#1125 Has the number of assholes on MIT Confessions increased this semester, or has my tolerance for assholes just decreased?

#1124 *stretches and moans when my crush is near me so he gets a taste of the sexual noise i make when im being fucked*

#1123 really I only come here to see what Francois has to say

#1122 It really pisses me off when people complain on MIT confessions

#1121 As many supporters of the "prejudice plus power" definition say, the definitions of words are not dependent on what official dictionaries say. While they're correct that conflicting with common usage or a dictionary definition is not enough to discredit a definition, there also needs to be a legitimate and necessary reason to change a definition, like if that definition is ineffective or limiting. However, this is not the case. Under the original definition, there are already terms that illustrate the concept of "prejudice plus power" (institutional racism, structural racism, systemic racism, racist oppression, etc.). Under this definition, white Americans are still not racially oppressed, and those people who complain about how bad "reverse racism" is are still wrong.

Redefining racism as "power plus prejudice" is not only unnecessary, but is also problematic. Here's a thought experiment. Two distinct racial groups live in adjacent countries. Each side regards the other as racially inferior degenerates who deserve to be either subjugated or exterminated. The two are at constant war with each other, but as they are roughly equally matched, neither side has succeeded in subduing the other. Are the two countries not racist? The mutual race hatred here seems like the kind of situation that the concept of “racism” is tailor-made to describe. But while each side seeks domination, neither has it. There’s no inequality, no privilege, no oppression.

Another example is the Qing Dynasty of China. The Qing Dynasty was set up by Manchus who invaded the preceding Ming Dynasty. The Manchus politically enjoyed many privileges as a result of being the ruling class and social ones, like the imposition of their cultural custom of the queue. However, Chinese civilization has something called sinicization. Since China is so large, any invaders must inevitably adopt "Chinese" customs. Manchu elites were thus under constant pressure to appear Chinese lest they invoke the wrath of Han chauvinism, which basically translated into imitating and appeasing the Han, since being the majority they exemplified what it meant to be "Chinese." Thus, you had a strange power dynamic where the Manchus and the Han both simultaneously possessed privilege. As one can see, the "prejudice plus power" definition is unable to properly describe this situation.
In a more explicit example of anti-Manchu racism, there was also an entire massacre of Manchus in Xi'an by Han. Under prejudice plus power, it would be unclear if this was racism despite it being literally an act of genocide. The "prejudice plus power" definition's erasure of foreign racial dynamics like this that are more complex than current social relations in the West honestly reeks of Americentrism and Western-centrism.

#1120 Is it bad that I'm glad MIT decided to not completely listen to FFMIT? Because I really don't like or agree with FFMIT and it seems like no one feels the same around me...
I love the earth and crap but I don't agree with their solution to the problem. I don't really think divesting would do much other than give a university a political stance. Oil is big enough to not give a shit about loosing a couple million.

#1119 I love walking out of exams hearing people talk about how hard they thought it was when I didn't even study, go to class, or do any assignments and still know I kicked its ass.

#1118 Trump 2016. Dead serious. If you're not on board, you're way too narrow-minded. Best chance for our country right now.