Jay,

>I think it's much easier to feel everyone else is too sensitive when you are not the object of the racism. It's a different perspective, to be sure, but one I think is worthy of understanding.

You're absolutely right. And this is what the movie also says. But racism, discrimination should have objective and rational definitions, not vague ones.

The movie surely outlines tensions/fear between races. But tensions and fear are different things. It is all too easy to throw things on the heap of racism and discrimination.

For example, we do have problems in holland with certain ethnical groups.

Is this statement discrimination?

Well in the 90's most dutch politicians did not want to speak about this topic because they did not want to be called a racist. The few who did, indeed were accused of that. The problem that the statement above indeed was/is reality. The politicians ignored the problem, therefore creating more and more tension between the ethnical groups as the normal people experiencing problems every day while essentially nothing was done about it.

It changed with the rise of Pim Fortuyn (murdered (by a native dutch) just before the election). He was not affraid to speak up and say that we should do something about the problems we have with certain ethnical groups.

Discrimination?

Not in itself. It depends on what action you take and how you define that. We should realise that some cultures/historical background are different and that can bring problems along. You'll have to act upon that in a non discriminating way, without beeing affraid to be called a racist (defined by sensitive groups). The way it was, is that many little criminals in those ethnical groups realy took advantage of our fear of beeing discriminative. And that is not a healthy situation.

Your ethnical situation in the US and Canada, might be quite different. It is difficult for any foreigner to get a canadian passport. In western europe you'll find a large population of all kind of ethnicities (you barely would find the NA) with (it seems) their own special set of problems like:

- Theft and robery
- Drug trade
- fraud/swindle
- prostitution of women without a working permit
- contract killers

Walter,


>>The movie IMO outlines what happens when people get too sensitive about racial differences.