How can we change peoples natural instinct to generalise in a negative way about other nations and religions?

Answer 1

Teach languages from age 5

Teach literature in those languages from age 8

Teach that life is complex and if you want to understand something you have to inform yourself first

Teach people never to trust any leader who makes flat, easy statements about world events, regardless of their political or religious creed

Teach people that the greatest power is the power to teach yourself. Or maybe that's the second greatest.

Answer 2

LOL...at some of the above answers.

I think that we are born with instinct that alert us that "something is odd/different/wrong" with people who don't look or act like us. I believe the negativity comes in when that initial obsevation is reinforced due to influence. How can we change that?

Easy.....let it begin in/with you! Every change that has occurred in our society has taken place because someone said, "this has to change." Change isn't easy and so most people shy away from it and accept what is as what's going to be. If you know deep inside that it doesn't have to be that way or more importantly it SHOUDLN'T be that way, then it's up to you to do something about it.

What I do is never apologize or act differently than my cultural tendencies just because I'm black. I don't go around speaking ebonics all of the time, but yet I absolutely do not take it out of my vocabulary. I wear braids, and other traditional africana hairstyles, clothing, shoes, accessories to work and still abide by the dress code. I'm the only black person where I work and most positions that I've had if I wasn't the only, then I was one of maybe....two! I refuse to compromise my standards of living or my heritage because others haven't been aware of how I live. I use this as an opportunity to educate people, but in a way that they can "accept" the teaching. I don't go around being loud and boisterious, telling all my business, and acting as if I'm the only person who needs to be known. I take ALOT of time asking other people questions and and incorporating what they have to say into how I treat others. Most of the times, I find that people admit that they've been uncomfortable around blacks just because they haven't really known any. So I emphathize and look at it from their "white world" point of view. A very large portion of people who are white and haven't been able to get to know a black person has said that their environment has been "boring" because of the lack of diversity. I know this is just a tiny glimps of the national and religious divide, but unfortunately I can only speak....right now....from my experiences. Maybe one day I'll be fortunate to travel extensively (I really do want to) so that I can get to know the true nature of other cultures outside of my USA experience. I have been to the bahamas...and man .. we are the same skin color, but that's a WHOLE different world. LOL

Answer 3

We cannot do that because our natural instinct is the only thing that has helped us to survive. If we are confronted with something new and different, it is natural to react with uncertainty and caution. Our basic instinct is protect our loved ones.
However, there are some religions/cultures that are truly barbaric. It doesn't matter what religion you are, there are some things that cannot/should not ever be accepted and that is not based on education, but very basic human instinct.
By the way, Ian W 1963, are you of Arian race? do you follow the lead of Hitler?

Answer 4

There is no such instinct. Bad generalizations about certain religions and countries are based on dry observation. However, the behaviors that you are displaying: 1. blind egalitarianism, and 2. projecting one's own aspects on to others / stating the opposite of the truth, ARE instincts, which result from evolutionary psychology in certain environments. Quit acting like an animal.

Answer 5

First we as a culture move away from relying on first impressions as a way to qualify something. Its not impossible but it has to be taught in our schools and churches. This is instinctual and a part of the fight or flight reaction humanity developed really early in our development. Second we undemonize asking questions, too many believe its a sign of ignorance to ask questions while in fact its the best way to teach because answering takes the skill to cogitate, (think with kindness) to another level of awareness.

Answer 6

Change the way the media portrays other religions and cultures.
When was the last time you heard a nice thing about Muslims on the news, or in a paper?

Answer 7

I accept its natural to generalise; we like to make rules based on a little experience. But who said its natural to generalise in a negative way?
Thats our culture, not nature.

Answer 8

What people don't know or don't understand they tend to fear. Fear grows into ignorance. Ignorance is very contagious. Once someone has met and made an acquaintance with a foreign person their generalization of their people or religion would reflect the positive or negative impact made by that individual.

Answer 9

First we kill them all for not believing the same things a us.
then we kill based on colour
then lets do hair colour.
If we continue along this way eventually there will only be 20 or 30 of us left and the world will then be big enough for us to ignore each other, but hey, if in that situation my neibour plays noisy music that I dont like, well....the nukes are out

Answer 10

You teach your kids to be tolerant, and hope that everyone else teaches their kids. I'm a teacher and the kids in my second grade class are blissfully unaware that I'm any different from them, and if a new child comes in to our classroom that is a different culture or race etc., the only thing they care about is, "Is it a girl or a boy?" (They do divide by gender by this age.) But they notice NOTHING about skin color, culture, they barely even notice handicaps unless it's severe and then even then they just are curious about it, but they don't care beyond that. So, I really think this is something that is taught, because they just haven't learned to divide beyond gender yet. If only we could all be like children!