Ceteris paribus...

All else being equal...

I had my second Ancient Philosophy class today. We talked briefly about the Meno dialogue, but we're continuing it next week, because the books were in later and only a few of us got the reading and response done.

We somehow had a segway into discussing the Olympics. We determined that cheating means an unfair advantage achieved by going outside set boundaries for any activity, and that perhaps steroids should be an accepted method of Olympian competition, but should be separated from the natural athletes. It was an entertaining conversation, actually. The Olympics are amazing, what with all the interaction from all over the world, the showcasing of culture and bragging rights gained by the best athletes and their respective countries. I'm fascinated by them--also, they're hella fun to watch.

I was actually wondering, the other day, how racism would be dealt with at the Olympics. With so many nations of so many ethnicities present, I figure there must be some amount of it; considering it's such a traditional, revered event, I'm sure it's not tolerated.

Beyond that, I started thinking about the difference between discriminating against someone for their race and their culture. People make light of African American culture, but then discriminate against blacks for their skin color. There are many Asian stereotypes, but there's a difference between all Asians being good at math and all Japanese people liking anime. What's it called when someone is treated differently because of their country's culture, rather than their heritage and ethnicity?

I'm done rambling. Time to cook up some Chinese food, watch more CSI, dread the hundred-degree weather, and go to the beach this evening.