What Is Racialism?

[Davka]

Since this seems to be a term which has caused confusion among some posters, I thought I'd post an explanation.

Racialism is sometimes considered synonymous with racism, but often refers to frightening racial ideologies rather than mere run-of-the-mill bigotry. While racial prejudice is irrational, racialism attempts to rationalise it into a coherent doctrine. Examples of racialist governments include Nazi Germany and apartheid South Africa. Examples of racialist pressure groups include the Aryan Nations the Ku Klux Klan, and the Nation of Islam.

Alternate names

Very few racialists call themselves "racialist". Instead, because straight-up racism isn't hip anymore, racialists created a few snazzy new names:

Human biodiversity or HBD: By being just one "bio" away from supporting "diversity" and by failing to mention race, human biodiversity is the most innocuous form of racialism, because it allows one to deny any racism -- because it's recognizing biodiversity, not being racist!
Racial realism or race realism: Racial realists get a two-pronged advantage: First, they can deny their racism by -- "I'm not a racist, I'm a racial realist!". Second, they can paint non-racialists as "race deniers" or "racial difference deniers", which suggests a denial of the obvious facts.
Scientific racism: While scientific racists do have to admit their racism, they also get the joy of slapping the "approval" of SCIENCE on it.

- from RationalWiki​

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Some people argue that racialism is simply embracing the idea that there is a logical, scientific basis to the concept of "race." This would mean that the racialist doesn't necessarily have to be a "racist" in the colloquial sense of hating people of a certain race and seeing them as inferior; the racialist can be perfectly friendly with people-groups that look different from his own group, while at the same time believing that there are distinct genetic differences which make some "races" better or worse than others.

Some dictionaries define racialism and racism as synonomous, while others make a distinction. Here's the Merriam-Webster definition of each word:

Racialism: a theory that race determines human traits and capacities; also : racism

Racism: : poor treatment of or violence against people because of their race.​

This particular definition would seem to indicate that one must be a racialist in order to be a racist, but that one need not be a racist in order to be a racialist.

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The fact that some dictionaries (and individuals) use the terms interchangeably adds to the confusion. Generally, however, when someone deliberately uses the term "racialist" they are referring to the belief that there are distinct categories of human being called "races," and that these categories share certain characteristics beyond simple physical markers (such as skin color, eye color, or the presence or lack of an epithelial fold.) Concepts such as "inscrutable Asian" or "hot-blooded Latin" are racialist without necessarily being racist.

Racialism is sometimes referred to as the foundation on which racism sits.

I, personally, find this distinction useful. YMMV.

Thoughts?

 

[ksen]

Let's try to figure out which minutiae in the OP will be hyperfocused on . . . I pick this part:

dictionaries define

 

[arkirk]

Let's try to figure out which minutiae in the OP will be hyperfocused on . . . I pick this part:

dictionaries define

Defining can be dangerous. There is a comforting feeling one gets when one finds a definition of something he likes or that suits his argumentative purpose. One must always remember that every statement one experiences comes from someone....someone who could be as mistaken as you are and your comfort may just be comfort with shared error.