Ah, the "it's not racism if it's not about *race*" thing.
Problem is, THERE ARE NO HUMAN RACES. The fact itself that you establish a distinction between "racims" and "other stuff" sorta proves that
you are a racist.
Because, well, how do you say that somebody is, say, an Arab? Is a half-British person whose mother is Egyptian Arab? Well, that's hard
isn't it? There have been people in Egypt long before the tribes from the Arabian Peninsula swept there, and who is to say what part of
her genes is "Arab"? And frankly, y'know, it's not as if people aren't mixed up plenty. Time it was when a geneticist did a DNA examination
of the people residing in Italy and found that there were only two groups genetically diverse enough to be told apart - in Tuscany and in
Sardenia.
There are no human races. The "race" idea in America mostly applies to descendant of African slaves; but Africa is such a genetically
diverse mix that the only thing that distinguish these people is the color of their skin, a very superficial characteristic, and one,
as we know, that is not "really" important because there are black people who can "pass" and they are certainly still considered black
or mixed "race" at best.
There are no human races. Not only we are all, of course, capable of producing offsprings, we are all made up of far more diverse genes than
people believe - including African genes in James Watson.
[...]
Because race, my friend, is in the eye of the beholder. Race is the square hole bigoted people push you in, no matter how round you are.
And if you hate and despise people based on one fact you know about them, their faith or lack of it, their skin color, their class, their
gender, their lack of gender, the way the choose to entertain themselves in the privacy of their own bedrooms or out there in the public
square - then, my friend, you are the same sort of shit whatever you choose to call your bigotry and if you keep wasting your breath by
tracing lines in the sand, then it's your own humanity that you are condemning.
Quite a lot of bigots are targeting Muslims and hiding behind the figleaf of criticising their religion rather than their persons, but
would we accept the same excuse from somebody who goes on about "the Jews" and "Jewish influences"? Of course not. But somehow it's
still acceptable to pretend that the people who bang on about the Muslims are not doing it out of bigotry or racism, but just because
they're genuinely concerned about the illiberal nature of Islam or the oppression of women forced to wear burquas.
One telling example has been playing out in the Netherlands this week, where after a string of high profile free speech incidents, in
which e.g. art was removed from a public exhibition hall because it might offend Muslims, Geert Wilders' party, the misnamed Party for
Freedom (PVV), has set up a free speech hall int he chambers of parliament, in which such "censored" works would be shown. One clever activist,
who had remembered that certain anti-Wilders posters created by the Internationale Socialisten had been confiscated by the
police, called the PVV's bluff and entered said poster for the exhibition. Guess what? The PVV was only interested in "cases involving
Muslims".
To be fair, William Sanders using "sheetheads" to refer to Muslims is certainly no advertisment for science fiction, but at least
he's no Martin Amis who went
quite a lot further in his bigotry.
This is just a place for me to jot down some random thoughts and reactions to the news so I don't have to yell at the television or radio, or mutter to myself whilst reading the news.
Waffle
In which Reinder Dijkhuis, Adam Cuerden, Timm Brand, Geir Strøm and Jeroen Jager talk about comics, music, politics and the impending apocalypse.
Deltoid
A science orientated weblog by Tim Lambert.
Encyclopedia Astronautica
Incredibly cool site about the history of space travel, with lots of info about
the various space programs. Recommended for all spacenuts.
The Loom
A blog of biology and bioscience, written by Carl Zimmer.
Panda's Thumb
On evolutionary theory and the fight against the intelligent design loons
Pharyngula
Science, politics and the intersection between them. By PZ Myers.
Real Climate
A commentary site on climate science by working climate scientists.
