RE: Reparations

From: Mitchell, Jerry (3337) (Jerry.Mitchell@esavio.com)
Date: Wed Aug 01 2001 - 13:19:51 MDT


>> A couple food stamps and a bottle of ripple.
>
>This latter bit is pretty typical of the racist comments that appear so
often on this list. Does this kind of statement really lend anything to the
discussion other than advertise and promote the prejudices of the writer?

Here's a good example of the mis-use of the word Racism and why it gets
thrown around at everything possible.

Racism is:
a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities
and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular
race

Discrimination on the other hand is:
The act of discriminating, distinguishing, or noting and marking
differences.

Is it racist to say that blacks drink ripple? No. (this doesn't say anything
about any race being inherently superior) Is it discriminatory? Yes.

But we also discriminate over a multitude of things during the day. We
discriminate if doctors are licensed, people we hire have the correct
qualifications, and even over which soft drink we drink.

Do people have an inherent right to not be offended at others thoughts... I
don't think so, or at least I wouldn't want to see the thought police funded
with my tax dollars. As a business owner, I should have the right to control
my property and only hire blonde haired, green eyed, women with a 38 bust
and a limp and exclude all others. Its my property after all right? The
alternative is that all people must be excepted for all jobs, or else they
were discriminated because of some reason...

Psss, here where the moderates should jump in and start praising the value
of the fuzzy gray void between statements of principle. Ill be sure next
time im robbed to just give the robber half my goodies as a nice compromise
between his values and mine.



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