Definitions+and+Standards

In a movie, one character (of Indian heritage) said to the other (of European heritage), "You can't [be the Buddha], because you are a foreigner."

One student claimed, "That was a racist statement." Another student claimed, "No it wasn't."

Resolved: That was a racist statement. In order to judge this debate, a definition of "racist" would be in order. There are many definitions of words. Which one should be adopted? In the debate context, this is called setting STANDARDS.

Immediate question: What does the word "racist" mean?

Broader question: How should we decide which definition we should use?
 * Consider the context.
 * Consider the educational value.
 * Consider fairness (ground).