Racism

Racism is the political or ideological application of the concept of race, especially in terms of racial superiority.

A vernacular use of racism extends to any form of discrimination based on characteristics which may be classified as racial, including skin color, cultural heritage, and religion. This is also known as "racial discrimination".

Racism is and has been official policy in many countries. In the 1970s Uganda expelled tens of thousands of ethnic Indians. Malaysia has discriminatory laws limiting access to university education for the ethnic Chinese. Some forms of government sponsored racism are less overt. For example, many police jurisdictions of the United States practice racial profiling, where members of certain racial minorities are the targets of closer police scrutiny.

One specific kind of racism is anti-semitism, racism against Jews, which has been common in many countries in Europe, North America, and the Middle East. In the United States and elsewhere (notably Germany), white racists are behind a closely-watched white supremacy movement.

In 1994, a book called The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, by [Richard J. Herrnstein]? and [Charles Murray]? (New York: Free Press), created a huge controversy in the United States. (We're going to want to represent this controversy as fairly as possible...)

Also see collectivism, hate crime, [civil rights movement]?, race, white supremacy, apartheid, race riot, white trash

/racial and ethnic slurs--a discussion moved from "white trash"

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Here is the old version of this article:

Racism is the belief, or more often the attitude, that one race is superior to another race or races--that is, that persons of a particular race are inherently superior to people of another race, or of all other races--because race determines important moral and personal character traits and capacities. Racists often believe that members of their own race are in need of protection from the allegedly inferior or superior race or races. Racism is sometimes seen as a type of xenophobia.

Closely related to racism is [racial discrimination]?, which is discrimination based on racial grounds.

Racism is and has been official policy in many countries. In the 1970s Uganda expelled tens of thousands of Indians, merely because of their race. Malaysia has discriminatory laws limiting university access to the ethnic Chinese.

One specific kind of racism is anti-semitism, racism against Jews, which has been common in many countries in Europe, North America, and the Middle East. In the United States and elsewhere (notably Germany), white racists are behind a closely-watched white supremacy movement.

In 1994, a book called The Bell Curve: Intelligence and Class Structure in American Life, by [Richard J. Herrnstein]? and [Charles Murray]? (New York: Free Press), created a huge controversy in the United States. (We're going to want to represent this controversy as fairly as possible...)

Also see collectivism, hate crime, [civil rights movement]?, race, white supremacy, apartheid, race riot

/Talk