Talk:Racism/Archive 7

message: I don't disagree with the dictionary definition, nor my own statements. I clearly do disagree with your reasoning, and leap of logic from such to your statements (a) and (b), neither of which are to be found in any reference source (other than your U.N. reference). An action, or an ideology is neither implied nor excluded. There can be racist actions, and their can be racist ideologies, and their can be racist opinions not involving either ideology or action. Sam [Spade] 11:32, 11 Sep 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: A disagreement over reasoning

message: OK, I here's some useful material from the website of one of the world's most respected human rights organisations, amnesty international. This if from the introduction of a paper written for the 2001 World Conference Against Racism in Durban, so it's pretty up-to-date as well. Just quoting some relevant paragrphs. Unfortunately it is not a succinct defnition, but rather a description of racism as a social phenomenon in the world today and as a historical consequence. However it gives a very useful overview of some of the essential elements of racism (which I tried to bold), and we need to put these into the definition:
:Racism is an attack on the very notion of human rights. It systematically denies certain people their full human rights just because of their race, colour, descent, ethnicity, caste or national origin. 
:Racism manifests itself in different ways according to the nature of the society. However, racism is invariably linked to broad economic and social issues, such as poverty and lack of education. In the modern globalized market economy, the poor and the marginalized are frequently members of racial or ethnic groups whose position has been determined by generations of exploitation, oppression and discrimination. Racism then reinforces the inequalities -- people from ethnic minorities impoverished and disenfranchised by historical developments are viewed as somehow inferior and then blamed for their own deprivation. Such racist attitudes then act to further block their access to education, land, jobs and positions of influence.
:As the concept of race has no biological basis, racial categories are inevitably arbitrary and are often used for political ends. Moreover, the meaning of race and the expression of racism change over time and across continents. Racism may be used by those in power to divide and rule, or may be an expression of alienation and despair among the powerless, including victims of racism.
:The right not to suffer racial discrimination is one of the most fundamental principles of international human rights law. The principle appears in virtually every major human rights instrument as well as in the UN Charter. 
:And yet racial discrimination persists in every society. Around the world people continue to suffer human rights violations simply because of their racial identity. Some have been victims of genocidal onslaughts. Some have suffered "ethnic cleansing". Some have had their land stolen and been thrown into destitution.
:Around the world, racism is being nourished by increasingly xenophobic responses to immigration. Immigrants, migrant workers and asylum-seekers who have left their homes in search of a life with basic dignity and security are often met with racist ill-treatment and denial of their rights by officials in the countries to which they travel. This is happening in the north and south, in the east and west, and in developing as well as industrialized countries. - pir 20:48, 4 Oct 2004 (UTC)
thread_title: material for the definition