[PEN-L:8788] Re: Marx and 19th century racism

["Ricardo Duchesne" <RDUCHESN@xxxxxxxx>]

> It is undeniable that racism is both a Western invention and a virus.

Depends what you mean by racism, and, in view of your previous
postings on this matter, I submit that you should differentiate
between ethnocentrism and racism. Ethnocentrism, which is a universal
trait amongs all peoples or cultures, is simply the belief that your culture
is superior to that of others, with some cultures, particularly the
Chinese through their thousand year history, being more ethnocentric
than others.

Racism, on the other hand, is the idea that one race is
*biologically* superior to another. Racism, in the sesnse of a
systematic set of "scientific" arguments about the inequality of
races is, yes, a European creation. But to equate European high
culture as such with racism is childplay at best. In fact, I would
argue that without Europe's intellectual legacy there would be no
*critical*, *reflective* means to challenge racism. But let's wait
and see what Yoshie says about the categorical imperative - although
I think she might do better recalling the rape of Nanking!