Stereotypes Vs. Racism

When does a stereotype become racism? We are all familiar with some of the more popular stereotypes. Blondes are ditzy. Arabs work at quick stops, or own hotels. Black mothers are on welfare. White men can't jump. Women who wear revealing clothes are whores. Smart people are nerds. Fill in the blank with your favorite.

My favorite is, "Tall people should play basketball." I wonder if those same people go up to fat people and say, "Hey, you're Fat, you should be a Sumo Wrestler". Maybe they go up to short people and say, "Hey you're Short, you should be a Jockey". Now I know, you're saying "But being tall and playing basketball are a good thing". You may be right, I'm not differentiating between "Good" stereotypes, and "Bad" stereotypes, just tackling them as a whole. What I want to know is when does it become racism. If I went up to a black man and said, "Hey, you're Black, you should be a basketball player." Now the RED flag goes up. I just added color to a stereotype and it's taboo now. Well, all stereotypes are generalizations, that is the definition of a stereotype; A generalization about a group of people based on a characteristic or attribute. There are always exceptions to the rule. It's funny how ingrained some have become, we don't even blink when we hear them.

I guess along the same lines of this subject is "Reverse Racism". I have heard the term used when describing racism directed at whites. My question.. when did racism just refer to blacks? According to the dictionary this is the definition of racism, "Discrimination or prejudice based on race". So how did there come about to be a Reverse Racism, if Racism does not describe a particular race or color. Funny how things change.

I know this post is gonna earn me some enemies, that's fine, as long as it makes some people wake up and start taking notice, and thinking about things.