Why are people racist?

So, I noticed something about me. I may have a differing opinion about a lot of things, but I'm simply not racist. I'm particularly noting this because of the classic phrase "Everyone's a little bit racist." But honestly, there's not a single race I hate or even feel indifferent too. Everyone for me is the same.

Now, I don't' really comprehend how some people can be racist. I understand perhaps if you have a different position on lets say a religious or political belief, but to hate someone because of their race? Someone enlighten me.

It often comes down generalisations. Its not that they 'dislike' that race per se, but will generalise attritubes towards the entire race. However, some of these attributes they give they do dislike, leading to a dislike or hatred of the entire race.

Some racists just believe that they are above all others as well.

Eh, I dunno. But I think the moment we conclude we are not possible or something we stop wondering about the things we do subconsciously, which can and do have effects. Like thinking racism in of itself is a political discussion, without at least linking it politically which is quite easy to do these days.

I grew up a bit racist. I had to force myself to put aside misconceptions and prejudgments. I'll always be a tad bit racist because while I can control how I think I cannot what i feel. Acknowledging that causes me to look at the instant reactions I may of had and at least not let it become "normal".

Last thing you want is to give yourself a pass. Many people do outright mean things to other people because they give themselves a pass and stop judging themselves critically.

Even a feel good statement that everyone to you is the same can be felt differently by other people hearing it because in many ways people are not the same and that is going to be based on their interpretation. Think BLM and when someone said All Lives Matter.

It's never simple.

I think jealously can play a part in it, believe it or not.

I think it’s more about class than race. As an upper middle class individual, I would feel uncomfortable in an urban setting. It just so happens that the majority of people in those neighbourhoods will mainly have a different skin tone than me so I may appear to be a racist, but I am not. I just wouldn’t feel safe there. I work amongst many different races and I don’t feel uncomfortable whatsoever.

I’m also a conservative so it’s automatically assumed I’m a racist. But again, I am not.

Because there are psychological, social and economic incentives to investing in ethno-nationalism and racism.

Because tribalism.

Despite all our advancements, we are still ultimately, cavemen using fancy toys.

I used to be living by Detroit. Then life happens and you get more exposed to things. Grew up in a very right winged housed and i'm getting close to being in the center.

Hating any race is dumb. People are just indoctrinated into it.

Ignorance. Plain and simple. The most racist people are those with little experience in dealing with those outside their own attributes. The more experienced one becomes the more you realize everyone has the same damn problems and dreams.

I think it's stupid to attribute class to race. What does a neighborhood have to do with race? Of course in a low poverty stricken place in any part of the world crime will be rampant. However, to say that all black people are that way is dumb, as we had not long ago a president who's credentials are 99% more impressive than any person in the world.

Most urban areas are still primarily white. Cities have a bigger mix of demographics but I can't think of any city that is all one race. Neighborhoods in cities perhaps......but not cities.

You would feel uncomfortable with different races because you've isolated yourself in neighborhoods where they haven't moved en masse yet. That will change. And then where will you hide?

By the way if you feel uncomfortable with other races.........you might just be a racist.

well said!

@LJS9502_basic: Congrats on not understanding a word I said. Do you even know what an urban area is?

@blackballs: You didn’t read what I wrote.

From the dictionary.........urban............of or relating to cities and the people who live in them.

I might be wrong on this, but haven't studies shown that you are more skeptical to someone the greater you perceive their difference from you?

I don't anyone really understand what you wrote. Makes no clear sense.

To make a complex answer short.....because they’re idiots.

That term has a broad meaning and often people may fall under some spectrum of it - whether they realize it or not. You don't have to hate a particular race to be racist. That's just one extreme end.

I don't know, but why do non-racist and suspected white supremacist always make statement such as "I'm not a racist" "How is it racist" "Do you know what racism is?" "Nothing racist here" "You're the real racist!"

Some people need to glom on the collective accomplishments of their entire race because they have none themselves. You’ll hear these people talk about all the great inventions of people who shared their skin color or the great civilizations they have built. It’s bizarre, arbitrary, and kind of sad, like having pride in every great thing ever done by men with the first name “Rick” because that happens to be your first name.

Some people were simply brainwashed by their racist parents and were too weak willed to resist and forge their own worldview.

Some people are introverted weirdos whose internet trolling took them down an alt-right rabbit hole in the trash heap of the web. They typically hate everything though, from minorities, women, homosexuals, Jews, you name it. “Normies” that talk to them IRL can instantly sense there is something off which only further isolates them, and the psychological damage the isolation and constant barrage of negativity from their sphere of influence has mentally ruined them. They are racist but really they hate themselves most of all.

Colorblindness is racist.

You're simply born racist if you're white because racism is institutional.

Check your privilege.

Being racist = failing race neutrality test which leads to racial segregation.

The argument "You're simply born racist if you're white because racism is institutional" IS racist since it fails race neutrality test.

Hey, it's what they teach in humanities at my school.

The logic didn't make sense to me either. It's some racist paradox.

Nope I'm sorry that makes no sense. You can't generalize and pretend everyone is like you. I'm not racist or near it. I don't view people with racist tendencies, at all. People say that they have a spectrum because they feel it themsevels, but fail to realize some people actually don't have any racist tendencies beause of their upbringing. Again, my culture is way too diverse and mixed. We don't view race as an issue. Homophbic, sexist, xenophobic? Yes. But not racist.

Well I made this thread in relation to another thread in off-topic, so there is your analogy you've been craving to know.

I think most racism is inherited, and it's really hard to shake someone out of that when they are essentially brainwashed to believe it. Hell I think most racism, excluding the real overt stuff, is subconsciously done; things like locking your car doors when a black person crosses the street, checking for your wallet when a person of color walks close to you, and other things.

It also doesn't help that there are distinct differences in culture among all the races in the world, and yet we are encouraged to be "color blind" when talking about people for fear of stereotyping. We almost have a guilty conscience when it comes to race, so while we might make race-based observations, or race-based comments, or race-based anything, simply because that talk is based on race it is perceived as being racist.

@blackballs: Not my problem your reading comprehension is poor.

I wasn't the only person in this thread that didn't understand. You're simply too stupid to understand you need to write cohesive paragraphs.

The term "Racist" has gotten so over-used its just borderline asinine at times, often mistaking just simple differences as "racist" and hate driven, when in reality its just daily stereotypes and observations, that depending on the subject is far from hateful.

It doesn't help that all the white guilt excuses any non-white racism towards whites, but if I white person does something relatively innocent it can be turned into racism somehow.

Real racism is those that just blindly hate for something as simple as skin/breed.... sadly the line has blurred so heavily due to political correctness that everyone is tarred at the same level.

Nah, that's stupid to say. Racism is very alive and well in the United States. I'm guessing you're white?

What's stupid to say?

I never said it wasn't alive and well.

Yea I'm white, just reading black people twitter and thinking "if White People Twitter was saying the equivalent shit, people would be shamed out of their jobs"

I simply point out the double standards.

it's a hardwired survival instinct from when were were smart apes running around the african continent. natural distrust of outside groups that, at the time, could be a legitimate threat.

Because they have bad experiences with certain people during their lives and just assume that ALL people of that race are like that.

I admit I struggled over the years with certain people because I was jumped/beaten/robbed multiple times by a certain race of people.

This caused me to be scared and to avoid them when possible.

This happened years ago and I don’t think all of them are bad anymore. I get along with a lot of them now.

I accepted that the people who jumped me were just poor and uneducated, not what race they were born as.

I'm being more philosophical. I think everyone has latent tendencies towards being discriminatory. The whole "I'm not racist and view all people equally" usually comes from people who lack introspection and self insight. I suppose you can split hairs and say that one can be biased but not racist, but I tend to view that all as part of a large spectrum. And isn't xenophobia kind of like racism?

See I always believe those that say everyone has racist tendencies to be people that are justifying their own.

Again, you can't pretend by your personal experience that other people are like you. People are diverse. Some people truly don't have racist tendencies others do. And no, xenophobia is xenophobia, not racism. They are similar, but not the same.

Yup, as I expected.

Yea, nothing a white person says on the subject matters right? even if it adversely affects them too.

The "progressive" attitude.

It's possible, but I believe it's far better to be vigilant and have healthy insight. Humans are imperfect beings. Those that believe they are without flaws usually tend to be the most flawed, they just lack the confidence and reflection to realize their own shortcomings and strive to be better. And I should clarify that i said discriminatory tendencies and not racist tendencies per se - though they run in the same vein.

Well first off I'm not a progressive and second, some white people not all. There are white trump supporters who are racist, in fact a lot and they do in fact have nothing to say on the subject matter.

Humans are flawed, but some more than others. I haven't discriminated anyone in my life, because again in my country race is such a non-issue. We just don't see someone as black or chinese and have a steriotype about it, we just see them as people. Again, I'm talking about a bigger percentage of the population, not all. We have a minority of racists.

In fact, being black in a rather mixed culture I've never experienced racism in my life. At all. Or discrimination.

As I said, you probably live in a culture where race is an issue, hence you're brought up with a lot of societal prejudice I simply am not. Again, you're trying to convince me of something based on your own experience or whatever you read somewhere, but can't really study clearly because it appears you haven't had any exposure to someone from a culture that simply doesn't view race the same way you do.

Because they are hateful and disrespectful. It comes from their experiences

It comes from ignorance.........not experience.

@LJS9502_basic: *It comes from their experiences of being ignorant? :P

You just said, "I bet you're white" to someone in this thread. Isn't that prejudging someone? If you are this enlightened soul who can not see race and only sees them as just people, why would that be of concern to you? Why does it matter his or her race if you are judging them soley on their individual character and merit?

Exactly.

The term "everyone is alittle bit racist" is coined because of people with double standards like this. God forbid a White person points out double standards in modern "political correctness" than often ends up prosecuting innocent people for PETTY aspects of generalisations and stereotypes... but hey, I'm White, so I should check my previlege and not challenge any in equality towards my own colour.... sounds fair... /s

You also never know where you stand with these people, even if you point out major inconsistencies, let me stir the pot by giving my OPINION on one such example:

1) We are told that all different nationalities can integrate well together, we are told this is the best way to do things.

2) White Men are then told that sexualising or having any influence over a woman's choice in clothing is manipulative/sexist... makes sense.

3) Walk down the street and encounter several woman in full veil Burkas.... we all know, without spinning the situation on Why Burkas exist, despite any "downplayed Religious interpretations of modesty" in the same way that once apon a time in our own cultures we followed the rules of a "Man is above a Woman" - New Testement babble, which we now cast away for equality, which is the correct action.

4) Point this out and you are called a "Racist" for criticising supposedly "Integrated" people on doing Exactly what you get shamed for as a White Man on a daily basis to their woman. Not only that you get apologists say "Thier Woman CHOOSE to cover head to toe every day even in horribly hot conditions, its thier choice"riight im sure social/religeous constructs, heavy peer pressure and male dominance plays a BIG hand in this "choice" ... imagine if we said that about woman pre-feminist movement?" oh yea, woman can do whatever they want.. we aren't stopping them, they choose to be our housewives to serve us after a long day in work". it would be laughable.

*** These pedestals other people are put on breed resentment, resentment leads to racism ... if one standard applies to one group which are constantly guilted for their ancestors actions (which is not unique to them by any means, and western cultures to this day are far ahead of many other cultures in equal treatment of people... so its not like its being heavily resisted like many places...) ***

So yea, maybe less focus on guilting white people for pettier versions that are far from real racism, more focus on maintain that "equality" mindset for everyone, and you breed less resentment, SIMPLE CONCEPT. (this applies to sexism as well.)

just my thoughts, bit of a rant.

Maybe he asked for experience?