Is GAP Advertisement Passively Racist?

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**AlmightyWalrus**

Breotan wrote:
AlmightyWalrus wrote:
I think it's important to draw a distinction between someone being a racist and someone doing someting racist. Just like one can stretch one's arm and inadvertently punch someone in the face, I'd argue that it's entirely possible to do or say something racist without believing in racist ideals.

As an example, take Iron_Captain's anecdote: people assume his girlfriend is white. The people doing so probably aren't racists in the sense that they believe in major differences in the genotype between different "races" of humans, but the assumption is still one based in racist assumptions.

That's prejudice, not racism, AW. Very big difference between the two.

It's prejudices grounded in racist ideas. We all have them, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't reflect over what we're doing and why we believe what we do. We're Homo Sapiens Sapiens for a reason. Trying to separate these types of prejudices from racism is a fool's errand; they're intimately linked with each other.

**Yodhrin**

No it's not racist, but I'm sure a few frothy social media postings about it is indicative of the imminent collapse of our civilisation because of namby-pamby liberul sekrit-commie SJWs or whatever.

**Rosebuddy**

Breotan wrote:

That's prejudice, not racism, AW. Very big difference between the two.

That depends on what way you use the words. Some people use racism to mean only conscious and direct hatred whereas others use racism to mean power structures giving real bite to what would otherwise be mere prejudice. It's fully possible to follow patterns of thought and behaviour that support a racist system without it being an actual choice. Some things get ingrained deeply while we grow up and are reinforced daily by merely existing within a particular culture. That's what culture does.