When does one cross the line from acknowledging obvious human differences to being an outright racist?

Nobody knows. Some people are offended by any mention of differences, and others make a career out of joking about it.

@YARNLADY and there are others that make a career out of seeing racism in any act whether or not it is race related.

I think it’s saying these things that makes you a racist. It’s like the difference between prejudice and discrimination. If all you do is think it, no one is offended, no one is harmed. As long as it never comes out in your treatment of others.

I will just leave this here.

+1 @johnpowell

Should be required watching across the Internet.

This is a great question. I don’t know. Is it all about how it’s perceived, or what’s in your heart when you say it? You can’t tell how others will perceive it, and they can’t read your heart.

This is how I see it:

To be a racist is to truly believe that there are inherent differences among the races that can be generalized to apply to all members of that race and be used to determine one race’s superiority to another. Unless you believe that, you are not a racist. It doesn’t matter if you like to make racist jokes or insensitive comments; it might mean you’re inconsiderate, rude, or a bit stupid, but it doesn’t mean you’re a racist unless you truly believe that some races are superior to others. The problem is that only you can know whether you truly believe that or not. But there are certain things you can say or do that can lead people to believe you think that way, even if you haven’t explicitly stated it.

It’s the difference between “Hispanic people in the Bay Area tend to live in poorer neighborhoods” and “Hispanic people are poor because they’re inferior and doomed to be poor.”

However, it gets tricky when you hear things like “Black people are loud!”. That isn’t something that you could back up with statistics like the first example. It’s simply a generalized opinion most likely based on your own personal experience. Is it stupid and generalized? Yes. Is it racist? I don’t know—does it imply inferiority?

Great question. Great Answers from @johnpowell & @DominicX.

As the first few answers note, there are many degrees of racism. Most certainly, though some might want to claim that noticing any racial trait is evil, that’s rubbish. Any fool can see the distinct difference between someone with the classical Nordic features of very fair skin and straight blond hair versus someone from Uganda with very dark skin and tightly kinky hair.

We step over the line, in my opinion, when we tell jokes or make statements or criticisms that rely on belief in a generalization about a race’s behavior, motivation, humanity, etc. That’s where I draw the line. Others may chose their acceptable limits.

While I understand what the “How To Tell People They Sound Racist” lecture is about, it really applies to the racially insensitive joke or comment, or dog whistle political propaganda. But there are people like Adolph Hitler that are such open, flaming racists that there is no option but to go straight to the What they Are conversation about them. Unless you do, such people can be dangerous to others around them. Their rage at those different from their chosen group is that deep. Here’s a current-day example. Listen all the way through, and see if you don’t agree.

There are many degrees of racism & no one can know where you stand if you do not give voice to what you may feel/think. The need to put down other races always makes me wonder why the individual somehow feels ‘superior’ to the race they are denigrating, one has to wonder what led to this state of mind. However, if you do not feel the racist attitude & if you listen to offensive racial jokes or comments & do not say something about it to the person who made the jokes or comments – then in my opinion, you are condoning the opinions that are reflected by what the other person said. I will always say something to someone who is expressing racist ideas, jokes, attitudes, because I think they need to be reminded that everyone deserves to be treated with respect.

@DominicX Great answer, thanks. Regarding black people are loud, it will be racist if in the mind of whoever made the comment consider being loud as uncivilized AND that not being loud, is. But if instead of uncivilized, what if one who made the same comment equates it to mere plain rudeness? I would be inclined not to think of that as racist, I guess.

For race relations I love Russell Peters:

On Asians

On Indian and Chinese relations

We’re all racist

I like him because he makes everyone laugh about our similarities and our differences. My hubby and I went to see him live and the theatre was packed with every culture you could imagine. White people were there, Chinese people were there, Vietnamese people, Black people, Indians and on and on. All laughing and elbowing one another.

For me the only real difference is when each “tribe” walked out of Africa. Some people left before others did. Some stayed.

That being said, you know racism when it’s spoken. The clear derogatory declaration that I’m better than you because you’re __________ (fill in the blank Chinese, Indian, Black etc.)

One last link on why Russell Peters thinks white people need to beat their kids

@tranquilsea Thanks for the links. I’d never heard him before. I really appreciated all the laughs. He’s a totally equal opportunity bigot. He picks on all our human foibles without prejudice.

@ETpro if you ever get a chance to see him live you should. It is quite an experience. IIRC he’s living in California now but still tours.

@tranquilsea I love Russell Peters. One of my favourite comedians.

@PluckyDog mine too. He does a great job teasing the differing races. Much different than taunting imo.