EZprophet
Head Pro
Really can't believe how many people biting at Bombers posts.... so many gullible people out there.
On the topic, that example of the African-American guy being directed to the caddyshack is such a great example of people not understanding what racism actually is. The reason why the guys who worked at the club directed him to the caddy shack is not because they believed that black people are inferior and should be caddying instead of playing, it is because, in all likelihood, the vast majority of african-americans turning up to the golf club that day (and probably every day) were actually there to caddy.
Humans are very intelligent creatures (as hard as that is to believe sometimes....) and are very good at spotting patterns. The pattern of african-american showing up to caddy and white guy showing up to play is a very easy one to spot, in the same way that the guy who turns up in a brand new Bentley is there to play and the guy who shows up in the beat up old pick up truck is there to caddy.
Should they have assumed that the guy in question was there to caddy? Absolutely not. But does that make the act of doing so racist, not at all.
Now the Stevie Williams comment is completely different and is not as black and white (excuse the use of phrase). The fact is that what he said is no where near racist technically, but due to peoples assumptions and the connotations associated with his use of his words, what he said certainly comes across as racist (and actually, in my opinion, he probably did MEAN it in a racist way.... but that is another discussion.).
For example, if a kid called another kid in school a "ginger bellend" he would be told to stop bullying the kid for being ginger, but if that same kid called another kid a "blonde bellend" I highly doubt anyone would mention the fact that he was bringing up his blonde hair... This isn't because of the fact that he has said anything different, it is due to the fact that there are negative connotations attached to singleing out someone for being ginger, whereas there just isn't for blondes. It is still the same act of singling someone out for something that is different about them, but the difference in this example is how the comments are received by the people who hear them (which was argued about earlier in the thread and I agree that how a comment is received is completely irrelivant, and anyone who thinks differently is probably the kind of person who has no genuine understanding of what racism is.)
In Bermuda, where I'm from, there is overt and hidden racism all over the place (both white towards black and black towards white) but it is the lack of understanding of what is racist and what isn't that is really stopping people from moving forward. We will never, ever get to a stage where people do not notice the colour of someones skin, but what we should be aiming to do is get to a stage where people are not DISCRIMINATED AGAINST for the colour of their skin.
On the topic, that example of the African-American guy being directed to the caddyshack is such a great example of people not understanding what racism actually is. The reason why the guys who worked at the club directed him to the caddy shack is not because they believed that black people are inferior and should be caddying instead of playing, it is because, in all likelihood, the vast majority of african-americans turning up to the golf club that day (and probably every day) were actually there to caddy.
Humans are very intelligent creatures (as hard as that is to believe sometimes....) and are very good at spotting patterns. The pattern of african-american showing up to caddy and white guy showing up to play is a very easy one to spot, in the same way that the guy who turns up in a brand new Bentley is there to play and the guy who shows up in the beat up old pick up truck is there to caddy.
Should they have assumed that the guy in question was there to caddy? Absolutely not. But does that make the act of doing so racist, not at all.
Now the Stevie Williams comment is completely different and is not as black and white (excuse the use of phrase). The fact is that what he said is no where near racist technically, but due to peoples assumptions and the connotations associated with his use of his words, what he said certainly comes across as racist (and actually, in my opinion, he probably did MEAN it in a racist way.... but that is another discussion.).
For example, if a kid called another kid in school a "ginger bellend" he would be told to stop bullying the kid for being ginger, but if that same kid called another kid a "blonde bellend" I highly doubt anyone would mention the fact that he was bringing up his blonde hair... This isn't because of the fact that he has said anything different, it is due to the fact that there are negative connotations attached to singleing out someone for being ginger, whereas there just isn't for blondes. It is still the same act of singling someone out for something that is different about them, but the difference in this example is how the comments are received by the people who hear them (which was argued about earlier in the thread and I agree that how a comment is received is completely irrelivant, and anyone who thinks differently is probably the kind of person who has no genuine understanding of what racism is.)
In Bermuda, where I'm from, there is overt and hidden racism all over the place (both white towards black and black towards white) but it is the lack of understanding of what is racist and what isn't that is really stopping people from moving forward. We will never, ever get to a stage where people do not notice the colour of someones skin, but what we should be aiming to do is get to a stage where people are not DISCRIMINATED AGAINST for the colour of their skin.
