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Comment by bittercynic | Hacker News Reader

Many of the comments here focus on whether or not an individual's preferences are racist or not, but generally an individual being racist isn't going to cause anyone much trouble (except for extreme or violent cases.)

The major issue this illuminates is that the aggregate preferences of many people confer an advantage to some and disadvantage to others based on race. The value in having this highlighted so clearly is that some (many) people think that racism is dead, and this gives us something to point to when we ask them to reconsider that opinion.

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I think that in a way this was a comforting article. When it comes to things we really care about, beneath the surface we are all equally shallow.

It only becomes problematic when this gets used as an excuse.

The problem with today's liberal attitudes is that such attitudes wrongheadedly assume that racism = violence, when in reality, racism usually just means separatism, which if anything, decreases violence, as good fences make good neighbors.

The problem comes when your so-called "separatism" causes me not to get a job, or an apartment, or a promotion, or when you donate money to a campaign to ban interracial marriages. If you can keep it in your own home then that's fine. But that's probably impossible due to human nature. You can't privately dislike a group of people and not have it manifest when you interact with the rest of society. Especially if you're in a position of power/authority.

Racism is violence. It is theft of wages and wealth. It is unjustified cruelty. It is justification and rationalization of literal murders. It hurts ever single person so targeted and attempting to justify that is part of that same dynamic.

Racism includes believing that your freedom from diversity is more important than other people's lives.

Personal preference, bias, prejudice, and common-sense (e.g., awareness of danger), are not the same thing, nor are interchangeable with systemic racism, nor hysterical racism.

Also, a person's life being more important than others is a basic product of consciousness.

> Racism includes believing that your freedom from diversity is more important than other people's lives.

So why haven't the liberals that promote the mentioned point-of-view moved from their 96.7% white communities into more diverse areas?

For racism == violence:

One particular racist doesn't have to commit violence. The effect is systemic, and as a result law enforcement can be used to enforce violence on people of color.

Picture yourself in a convenient store. A black male with a hoodie on is shopping. You decide you don't like him, and notice an officer outside. You tell the officer that the man is stealing items from the store.

What do you think is going to happen? What would happen with a white male? The outcome you know would happen is what defines privilege.

"You decide you don't like him, and notice an officer outside. You tell the officer that the man is stealing items from the store"

If I do that (with any "him") I'm a nut job, asylum material. Amn't I?

In my opinion that just does not happen by sane people.

My point is the fact that the situation outlined above is easily possible is a huge problem.

To be fair, I don't really understand how it would resolve to anything than an awkward scene.

However, I understand that americans are so trigger-happy that any confusion can turn into tragedy.

Something I just ran across that is similar to the situation I posed above:

http://atlantablackstar.com/2014/09/11/man-made-911-call-led...

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