[wesselbindt]

> The vast majority of North Koreans outside North Korea are not defectors, instead they are controlled state assets.

So, I'm not a fan of North Korea (is anyone?), but this is definitely racist rhetoric. One thing that helps me see whether I'm saying something iffy is by replacing the ethnic group I'm talking about, and replacing it with another. If the resulting statement is either silly, deeply offensive, or obvious scare mongering, typically it means the original statement is worth reconsidering.

[leereeves]

North Koreans and South Koreans are the same race, divided only by fairly recent politics. This is nationalist, if anything, not racist. Try replacing "North Korean" with "Soviets".

[wesselbindt]

Now you're just arguing semantics. "I hate Ethiopians" is just as problematic as "I hate black people".

"Don't trust him, he's from Israel"

[cap11235]

To the best of my knowledge, Ethiopia isn't running international crime rings to fund nuclear ambitions.

[wesselbindt]

Ok, so then take Israel, whatever. Despite the ethnic cleansing that Israel is carrying out, it is not valid to look at a person with suspicion just because they're from Israel.

"But it's true!" is in my opinion a poor response to accusations of prejudice. "Black people are criminals" "That's racist" "But it's true, look at the statistics!" It doesn't make the original statement any less racist.