Classist attributes are not coincidental and objective in fact, but they are often seen/presented that way. Thus "seemingly".
So someone might say "We can all agree that good grammar is an objective measure of good sense. Well, as it happens the lower classes tend to have bad grammar. So clearly they are inferior." I agree that your formulation of my statement is more precise and elegant, but I think mine does a better job of highlighting hypocrisy :)
People don't say "Africans have dark skin therefore they're evil" (Well, I'm sure SOMEONE believes that, but not many people)
But for example, look at "Lord of the Rings". The beings of pure evil (Goblins, orcs, Sauron in human form) tend be associated with darkness and black, have dark hair(*) (if they're not bald), many of them having dark skin, and the extra-scary Urak-Hai are black skinned(**).
The good guys are all white, having paler skins than all the "bad" human races. The hero is quite pale indeed, and the most refined, good, pure races and people almost all have pale white or golden hair and blue eyes. I'll admit there is a bit of a "good people who are overcome by evil become sickly pale" thing.
Is this racism? Or tying into fantasy ideas about good=white bad=black? Or both at the same time? What about Willow's hair going black when she's evil in Buffy?
(*)I said "almost all" but I can't think of any exceptions who aren't just really old (Saruman, the wraiths-as-ghosts etc) (**)Something I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me by a very annoyed black person
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So someone might say "We can all agree that good grammar is an objective measure of good sense. Well, as it happens the lower classes tend to have bad grammar. So clearly they are inferior." I agree that your formulation of my statement is more precise and elegant, but I think mine does a better job of highlighting hypocrisy :)
People don't say "Africans have dark skin therefore they're evil" (Well, I'm sure SOMEONE believes that, but not many people)
But for example, look at "Lord of the Rings". The beings of pure evil (Goblins, orcs, Sauron in human form) tend be associated with darkness and black, have dark hair(*) (if they're not bald), many of them having dark skin, and the extra-scary Urak-Hai are black skinned(**).
The good guys are all white, having paler skins than all the "bad" human races. The hero is quite pale indeed, and the most refined, good, pure races and people almost all have pale white or golden hair and blue eyes. I'll admit there is a bit of a "good people who are overcome by evil become sickly pale" thing.
Is this racism? Or tying into fantasy ideas about good=white bad=black? Or both at the same time? What about Willow's hair going black when she's evil in Buffy?
(*)I said "almost all" but I can't think of any exceptions who aren't just really old (Saruman, the wraiths-as-ghosts etc)
(**)Something I didn't notice until it was pointed out to me by a very annoyed black person