tbf that’s often where they start. It goes something like: I like Rome–>I want to see that today–>How can someone build an empire in the modern world–>Oh yeah, a few guys did try that…
I think racism is more of an independent correlation than any causative element. The cause seems to be an oversimplification of the world into “natural laws” that are poorly understood, usually surrounding a shallow understanding of survival of the fittest and hierarchical structures in animal behavior. This root branches out into both racism and authoritarianism independently.
an oversimplification of the world into “natural laws” that are poorly understood, usually surrounding a shallow understanding of survival of the fittest and hierarchical structures in animal behavior.
well put. this is why lobster discourse inexplicably drew national media coverage ~5-6 years ago.
for those dumb enough to fall hook line and sinker for the Naturalistic Fallacy and apply lobster behavior as prescriptions for how to organize human societies, it’s an easy jump to look at historical conquests/subjugation and proclaim “it’s natural for some groups to dominate others, see, it happened in the past so it must be an innate characteristic!”
an oversimplification of the world into “natural laws” that are poorly understood, usually surrounding a shallow understanding of survival of the fittest
It’s especially ironic because the only real measure of the “health” of any gene pool is its diversity. Species that lack diversity are doomed to go extinct sooner or later as the environment changes. The eugenics obsession with “racial purity” is the exact opposite of what you would want if you want your group to survive.
You have to remember that most racists don’t use the (accurate) language you’re using. They don’t think they’re racist. They don’t think about phrases like “racial purity.” They worry about birth rates, immigration, and most important, who is having children/immigrating. They’re coming at it from a more socially acceptable way that gives them plausible deniability not just for us or polite society but for themselves as well. They say things about “being replaced” and “losing our culture” because that’s easier to stomach then “I don’t want undesirables, consisting of x/y/z groups, growing in number.”
tbf that’s often where they start. It goes something like: I like Rome–>I want to see that today–>How can someone build an empire in the modern world–>Oh yeah, a few guys did try that…
I think racism is more of an independent correlation than any causative element. The cause seems to be an oversimplification of the world into “natural laws” that are poorly understood, usually surrounding a shallow understanding of survival of the fittest and hierarchical structures in animal behavior. This root branches out into both racism and authoritarianism independently.
well put. this is why lobster discourse inexplicably drew national media coverage ~5-6 years ago.
for those dumb enough to fall hook line and sinker for the Naturalistic Fallacy and apply lobster behavior as prescriptions for how to organize human societies, it’s an easy jump to look at historical conquests/subjugation and proclaim “it’s natural for some groups to dominate others, see, it happened in the past so it must be an innate characteristic!”
for a succinct (and entertaining) analysis along these lines of pseudo-intellectual justifications for fascism, i highly recommend Some More News’ takedown of Canada’s stupidest pundit
It’s especially ironic because the only real measure of the “health” of any gene pool is its diversity. Species that lack diversity are doomed to go extinct sooner or later as the environment changes. The eugenics obsession with “racial purity” is the exact opposite of what you would want if you want your group to survive.
You have to remember that most racists don’t use the (accurate) language you’re using. They don’t think they’re racist. They don’t think about phrases like “racial purity.” They worry about birth rates, immigration, and most important, who is having children/immigrating. They’re coming at it from a more socially acceptable way that gives them plausible deniability not just for us or polite society but for themselves as well. They say things about “being replaced” and “losing our culture” because that’s easier to stomach then “I don’t want undesirables, consisting of x/y/z groups, growing in number.”