he difference between racism and bias or prejudice

[daddyhominum]

I am astounded to learn the facts. i always thought that religion involved a belief in the supernatural, I guess because that is what the dictionary claims.

As I have no belief in a supernatural event , let alone a supernatural being, I thought I was free of religion.

Actually I still think I have no religion, private or organized to force on others.

But I do recognize that Canadian law and tradition recognizes that citizens are free to believe whatever they want, including not cutting one's hair and wearing a turban to cover it. Religious practices are actually protected by tradition.

You can find underage drinkers sipping wine at every communion service which is against the law. Surprisingly, Muslims who totally oppose the consumption of alcohol do not try to force Christians to stop that practice.

Certainly I admire anyone who is determined not to wear a turban standing by those principles.

But insisting that another cannot wear a turban is very un-Canadian.

Or is that my religion: My belief that Canadian law and tradition of inclusiveness for all religions and races is worth defending. Maybe you think that is a supernatural event...brotherhood and mutual respect. I won't force it on you but the laws of Canada will.

(This is where you jump in and declare I've threatened you.

[Rue]

Human beings are born into an environment they do not understand. So in an attempt to try give shape and form and meaning and explanation to our environment we postulate or think.

Our brain is structured to engage in cognitive processes that simplify the above exercise and make it less

daunting or overwhelming by labeling and categorizing our thoughts.

It is a natural cognitive process to generalize.

We all do it.

Now to simplify and make things easier to understand, as we generalize and label, we preconceive. We come up with beliefs ahead of time and then refer to them as we venture into something we find new or unknown. We refer back to those preconceived beliefs like a child does a security blanket. It gives us something to refer to and it makes us feel less afraid of what we find unfamiliar.

It is human nature to be afraid, or anxious or scared of that which is not familiar to us. This anxiety or dicomfort or fear is most often expressed by acting out the opposite of what we really feel. So when we

become frightened we act all tough and we become full of bravado and ridicule that which makes us

insecure because we are not familiar with it.

So it is that simple really. We see people from a culture we do not understand, we are quick to fill that vacum or lack of knowledge of that culture by inserting pre-arranged references we fall back on to make us

feel safe.

So we have preconceptions about people of different colour, age, sex, gender preference. religion, ethnic beliefs, weight, size, physical abilities, mental abilities, and so on.

Racism is one of many examples of the act of humans generalizing. People immediately think racism is bad.

Well the fact is when we hold racist views that are positive or generalize people in perceived group in a complementary manner it is not necessarly bad.

Where we get into trouble is when our generalizations set up negative generalizations.

So I would summarize and say, its not the generalizations or need to simplify and label which gets us in trouble, its when we use such exercises to promote hatred and negative thoughts.

We all have the potential for evil and good, negative and positive. How we choose to exercise it is ultimately our individual choice, and so some of us will go through life hating that which we perceive is different and ridiculing it to make it seem less scary, and some of us will go through life trying to understand and embrace that which we do not understand, also in an effort to make it seem less scary.

Either way our attempt is trying to make our environment seem less frightening and more understandable.

Obviously it probably is preferable to try create good and positive belief patterns from our experiences and generalizations as opposed to negative ones.

Now although all humans have been shown in tests to be the only life form that kills simply for the sake of killing, and hating, the same thing that gives us such weaknesses that doom us to war and intolerance, also is what gives us the ability to learn to cooperate and create through social cooperation making us stronger and more likely to evolve.

These days it just feels like for me that we have become primative naked apes to busy throwing rocks at each other and sticking our butts in each others' faces in mock defiance.

[Melanie_]

Why should Canadians have to accept rulings such as the 'turban issue' when the federal government stays clear of concerns of followers of Canada's major religion Christianity in favour of 'for example' homosexual concerns involving gay marriage.

One religion is no more deserving of federal attention than the other but the courts appear to pay attention to Islam while ignoring concerns of it's own major Christian religion.

So what the courts are doing is promoting a racist society one that is not equal.

I for one will never adhere to any court ruling forcing the Canadian public to accept the standards of ANY private religion.

First of all, Christianity is not the government's "own" religion - we have a seperation of church and state in this country. And I doubt very much that you would refuse to adhere to a court ruling forcing the Canadian public to accept only the standards of Christianity.

Freedom of religion means that people are not hindered in practicing whatever form of religion they choose. If their religion dictates that they wear a turban, no one should stop them - really, what harm does it do you? As for gay marriage, the topic has been exhausted on several threads.

[Leafless]

Why should Canadians have to accept rulings such as the 'turban issue' when the federal government stays clear of concerns of followers of Canada's major religion Christianity in favour of 'for example' homosexual concerns involving gay marriage.

One religion is no more deserving of federal attention than the other but the courts appear to pay attention to Islam while ignoring concerns of it's own major Christian religion.

So what the courts are doing is promoting a racist society one that is not equal.

I for one will never adhere to any court ruling forcing the Canadian public to accept the standards of ANY private religion.

First of all, Christianity is not the government's "own" religion - we have a seperation of church and state in this country. And I doubt very much that you would refuse to adhere to a court ruling forcing the Canadian public to accept only the standards of Christianity.

Freedom of religion means that people are not hindered in practicing whatever form of religion they choose. If their religion dictates that they wear a turban, no one should stop them - really, what harm does it do you? As for gay marriage, the topic has been exhausted on several threads.

IMO the government of Canada has a moral obligation to support Canada's major religion similar to the U.S. In Canada Christianity was and is a positive force and goes hand in hand concerning providing the building blocks and moral fibre that holds and bonds society together building this great civilized country. And to be denounced by the federal government in favour of homosexual concerns relating to marriage was a BLACK day for Christians in Canada

Freedom of religion does not carry on to the streets of society in everyday life as this could be seen as fanatical or cultish in nature.

The point of the issue is the government has no business forcing society to accept the foreign religious dress code (turban) especially in areas of public employment as many Canadians could find this offensive. Personally I find the turban looks silly and unprofessional as well as reminding me of the fanatical Taliban in Afghanistan and would certainly want no employee of mine wearing one.

[yam]

I must congratualte you on one thing. You have revealed the source of racism and its celebration of 'pig ignorance' . . . .CHRISTIANITY. You are Unbelievable.

[jbg]

I must congratualte you on one thing. You have revealed the source of racism and its celebration of 'pig ignorance' . . . .CHRISTIANITY. You are Unbelievable.

I am Jewish and not Christian. There was no cause for that attack on Christianity. It has, with some exceptions, been a force for peace and progress in recent years.

[M.Dancer]

In my opinion it is the governments duty to protect the rights of Candians to worship as they choose, whether it is a minority or a majority religion. To do otherwise would either be a step back 200 years and put us on equal footing with religious paradises like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Somalia or to create an anti religious paradise like the USSR.

Any religion that needs gov't support doesn't deserve to survive anywhere outside a museum.

[Rue]

Getting back to the original postulation, racism, bias and prejudice, are all manifestations of the same phenomena, namely, pre-conceived values or beliefs or assumptions that can serve to interfere with and distort or enhance the cognitive process when trying to extract or formulate meaning meaning fom the abstract.

Christianity like all belief systems states pre-conceived assumptions, i.e., there is a God, Jesus is the Messiah, the only way to be saved is through accepting Jesus as your saviour, etc.

I personally reject all organized religions for the exact same reason - they are just a bit too inflexible and rigid for me. I prefer to find out my own truths without being told how to do it buy some wise-ass who then wants me to pay for his words of wisdom.

I find organized religion often a collective execise in molestation and intolerance. That of course is my personal opinion.

[Leafless]

Getting back to the original postulation, racism, bias and prejudice, are all manifestations of the same phenomena, namely, pre-conceived values or beliefs or assumptions that can serve to interfere with and distort or enhance the cognitive process when trying to extract or formulate meaning meaning fom the abstract.

Christianity like all belief systems states pre-conceived assumptions, i.e., there is a God, Jesus is the Messiah, the only way to be saved is through accepting Jesus as your saviour, etc.

I personally reject all organized religions for the exact same reason - they are just a bit too inflexible and rigid for me. I prefer to find out my own truths without being told how to do it buy some wise-ass who then wants me to pay for his words of wisdom.

I find organized religion often a collective execise in molestation and intolerance. That of course is my personal opinion.

I think you will find all socities are racist and as nothing to do with religion per say but "Dominance Hierarchy".

This is the real cause concerning indifference, incompatibility of the races.

"Dominance hierarchies can also be observed in human societies and are important phenomena to understand the organization of family, tribe or clan, work organizations, politics, etc. in normal and abnormal social situations. It is not clear how much of dominance hierarchy in humans is due to the intrinsic biology of our brains, derived from evolution, and how much is due to cultural factors."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominance_hierarchy

[Melanie_]

From your link....

A dominance hierarchy is an organizational form by which individuals within a community control the distribution of resources (goods and services) within the community.

I see nothing in this article about incompatiblilty of races. It's about community and society, which doesn't have to be limited to a single skin colour or religion.

Everyone has biases, no matter how much they might like to think otherwise. Our brains are structured to look for connections between the known and the unknown, which means we often generalize past experiences or knowledge to new situations. The trick is to recognize where that generalization is coming from and to decide if it is a valid connection to make, or if it is just the path of least resistance.

[daddyhominum]

I think you will find all socities are racist and as nothing to do with religion per say but "Dominance Hierarchy".

This is the real cause concerning indifference, incompatibility of the races.

"Dominance hierarchies can also be observed in human societies and are important phenomena to understand the organization of family, tribe or clan, work organizations, politics, etc. in normal and abnormal social situations. It is not clear how much of dominance hierarchy in humans is due to the intrinsic biology of our brains, derived from evolution, and how much is due to cultural factors."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dominance_hierarchy

The purpose of the Charter of Rights, whether Canadian, UN, or other, is to establish limits on what may play a role in the social position of individuals. Individuals will use whatever technique or information they find usefull to establish a social position. The most common is the accident of birth over which no individual has any control.

So establishing a pecking order (or any social restrictions) based on the accident of birth is made illegal in moral societies.

Social position may be a driving force in human kind but the means of establishing social position are widely varied by law and custom.

[jbg]

In my opinion it is the governments duty to protect the rights of Candians to worship as they choose, whether it is a minority or a majority religion. To do otherwise would either be a step back 200 years and put us on equal footing with religious paradises like Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan and Somalia or to create an anti religious paradise like the USSR.

Any religion that needs gov't support doesn't deserve to survive anywhere outside a museum.

At last we find something to agree upon.

The purpose of the Charter of Rights, whether Canadian, UN, or other, is to establish limits on what may play a role in the social position of individuals. Individuals will use whatever technique or information they find usefull to establish a social position. The most common is the accident of birth over which no individual has any control.

The purpose of the Charter of Special Rights, No Rights and Wrongs is to allow government to delineate rights and do only what is expressly permitted. It is the opposite of the British heritage of anything not forbidden being permitted. It is a malignant document.

[M.Dancer]

Again you are dictating your private view concerning YOUR private religion.

The turban is YOUR problem not Canadian societies problem.

We need more problems like this man....

These are his medals

And yes, that is the Victoria Cross

[M.Dancer]

...unmm trust me.....they are glorious

[daddyhominum]

The purpose of the Charter of Special Rights, No Rights and Wrongs is to allow government to delineate rights and do only what is expressly permitted. It is the opposite of the British heritage of anything not forbidden being permitted. It is a malignant document.

When you use your own coded words to provide denotations not shared by dictionaries, your meaning becomes unclear.

Is the Charter of Special Rights the UN Declaration, the Canadian charter, or the American Bill of Rights.

I want to note that all criminal law in every country of the world is a limitation of 'right'. I also want to note that the only rights any person obtains is solely depended on the government providing that right, protecting it, and adjudicating it.

Even the idea that what is not forbidden is permitted is subject to court review and adjudication when the exercise of non-forbidden 'right' results in damages to another.

The fact is that rights are the provenance of the state whether coded or common.