4 ms·

Looking at NBA, football and US sports in general, I don't believe that. These problems are usually more complex than "it's just racism". We have that kind of p

Looking at NBA, football and US sports in general, I don't believe that. These problems are usually more complex than "it's just racism". We have that kind of problems in Europe too.

coldtea 11y ago
Being a huge black success in NBA doesn't mean anything with regards to racism in society. Racists still enjoy sports. For them blacks athletes are like circus acts or monkeys performing for them -- they even have their favorites.
- mineshaftgap 11y ago
  Europeans have a cartoon understanding of the US, which is why they actually worry that they will be carjacked when they visit.
  - allendoerfer 11y ago
    I think most Europeans know, that most places in the US are safe. For me the difference is, that I live in the most dangerous city in Germany (statistic inflated due to giant airport) and would still walk through every street here at any time. I do not think that I would do the same in some parts of LA. So maybe my understanding of LA is a bit cartoonish - and granted you do not walk in LA anyway.
    - stefantalpalaru 11y ago
      > I think most Europeans know, that most places in the US are safe. But they really aren't. There are more murders per capita in a quiet little town like Long Beach (CA) than in Naples (Italy).
  - arethuza 11y ago
    "Europeans have a cartoon understanding of the US" Unfortunately that appears to work both ways.
  - leaveyou 11y ago
    I didn't visit US and I don't intend to do it soon(ever?), but I would have some "cartoonish" fears like: being detained/harassed/turned back in the airport for possible stupid/hostile remarks I made (who knows when, who knows on which forum) about US gov or foreign policy; Or being shot without witnesses or strangulated to death by some psychopath policeman because "resisted arrest" and so on..
  - csn 11y ago
    Many of us see the USA through your "Hollywood window", media reports and statistics. Imagine how easy it is to be worried about your personal safety. The reason I do not plan to visit is because of that image about gun-totin', mentally unstable nation out of touch with reality with bizarre and secret laws which are in the worst case enforced by trigger-happy people with less than 5 months of training. Terrifying. But you aren't actually safe from them in a different continent either: attending to a wedding in Mid East can be lethal...
- leaveyou 11y ago
  I don't know the psychology of racists but in Europe I see very often a pattern, when person A feels discriminated by person B, A would rather blame racism or xenophobia if he can, than admit he is discriminated because he has different social class, different culture|religion|sexuality, lower level of education or intelligence, unpleasant behavior or physical appearance, etc.. So when an individual gets along well with several people of a different race but he's accused of racism by others, I tend to believe the source of conflict is not racism but some other "unspecified" reasons.
  - TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
    > because he has different social class That's just classism, which is as bad as racism or xenophobia. > different culture|religion|sexuality Also inexcusable > lower level of education Which typically happens as a result of racism > unpleasant behavior or physical appearance Caused by poverty, which was caused by racism
    - leaveyou 11y ago
      Yes, I very much agree that poverty and the lack of education should be forbidden (racism and xenophobia already is). We only have to work out how to efficiently impose universal education, respect, equality, fraternity while still preserving the liberty.
    - theworstshill 11y ago
      Sounds like freedom of association is not one of your strong points.
      - leaveyou 11y ago
        racism prevents associations too.. I for example would associate with Obama's daughter but I bet she's a freaking racist
    - coldtea 11y ago
      >That's just classism, which is as bad as racism or xenophobia Depends on the kind of classism (and the direction) -- because upper classes DO have power, money, etc, and it's not some basic human right or morality to believe that they should. Else, we can describe anything with an "ism" and say it's bad. "You hate murderers? That's antimurderism".

Looking at NBA, football and US sports in general, I don't believe that. These problems are usually more complex than "it's just racism". We have that kind of problems in Europe too.

coldtea 11y ago

Being a huge black success in NBA doesn't mean anything with regards to racism in society. Racists still enjoy sports. For them blacks athletes are like circus acts or monkeys performing for them -- they even have their favorites.

mineshaftgap 11y ago
Europeans have a cartoon understanding of the US, which is why they actually worry that they will be carjacked when they visit.
- allendoerfer 11y ago
  I think most Europeans know, that most places in the US are safe. For me the difference is, that I live in the most dangerous city in Germany (statistic inflated due to giant airport) and would still walk through every street here at any time. I do not think that I would do the same in some parts of LA. So maybe my understanding of LA is a bit cartoonish - and granted you do not walk in LA anyway.
  - stefantalpalaru 11y ago
    > I think most Europeans know, that most places in the US are safe. But they really aren't. There are more murders per capita in a quiet little town like Long Beach (CA) than in Naples (Italy).
- arethuza 11y ago
  "Europeans have a cartoon understanding of the US" Unfortunately that appears to work both ways.
- leaveyou 11y ago
  I didn't visit US and I don't intend to do it soon(ever?), but I would have some "cartoonish" fears like: being detained/harassed/turned back in the airport for possible stupid/hostile remarks I made (who knows when, who knows on which forum) about US gov or foreign policy; Or being shot without witnesses or strangulated to death by some psychopath policeman because "resisted arrest" and so on..
- csn 11y ago
  Many of us see the USA through your "Hollywood window", media reports and statistics. Imagine how easy it is to be worried about your personal safety. The reason I do not plan to visit is because of that image about gun-totin', mentally unstable nation out of touch with reality with bizarre and secret laws which are in the worst case enforced by trigger-happy people with less than 5 months of training. Terrifying. But you aren't actually safe from them in a different continent either: attending to a wedding in Mid East can be lethal...
leaveyou 11y ago
I don't know the psychology of racists but in Europe I see very often a pattern, when person A feels discriminated by person B, A would rather blame racism or xenophobia if he can, than admit he is discriminated because he has different social class, different culture|religion|sexuality, lower level of education or intelligence, unpleasant behavior or physical appearance, etc.. So when an individual gets along well with several people of a different race but he's accused of racism by others, I tend to believe the source of conflict is not racism but some other "unspecified" reasons.
- TazeTSchnitzel 11y ago
  > because he has different social class That's just classism, which is as bad as racism or xenophobia. > different culture|religion|sexuality Also inexcusable > lower level of education Which typically happens as a result of racism > unpleasant behavior or physical appearance Caused by poverty, which was caused by racism
  - leaveyou 11y ago
    Yes, I very much agree that poverty and the lack of education should be forbidden (racism and xenophobia already is). We only have to work out how to efficiently impose universal education, respect, equality, fraternity while still preserving the liberty.
  - theworstshill 11y ago
    Sounds like freedom of association is not one of your strong points.
    - leaveyou 11y ago
      racism prevents associations too.. I for example would associate with Obama's daughter but I bet she's a freaking racist
  - coldtea 11y ago
    >That's just classism, which is as bad as racism or xenophobia Depends on the kind of classism (and the direction) -- because upper classes DO have power, money, etc, and it's not some basic human right or morality to believe that they should. Else, we can describe anything with an "ism" and say it's bad. "You hate murderers? That's antimurderism".