Difference between Racism and Discrimination

Key difference: Discrimination means to treat someone unfairly or unjustly. The unfair treatment can be based on practically anything, including gender, race, community, color of skin, facial features, height, voice, tone, social and economic status, political and religious views, etc. Racism supports the idea that humans are divided into races, and that some races are better than other races. Discrimination on the basis of race is said to be racial discrimination.

Racism Discrimination means to treat someone unfairly or unjustly. The unfair treatment can be based on practically anything, including gender, race, community, color of skin, facial features, height, voice, tone, social and economic status, political and religious views, etc. Even if we pick vanilla ice-cream over chocolate ice-cream, we are discriminating against chocolate ice-cream based on out own taste preferences.

In layman’s terms, it can be said that racism is discrimination based on race. Racism supports the idea that humans are divided into races, and that some races are better than other races. Discrimination on the basis of race is said to be racial discrimination.

Racism supports ideas such as the belief that whites are better than blacks, or that Jews were responsible for the world’s problems, as claimed by the Nazis. Racism is basically responsible for the slave trade, apartheid, and numerous genocides such as the Holocaust, Sudan, etc.

However, discrimination generally supports ideas that are partial to one rather than the others. This can include racial discrimination, i.e. on the basis of race; gender discrimination, i.e. the belief that one gender is better that the other; religious discrimination, i.e. my religion is better than yours; political discrimination, i.e. my political party is better than yours; social and economic status, i.e. the rich are better than the poor or the rich are arrogant, etc. There are various other types of discrimination. Discrimination can be on the basis of anything, including out own personal views, for example, cake is better than pie, Coke vs. Pepsi.

Comparison between Racism and Discrimination:

	Racism	Discrimination
Description according to Dictionary.com	A belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.	An act or instance of discriminating, or of making a distinction. Treatment or consideration of, or making a distinction in favor of or against, a person or thing based on the group, class, or category to which that person or thing belongs rather than on individual merit: racial and religious intolerance and discrimination.
Description	Racism supports the idea that humans are divided into races, and that some races are better than other races. Discrimination on the basis of race is said to be racial discrimination.	The unfair treatment can be based on practically anything, including gender, race, community, color of skin, facial features, height, voice, tone, social and economic status, political and religious views, etc.
Discrimination	On the basis of race	On the basis of anything, such as gender, race, community, color of skin, facial features, height, voice, tone, social and economic status, political and religious views, etc.
Examples	Blacks are awesome at sports. Asians are really smart. Blacks are hoodlums and gang bangers. All rich white kids do drugs. Non-whites can’t speak English.	Blacks are awesome at sports. Asians are really smart Rich people are snobbish. Men are better suited to be police, firefighters, etc. All Republicans are wrong, Democrats are right. Homosexuality is wrong.