Can you notice that it’s a bit leaning to the right?
I would say that racism is not something that exists in a vacuum and instead has intent, has an ideology behind and in many cases has also a goal. So yeah, I disagree with you fundamentally.
Racism doesn’t have to have intent. Racism can’t exist in a vacuum- that’s true- but the only context it needs is the concept of race.
A fantastic example would be rolling up all the Native American tribe into one group. Or attributing anything, even conceptually, to that group.
You don’t have to be aware that this is incorrect for it to qualify as racism, and you don’t have to have an intent about making that attribution to be wrong in doing so.
In which way this image rolls up every Native American into one group, considering that is a cultural reference to some specific movie genre (so it has to do with the group represented in those movies)?
Can you also point me to how you distilled this definition of racism? I just looked up https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racism
And I see:
- a belief that race is a fundamental determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
- the systemic oppression of a racial group to the social, economic, and political advantage of another
- a political or social system founded on racism and designed to execute its principles
To me in the definition above seems clear that there is some ideological scaffolding of racial superiority behind racism, or a precise goal of discriminate or oppress based on such ideology.
Could you maybe elaborate how this image is racist? Would have been as racist if they used a western hat instead?
EDIT: Ironically, the top level comment in this thread mentions “Europeans”, compressing many different people and cultures into one single viewpoint. Is that racist?
“Indians” don’t merely exist as a cultural concept in spaghetti westerns, and even if they did, fantastic racism is still racism.
Buuuut for fun, I’ll engage with your pivot to definition, and I’ll just add this quote for context that appears in the link you provided. Juuuust below your listed definitions.
Dictionaries are often treated as the final arbiter in arguments over a word’s meaning, but they are not always well suited for settling disputes. The lexicographer’s role is to explain how words are (or have been) actually used, not how some may feel that they should be used, and they say nothing about the intrinsic nature of the thing named or described by a word, much less the significance it may have for individuals.
Isn’t that amazing? “They say nothing about the intrinsic nature of the thing named or described by a word.” Your authority explicitly states that they shouldn’t be used as an authority in this context! Remarkable…
And now, in addition, I’ll provide the rest of that passage, which is also the absolute end of me interacting with you in this manner.
When discussing concepts like racism, therefore, it is prudent to recognize that quoting from a dictionary is unlikely to either mollify or persuade the person with whom one is arguing.
Not only not meant to be used as an authority, but also unlikely to settle any dispute you might have about the word.
I’ll take their advice. You can reply however you like- my interest in this conversation has vanished. Hopefully someone more patient will come along.
