You typically interpret or use the word "racism" to mean something closer to:
A: Discrimination based on race
B: Racial discrimination performed by those in power
Conversation
Replying to
Always seemed a little redundant and semantically pedantic to define racism as an abuse of power when terms like “systematic racism” already exist. Also seems a little intellectually dishonest to use a definition of a word that everyone hasn’t agreed to before the conversation
7
Replying to
My answer’s A, but the reason a lot of thinkers use it in the B sense is bc most significant cases of discrimination come from the powerful. Yeah, in a simple sense, someone with no power can discriminate against someone with power, but it rarely has a serious, negative impact
1
3
Replying to
I would like to believe the word itself is hatred towards race while also believing superiority over another. The affect of being racist towards a race that has a higher place in society, economically/socially/culturally, can't really be looked as the same meaning. 1/2
1
1
Replying to
n is still pretty small rn but I’m curious to see how this pans out. I imagine a lot of the people who get chewed out for claiming racism against white people are claiming the former but it’s often interpreted as the latter
1
Replying to
Both meanings are valid, A is the more commonly used definition though. It's an issue when people conflate the two as if they're identical
Replying to
I don't think it's either. It's when you consciously or unconsciously believe another is lesser because of their race. A lot of people, for example, accept imbalances in prison system because they believe black people are inheritantly more violent and prone to crime.
1
Replying to
The issue of power isn't specifically about race, it just happens to involve it by historical circumstance. "Races" in power could easily find themselves in the opposite circumstance.
Replying to
"performed by those in power" is way too subjective of a definition. There are FAR too many types of power.
1