[quote name='UncleBob']I believe your original claim - the one I've questioned - is that one person (who, of course, isn't white) can express a belief that an entire race should be exterminated and that isn't racist.
Now, I've read through this article, and I have to say, I don't see this guy making any such claim.[/quote]
You asserted that
anyone calling for the extermination of people because of their race is racist.
The author asserts that black people cannot be racist because they have no institutional power to do so.
If black people can be
anyone, then according to the author,
anyone calling for the extermination of an entire race being racist, is untrue.
Simple logic here buddy.
You know, you might find this hard to believe, but I get what your message is trying to be - that racism isn't meaningful/effective unless it comes from someone with power against someone without power.
I totally agree with that.
But by this same idea, some idiot, homeless, drunk in the street shouting "White Power" is a racist asshole, even if he doesn't have any real power or influence. Does it mean all minorities should worry about this guy? No - but it doesn't excuse his behavior and I'm likely to turn the other direction if anyone wants to beat the crap out of him*.
Your assertion that the person doesn't pose a threat is misguided. The person obviously has an alcohol addition, probably suffers from a mental disorder, and the stresses of being homeless and being untreated pretty much makes a perfect storm for the guy to act out on that racism as an individual.
As a member of a group(being white), he does in fact have privilege over people within his own socio-economic status. Because of the racist system, he has privilege and power over those being not white. He might not have the sway of David Duke, but we can't compare Duke to some homeless guy on that level.
Likewise, if some Hispanic guy is saying he wants to kill all the Japanese folks... he's a racist asshole and I'm probably going to go to the restroom while someone kicks his ass*.
Once again, he can't be racist according to your perception of the word. The argument can be made that he's perpetuating white racism on Japanese folks and that his acts/statements are racist, but he, as a non-white actor, cannot actually
be racist.
(*Not a huge fan of violence myself, and I'm pretty scrawny, so I won't be doing any of the ass kicking - but what I don't see, I can't testify against.

)
Sure, but a mentally unstable homeless alcoholic should be an exception. Justsayin...
[quote name='UncleBob']Prejudice and racism aren't interchangeable.
Someone could say "Wow, people from Kentucky or back-assward hillbillies" or "You might recheck that math, a woman did it."
Both of those statements are examples of someone being prejudice without invoking race.
Racism is a specific type of prejudice that requires race to be a factor in the thought process.[/QUOTE]
Unless black people are called hillbillies, I'm pretty sure that the term has a racial component to it. You can't have racism without classism and vice versa.