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[–] 49 points 6 months ago (11 children)

Wouldn't hating someone from another village just be like generic Xenophobia? I can't imagine two villagers from the same Asian country but two different villages are genetically distinct enough to count as different "races". Or are we just using "racist" to mean "bigoted"

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  • [–] 34 points 6 months ago (4 children)

    Race is a social construct, not genetic.

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  • [–] 9 points 6 months ago (3 children)

    I agree, but that construct has a specific meaning, we don't consider a random person from nearby village to be a different race.

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  • [–] 8 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    "We" isn't as universal as you are suggesting here.

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  • [–] 1 point 6 months ago

    Race is a specific and slightly technical word, the way "clutch" refers to an automobile part, and does not apply to wheels or odometer or pedal.

    If you want to use it in a really sloppy way, that's kind of useless in a serious discussion about prejudice.

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  • [–] 5 points 6 months ago (2 children)

    The word "rasist" is nowadays often used more widely. You're right about the strict definition. I also think it's reasonable to use it in a wider sense if the underlying feelings are the same, which seems to be the case here.

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  • [–] 16 points 6 months ago*

    But, I mean, English already has a word for that (bigoted).

    Having, and properly using, different words for even slightly different concepts is important for efficient and effective communication. If everyone just starts lazily using one word to mean multiple similar concepts, when other words already exist for those concepts, then that just leads to misunderstandings and confusion.

    I understand that non-native speakers may not yet have the vocabulary necessary to use the correct words, but that's an opportunity for them to learn the correct words, not an excuse to dumb down the language.

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