Quote Originally Posted by Hyde_is_my_anti-drug
When someone says something racist and you say so a lot of the time they look horrifide and say, "Oh, my God! I didn't think...was I really???" They don't know they're doing it. But which is worse? Not knowing and doing it or KNOWING and doing it anyway? Both are terrible. But I think knowingly being racist is far worse although unknowingly is much more sad. The one's who know attack you and the ones that don't just peck at the surface. I've had both aimed at me and neither is fun and both make you feel like shite. Racism is a nasty thing no matter what form it's in. But I think if Japan REALIZED what it's doing things might change but they honestly don't seem to know. Or maybe they do and I'm just being naive.
To me, what I find really disturbing is the first example, but coupled with a certain sense of denial, followed up by a need to rationalize their racism. Doesn't the nihonjiron(?) and concepts of Chinese and Koreans as "inferior" allow for this kind of rationalization?

Quote Originally Posted by Gaijin 06
Maybe I am just more open-minded, and don't seek to read slurs into everything to prove my point or reinforce my beliefs. I guess this may be an insecurity thing, if you feel the need to get your beliefs validated by every encounter or experience.
Apparently, this view is in the minority, so I'm not sure how "insecurity" has much to do with it if it's something that most agree is a problem. Nor do I see how this argument necessarily leads up to claims of open-mindedness.