Originally posted by dragknt
I agree with you to a point, but at the same time, there's a very clear cut difference between racism and statistics. Racism are acts and beliefs based on a negative outlook or feeling of superiority, etc...where as statistics ABOUT a group of people are facts. I can say that the majority of people who ride Hayabusa's in my area are african american males the same as I can say the majority of people in Kenya are dark-skinned native africans. It's not a stereotype or accusation or hate-based comment. I could go out and drive around with a clip board if you want and tally up the ethnicities of all the people I see riding Hayabusas...
Now what DOES smell of racism is making that distinction...making a point about how a certain race or ethnicity does a certain thing, or how most people who do something are of a certain ethnicity. While it may be statistics and facts, and the claim may be entirely true, it's not a distinction that anyone would normally care about unless they're also inclined towards the same racial ideas. i.e. yes, it's true that most of the people in my area riding Hayabusas are african american. But what would you be getting at by saying that? What's the point? That distinction in the statement that makes the comment worth mentioning is what COULD be tagged as 'racism'...but in the end I think everyone just needs to relax.
The world has been consumed by racism for tens and hundreds of thousands of years. For as long as sentient history goes back, there have been more wars due to race and ethnicity and creed and belief than there have been for the simple love of power. Everyone alive today is influenced by racism to one degree or another, wether others would consider them a racist or not. We've been bombarded by these racial distinctions for our whole lives by the people who are trying to get rid of them. Harping on equality between races just farther reinforces a distinction in existance between them. There's nothing anyone can do to avoid it, and even polite, accepting, unbiased and completely non-racist people are affected by these distinctions. Which is why I say people need to relax.
Is this thread influenced by racism? Sure. Is it racist itself? Could be, depending on how you see it. No one here is really intending to highlight racism, except maybe Iroman, who turned the spotlight on racism away from Hayabusas and general gixxer hating. Now from what I've read of Iroman's posts, he's the least racist person I know of. But his aggression towards equality only goes to farther emphasize the distincions that cause the problems.
IMO.
[:M86]
