[DrPhil]

"Opinions" have been a theme on GC lately.

Strong opinions are always appropriate.

This doesn't mean that everyone automatically knows what they are talking about. These kinds of topics are widely debated by theorists, researchers, and laypersons alike. The former two simply have a different foundation for their arguments instead of everyone having to hear about "my racist uncle is an uneducated bigot." Taking an historical and contemporary approach to racism and discrimination provides insight into why the longstanding structure of racism is considered to be more than "mean words that hurt feelings." Webster can't tell us all of that because it is designed for the layperson who won't read much beyond that dictionary entry.

Moreover, people have different ways of arriving at similar conclusions. I don't agree with some of AKA Monet's statements in this thread, but she admits that much of this is outside of her field of expertise. And we seem to agree on the outcome.