That’s no different than “to” being used as a helper for every verb in english, and the gratuitous use of “the” and “a” as helpers to nouns. Every language has quirks like this, of one sort or another.
Yes, but “to” is only used for the infinitive verb – “to eat”, not “I eat” or “you eat”.
On the other hand verbs at the end of a sentence (or at least of a clause) aren’t that uncommon – Latin does that too. ‘Filia in artrium est’ – the daughter is in the hall.
It’s very different because “to” is not a verb, and Japanese uses “do” with just about everything as Kannada does.
Granted English often makes no sense when you analyze it, but issuing the order “Think do!” is pretty jarring, especially when the “think” is in English.
Perhaps @Ashwin_s has some insight to offer here.
Dont know for sure… but I also happen to have a Japanese friend who thinks Japanese is linguistically close to Tamil.
Tamil is a very old language closely related to Kannada and other south indian languages.
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Exactly. I’ve lived in north Alabama for almost 40 years (minus a few years going to college). In all that time growing up, I knew the KKK type folks still existed, but they didn’t show their faces. Then in 2016, when Trump held a rally here, a guy on a state highway near me started proudly flying his KKK flag in his front yard. I started to see more Confederate flags flown around that time as well. These people already existed, but now they were emboldened to make their views public.
And perhaps that’s why we’re now as a country opening our eyes to what people have been dealing with for years - it’s more obvious to those of us not directly experiencing it.
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I will admit that this is a pointless digression from the racist theme, but @swamidass, what is the native language of your Indian ancestors? Just curious.
Sorry you had to go through that.
It’s interesting though that many Nigerians living in Nigeria wouldn’t approve of interracial marriages, for fear of the children from those unions forgetting about their African roots. We also have this stereotype of Americans (black and white) as being unable to stay in marriages due to very high divorce rates, so African parents usually warn their kids not to think about getting married to Americans. This is changing though, among the younger generation of Nigerians.
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Having them feel compelled to stay closeted is progress. Actually changing people’s attitudes is, of course, a desirable goal. But, failing that, making it socially unacceptable to express such views or act in accordance with them is still a good step.
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As I have mentioned to Joshua in another forum, I encountered a very similar reaction on a Muslim Facebook forum. So, while I know it was not your intention to suggest this, no one should think this is particular to conservative Christians.
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To be clear here, and I think this is important too, it isn’t confined to conservatives either. I’ve encountered quite a bit of racism from liberal-progressives who certainly don’t see themselves as racist.
Racism is not the only sin, but damn it is pervasive. It has such a distorting effect on perceptions that I suspect it influences even when we are unaware.
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And reading between the lines, the original post in question does not seem to be written from a conservative Christian perspective, which does not usually ascribe religion to an enlarging neocortex. The scariest racists I have encountered seem to live life with a practical nihilism. Racism couched in religion, however, has the additional stench of hypocrisy.
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It was an evolutionary creationist FB group. It’s unclear to me if he was a progressive Christian or an atheist/agnostic lurker.
The ridiculous thing is that he actually blocked me. I didn’t block him, but he decided to block me. Perhaps I was being too uppity. 
.
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I’d call that a small grace.
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It echoes of a larger problem. In exchanges like this, especially if in an institutional context, there is no recourse and it often ends up with the minority being blamed for the interaction. As ridiculous as that might sound, I’ve seen that vicious pattern play out several times.
I’m sorry. 
I’d say report the user to FB, but I don’t know how much good that would do.
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I suspect it might be easier to see as an outsider.
I was floored when I learned that many Indians are incredibly prejudiced against those with darker skin. Most of the skin creams sold there include lighteners. In working-class barbershops, face bleaching for men is common.
Yes, that is absolutely a thing. White people (or any other group) do not have a monopoly on racism. But it is racism married to power that is most vicious. In the United States, the bulk of power does not reside with people who look like me.
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Yes, it is.
I came to the USA as a graduate student. And the racism that I saw was pervasive. But most Americans did not seem to notice it.
I’ll add that I grew up in Australia. And there was plenty of racism there. But it took a different form.
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I was shocked, on a trip to Australia, when my birding guide recommended the stories of Napoleon “Bony” Bonaparte, detective. So I picked up an ebook. Whoa, now that was racist. Are those books still considered acceptable in Australia?
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