Racism is the belief that different "races" (a term which does not have a universal or specific definition) may generally be rated in terms of their superiority or inferiority to each other, and that members of races which are deemed "superior" should enjoy greater privileges than members of those deemed "inferior".
Those who adhere to such beliefs tend to consider themselves as belonging to the race they consider "superior".
Racism is distinct from prejudice or bias in that most people work to overcome their prejudices, while a racist nurtures and protects such prejudices from the evidence, experiences, and rational criticism which would otherwise reduce or eliminate them over time. Conscious racism is therefore, by nature, counterfactual.
There are multiple types or levels of racism, including at least the following (and using white-against-black racism as the example):
- Type 1 Supremist: KKK, white supremacy, tries to restrict rights of non-white people via means legal and illegal; may openly use racial slurs, or more subtle expressions such as concerns about the fate of "Western civilization" in the face of multiculturalism; views other races as not fully human
- Type 2, Separatist: Doesn't actually wish harm to non-whites or necessarily believe they are inferior, but doesn't want anything to do with them. Supports "separate but equal" segregation.
- Type 3, Reactive: Has nothing against black people per se, but doesn't understand why black people are angry at white people, doesn't see the need for programs and policies to counter existing discrimination. "All lives matter", "I'm colorblind", "the race card", election of Obama proves that racism is over. (This is distinguished from type 2 in that a type 3 white racist would be fine with living next to a black person, while a type 2 white racist would not.)
Types 2 and 3 are typically expressed via unacknowledged bias in one's choices or perceptions, rather than overt statements (shouting slurs, or stating that one "race" is superior to the other); in early 21st-century America, for example, it more commonly takes the form of going to much greater lengths to prosecute or exclude a member of a disempowered race than would ever be done for someone of the dominant race – "eagerly looking for reasons why a black kid needed to die", as one comment put it.
- Racial supremacy is the belief that a specific race is superior to all others; this most commonly takes the form of white supremacy.
- Conservapedia: (2008-02-05) short article mainly discussing racism in the US
- dKosopedia: (2008-02-05) very brief article
- CWRE: Myths/racism is over
many of these need to be moved to US racism
- 2018/07/04 [L..T] Sheriff's office called on Oregon state legislator for representing constituents while black “"Casing" the neighborhood by knocking on doors and having extended conversations with the homeowners, carrying only a phone, a pen, and some leaflets. Bynum appears to have, sadly, taken it in stride. "It was just bizarre," she told an Oregonian reporter. "It boils down to people not knowing their neighbors and people having a sense of fear in their neighborhoods, which is kind of my job to help eradicate. But at the end of the day, it's important for people to feel like they can talk to each other to help minimize misunderstandings." Indeed. Had the woman who called the cops – it was a woman – simply engaged with Bynum, problem solved.”
- 2014/04/24 [L..T] Conservatives begin backing away after Cliven Bundy's remarks disparaging "the Negro" "Republican politicians began backtracking on their support of Nevada anti-government rancher Cliven Bundy after the New York Times caught Bundy making racially-inflammatory remarks blaming African-Americans for willingly submiting to dependency on federal assistance."
- 2014/04/22 [L..T] The End Of Affirmative Action?
- 2014/04/21 [L..T] Take A Look At This Picture, According To The State Of New Jersey, This Is OK. "Someone had the bright idea after winning the state championship to get the black dummy, string it up and gather around it. How could this be the first thing you think of doing after achieving a season long goal? They felt it was OK."
- 2014/04/03 [L..T] [[2014/04/03/Studies Confirm the Dehumanization of Black Children|]] "...black youth are far more likely to be suspended from school than any other race. They also face disproportionate expulsion and arrest rates, and once children enter the juvenile justice system they are far more likely to be incarcerated as adults."
- 2014/02/27 [L..T] One-third of California town's police force arrested for scheming cars from poor Hispanics Investigators say King City police ordered hundreds of vehicles to be impounded – most often those driven by Hispanic immigrants – and then either kept the cars for themselves or re-sold them for profit.
- 2012/10/27 [L..T] [[2012/10/27/Majority of Americans racist|]] "The election of Barack Obama failed to usher in a post-racial US, with a new poll showing that 51 percent of Americans hold explicitly anti-black views. That figure is up from 48 percent in 2008, the year America elected its first black president."
- 2012/08/19 [L..T] Racism by Political Party "It is undeniable that some Americans are racist but racists split about evenly across the parties. No party has a monopoly on racists."
- 2006/12/12 [L..T] Poll: Most Americans see lingering racism -- in others "Most Americans, white and black, see racism as a lingering problem in the United States, and many say they know people who are racist, according to a new poll. [..] But few Americans of either race -- about one out of eight -- consider themselves racist."
- 2008-02-02 Amazing Racism: A study of the English football (soccer) league between 1978 and 1993 showed that "Clubs that bucked the norm and fielded several black players did not suffer lower attendance or revenues as a result. But they did enjoy a higher league position with a lower wage bill than the typical club – clear evidence that black players were underpaid on racial grounds."