Had the opportunity to read a heated discussion on one diary post that resulted in one person to heap accusations of racism on this website. I certainly don't agree with that argument, but nevertheless, I think we need to remind ourselves what racism really is.
What is often falsely described as "race" is just a physical variation of our human species that is loosely based on adaption to climate. Geneticists call these variations genotypes, because they are based on genetic coding in the DNA.
So far so simple...however the visual effect of this genetic variation, known as phenotype, is so blatantly obvious that we humans have the unfortunate tendency to make more of that variation than is actually true. Case in point: The variation of hair color is loosely based on only two genes out of the millions of millions DNA helix connections. So, from the genetical point of view, the difference between black and red hair color is as about as irrelevant as a fly! Yet, we have devised a whole set of clichees and stereotypes on people of certain hair colors!
Now, racism comes in to play when not-so-intelligent individuals claim a superiority of one physical variation compared to another, even though the genetical basis of that difference is truly minimal! But that is the only root of racism - a complete ignorance of the fact that the genetical difference between, oh let's say, an African and a Caucasian is almost non-existent! We are still part of the same Species of mammalian life: Homo Sapiens Sapiens. And that fact explains the resounding similiarity of our genetical material amongst the members of our species.
The difference that we see, the phenotype, is, at the genetical level and thereby foundational level, truly irrelevant!
Now, in regards to the claim of this one individual that racism is prevalent here at a progressive website - I seriously doubt it! Not that everybody here is completely aware of what I wrote above...but another cause of racism I think has something to do with what sociologist define as acculturalization. This tendency to over-elaborate on our physical variation is entrenched in our culture so that a contingent group of individuals in our culture will always attempt to rationalize superiority based on physical variations, even though such attempts are completely irrational and absurd!
However, I seriously doubt wether that contingent group of individuals, which would have to be comprised of seriously mentally-defficient individuals, the likes of which you may find in a Tea Party meeting, could be found here at DailyKos! This website is an educated and tolerant environment. Are there any right-wing racist trolls among us? Probably! But not to an amount that they could become a contingent group of individuals as defined above!
All of the above having been said, even I, will tend to be attracted to a certain type of woman more so than another, based on a difference of irrelevant physical variation. However, that physical variation will never lead me to believe that women of one type of physical variation are superior to another type of physical variation. That is the difference between a rational man such as myself and a typical racist!
On a sad but serious endnote: If you haven't already, please direct your condolences toward the approx. 80 Social Democratic Youngsters who were killed by that Right-Wing lunatic in Norway. Their loss is also our loss.