should there be laws agianst racism

[Samson]

i think that the U.S. government should start putting laws in place that punishes people for racism, sexism, classism, and every other ism there is.

i think the KKK, the Black panther party, and every race power movement should be shut down, because they are just leeches to a society that one day is going to be all mixed. Please dont say this is America we have freedom of speech... (because im pretty sure you cant walk up to a police officer and tell him to screw himself without going to jail LOL...) also is freedom of speech mean that you have the freedom to attack someone else with verbal slurs. I dont know just a thought tell me what you guys think.

[Skyler]

Shouldn't and can't be done.

It undermines freedom of speech via it's double standards of morality.

besides, laws cannot stop racism, sexism and whatever from existing.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

If we choose to outlaw racism, what would be next?

[removeduser_487563287433]

Racism is illegal in certain forms. For example, concerning employment it is illegal to discriminate on the basis of race. However, we pride ourselves on freedom of speech and it shouldn't be illegal to be a racist.

It would also be counter-productive. Give these people the ability to talk openly, like the unimportant creatures they are, and they will be openly ridiculed. Force it underground and you automatically make their beliefs more attractive.

[Samson]

It would also be counter-productive. Give these people the ability to talk openly, like the unimportant creatures they are, and they will be openly ridiculed. Force it underground and you automatically make their beliefs more attractive.[/QUOTE]

hmmmm... didnt think about it that way. but at the same time i think some people should be made example of like this guy from Texas Joe Horn. he killed two unarmed house robbers in broad daylight, and it was not even his property. Now everyone america is getting all upset and saying he should not be locked up because he was protect someone property and the other half is saying he should be shot himself... so i dont know, but the real problem is that he is white and that the people he killed were black. Now the KKK and the black panthers are makeing a show out of it.

[basics]

I don't know about America but here in Britain there are laws that cover the aspect of racism. There are so many laws that people are becoming fed up trying to reason why some exist at all. This country is becoming like your's a lawyers paradise.

You must know that law doesn't do any more than highlite the problem. It never solves it, be it racism or anything else. Some say that education is the answer but education for what? To make someone who looks, acts and believes different the same when they are not.

But then I suspect your question has more to do with violence or what could turn violent when you mention the extremists of any group and it does apply to any group no matter what they are and there are sufficient laws to cover that without adding more.

[removeduser_487563287433]

No, that's not the real problem. The real problem is that he murdered some people.

[Kiki52]

As much as I detest racism in any form, especially when it is subtly implanted in movies, TV, and computer games...
I don't think that laws against racism per se is good. However, I do think that it is good that there shouldn't be employment discrimination against blacks and stuff like that.

But in the future I do see problems, as many white supremacist groups worldwide will get more angry as the laws of the US and the western world become more anti-racist, we might unfortunately see a backlash in terrorism and other acts of violence, followed by crackdown and government tyranny resulting from that. So in other words racism does no one, the brown, white, red, and yellow man no good.

But I do agree that certain groups, like Native Americans and Australian Aboriginies need more protection of them and their culture than others. I'd like it if there was a law prohibiting anything that could be considered racist against those groups in any way shape or form in any circumstances at any time to be illegal. And it would be applied worldwide in all the countries of the world.

[Beiss]

I think racist remarks, either direct or indirect (such as on a webpage) are illegal in Sweden. That is, you are punished for making them - fine or jail, I don't know. But then, where to draw the line between racist and non-racist... isn't calling someone a "******" illegal in the US?

EDIT: Oh crap, the word was censored... ok, well, you know that word that gangsta rappers call each other, but that a white guy can never call a black guy, sometimes referred to as the "n-word"?

[Domnul Ceaşcă]

EDIT: Oh crap, the word was censored... ok, well, you know that word that gangsta rappers call each other, but that a white guy can never call a black guy, sometimes referred to as the "n-word"?

This n-word is so stupid...a white guy can`t call a black guy "******", but a black guy can call another black guy "******", altough a black guy can call a white guy "whiteboy", isn`t that a bit racist, "white boy".... altough it`s really amusing how blacks in america got the upper-hand...

[Oswald von Wolkenstein]

i think that the U.S. government should start putting laws in place that punishes people for racism, sexism, classism, and every other ism there is.

Good I find your tone to be racist sexist and classist. We'll start by having you publicly flayed alive.

er um . . . see the problem with such laws?

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Don't forget punishing them for being organisms!

@Beiss: No, it isn't illegal. It's just taboo.

[Beiss]

@Beiss: No, it isn't illegal. It's just taboo.

Ok. What if you say it to a black police officer, then? Or is it just illegal to call a police officer something that offends him/her (which the n-word probably would)?

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Ok. What if you say it to a black police officer, then? Or is it just illegal to call a police officer something that offends him/her (which the n-word probably would)?

You can call them a n if you want, it just isn't wise. You might find that the officer will try a lot harder to catch you on anything illegal afterwards.

You can say all you want to an officer, you just can't slander them.

[Maverick]

You can call them a n if you want, it just isn't wise. You might find that the officer will try a lot harder to catch you on anything illegal afterwards.

You can say all you want to an officer, you just can't slander them.

Uhhhh I know a guy who called a cop a *********** and the cop broke his arm.

You can't say all you want to an officer or anyone else, who do you think you are?

[Lawrence of Arabia]

Uhhhh I know a guy who called a cop a *********** and the cop broke his arm.

I doubt that a cop after being called any name will walk up to the person and snap their arm. Either the "guy" you know is lying through his teeth, or he came upon a corrupt cop. If we're talking about an American cop anyway.

You can't say all you want to an officer or anyone else, who do you think you are?

An American?

[Domnul Ceaşcă]

Uhhhh I know a guy who called a cop a *********** and the cop broke his arm.

You can't say all you want to an officer or anyone else, who do you think you are?

The question is, who do they think they are? NOT, "who do you think you are".

[boofhead]

The OP is so general in his introduction that he basically speaks of some vague kind of thought crime, i.e. I don't like your opinions therefore they should be illegal.

I don't think so.

A man should have any thoughts he has. That is no crime. A crime is committed when a man acts on racist/sexist/ageist/whateverthehellhisprobelmis basis and hurts another individual or group. When that group or individual has done nothing wrong except be themselves.

I disagree when legislation is in place, e.g. that a group of black guys bashes a white guy it is labelled a "race" crime and the perps get a disproportionately higher sentence than when a group of black guys bashes a black guy. That is insane. Can the judicial system really read peoples minds unless they have written in a diary "I am going to do X to an X today"?

Same as for homosexuals. A mugger may go out to target somebody, and the first likely target happens to be a gay man. Is not that man protected under laws against assault and robbery like anyone else? Or is the fact that the victim is gay a reason to doubly-slam the perp, i.e. label it a "hate" crime and give him a greater punishment than the mugger whose first likely victim was a straight man?

People can think want they want. But unless you incite others to injure people or do it personally, you have done nothing wrong.

If Jimbob was a member of an illegal group "Purple Racists International" or something, but just sat in the back and listened but never broke any law, then what has he done wrong? Except maybe offend those who don't like said group.

*BTW, in NSW Australia you can tell the cops to **** off, and you can fart at them also

[Richard]

There should be laws against discriminating against someone for something that has no bearing on how suited they are to a job for instance (such as place of origin, sexual orientation, religion etc) but if it's not really HARMING anyone in any great way on an individual level then no. Collectively as a society if everyone was racist or any number of other -ists it could be harmful but provided there were rules in place against harming and discriminating and whatever for ANY reason, it shouldn't be a problem. Unless those charged with enforcing said rules were swayed by their -ist ways of course.

[Osceola]

i think that the U.S. government should start putting laws in place that punishes people for racism, sexism, classism, and every other ism there is.

i think the KKK, the Black panther party, and every race power movement should be shut down, because they are just leeches to a society that one day is going to be all mixed. Please dont say this is America we have freedom of speech... (because im pretty sure you cant walk up to a police officer and tell him to screw himself without going to jail LOL...) also is freedom of speech mean that you have the freedom to attack someone else with verbal slurs. I dont know just a thought tell me what you guys think.

Damn, thank you for being the first black guy I've ever met to detest the black panthers as much as the KKK.