A Racist Country?

[warri0r45]

Recently in Australia, there's been a lot of publicity on attacks of Indian students. A large number of Indians believe these attacks to be racially motivated. In a notable case, where an Indian student was murdered, it remains to be determined who the perpetrator is (and what nationality he/she is) but that hasn't stopped people jumping to their own conclusions. The Indian media is scathing of Australia with some news articles accusing Australia of being a racist country.

 

A few questions:

 

1) What does it take for a country to be racist?

2) Is Australia a racist country? Why/why not?

3) Is your country a racist country? Why/why not?

4) What does it take to determine that an assault or murder is racially motivated?

[NotoriousPSC]

I think that simply defining a country as racist or not racist is over simplifying an extremely complicated issue. Its very important not to let the actions of a few reflect the whole.

 

 

There are countries like Russia where much of the country is xenophobic (fear and/or hatred of other races) to specific cultures and nations. Staying with Russia, many of the Eastern, white Russians have an immense hatred for Chechnyans because of their failed revolution in their province and the Beslan Hostage Crisis, among other things.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQElPYZrsZY

 

Its also important to not let the Government speak for the people either. Iran is currently dominated by radical Islamics, where the vast majority of the population are more moderate Muslims, with some Jews and Christians.

 

I don't know a ton about Australia and race, other than that there have been numerous issues with Aboriginals in the past, including attempting to "breed" (which I hate to say but thats what this was) Aborigines with whites so that there wouldn't be race problems anymore, because if there aren't Aborigines, there's no one for white people to hate! It never really crossed their minds that educating people to not think about skin color would be more humane and easier.

 

Note: I read about this awhile ago, I don't remember the scope of the project.

 

The US (where I'm from) was one of the last countries to abolish slavery in 1865, and it took a Civil War based somewhat on States' rights to eliminate it. Blacks and other minorities barely had rights until the 1960s, when Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement finally made tremendous progress. Anyway, while many radical white power groups exist (the Ku Klux Klan, the Aryan Nation) the majority of the population is not as racist.

 

I say as racist because everyone has some inherent bias, racial and otherwise, whether or not you like it or will admit it. Now not all of us hate/judge people based on their race, and I am proud to say I try very hard not to make those snap judgements based on race, the thoughts do pop into my head.

 

Anyway, back to my first point, it is not a good idea to classify an entire country as racist, because you simply cannot judge the whole by the actions of the few.

[The Dark Lord]

A few questions:

 

1) What does it take for a country to be racist? This is a question that asks for a point of view that is relative. Not everyone has the same opinion about it, of course. Therefore there are no real 'definitions' for 'racist countries.' In my mind, I would say that it would take a fascist form of nationalism for a country to be considered racist.

2) Is Australia a racist country? Why/why not? I wouldn't know a whole lot about Australian politics, but I do not believe Australia is racist. I believe there are some problems between Aboriginals and Europeans as well as some xenophobia here and there, but Australia isn't racist.

3) Is your country a racist country? Why/why not? The US isn't as tolerant as say, Britain, but you also have to keep in mind that a great portion of the population is politically-correct and is terrified of the prospect of racism, so no. Being a multi-cultured society, America does have racial tension, but that doesn't make it racist.

4) What does it take to determine that an assault or murder is racially motivated? http://pinktentacle.com/2008/12/scientists-extract-images-directly-from-brain/

[warri0r45]

Anyway, back to my first point, it is not a good idea to classify an entire country as racist, because you simply cannot judge the whole by the actions of the few.

 

I would definitely agree, and I would also add that you can't judge a country now based on how bad it was in the past (although I'm not suggesting that this is what you're saying - it's just that some people seem to make this point from time to time). In a lot of ways, Australia and America have moved on from their checkered pasts in dealing with race. Of course racism still exists, but it's much less institutionalised now that in the past.

 

I'd like to answer my fourth question as well. A lot of people are jumping to conclusions here at the moment as to whether particular attacks are racially motivated or not. It's just not reasonable to say this is the definitely the case at the moment because we don't have the evidence. In the particular case I cited, we don't have the suspect and we haven't put him/her on trial and determined what the motives of the attack were. It could just be that this student was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

[mcneilp]

3) Is your country a racist country? Why/why not?

I wouldn't say Scotland is any more racist than any other country. Sure there are incidents every now and again where the event may have been "racially motivated" or whatever but there isn't a continuous onslaught against a certain minority group. Racism happened quite a lot at football matches, with players from different ethnic backgrounds getting chanted at by certain groups of the crowd. Not just in Scotland, but across Britain there were campaigns to "kick racism out of football" and "show racism the red card" which helped to bring the problem into the spotlight. There were crackdowns by the police on people at football matches singing racist songs and sectarian (another big problem in Scotland) chants.There were also those anti racism, black and white wristbands everyone wore a few years back.

 

Can't really comment on Australia although i have heard of Aborigines and white Australians giving each other racist abuse.

[OldJoe]

 

A few questions:

 

1) What does it take for a country to be racist?

How does a whole country turn racist? I'm not sure what you're trying to ask, but even if you take Nazi-Germany there were people who didn't give a damn about that crap. Or perhaps you mean the general attitude in a country? In that case i guess you can find some examples, i guess one that's around in most countries are; If you're a foreigner with the same degree of education and speak the language etc etc as the native, and if the job is generally given to the native, i guess it would be xenophobic perhaps, but racist? I'm not sure.

 

2) Is Australia a racist country? Why/why not?

I don't know enough about Australia to answer the question.

 

3) Is your country a racist country? Why/why not?

No.

Politicians (the ones in the government) and media try to make my country sound bad whenever they get the chance. Here's some examples:

At some schools the national anthem at the end of the school year has been cancceld. Why? Because it's racist.

A famous quote from our current state-minister "The only genuinely Swedish is barbarian".

And again at some schools, for the winter brake celebration some schools have stopped going to church and sing a couple of songs. Why? Because it might offend some.

 

People aren't racist in my country, but they are fed up with the immigration situation as hell. But that's nothing to do with racism, that's about security, welfare, economics etc.

 

4) What does it take to determine that an assault or murder is racially motivated

I guess if you conduct a study, and find that crime-x is mostly commited by group-y towards group-z, then you could check if it might be somehow be linked to a certain group of people.

[Furah]

1) What does it take for a country to be racist? When it is known to be a racist country by other nations.

2) Is Australia a racist country? Why/why not? Yes, I'd have to say enough of us are racist (me included) for Australia to be a racist country.

3) Is your country a racist country? Why/why not? See above, I'm Aussie.

4) What does it take to determine that an assault or murder is racially motivated? When the person is either part of a racist group (such as the Klan) or who is known for racist behaviour (such as always avoiding or ignoring anyone who is of an Arabic appearance.)

[warri0r45]

1) What does it take for a country to be racist? When it is known to be a racist country by other nations.

2) Is Australia a racist country? Why/why not? Yes, I'd have to say enough of us are racist (me included) for Australia to be a racist country.

3) Is your country a racist country? Why/why not? See above, I'm Aussie.

4) What does it take to determine that an assault or murder is racially motivated? When the person is either part of a racist group (such as the Klan) or who is known for racist behaviour (such as always avoiding or ignoring anyone who is of an Arabic appearance.)

 

How many people is "enough" to make us a racist country? I see a minority of people with racist attitudes, but I certainly don't see most Australians as racists.

[rangeor]

I don't think I would ever consider an entire country racist, unless a very large number are indeed... but a number of at least 95%. I can imagine it would be very frustrating being a non-racist in a country labeled racist. I don't know how much of the Australian population is racist, but I can't imagine it being much larger than at least 15%. Most people these days aren't racist, and the few that are racist usually end up being forced to either change or suppress because of social pressure.

[NotoriousPSC]

Yes, America is a racist country.

 

 

Thats a pretty big generalisation of the most diverse country in the world.

[Furah]

How many people is "enough" to make us a racist country? I see a minority of people with racist attitudes, but I certainly don't see most Australians as racists.

Racist not as in a racist attitude, but sometimes saying racist things, either without caring, or without apologising. Even our old PM, John Howard, wouldn't give an apology to the Aboriginals. A stance that I share.

[Alg]

1) What does it take for a country to be racist?

For the entire country to share racist views probably. Or for a majority to support a kind of legalized racism that puts it into the government. Racist laws would make a racist country.

2) Is Australia a racist country? Why/why not?

There are probably racists in Australia, just like everywhere else. I don't know enough about Australian politics to comment further.

3) Is your country a racist country? Why/why not?

As a country, the US tries not to be. There are racists here, of course, the country's the birthplace of the Klan, after all, but to say they're a majority...

4) What does it take to determine that an assault or murder is racially motivated?

If it actually is racially motivated. I'm a bit sick of hearing every crime from one person to another of a different race labeled a racially motivated crime. If the crime was committed solely because of race, it is. If there was some other motive, no.

[Rainy_Day]

You can't label a country as racist. That's just silly. Every country is bound to have a percentage of people who hold racist opinions, but it will never be the entire country. I'm not going to bother with the questions to be frank as they are a little pointless (Why would Australia be a racist country?), and the simplicity of an assault or murder being racially motivated is when the attack happens due to the ethnicity of the victim. (A attacks B purely because he is Caucasian, for example (I would've thought a racially motivated attack is pretty straightforward)).

 

1) What does it take for a country to be racist? When it is known to be a racist country by other nations.

 

The English can often be known to be racist, but that doesn't make us a racist country. Bad press is always heard more than good press.

 

I think these days racism is a term used way too often.

[OldJoe]

I was thinking i might ask this aswell.

 

In my country, Sweden. When you question immigration you're labeld: racist, nazi or xenophobic. Might i ask, why is it, that when my country allready has 500k unemployed people, all the major political parties are pro mass-immigration? Importing 100k per year to my country is bananas! Germany, in 2006 took in 200k, and they are 86m! We are 9m and imported 100k! What the hell is the sanity in this politic?

One thing is if they are well educated and etc, but the majority aren't. So, might i ask, what is the sanity of bringing this many people into my country?

No wonder ordinary people use foul language against immigrants, what the hell do politicians expect? Politicians and media all live in their happy hippie loving suburbs, far far away from the problems. I hope they aren't surprised when people start living in gated communities.

[Furah]

I was thinking i might ask this aswell.

 

In my country, Sweden. When you question immigration you're labeld: racist, nazi or xenophobic. Might i ask, why is it, that when my country allready has 500k unemployed people, all the major political parties are pro mass-immigration? Importing 100k per year to my country is bananas! Germany, in 2006 took in 200k, and they are 86m! We are 9m and imported 100k! What the hell is the sanity in this politic?

One thing is if they are well educated and etc, but the majority aren't. So, might i ask, what is the sanity of bringing this many people into my country?

No wonder ordinary people use foul language against immigrants, what the hell do politicians expect? Politicians and media all live in their happy hippie loving suburbs, far far away from the problems. I hope they aren't surprised when people start living in gated communities.

It will probably be the same reason as it is for Australia, to stop your population from declining. Besides, someone has to clean those toilets, and I'm guessing you don't want to....

[warri0r45]

How many people is "enough" to make us a racist country? I see a minority of people with racist attitudes, but I certainly don't see most Australians as racists.

Racist not as in a racist attitude, but sometimes saying racist things, either without caring, or without apologising.

 

Or maybe they're just joking? I'll admit I laugh at racist jokes, but it's like satire. It's just taking the piss without being serious about it. I think you'll find most people aren't genuinely racist if you were to take a poll, so I'd hardly call us a racist country.

[The Dark Lord]

A famous quote from our current state-minister "The only genuinely Swedish is barbarian".

 

It seems your state-minister has severe dislike toward his own kind. The Norse weren't exactly knuckle-dragging idiots, you know. They settled in the New World before anyone else in Europe did.

 

And it looks like you guys severely need to pull out of the EU; it's a worthless organization that is making you lose your identity. Screw the EU. Yeah...You guys should definitely be multi-cultural, especially when it means that you aren't allowed to celebrate your own. :roll:

[Arcantica]

I see a lot of racism involved in the anti-immigration movements. Of course not everyone is racist, you can be any nationality and be a immigrant, but most of the time there is a lot of anger and hatred when it comes to such issues and I think a lot of people say things they don't really mean when they are at a boiling point, and it's easy to confuse anti-immigration viewpoints with racism, but a lot of the time these movements get subconsciously racist in part. People start to hate the immigrants themselves, and who they are and where they came from, rather than the systems set up allowing them to come and settle.

 

 

I can understand it in some situations, like Sweden. The Swedes are the native people there, and its kind of messed up when your jobs are being displaced from people of other countries. But there is no need to put hate towards the immigrants, they are coming from situations that most of us can never imagine and they are just doing whatever they can to get out of where they are coming from, and it's the government that keeps allowing them to come and giving them assistance.

 

In America here there is a large anti-immigration movement along the boarder in Mexico. This one I laugh at because you get white people standing down there telling Mexicans to "go home", when Mexicans are Indigenous people to those lands. America today, was founded by immigration and I don't think its fair to talk down immigration when all of your relatives were immigrants. My people, Native Americans, sadly didn't have much of a say when it came to the occupation and immigration of our lands by the Europeans and later on American settlers. I'm sure the Aboriginals of Australia went through the same thing my people did.

[The Dark Lord]

America today, was founded by immigration and I don't think its fair to talk down immigration when all of your relatives were immigrants. My people, Native Americans, sadly didn't have much of a say when it came to the occupation and immigration of our lands by the Europeans and later on American settlers. I'm sure the Aboriginals of Australia went through the same thing my people did.

 

I'm sure the Celts didn't like it when the Saxons invaded lower Great Britain. Are the English then to be treated like immigrants to Britain even though they have been there for over 1000 years?

 

Sure, various European states settled in the New World, but what makes it any different from the above? It's just an unfortunate thing that has happened throughout human history.

[Arcantica]

I'm sure the Celts didn't like it when the Saxons invaded lower Great Britain. Are the English then to be treated like immigrants to Britain even though they have been there for over 1000 years?

 

 

I wasn't saying that Caucasian Americans should be treated like immigrants, I was saying that its funny to down talk immigration when your family did the same thing in the recent past, especially when your trying to stop immigration from people who have been here already for thousands of years.

[Erk02]

Yes, America is a racist country.

 

 

Thats a pretty big generalisation of the most diverse country in the world.

 

This is what happens when you have a diverse country.

 

But really, I'm not quite sure on what constitutes a "racist country". Government condoned racism? If so, then the US surely is not.

[Pirate_Felix]

1) What does it take for a country to be racist?

Government and police not really caring about crimes committed against [racist term]s, indians aboriginals or something

 

2) Is Australia a racist country? Why/why not?

You guys took away a whole generation of aborigonal children to give them proper english education, YES.

 

3) Is your country a racist country? Why/why not?

I see the Netherlands as one of the most tolerant countries. If you have ever been to Amsterdam you know what i mean. You can see male/male kissing on the street there all the time, and there are [racist term]s everywhere.

 

4) What does it take to determine that an assault or murder is racially motivated?

The judge

[Pirate_Felix]

Yes, America is a racist country.

 

 

Thats a pretty big generalisation of the most diverse country in the world.

Tell me where you can get a gay marriage in the USA?

[The Dark Lord]

Yes, America is a racist country.

 

 

Thats a pretty big generalisation of the most diverse country in the world.

Tell me where you can get a gay marriage in the USA?

 

Massachusetts.

[Pirate_Felix]

Yes, America is a racist country.

 

 

Thats a pretty big generalisation of the most diverse country in the world.

Tell me where you can get a gay marriage in the USA?

 

Massachusetts.

1 Whole place in all of your 50(? idk xD) states