a fan wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:50 am
tech37 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 11:06 am
Typical Lax Dad wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 10:40 am
hickorystick wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 10:17 am
Matnum PI wrote: ↑Fri Jul 31, 2020 9:52 am
Observation isn't racist. Stereotyping is racist. The NBA could be 99% black and "blacks are good basketball players" still wouldn't be true. The NBA has a high percentage of black basketball players would be true.
So if an Icelander leaves his first NBA experience (game) and says, "Boy, blacks are very good basketball players.", that's a racist statement?
A high percentage of blacks, or very high percentage?
Norwegians are good skiers.
Racist, stereotyping, or just true?
Too many are too quick to holler racist and stereotyping when that just isn't true, IMO.
They aren’t good basketball players because they are black. Those kids are good because it’s what they spend time on. The skiers from Scandinavia are good not because they are white, they are good because it’s what they spend time on. South American soccer players are not good because they are Latino, they are good because it’s what they spend time on.
The statement isn’t racist. It’s a stereotype. The two things are not the same but can be conflated.
And therein lies the problem. Who is interpreting the statement and why? Any nuance and/or context is immediately ignored by people like Matnum PI and doc, who seem to be following some, IMO, dangerous new religion based on a desire to control/interpret language, in order to shut down speech, and/or grab some moral high ground and power. When a large portion of society starts to adopt this religion (it's happening folks), people will begin not trusting each other and will fear to honestly express themselves for fear of losing their jobs or being physically beaten, i.e.
If you guys REALLY want to discuss this? Ok.
Statement: Norwegians are good skiers.
Racist, stereotyping, or just true?
This statement is demonstrably false. Start there. Start right there.
You're giving Matnum grief for calling out a statement as false. Can you explain why it is you feel the need to defend this incorrect, logical car crash of a statement?
No, Norwegians are NOT good skiers. Do I honestly need to walk you guys through the logically fallacy here?
Painfully, some of our posters represent a large segment of Americans, who are woefully "dense" on this topic.
Some really may not have the intellectual capability, the training in critical thinking, to really understand. But only some.
Some may actually not have the psychological capacity for empathy. But only some.
Others, and I suspect this is the best fit explanation for most, feel threatened by the necessity to self-challenge long held assumptions. They struggle with the concept of needing to choose to be self-critical, the necessity to forgive oneself for past transgressions...it's scary to admit one has been part of evil, even unknowingly or unwittingly so, and even worse when we know we've actually had a clue, but just didn't prioritize grappling with it before.