What is racism?

[€uroMeinke]

Originally Posted by Ghoulish Delight

So if there IS a genetic component to personality, then there's a good chance that there will be racial similiarities in that respect.

I think the problem has been that while there are genetic componants for these things - they don't breakdown in the catagories we typically call race, as the common racial categories are rather arbitrary and have changed over time. "Africans" for example tend to show the greatest diversity of genetic make-up, yet clearly the are subject to some of the greatest stereotyping.
Our nation, as another example is becoming more and more multi-racial - such that the last census had to be altered to refect that change.

As for the legislation being racist - I think the claim is made that more "latin looking" people will be stopped to verify citizenship rather than "Irish or Scandanavian looking" people. In my anecdotal experience, I never recall any of the illeagle euro-aliens I have encountered to ever have trouble with the INS.