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I mean....it's technically correct? (imgur.com)

submitted ago by xdarkwatch

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[–]Ivark 160 points161 points ago

"Technically" is the most prominent manner in which it is incorrect.

[–]TheAmbiguityBuster 20 points21 points ago

It's like answering "What do you call something that's green?" with, "An apple."

[–]cank3r 6 points7 points ago

Well technically all apples were green sometime.

[–]cobra_2109 9 points10 points ago

But not all green things are apples, which is the point made in the original comment.

[–]tellmebiologyfacts 0 points1 point ago

it would only be correct if the test asks for the most correct/appropriate answer.

[–]TheAmbiguityBuster -1 points0 points ago

You missed the point.

[–]Chaytup 0 points1 point ago

But.. What do you call something that's green? Green?

[–]cuddlefucker 3 points4 points ago

Among many other manners in which it is also incorrect, like for instance that humans of different races are still humans...

[–]AOEUD 3 points4 points ago

It doesn't say "classifying species". It says "classifying living beings" - race is one classification of humans.

I think it would be correct if racism were a science. And for a while it was seen as that.

[–]IWantToTouchYourButt 2 points3 points ago

Also, doesn't racism imply hierarchy? I believe discrimination would be the more correct incorrect answer.

[–]AOEUD 3 points4 points ago

It means discriminating by race. It's a specific form of discrimination.

[–]IWantToTouchYourButt 2 points3 points ago

Now, keep in mind that my sociology degree has done nothing for my life, but I could swear we learned it where racism involves hierarchy and discrimination is simply the classification itself. It's been many years since I've had to use sociology, though, so I could be very wrong. Any sociology majors around to clarify? Perhaps you are one?

[–]AOEUD 0 points1 point ago

Let's just google it!

From Wikipedia:

'Racism is generally defined as actions, practices, or beliefs that reflect the racial worldview: the ideology that humans are divided into separate and exclusive biological entities called "races".' This seems to match my definition.

'This ideology entails the belief that members of a race share a set of characteristic traits, abilities, or qualities, that traits of personality, intellect, morality, and other cultural behavioral characteristics are inherited, and that this inheritance means that races can be ranked as innately superior or inferior to others.' This seems to reflect yours.

It's a poorly defined concept, it would seem.

[–]IWantToTouchYourButt 0 points1 point ago

hmmmm... ok, lets just chill and see if a sociologist comes on here. if they respond to me , i will let you know and do the same, yeah? now I just have to know if I retained this stuff properly.

[–]Hughtub 0 points1 point ago

Why hierarchy? Every living organism adapts according to its environment. There can only be hierarchies with respect to a specific measurable trait, but there is no superiority. Humans are superior to cockroaches in analytical intellect, but not in ability to survive harsh environments while naked. There are differences within breeds.

"...there is less mtDNA difference between dogs, wolves, and coyotes [separate species] than there is between the various ethnic groups of human beings, which are recognized as a single species." (Coppinger & Schneider, 1995)

[–]Saerain 1 point2 points ago

It's a classification, but a tremendously unscientific one. The question is asking for a science.

[–]AOEUD 1 point2 points ago

If only I were to have said something like, "I think it would be correct if racism were a science. And for a while it was seen as that."

Hrm...

[–]mayonesa 3 points4 points ago

http://www.goodrumj.com/RFaqHTML.html

The Race FAQ.

[–]cheviot 59 points60 points ago

It's taxonomy, right?

[–]Xenophyophore 16 points17 points ago

Yes indeed.

[–]krasneylev -4 points-3 points ago

but bc taxonomy is an anthropomorphic activity it is racism, as in a means of otherizing

[–]Eist 3 points4 points ago

Racism is strictly concerned with race (ie. sub-species). Taxonomy is a scientific pursuit concerned with any and every rank of organism. See Linnaean taxonomy for more information. Furthermore, racism is not ground in science -- social Darwinism was debunked well before it became popular, and other similar ideologies throughout the ages likewise.

[–]Xenophyophore -1 points0 points ago

Us humans instinctively create categories as part of our thought processes, because we look for patterns.

The concept of 'racism' being distinct from the other types of irrational discrimination is a product of this instinct.

(bigotry X) is treating certain (method X of grouping humanity) differently than other (method X of grouping humanity), for no valid reason.

Example:

  • Racism is treating certain races differently than other races, for no valid reason.

If the reasoning for the treatment of (an X grouping of humanity) being different from the treatment of (another X grouping, created by method X) is not valid, then (bigotry X) is occurring.

Example:

  • If the reasoning for the treatment of schizophrenics being different from the treatment of those who do not have schizophrenia is not valid, then abelism/ableism/(insert official term) is occurring.

The reasoning for the treatment of other organisms being different from the treatment of humans is valid, because there are evolutionary and genetic differences between them, which translate into different nutritional/environmental requirements, meaning that treating each species differently is necessary for their survival.

Therefore it is not any type of bigotry, and by extension not racism.

[–]WhiZa -1 points0 points ago

Nope, Chuck Testa

[–]KerriganIskindaHot -3 points-2 points ago

Never heard that word before, TIL~~~~~~~~~~~~

[–]make_baloney 6 points7 points ago

stop being 14 and on reddit

[–]THEREFOREiEXIST 1 point2 points ago

How does one stop being 14?

[–]CarnivalCreep 3 points4 points ago

Turning 15 is generally the way one would go about it.

[–]warpus 4 points5 points ago

You could turn 13 instead, but people might get suspicious

[–]THEREFOREiEXIST 2 points3 points ago

Ah, of course.

[–]turdburglersc 0 points1 point ago

how to stop being 14

stop being 14

start being 15

[–]Daroo425 -1 points0 points ago

or kill themselves

[–]Octopusbread 105 points106 points ago

I don't think racism is a science

[–]MischievousPickle 52 points53 points ago

Correct, it is an art.

[–]Brif -4 points-3 points ago

and art is a science

[–]krasneylev 0 points1 point ago

the correct interpretation is that the kid is calling our need to categorize and bucket-ize different groups is racist

[–]605632148061 1 point2 points ago

I think you have got an extra verb there.

[–]Hughtub -2 points-1 points ago

It's as observable as anything in nature.

Caucasian male

African male

Australian aborigine male

Erectus walks amongst us

If nobody ever mistakes you for being of another race, race exists.

[–]Tend_to_agree 27 points28 points ago

Not really. Not actually.

[–]blastbeatss 11 points12 points ago

Technically, no.

[–]gingerlemon 9 points10 points ago

"Race" applies only to humans, one of the 8.7 million different types of "living things". Glavin.

[–]Nickdanger3rdEye 0 points1 point ago

Glavin.

Professor Frink, Professor Frink, Makes you laugh, Makes you think.

[–]Saerain -2 points-1 points ago

Race doesn't even apply to humans.

[–]Mi5anthr0pe 3 points4 points ago

Genetics are a social construct.

[–]Hughtub 0 points1 point ago

Ha. I'm white, mostly scottish ancestry. The other day I got mistaken for several other races. One asked me if I enjoyed my stay in America (he thought I was from sub-saharan Africa). Another mistakenly thought I was Chinese. Oh wait, no that never happens because race and genetics are real, and DNA is what literally makes us us, while environment only determines how much of our genetic potential is fulfilled.

[–]Doomdoomkittydoom 0 points1 point ago

Race only applies to humans.

[–]xfargox 9 points10 points ago

The replies to this thread have restored my faith in humanity

[–]M0b1u5 40 points41 points ago

Technically wrong. And you know it. Why waste our time?

[–]LittleInfidel 2 points3 points ago

You're on Reddit. How are you not already wasting your time?

[–]roidsrus 1 point2 points ago

Sorry, you may now return to reading the high-brow humor of /r/funny.

[–]RickyMaveety 5 points6 points ago

Very incorrect, technically. It assumes that the only "living things" are human, and that the only manner in which humans may be classified is by their skin color. So, zero points for that answer. Aside from racism, politics and religion would also be incorrect.

[–]interreddit 0 points1 point ago

Agreed. Some funny shit here http://www.racialicious.com/2012/03/29/what-race-is-your-dog/

[–]RickyMaveety 0 points1 point ago

I really enjoyed that article. I find most of what qualifies a "politically correct" speech to be hilarious. I once heard someone refer to a person with noticeably dark skin as "African American." That struck me as odd, since I could not tell from his skin color that he was either African or American, just that his skin was darker than mine. For all I could tell, his family might have been in Australia for the past few hundred years, and he might be in America on vacation. I always refer to myself as a "mutt." Yes, my mother's family was originally from England and settled here in the early 1600s, but before that they were from France, Scandinavia, Germany, Russia, Belgium, the Netherlands, Spain, Italy, and if you go back far enough ... Africa. So, "white" skin notwithstanding (it's really more beige than white), does that mean I'm an African American?

[–]Broshank 1 point2 points ago

It's hardly a science.

[–]ralphpotato 2 points3 points ago

Racism is holding that one race is superior to another. Classifying living things does not suggest that one organism or species is better than another.

[–]Hughtub -1 points0 points ago

Yet... your definition can't be true, since people are called racist even if they acknowledge differences without arguing superiority on the part of one race. Racism is therefore the viewpoint that there are differences between population groups which we call "races", which is obviously true. Everyone is therefore racist, and only a small subset uses the differences to argue for absolute superiority/inferiority.

[–]CantStopTHISasian 2 points3 points ago

TIL Racism is a science

[–]Invenuz 2 points3 points ago

Speciesism http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speciesism

[–]Squatso 2 points3 points ago

The comments here are technically correct in pointing out that this is in fact not technically correct at all.

Now let's go shoot some hoops.

[–]Tnoel212 2 points3 points ago

How is that racism? Even if we change the question to "What do we call the science of classifying races?" it still isn't racist. Classifying someone by their race, for example saying one person is Hispanic and another is Asian, is not racist. In fact, sometimes it's necessary to specify someone's race.

[–]dirty_fingers 0 points1 point ago

Reddit is obsessed with racism. Every comment or photo depicting a black or hispanic person is racist on reddit. That is all you need to know.

[–]jedadkins 0 points1 point ago

i am pretty sure its a joke

[–]Tnoel212 0 points1 point ago

Yeah, but the basis of the joke is that classifying races is racist. If the entire point of the joke is incorrect it's not a very good one. A good joke has a hint of truth to it at least.

[–]Bumtown 2 points3 points ago

I'm no racist! I'm just an anthropotaxonomist!

[–]vodenspaw 0 points1 point ago

...technically correct, the best kind of correct. - bureaucrat #1

[–]SinisterMinisterX 2 points3 points ago

No, it's not.

[–]JuniperVera 0 points1 point ago

you should have written "historically, this was once 'correct' " then all the people wouldn't be getting after you.

[–]SamVanDam611 5 points6 points ago

The best kind of correct.

[–]ivquatch 2 points3 points ago

Someone bring me the forms I need to fill out to have Bureaucrat SamVanDam611 upvoted!

[–]SatsumaOranges 1 point2 points ago

I'm so glad you made that reference.

[–]Unicorn_balls 3 points4 points ago

Meh

[–]slimbones 2 points3 points ago

Actually, not at all.

[–]CynicalCorkey -1 points0 points ago

Kinda?

[–]Firedog00 0 points1 point ago

That looks like CDC's. . . . more specifically.... a Air force medic cdc question....... I just had a flashback when i saw the picture

[–]ivquatch 0 points1 point ago

Raceonomy?

[–]Judas_Clergyperson 1 point2 points ago

Ahh yes, raciology. A most interesting subject.

[–]ak47blackjack -1 points0 points ago

What is the science of taking something as old as the Internet and posting it on /r/funny for the 15th time? reposting

[–]KSommer710 -1 points0 points ago

First off, repost. Secondly, taxonomy.

[–]Throw13579 -1 points0 points ago

Hey Everyone, the student and the OP were joking.

[–]JBursk -1 points0 points ago

No, that's fucking stupid and you should feel stupid.

[–]Crystal_Cuckoo 0 points1 point ago

No, not at all really.

[–]falcoperegrinus82 0 points1 point ago

Not even remotely correct.

[–]Loopyprawn 0 points1 point ago

Racism isn't a science. "The intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural."

[–]rorybrinkmann -1 points0 points ago

that's hilarious.

[–]chrisdelbosque -1 points0 points ago

You are technically correct, which is the best kind of correct.

[–]dirty_fingers 1 point2 points ago

No, technically it's retarded. I suppose you would classify that as racist too.

[–]36009955 -1 points0 points ago

Actually no. Race is not science, it's not even based on science. Race is a socially constructed term which assigns meaning to selected aspects of our phenotype (skin color, nose/eye/ear shape, overall build, hair color). The genetics that make up race consist of about 6 or 7 genes, out of the 100,000 or so humans have. Furthermore, scientists have been unable to find any genetic markers which are present in all members of a particular "race".

[–]mayonesa 2 points3 points ago

For actual useful racial categorizations w/o the hate:

HBD = human biodiversity

[–]dvance 1 point2 points ago

Attempted human subspecies taxonomy having any more depth than Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid is invariably going to get labeled racist which implies for us all that, regardless of the shrill protestations of the ridiculous utopian ideologues, "racism" is often fine if it is both honest and respectful. The linked image says as much.

[–]Jontyy -1 points0 points ago

Actually stereotyping is more correct. Racism is a discriminative extension of classifying groups, ie. stereotyping

[–]Freezelit -3 points-2 points ago

No it's not. It's so far from correct that if it actually was correct you would still happen to be wrong. And that's assuming the answer is actually correct in the same manner that this answer happens to be wrong.

[–]megagoten 1 point2 points ago

should've stopped at that first sentence

[–]jedadkins 0 points1 point ago

...what?

[–]TyroneJenkins4000 -3 points-2 points ago

Racism is the belief that one race is better than another. Noting that Blacks may have giant cocks is not racist despite my first statement.

[–]Demoorelizer 0 points1 point ago

phylogeny, and no, it's nowhere close to correct.

[–]Wolf_Demon_Jon -2 points-1 points ago

Nope its still wrong. Racist is the belief you are superior over something and treat it like trash.

[–]The_Renegadem -5 points-4 points ago

I believe that Hitler was the one who discovered this science.

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