How do you think it benefits society to be racist?

It brings no benefit to society. It has an evolutionary root, which would've been benefitial to the species, but in modern day society there is absolutely no worth to it.

i'm curious to see what you consider the benefits; but i think of a song quote "destruction leads to a very rough road but it also breeds creation" i guess you could say that the struggle against has built character in many people, but at the same time i think that character could have been built in other struggles

You could make the case that it's a good indicator for stupidity and/or ignorance. Actually, I'd be willing to bet that if you took a survey of all the inbreds out there, there would be significantly more racists in that population than the control. It's a bit of a stretch, but being racist could be construed as an indicator for a person to be stupid, ignorant, or inbred - or a combination of those three. And nobody wants to mate with them, except others who fit the criteria - and that's how they die out.

No, racism has no benefits. How could hatred and ignorance benefit us as a society? With racism comes unfair assumptions and unfair treatment of others. It, in itself, is the root of many of society's problems.

One in 31: The Long Reach of American Corrections is a sobering study of the pernicious effects of incarceration which costs more than any other government program except medicaid. Incarceration costs states much needed revenue yet it thrives. It thrives because it is racism perfected. What better way to keep black people in line after the civil rights movement gave us big ideas about being free? No Jim Crow, no problem. Just lock us up. But black people won't speak up about this awful problem. We don't speak up for one simple reason. We are embarassed. We don't want to be connected with people who have broken the law. I don't defend law breaking, especially violent crime, but no one should be in jail for writing a bad check or failing to pay child support. Sentences for those infractions accomplish only one thing. They make sure that black people are always punished disproportionately and are kept under control. Yet incarceration is not on the national agenda at all and the ascendancy of Barack Obama has only heightened the propensity for black people to ignore some of their brothers and sisters who are very hard to defend. Very few people are so hopelessly lost that their misbehaviour should only result in time behind bars. Most people can be rehabilitated into leading productive lives, but that has to be seen as a worth while goal. It isn't seen as being a worthy goal because it would mean an end to racism, a system which is still so useful in maintaining the status quo and in keeping white people in line. White Americans haven't taken to the streets against bank bail outs or endless war because they still have a privileged position, however tenuous it may be. One in thirty-one. Disgraceful.

Yes, racism is the cure to getting out of our economic trouble. If we put a shackle on every black person and make them work the crops, then we can increase our production by nearly 75%. It would also make the streets less crowded and help save the ozone layer by removing them from the driving population. Due to their skin color they are more fit to work outside than any other race, and now that we have educated most of them they can be smarter and more efficient. Crime rate, drugs, STDs, terrorism, rapes, murders, suicides, bombings, global warming, incest, slang, treason, lieing, stealing, theft, larceny, burglary, grand theft auto, mugging, pickpocketing, retards, deformities, barbara boxer, and gays will all be dead and gone if we chain everyoe with black skin. Think of how safe and happy you would feel knowing that you and your friends don't have to be worried aabout black people ruining your lives. Act now and you will recieve an honorary care package for your slave by the Klu klux Klan.

By its nature, it required making false judgments: people are regarded as better or worse than they actually are based on a false marker, race. Therefore people will not be employed to their best advantage: members of the favoured races will have opportunities which would be better offered to better qualified members of the unfavoured races. Racism therefore harms society as well as the disfavoured individuals.

Interesting question... Well of course Racism can have benefits to some groups of people, for example, I'm sure the white men were pretty pleased with themselves when the black people were supposedly not as smart as them. Of course this benefit was not very good for the black people in America and I think had far more devastation than assistance.

Racism has no benefits to anybody. If it is institutionalized in the country's laws it might create a temporary, artificial utopia for the oppressor but the price of this privileged existence is a divided society filled with mutual resentment, suspicion and hatred. It creates an unhealthy, polarized society of effete upper class and a de-humanised poor class.

The only positive I can think of is greatness born of adversity. However, this is old school thinking. We as a planet need to raise the consciousness levels of all mankind. NOW. Not this negative racism but a positive, we are all Divine.

Might I suggest a look at the word "racism"? The only reason everyone here is condemning it to this degree is because they automatically assume we are discussing negative racism. Is it not possible that racists comments can be construed as positive? Afterall, racism merely suggests a judgement made on the basis of someone's skin colour, it need not necessarily be bad. It is just as easy to say "black people are better at sports than white people" as it is to say "white people are better at academics than black people" Whether these assertions are true or not - and there is no doubt that they are unnecessary and segregational ones - I would encourage people to remember that there are two sides to every story, and racism is NOT necessarily all about keeping black people down. It is simply about making unnecessary sweeping generalisations. As to whether it could ever benefit society, I am unsure. I don't see that any social division particularly benefits society - it certainly benefits individuals however, by allowing them some sort of ability to group themselves and find a social identity. Necessary? Ask yourself that question.