Racism & Terrorism

During the workshop group’s one topic that we looked at was racism and terrorism. I personally feel that racism is not acceptable as it may cause insecurity and lack of confidence for others. Baudrillard suggests that “racism does not exist so long as the other remains other, so long as the stranger remains foreign. It becomes to existence when the other becomes merely different that is to say, dangerously similar” (Jean Baudrillard (1993) ‘the melodrama of difference’, in the transparency of evil; essays on extreme phenomena, translated by James Benedict, verso, p.129) However, I don’t agree with Baudrillard’s view I feel that racism does exist one can not remain as the other for a long period of time there will be a point where the other is no longer than other therefore in a situation like that racism can happen. I personally feel that racism is something that can not disappear however, many philosophers have pointed out that racism is supposed to disappear as the conditions of a more advanced intermixture of differences become operative, my view for this is if it is an intermixture there is more chance of racism to happen. Racism starts off with conflict within two different groups within society. Racism also could happen within schools for various reasons. A good example would be the BNP. There is a large amount of people who have joint the BNP which shows that racism can not disappear. The link shows that the BNP admit to race crime. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3894529.stm Baudrillard also mentions the sign exchange value which can be also known as the laws of values, what Baudrillard believes that there are three levels of signs which are; economic exchange value, symbolic exchange value and sign exchange value. He believes that we are all linked with the three he believes that the economic exchange is based around consumer there must be consumer value, he believes that economic and symbolic exchange together have no value for example If a mother was to buy her daughter a necklace, the daughter decided to keep the necklace as a symbol of her mother the necklace will have no economic value towards it. Baudrillard then uses the sign exchange value as a example for terrorism he says that by using the sign exchange values terrorism ‘mirrors’ consumer society in that it predefines freedom “for Baudrillard terrorism and terror are primarily strategies of the system: of the state, the law, the market, the code. What is ordinarily called ‘terrorism’-meaning organised violence and untimidation directed against the dominant system- is for Baudrillard, The ‘mirror’ of the system’s terroristic can hold over its population” (consumer 1910/1998;198; Trans. Evil, 1990/1913:75-80) Baudrillard also says that the sign exchange values effect ones every day basis.