I applaud your attempt to face up to a problem which pervades all cultures worldwide.
However, I fear that you missed the mark a little. Well, by quite a long way actually, in the same way an undergraduate tries to make an argument and believes themselves perfect.
Nowhere do you address the question of why, but we will get to that.
Your definition of racism as prejudice is correct and I can even allow the fact that the word has grown and shifted. I doubt you can show me relevant baggage that doesn't break down as more prejudice though. Unfortunately your definition then focusses on skin colour, yet when you get to the next paragraph you reference the holocaust. Now it is a long time since I studied the Second World War but I am pretty sure the holocaust had nothing to do with skin colour and was much more about religion. Admittedly the whole aryan race thing is race based but not the reasoning behind Hitlers hatred of the Jewish people and the subsequent genocide.
Again your last paragraph seems to focus on skin colour despite prejudice being prevalent in many aspects of life. It is also predominately focussed on white supremacy, which given your original statement is understandable. I would ask that people go and read about the genocides in Rwanda which was black on black or in the former Yugoslavia which was white on white both of which were prejudicial and undoubtedly fit the modern term of racism.
One thing I do take issue with is your use of "The current justice system in some western countries that awards unfair advantage and privilege to whites...". If this was an undergrad submission I would be marking you down for not citing your source here. If we remove the USA, who under their current Attorney General are so political and in step with the fascist regime currently in the white house, I don't know of a judicial system that works that way, western or not. I would love you to educate me on this if I am wrong.
Where we do agree is that education is the answer (nobody should be surprised to hear a lecturer say that I suppose) but where we disagree is that its not about skin colour... it should be much more than that.
Then again, as an old white guy from western europe, I have been told all of the worlds ills are my fault... so what do I know!!!
glb... I don't know where to begin...
I applaud your attempt to face up to a problem which pervades all cultures worldwide.
However, I fear that you missed the mark a little. Well, by quite a long way actually, in the same way an undergraduate tries to make an argument and believes themselves perfect.
Nowhere do you address the question of why, but we will get to that.
Your definition of racism as prejudice is correct and I can even allow the fact that the word has grown and shifted. I doubt you can show me relevant baggage that doesn't break down as more prejudice though. Unfortunately your definition then focusses on skin colour, yet when you get to the next paragraph you reference the holocaust. Now it is a long time since I studied the Second World War but I am pretty sure the holocaust had nothing to do with skin colour and was much more about religion. Admittedly the whole aryan race thing is race based but not the reasoning behind Hitlers hatred of the Jewish people and the subsequent genocide.
Again your last paragraph seems to focus on skin colour despite prejudice being prevalent in many aspects of life. It is also predominately focussed on white supremacy, which given your original statement is understandable. I would ask that people go and read about the genocides in Rwanda which was black on black or in the former Yugoslavia which was white on white both of which were prejudicial and undoubtedly fit the modern term of racism.
One thing I do take issue with is your use of "The current justice system in some western countries that awards unfair advantage and privilege to whites...". If this was an undergrad submission I would be marking you down for not citing your source here. If we remove the USA, who under their current Attorney General are so political and in step with the fascist regime currently in the white house, I don't know of a judicial system that works that way, western or not. I would love you to educate me on this if I am wrong.
Where we do agree is that education is the answer (nobody should be surprised to hear a lecturer say that I suppose) but where we disagree is that its not about skin colour... it should be much more than that.
Then again, as an old white guy from western europe, I have been told all of the worlds ills are my fault... so what do I know!!!