What is racism?

Racism is a term to describe the views and actions of one group of people toward another based on the idea that the two groups are distinguished by “race” and that the group with racist views believes itself to be superior to the other. That belief in superiority is usually followed by exclusion of the other group from some or many aspects of the society in which the “superior race” is either in the majority or has economic and political power. Racism can result in a range of behaviour which lies on a continuum from disliking someone because of their perceived different “race” to the ultimate evil of racist behaviour genocide, the destruction of a people. On this continuum lie verbal and written abuse and incitement of others to similar behaviour, harassment designed to insult or intimidate and physical violence against those perceived to be different.