h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I agree totally. Those afflictions that are bad for the human race are taken out by mother nature. Anything left in is meant to be there. I think in situations it is the easiest thing to make a rasist comment because you struggle for something to come back with. At it's best racism is lack of wit, at it's worst it can become a dark warning in history.

Well you're racist if you believe in *race* as a genetically meaningful term. There really is no such thing.

If you keep that idea in your head then your half way home. The very idea that there are some how different distinct subsets of people within the human species is utter rubbish along the smae lines as minators, vampires or mermaids.

Gnomo, I dont think you're racist if your outraged by the Islamic mistreatment of women just as long as your outraged by the christian, hindu and other religions mistreatment of women. If you choose to single out one as if the others have farts that smell of roses that is racist thinking.

Doctor if you havent heard brown peolpe being accused, seriously or frivolously, of racism by white people then you dont get out enough mate. Been there, done that, got the transcripts of the investigation.

Totally exonerated.

one love

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I am talking about an entire race , not a single person

I meant a few posts back (or failed to mention) we are all the same genes irrespective of "race". We all follow different lives and therefore race does exist. My bugbear is when people use it as a detrimental form of attack.

>Well you're racist if you believe in *race* as a genetically meaningful term. There really is no such thing.

Hey Blicky, doesn't that make The Commission for Racial Equality racist?

Are we racist for making race an issue here?

There is no such thing as race?

There's no doubt that people from Nigeria are exteremely dark skinned while people from Scandinavia are pale skinned. That's race, isn't it?

And there are some things that go along with race - I've been told that black people do not float as well as white people, so they don't tend to win swimming races. But it seems to be racist to suggest that any psychological differences between a black person and a white person are caused by their race.

In the early 20th century, somebody did a study of the relative brain sizes of various different races. They chose to publish only two facts from this study: one, the size of the brain of a "white" person; two, the size of the brain of a "negro". They showed that white people have bigger brains.

What they didn't point out was that whites and negroes had the smallest brains of a list of about eight different races, being "beaten" in brain size by eskimoes, chinese, etc.

Of course, there's not much you can conclude from the size of your brain - women on average have smaller brains than men.

Also Blicky, it's indisputable that race is genetically meaningful- look at sickle cell anaemia. That's more common in people of African origin because (if I remember rightly) the same condition that causes it also protects against malaria, thus making the disorder possibility advantageous to peoples in Africa.

BTW- If I accidentally call you 'Blocky', no offence meant- it's just that I spell check my posts and the bloody thing wants to change your name .

Well I don't think that there's any genetic difference between races, but I could be wrong about that. I don't think that a blood test would tell you that someone was black/white/other "race".

While I have to take Malarone and go all loopy and wierd. I hate the little buzzy things. I used to work around Eq Guniea, it is the worst place in the worse for the bad malaria (something falciparum). People still live there and survive!

Back to race - Race is an important issue in achieving a truely multi-cultural society.

Of course there's a genetic difference between black people and white people. It's their genes that make them black or white. There's also a genetic difference between blue-eyed people and brown-eyed people.

But blood tests are not good enough yet to be able to read subtle differences like that.

Where do we draw the line between nationalism and racism. If a Scot verbally abuses an Engishman of Chinese descent is he being racist or nationalist. And while I'm at it I cannot see one positive aspect, sporting, cultural or personal of putting a St George Cross or a Saltire on your car or in your window.

How about a Union Jack?

Upside down one! In distress!

Logically the same argument pertains. The only saving grace would be that it celibrates a union, so why not wave an EU flag best of all a UN flag. By the time this little, green, warlike planet gets around to that the Vogans will have invaded.

Where do you stop. I can't feel proud coming from Lowestoft or support our countries athletes in the Olympics. Houses at school would have to stop, competitive sports a no no..........

A scotsman can be proud of scotland, a welshman proud of wales, but raise the st Georges Cross and you invoke images of racisim, yobishness. I want to be proud of being from England but I can't as I am type cast (racism again).

>>Of course there's a genetic difference between black people and white people. It's their genes that make them black or white. There's also a genetic difference between blue-eyed people and brown-eyed people.

But blood tests are not good enough yet to be able to read subtle differences like that.<<

But it's not a significant genetic difference. There's probably only one tiny area in the DNA strand that defines what colour skin you have. After all, look at that man skeleton that they found in America a few years back. There was a big furore over determining if he was European or Native American, but DNA tests wouldn't be able to tell, so they had to do it by the shape of his skull.

There reason that black people are black is the same reason that I have the same hair colour as my father. It's genetics, not race.

The original Olympic games were individual not tribal.

Never knew that! I'm all for individual Olympic games!

I have ordered a blood test thingy from National Geographic to see where my ancestors travelled from!

>It's genetics, not race.

That's what race is, a collection of small genetic differences.