Racism

[Nimos]

So was wondering about racism and whether or not it is something that we are born with or whether it is purely something we are taught either through childhood or experiences?

What I mean is, if any studies have been made of infants where these things can be ruled out more easily?

Because remember seeing a study being made about infants or babies ability to understand moral issues, like someone behaving good and bad and that they reacted to that. I haven't looked into this, but should I guess, I would assume that racism is something that is purely taught or developed through experiences.

Anyone know anything about this or have any thoughts?

 

[sun rise]

You might find this article interesting as I did: How young children can develop racial biases – and what that means

The summary is that young babies don't care, older babies start recognizing "like me" versus "not like me" but that does not necessarily turn into racism.

 

[Stevicus]

So was wondering about racism and whether or not it is something that we are born with or whether it is purely something we are taught either through childhood or experiences?

What I mean is, if any studies have been made of infants where these things can be ruled out more easily?

Because remember seeing a study being made about infants or babies ability to understand moral issues, like someone behaving good and bad and that they reacted to that. I haven't looked into this, but should I guess, I would assume that racism is something that is purely taught or developed through experiences.

Anyone know anything about this or have any thoughts?

I would think it's learned.

 

[Valjean]

I believe our species is naturally tribal, but what features are perceived as foreign or different is learned, as is how these features are assessed and responded to.

 

[F1fan]

This is a famous study on racism.

Blue eyes, brown eyes: Jane Elliott's race experiment 50 years later

 

[Twilight Hue]

I believe our species is naturally tribal, but what features are perceived as foreign or different is learned, as is how these features are assessed and responded to.

I agree.

We are tribal and seek familiarity instinctively with the same skin color. It dosent mean one is racist, but put any group of people who are strange to each other into a room and the first thing you see is grouping, by which skin color is the first associated with your own, and naturally, people go by with what's first familiar to them.

Blacks group with other blacks

White groups with other whites.

 

[Valjean]

I agree.

We are tribal and seek familiarity instinctively with the same skin color. It dosent mean one is racist, but put any group of people who are strange to each other into a room and the first thing you see is grouping, by which skin color is the first associated with your own, and naturally, people go by with what's first familiar to them.

Blacks group with other blacks

White groups with other whites.

Skin color? Why skin color? Why not language, accent, religion, clothing, lapel pin or place of residence?
I suspect which differences are perceived as significant is largely learned.

 

[Revoltingest]

Nature + nurture.

 

[John53]

So was wondering about racism and whether or not it is something that we are born with or whether it is purely something we are taught either through childhood or experiences?

What I mean is, if any studies have been made of infants where these things can be ruled out more easily?

Because remember seeing a study being made about infants or babies ability to understand moral issues, like someone behaving good and bad and that they reacted to that. I haven't looked into this, but should I guess, I would assume that racism is something that is purely taught or developed through experiences.

Anyone know anything about this or have any thoughts?

I was raised in a very racist family, we hated everyone from people of different race to different religion, even the people in the neighbouring town. When my daughter was born I tried to raise her differently and not exhibit any kind of racism in front of her. When she was about 3 or 4 she would chat with the people in various shops, want to hand them the money and do the usual kid stuff but in the Vietnamese bread shop she would hide under the counter and not speak. When I asked her why, she said she didn't like them because they talked funny. Maybe we're born with a fear of difference?

 

[JustGeorge]

I agree.

We are tribal and seek familiarity instinctively with the same skin color. It dosent mean one is racist, but put any group of people who are strange to each other into a room and the first thing you see is grouping, by which skin color is the first associated with your own, and naturally, people go by with what's first familiar to them.

Blacks group with other blacks

White groups with other whites.

I find I tend to group on clothing.

 

[Revoltingest]

I find I tend to group on clothing.

I avoid nudists.

 

[JustGeorge]

I avoid nudists.

Me too.

 

[Stevicus]

I believe our species is naturally tribal, but what features are perceived as foreign or different is learned, as is how these features are assessed and responded to.

I'm looking back in my own past, and I'm not sure if I was really able to process much of that in my early years. I would see kids my age of different races, but I didn't really think much of it, other than they had a different skin color. But it wasn't too long before I started to realize that some of the adults in my life had some rather strange views about the subject, especially my grandparents. My parents were a bit more liberal and broad-minded.

But in terms of tribalism, there may be some of that in different forms. A lot of it seems to be manifested in language and sometimes accents.

 

[MyM]

I believe children are innocent. If you raise your child to be racist, they will be unless they see the racism in what is being taught later on isn't good and think twice about it. Kids play, they inherit from families. If they grow up seeing that everything is not all hunky dory and going from person to person who are showing racism, they will LEARN about racism. The scary part is, them believing it's good.

 

[ChristineM]

Do they look racist? I truly believe racism is a learned behaviour, not a natural state.

I will also add

 

[David Young]

It all depends on what your working definition of 'racism' is.
If you use the one that was most widely in use fifty years ago, it will be incompatible with the one that groups today such as BLM or the ACLU use.

As Thomas Sowell is quoted as saying: “If you have always believed that everyone should play by the same rules and be judged by the same standards, that would have gotten you labeled a radical 50 years ago, a liberal 25 years ago and a racist today.”