No one is born racist.
Racism is taught.
I think it’s important to remember, though, that just because someone tries to teach you these behaviours and actions are okay, doesn’t mean that you’re required to accept it.
You can stand up to unacceptable behaviour, actions and words. You can say that you’re not going to be that person. You can acknowledge that racist behaviour is not acceptable and should not be tolerated, and that while it may be deeply ingrained in our past, it does not need to be a part of our future. You can stop the cycle.
Don’t allow yourself to think that you cannot make change. You can. It sounds cliche and I know I’ve said it before, but the saying rings true: you cannot do all of the good the world needs but the world needs all of the good that you can do.
Most Definitely, and also to add it to we being robbed of our innocent from inside our homes and so far generational thing right to where like your topic at matter says Breaking the Cycle!
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Breaking the cycle is so important. We have the power to be better than those before us.
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So true. My grandma (rest in peace, grandma!) was racist but my parents never encouraged that behavior and always told me not to listen to her when she would say crazy things.
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Your grandma sounds like my parents. I think we all know someone like that. It’s sad, but it’s true. Your comment also raises the point to me that it’s completely possible to love someone and not agree with them and their beliefs. Because the person you are, I feel like that behaviour would really bother you (as it should).
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Yeah, it’s really unfortunate, but yes, still easy to love someone for who they are despite that fact. You just simply don’t agree with their racism. I mean, blood is thicker than water.
I don’t have a racist bone in my body. ๐
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Most definitely!
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Not enough people ask the very challenging question โAre my parents correct in their belief system and the one they tried to imprint me with?โ Too many people act and vote like their parents do/did without any critical thinking or nuance.
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Not enough parents ask the question “Are my children correct in their belief system?” ๐คฆโโ๏ธ.
My parents have chatted shit since day one lol, was obvious in their case.
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I’m with you there. The things that come from my parents mouth is biased and disgusting.
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You’re absolutely correct. More people need to challenge the status quo. Just because parents have done something or believed a certain way doesn’t make it right, just or moral.
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Well said V.
Not sure if you will know about “Archie Bunker”, I call my dad “Archie Bunker ll”
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I’ve heard my parents speak of him before but I don’t know the reference, no. Sorry. I guess I’ll google him. lol
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He was a total bigot! If you took some of his remarks and played them back using the guy in the White House you would think they wrote the series in 2016-2020.
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๐. I do really love that clichรฉ phrase at the end!
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(Even though I hate clichรฉs, so that’s saying something).
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We also learn this subconciously from when we’re infants – our brains recognize and becomes familiar with poeple of a certain skin colour when we’re just a few months old… If we realize how “naturally” racism comes to the human race we will know how important it is to start fighting these tendencies from a very young age. We need to make concious adjustments in our own habits and hopefully we can also make a difference in how the next generation will see one another…
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Recognizing differences is not the same as hatred based on those differences. It’s the behavior and attitude which are taught.
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I don’t know that lack of diversity in a household or neigbourhood or inner-circle causes the hatred that comes with racism. Racism is taught action and lack of BIPOC individuals being a part of that person’s life won’t cause them to inherently fear differences. That’s something that parents teach and friends teach and families teach. That inherent fear is passed down.
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I love that saying! I like to live by, “be the change you wish to see in the world”. It takes one, the power of one to start a ripple effect. I firmly and wholeheartedly believe in thatโค
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Me too. If you want to see change, enact that change. Make people follow suit. Lead by example. Do some good. I sound so cliche right now I can’t even handle it.
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There’s a reason why those sayings are popular….they are true and then some cynicism was placed upon them as judgement. You know me by now and I try to not judge others but accept them for who they are, have extra patience for the ones that don’t have the love in their hearts as they should. It’s taken years of my own healing to understand it’s best to meet people where they are. When I feel some kind of way about someone it’s time to look within myself and figure out what makes me uncomfortable about myself. We are mirrors for each other. I strive to be accepting, loving and kind of others. Sometimes I have to be like a CareBear with their stare at the ones who need a bit more loving. It’s really all a choice, constantly that we are being presented with. Fear or love. I always choose the latterโค
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We can change things if we all try – we need a huge collective attempt to remove racism in our world.
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Exactly.
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This may be controversial, but I sometimes wonder if there isn’t a genetic component to tribalism and racism. I am adopted. I was adopted as an infant. I am the only person in my entire family who is patently liberal and who supports pro-black causes without question or hesitation. I have been this way for as long as I can remember, even as a child. My otherwise racist Kentuckian grandmother loved the Oprah Winfrey show… and as a 7-year old I was like, “But Grandma, Oprah is black.” and she was like, “Yes, but that’s different” and I was like, “No…. Grandma, it’s *not* different.”
I was a child calling out grammas bullshit without any prior frame of reference… and no other influences outside my family. That’s rather eye opening if you think about it.
I am also the only person in my family who would consider it a good use of time to hang out with hippies in a wooded area dropping LSD (although in reality this is not something I have done for a very long time).
Point is – the argument of nature versus nurture in relevance to this topic is something worth considering. Maybe I should write about this on my own blog.
Yes, I have to apologize (in good Canadian fashion, to honor your own culture)…. because I think this might actually be the second time that I totally invaded your comment section and took a popular hot topic in an entirely different direction… and a direction that is basically self-absorbed in nature. I’m just kind of like that sometimes. I do hope you and anyone else reading this may find it thought provoking at the very least.
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I’d love to hear your thoughts on the matter, if you do decide to write about it.
I don’t personally believe that there’s a genetic component to behaviour. But, I also don’t believe there’s genetics that lead to any criminal behaviour. I watched a documentary once about how serial rapists are missing a genome and I wasn’t entirely convinced. I think it’s something people are trying to study to find an excuse to otherwise have a reason other than the human race being shitty for why people are inherently awful to one another.
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Interesting, so that’s like the opposite side of what I am arguing. I’m saying my “good person” thing is genetic and these things you saw argue for excusing shitty behavior. Hm. Maybe I will write about it.
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Yes please. Write!
I’m going a course this week for Work so I reckon I won’t be around here much. But if you write it before Thursday let me know on Thursday so I can scroll back through the feed to find it.
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Ha, will do then ๐
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Very well said! We are all responsible for our own actions
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