A misanthrope is someone who mistrusts or hates humankind.

A racist is… well we all know what a racist is.

  • OldWomanoftheWoods@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Racism is worse, because it’s about community - us against them. It provides a focal point for anger and action that doesn’t require self reflection or personal growth.

    Misanthropy … Have you met our species? Violent, destructive, shortsighted, tribalistic apes swarming across their only home devouring it resources and destroying their own habitat with careless abandon.

    Individual humans - we can be amazing. Humans at moments when we overcome our tribalism and selfishness - wonderful. But humankind? Overall, we suck. Misanthropy just realism.

    • 0x4E4F@lemmy.rollenspiel.monster
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      1 year ago

      Misanthropy just realism.

      I think this about sums it up… I’m sorry, I really am, I was such an advocate for human kind and had such hope for it, up until about 10 years ago… and then I just gave up… I mean, it can take a long time to fill a cup if you just drip in it, but eventually, it will get full 🤷.

  • whenigrowup356@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Misanthropes usually keep to themselves, whereas racists can gather up other racists to do racist things

  • STUPIDVIPGUY@lemmy.world
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    1 year ago

    Misanthropy is just a reaction to humans being horrible. Racism is an example of why humans are horrible. So I think the answer is pretty clear.

      • STUPIDVIPGUY@lemmy.world
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        1 year ago

        But we all really do “deserve it”. Humans as a whole really don’t deserve to thrive based on how we have historically treated others and our earth. The problem with racists is that they think they’re better based on some negligible differences between humans.

  • Dandroid@dandroid.app
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    1 year ago

    I can’t say that I 100% understand misanthropy, but IMO it’s way worse to single out a group and treat them differently than other groups. Whether that takes the form of racism, sexism, homophobia, etc. Generally I think that kind of behavior stems from people thinking that they are better than other people, therefore people “worse” than them deserve to be treated like garbage. And I just despise that mindset.

    If someone hates me because of something I have in common with literally every human on the planet it doesn’t feel nearly as personal as if they hate me because I’m different from them in ways that I can’t control.

    • Tedesche@lemmy.world
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      1 year ago

      If someone hates me because of something I have in common with literally every human on the planet it doesn’t feel nearly as personal as if they hate me because I’m different from them in ways that I can’t control.

      Misanthropes generally don’t hate individual people, and can even sometimes enjoy socializing with others. It’s not even all that accurate to say misanthropes hate humanity; they’re actually more profoundly disappointed in it. This is why they don’t engage in mass shootings or other forms of violence, and instead tend to just isolate themselves.

  • angstylittlecatboy@reddthat.com
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    1 year ago

    Racists are worse because misanthropes don’t have a history of their misanthropy having a widespread negative material impact like racists and their racism do.