I was discussing the meaning and use of this suffix with myself this afternoon in media.

If you're somethingist, doesn't it mean you're in praise of it?

But can it also be used to be against things or something?

Like when someone's an extremist (there) in Islam, they're known as Islamists, right?

But when someone's nasty to a race, they're said to be racist?

Does it therefore mean that they're in favour of ONE race, or something? I'm talking in literal senses here.