Quote: Frankie Rage @ September 27, 2007, 4:10 PMIf you are accused of being a racist, it's sort of hard not to take it a bit personally!
Take it with a smile and a pinch of salt! Only you can ever really know your true beliefs and opinions, let alone over the famously expressive (ahem) medium that is the Internet. I'll quite happily and freely admit to being what some would term as racist - but not maliciously so. I don't hate all "darkies" and think they should be lined up and shot or anything ridiculous. I don't think that I'm better than them (well, I am, but not because of their colour, race, etc ). Etc etc. I reserve the right, however, to crack the odd "racist" joke now and again, and to laugh at the same.
My OED tells me that racism is another word for racialism, and the defintion of that is..
Belief in the superiority of a particular race leading to prejudice and antagonism towards people of other races, especially those in close proximity who may be felt as a threat to one' cultural and racial integrity or economic wellbeing.
...So if that doesn't sound like it matches you, just take pity on those who think you are racist, safe in the knowledge that you are not.
Quote: Frankie Rage @ September 27, 2007, 4:10 PMSweeties: Have you got any of those flying-saucer ones?
Yep. But they're all for me. *munch munch munch*
Quote: Godot Taxis @ September 27, 2007, 8:06 PMYou can hear about immigrants 'overwhelming' the resident population from your local BNP representative any day of the week.
Sorry Godot, but that part of your argument is weaker than a supermodel. Whilst what a member of the BNP says may be racist, they are not one and the same. (Of course, one could get into a debate again here as to what racism is, but moving on.) Anyway, I am certain that pretty much every BNP member will at some point have said something along the lines of "I love roast chicken".
Does that make it racist because it's from the mouth of a BNP member? No.
Even more applicably, I've seen BNP policies which are shockingly common-sense and correct-thinking, with not a hint of racism anywhere in them. One in particular which springs to mind was the promise of taking care of soldiers and ex-soldiers, who have served to protect our society and freedoms, but have then just been left on the scrap heap. There was no mention nor suggestion of anything relating to race in that one.
In any case, the real issue is not so much of immigrants overwhelming the "resident population", but of the system. We do not have the infrastructure to cope with the ridiculously high numbers of people moving to the country at the moment. And that's not racist, it's just common sense.