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@mashton
A telling thing in your exchange up there is "I am not a racist because I employ a lot of muslims, I wouldn't do that if I hated them."
The equation of racism with hatred is a real issue. It allows him, and probably many others, to honestly believe that they are not racist. They don't hate black people. They just think that people of other races and cultures who weren't born here should be regarded differently to people who were born here and look more like him.
The latter is still racist, in my book, but not in his.
Ageism, it seems to me, does not have the same category issue. No one says that ageism is the hatred of the elderly. It's just not employing them or listening to them as much as you would a younger person.
I'd love to see a prime time TV advert, or EastEnders plot that made this crystal clear. "Being racist doesn't mean that you hate black people. It means you think they are different to white people in fundamental, non racial ways, and should be treated differently as a consequence. Rickyyyyyyyyyy!"