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.
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.