Posted by Spino on March 28, 2002 at 13:35:28:
In Reply to: Re: History is readily available at your library posted by Christina on March 28, 2002 at 05:22:07:
This thread is getting out of control...
At its core racism is not the superficial judgement of others in as much as it is a natural side effect of genetic narcissisum; with love of oneself and one's relatives (i.e. those with common genetic backgrounds) influencing everyday decisions and thought processes, basically the preference of one's own kind over others. The fact that someone possesses drastically different physical characteristics is a surefire sign that they are not close relatives, whether it be on a familial, ethnic or racial level. Racism is simply one more Darwinian judgement call people make according to a value system that usually places their kin at the top of the list. I say 'usually' because this is obviously not a simple issue when it comes to human beings, homo sapien being the most complex animal on the face of the earth. Our natural inclination towards genetic narcissisum can also be tempered with what our perception of reality is at any given moment, a rather frightening thought when you consider just how ignorant the average human being is. It wasn't too long ago that the average human being believed the world to be flat and the center of the universe.
Please keep in mind that there is no such thing as 'free will'. Human beings, much like any other living thing, behave according to what our genes dictate. We are 'programmed' by our genes to follow certain patterns or templates of behavior. The reason why you have slightly varying patterns of behavior between individuals is because the genes allow for it.
However, all of this bickering over racism has nothing to do with Cheryl's original question... Hah!
: Okay, I apologize. Yes, I was repeating the hearsay that I've heard among Greeks and non-Greeks time and time again, and I suppose I should've confirmed the information before adding my two cents. I shouldn't have assumed that it was true. Actually, I had heard about the ancient Greek tribes before, but not in much detail. Unfortunately, it's not something they go into detail in high school history in most high schools here in America. And as much as I'd love to read about my own history, the sad thing is that high school students today have to struggle so much to remain at the top of their class AND be involved in a million other extracurricular activities to get into college that I admit that when I have a free moment, reading more history is not the first thing that comes to mind. However, next time I won't just assume something is true as I did, but I would also appreciate a less condescending reply. You could have corrected me without using some of those words.
: One more thing... about the topic of racism... you said: "It is so important these days to look beyond the superficial (what colour of hair/eyes) a person or group of people have to determine your kinship to them." I never said that I determined my kinship to any one person because of their looks. My best friends have roots from all over the world; I do not judge them by their cultural appearance. And yes, I agree with you that physical appearances are superficial. After all, it is the body that perishes and the soul that can have eternal life. I do not make judgements of character based on one's looks, so my question is... Why do you say that discussion of these things is wrong? I think that these things, if discussed in the right frame of mind, can be extremely valuable. What I am saying is that it is important to be ABLE to talk about these things without assuming that each individual of a society will possess all of a certain number of features, and WITHOUT making judgements of character based on these physical appearances. God gave us eyes to see the beauty and diversity of this world; it is human nature to want to describe what we see.
: Yes, racism IS the superficial judgement of others. It IS racist, for example, to say that people with dark skin are ill-mannered and not capable of higher intellectual thought, a misconception held by so many cultures for such a horrid length of time in history. It is NOT racist to say that people from Africa tend to have dark skin. Do you see how I am trying to distinguish these two groups of comments from each other? Does anyone else see it? I'd appreciate any input, but let's try to be more positive this time, I think it will be more constructive.
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: : btw, I apologise if I sound too irritated, it's just so so disappointing to hear such well-meaning inaccurate supposed 'facts' coming from fellow Greeks. I can only urge you to refer to educational sources directly rather than repeating hearsay and myth. It is so important these days to look beyond the superficial (what colour of hair/eyes) a person or group of people have to determine your kinship to them. This is why any discussion of the superficial is inherently racist, I mean, isn't racism the superficial judgement of others? Please consider this before reacting too quickly. If you've taken the time to visit this board and respond, then you can also perhaps find a few minutes to do a simple search on the web for historical sources and begin reading your own wonderful history as facts, rather than hearsay.