I knew there'd come a point where I'd regret not writing more often, cultivating a readership, etc.. And here it is. My last post inspired an interesting little mini-debate that I've still got on the brain. I'd really love to know what people think about this issue. So, my 3 readers, please comment!
Essentially, the question is this: is it wrong (or racist, or etc.) to make a generalization about a specific ethnic/racial/etc. group of people if the generalization isn't a negative one?
For example, if someone were to say, "The Jews are smart," am I supposed to be offended by this? (I'm not).
Or, if I were to say, "Girls are pretty." Is that bad/sexist?
In other words, does racism/etc. imply negativity. Or is it the act of generalization itself that we are supposed to avoid.
I admit I'm somewhat torn. Weigh in!
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2 comments:
Racism is by definition believing that one group is superior to another, and discriminating or prejudicing against that group as a result. I think what you describe is stereotyping or generalizing.
While it's arguably not racist, generalizing about a group of people to which you don't belong for humor/mockery's sake is usually offensive to that group. Our American history is based on rationalizing mistreatment of "The Other" based on racism and stereotyping. The civil rights fight was only 40 years ago, and racism is still ripe in many parts of the country. It's not a surprise, then, that stereotyping other groups for the sake of humor can put people's defenses up.
I think the rule of thumb is you can only make racist/ethnic generalizations if you're a part of the group you're generalizing. Why is this? Basically, the racists have ruined it for everyone. So often such generalizations were/are used in a pejorative sense that even if what you're saying isn't pejorative, it carries that taint.
It's interesting you bring up the "girls are pretty" comment. I think that generalizations based on sex are a totally different matter in our society. Whereas we're all very attuned to racial language/meaning, language around sex isn't nearly as sensitive. This past nomination contest between Barack & Hillary was a great example: race was mostly taboo but everyone was talking about Hil being a woman.
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