are babies born racist?

[KlokWyze]

My 1 year old daughter is fascinated by watching black folks eat. I'm not sure why, but she is. It's nothing I taught her, that's for sure.

I'm picturing that and just ..... lol

When younger the physical differences can peak interest or distrust. When older, it's often the cultural ones. Real and imagined.

 

[ultimatebob]

I'm picturing that and just ..... lol

When younger the physical differences can peak interest or distrust. When older, it's often the cultural ones. Real and imagined.

I kid you not. When she was younger, she would just stare at them at restaurants and rest stops.

Now she stares and smiles and waves, hoping to get them to smile back. I think that she's got a case of the jungle fever!

 

[destrekor]

you have to be racist if you believe in evolution.

To have to acknowledge physiological differences between breeds, landraces, and species, and how natural adaptation and both micro- and macro-evolution progress based upon environmental and cultural variables, is in no way an application of racism.

In fact, I'd reckon those who study such with an earnest interest and open mind will in fact reach a vastly different conclusion than you propose.

If you jest... I've wasted my time typing; if you use the term race correctly, as in a way that would represent speciesism, well then that is an entirely different discussion.

 

[shortylickens]

Yes, especially those colored ones.

 

[Aikouka]

My thought was that our brains are hardwired to notice differences in things. I don't think that's inherently a bad thing. I look at it as an easy way to help us remember things. Although, I do think that noticing differences is the basis of racism, but it isn't just that. It's an inherent distrust of things that are different combined with some social aspects.

When I was thinking about this whole "we notice differences" thing, I wondered if the lack of hair color differentiation is the reason why people say things like "All black/Asian people look alike." Hair color is usually an easily noticeable differentiator between people, but in my experience, blacks and Asians usually have black hair. So, you tend to lack one factor of telling people apart.

 

[Captante]

Nurture not nature in this case.

 

[Jaskalas]

Racism cannot be an inherent evolutionary trait.

Think about it. Races evolve because of different groups of people being separated. So what evolutionary process would drive someone to instinctively hate something they have no contact with?

Tribalism.

How can anyone question that?

 

[Scotteq]

Only White babies are Racist.

 

[Majcric]

Only White are racist, I thought the world had this figured out by now.

 

[unixwizzard]

racism is learned..

either by nurture or experience.

 

[sandorski]

Not a predisposition to Racism, but a predisposition to Survival. Racism is what is taught by Parents/Elders.

 

[shortylickens]

racism is learned..

either by nurture or experience.

You know fuck-all about the human brain.

 

[KlokWyze]

I kid you not. When she was younger, she would just stare at them at restaurants and rest stops.

Now she stares and smiles and waves, hoping to get them to smile back. I think that she's got a case of the jungle fever!

lmao

 

[destrekor]

Tribalism.

How can anyone question that?

Seriously. Our natural instinct is to form groups and protect people in our group, and naturally distrust outsiders.

It is what has helped establish sports in every historical civilization known to man.

It is why war has existed for eternity.

The evolution of man was in times where we still fought with nature. Small tribes (of mostly a family or two, mostly full generations) sometimes conflicted with each other, as they fought over hunting resources and safe shelter. Of course, some were able to trust and merge to increase their might.

 

[Jeff7]

Seriously. Our natural instinct is to form groups and protect people in our group, and naturally distrust outsiders. It is what has helped establish sports in every historical civilization known to man. It is why war has existed for eternity.

The evolution of man was in times where we still fought with nature. Tribes probably conflicted with each other, as they fought over hunting resources and safe shelter. Of course, some were able to trust and merge to increase their might.

It sucks that we took the more violent path, rather than the one the bonobos ended up on. :whiste:

 

[classy]

Its like anything else, its learned.

 

[SlitheryDee]

This argument kind of parallels the homosexuality choice vs. biology argument. From what I know about certain posters here it looks like opinions about it are falling on lines of political ideology. Depending on the argument, each side would rather opposite things be biological imperatives or learned traits/choices for obvious political reasons.

This is why that turn of phrase that pisses so many people here off is still in use. In each case, regardless of the answer that would fit your ideal conception of the world, the answer "is what it is".

 

[nehalem256]

Tribalism.

How can anyone question that?

But who is part of your tribe is learned. Which would seem to make it clear that babies aren't born racist but are instead taught that people of a different race are part of a different tribe.

Ironically it is an obsession with race that will make it so racism cannot die. Programs like affirmative action essentially are reinforcing tribalism, by saying that blacks and whites are in separate groups(tribes).

 

[destrekor]

It sucks that we took the more violent path, rather than the one the bonobos ended up on. :whiste:

Our species has sometimes tried to mix both approaches, resulting in civilizations filled with sex-fiends with regular drug- and alcohol-fueled parties, though they've always been violent at other times.

Now, our Puritan-inspired fools have left us with nothing but violence yet again. Can't we at least have the rampant sex and routine week-long city-wide celebrations of excess? The cattle and/or sheep and/or swine sacrifice at the end could even be dressed down a bit, call it a barbecue and remove the ritualistic chants and hymns.

I think, in time, mankind will realize we actually have a better chance with such excesses and rituals. It's a time to enjoy the excess and let out pent-up libidos and feelings that could later turn into aggression, which only fouls up the workplace and other aspects of our daily lives.

 

[mikeford]

Racism was invented as a means to attack people who believe differently without the messy step of dealing with what it is they believe differently or why.

People don't seem to need a reason to hate, but racism works well at directing hate, attacking someone for being different or thinking differently.

 

[who?]

Anybody can be prejudiced but only the people in power can enforce racism.

 

[Linflas]

Anybody can be prejudiced but only the people in power can enforce racism.

That is the very convenient new definition pushed by some designed to explain away the double standard of tolerance of racism by minorities while condemning it for other groups. Dividing people into ever expanding groups of "races" is very good business for Race Inc.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

I would think being human meant you chose the human race over any other, first. This same motto could apply to any other race, too--including alien races from outer space.

 

[SlitheryDee]

I would think being human meant you chose the human race over any other, first. This same motto could apply to any other race, too--including alien races from outer space.

There's a fairly evident hierarchy in how important an individual will see other individuals to be. If they have children, they will value them first. If not, they value some other immediate family (brother, sister, mother, father, etc) or possibly themselves first. After that it's mostly geographical. Extended family and close friends can be grouped together here. Somewhere after that will be race, then after that will be species. Then there are levels of importance placed on other species, with the ones that share the most recognizable characteristics with us placed at the top (dogs, cats, monkeys, apes, other furry social mammals) and the ones that share the least near the bottom (reptiles, insects, etc).

It's pretty clear that we're instinctively valuing the rest of the world based on it's genetic relation to ourselves, or at least the best way our evolved characteristics have so far of determining that relation. Of course there are notable outliers. People who value animals more than other people, or people who were adopted, etc. A lot of that is just the same instincts being applied to situations they are not evolved to handle. By and large, what I said is true though.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Humans are creatures of habit. We like what is familiar.

That goes for other types of people, as well as food, hometowns, etc.

Now being outright, consciously racist is something that probably has to be cultivated and learned, but just being more comfortable with people that look like you is normal.

That even extends to gender.

I like to give this example:

Take elementary school or middle school kids. Put 100 of them, divided equally among boys and girls, and have the go into the gym for the school dance.
Then look at where they are all standing: The boys will be in one group, the girls in another.
You can further divide that up by race. You'll get some crossing over, but by and large, they will naturally separate themselves first by gender, then by race.

Why? Because people gravitate to what they are comfortable with.

Now racism, that comes from taking those natural impulses and ramping them up and aggressively or consciously not only keeping yourself away from whatever race you don't like, but urging others to do the same as well. I don't think that is natural, but given how different people are, it is probably somewhat natural that some people would choose this path.