So, my little brother is a racist.

[Chat-man]

Okay, so this happened a couple of days ago. My family is currently redoing the old, creepy basement to a "play room" with videogames, a carpet, a couch, and a flat screen TV. Sounds great, right? Well, turns out my brother and I, even my close friend who lives across the street, have to help do stuff down there.

We worked for hours and after we were done for the day, my dad thought it'd be a nice treat to take us to Applebees. We arrive and we get a table, order our food, eat, convince ourselves we're hungry enough for dessert. That regular stuff you do at a restaurant and everything seemed fine. Our waitress also just happened to be Asian. So, finally we got our check when my dad looked at the check and realized that the amount due was incorrect. It was above what we owed.

So, my dad called the waitress over and told her the check was incorrect. She said, "Oh, I'm so sorry about this." We all smiled and right before my dad said one more thing, my little, eight-year old brother chimes in, "But all Asians are good at math." This situation could not have been more awkward, especially since he said it so loudly that the tables around us heard him.

After my dad shot him an angry look, we just kinda sat there, in an awkward silence for about three seconds before my dad finally apologized and explained to her that it was probably just something he saw on TV. I don't think my brother at all realized what he did was wrong and I feel that might be my fault. I told a silly, racist joke about Asians and math the day before to my friend in front of him without thinking. It was just a joke, I not actually being a racist, but he took it literally.

I tried to explain to him it was a joke but I don't think he gets it.

I ruined my brother.

[Scintillating]

Yeah, and my little brother is a murderer, he stepped on a bug.

[Jester]

Kids repeat things they hear from people they look up to. Unless your little brother is lynching black men, you're fine.

[The-Psycho-Ragdoller]

What's the big deal, it's a good stereotype? I'd have laughed at it.

[Chat-man]

At 7/5/13 03:49 PM, Scintillating wrote: Yeah, and my little brother is a murderer, he stepped on a bug.

Funny, you're implying that believing in racial stereotypes doesn't make you racist.

[Metraff]

At 7/5/13 03:47 PM, Chat-man wrote: I ruined my brother.

Relax, it's just something kids do. He's just repeating what he heard, doesn't mean he's racist. I said the N word when I was about 6 if that makes you feel any better. Damn MTV.

[Chat-man]

At 7/5/13 03:55 PM, Metraff wrote:

At 7/5/13 03:47 PM, Chat-man wrote: I ruined my brother.

Relax, it's just something kids do. He's just repeating what he heard, doesn't mean he's racist. I said the N word when I was about 6 if that makes you feel any better. Damn MTV.

Well, that last sentence was sort of a joke. It sorta kills me knowing that I'm the source of his racist comment.

[argile]

But the stereotypes coming off from race are true with some exceptions ,I kind of believe that all asians are good with computers and electronics.

[NuclearInfected]

Not really racism. Children are just too dumb to control their mouths. Just another reason why they shouldn't be allowed in restaurants at all.

[Sense-Offender]

At 7/5/13 04:13 PM, argile wrote: I kind of believe that all asians are good with computers and electronics.

"I know Excel."

[HollowedPumkinz]

At 7/5/13 03:53 PM, Chat-man wrote:

At 7/5/13 03:49 PM, Scintillating wrote: Yeah, and my little brother is a murderer, he stepped on a bug.

Funny, you're implying that believing in racial stereotypes doesn't make you racist.

Because it doesn't? My god, are you that dense, is this what the liberal media has done to our youth, make them all overly sensitive pussies? Stereotypes exist because are brain takes short cuts to identify others as quickly as possible. You may have noticed that you don't know every single detail of every single person you've ever come into contact with, you may have noticed that due to this lack of information, your brain has taken information about that person that you DO know from a single glance to fill in as many blanks as we can, this short cutting leads to stereo typing as we begin to identify certain traits or behaviors unique to certain groups of people and apply those traits to ALL people belonging to that group. For instance it is well known that many many Asians hold themselves to a strict schooling by their parents who emphasize math and science. Since this a well used technique throughout many Asian cultures one could assume and probably assume correctly that they might be good at math, does that mean its always true? Of course not but one would not willingly interrogate and Asian on their schooling just to affirm a good probability.

When you're brother looked at your waitress, the first thing he noticed was her race, this the first thing EVERYONE notices. Since he knows and couldn't possibly know ANYTHING else about her, his brain started drawing conclusions and making inferences about her from that first glance alone like everyone does. From there, and due to the context of the situation, your brother made the assumption that due to her race that her miscalculation was odd. That is not racist, oh dense one, he was simply applying a stereotype he learned from previous information gathered about her race that his brain applied to her subconsciously.

Most people know that assumptions can be wrong and chose not to point them out, but he is young and didn't know better. Get over it.

[Sinitron]

your idiot little brother has more balls than the rest of your entire family

you should PRAISE him for being more cool than you, NERD

[PotHeadParadise]

I would prod your brother with a baseball bat. racism is not needed in this world. fuck racism. If a hispanic want money I would give him money instead of making him mowing my lawn.

[4761]

I don't really feel you should use the term 'racism' here. Your brother was just stereotyping that woman. At worst, he was being racially insensitive. Either way, 'racist' should really be more reserved to people who actively treat or think of other racial or ethnic groups as inferior (in mostly every way) and believe that they should adhere to a particular racial role in society. You can't bend the definition so far that you are labeling minor offenders something as villainous as 'racist'.

However, I do believe that your brother was being a tad rude (sensible, given his age) and should be taught not to blurt out stereotypes in front of other people. Even though it is okay to stereotype people on some degree (thinking that a black man may have a better athletic advantage, a child is weaker than the average adult, an old woman is more feeble than you are), you should not just create a situation where you have absolutely no doubt that your stereotype is untrue.

In other words, if you see an Asian woman and think to yourself "Well, statistically, Asians are more math and science-focused than any other racial demographic" then it is reasonable to assume that that particular Asian woman might have a mathematical or scientific upper hand. However, it is not a guarantee and therefore you should not expect her (as in demand) that she perform any better than any other person. You should also not just select her to perform tough mathematical or scientific calculations just because she is of a particular ethnicity. If she screws up, no one should blurt out her stereotype as it only serves to embarrass and constrain her into a conservative role in society.

Same thing applies to blacks. Statistically, blacks have a higher rate in crime and other negative aspects of life. However, if you meet a black stranger, you should not tell him to "stay away" or ostracize him just because he's black. Expectations should never be acted on as it creates an uncomfortable environment for anyone of that race, even the people who do not adhere to that conservative role in society.

Even positive stereotypes should never be acted on. Telling an Indian person that they are good at math and computers may be flattering, but is untrue and may even hurt their feelings. The reason for this is that if you don't adhere to a particular stereotype, you feel like an outcast and someone who's different even when that's okay. Making these blatant stereotypical comments, no matter how positive, only forces expectations on the other person and sends the message that "Hey, you're living your life wrong. You should live your life on how most of your race group lives it!" Not only that, it makes them feel like they are less of an individual and more of a collective glob of sameness and unoriginality.

All things considered, if you want to stereotype; do it in your head. Calling someone out on it is just disrespectful, risky, and just unnecessary. Also, you should never let your expectations guide your decisions (major ones). You should test any and all subjects you have been making them undergo mathematical/scientific examinations rather than cherry-picking who is Asian or white. It isn't racism, and it isn't that horrible of a thing to do, but you should best avoid it when possible.

[BumFodder]

At 7/5/13 04:32 PM, HollowedPumkinz wrote:

At 7/5/13 03:53 PM, Chat-man wrote: Funny, you're implying that believing in racial stereotypes doesn't make you racist.

Because it doesn't? My god, are you that dense, is this what the liberal media has done to our youth, make them all overly sensitive pussies?

Are you really this retarded or are you pretending?

[Natick]

At 7/5/13 04:32 PM, HollowedPumkinz wrote:

At 7/5/13 03:53 PM, Chat-man wrote: Funny, you're implying that believing in racial stereotypes doesn't make you racist.

Because it doesn't? My god, are you that dense, is this what the liberal media has done to our youth, make them all overly sensitive pussies?

please stop

[Boomstick]

At 7/5/13 06:34 PM, BumFodder wrote:

At 7/5/13 04:32 PM, HollowedPumkinz wrote:

At 7/5/13 03:53 PM, Chat-man wrote: Funny, you're implying that believing in racial stereotypes doesn't make you racist.

Because it doesn't? My god, are you that dense, is this what the liberal media has done to our youth, make them all overly sensitive pussies?

Are you really this retarded or are you pretending?

He's just way too thick-headed to see how retarded he is, so it's really no use.

[Entice]

At 7/5/13 04:32 PM, HollowedPumkinz wrote: When you're brother looked at your waitress, the first thing he noticed was her race, this the first thing EVERYONE notices.

The first thing I usually notice about women is their tits

[WiiFittoToreinaa]

Before he picks up words like fuck/cock/shit add a parental block app.

[Piggler]

I'm going to send your little brother seasons 1-3 of The Boondocks to further his education.

[tox]

oh look another ruined mind

[WiiFittoToreinaa]

At 7/5/13 07:38 PM, Piggler wrote: I'm going to send your little brother seasons 1-3 of Drawn Together (+ the movie) to further his education.

*fixed

[Natick]

At 7/5/13 04:32 PM, HollowedPumkinz wrote: When you're brother looked at your waitress, the first thing he noticed was her race, this the first thing EVERYONE notices.

whoa, wait i didn't noticed this

so not only are you trying to fly your racist tendencies under the radar but you're also trying to throw everyone off the bridge of common sense along with you

who the hell are you to say that the first EVERYONE notices about some one else is their race? you've always been the most pretentious and quite possibly god-awful poster on this forum because of your incessant whining, desire to please everyone simultaneously and uncontrollable itch to speak out on subjects that you clearly know nothing about with needlessly long paragraphs that no one in their right mind reads from beginning to end but now you're attempting to say everyone views a single person the way you do and anything other wise is duh liberel mediah's fualt oh boo hoo hoo...

don't respond to this because i've stopped laughing at how low you're willing to sink on your own free will and i will never be in the mood to see whatever bullshit crying paragraph you attempt to throw at me while also trying to jump my balls

[HollowedPumkinz]

At 7/5/13 06:34 PM, BumFodder wrote:

At 7/5/13 04:32 PM, HollowedPumkinz wrote:

At 7/5/13 03:53 PM, Chat-man wrote: Funny, you're implying that believing in racial stereotypes doesn't make you racist.

Because it doesn't? My god, are you that dense, is this what the liberal media has done to our youth, make them all overly sensitive pussies?

Are you really this retarded or are you pretending?

If you disagree, please explain. I'd gladly elucidate the reality of the situation. Or if you'd prefer a nicer version of what I'd said, 4671 did a pretty good job explaining it out. Stereotypes are a natural occurrence of the mind, our expectations of others are manipulated by the group we categorize them as and our standards are adjusted as a result. If you saw a thin young black man, you'd probably guess he was better at running than you and possibly just an all round better athlete, that may or may not be true, but we'd think it first because of the evidence previously aggregated in our minds from seeing others of his race be very good at athletics.

However, if you'd still like to write checks you can't cash than you can always continue talking shit. No sweat off my back.

[HollowedPumkinz]

At 7/5/13 07:46 PM, Natick wrote: whoa, wait i didn't noticed this

so not only are you trying to fly your racist tendencies under the radar but you're also trying to throw everyone off the bridge of common sense along with you

who the hell are you to say that the first EVERYONE notices about some one else is their race?
baseless Ad Hominem

It's very easy to counter you but its also tiring and time consuming, as you've proven bitter and unrelentingly stubborn. It's unfortunate but I think I'll just ignore (like, actually use a tool to remove your posts from my screen) you if you have no real counter points beside ceaselessly attacking my character and never my points. It's easy to insult someone, I could do so right now with all but too much ease, but its much harder to attack a person's points now isn't it. Why you attack me without debating me is perplexing and vexing, you show little to no respect and I don't deal with people like that. If you have a counter point, speak it, going around and insulting me instead is cowardly. Say what you mean, or say nothing at all.

That said:
Please sit there and tell me the first thing you noticed were his pretty eyes.

(posted regardless of his saying he'll ignore it, he probably won't even if he doesn't reply to supplement his point)

[Entice]

At 7/5/13 08:19 PM, HollowedPumkinz wrote: Please sit there and tell me the first thing you noticed were his pretty eyes.

I can say with complete honesty that the first thing I thought was "construction worker" because of the hardhat and the denim, and I saw the picture before I knew why you put it there.

Race is a pretty big part of a person's appearance but if it's always the first thing you notice about a person I think it's fair to say that you either come from an area where there's not that many people of that race or you have some kind of fixation on race.

[Sinitron]

homestuck sux and so do u

[HollowedPumkinz]

At 7/5/13 09:19 PM, Entice wrote:

At 7/5/13 08:19 PM, HollowedPumkinz wrote: Please sit there and tell me the first thing you noticed were his pretty eyes.

I can say with complete honesty that the first thing I thought was "construction worker" because of the hardhat and the denim, and I saw the picture before I knew why you put it there.

Race is a pretty big part of a person's appearance but if it's always the first thing you notice about a person I think it's fair to say that you either come from an area where there's not that many people of that race or you have some kind of fixation on race.

I can see that point, but you must admit it is almost impossible to ignore race if you can get a good look at someone with any kind of discernible skin tone. It's gotta easily be in the top 3 things you notice. Like if instead of a construction worker he was just a guy in a shirt, it would be unlikely that you'd say "oh well the first thing I noticed was his white tee."

Thing is, this guy's brother noticed her race and commented accordingly because of the stereotypes he's learned and the context of their situation, that doesn't make him racist. A racist is someone who truly believes that a race or people is truly inferior to theirs. But stereotypes are apart of life and we all have those assumptions in our head when we notice a person's race, age, gender or just about anything else where we can categorize. This is simply because our brains take short cuts and draw early conclusions to deal with vast amounts of info , we just chose not to say them because we know there is a chance they don't adhere to them and it would be rude to guess. But a child doesn't know that, that doesn't mean he's a racist though, it's rather unfair to call him that, its so villainous when what he actually did is minor.

[Sielumetsien]

Oh look, my brother broke my vase, he must be a vandal.

[Entice]

@HollowedPumkinz

Oh yeah, I agree that the kid's not a racist. Just don't assume that race is the first thing everyone notices when they look at someone.