Oh, piddle on all of you!

Brilliant essay, just amazing. This is a classic and filled, just filled with profound truths. Racism is so 20th century....Excuse me, hate-ism is so 2oth century. See I CAN learn....

For many years I worked in the OR of a large metropolitan hospital. One thing that experience taught me? Everyone looks the same when you cut into them. There's no difference as to location of organs, or layers of tissues or bone structure. None. And since patients are routinely "draped" with lots of sheets, etc, once the cutting begins no one walking into the room would be able to tell if the patient is white, black, Native, Oriental--whatever. Perhaps we'd have been able to know if the patient on the table was alien--but only if their internal organs differed greatly from human organs. Any "racism" or "hate-ism" I had as a young person disappeared when I started working there--and that was even before I graduated from nursing school! Thank you for this, Harry. It pleases me to know someone is thinking about the artificial ways we keep ourselves separate from "others." Rated. D

Well done Harry. That's a pretty abstract thought and you made it real. Rated and appreciated.

Well said. And any post with some Easy Rider gets rated!

"We're all the same when you turn off the lights", or, you know, cut into each other, whichever, is a pretty, heart-warming sentiment. But, it doesn't work real well when you're the one on the receiving end of racism (which does, socially if not scientifically, exist). When my child's second-grade teacher doesn't like her because she's black, calling her a hater doesn't quite describe the situation. She's a racist. Telling yourself that "we're all the same on the inside" works best for those who have the power of systemic racism behind them. When that same racism is pushing against you? yeah, not so much.

Missy, what is your definition of "it doesn't work"? No one is denying the act, dear, just exposing the reason for it. You don't have to call it hate, you can call it love if you wish.

As for the rest of your comment, it's nothing if not laced with hate. I think you're one of those people who wants to keep racism alive just so you can point your finger at it and pretend you're not of that ilk. But you certainly are - as is everyone who does not honor what's true.

My comment is laced with hate?? Where? That's a very strange and inaccurate assessment of anything that I said.

When my children are faced with bigotry due to their race, it's not merely "hate". It's racism. Racism does exist as a social and cultural construct. When Pat Buchanan says that Blacks ought to be grateful for slavery, that's racism. My only point was that it is easier, when you are not the one being denied equal access and opportunity, to reframe racism as hate or to say "We're all the same under the surface". It's really not that simple.

Harry, this is probably among the best essays I've ever seen here on OS. This is brilliant in every possible way.

I now wish I had seen Easy Rider. I feel I have to, soon.

Also, dugg, redditt, stumbledupon.

As I didn't read all of the comments before I posted.

Missy, I'm female and from a Jewish family. I know hate geared towards certain types of people in abundant - just look at the shootings in Pittsburg - but I agree with Harry's point.

When he says, "Oh, he's not just a regular asshole, he's understandably discomforted by someone outside his race", he has it down pat. I've found that many of these isms are an excuse people make for others, or themselves, to hate, instead of just admitting that they are hateful beings. Each group has a bigot whose designated job is to hate that group. No one is denying that. The hate is ultimately the same though. It comes from not being like them.

Again, Missy, you talk of the act of hatred which no one denies. So why do you keep bringing that up? Why do you insist I'm part of some power establishment of any kind? Dear Lord, I've heard it all now.

There is no more hateful act than denying the truth. Truth is every soul has the same value whether we choose to see it that way or not. Just because someone believes the sun revolves around the earth does not make it so. Think!

And for one final point, please prove to me your daughter is not of the human race. If so, then that's a different conversation entirely. Otherwise, stop being so simple-minded.

Never mind. I get it. When people are able to redefine racism as simply hate, it removes personal responsibility. I understand that it's easier to rename it, that it allows one to disconnect from the systemic issue and that it's especially easy for white people to pronounce racism as non-existent, because it then removes some of the anti-racist work that needs to be done for this country to actually change. If it doesn't exist, then hell, just get over it, right?

Denial is a suckish place to live in the long run, but I guess for some, it's comfortable.

Everyone now join hands and sing Kumbaya...

BTW, informing my daughter's teacher that her "ism" was misplaced b/c we're all the same on the inside would not have cured her of that "ism" nor would it have resolved the situation. I seriously doubt that a young man profiled for DWB and facing guns drawn in his face because he was reaching for his id would be able to diffuse the situation by reminding the police that we're all members of the same human race...cue the music again...

I think you have it backwards, Harry. "Racism" does not water down our understanding of hate. Refusing acknowledgment of a particular, especially dangerous, distinct variety of hate waters down the movement to expose and move beyond hate in each of it's forms. That's the critical phrase - each of it's forms. Not "all of it's forms". Because when you lump it all together, it all gets watered down. We forget what it means, how violent it is. I hate mushrooms. My husband hates Quentin Tarantino movies. My uncle hates black people. Hey, it's all hate, right?

Further, racism is about more than hate. I'd venture to say, it is rooted even more deeply in fear and misunderstanding. Fear of people, things, ideas that are different than what you understand. It expresses itself as hatred, but it's really fear and closemindedness. There is a big difference psychologically between hating disco music and hating a black person. Further, that fear and lack of understanding take a lot of forms other than hate: bias, belief in stereotypes, etc. Those are more manifestations of less deeply ingrained fear and misunderstanding. They, too, are racism - but they are not hate.

Racism = hate-ism. Very goodthinkful, sir.

Thank you, PADeitsch Grrl. You broke that down much better than I did. I was reacting emotionally and I very much appreciate your more measured response.

Fascinating discussion. Way to go Harry - provoking actual discussion! And great piece, BTW.

Wow, like talking to a wall. If you're going to refute me, first prove you're talking about another race. If not, then it's not racism! For God's sake, how much simpler can it get? Hello?????

The fact it's defined as racism is what waters it down. The fact you can't define why it's called racism waters it down. The fact you don't believe every soul has equal value (just like the KKK) waters it down. Just because people don't face reality doesn't change a damn thing. How ignorant can one person be?

I'm sorry if you believe a cop says your subhuman that you then believe it. I would suggest opening your eyes and not letting the hate tactics of others define the truth for you. Like I said before, some have a vested interest in calling it racism - again, why side with the KKK. Why pretend there are different races which allows a "justification" for the hate? I call evil for what it is: evil. Calling it "race-based" is to justify it as something based on reality.

And since you insist on putting on the dunce hat, I repeat once more: nowhere here did I say acts of hatred called racism do not occur. Since you refuse to address a SINGLE point I raise, I'm deleting any further comments that do not address them, as my good patience has run out.

I am missing whatever points you want anyone to comment on. You really just don't get it, do you? :(

Harry, in your last comment, you argued that "race" doesn't exist because it's a social construct instead of a biological one. No one here, including Missy, is arguing that race is a definable, biological construct. That still doesn't mean that it's not relevant. Saying "I refuse to believe in race, so Mr. Skinhead dude over there, you can't be racist because race doesn't exist!" is just silly. The bases for differentiating race may be absurd, but you can't just turn them off because you've pointed out the absurity. This social construct has been at work for hundreds or thousands of years. It is partially based on things like skin color that truly shouldn't matter, but also partially based on culture - and try to tell anyone that the things that differentiate their culture from the dominant one are irrelevant.

A person living in their own minority subculture knows that their culture is living, vibrant and very different than that of the dominant culture. The differences are not irrelevant, socially damaging in their artificial differentiation, or anything else negative. More importantly, they are not barbaric, disgusting, dirty, uneducated, childish, uncultured, or in any other way inferior to our own mores, traditions and styles.

Every soul does have value - even a member of the KKK, as hard as it is for any of us to admit. I heard a gay minister from the First Unitarian Church of Philadelphia speak about that idea just yesterday. Here's the sermon - he made a podcast of it when he presented it a few weeks agou at the General Assembly of the UUA. It's hard to find a more anti-hate organization than the UUA. http://natewalker.podbean.com/2009/06/07/a-ministry-of-mediation/

Harry, Missy has addressed your arguments, but you seem to be so invested in believing that they are undeniably right that you are failing to see the message in what she is writing. I hope you can find it in yourself to reread what she's said with an open mind.

Racism is, at it's root, no different than other hate of other people - homophobia, misogyny, classism. I discussed that above, when I said that racism is about fear and misunderstanding. But the practice of each kind of hate has taken it's own course, has affected both it's targets and its promulgators in fundamentally different ways, and each different practice of hate and fear needs to be addressed individually in our society if we wish to conquer them.

More importantly, the percentage of racists (or homophobics, etc.) who would recognize hate in themselves, or even in whom an outsider would recognize hate, is small. The racism and other -isms that has a much broader and deeper effect is that of ingrained misunderstanding and fear. I know plenty of people who don't want to run around killing all the Chinese people they see, may even be fascinated by and think they love and respect Chinese culture; meanwhile, they still think that the folks who run Chinese restaurants are dirty and are practicing subtandard qualities of hygiene behind their closed kitchen doors; or are killing neighborhood cats to use for food; that they'll rip you off in a second if you don't read your receipt carefully and count your change. They don't "hate" these Chinese people, but these attitudes typify them as untrustworthy, dirty, barbaric, lesser people.

That is the root of racism - making other people out to be lesser based on a perceived "race". Antisemitism is the same, but in the case of Jews, we can't always tell they're not Caucasian at a glance. It's only after being given a signal of their otherness that we begin to hate on them for their culture. In that respect, you might lump it all under culture-ism. But in the case of racism, people are being singled out by obvious, visible signals. And! other people aren't! A blond haired, blue eyed Mexican does not suffer the same abuse as a dark skinned, dark-haired Mexican. A white person who was raised as an adoptee in a black family, steeped in black culture, does not suffer the abuse of a black person. OTOH, if someone is rocking along with everyone thinking she's white and then admits she's a very fair-skinned biracial person, slam on those brakes! Now she's an Other! That white chick who was raised in a black family? She's got a kind of cool, exotic story behind her, but she's still One of Us. But not the biracial one, she's One of Them.

Racism is a form of hate that is applied based on, admittedly arbitrary, criteria. No, "race" is not a biological construct at all. Neither Missy nor I are arguing that it is. That doesn't mean that racism is not a distinct phenomenon, a particular variety of discrimination, and needs to be addressed as such. It can certainly be addressed together with other forms of hate; but lumping them all together and pretending they're the same isn't going to do any of them any favors.

Go back through here and reread it with "homophobia" or "misogyny" substituted for "racism". Think a gay person or a woman would be any more appreciative of the message? Try listening to the people who suffer this abuse and discrimination for their take on the matter, before taking a semantic high road and hurting people further.

"She's got a kind of cool, exotic story behind her, but she's still One of Us. But not the biracial one, she's One of Them."

Yes!

There is Me, and there is NotMe. Me is important and cared for and perfect in every way. NotMe is unimportant, imperfect and hated.
Me maybe extends to family, class, schoolmates, co-religionists, people with blue eyes, peoples whose families have always lived here? NotMe is those outside those groups. Me then is able to disparage, hate, kill, enslave, victimize, all the NotMes. We have all heard of the example of the "Mes" who take care of their own families while remorselessly murdering "NotMes".

Me/NotMe is a stage of development of the human infant, but some never make the jump to understand that we are all Me, unless our *behavior* puts us outside the group.

Sorry for hijacking your post. . .

~rocco and rusty, (who wrestle like enemies, then stop and groom each other like brothers)