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Prejudice & racism have no color or political lines

Prejudice & racism have no color or political lines
Prejudice & racism have no color or political lines

Rancher Cliven Bundy says African Americans were “better off as slaves, picking cotton and having a family life.”

A video catches a 15-year old Justin Bieber making a racist joke; another video exposes the woman who recorded Donald Sterling’s racist remarks, V. Stiviano making racist jokes herself – but about African Americans.

African history reveals that the warring black tribes of Wolofs and Mandinkas sold off their captives to the European slave traders.

And so it seems prejudice, bias and racism have no color!

In fact, the owner of the Dallas Mavericks, Mark Cuban said the same thing when he spoke of his own prejudices – fear of the black man in the hoodie and the white bald man with tattoos. Cuban was referring to class distinction, personal safety and stereotypes.

British actor Gary Oldman says we are all hypocrites because we have all said racist things:
“I don’t know about Mel [Gibson.] He got drunk and said a few things, but we’ve all said those things. We’re all fucking hypocrites. That’s what I think about it. The policeman who arrested him has never used the word n—– or that fucking Jew? I’m being brutally honest here. It’s the hypocrisy of it that drives me crazy.”

We all have prejudices based on cultural programming and we all have judgments based on our own values; we judge people according to things other than just color – religion, dress, wealth, social class, economic status, culture, sexuality and, our political beliefs.

A 2004 study by Emory University revealed that both Democrats and Republicans when faced with information which, was contrary to their point of view and threatening to their political candidate, would simply ignore that information even though it could not be rationally discounted.  https://www.upliftprogram.com/h_brain.html#h70

The study pointed to a lack of reason when it comes to political decision-making.

The subjects underwent brain imaging to see what parts of their brain were active and found that the brain area of staunch political supporters normally engaged during reasoning did not increase in activity when subjected to the information, and when they made their completely biased conclusions “subjects got a blast of activation in circuits involved in reward – similar to what addicts receive when they get their fix.” https://www.upliftprogram.com/h_brain.html#h70

It’s challenging to admit to ourselves that we are biased or prejudiced, but we are.

We extend empathy and kindness to people who we feel are the same as us because we identify with them, as part of our tribe. We also fear and tend to be cruel to people that are different to us; we consider them a threat to our own values, beliefs and personal safety. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-milgrams-shock-experiments-really-mean/

We unknowingly hide from ourselves the way we truly feel about others, while some people simply hide it from others.

And education and intelligence do not make us less racist.

A 2013 study by the American Sociological Association reveals that smart people are just as racist as their less intelligent peers — they’re just better at concealing their prejudice i.e. they say they are for equality but they are not really.

Is it possible you have prejudices but aren’t aware of them?

Harvard University created a special test, which proves we all have subconscious beliefs surrounding race and prejudice. Take the test.

It is true that we look for and are attracted to what is similar – what unites and unifies us; after 9/11 it didn’t matter what the religion, color, political ideology, gender or socio-economic status were, we were all united by the pain and suffering, united against the enemy. Our focus was on cooperation and supporting one another. Suddenly, we were all one tribe.

As supported by the latest studies, it is peaceful cooperation that erases social boundaries connected to race. 

Thus, the most empowering strategy for peace and unity is to first admit to ourselves our prejudices and then, decide whether or not we choose to change those prejudices and biases.

Read more about bias, prejudice and domestic violence 

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