• Good_Username [they/them,e/em/eir]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Hey, can you give me a quick explainer on barbaric? Is it the word itself that's bad? Is it specifically calling China barbaric that's bad?

    Basically, what is the context behind why 'barbaric' is quite racist here? I'm super willing to believe it, but I'd like to understand it. The place I know this word from is the Ancient Greeks being racist against non-Greeks, which, well, seems pretty harmless. So I'm assuming there's more recent context which I don't know and would like to learn.

    Thanks so much!

    • LeninWeave [none/use name]
      ·
      3 years ago

      In a nutshell, people in colonialist countries calling those in colonies barbaric is classic colonial racism. Also calls back to ideas of "asiatic hordes" which were (and are) prevalent in western countries.

      No problem.

        • LeninWeave [none/use name]
          ·
          3 years ago

          Glad to help!

          I’m sure I’ll see examples of this everywhere now, because that’s how life works.

          :doomer: Yeah, I really feel that.

          • Nakoichi [they/them]M
            ·
            3 years ago

            Love that a thread about silly discourse turns out to have a productive struggle session that ends in actual self-crit.

            This is why I love this site lol :rat-salute:

    • Awoo [she/her]
      ·
      edit-2
      3 years ago

      Europe claimed they were the civilized peoples and everyone else were portrayed as barbarian peoples in need of having civilization brought to them. This was the pretense for much of colonialism, civilized society (the white west) vs the barbarian world in need of exploration, expansion and civilization being brought to them.