People can develop prejudicial behavior along many different lines:

• Where you were born/come from
• What state you live in and came from
• Your weight
• The vehicle you drive
• The clothing you wear
• The music you prefer
• Your chosen political party

Young children don't have these thoughts yet, but they do come into play as they learn and interact with others. Our experiences form our judgements.

I am clearly treated differently depending on my choice of clothing. When I'm wearing a suit I'm generally treated with more respect than when I'm wearing Wrangler jeans and a t-shirt. Put on some camo pants, boots and an NRA Life Member shirt and let the disapproving looks begin!

Tolerance and understanding go a long way towards human relations. Humans like to predict things and unfortunately that includes judging others before we have the facts.

 

Very well said.

 

I dont know why, but thats funny.

 

I had a similar situation when my buddy (who is black) came over to pick up a '67 Ford I sold to him. My kids were playing in the front yard. When they saw Johnny get out of the car the two younger kids just smiled and stared at him. The older boy moved over between them and the stranger, and he wasn't smiling. It was pretty obvious to Johnny and I about what was going on. The oldest boy was moving to protect his siblings from a stranger.

The difference between the kids was the oldest boy spent some time going to an inner city school before we moved to the suburbs, while the younger kids had never seen a black person up close before. They were fascinated by him.

 

It is funny, I never thought or became a racist untill I moved to the big city. Living in central Idaho, I figured all men to be equal.

I moved to Las Vegas, and I have become racist. I do not like Mexicans at all. They sh!# on me every day. They laugh and call me names. I hate those SOBs.

Funny, because I have never laughd or called a Mexacan a name.

Now I am a racist?

Clarify this for me please!

 

you are only a racist if you hate someone soley for the reason of their skin color.

you are a biggot if you hate someone not based on their actions, either individually or as a group, but based upon their differences (i.e. religion, sexual orientation etc..) from you.

however, a hate crime under definition, can occur from any race, even one race upon the same race.

 

Not according to the media. And we know that they are ALWAYS right. Only straight, white men commit hate crimes. Get your facts straight.

 

The sad truth is....That statement is correct.

 

We are created equal in the sense of having two arms, legs, eyes, etc., but that is pretty much where it stops, in my opinion. There is no equality in anything else. It does sound good tho. Has kind of a "ring" to it. jd

 

Great thread guys. Good start, Dan. I cannot believe that you're on page three and this one hasn't been moved to the club yet.

My .02

My early childhood was spent in a very white part of the country. There just wasn't a lot of other folks around. I remember the first time that I saw a black man very clearly. I was 8 or 9 years old and had the childish fascination that has been mentioned a few times already.

In a weird way, I'm glad that I didn't grow up in a place where there was lots of racism, if only because there was no other race around...I was a teenager before I found myself in an inner city school and got to learn about various folks of various races without any bias or prejudice going in. Had some GREAT conversation with a LARGE black vice principal in my junior high school once upon a time.

Funny thing to me is that after living in all four corners of the country, I find myself back in the Midwest...in a large (ish) metropolitan area with a good mix of the various races...and the MOST racism that I've ever encountered. I've lived in Ohio, Arizona, Oregon, Florida, Colorado, and am now in Kansas City, MO. I've been here for about two and a half years, and it still amazes me how many people are just hateful based on skin color.

We've got a guy here at work (black fella in maintenance) who is a great guy, knows his job, and has a wonderful sense of humor...but first mention of some dissatisfaction with him or his work, he cries racism. Such a shame. He knows me well enough that we've had some constructive arguing about this matter. I'd like to think that I'm making a difference every day. I'll confess that I'm not sure tho.

Interesting, ain't it?

 

Great post DusterDan, bravo to you for posting the thread, for asking the questions. I'll won't try to top or add to the responses here about why and when we develop prejudices - there are some good ones here to contemplate. But I will say that I think the best way to eliminate those prejudices, and maybe avoid them in the first place, is demonstrated so well in your post; the honesty and objective way you look at yourself is the key - thinking instead of just reacting...

You have my admiration...

 

Then by all means, click on those little scales in his post and rep the man.

 

It is true that we are not born with prejudice but, many are born into it. Everyone's belief system is developed over their entire life, influenced by what we are taught, hear, witness, read, experience, etc...

My wife and I were discussing this very topic last night as she related a conversation she and a fellow employee had yesterday afternoon. This will likely be a little lengthy.

Setting the stage: My wife (Caucasian) is the H.R. Manager for her company. The fellow employee is a highly educated and professional V.P. of Sales who happens to be African-American.

V.P.'s comments: Having a casual conversation in my wife's office the V.P. brings up the fact that he is insulted and even angered by the fact that when he and his two teenage sons walk by an inhabited car, in a parking lot, they will often hear the doors lock as they approach or walk by. He feels this is racist and profiling in it's highest degree.

My Wife's Rebuttal: As parents of 3 daughters, we have always instructed our girls to be aware of all that goes around them and to keep doors (home / auto) locked at all times. It would not have mattered to her if it was three black men, Hispanics or a group of eighty year old women ...she would hope that our daughters would confirm the doors were locked.

V.P: His only regard to the security issue was that if that was the case the doors should have already been locked. He does not regard the fact that the doors "click" even if already locked.

Wife: Since the V.P. has no daughters my wife challenged him to discuss this with his wife and see how she felt and what her actions are if she is sitting alone in a car and three grown male whites, Asians, Hispanics, or blacks were approaching....He left the room without further comment.

My comments: Who is being racist here? It seems to me that the V.P. is racial biased by immediately assuming that he and his sons were being profiled. In addition, he likely promoted his disgust with his sons since they were together. What is he teaching them?

Is profiling wrong? In some cases I would say that it is. However, we are taught by life experiences that profiling may be a necessary evil. Every single day, here in the big city, people are being murdered, burglarized, carjacked, victims of home invasions...raped. etc. The very highest percentage of perpetrators, in DFW anyway, are black or Hispanic. This being the case, it is prudent for all...white, black, brown, purple or whatever their persuasion...to be diligent in regards to their own personal safety. If this diligence requires a measure of prejudice / profiling, then so be it. The perps have brought it down upon their own people.

 

I'm not sure that either of the above are being racist. It does sound like a good, healthy conversation tho.

There may be a touch of racism in his feeling offended by the locking of car doors, but how would you feel? He's got a point. So does your Mrs. of course. I'm glad that she can have that conversation without it getting ugly.

 

V.P. brings up the fact that he is insulted and even angered by the fact that when he and his two teenage sons walk by an inhabited car, in a parking lot, they will often hear the doors lock as they approach or walk by. He feels this is racist and profiling in it's highest degree.
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A few years ago I was in Nashville setting up some fairly heavy equipment for a show. I was dressed in somewhat dirty work clothes and probably looked a bit scummy. I was walking back to my hotel, passing through an industrial district when I came to an intersection with a stop sign. A black gentlemen, well dressed in a nice car pulled up to the stop sign. In order not to hold him up I walked behind his car rather than in front. As I walked behind I heard all the door locks fire. I assume they were being locked, not unlocked :-) I was a little insulted at first, but when I thought about it - the area I was in, the way I was dressed - I couldn't blame him a bit, I would have done the same thing. He was just using common sense...