Quote:
Originally Posted by Premonitions
It really does bug me when people equate racism/sexism/homophobia to hate and bigotry. It really is'nt like that. And thinking that way does'nt do anything to solve the problem.
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I think you need to look up the terms. If nothing else, they're at the very least closely related.
Like, if someone is openly racist, I think it's safe to call them bigoted. You don't go spewing bile about "those damn niggers" if you, y'know, like black people.
To break it down,
Quote:
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Originally Posted by Dictionary.com
ism
/ˈɪzəm/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [iz-uhm] Show IPA
–noun
a distinctive doctrine, theory, system, or practice: This is the age of isms.
Origin:
extracted from words with the suffix -ism
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combined with race means a doctrine or system of race, which is a nice way of saying that you either believe in or actually ENFORCE racial boundaries. Homophobia on its own means, in the literal sense, as improperly-expressed as it is, an irrational fear of homosexuals. A better word might be orientationism. Homosexuals are feared, hated, and discriminated against. Where's the love and acceptance in that?
Seriously, we have the words for a reason, and we shouldn't be trying to water down the meanings. Everyone knows what they mean and what they mean isn't exactly going out and buying them flowers.