[Spooky]

This was inspired by the thread about black INFPs. Is there a such thing as a racial culture?

Race: A local geographic or global human population distinguished as a more or less distinct group by genetically transmitted physical characteristics.

Culture: the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic, or age group:

I think identifying a culture with a particular race is detrimental to that race and creates a non-existent element of racism. That's not to say that racism doesn't exist, but it is exaggerated when people start labeling certain grievances against a culture as racial bigotry when the real hatred is directed at behaviors and not skin color.

Someone in the last thread claimed that the new face of racism says, "Why can't you be more like us? If you would just abandon your identity then all your problems would go away! You're only limiting yourself. You create those problems you have to deal with everyday. We had nothing to do with that." I disagree with this. When a black person tells another black person that they are acting white because they speak proper english and dress a certain way, they are doing an injustice to their own race and attributing qualities to caucasians that are not race-specifc; I know plenty of white people who can't speak proper english.

I think the brotherhood mentality that a lot of minorities adopt only perpetuates racial tension. It's not that I don't understand it to a certain extent, but I think it creates more division in society than unity. I would never walk up to a random white person and call them my "brother" even in a predominantly black environment. I would probably have more in common with a black INFP than I would a random white man in the U.S. Even at that, I wouldn't call a male INFP my brother either.

I think much of the aggression that many black people in the United States have is in response to perceived racism which is blown way out of proportion compared to the actual amount of people who dislike the color of their skin.

When I was hosting in a restaurant I learned to give black people special treatment to avoid having the race card thrown at me. I never had this problem with hispanic or asian customers. If I happened to be away from the door when multiple parties walked in, and I didn't know who came in first, if there were white customers and black customers, the black party always got sat first. One of our managers, as well as our General Manager were both black, and neither one of them acted according to the negative stereotypes that have been attributed to the so-called "black culture." Some people would accuse them of acting white, but in reality they were just being professional. This idea that Barack Obama is an exception to the "black community" is another misconception. There are plenty of professional and respectable black people in every occupation. I can almost guarantee you they didn't get there by harboring resentment towards the oppressive white monster who prevents them from being successful and takes away the educational opportunitites that are out there for anyone who is willing to take responsibility and not ruin their life with criminal/counter-productive behavior. I mention criminal activity because someone stated that black people have a higher crime rate, then attributed it to racism, which I think is absurd. The majority of those who become criminals do so because of their upringing and cultural influences, as well as internal factors. Their skin is irrelelvant.

[Lucem]

I liken the brotherhood mentality to patriotism. They serve a purpose in creating communities which support each other but they also create divisions in a larger community, whether that be nation wide or globally.

[Spooky]

I liken the brotherhood mentality to patriotism. They serve a purpose in creating communities which support each other but they also create divisions in a larger community, whether that be nation wide or globally.

It's definitely the same concept on a larger scale.

[Spooky]

Ha! I'm watching Borat tonight for the first time. Perfect timing.

YouTube - Borat In The Hood

[inservio uberfrau]

races BUILD cultures...the particular genes of a racial group shape what culture that race can build...for example, the Europeans have always had a strong streak of individualism, they would never have created a Legalist cultural structure like that which was present in China. And the Asians would never have developed the concept of socialism on their own (Communism, perhaps eventually).

[Lucem]

races BUILD cultures...the particular genes of a racial group shape what culture that race can build...for example, the Europeans have always had a strong streak of individualism, they would never have created a Legalist cultural structure like that which was present in China. And the Asians would never have developed the concept of socialism on their own (Communism, perhaps eventually).

Have you read Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond?

[inservio uberfrau]

Have you read Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond?

nope, i've looked at articles on the theories espoused in it, and read other books/articles on the same topic, and geographic determinism skirts the fact that genes aren't equal

[Lucem]

nope, i've looked at articles on the theories espoused in it, and read other books/articles on the same topic, and geographic determinism skirts the fact that genes aren't equal

I think there's a vast number of factors that go into the makeup of a culture or society. To say that one single factor is the deciding one seems a bit presumptuous given that the whole issue is still being debated in academic circles.

[MNiS]

nope, i've looked at articles on the theories espoused in it, and read other books/articles on the same topic, and geographic determinism skirts the fact that genes aren't equal

Yes, I agree with Coffee Grinder this is still very much undecided. Where are you receiving this notion that the genes are the sole determining factor in assessing a person's worth?

[inservio uberfrau]

Yes, I agree with Coffee Grinder this is still very much undecided. Where are you receiving this notion that the genes are the sole determining factor in assessing a person's worth?

i didn't say sole...but they are the most important...a small change in genes has a profound impact on what you are and what you are capable of

John Entine: "We share 98.4 percent of our genes with chimpanzees, 95 percent with dogs, and 74 percent with microscopic roundworms. Only one chromosome determines if one is born male or female. There is no discernible difference in the DNA of a wolf and a Labrador retriever, yet their inbred behavioral differences are immense. Clearly, what's meaningful is which genes differ and how they are patterned, not the percent of genes. A tiny number of genes can translate into huge functional differences."