Racism

[m42]

Are you or have you ever been a racist?

[John Scott]

Please define "racist".

[m42]

1 : a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race
2 : racial prejudice or discrimination
— rac·ist Listen to the pronunciation of racist \-sist also -shist\ noun or adjective

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/racist

I'm curious as to why you sought clarification....

[John Scott]

I'm curious as to why you sought clarification....

A person raised in a particular culture is more likely to act in a certain way than somebody not raised in that culture.

With this in mind, one might say "Japanese are more likely to be workaholics than some other ethnic group", and it wouldn't make them a racist.

In particular, one may say that Blacks are much more likely to be violent criminals. It is not racist to make this observation, based on the facts (http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/homicide/race.htm).

A racist could say the same thing, and mean it as a commentary on the genetics of Blacks persons. The problem is not genetic, though. It is in a subculture within Black American culture that condones and approves of violence.

[kerrin]

There is no race. There is only ethnicity.

[John A Roark]

I usually tell people, 'Yes, I am--the 200m and sometimes the mile."
I like Heinlein's quote on this topic, and use it frequently (dictionary definitions of the word be damned): "There's only one race--the human race."

Man-to-man, I pride myself on a lack of color bias.
In a group setting, though, or whenever the notion of privileges, rights, or responsibilities deemed exclusive to an ethnic group is espoused, I usually fall into the state known to most people as 'racism.'

[Anenome]

As John says, culture is more important than and often confused with race when it comes to such discussions. Culture is a more interesting distinction than race also, as the same races in the various cultures act very different. As Roark says, the notion of 'race' in itself is silly to me. Being raised in Los Angeles, one of the most multi-ethnic and multi-cultural cities in the world, racism was not something I was generally exposed to. I've actually heard more black persons utter slurs against whites than vice-versa *shrug*.

One, perhaps the only, positive point of Obama's election is the symbolism of it; the implication that race is a dealt-with issue in modern America. That explains why he is so celebrated and adored, despite having accomplished literally nothing policy-wise.