Are you racist?

[blueerica]

I would actually agree with you, GD, quite a bit. There are things that I do, food preferences, sense of humor, that I share with family members I only see occasionally... but I see those similarities on a micro level, not a macro level. It is the society in which these various ethnicities grow through that creates a label on themselves as a group, and the labels we apply toward one another, as groups.

For myself, I have a hard time justifying having a belief about someone before I get to know them, based on their ethnicity. I cannot know the circumstances of how someone's life has affected them, or how someone's genetics may or may not have played a role. DNA within an ethnic group plays a far greater role in terms of biological function, shared genetic weaknesses (diabetes, various diseases and "syndromes"), or even strengths, than personality, or ability to think, which is where the center of most "racist" thought comes from. Crazy is as crazy does, and crazy can be genetically transferred on (loose terms) in the micro level, whether you're black, white, red, yellow or brown. I just don't see the argument genetics even playing a deciding role on a person's behavior.

On a side note, a long looong time ago I dated a black man. When I decided that we would be better off as friends, the first thing out of his mouth was "It's because I'm black, right?! I didn't pin you for being a racist..." I was shocked. My reasons were only because the conversation was a little dull for my tastes, but I never did forget his immediate reaction - the assumption that *I* was racist, likely only on account of my being white.