I'm a Racist

a reply to: pheonix358

There was practically no racism at my high school. It was just not there.

Nor mine, there was no occasion for it, because there weren't any other races there. Your situation was different. You were exposed. But exposure isn't unique. Consider World War 2, exposure among 18 year olds and up, but they didn't all draw your conclusions.

I got nothing but ???????? You tell me Pheonix.

a reply to: imwilliam

Even horses are racist. It's been observed that groups of white castrated male often reject the brown one more fiercely than a white one if it's new to the group.

Make of that what you will.
But just as well if they grow up colourful they show no racism at all.



And my example is just that, an example, vice versa etc...

a reply to: imwilliam

Answer the following.

When did you start believing that some people were inferior and who taught you?

It may be your parents. It may be school. But you were exposed to racism ... I was not.

You learned racism, I did not.

I can't comment for your country but here, I can go to any pre-school and find kids from all racial groups playing well with each other. No one has taught them any different.

P

a reply to: imwilliam

Atleast your a self proclaimed racist. It's so much easier to peg those ones.

a reply to: pheonix358

That's very true, two kids before a certain age, all they want to do is hangout and sometimes fight it out depending on the situation...no one is born a racist, but we sure as hell can be programmed into being one.

a reply to: pheonix358


Make no mistake about it, but I love the way you describe your mind as working


Unfortunately, mine doesn't. But I'm trying. This thread is about the trying and any help you can offer to those of us trying


Pheonix, I admire you.

Maybe tribalism is natural, but how we define "tribes" is more fluid???????

Look, for me, black and white is relatively inconsequential, working, not working is a tough gap to bridge though


I work, I work hard, and I'm naturally sympathetic to other people that work

a reply to: imwilliam

And he took the
"I work hard" banner off the walls
Bearing the colours he grew
Feel how he offends you-oohoooh

a reply to: pheonix358

If i may,

The racist response is not a rational one it is irrational. We as humans clashe with our differences in belief and ideology, and when we are logical in that regard we find unity and progress, irrational leads to decay and disorder.

The mind is hardwired to notice differences and when we are coming from a place of instinct especially, wherein what is different is labelled as potentially dangerous, isnit not understandable that coming from a place of reaction ie an uncontrollavle arising of thought or feeling, one might latvh onto the most easily recognizable difference, that of skin color?

Please reread op. He is racist only in the manner of his automatic thoughts and feelings, immediately after as he shows us he dissects them and attemots to disseninate them and quash them. He recognizes its not the color, truly, that he wouldnt like anyone that lives in that manner. But his mind leaps onto the color differential. Outside of his control and he fights against that. Thats bot a learned behavior but an automayic response.

You yourself growing up immersed in culture like you were were able to learn a set of beliefs that precluded this particular mental assault. That is a learned behaviour you learned to see past cultural and skin differences. Consider yourself lucky, haha, and please dont condemn sirwilliam for his brain

a reply to: LucidWarrior

Please reread op. He is racist only in the manner of his automatic thoughts and feelings, immediately after as he shows us he dissects them and attemots to disseninate them and quash them. He recognizes its not the color, truly, that he wouldnt like anyone that lives in that manner. But his mind leaps onto the color differential. Outside of his control and he fights against that. Thats bot a learned behavior but an automayic response.

Thank you Lucid

Yeah, its about that "racicm" that we can individually recognize as "wrong". . . as "ugly". So, that racism that YOU can't justify, that stuff that makes YOUR stomach churn.


So when your mind goes there, where do you go?

No tricks here folks, maybe an exposure though that might be mutually beneficial?

a reply to: imwilliam

No tricks here folks, maybe an exposure though that might be mutually beneficial?

Most definitely, brother, in my humble opinion that is exactly the kind of thinking that will save our species from annihilating ourselves if bot the entire planet, or more if god forbid we make it into other star systems before we fix our society.

Honesty with our own faults, and working against them, and being honest with others, that they can learn of those and work against them with us and for us where we arent able.

Again, bravo.

a reply to: LucidWarrior

I am not condemning him. We are discussing. Hell, he is one brave dude just writing the OP.

He wrote the OP to learn. He is learning.

I disagree that racism is instinctual.

The mind is hardwired to notice differences and when we are coming from a place of instinct especially, wherein what is different is labelled as potentially dangerous,

I agree with that statement but ... I have a question for you.

Who labelled the difference as potentially dangerous?

I will leave you with this thought.



P

a reply to: pheonix358

I disagree that racism is instinctual.

Ok, to what extent can we bi-pass this?

What if it's not genetic, we'll' argue this later. Then shouldn't we be able to move forward from that and prove/disprove your therom fairly quickly? Tick tock, how long?


And then?

originally posted by: JinMI

However, it's always a shame to see someone live up to the stereotype.

The thing about stereotypes is, there tends to be a lot of truth to them / a lot of people they pertain to that fit the mold.

They aren't always 'bad'.

Sometimes they're more about humor.

What annoys me is people that are part of a group, but they arent the stereotype, yet still get offended over it.

I say rib and let rib.

So if you do happen to fit one of 'your' stereotypes, and someone jabs you with it, wear it as a badge of honor and jab them back.

Counter act with jokes, not react pity party feewings.

a reply to: imwilliam

Once you accept it is not instinctual ... then you have to admit it is all learned ... and what is learned can be un-learned.

I will try to be gentle but is it possible that you wanting it to be instinctual is your safety system.

"If it is instinctual then it is not my fault I feel that way."

P

a reply to: imwilliam

Or it is learned from the surroundings while growing up.
Most likely not genetically entirely, not entirely instinctal and not entirely learned.
All three, with varying degrees from person to person.

a reply to: pheonix358

I know you werent condemning him personally but saying that he is affecting a learned behaviour when you yourself said the fact of your not being racist is itself a learned behaviour... Cant play both sides of the fence, bud.

The mind itself labels the difference as potentially dangerous, the lower mind also onown as the lizard brain. The instinctual mind responsible for our base instincts like survival dnager assesment and fight or flight, as well as greed and pride etc.Thats what i was talking about automatic thoughts, its a response thing rather than a conditioning. Ill agree that this response can be learned by the environment one grows up in, but instead of using the word learned i would rather say strengthened or reinforced to be more precise.

But whether or bot the racism is learned as you say or is reflexive as i assert, it is there and the methods of overcoming it remain the same of which you yourself provide an excellent such example.

That is a very interesting oicture to be certain. Ifbit was meant to be in defense of your stance, than how is what that picture represents an exanple of learned behaviour? Is it not an exanple of reflexive assumption?

a reply to: pheonix358

Okay now that i can agree with

originally posted by: Peeple
a reply to: imwilliam

Or it is learned from the surroundings while growing up.
Most likely not genetically entirely, not entirely instinctal and not entirely learned.
All three, with varying degrees from person to person.

Yes! Almost universally, humans are wary of spiders, centipedes, snakes and scorpions to mention a few. We can learn, as many have, to unlearn those fears. Many accomplish this because they have learned about those critters or work with them daily.

Racism is a learned behaviour and can be unlearned easier that an instinctual response. Understanding that fear and analyzing it is what the OP is trying to do. He has come a long way in this thread.

We are born with the instinct that our kind will care for us, especially when we are children. Stranger danger is taught, and rightfully so. But it can go overboard!

P