Anna B Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 After seeing the topic asking if Homophobia is genetic, I thought I would start this one to pan out if 'Racism' is more than a leant or taught trait. I have often wondered if being wary of people from other cultures and races is a natural instinct that is redundant in today's world, but never the less is there in us all, past down from the days when social groups were more separated and had less interaction. Your thoughts please, without dragging it into the gutter or getting the topic closed/deleted. I think you could be right. I think part of our genetic programming makes us wary of strangers, particularly if they are different from us. It's partly fear born out of a survival mechanism, tribalism and territoriality. We are afraid of what we don't know and we are innitially unable to guage whether a stranger is friend or foe. That is not to say that in a civilised world we shouldn't be able to rise above it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted April 22, 2014 Share Posted April 22, 2014 as i see it, it comes back to early humans, and being scared of things / people that were different from you ie:- somebody from a different tribe comes near, are the friend or foe? its a defence mechanism BUT as pop says it is generally not needed in this more civilised time but some people just cant let go of it, are they wired up differently? i dunno Yeah but what reason is there to believe that it's natural instinct? Wouldn't that behaviour be learned from or influenced by the rest of the tribe? If a blue kid lived on his own (without a tribe) and met a green kid who seemed friendly enough, would he naturally fear/hate him? ---------- Post added 22-04-2014 at 06:20 ---------- I think you could be right. I think part of our genetic programming makes us wary of strangers, particularly if they are different from us. It's partly fear born out of a survival mechanism, tribalism and territoriality. We are afraid of what we don't know and we are innitially unable to guage whether a stranger is friend or foe. That is not to say that in a civilised world we shouldn't be able to rise above it. I think you're confusing rational, initial warininess/cautiousness with racism, which is irrational and continues even after it's been confirmed that there is no threat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harleyman Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Racism is taught. if you were to put a dozen small kids of all different races on a remote island without any adults present (and assuming that they could be able to care for and feed themselves) you would come back years later and find that they've formed a community where racism doesnt exist in any form Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Racism is taught. if you were to put a dozen small kids of all different races on a remote island without any adults present (and assuming that they could be able to care for and feed themselves) you would come back years later and find that they've formed a community where racism doesnt exist in any form I totally agree Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
babyblueeyes Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 It is learnt behaviour that's my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aman80 Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 1. Its a natural extinct. 2. Your early years can change this. 3. If someone experiences negative aspects of another race, this can change someone from a none racist to a racist. For example if someone sufferers racism it may turn them into a racist towards the race in question. very true. I'm not racist (really) but am an British born Indian Sikh and the abuse i recieved over the years makes me dislike white people. thats just the way it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skinz Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 very true. I'm not racist (really) Really? the abuse i recieved over the years makes me dislike white people. thats just the way it is. If you dislike White people as a whole because you receive abuse by ALL White people then you have an argument. If not then you're a racist...by definition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivanava Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 Racism isn't hard wired genetically. And no amount of evidence to the contrary will change your opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mister M Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 I think as a species we are very quick to rely on immediate assumptions and stereotypes; and as was evidences in Nazi Germany, these were manipulated by campaigns of deliberate misinformation (i.e. the grouping of Gypsys and Jews as inferior beings). I think that is a different proposition entirely than saying racism is genetically hard wired into us. If we're not careful such a statement can be used as a lazy excuse to discriminate and hate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RootsBooster Posted April 23, 2014 Share Posted April 23, 2014 And no amount of evidence to the contrary will change your opinion. Evidence such as...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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