Being a white guy I don’t think I can really do a show on racism… cause… you know… I’m white.
27 Comments
8/1/08 @ 9:27
Meandering
I really think you guys are taking my posts off of certain episodes. Is there any truth to this?
6/24/08 @ 17:13
steph
i always say exactly what you say about letting it go and how it only happened in the past. i also think that give black people things easy like getting into college is racism against whites. just a thought.
6/24/08 @ 14:55
Nospinplease
Thank you! I have been telling people that for ages. My parents say they aren’t racist, but when they say all blacks are trashy isn’t that racist? I do not think all blacks are trashy, not at all. Let’s just make that clear. Do not spin what I just said! thank you.
5/23/08 @ 11:08
Phil
Science Avenger wrote: “PZ, evolution describes how genetics in groups change over time. It says nothing about inferiority or distance of evolution. Those are distortions of evolutionary theory. Social Darwinism is NOT consistent with evolution.”
Well, perhaps Darwin could’ve been a wee bit more careful when he subtitled his book “Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.” (Races, to Darwin, was not limited to different types of plants and animals, of course. It included humans, too.)
5/17/08 @ 16:58
dgandhi
Re: not being responsible for ancestors actions.
If you knowingly receive stolen goods, are you responsible? What about if you know that your families economic status was built on the backs of other people who were historically repressed?
I’m a white guy. If I go in for a job and am the only white male candidate I have a good chance getting the job unless somebody else is at least twice as qualified as I am. I have taken these jobs. Is that my responsibility?
Racism is not just history, it shapes our whole society, I would like to be done with it, but “we should be there” is not a plan to get us there.
While some of the attempts to solve our social/political race problem have failed, that does not mean that nothing should be done.
I will be terribly unoriginal and suggest that we outlaw same-”race” marriage. ( and add it as a rider to all gay marriage ban legislation )
5/10/08 @ 11:25
Denise Smith
Ma, thanks for the comment. If I hadn’t had a conversation with my mother when I was a girl, I wouldn’t know about my indian ancestry. I’m proud of that ancestry. I think people with issues re racism are not proud of their ancestry. When we become proud of who we are, racism does not affect us. Our country was founded to allow us to accept ourselves and be proud, but it missed the main point when it allowed us to have slaves. Not all of the founders were for it, but it still carried on for 100 years. Now we have to help others find pride in themselves or drop the luggage. I say we drop the luggage. Bill Cosby said it best. Accept ourselves and take responsibility for ourselves. Not a quote, but close enough.
5/9/08 @ 13:12
D. B. Cooper
I think people need reasons to discriminate against one another. Because, the fact is, we’re not all alike. Humans, like any animal, need to be part of a group. It’s our nature, it’s our instincts. Being part of a better group increases your chances of reproducing with a better member of the opposite sex. There by ensuring your genes be passed on to the next generation more safely. I think we should educate our children not to discriminate based on race only because it teaches them not to discriminate based on something one cannot change. Humans are violent creatures and not a lot can change that. We’ll always be competitive and selfish. But what’s wrong with that?
5/9/08 @ 6:38
kbombbilly
I think everyone agrees that racism is bad, but what does it really look like? The black guy doesn’t get into the grad school he wants; the Asian has a hard time making friends; the Jew is admired simply because his grandparents lived in Germany during WWII. How do you know when someone is acting out of a racist framework? Sometimes racism is obvious, but sometimes it’s so subtle even the racist doesn’t recognize it. So how do I recognize it in others, and in me?
5/6/08 @ 19:21
the_5th_of_4
You made some great points but I wish you had talked more about reverse-racism
I’ve been told that racism only applies to minorities, when it doesn’t. I’ve been told that I cannot be discriminated against because I am not of a minority, or if I can, it doesn’t matter. Because I’m not of a minority.
Racism is for every race, just as discrimination can be for any attribute possible.
5/6/08 @ 12:53
ma
If you look at your ancentry which most “Caucasians in North America are mixed with Native Americans, some with Black, and now mixed people are all over. It’s funny how many peple called themselves one thing when they are not!The US is a melting pot, and that’s awesome! Obama is white and black, Tyra too. So, you might called yourself white when in reality you are mixed if you look into your ancestry closer. The whole world is taught that this country is a metling pot and that many caucasians were mixed with native americans and then the Noth American caucasian mixed race was born. The influx of Europeans,
Blacks, Asians were melted with them too. Overall, most people in the US are mixed and have not a pure race.
Futhermore, it great to be knowledgeable and know that they are many caucasians in Africa and all over the world.
Caucasians in latin america too. What makes some US citizens think that they are the only caucasians in the world? Caucasians in the Middle East and all over Europe too of course. Mixtures are all over the world and most races are found in most countries. The US is the number one melted pot and the whole world knows it too. I wish someday people would stop calling themselves I’m this and that but instead , Hey, I’m from the HUMAN RACE! How about that?
5/5/08 @ 13:27
Mike
See Rene Girard’s “The Skapegoat”.
5/5/08 @ 12:58
Grey Guy
Racism is not the problem. Coercion is.
5/5/08 @ 7:33
Proud To Be Who I Am
Whoever thinks this man is an idiot {JOE} is actually the one who is actually the idiot, stop & think about it!
5/5/08 @ 7:29
CindyP.
Very Well Said & Amen! I couldn’t have said it all better or felt what you said more, I wish so much we could just get along and respect each other the way we expect to be respected, God Bless You & if your an atheist God Bless You Anyway from my true heart to yours!
CindyP.{Shelbyville,Indiana} & Proud To Leave This Comment
5/5/08 @ 2:44
Jim
Great video
5/4/08 @ 21:37
William Wallace
Hilarious video. However, a bit too PC, and needs to get to some points.
Disclosure: I grew up as a minority white person, and was educated in schools dominated by African American students and administrators. My wife is of another race and culture, and I can honestly say that *she* brought me to Christ. Our children are mixed, and are much brighter than either me or my wife.
The points:
1. Experienced based prejudice is part of what makes you human. Recognizing patterns is normal human behavior.
2. A person should *not* fell ashamed for having race based prejudices.
3. A person should *not* allow their prejudices to harm others.
William Wallace
5/4/08 @ 20:03
Amy
Well said Mr. Voice of Reason.
5/4/08 @ 15:42
Science Avenger
PZ, evolution describes how genetics in groups change over time. It says nothing about inferiority or distance of evolution. Those are distortions of evolutionary theory. Social Darwinism is NOT consistent with evolution.
If we could glean any lesson from evolution, it is that environments and needs change, and what might seem superior now could easily be inferior at another time, and that heterogeneity is a strength for a species.
5/4/08 @ 9:11
joe
what an idiot.
5/4/08 @ 5:09
PZ
With racism, evolution is PART of the problem also. It allows that one “race” may deem another inferior because it has not evolved as far as another “race.”
As kahrytan above mentions, there is but one race–the human one. I believe in creationism. That God put into Adam and Eve every genetic marker that results in the beautiful tapestry we see on our planet. I see black, red, yellow etc as just colors on God’s palette. He did not intend for us to use them to separate ourselves. Rather, it shows me that He is real. Religion is often said to be the problem. This is not true. Evil, sinful people wanting power use “race” to separate us.
Watch this video from DC Talk, I love it. I hope it gives you a different perspective. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HxLOQ-oo_I
5/3/08 @ 14:09
NSG
Racism
Parenti argues that western[verification needed] racism is systemic and historical in nature and should be regarded as more than just an attitudinal problem. He claims western racism has its origins in imperialism and slavery: To justify the colonial plunder of another nation or entire continent (as in the case of Africa) as well as the enslavement of conquered populations, imperialists and/or slave traffickers dehumanize their victims and define them as moral inferiors and subhuman.
Parenti maintains that racism serves several functions for ruling interests in the United States:[15]
1. It divides the working class against each other.
2. It creates a “super-exploited” group of people who are forced to work at below scale wages thereby depressing wage levels for the entire workforce.
3. It distracts the (United States) white population from its own legitimate grievances by providing an irrelevant scapegoat in the form of minority populations
if we all worked together, you’d be amazed at how far we can go. But before we can get there, we have to stop tearing each other down. What can you do to make the world or just one person’s life better today? 1+1+1+1+… adds up to a whole lot.
5/3/08 @ 7:54
Jacob
Well said. Keep up the good work, you racist b*stards!
5/3/08 @ 4:54
kahrytan
Because in the end, We are one race, the human race. And we all have to share this planet together.
5/3/08 @ 2:03
Bryan
Racism was just goofy and very uncreative. There are so many better reasons to hate most people rather than their color.
May 2nd, 2008 
27 Comments
Meandering
I really think you guys are taking my posts off of certain episodes. Is there any truth to this?
steph
i always say exactly what you say about letting it go and how it only happened in the past. i also think that give black people things easy like getting into college is racism against whites. just a thought.
Nospinplease
Thank you! I have been telling people that for ages. My parents say they aren’t racist, but when they say all blacks are trashy isn’t that racist? I do not think all blacks are trashy, not at all. Let’s just make that clear. Do not spin what I just said! thank you.
Phil
Science Avenger wrote: “PZ, evolution describes how genetics in groups change over time. It says nothing about inferiority or distance of evolution. Those are distortions of evolutionary theory. Social Darwinism is NOT consistent with evolution.”
Well, perhaps Darwin could’ve been a wee bit more careful when he subtitled his book “Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life.” (Races, to Darwin, was not limited to different types of plants and animals, of course. It included humans, too.)
dgandhi
Re: not being responsible for ancestors actions.
If you knowingly receive stolen goods, are you responsible? What about if you know that your families economic status was built on the backs of other people who were historically repressed?
I’m a white guy. If I go in for a job and am the only white male candidate I have a good chance getting the job unless somebody else is at least twice as qualified as I am. I have taken these jobs. Is that my responsibility?
Racism is not just history, it shapes our whole society, I would like to be done with it, but “we should be there” is not a plan to get us there.
While some of the attempts to solve our social/political race problem have failed, that does not mean that nothing should be done.
I will be terribly unoriginal and suggest that we outlaw same-”race” marriage. ( and add it as a rider to all gay marriage ban legislation )
Denise Smith
Ma, thanks for the comment. If I hadn’t had a conversation with my mother when I was a girl, I wouldn’t know about my indian ancestry. I’m proud of that ancestry. I think people with issues re racism are not proud of their ancestry. When we become proud of who we are, racism does not affect us. Our country was founded to allow us to accept ourselves and be proud, but it missed the main point when it allowed us to have slaves. Not all of the founders were for it, but it still carried on for 100 years. Now we have to help others find pride in themselves or drop the luggage. I say we drop the luggage. Bill Cosby said it best. Accept ourselves and take responsibility for ourselves. Not a quote, but close enough.
D. B. Cooper
I think people need reasons to discriminate against one another. Because, the fact is, we’re not all alike. Humans, like any animal, need to be part of a group. It’s our nature, it’s our instincts. Being part of a better group increases your chances of reproducing with a better member of the opposite sex. There by ensuring your genes be passed on to the next generation more safely. I think we should educate our children not to discriminate based on race only because it teaches them not to discriminate based on something one cannot change. Humans are violent creatures and not a lot can change that. We’ll always be competitive and selfish. But what’s wrong with that?
kbombbilly
I think everyone agrees that racism is bad, but what does it really look like? The black guy doesn’t get into the grad school he wants; the Asian has a hard time making friends; the Jew is admired simply because his grandparents lived in Germany during WWII. How do you know when someone is acting out of a racist framework? Sometimes racism is obvious, but sometimes it’s so subtle even the racist doesn’t recognize it. So how do I recognize it in others, and in me?
the_5th_of_4
You made some great points but I wish you had talked more about reverse-racism
I’ve been told that racism only applies to minorities, when it doesn’t. I’ve been told that I cannot be discriminated against because I am not of a minority, or if I can, it doesn’t matter. Because I’m not of a minority.
Racism is for every race, just as discrimination can be for any attribute possible.
ma
If you look at your ancentry which most “Caucasians in North America are mixed with Native Americans, some with Black, and now mixed people are all over. It’s funny how many peple called themselves one thing when they are not!The US is a melting pot, and that’s awesome! Obama is white and black, Tyra too. So, you might called yourself white when in reality you are mixed if you look into your ancestry closer. The whole world is taught that this country is a metling pot and that many caucasians were mixed with native americans and then the Noth American caucasian mixed race was born. The influx of Europeans,
Blacks, Asians were melted with them too. Overall, most people in the US are mixed and have not a pure race.
Futhermore, it great to be knowledgeable and know that they are many caucasians in Africa and all over the world.
Caucasians in latin america too. What makes some US citizens think that they are the only caucasians in the world? Caucasians in the Middle East and all over Europe too of course. Mixtures are all over the world and most races are found in most countries. The US is the number one melted pot and the whole world knows it too. I wish someday people would stop calling themselves I’m this and that but instead , Hey, I’m from the HUMAN RACE! How about that?
Mike
See Rene Girard’s “The Skapegoat”.
Grey Guy
Racism is not the problem. Coercion is.
Proud To Be Who I Am
Whoever thinks this man is an idiot {JOE} is actually the one who is actually the idiot, stop & think about it!
CindyP.
Very Well Said & Amen! I couldn’t have said it all better or felt what you said more, I wish so much we could just get along and respect each other the way we expect to be respected, God Bless You & if your an atheist God Bless You Anyway from my true heart to yours!
CindyP.{Shelbyville,Indiana} & Proud To Leave This Comment
Jim
Great video
William Wallace
Hilarious video. However, a bit too PC, and needs to get to some points.
Disclosure: I grew up as a minority white person, and was educated in schools dominated by African American students and administrators. My wife is of another race and culture, and I can honestly say that *she* brought me to Christ. Our children are mixed, and are much brighter than either me or my wife.
The points:
1. Experienced based prejudice is part of what makes you human. Recognizing patterns is normal human behavior.
2. A person should *not* fell ashamed for having race based prejudices.
3. A person should *not* allow their prejudices to harm others.
William Wallace
Amy
Well said Mr. Voice of Reason.
Science Avenger
PZ, evolution describes how genetics in groups change over time. It says nothing about inferiority or distance of evolution. Those are distortions of evolutionary theory. Social Darwinism is NOT consistent with evolution.
http://scienceavenger.blogspot.com/2007/05/why-evolution-does-not-imply-social.html
If we could glean any lesson from evolution, it is that environments and needs change, and what might seem superior now could easily be inferior at another time, and that heterogeneity is a strength for a species.
joe
what an idiot.
PZ
With racism, evolution is PART of the problem also. It allows that one “race” may deem another inferior because it has not evolved as far as another “race.”
As kahrytan above mentions, there is but one race–the human one. I believe in creationism. That God put into Adam and Eve every genetic marker that results in the beautiful tapestry we see on our planet. I see black, red, yellow etc as just colors on God’s palette. He did not intend for us to use them to separate ourselves. Rather, it shows me that He is real. Religion is often said to be the problem. This is not true. Evil, sinful people wanting power use “race” to separate us.
Watch this video from DC Talk, I love it. I hope it gives you a different perspective. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8HxLOQ-oo_I
NSG
Racism
Parenti argues that western[verification needed] racism is systemic and historical in nature and should be regarded as more than just an attitudinal problem. He claims western racism has its origins in imperialism and slavery: To justify the colonial plunder of another nation or entire continent (as in the case of Africa) as well as the enslavement of conquered populations, imperialists and/or slave traffickers dehumanize their victims and define them as moral inferiors and subhuman.
Parenti maintains that racism serves several functions for ruling interests in the United States:[15]
1. It divides the working class against each other.
2. It creates a “super-exploited” group of people who are forced to work at below scale wages thereby depressing wage levels for the entire workforce.
3. It distracts the (United States) white population from its own legitimate grievances by providing an irrelevant scapegoat in the form of minority populations
http://www.michaelparenti.org
pkw
if we all worked together, you’d be amazed at how far we can go. But before we can get there, we have to stop tearing each other down. What can you do to make the world or just one person’s life better today? 1+1+1+1+… adds up to a whole lot.
Jacob
Well said. Keep up the good work, you racist b*stards!
kahrytan
Because in the end, We are one race, the human race. And we all have to share this planet together.
Bryan
Racism was just goofy and very uncreative. There are so many better reasons to hate most people rather than their color.
Zak
Great video! I just finished watching Zo over @ myspace blog about racism as well: http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&VideoID=26741080
neil
well said!!! this whole week has opened my mind and made me think more kudos