I meet so few people in real life who feel this way, that I would just lump them in with loony Holocaust deniers/ marginalizers or people who think that USA attacked itself on 9/11 - to be avoided.

However, I did meet a fellow at the health club a few weeks ago that started saying such things without being asked his opinion. There were a bunch of Arab children using the the swimming pool and he started screaming out loud about all the 'n_____s". We hushed him up, but I now avoid conversation with him as much as possible.

There is a black man that everyone is friendly with there - including this racist - so I asked him why does he spend a lot of time talking to him if he feels this way and he replied: "Him, he's OK". Who knows what makes such deluded people tick?

It's a manufactured political affliction, less a social one {or lack of social extensions}. It's a learned item......conditioned. Without rhyme nor reason.

I'd disagree that these are beliefs without rhyme or reason. We are, above all, rational creatures. If you think about it, and you can go ahead and use yourself as an example for the exercise, you'll find that there is nothing that we do not rationalize, so we can conclude from.

I once read an essay entitled, "The Physical Universe As Idea Construction." (I've attached an excerpt of it if anyone cares to read it.) The core idea expressed is that we construct our lives using ideas as the tools to do so (and it is further explained elsewhere that beliefs are simply ideas we repeat to ourselves over and over again). Given that that is the true nature of our reality then it is not too difficult to imagine what beliefs must necessarily be operative for a person to behave or speak in such and such a way. Or, as Ulysses wondered aloud, what make a person tick.

Another provocative analogy I have come across is that we can be said to inhabit a kitchen where the cupboards are stocked with every conceivable idea which exists as, say, an ingredient. Our job is not to decide which ingredients should exist and which should not but to simply choose amongst them those which please us (preferably in the sense that they produce a beneficial, or tasty, result). Not unlike the act of going to a restaurant where we peruse the menu and choose from it that which satisfies our palate. In that analogy we never worry about what anyone else is ordering up for themselves, in the imagined fear that somehow their food will get onto our plate.

Anyone who is experienced at cooking might see a countertop laid out with apples, butter, flour, sugar, salt and water and correctly conclude that someone was baking an apple pie. Anyone who recognizes that we construct reality from ideas, and mass reality from the collection of ideas we hold en masse, then it becomes much more apparent as to the why someone thinks or acts as they do. Or even the behaviour and actions of nations and cultures.

I think it's important to note, too, that somewhere along our paths growing up we come to learn, or accept, the idea that we are our ideas. Which idea, if applied to the above analogy of the kitchen and an apple pie, would imply that we are the apple and the butter and the rest of the ingredients we choose to employ to create our culinary delight. The absurdity of that idea then becomes wholly apparent.

We have been taught to believe a lot of things which aren't truth, but are accepted as such, in which case the old adage "perception is reality" applies. And since the supply of ideas is literally endless we have countless perceptions of reality, which adds to our diversity of experience. And that's a good thing. Otherwise, a forum such as this, where we can discuss, argue, enjoy, and even beat the crap out of each other for our differing views, could not exist.

The Universe As Idea Construction.pdf

I meet so few people in real life who feel this way, that I would just lump them in with loony Holocaust deniers/ marginalizers or people who think that USA attacked itself on 9/11 - to be avoided.

However, I did meet a fellow at the health club a few weeks ago that started saying such things without being asked his opinion. There were a bunch of Arab children using the the swimming pool and he started screaming out loud about all the 'n_____s". We hushed him up, but I now avoid conversation with him as much as possible.

There is a black man that everyone is friendly with there - including this racist - so I asked him why does he spend a lot of time talking to him if he feels this way and he replied: "Him, he's OK". Who knows what makes such deluded people tick?

It's a manufactured political affliction, less a social one {or lack of social extensions}. It's a learned item......conditioned. Without rhyme nor reason.

I'd disagree that these are beliefs without rhyme or reason. We are, above all, rational creatures. If you think about it, and you can go ahead and use yourself as an example for the exercise, you'll find that there is nothing that we do not rationalize, so we can conclude from.

I once read an essay entitled, "The Physical Universe As Idea Construction." (I've attached an excerpt of it if anyone cares to read it.) The core idea expressed is that we construct our lives using ideas as the tools to do so (and it is further explained elsewhere that beliefs are simply ideas we repeat to ourselves over and over again). Given that that is the true nature of our reality then it is not too difficult to imagine what beliefs must necessarily be operative for a person to behave or speak in such and such a way. Or, as Ulysses wondered aloud, what make a person tick.

Another provocative analogy I have come across is that we can be said to inhabit a kitchen where the cupboards are stocked with every conceivable idea which exists as, say, an ingredient. Our job is not to decide which ingredients should exist and which should not but to simply choose amongst them those which please us (preferably in the sense that they produce a beneficial, or tasty, result). Not unlike the act of going to a restaurant where we peruse the menu and choose from it that which satisfies our palate. In that analogy we never worry about what anyone else is ordering up for themselves, in the imagined fear that somehow their food will get onto our plate.

Anyone who is experienced at cooking might see a countertop laid out with apples, butter, flour, sugar, salt and water and correctly conclude that someone was baking an apple pie. Anyone who recognizes that we construct reality from ideas, and mass reality from the collection of ideas we hold en masse, then it becomes much more apparent as to the why someone thinks or acts as they do. Or even the behaviour and actions of nations and cultures.

I think it's important to note, too, that somewhere along our paths growing up we come to learn, or accept, the idea that we are our ideas. Which idea, if applied to the above analogy of the kitchen and an apple pie, would imply that we are the apple and the butter and the rest of the ingredients we choose to employ to create our culinary delight. The absurdity of that idea then becomes wholly apparent.

We have been taught to believe a lot of things which aren't truth, but are accepted as such, in which case the old adage "perception is reality" applies. And since the supply of ideas is literally endless we have countless perceptions of reality, which adds to our diversity of experience. And that's a good thing. Otherwise, a forum such as this, where we can discuss, argue, enjoy, and even beat the crap out of each other for our differing views, could not exist.

A long time ago, someone came up with the idea of "cogito ergo sum".

With the kitchen cupboard analogy...... the ideas have to be conceived of in the first place.

With the kitchen cupboard analogy...... the ideas have to be conceived of in the first place.

As were the items on a restaurant menu.

Anyone who is experienced at cooking might see a countertop laid out with apples, butter, flour, sugar, salt and water and correctly conclude that someone was baking an apple pie. Anyone who recognizes that we construct reality from ideas, and mass reality from the collection of ideas we hold en masse, then it becomes much more apparent as to the why someone thinks or acts as they do. Or even the behaviour and actions of nations and cultures.

Even though several people may use the same ingredients for making that apple pie, they all won't taste as good. The cook still needs to know what they are doing.

Anyone who is experienced at cooking might see a countertop laid out with apples, butter, flour, sugar, salt and water and correctly conclude that someone was baking an apple pie. Anyone who recognizes that we construct reality from ideas, and mass reality from the collection of ideas we hold en masse, then it becomes much more apparent as to the why someone thinks or acts as they do. Or even the behaviour and actions of nations and cultures.

Even though several people may use the same ingredients for making that apple pie, they all won't taste as good. The cook still needs to know what they are doing.

True.....and the cook may actually be preparing apple fritters or some other such desert.

With the kitchen cupboard analogy...... the ideas have to be conceived of in the first place.

As were the items on a restaurant menu.

"Cogito ergo sum" was actually the main point that I was responding with regard to your quoted text.

I think, therefore I am.

I have a mixed marrige, male and female.

We get along great, no worry.

Akshully, a pakeha NZer and a Filipina.

At no time have we found any discrimination, here or abroad.

I grew up with Moari friends, so colour has never been an issue, normal part of living in NZ.

It grates with me when people go on about mixed colour relationships.

No logical reason for any hatred, hate is the biggest problem on the planet in these times, and in the past..

Is an American and a Italian wedded couple, considered a racial marrige.

It is mixed coloured marriages that upset racist thinkers, poor people that they are.

Anyone who is experienced at cooking might see a countertop laid out with apples, butter, flour, sugar, salt and water and correctly conclude that someone was baking an apple pie. Anyone who recognizes that we construct reality from ideas, and mass reality from the collection of ideas we hold en masse, then it becomes much more apparent as to the why someone thinks or acts as they do. Or even the behaviour and actions of nations and cultures.

Even though several people may use the same ingredients for making that apple pie, they all won't taste as good. The cook still needs to know what they are doing.

Taste is in the taste buds of the taster.

True.....and the cook may actually be preparing apple fritters or some other such desert.

Ah, missing the baking powder, milk, eggs, and oil for deep frying.

Analogies are useful tools to bridge concepts for the purpose of understanding. They are not necessarily exact reflections or representations of the concept to which they attempt to connect to. But I think we all know that?

"Cogito ergo sum" was actually the main point that I was responding with regard to your quoted text.

I think, therefore I am.

Yes, the famous Descartes quote. A philosophical proof of existence based on the fact that someone capable of thought is alive.

And the connection between that quote and what I wrote?

"Cogito ergo sum" was actually the main point that I was responding with regard to your quoted text.

I think, therefore I am.

I'm afraid that we might need another party to prove it.

I have a mixed marrige, male and female.

We get along great, no worry.

Akshully, a pakeha NZer and a Filipina.

At no time have we found any discrimination, here or abroad.

I grew up with Moari friends, so colour has never been an issue, normal part of living in NZ.

It grates with me when people go on about mixed colour relationships.

No logical reason for any hatred, hate is the biggest problem on the planet in these times, and in the past..

Is an American and a Italian wedded couple, considered a racial marrige.

It is mixed coloured marriages that upset racist thinkers, poor people that they are.

Do you mean a regular Italian or a Sicilian?

"Cogito ergo sum" was actually the main point that I was responding with regard to your quoted text.

I think, therefore I am.

I'm afraid that we might need another party to prove it.

Admittedly a clever comment, UG.

Be sure that you needn't apply, though.

You already admitted that I made a "clever comment", so maybe you should rule yourself out as well.

I have a mixed marrige, male and female.

We get along great, no worry.

Akshully, a pakeha NZer and a Filipina.

At no time have we found any discrimination, here or abroad.

I grew up with Moari friends, so colour has never been an issue, normal part of living in NZ.

It grates with me when people go on about mixed colour relationships.

No logical reason for any hatred, hate is the biggest problem on the planet in these times, and in the past..

Is an American and a Italian wedded couple, considered a racial marrige.

It is mixed coloured marriages that upset racist thinkers, poor people that they are.

I think fear is the logic behind the hatred. And fear is the driving force behind many hatreds.

You already admitted that I made a "clever comment", so maybe you should rule yourself out as well.

Being unqualified as I am I might do well to prove Harcourt doesn't exist!

I have a mixed marrige, male and female.

We get along great, no worry.

Akshully, a pakeha NZer and a Filipina.

At no time have we found any discrimination, here or abroad.

I grew up with Moari friends, so colour has never been an issue, normal part of living in NZ.

It grates with me when people go on about mixed colour relationships.

No logical reason for any hatred, hate is the biggest problem on the planet in these times, and in the past..

Is an American and a Italian wedded couple, considered a racial marrige.

It is mixed coloured marriages that upset racist thinkers, poor people that they are.

I think fear is the logic behind the hatred. And fear is the driving force behind many hatreds.

If she is Sicilian that is logical.

I find it remarkably difficult and tiresome to argue with people who have this attitude.

If you argue that each person should be treated as an individual, then you get branded as a 'leftie liberal". It's as though because they have shallow, two dimensional thought patterns then they assume that everybody else must have.

The thing is that so many people who have this kind of attitudes are such extreme hypocrites that it make me fookin angry at times. I think part of it is down to the keyboard warrior syndrome of the internet, being called out for being a hypocrite has little to no effect when compared to in person. You can call them out on something and ask a question only for them to completely ignore it and resort to the same old tactic of attacking somebody to distract from the question that was asked.

It's why I stopped posting in the news clippings. If you are not a red, then you simply must be a yellow..... and so on. Proper discussion on the matter becomes impossible.

Sometimes these people are just so plain stupid who can't even present their own argument for their case, rather they just repeat ad infinitum what they have heard elsewhere. They cannot answer questions because they just don't know the answer to those questions and they can't back up their statements because their statements are not their own. Of course some of them know exactly what they are talking about and are even quite intelligent, just that are loathsome people who are full of hatred.

As I get older I have increasingly learned to just not bother with them. Absolute hard solid evidence will not sway their opinions, sometimes they are just too stupid to see the logic and others are just to bigoted to care.

Prejudice is not just colour.

Look at Northern Ireland or Iraq, for religious prejudice among the same overall religion.

With regard to the smell thing - yes, different people have different odours. Not just between those who wash and those who think about it, but most women smell different to most men. Most Thais smell different to most Bolivians.

But these are just different smells, not offensive.

The two sorts of smell I shy away from are the stale tobacco smell on heavy smokers and the bad breath odour (also can be heavy smokers).

Racism has only once been a problem for me - when driving in Port Harcourt and caught up in a traffic jam. All the guys around me were shouting at the Wi'boy (me) for causing the jam.

Funny how smells stick in your mind. My German grandfather’s house always smelled of stale cigars and potato pancakes. The brothers, my father and uncles would go in the basement and drink schnapps and smoke cigars every Sunday and tell stories about the machine tool business.

My Irish grandfather’s house smelled of cigarettes and corned beef and cabbage. My Irish relatives would go in the basement and smoke cigarettes and drink anything they could get their hands on. They would talk about crime, because they were cops.

I like the smell of stale smoke.

They were also all bigots. The two families didn’t care much for one another.

My Irish grandfather had married an English woman and the Irish half didn’t like the English half of the family either.

My father was a factory owner and anti union and both his Father and Father in law were staunch union men. Christmas time it was a wonder there was not a massacre.

The grandparents were first generation immigrants so we never ate American food at home. It was either German or Irish/English.

The common ground was Catholicism. They all listened to Father Coughlin the grandfather of hate radio.

"..So got me thinking. What do you say or do (particularly with regards to friends/family members) who have viewpoints like this? Do you walk away? Break contact? Try to discuss it?

Im still a bit in shock that he has a viewpoint like this to be honest."

Focusing on your questions K'eek, what I would do depends upon several factors; the person's temperament, how close I am to him/her, whether he/she is intelligent enough for me to attempt to educate, or failing the education route, does he/she have sufficient good points that I am willing to ignore this particular deficit.

I would also try to understand why the person became prejudice.

I had a relative who was against inter-racial relationships based upon the belief that children from such a union would suffer as a result thereof. This is an old fashioned belief which is understandable given that my relative was raised during the 20's and 30's and it is quite believable that a significant percentage of children would suffer due to the ignorance prevalent during that era.

I like the smell of stale smoke.

I find that amazing, but I grew up on an air force base and love the smell of airplane fuel. That is rather bizarre too.

different culture / race always collide at some point.

Correct some differences will cause conflicts/scenes but can be overcome by talking

and one person will have to adapt to the other.. which is bad.

because as most people, they don't want to adapt.

In a relation both have to adept a bit to each other, nothing strange about that

they are used to their thing for an entire lifetime, you can't just throw that away.

it also results in weird situation for the kids.

All depends on that person and exposure, the kids comment I do not get

for example, I know a guy called Mohamed, he was born in Spain, but his parents are Turkish, and he now lives in Belgium.

that's 3 different cultures, he doesn’t know where to turn when they ask him something. he has no culture what so ever, cause he knows few about any of them.

This would need further questioning as to understand where these believes/assumptions come from

other then that.. maybe I'm just a bit of a racist.

He could be

i like white people more then i love colored people.

Further questioning needed as to why, he might have been sodomised before by Bubba

and i would NEVER date ( sorry for the expression.. ) black/brown people.

i just don't find em pretty in any way..

That is fine, I would not date smurfs, they are just a bit too small

and they always have this.. sweet weeping smell on them, if they get on the tram and come sit next to me i have to move, or i'll throw up.

i simply can't stand them!

Maybe a very sensitive nose all people carry different smells that’s why the French shower was invented, I guess..

if i see a white person kissing a black person.. i feel a deep anger and hate running trough my veins.

don't ask me why, i don't know.. i always felt that way about them.

Incorrect statement, we are born without prejudgments, above expressed emotion is likely been conditioned

so for me, interracial or different culture relationships are a total taboo!

This comment says it all. The person believes that interracial relations should not be because of his own personal believes which apparently were passed through by parents/friends or negative experiences in the past.

A perfect candidate for further psycho analysis

I don't know what to say. I've never come across remarks like those from any adult. It doesn't mean I haven't come across someone who wasn't thinking it though. Is he a Child ? Its almost a Child like response to fear or something.

Maybe it was some dark Humour or something .....

Sorry I can't help.

maybe as Alexlah has said :-

A perfect candidate for further psycho analysis.

So eek, what was your decision in the end? Did you go out with him or not?