Everyone is a Racist, now that doesn't mean that I go around burning crosses and throwing bricks into people of other nationalities as me all the time. but the point is that we all as human beings naturally form preconceived notions about other human beings, based on every women you've met you've made preconceived notions about women, and an interaction you would have with a man would be slightly different then the same interaction with a women. does that make you sexist? I guess it does if you define being sexist as making Gender a part of your life. its the same with all aspects of life, we base our actions different based on many variables, Age, Sex, Race, Appearance, and to say that we don't would just be a lie to ourselves, so what are we to do? how can we be open minded objective human beings if we are constantly forming (even if unknowingly) these preconceived notions?
well the good news is also the bad news, which is you cant eliminate this element from your life 100% you don't have to worry about fixing something that will be impossible to fix but you do have to be aware of this or it can cause major problems in your life. the real question is how strong are these notions, I for example have met a lot of pacific islanders who were very loud, annoying, ate too much, and were in the most part rude to me. this isn't saying that all pacific islanders are like that, just the ones I've met (which is not a ton but more then one) so when I meet a pacific islander my first impression is going to be slightly negative one, but I have a friend who even tho I had a slightly bad first impression within 3 minutes of talking to him he had overwritten all of my negative impressions and replaced them with positive ones now he's 1 of the 15-20 or so pacific islanders I know so did meeting him overrule all my preconceived notions? of course not, but the point is that even tho we are all a little bit racist, as long as we can over come our small preconceived notions we will be able to get to know people for who they really are.
I'm a Racist, I know it, I accept it, but I'm not going to let that ruin my life or the lives of those I know.
In your first paragraph, you mention that preconceived notions about people of other races and genders are "natural." I would have to disagree here and argue that it is society that passes down these stereotypes from generation to generation. If none of the existing stereotypes were ever created in the first place, then I think people would react much differently to issues regarding race, ethnicity, gender, etc.
But unfortunately, these stereotypes do exist, and it's difficult for them not to pop in your head accidentally at times. For example, you meet someone from New York City who is blunt and rude. Almost instinctively like a reflex, a thought enters your mind "Ah, well, they ARE from New York City."
I'm not sure that many people can say they are innocent of this, and if someone could, I'd be surprised.
I would argue that they are naturally forming and not a result of society, for example, if we take a small child and have a black person come in and scare that child really bad, and then have a white person come in and hand the child candy, the next black person that comes in even if they don't try to scare them, may very well do that seeing as thats what the child remembers.
no one teaches me how to treat women or anyone, I just do based on how I've experienced them, I talk to small baby girls different then I do small baby boys, I think it is something natural, that doesn't justify hating people you've never met.
I don't think your definition of sexist (making gender a part of your life) is a good one. Gender is a part of everyone's life. I have a vagina. You have a penis. It affects our life many times a day, from the way we urinate to the way we walk.
I can honestly say that I don't have any preconcieved notions about any race, gender, or ethnic group. I've seen both good and bad out of everyone. It all cancels out. I don't talk to male or female babies differently. I haven't noticed anyone who does, either.
F*** Religion. Read more here:
http://www.progressiveu.org/020528-f-religion
you kind of just agreed with him... I think he meant that comment sarcasiticly... not literally
Your blog tells me that you are beginning to question your preconceived notions, and that is fantastic! I agree with you that forming uninformed opinions of an entire race based on our interactions with one person is natural, but knowing this, we have a responsibility to be aware that it is happening in our brains and try to fix it. I would call what you describe bias, rather than racism, but bias certainly can lead to racism. And you are right...we can combat our biases. We have to examine them, question them, and be on the lookout for them in order to ensure that they don't interfere with our ability to interact equitably with all people.
Two books for you...one is called "Why Are All the Black Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?" and the other is called "White Privilege." I recommend reading the first one first, second one after you've processed the first. They were very helpful for me in identifying my areas of bias and the ways I contribute to white privilege.
Also, all the Pacific Islanders I know are very kind, gentle, and quiet...could it be a regional difference?
http://www.progressiveu.org/blog/ediblewoman