One is not born a racist. It's learned.
- Thread starter retriever
- Start date
That's why the pre-school years are the most important. From Birth to 6 years sets what the subconscious attitudes will be.
http://www.tolerance.org/activity/test-yourself-hidden-bias
So, very simply, the person who is your care giver from infant to entering the school system will determine your subconscious attitude towards others. That person may not be your parent. Once you enter the school system, you begin to learn what is "best not said", it doesn't change your subconscious attitude, it just puts a layer of politeness over your attitudes. If you are home schooled, you never learn social norms. Which is why churchies and other closed societies create anti-social monsters.
It is not a simple matter at all. Many studies have shown that basic personality types are innate -- some of us tend to be optimistic and happy; others moody and cautious. Studies of identical twins raised apart show that they are more likely to have similar personalities than a randomly selected pair of people.
It is also true that we can overcome learned behaviours. I was raised in a closed religious society, and didn't start directly learning much about others until high school. I have overcome many of the biases that I became aware of as I lived my life. I still hold on to some that may or may not be overcome -- the phrase "rich entitled frat boys" comes to mind.
I am becoming convinced that societies such as ours (and even more so, the US) would benefit greatly by some kind of compulsory public service. Everybody spends a year or two after school working together with random other young people from the same country for some kind of public project -- teaching, medical care, infrastructure construction, overseas aid, even armed forces perhaps. I believe the forced socialization and need to work together would open a lot of eyes, and force people to see the similarities instead of the differences.
Not true. Basic behaviour is innate. Stuff like warfare (even chimpanzees do it), the pecking order, xenophobia as well.
Racism as we understand it might not specifically innate, but the "us against them" mentality most certainly is. Clinging to the known and fear of the unknown. That unknown can be someone who speaks a different language, practises different culture, looks different, comes from the village across the river, etc. etc. Racism is just a flavor of that basic human instinct. The key point is that you are an outsider, you will be feared, despised and not trusted.
