Prejudice on a subconscious level And How it Affected Even Yours Truly:

This is a personal story no links to anything other than what I am about to tell you.
Recently like couple of days ago I was on a train heading back to the city a number of young foreigners got on, I immediately marked them as possibly backpackers or students all were friendly and immediately engaged me in conversation some were south Asians from Thailand and Nepal others from Germany, France, the Netherlands, one Asian American from NYC and three white dudes one from Philly another New Yorker although upstate and one from Arkansas , everyone introduced themselves through the regular fistbump along with their home grown accents all except for the Arkansas guy who greeted me with the obligatory fist bump but with a non traceable accent , couple of stops later all the others got off the train leaving only the two of us, so I asked him you said you were from Arkansas but I can't detect any southern accent, were you a transplant?? he said no he and his family are generations deep, but he did live in Austria for some years, not satisfied I pressed him some more on the accent thing and this is where he drop the bomb;
Look how easily I accepted everyone without hesitation, if I had introduced myself with a southern drawl you would paused if only for a second to size me up.even if you don't say anything faces usually clinched up for a little while
I was taken aback ,No!! I wouldn't : Yes you would, it's not just you, don't take it personal but people from up north all do it, Black people white people it doesn't matter but especially Black northerners will give me that pricing look, they do not become hostile , after all who would want to damage this pretty face hahah
And I asked:Why do you think this is so Media is one of the biggest culprits, we are always cast as racist retards because of that damn accent, you said you had many a friends who were white with southern accents, but think back when you first met them, the first time they open their mouths, what flashed through your mind...be honest now. Now I was cornered, but I let my mind wandered back to guys who are white and southern that I would become good friends with, and I'll be damned if I didn't atleast size them up first, this was disturbing to me as I never thought of myself as prejudging anyone. I told him my initial reaction and he said see, all I wanted is to have that natural flow that you showed everyone else. I said: But having to hide your accent which is apart of your being is a bit much?? Yes but it's a small price to pay to be treated like everyone else especially travelling outside the U.S, plus I have honed it well so it's not as tiring as it used to be.
My stop came we did the fist bump he went on his way to Hakata and I went home with my head swirling and slightly depressed..was I prejudging people I don't know who have never done me wrong based on what they sounded like??.if even for a tiny bit??? my memories said yes..sigh!!

a reply to: Spider879

I have, despite the upbringing I had being Dickensian in places, been accused of being "Posh" before now, simply because my accent does not fit the region of my birth and residence. I have never lived outside the county in which I was born, but my accent has never fit it, even when I was a child. There is a tendency around these parts, for the letter T to go missing from a word, for TH sounds to be replaced with a lazy V sound instead.

I have never been one to allow such lapses in proper diction. So, simply because I have not got an accent which strictly marks me out as a resident of Essex, and because I have an extensive vocabulary, I am often accused of being posh, or from another part of the country, and have even been accused of being from entirely different nations to the one in which I was, in fact, born.

I am not entirely sure how some of the more outlandish suggestions as to my origins and upbringing, have formed themselves in the minds of others, but I do know where I am from, and I am proud to be British, and indeed, of Essex. I just so happen to be able to speak as if I was not educated by way of a half brick to the skull, although it so happens that the scenario I just outlined is closer to the truth than anyone might suspect upon first interacting with me.

a reply to: Spider879

Don't be depressed or upset by it. I'd guess that most all informed people do some conclusion jumping when faced with new/different people in a social situation. It seems to be something the human mind does, subconsciously, perhaps as a defense mechanism. Sizing up strangers is just normal, self-preservation; testing for threat.

One of the things you'll find as time goes on is that it seems to be getting ever more difficult to figure out who might be a threat, who might be the type to be avoided or maintained at arms length. I've theorized that this may be the case because so many have mastered personality cloaking. We seem to be ever more surrounded by accomplished sociopaths who can blend in to any situation. Its one of the reasons so many avoid or are stressed by mass transportation vehicles; airplanes, buses, trains, etc. In urban areas, we're trained to avoid eye contact, but to notice who's around us and who's in close proximity to us.

I wouldn't be too hard on myself if I were you. If there's something to learn from this it might be that its best to not ask too many questions.

a reply to: TrueBrit

I understand TrueBrit, it's the little things we have to be mindful of , to think that this otherwise bright young man I had a conversation with felt it necessary to bury part of his being because of people like me in no way filled me with pride and in the States prejudice can easily morphed itself into racism due to the nature of relations between Americans, the perfect accent in America is a New England News anchor accent, in the movies the Romans even the Zulu royals have English accents of the posh kind, because it is deemed intelligent.

a reply to: Spider879

Prejudice on a subconscious level

Tell me about it!

I was raised in a very racist and xenophobic house hold, along with being a devout roman catholic for most of my early years, led to some pretty nasty ideas about the world and it's people.

Even today sometimes, I have to catch myself, judging another group of people for nothing more than some silly BS I read in an outdated magazine in the 80's. I think it's one of the reasons I became so progressive was to try and rid myself of that part of my upbringing.

I'm always aware of the outright attempts of the media to try and make me hate a group of people though, I've become quite good at seeing propaganda for what it is.

~Tenth

I feel his pain!

I often bemoan those newscasts that show southern people talking about the tornado that sounded like a train ripping through their trailer park. Those clips seem to be what the nation and the world come to expect from all folks from the south. It's almost like they deliberately pick people who further the stereotype.

I usually don't get treated any differently in person for my southern accent but I am a woman. Usually it is complimented. At least to my face. I always get the "OMG where are you from?" deal.

However... I learned long ago to cover it up depending on what I was doing or who I was talking to. I have what my husband calls my "phone voice". I have done that for so long I no longer have to think about it. If I don't use the phone voice, I find that many will treat me like I am somehow slow, stupid, and just plain uneducated.

I find it irritating but can't recall ever being overly bothered by it though I imagine that may change if I actually had to go live or work out of the area. I laugh at the stereotypes just as much as those do who believe them albeit for entirely different reasons. The typical redneck, uneducated stereotype is one that will likely never die.

I think we all probably have some stereotypes like this buried somewhere within us. It is good when we can notice them like you did. Then they can be addressed.

Jeff Foxworthy said it best "When people hear a Southern accent, they automatically deduct 100 IQ points".
I've run in to this myself quite often. I have a pronounced drawl, so people instantly know I'm a Southerner. I'm from Hazard, Ky and I can't not tell you how many times I've heard "Do you know the Duke boys yukyukyuk" Sigh. Morons. Many believe Hazard is a fictional place, when it's an actual town in Eastern Ky, so they think they're being witty. They're about half right. [ Half wit if you take my meaning ]

a reply to: Kangaruex4Ewe

. I learned long ago to cover it up depending on what I was doing or who I was talking to.

LOL. I did that in a job interview. Showed up the following day to work and had relaxed in to my normal speech pattern. My boss just looked at me like I had 2 heads. He said" That's fake. You didn't have a Southern accent yesterday" I said "I'm not interviewing for a job today and running the risk of you thinking I'm an idiot".
Stopped him in his tracks.

a reply to: Spider879

One of the things which makes me laugh the hardest, is the tendency for American movies to contain a bad guy or antagonist, who is outrageously, thoroughly, and unmitigatedly British. I understand the cultural echoes which make that an effective psychological lever, to rapidly induce instant distrust and dislike in American audiences, because for all that our nations are co-operative and in the midst of a pan-oceanic love in these days, 'twas not always the case, and this is still well known amongst the population.

So a moustache twirling Briton makes for a good fit as an evil influence in movies and television shows from America, in terms of the ease with which the obvious connotation is absorbed and taken up by the viewer. I think it also has a lot to do with the fact that the quintessential bad guy would be Professor Moriarty, who everyone knows to be the villain from the Sherlock Holmes stories, by Arthur Conan Doyle. The origins of such villainy in popular fiction probably play in as well.

And yet, associating a well spoken British accent, with raw intelligence is a flawed approach, because there are many utter twits who speak very well, despite having nothing of any importance or quality to say, David Cameron being a case in point. More half witted individuals are hard to find, unless one looks to George Osborne for an example of course.

Another thing that interests me, is now readily intelligent sounding characters are often used as villains in popular entertainment, how readily that is accepted by viewers. Intelligence is far from being the sole purview of those with psychopathic or otherwise evil intent, and yet it is lapped up by viewers and readers alike. Look at the success of The Silence Of The Lambs, for a sterling, and bloody well acted example. Anthony Hopkins nailed the ever living hell out of his role as Lecter, but was ably assisted by way of having a naturally rounded, eloquent and rich speaking voice. The man could call your mother a whole laundry list of terrible things, and one would be induced to applaud afterward, such is the timbre and quality of his delivery.

It certainly is an interesting area of thought, this accent business. My accent being what it is, has rather more to do with my standards, and possibly the shape of my palate than it does anything else of course. I really could not give a damn what most people think of my speaking voice, only what I think of it concerns me. But it is true to say that my genetics play a part in the way I speak. There is a certain shape of palate referred to as "the Welsh palate" which is strongly suited toward accentuated vowels, and clear, crisp consonant formation in the mouth, leading to a naturally rounded and crystalline finish on ones verbal ejections.

a reply to: Spider879

Don't be too hard on yourself, OP.

Most people's brains make associations without their permission, it's the actual 'you' part of the mind that goes ... hang on, this feels like nonsense and ignores the whole thing.

Firmware working as intended.

a reply to: TrueBrit

Lol true indeed even Scar in the Lion king had a posh Brit accent..the super villains are the Brits in Spartacus Blood on the Sand every high Roman prick had impeccable British posh accents, while Spartacus and his slaves in rebellion sounded Murican !..:

originally posted by: Pinke
a reply to: Spider879

Don't be too hard on yourself, OP.

Most people's brains make associations without their permission, it's the actual 'you' part of the mind that goes ... hang on, this feels like nonsense and ignores the whole thing.

Firmware working as intended.

Thanks a lil soul searching , reflection and mindfulness of thought is all that is needed..

a reply to: Spider879

IN a very real sense, we all exercise prejudice of one sort or another.

Without it, we would not have the capacity to make simple everyday decisions. I totally understand that widening that prejudice to include a whole people is not only inappropriate, but normally absolutely inaccurate.

But nevertheless, we exercise bias daily.

One thing I notice is how often racial stereotypes are actively supported by any race in question. When I say actively I do not mean intentionally.

Therefore, if we happen to react negatively towards one of those sterotypes then, whether we are aware of it or not, the perception of our reaction could very well be that we are racists. I believe it is within each of us, to a degree, to be racists. This would explain why some people who are accused of racism react as if the accuser is absolute nuts.

I tend to evalutate people on a person by person level... however, if placed in certain situations, with certain stereotypes and with specific types of people, I could react based on the stereotype without thinking.

I perceive many blacks to be racists, personally. Regardless of race, if it quacks like a duck, walks like a duck and swims like a duck, it is very likely a duck. Racism is not something that is specific to white people.. anymore than it is specific to any race. It is something that exists within the human race. To deny that is to deny truth, logic and reason.

If I were an old white guy...I would experience biases based on that (like, try finding a job as a 60 year old). Prejudice exists in all forms, manners and racial types.