text: when people talk about racism why do they say blacks and whites? these two statements sum up my issue: (1) whites are racist (2) young blacks are killing themselves through the gangster culture.  these two statements imply all whites are racist and all young blacks are involves in gangs.  neither of which are even close to the truth.  i myself am careful not to sterotype like this.  do you think people that say these thinks really mean "all whites" or "all blacks" or are they doing it unconciously?  does this bother anyone else? i think all humans are by nature 'racist'. we all have a need to organise, catergorize something, especially another race. there are so many different types of individuals, so many different personalities and people, most of us need something like a word, a description to describe the 'typical' characteristics (that might perhaps stem out of cultural biasness or differences in culture and hence the stereotyping), or we wouldn't be able to actually 'understand' the people. adding to that, mass media tends to pull jokes that many times border on racial stereotypes, the smiling chinaman, the flirtatious indian, the poor mexican, the nodding japanese - it's become so widespread and mainstream that it's become an unconscious gesture of just describing or poking fun at a race. it doesn't bother me so long as the jokes or the meaning isn't meant to have a vicious undertone, used to discriminate, insult or degrade the race. sometimes, we have to learn and accept that we all make snap and permanent judgements on people, including races. what matters is the line we draw at these judgements, jokes and so on.  jenova (d.yuffie@gmail.com)