I'd say definitely a derogatory racist remark or action if it's meant to be damaging. People make race jokes all the time, and they're not meant to be hurtful...a lot of it is just commentary about racial differences that do exist, which just so happen to be funny. A more apt question would be is it right to call a person a racist based on an assumed snub or critique, even though said person never mentioned race.
Sony one who imputes a particular type of behavior or thought to be based on race, whether of suggesting that one is superior because of Aryan heritage, or that blacks are "bred" to have superior athletic ability. "typical white person..." certainly qualifies as a racist remark. i wouldn't want to impugn a person's entire character on a single remark, i'd want to look at past behavior, associations, etc. certainly if one spent 20 years passively listening as the most hateful, vile, venomous rhetoric towards "others" was spewed from a position of authority in one's community, and one only felt the need to "call them out" when one's ambitions were threatened...whether you could say such a person were a racist or not, the behavior certainly offers us a clue about character.
I agree. Although I guess I'm curious to know what kind of racism is "over the line". I mean, suppose you try to stay away from a black pedestrian walking towards you at night. Is that racism?
A person who has less concern for the collective welfare of another racial group compared to his own, despite those groups being less well off. Not an all-encompassing definition, but I'd rather not paint with too broad a brush.
I agree with this but this is 2009...racists have become pretty crafty at hiding their intent. Calling someone a racist (or trying to figure out if they are one) is a complete waste of time. When klansmen start "redefining" what they are, you know any racist in the general public with half a brain is trying to hide it. Ultimately racists end up making stupid comments or have irrational thought processes which should hurt them if they are in any position of power.
One significant strain these days is the calculated and intentional use of anti-racist language to create a false equivalency that justifies the subtle (or sometimes not) racism of oneself or the group that one supports.
If you can truly say that a person thinks another race is inferior in some way, then they are a racist. You can come to this conclusion by amounting a series of actions/involvements together.
