[Holt]

Holt is correct:

So I wasn't imagining things. Well, no hard feelings.

I do find it rather laughable about the amount of brown-nosing that's been going around the forum on this and other topics, to the extent of a few members actually playing adopt-an-ideology as though out of some bizarre personal loyalty test. Though you can scarcely be blamed for that.

[Dr House]

Who are you referring to, Holt? I didn't adopt Dave's ideology out of any sort of personal loyalty to the man, I adopted it because it makes sense. I'm not sucking up to Dave any more than any of the commies here are to Marx.

[JRS1]

Dave - you are a racist though, arent you?

By racist I mean somebody who believes that some races are, on the whole and in todays modern society, better than others.

[Cheesecake_Marmalade]

well as long as we're making up definitions for words...

[JRS1]

CM - surely before you agree on something you need to agree what that something is?

Thats my definition, whats yours?

[Cheesecake_Marmalade]

Personally I don't see racism as much of a useful word. It's far too vague and other words do just as well to match the definition without having quite the negative and biting connotation. But certainly I see the classical use of the word racism to mean the application of institutions designed to encourage the growth of the political ethnic majority or infringe on the rights of the ethnic minority, either by preventing their hiring or establishing regulations designed to infringe on their day to day life (segregated water fountains, bathrooms, restaurants, etc). Also it could be used to mean the application of racial policies.

The other "meanings" of the word could be replaced.

[NoRapture]

The other "meanings" of the word could be replaced.

Yeah. When your promoting the growth of the "political ethnic majority", invading weak nations, bombing civilians, and torturing "enemy non-combatants" it's better to dispense with any meaning.

[Cheesecake_Marmalade]

I agree. But that's not what I meant. There are other words that are more specific than racism that talk about the same thing. Prejudice, discrimination, racialism (for the definition JRS1 brought up), etc.

[NoRapture]

There are other words that are more specific than racism that talk about the same thing.

Other words? Racism has a very specific, simple, focused, and crystal meaning. You are inferior to me because of how you look.

[Zyx]

It's true, Cheesecake_Marmalade.

By definition, a racist is one who attributes superiority to contrived 17th century categories on appearance and ancestry.

[Cheesecake_Marmalade]

That's not the word we're defining, good sirs. We're defining racism, not racist, which despite their similar roots have totally different meanings.

[Zyx]

Too bad JRS1 accused Dave of being a racist.

[Holt]

I didn't adopt Dave's ideology out of any sort of personal loyalty to the man, I adopted it because it makes sense. I'm not sucking up to Dave any more than any of the commies here are to Marx.

When called out, you should follow the Duke of Wellington's advice: Never explain, never apologise.

Explaining, or making excuses, just makes you look weak. You should simply brazen it out. Works for me every time.

[Dr House]

I haven't apologized for it.

[Cheesecake_Marmalade]

You did explain though.

Dave's ideology is totally flawed because eugenics completely ignores the duty of the government to its populace. A society like that just can't function, because there is no one able to indiscriminately apply eugenics.

[Zyx]

Dave's ideology is totally flawed

Biggest understatement of the year.

[Cheesecake_Marmalade]

Nah, he just has different morals than the rest of us, which isn't really a bad reason to reject an ideology since all morals are arbitrary anyway.

[Zyx]

all morals are arbitrary anyway.

Situational and arbitrary are two different notions.

[Cheesecake_Marmalade]

But they really are arbitrary. Our morals are based on nothing but supposition and culture.

[Zyx]

That's not what arbitrary means.

You can't just throw around the word 'arbitrary.'

There are huge philosophical debates on whether anything can truly be 'arbitrary.' Among the least contended is morals.