More on racism

After my first real comment yesterday, I decided to make another post exploring my views on racism.

So what is racism? Here's my definition...it's not from a dictionary, it's from my head. But I think it's pretty close: Racism is any unfair or unwarranted bias based on race, national origin, or skin color. Let's look at that a bit closer. (NB - From here on out I'm going to lump "race, national origin, and skin color" under the umbrella term "race". Deal.)

First, ANY. Don't overlook this small word at the beginning of my definition. We're not just talking about majority-on-minority bias. ANY bias based on race is racism.

Next, UNFAIR or UNWARRANTED. Obviously some people would argue that any bias based on race is unfair and unwarranted. Mostly I agree. Race is mostly an arbitrary trait to use to make value judgments about people. The whole argument about "racial profiling" is a bit absurd, tho. If police are looking for a mass murderer who is known to be white, why shouldn't they wave all the black, Latino, and Asian drivers through their roadblocks? Why shouldn't all white drivers be searched?

BIAS. Note I don't say "penalty" or "persecution". Let's also hark back to that "ANY" word for this paragraph. BIAS can also be positive. Yes, I mean affirmative action. Affirmative action is inherently biased based on race. Yeah, we can argue over the "unfair" or "unwarranted". But if we can consider affirmative action unwarranted or unfair (yes, I still have never owned a slave) then affirmative action is racist.

RACE. As I understand things, there are three actual races. I'm not sure I'm using the right words here, but they're basically Caucasoid (white), Mongoloid (Asian), and Negroid (black). Yeah, I know there are some other groups that don't really fit (How far east do you have to go to be Asian rather than European, anyhow?), but those are basically it.

NATIONAL ORIGIN. This is where you're actually from, hereditarily.

SKIN COLOR. Figure it out.

The thing people need to get into their nigh-universally thick skulls is that we're all people. We look different. We have different superficial physical traits. Some studies have been done indicating different races have different average mental abilities, but it's unclear whether these are the result of genetic or cultural factors. Certainly there are extremely intelligent people of all races.

From what I've seen, many minority people (notice I deftly refuse to categorize generally) have the belief that all white people are racist, and therefore react negatively toward white people.

Mel Gibson

Ok, it's 3:40 a.m. I woke up about 1 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep, so I've been watching stuff on T.V. I watched the movie SubUrbia which was pretty good.

But the item which moved me to leave the comfort of my recliner and soar into the blogosphere on a cloud of steam was from CBS Up To The Minute (or whatever their early-early-morning news show is called) and was about the recent arrest of Mel Gibson for driving under the influence.

Apparently Mr. Gibson unleashed a stream of anti-Semitic remarks during his arrest. Of course, this is drawing criticism from Jewish pundits everywhere.

Actually, the arrest report says that Gibson was arrested without incident and was very cooperative with the arresting officers, and it was left up to a journalist (last name Levin, didn't catch his first name) to break the story of how Mel struggled with officers, attempted to escape, and spewed forth his anti-Jew bile during the arrest.

"Of course there was a cover up," Levin said during his sound bite on CBS UTTM. Of course.

And the report has prompted the (I think it was the) L.A. County Sheriff's Dept. to launch an investigation of the incident.

My question is, What does it matter? Why the investigation? This is not something to make a big deal about. If a drunk black person unleashes a diatribe against the honkey, cracker cops arresting him, it does not warrant an investigation.

I can understand perhaps a procedural, internal thing at the sheriff's station if the deputy lied on the arrest report, but that is not something that should invite public or press scrutiny.

I guess the big deal is that Gibson has long been under the anti-anti-Semitism microscope. But last I checked, this was the United States. People can believe and say what they want. I personally don't care whether or not Gibson is prejudiced against Jews. I don't care whether or not John Travolta is a Scientologist. I don't care to hear political views from Janeane Garafolo or Ben Affleck. Entertainers are for entertaining. At the point they stop being entertaining, I WILL stop paying to watch them.

In their private lives, I definitely support the right of celebrities (or any Americans) to embrace whatever beliefs they wish and speak out in support of them. I can always turn them off if I don't want to listen.

In short, IF Mel is anti-Semitic, it's all good. There are plenty of minority celebrities that are anti-White to balance the scales.