Is "Culturism" as bad a "rascism?"

[manualman]

Internet anonymity is nice for some things!

I have a confession. I may be a ‘culturist.’ I know I’m not a racist. I have far too many friends and aquiantences of too many colors to be.

But I find I’m inherently suspicious and a bit hostile to much of the cultural expressions of the African American community. For example: Imagine its a dark night, I’m on the street outside a restaurant and need to know how much time I left left before my parking meter runs out. If a black man in a business suit walks by, I have NO problem asking if he has the time. Put the same black man in an NBA jersey, a bunch of gold chain, a swaggering walk and perhaps a bandana and there’s no way I’m going to approach him with conversation.

I don’t think that’s racist. I’m not worried about his skin color. I’m worried about what his clothes, his walk and his body language are saying about him.

And it isn’t just fear of violence. It’s a suspicion that there is a massive ‘bad is good’ culture that I can’t relate to or understand.

Is this just a subtler racism on my part that I need to work on, or is there something less cut and dried going on in America’s race relations? America has shown a big step forward in electing a black man president (regardless how we catholics feel about his moral stances), but would Obama have had a chance at all if ALL his ideas, messages and positions were the same, but he spoke more like Eddie Murphy? I think not. Is that a bad thing or is it good for us to accept people regardless of their color, but be critical and discerning regarding their culture (rejecting what is bad and accepting what is good)?

Discussions?

 

[Nick_in_MB]

But I find I’m inherently suspicious and a bit hostile to much of the cultural expressions of the African American community. For example: Imagine its a dark night, I’m on the street outside a restaurant and need to know how much time I left left before my parking meter runs out. If a black man in a business suit walks by, I have NO problem asking if he has the time. Put the same black man in an NBA jersey, a bunch of gold chain, a swaggering walk and perhaps a bandana and there’s no way I’m going to approach him with conversation.

What would your opinion be if you removed the skin color?
I’m going to be apprehensive if a white guy wearing the same type of clothes was nearby.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

I’m going to be apprehensive if a white guy wearing the same type of clothes was nearby.

I was gonna say…

 

[apromisemade]

I think the two are not exactly the same but both have the same problem.

Racism is I don’t like people who don’t look like me. Culturalism is I don’t like people who don’t act like me.

They are not the same, just different degrees of eachother.

 

[Cracker_Mom]

Internet anonymity is nice for some things!

I have a confession. I may be a ‘culturist.’ I know I’m not a racist. I have far too many friends and aquiantences of too many colors to be.

But I find I’m inherently suspicious and a bit hostile to much of the cultural expressions of the African American community. For example: Imagine its a dark night, I’m on the street outside a restaurant and need to know how much time I left left before my parking meter runs out. If a black man in a business suit walks by, I have NO problem asking if he has the time. Put the same black man in an NBA jersey, a bunch of gold chain, a swaggering walk and perhaps a bandana and there’s no way I’m going to approach him with conversation.

I don’t think that’s racist. I’m not worried about his skin color. I’m worried about what his clothes, his walk and his body language are saying about him.

And it isn’t just fear of violence. It’s a suspicion that there is a massive ‘bad is good’ culture that I can’t relate to or understand.

Is this just a subtler racism on my part that I need to work on, or is there something less cut and dried going on in America’s race relations? America has shown a big step forward in electing a black man president (regardless how we catholics feel about his moral stances), but would Obama have had a chance at all if ALL his ideas, messages and positions were the same, but he spoke more like Eddie Murphy? I think not. Is that a bad thing or is it good for us to accept people regardless of their color, but be critical and discerning regarding their culture (rejecting what is bad and accepting what is good)?

Discussions?

I don’t know about the cultural issues, but I’d say if you saw someone wearing gang-type clothing approaching you after dark in our town, you’d be wise to put some serious space between the two of you.
I’d vote for Alan Keyes any day & he’s a whole lot “blacker” than Obama. I don’t know exactly what culture Mr. Obama would claim, anyway.Starbucks culture? Whole Foods culture? He doesn’t really have much connection to black folks in America culturally.Just my two cents.
And for the record, I don’t see much good stuff going on in American culture, black or white, nowadays anyway.

 

[Nick_in_MB]

I was gonna say…

?

I probably could have worded my response better.

I don’t know about the cultural issues, but I’d say if you saw someone wearing gang-type clothing approaching you after dark in our town, you’d be wise to put some serious space between the two of you.

That’s what I was trying to say.

 

[KDB]

Some cultures are better than others.
Some cultures are violent, tolerant of criminality and in general have a low regard for human life.
Some cultures promote education, art and peaceful coexistance. Others treat those things with distane.

If you want proof study the Aztecs. I will not mention the things they did here.

 

[apromisemade]

Some cultures are better than others.

What do you mean by “better”?

If you’re going to start comparing cultures that existed hundreds if not thousands of years ago, you’re walking a tight rope.

The Aztecs, for one, believed human sacrifice was the only way to ensure a sufficient harvest for which the survival of everyone was necessary. People who were sacrificed believed that they would go straight to their version of heaven as a result.

Europeans, not to mention we Americans, frankly have been guilty of equally barbaric deeds.

Need I remind you it was a European country that instigated the Holocaust. We Americans condoned slavery for far too long on the grounds that it was an economic necessity.

People do what works for them. Nations do what the believe is necessary for their survival and continued growth. That doesn’t make one culture better than another.

 

[Cracker_Mom]

What do you mean by “better”?

If you’re going to start comparing cultures that existed hundreds if not thousands of years ago, you’re walking a tight rope.

The Aztecs, for one, believed human sacrifice was the only way to ensure a sufficient harvest for which the survival of everyone was necessary. People who were sacrificed believed that they would go straight to their version of heaven as a result.

Europeans, not to mention we Americans, frankly have been guilty of equally barbaric deeds.

Need I remind you it was a European country that instigated the Holocaust. We Americans condoned slavery for far too long on the grounds that it was an economic necessity.

People do what works for them. Nations do what the believe is necessary for their survival and continued growth. That doesn’t make one culture better than another.

Well, I think there are advantages to Western Judeo/Christian culture but we have our share of mistakes, too.
My thought would be, which culture would I choose to live in? It sure wouldn’t be the Aztecs.From what I’ve read, they sacrificed prisoners of war & by that means supplied a needed source of protein to the population.The Aztec civilization may have been on the skids when the first Europeans came.

 

[GodIsGracious]

About the Aztecs being so “barbarian.”

1. “Aztec” is a European name, it’s Nahuatl.
2. They had equal and advanced education, for BOTH boys AND girls.
3. They had mathematician and great astronomers long before some cultures that are venerated for much of the same abilities.
4. Much of what is written about the Nahuatl were from a European perspective in order to label and brand them as “savages” in order to justify their genocide.

I’d rather have been “Aztec” than European or Greek.

 

[Cracker_Mom]

About the Aztecs being so “barbarian.”

1. “Aztec” is a European name, it’s Nahuatl.
2. They had equal and advanced education, for BOTH boys AND girls.
3. They had mathematician and great astronomers long before some cultures that are venerated for much of the same abilities.
4. Much of what is written about the Nahuatl were from a European perspective in order to label and brand them as “savages” in order to justify their genocide.

I’d rather have been “Aztec” than European or Greek.

I admit the Aztecs were ahead of where Europeans were at the time of their “savageness” in the Pre-Christian era .Europeans practiced human sacrifice & did nasty stuff, too.
I’m just glad we had Christian missionaries convert Europe so my family’s still not painting ourselves blue & throwing bodies down wells.

 

[Ahimsa]

I admit the Aztecs were ahead of where Europeans were at the time of their “savageness” in the Pre-Christian era .Europeans practiced human sacrifice & did nasty stuff, too.
I’m just glad we had Christian missionaries convert Europe so my family’s still not painting ourselves blue & throwing bodies down wells.

Yes, well, melting ice-caps and an economy based on non-renewable energy is nothing to sneeze at, either.

 

[GodIsGracious]

Okay… back on topic. Now, I’m no ethnographer/sociologist/or social anthropologist, just an armchair one.

I think what you’re inherently reacting to are a culture’s outward symbols. The Crips and Bloods gang members flare their colours as an indicator of their gang loyalty. And a gang is a type of culture. So cultures actually do have their “uniforms” and their uniforms can have various meaning based on their immediate environment.

We can see an individual wearing a basket ball jersey and shorts walking down the street. He could, presumably, be a basket ball player. Now, if he’s got the flipped cap and bling going, well we’re going to make other assumptions about the culture the individual is trying to express. We seriously doubt a basket ball player fresh off the court walking home will be wearing bling, right? But you never know.

A man in a business suit, on the other hand, we associate with being a professional, in a business culture. And we make assumptions about professionals. Since they’re “professional” we may assume that they have some modicum of decency, or might be nice. But consider, the tycoons of Wallstreet, the “villains” of the American economy as of late, were necessarily “nice.”

Each culture has its uniform - an outward symbol of who they are and what they represent. People wearing a particular culture’s uniform generally want to be associated with the culture. They may view the culture positively, while the rest of society may have a negative view of it.

I don’t think “culturism” is as bad as “rascism” when you consider that people will dress according to the culture they identify with. Bear in mind that it’s not all about the person who is wearing a particular type of clothing, but the person perceiving that person as well.

 

[GodIsGracious]

I admit the Aztecs were ahead of where Europeans were at the time of their “savageness” in the Pre-Christian era .Europeans practiced human sacrifice & did nasty stuff, too.
I’m just glad we had Christian missionaries convert Europe so my family’s still not painting ourselves blue & throwing bodies down wells.

Likewise!

I believe I have ancestry in the Nahuatl, but I’m not so sure. I can only speculate at this point.

Right now, the main interest I have is in the Aztec calendar. It’s quite nifty!

 

[Jack17]

I used to be racist when I was younger (before teenage; mostly on who I would married), but I realize that’s silly, and degrading to humans. I have no problems with ‘gangster’ dress people or any person’s clothing, since I used to live in a city with these type of people all around. I could be in a room with them, and I wouldn’t care, since I am not afraid of others. I cannot be prejudice just base on fashion.

KDB, that’s a foolish assumption. All cultures are equal, it’s only the individual, not the culture. Every culture known to man did wrong, but every culture known to man also brought good. Don’t forget that the Europeans had cause a lot of deaths with their diseases, killings, and forcing their religion down the Indigenous people which I think is a work of Satan because they forced and treated them awfully like they were subhuman. If you really think of it the only reason why slavery from Africa started was because the Indigenous people died here, and Africans being closer to Europe were more immune to their diseases.

That’s sick.

 

[Cracker_Mom]

I used to be racist when I was younger (before teenage; mostly on who I would married), but I realize that’s silly, and degrading to humans. I have no problems with ‘gangster’ dress people or any person’s clothing, since I used to live in a city with these type of people all around. I could be in a room with them, and I wouldn’t care, since I am not afraid of others. I cannot be prejudice just base on fashion.

KDB, that’s a foolish assumption. All cultures are equal, it’s only the individual, not the culture. Every culture known to man did wrong, but every culture known to man also brought good. Don’t forget that the Europeans had cause a lot of deaths with their diseases, killings, and forcing their religion down the Indigenous people which I think is a work of Satan because they forced and treated them awfully like they were subhuman. If you really think of it the only reason why slavery from Africa started was because the Indigenous people died here, and Africans being closer to Europe were more immune to their diseases.

That’s sick.

Supposedly, some cultures are based on Christianity. Or in earlier Bible times, on Judaism…Even though they fail at times, these cultures score higher for me than say the folks who worshiped Moloch & pitched their children into the flames.Or headhunters, or cannibals, or temple prostitutes,etc…Undoubtedly folks do the best they can sans Christ, but I don’t believe all cultures score equally.
Most cultures at some point in time were “indigenous”, & spread disease (which isn’t necessarily sinful in itself), forced their religion on others,treated their neighbors shamefully & practiced slavery.That Christians failed in their mission to treat others as they would treat Christ is worse in a spiritual sense because we should know better, but no different than the rest of fallen humanity’s history.

 

[apromisemade]

Supposedly, some cultures are based on Christianity. Or in earlier Bible times, on Judaism…Even though they fail at times, these cultures score higher for me than say the folks who worshiped Moloch & pitched their children into the flames.Or headhunters, or cannibals, or temple prostitutes,etc…Undoubtedly folks do the best they can sans Christ, but I don’t believe all cultures score equally.

If the standard by which you “score” a culture is how well they adhere to the example of Christ, good luck finding one you will be in the least bit comfortable with.

 

[JKirkLVNV]

?

I probably could have worded my response better.

That’s what I was trying to say.

I was agreeing with this statement:

“I’m going to be apprehensive if a white guy wearing the same type of clothes was nearby.”

 

[KDB]

About Aztec / Nahuatl. Priests: three possibilities 1) they made deals with inhuman things that enjoyed human sacrifice 2) they thought they did. 3) They were inhuman things that enjoyed human sacrifice. My guess is #3 but regardless I’m not giving professional baby stabbers any slack.

My Irish ancestors fed their kids to bloodthirsty monsters also. Legend says the whole island was converted in a single year. Maybe that’s because Christianity offers protection from “unclean spirits” (I can’t give you chapter and verse on that, sorry). They would have jumped and the chance to get out of the “contract” the druids insisted they fulfill. We got a cultural upgrade from the Romans (who stole it from Jews, Greeks, etc.)
Of course all cultures have done good and evil. Of course all have good and bad points.
When I said “better” in my earlier post I defined it: higher regard for human life. Some cultures allow rape, some keep slaves, some encourage young men to settle differences with a sword. Some teach their kids that all other peoples are less than human.

Culture varies slightly from house to house. Look around your town. Tell me some people don’t have a better culture than others.
If this bugs you (bugs me!) work to educate, don’t deny it.

 

[Culturist_John]

Hey all,

I have written a book entitled Culturism: A Word, A Value, Our Future. I am a culturist.

Culturism is the opposite of multiculturalism. Multiculturalists do not really believe in diversity. They call all who point out the negative parts of diversity racists. This means if you mention a criminal strain in inner-city black culture, you are racist.

Racism is stupid and dangerous.  But since cultural diversity is real, culturism is necessary.  Statistics would certainly bear out your concerns about inner-city youth with gang attire being more prone to violence.  

 When we cannot point this out, we all lose.  Multiculturalists in public schools blame all differences in achievement on the system being 'racist.'  We then spend our time scouring practices for hidden racism.  This also teaches kids that America is a racist nation.  This justifies an oppositional stance to "the man" and achievement.  

 If we were to acknowledge that cultural diversity means some cultures prefer getting pregnant early to finishing school, we would be able to speak frankly about cultural practices.  This would improve our schools and help our self-image.

 Internationally, culturism does not claim superiority for the West.  Islamic nations think they're the best and have culturist laws to protect and promote their core culture. China does the same.  All nations are culturist.  Western culture is not 'superior' but it is ours.  

  Unlike multiculturalism, culturism acknowledges that the West has a traditional majority culture.  We go back to Athens and Jerusalem.  It is not just as western to be Islamic and fight for Sharia law as it is to be Judeo - Christian.  All nations promote and protect their core culture; they are culturist.  We have a right to do so also.  Otherwise, we may find out we are not superior in the ultimate sense of the word - survival.

 [www.culturism.us](www.culturism.us) has more information, free videos and a blog.

 Thanks, Culturist John