I semi-disagree. I think lack of exposure (or exposure to falsehoods and stereotypes) is behind the racism and bigotry of a great many people. If someone is 75 and has been a horrible bigot their entire life, it’s going to take something massive to change that, sure. But if someone is 20 and raised by magas in a small wyoming town, learning all the stuff you don’t learn from magas in a small wyoming town is likely to make a difference, IMO.
Speaking for myself, I can look at a bunch of areas where my biases were challenged effectively and continuously just by exposure to folks from whatever group I was biased about in the workplace or school.
I’m pretty sure that’s the real reason why racists have always been so pro-segregation. It’s pretty tough to convince your kid all the black folks are lazy and stupid if the smartest student is his class is a black kid or he’s got a strong crush on that pretty black girl who sits by him in science lab, or his best friend at school is a black kid.
Hot take: random citizens should be awarded state-sponsored vacations to random countries every year.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
I wouldn’t want to subject the rest of the world to unwilling, closedminded Americans like that though. Americans are already well known to ignorant and obnoxious tourists. I’d say youd have to pay the locals if you want to do this and come out with balanced karma.
Sadly, all the education in the world can’t expunge bigotry and racism from most people
I semi-disagree. I think lack of exposure (or exposure to falsehoods and stereotypes) is behind the racism and bigotry of a great many people. If someone is 75 and has been a horrible bigot their entire life, it’s going to take something massive to change that, sure. But if someone is 20 and raised by magas in a small wyoming town, learning all the stuff you don’t learn from magas in a small wyoming town is likely to make a difference, IMO.
Speaking for myself, I can look at a bunch of areas where my biases were challenged effectively and continuously just by exposure to folks from whatever group I was biased about in the workplace or school.
I’m pretty sure that’s the real reason why racists have always been so pro-segregation. It’s pretty tough to convince your kid all the black folks are lazy and stupid if the smartest student is his class is a black kid or he’s got a strong crush on that pretty black girl who sits by him in science lab, or his best friend at school is a black kid.
Hot take: random citizens should be awarded state-sponsored vacations to random countries every year.
— Mark Twain
I wouldn’t want to subject the rest of the world to unwilling, closedminded Americans like that though. Americans are already well known to ignorant and obnoxious tourists. I’d say youd have to pay the locals if you want to do this and come out with balanced karma.
But it will make them more resistant to it. It will make them mindful. It will make them resistant to bullshit and finally, good citizens.
Have you seen how many Republicans went to law school? Education is ineffective in many people, it just makes them smarter asshats
dont forget some of them got into yale/harvard and then law the way of thier parents money, not but merit like regular plebs, aka nepotism.