Quote:
Originally Posted by PepsiFree
This disconnect Canadians have with their prejudices is pretty startling when you come from somewhere else, even the US. I don't think it's that blatant and I think that's why people have trouble identifying it and dealing with it, it's these learned ideas that infect the way people think and act, even while telling themselves "I'm not racist." Some people have come to believe that as long as I don't outwardly hate someone because of their skin colour, I'm not racist. But how has their own upbringing influenced the way they think about others, even on a subconscious level? Or their parents' views?
One thing though, I love your overall message, but we don't use the term "oriental" for people anymore. I know you didn't mean anything by it, so I just wanted to let you know.
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While I agree for the most part, I think it’s important to acknowledge and differentiate from xenophobia.
Being fearful or feeling anger towards someone perceived to be from a different group or sect of society is, sadly, a very ingrained response. Plenty of studies to support the idea that ingroup/outgroup behaviour can be observed without any visible racial differences.
If you want to work on solving the issue, you need to get past the symptoms. Telling someone they have a belief in their racial superiority (racism), when they are acting according to their primitive threat response system (xenophobic) isn’t likely to achieve by-in or reflection.
There’s certainly a hell of a lot of overlap, but it’s an important distinction. “They’re taking our jobs!” and “But all lives matter” is better describes as xenophobic behaviour, and opinions can be changed through meaningful discussion and discovery.