Defining a Racist
On the FBI website the statistics for hate crimes committed in 2015, 59.2% of hate crimes were against African-Americans. A hate crime is defined as a crime committed against a certain group of person(s) which is why we need to define what a racist or racist comment is. Defining what a racist is could help decrease the amount of hate crimes committed against either Anglo or African-American people. Defining what a racist is could also help alleviate some tensions between Anglos and African-American, Jewish people and Christians, and Pakistanis and Indians. Malcolm Gladwell’s definition of racism helps clear out the misunderstanding and tension that some comments like Michael Irvin’s about Tony Romo’s athletic ability create.
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What is clearly said makes a difference.” He’s correct in stating that content changes how someone can take the insult. If someone uses a racial slur, it is offensive. However, a personal attack with words and phrases that are pertinent to the victim’s character or aspect of his/her being is more hurtful. His argument is that people should think through the comment. The comments made about a person can be more offensive than a racist comment however, that is to not dismiss the offensiveness and abhorrence of the implied comment. Gladwell in the next sentence brings up another valid point by stating, “I think, for example, that hate speech is more hateful the more specific it is. To call someone a N***** is not as a bad as arguing that black people have lower intelligence than whites.” Logically speaking, it is true N*****, being one of the most offensive words in the English language is not as offensive as a phrase that states they have a lower intelligence than any other …show more content…
Gladwell’s arguments and examples have a fine use of logos and pathos and other rhetorical examples. He clearly and concisely makes his arguments and his examples for them are easy to read and analyze. Gladwell’s article is a good way to start redefining racism and anything racism entails. Gladwell’s article should also be seen as a way where we can accurately define a hate crime and how we should view racism in this society now. Considering all the jokes and how people use racial slurs in everyday