A question

[*michaelsean*]

(01-12-2018, 03:37 PM)fredtoast Wrote: I can walk the streets of a city at night alone without worrying about getting raped.

Do you imagine that everyone else has the same experience, or is that a privilege that only men enjoy?

Privilege? I’ve never heard anyone describe not being violently assaulted as a privilege.

[fredtoast]

(01-12-2018, 08:49 PM)bfine32 Wrote: Good to know men have the privilege of not getting raped. Just because you in your vast experience in the matter, have never encountered it does not mean it does not occur 

(01-12-2018, 11:32 PM)michaelsean Wrote: Privilege?  I’ve never heard anyone describe not being violently assaulted as a privilege.

I don'tknow why you guys are not grasping this concept.  It is very simple.

Women have to be concerned about being out alone at noight because they are more likely to be victims of rape.  It happens so much less to men that they don't even think about it.  Therefore men have a privilege.

[Beaker]

(01-09-2018, 11:42 PM)GMDino Wrote: Why are people racist?

I'm serious.

Why would someone hate someone else because of their color or country of origin?

I never got that.  

I've hated lots of people.  Always because of their behavior...not because they have a different skin pigment or they came from the "wrong" country.

I suppose you hate those people and say you're not racist...but I'm not sure what a better word for it is.

Anyone?

Racism is rooted in our evolution. It doesn't arise from hatred of another's skin color, but from our distrust or suspicion of people from other groups. 

When early humans first started banding together in groups, there were several evolutionary advantages to doing so. From safety in numbers, to division of labor, to shared child care, etc. When early human groups encountered one another, the stronger group would usually acquire the resources of the weaker group. That could be such things as taking over their food sources, or water sources, or even taking their females into the stronger group. Therefore distrust and suspicion of other groups became an evolutionary advantage. Weak groups would  avoid confrontation with other groups, and groups with equal strength would be wary of each other and take a long time to accept or trust another group.

So how does this relate to racism? Those groups became tribes, those tribes became ethnicities (and in some cases nations). So we have an ingrained tendency to favor our own and be suspicious of others. Those differences can be skin colors, languages, nationalities, religious affiliations, etc.

[GMDino]

(01-16-2018, 09:53 AM)Beaker Wrote: Racism is rooted in our evolution. It doesn't arise from hatred of another's skin color, but from our distrust or suspicion of people from other groups. 

When early humans first started banding together in groups, there were several evolutionary advantages to doing so. From safety in numbers, to division of labor, to shared child care, etc. When early human groups encountered one another, the stronger group would usually acquire the resources of the weaker group. That could be such things as taking over their food sources, or water sources, or even taking their females into the stronger group. Therefore distrust and suspicion of other groups became an evolutionary advantage. Weak groups would  avoid confrontation with other groups, and groups with equal strength would be wary of each other and take a long time to accept or trust another group.

So how does this relate to racism? Those groups became tribes, those tribes became ethnicities (and in some cases nations). So we have an ingrained tendency to favor our own and be suspicious of others. Those differences can be skin colors, languages, nationalities, religious affiliations, etc.

But should we not have evolved past that by now? 

[BmorePat87]

(01-16-2018, 09:56 AM)GMDino Wrote: But should we not have evolved past that by now? 

Not necessarily. Many areas are still very homogenous. Even in diverse places, small communities still tend to be homogenous. Given the history of race relations in many places, it's not surprising that many cultural groups still tend to associate with people who "look" like them, even people who are inclusive. 

[GMDino]

(01-16-2018, 10:31 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: Not necessarily. Many areas are still very homogenous. Even in diverse places, small communities still tend to be homogenous. Given the history of race relations in many places, it's not surprising that many cultural groups still tend to associate with people who "look" like them, even people who are inclusive. 

While I "get" that there will always people who have not evolved...why does there still be so MANY of them?

We are a global economy.  We can connect (literally) with anyone in the world.  We are not tethered to how far we can get by horse in one day.

I will continue to be surprised that any sane, thinking human being would hate someone else because of the skin color or nationality.  

I'm sure there are plenty of GOOD reasons to hate someone once you get to know them. 

[BmorePat87]

(01-16-2018, 10:34 AM)GMDino Wrote: While I "get" that there will always people who have not evolved...why does there still be so MANY of them?

We are a global economy.  We can connect (literally) with anyone in the world.  We are not tethered to how far we can get by horse in one day.

I will continue to be surprised that any sane, thinking human being would hate someone else because of the skin color or nationality.  

I'm sure there are plenty of GOOD reasons to hate someone once you get to know them. 

I would say that a lot of it has to do with the fact that there is still a lot of social division based on race and that there are still social institutions that harm some groups more than others. 

It's kind of a catch 22, I guess? People still alienate people based on race because society promotes it but society still promotes it because people still alienate people based on race. 

But we are still FAAAAARRRRR better off than we were 50 years ago.

[GMDino]

(01-16-2018, 10:49 AM)BmorePat87 Wrote: I would say that a lot of it has to do with the fact that there is still a lot of social division based on race and that there are still social institutions that harm some groups more than others. 

It's kind of a catch 22, I guess? People still alienate people based on race because society promotes it but society still promotes it because people still alienate people based on race. 

But we are still FAAAAARRRRR better off than we were 50 years ago.

I won't disagree it's better now than it was.  

[Beaker]

(01-16-2018, 09:56 AM)GMDino Wrote: But should we not have evolved past that by now? 

Evolved past is probably not the proper term here. Developed a better sense of human equality is more accurate. Fear of other groups is deep within us. That doesn't mean at this point in our history we can't realize that all humans are equal in worth....but it also doesn't mean that all humans are our friends. You asked why people are racist. I simply chimed in with an answer as to how it came about (where it is based) rather than why it persists in is present form.

[GMDino]

(01-16-2018, 12:21 PM)Beaker Wrote: Evolved past is probably not the proper term here. Developed a better sense of human equality is more accurate. Fear of other groups is deep within us. That doesn't mean at this point in our history we can't realize that all humans are equal in worth....but it also doesn't mean that all humans are our friends. You asked why people are racist. I simply chimed in with an answer as to how it came about (where it is based) rather than why it persists in is present form.

Fair enough.

[fredtoast]

(01-16-2018, 09:56 AM)GMDino Wrote: But should we not have evolved past that by now? 

Not when the globe is still divided up by race in many places.

We have a global economy, but we still have many countries where the population is overwhelming made up of one race.  And within countries we are still divided by race.  Here in the US there are many areas where the the population is 90% one race or the other.