet if you will pardon a racist term, I am quadroon significantly more aboriginal than many of those who carry more of the accepted characteristics. @irascible Yes, the term racism is most often used when race is used to demean. Given so few people on this planet are of one ethnicity are the classification at all tenable? I did word my question harshly deliberately, certainly not to cause offense, but to get people to take the thought process an extra step.

I read an article by a doctor who stated that cold is the one thing the humans have not biologically adapted for. From what I understand an Eskimo`s body is more more suited to survive than mine. Culturally of course it wins hands down but if for example an Eskimo baby were to be adopted and brought up in a temperate climate. They would fair no better or worse in severe cold than any other.

Kudos to you for recognizing that in yourself. It seems that when people talk about an injustice they've lived through a lot of people write them off a being dramatic. The idea seems to be "well that's not been my experience,so that can't really happen as often/to the extent you say because I haven't seen it".

@273kelvin I hear Eskimo's sweat less to retain heat.

I agree with the adaptation to environment angle, in my case red hair was an advantage in areas of lower sunlight needed for production of vitamin D living where I do i would prefer more melanin from the other side of the family.

@Rugglesby A good friend of mine is a ginger (see I`m not that racist) and he was an extra in a special comic relief edition of Blackadder. The scene involved Rowan Atkinson being chased by 200 red headed scots up a hill. It was a warm sunny day and the production team provided an industrial size tub of factor 50 sun cream for all the extras. As they all slapped this on their skin he said that he had never before or since felt such a kinship with his " roots " lol

I'm always astounded that people say "my family tree" - which ancestral line did you take? Male? Female? And how do you know who the females of your "family" mated with? All nonsense - I'm sure you're just as much a mutt as the rest of us.

@GoldenDoll I rely on my cousin Yvonne. She is the family historian. I could go back one more generation on my mother's side but I can't be bothered.

@273kelvin Yes, you are a redhead and you have native Australian ancestry. I think we got that.

Huh???

I don't understand how you get to that. Not caring about color is racist?

@Paul4747 Yes, it's white privilege personified. Non white people can't say that, because their color impacts their lives in countless negative ways. Thete's plenty of links explaining this, here is one: [psychologytoday.com]

@Druvius I don't buy that for even a minute. It's putting me in a trap. It's saying I'm a racist if I acknowledge skin color, but I'm a different kind of racist if I don't acknowledge skin color. Particularly her little game with words: "Color-Blind = 'People of color — we don't see you (at least not that bad ‘colored' part).'" Baloney.

Obviously people look different and, sure, I guess have different cultures, but it doesn't make a damn bit of difference. Everybody's a human being. Nobody is any better or worse because of it.

@Paul4747 White privilege [en.m.wikipedia.org]
I acknowledge my privilege, and ignorance. I don’t get reported to police for having a BBQ. I don’t need to keep my receipts to prove I bought my sneakers. I don’t get shot for wearing a hoodie and running. That is privilege - not suffering.
I get to see both sides because I have two names. One is Arab and the other English. When I introduce myself with my Arab name, or use my Arab name on CVs, it’s a completely different experience to when I use my “white” name. Saying you are color blind ignores the shit that others suffer for being a racial minority. That is structurally racist, even if you are not racist yourself, you are part of the structure of oppression because you refuse to acknowledge the prejudice that comes racial differences.
Wear a skull cap or thaub for a day. See what happens.

I am ? in agreement with you.

I agree with what you say in that we choose our "own" in preference to "others" I just personally consider the term "race" spurious. Just wait until I get onto speciesism.

race is just the only word I can think of my friend

Chimps have been filmed raping and attacking other groups of chimps and also filmed attacking and eating other species of smaller monkeys. Sea otters have been filmed attacking and killing other animals such as baby seals. Humans are simply another animal species. Humans feel safe and or secure in similar type groups and very few are comfortable with groups outside of their similarities. It's how we are taught and very few go against that teaching, unfortunately, be it other races, religions, or another sex.

indeed pretty much what I said so we haven't really evolved mentally with our big brains and civility and we live in unnaturally huge colonies.

@icolan even social sciences? !!

@icolan Next to physical changes cultural changes are the slowest. The term "race" has been around for centuries so it's hard to get rid of it overnight. It is said the genetic differences between chimps living in forested areas from those living in plains areas is greater than any group of humans. The term won't change overnight. Science programs I have seen have said the term does not meet the reality.

@JuinnWong yep, we are a disappointing species

At the same time we are pretty amazing though, just look at how far weve advanced. The methods now with 8 billion people on this planet and tools and weapons of mass destruction and rampant divisiveness...etc etc etc...yeah im a misanthrope but i just wanna point out that overall its pretty cool.

love it.

I had no doubt that you were a good person. This is further proof of what I already believed. That was beautifully said, my friend.

I sometimes wish there was a love button on this site........

Agree in as much as we are often prejudice toward those more like us and against those less like us. Look how much flack people with red hair get. My real issue is the term "race" my sister and I have red hair 1 brother has dark hair, we all have dark brown eyes. youngest brother has blonde hair and blue eyes. One of us could have been born with the features say of the supposed negroid or mongoloid races, in fact the dark haired brother looks Indonesian yet we are not descended from those nationalities/"races"/ Just appearances.

I look at some people and wonder if they even realize that in their struggle to be "different" they've actually just made themselves a cliche.

why do you operate a crane ?

LOL!

No. But I do stand on a ladder at work quite often, and it's tall enough to identify the willfully ignorant.

how bout the race to the grave !!

That would be between races. For example, canis lupus vice canis latrans @markdevenish

agreed, I have been trying to find a way to bring that up without causing offense.

Oath

I would agree with you wholeheartedly a few years back. I was brought up the same way. I'm at a place now, though that's "even". I'm bisexual even though raised to abhor anyone not heterosexual. My parents didn't share the same "race", yet one was preferred over the other. I'm happy now and free, and that's why my poll chose the no option.

I reckon if we hung out together there would be a lot of laughing.

I agree on both counts

good call.

I am bad, I don't mind the humour side, as long as it is funny, but not keen on stereotyping in general.

Well thought out and explained. I think we would all experience the same feelings.

funny fucker

I agree with you that racism is taught. Many of the racists I know are so frigging ignorant that they deny this.