Everyone's a little bit racist?

Orson Scott Card’s Shadow series covers this in part, as for how Peter managed to unify the world under his Hegemony.

In short, people identify with their own tribe (whatever that may be), and are distrustful of other tribes. Vis a vis, New Yorkers and anyone who lives in New Jersey. However, you have to lower the boundaries between the tribes (somehow) and get everyone working together to totally eliminate tribalism.

Doing that is hard. As the song points out, it’s been solved in a couple of big areas, but there’s still stereotypes and bais at work.

For starters, racism is just the belief that racial background determines traits and these traits can specify a ‘superior’ race. Which kinda makes sense.
I’d say I’m a continental racist. Black people would be superior in Africa and Australia. They’re more resilient to higher UV levels.
White people would be superior in Europe and Asia. They can produce adequate vitamin D with less sunlight.
<insert remaining rant about racial differences in varied environments>

However, if you mean racist in the more popular definition of the word. Then yeah, I’d say everyone is racist. Unless you have that condition where your brain can’t pick up identifying traits of people, such as facial features and skin colour. Then you’re safe.

In other news: Hooray! Avenue Q is coming to Australia!

I do agree. I don’t hate anyone due to race, I wouldn’t care if someone was black, white, or yellow, but occasionally I catch myself thinking things that are a little bit racist, even though I know that those things may not be true.

When I see someone from the middle east, my mind jumps straight to taxi drivers. I know that everyone from the middle east cannot possibly be a taxi driver, but it’s just what I think of first.

When I see a black man, I think about stealing hubcaps. When I see a group of black men, I think about gangs. When I see an Indian, I think about telemarketers. When I see a rabbi, I think about him sitting on a pile of gold and laughing maniacally. I know that most rabbis probably do not do this, but it’s what I think of. My mind jumps straight to the stereotype.

I think everyone’s a little bit prejudiced, because we all make snap judgements based on appearance, even if we don’t catch them, as they happen so fast.

It takes time and effort to get to know each individual and cast off those judgements and many people would just rather not bother, especially if by doing so, they might lose some privilege, be that the privilege to keep (or make more) money or power, or the privilege to sit around and bitch about some other group.

This world isn’t perfect, of course I agree…we always make instant judgments, regardless of how many times we repeat to ourselves not to.

It is only my opinion, but I don’t think anyone can answer that with any degree of certainty. No one knows what actually goes on in the mind of another, regardless of what they tell you. I have known those (admittedly very few) who ranted and railed about being the victim of racism and were themselves, racist.

It is not racism when you are simply attracted to other persons like yourself.

@UScitizen That’s not really what the question is about though. Did you read the lyrics in the link I posted?

@Leanne1986 By the way, Avenue Q is an awesome musical!

@belakyre It really is!

@randomness I Lol’d. But why hubcaps? You couldn’t think of rap or fried chicken or something lol!

Yes.

This was already known before some song lyrics. Yes everyone is a little prejudiced, but an intelligent human would dismiss these primitive, seemingly natural urges and remember that we are trying advance ourselves and live in a place where character matters most. As long as you don’t act on them, its completely ok.

racism is subjective.

First of all, I love that musical
Secon of all, no, I don’t think everyone’s racist.

There’s a saying:

“One finds what one looks for.”

Ya know. Peewee was always so wise.

No, because emotions like fear are controlled by our unconscious mind. Racism has to do with the conscious mind. A healthy cortex can keep our reptilian brain in check.

@Blackberry Well, I thought it was a given that the black man would be eating fried chicken and watermelon whilst stealing the hubcaps. Then he’d go and rap about it with his friends, and shoot up a service station. Duh!

I am black.

That is what we do. What are you saying it is wrong?
I do luv fried chicken and watermelon.

As a rule I don’t take in dept analysis of social behavior from people made of felt, or who have someone’s hand shoved up their backside. It’s a play. It’s meant as an entertainment. The lyrics were meant to be funny and to rhyme. Any deep meaning you might take from them is solely of one’s own creation.

Racist, no. Prejudiced, yes.

@daemonelson
Whats for afters lol.

good rant!

@randomness Ahh Ok I see :)

@SABOTEUR
“One finds what one looks for.”
Not if its strapped to the back of your head! ;-p

I know it’s cliche, but I really do think that you should get to know a person before you hate them.

@Blondesjon I couldn’t agree with you more but you don’t have to hate someone to make assumptions of someone based on their race.

@Leanne1986 . . . True. You also don’t have to make assumptions based on somebody’s race at all. No, everybody’s not a little racist.

@Pazza Why, thankyou. I do try.

@Blondesjon
I think hate is a very powerful and detrimental word. My nan used to ask me about my ex partner and I would say I hated her for putting me through the court system, but then I learned the full potency of hatred and realised I didn’t hate her, but she would have to do some serious feckin grovaling to get back in my good books!

@Leanne1986
I totaly agree, I’m neally 5’10”!.....

As much as I’d like to say that I’m not a racist, the time and culture of my upbringing impressed some of it into me. I realize that it’s wrong and work against it. But I do notice a persons race and this silly catalog of “racial characteristics” pops up my head (to be stuffed back down, of course).

@stranger_in_a_strange_land Thank you for your honesty.

@Pazza . . . If you have the capacity to love you have the capacity to hate.

Broad sweeping hate is a ridiculous waste of energy. Concentrated, poisonous hate targeted at motherfuckers who deserve it? Well worth the time and effort.

We all have hate in us and I love the people I hate for giving me a place to focus that negative energy.

Eliminate race and we just have a bunch of people who have strong opinions about other people. The idea of race just streamlines the process of humans being fucked up to other humans by nature of a whole category of people they can lump together…..Like these goddam flutherites always pickin’ apart every fuckin’; question…friggin surfin’, facebook fucking bloggin’...
but i digress…