Quote:
Originally Posted by fleury
...The comment "you people" is pretty xenophobic to be more precise because of his history and to some degree the history of the phrase. It's not racist unless he's mentioning specific races, so unless he were to explain himself, I'm not jumping to conclusions and calling him a racist...
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This is a really great post, but I wanted to chime in on something I have seen in this thread a few times. The idea that the word "racist" is applied only woodenly to a specific understanding of "race" as a matter of descent or inherited traits is wrong. Usages of words change over time, and we are clearly living at a time when the word "racist" is applied more broadly to proponents of any and all forms of discrimination on the basis of regional origin or settlement. OED makes this clear in its primary definition of the word:
racist,
n. and
adj.
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈreɪsɪst/, U.S. /ˈreɪsᵻst/
a person whose words or actions display prejudice or discrimination on the grounds of race (see race n.6 1b, 1c, 1d). Also
in extended use: a person who is prejudiced against people of other nationalities.
So, yes. What Cherry said is racist. The implication that those who "come here" are coming from somewhere else is a recognition of regional, national, racial distinction, and to single that out for disparagement is wrong.