It is a shame that the word 'racism' is so misused. It appears to be used in a way that suggests that there is something fundamentally wrong with racism. I always believed that racism simply described certain differences between races, which certainly exist, whether sociological or anthropomorphic (sorry for such a big, pompous-sounding word! I am sure things will improve when I get my Tenor sax).
Unfair racial discrimination is the thing that we abhor. Clarkson's comments were not guilty of that. They merely highlighted a perceived characteristic of people from a certain country, just like jokes heard, in every British pub, about Scots, Irish, Welsh, etc. These jokes do not constitute unfair racial discrimination. "Racial discrimination" of itself is not unacceptable, surely? Only when it leads to unfair treatment of a particular race in society. And I fail to see how jokes can constitute "racial prejudice". No-one is prejudiced.
The jokes will continue, even while critics continue to misunderstand the principal they are criticising.
I fail to see how any kind of racial discrimination can be seen as fair.
Apartheid was based on a living apart belief that the Afrikaners thought was fair to themselves and the blacks. But the rest of the world didn't think so. So who's going to decide what constitutes fair and unfair racial discrimination?
And there's a huge danger - racial stereotypes, acceptable as jokes, become part of our belief systems - and thus when we first meet someone of another race, we discriminate, subtly perhaps, but it's there. And we look for the negatives, not the positives. So if there's a stereotype, reinforced by jokes, that says a race is lazy, then we expect and find evidence to support that view... One example - I was exposed to working with Italians for the first time when I came to Germany. The stereotype was pretty much the same as the Mexicans being discussed here. But it was far from the truth - the Italians I work with are much harder working than the English I used to work with...
And one might also ask, as you live in France, don't you find the term 'les rosbif' derogatory and annoying? I do, and I'd imagine it's as offensive to us as our calling the French frogs...
The only mexican I've worked with was a super guy, slim, quiet, hard working..... And a lot of fun. But based on that I looked forward to meeting others. And found the same about others I met later.
For me, race is about heritage, and a sense of belonging. But it's also a chance to find out more about other people's cultures, beliefs, morals....
We often offend with insensitive comments. And the question is: "Where do you draw the line?" What's acceptable to you, may not be acceptable to others. Especially the people you're discussing. And starting from a base of respect for the other person is the core of avoiding problems with intolerance, however it oiginates. And part of that respect is not making poor jokes based on inaccurate, outdated stereotypes.
