Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP 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