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Path: utzoo!linus!genrad!decvax!harpo!floyd!vax135!ariel!hou5f!jrt
From: jrt@hou5f.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.flame
Subject: Re: RE: racism and hi-tech
Message-ID: <307@hou5f.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 20-Jun-83 12:48:33 EDT
Article-I.D.: hou5f.307
Posted: Mon Jun 20 12:48:33 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 21-Jun-83 01:14:40 EDT
Lines: 53


   Sorry to disappoint you brian, but you are not a subconscious racist.  For
those of you that don't understand the current meanings of three 'terms',
read on:

	Prejudice: A preconceived judgement or opinion, not based on
		fact or relative merit.  An irrational attitude of hostility
		directed toward an individual, a group, a race, or their
		supposed characteristics.
		   (Note: ALL PEOPLE, I repeat ALL, have prejudices in
		     one form or another.  Martin Luther King believed in
		     this, as do most psychologists.  What separates people
		     are their actions, or how they allow their prejudices
		     to affect their lives.  see below)

	Bigotry: Acting on one's prejudices, or allowing one's prejudices
		to affect one's actions.  If you consciouly avoid, or put
		down, etc. a certain race or group, then you are a bigot.
		If you allow your feeling to control your actions, then you
		are a bigot.  If you have feelings, or gut reactions, but
		try to control, or change, or understand these feelings, then
		you are NOT a bigot.

	Racism: The act of bigotry, when in a position of power or authority.
		If you discriminate against hispanics on a personal level,
		then you are a bigot.  If you also happen to be in charge
		of hiring for a company, and you allow those feelings to
		control your work responsibilities, then you are a racist.
		If you avoid, or harrass orientals on a personal level, then
		you are a bigot.  If you are in a group, or club, or
		'fraternity', or if you are inciting others, to act as you
		feel, then you are being a racist.

    To sum up, everyone has in one form or another, prejudicial feelings.
Anyone who denies those feelings is lying to others, and worst of all, to
himself.  What is most important, is what do you DO with those feelings, and
how do you make sure that the next generation that comes into this world
has fewer of those feelings.  Stereotyping and sexism are too ingrained
in past and current society for anyone to say they are not prejudiced.  If
you don't believe this look up the dictionary definitions for 'white' and
'black'.  
    What has to be accomplished is that everyone must be made aware of
the feelings that are present in everyone, and that some constructive steps
have to be made to change those things that created them in us.  Affirmative
action meetings are in part an attempt at dealing with some of these issues.
No, they are not the only way, but they can be very constructive and they 
should not be eliminated because a few people are inconvenienced by them,
or because some people would rather bury their heads in the sand and ignore
the problems, or put them off on someone else.

		enough, enough....(for now)

			(** FRODO **)  alias hou5f!jrt