How can i stop being a racist?

Question

i can't help stereotyping people. eg if i see a group of black guys walking down the street i will think 'thieves!' and avoid them.....
if i see an arab man or veiled women i will think 'terrorist!' and won't get on the same bus as them......if i see a jew i will think of him as being really stingy, a bigot and not worth talking to.....but the thing is i don't want to think this way, i want to get on well with everyone, how can i?

tbh i think the media is to blame for all these stereotypes. what do you think?

Answer 1

Educate your self.

Start by reading books. Read about the cultures and the past. Read the poetry and religious ways. Learn about them and what the truths really are. A black artist is having a opening at a studio? Go to it. A Jew is giving a lecture on the past his grandparents left him? Go to it. Expose yourself to the things you fear.

Then read the bigoted writings. You will find bigots come in all colors and races and religions. Learn how they hate and why.

You will then see that many of them are just afraid of what they don't know and what they don't understand. Understanding the way one lives you will find that we are not all that different. We all want basics things.

And stop reading the paper and turn off the news. Go check out things for yourself.

Answer 2

It's good that you have already taken the first step that you understand that you should not think this way and that you know at least theoretically that these stereotypes are not true. You should stop to avoid all these people and get to know some of them. If you just get on the bus together with Muslims some times you will see that nothing happens and your fear is needless.

You know you remind me of my father, he was born in Germany in 1935 and his family had always been anti-French, they regarded France as an enemy, that dated back at least to World War I or rather even before. In 1944, the French army arrived at their home and they came under French occupation, and the immediate postwar period was tough for them. My father really felt bad about the French then and regarded them as enemies and occupators, but he did not want to feel this way. So when he was 18 he decided to go to France and travelled through the country as a hitchhiker, stayed in youth hostels and talked to many people (he had learned French at school). Since then he has no more disliked the French.

I'm sure you have stereotypes about the Germans and the French too :-D And I think what I wrote is not like the German stereotype :-) Just an example of how stereotypes aren't true...

Answer 3

Agreed, the media has a lot to answer for, but there are existing stereotypes in our culture which the media plays to. Unfortunately, it's like a rather unhealthy "co-dependant" relationship ~ the media could not play on these stereotypes unless they already existed, and they would not continue to exist without (to some extent) the way the media uses them.

Probably you've come a long way ahead already without realising it.

None of us can help the way we were raised, but we can try and think things through logically and refuse to be sucked in when we hear or see stereotyping.

The other thing any of us can do is try and meet lots of different people from many different backgrounds and cultures.

After a while, we can begin seeing people as individuals, not steretypes, and this helps blow those old cobwebs out of our brains.

But it's an ongoing process ... just when you think you've got it beat some old stereotype crops up. Have to be on our guard!

Hopefully this will be a question people in the future won't have to ask :-)

Best wishes :-)

Answer 4

One bad trend in society is for people to think of themselves as victims. While the media sometimes promotes bad things, we must take responsibility for our own thoughts and actions.

We can correct inappropriate thoughts by recognizing them and discarding them as soon as possible. With practice they won't even occur again.

However, it's important to consider that sometimes your feelings about certain people may be a valid warning you should heed. Depending on how they were dressed and their behavior, a group of males coming down the street may be a warning sign that shouldn't be ignored. If they're all from the same ethnic group, especially groups that seem to commit more crimes than others, that may be an additional sign. It's important to not completely discount subtle feelings along these lines.

The difference between this and racism is how rational you are about weighing the various pieces of evidence. If you put undue weight on their race, I'd consider that racism.

Answer 5

a guys point of view............sacrface............your not alone...i had the same feelings as you...my father hated everybody,hell i think he even hated himself...jews were crooked...******* couldn't be trusted...spicks(porto ricans) were always in some kind of trouble even if they weren't in the area...wet-backs(mexicans) were the same...no one was good enough to associate with him...and he tried to push his beliefs off on me...he died a lonely man,without friends...when his coffin was carried to the grave the funeral director and his staff carried it...he didn't even have any pallberrers...i made up my mind that i wasn't going to go out like that...heres how i got over it...i too, have called a black person a ******...i had what was to be a long time lover of mine to tell me where the expression came from...she liked me for me, not because i was white, or had a job, or a couple of dollars...she never asked me for anything, other than for me to hold her when she needed it...we became good friends, then we were lovers for a very long time...we both took stuff from all races, but we were determined...when we parted company it was because of a job she had gotten and she had to relocate...my job kept me where i was...in the years i knew laverne, she showed me the diffrence in people...its o.k. to dislike someone for a legitmate reason, she would tell me...but just because you don't like a person because of the color of their skin, or their religeon, or because they arent in the same social level,is stuptd...don't blame the media, dude...this is your fault no one elses...just because the media puts something out there don't mean its true, or it don't mean you have to act on it at this level...when you make a judgement about a person,look into their eyes, not their skin color...look at it like this...if you and a black person were to cut your finger,what color is the blood? if you went into the hospitol and needed a transfusion would you ask for a white persons blood? if so how can you tell one from another? if you were to need a heart to keep on living, would you turn down a heart donated by an arab person? what if it were your child? would you then? what i'm getting at is this; we are all diffrent but in a lot of ways, we are all alike...we bleed the same way, we die the same way, we love the same ways, we hate the same way...if you take the chance and force youself to listen to this diffrent person, you may find out this person is your new best friend...look at their eyes, the eyes never lie...leave your bigotry at the door when you walk in, you will find that the person you want to know , is not the person you thought they were...look at the person and the skin color will blend in with yours...in other words look inside aonther person, because the person you see on the outside is not the person you can't see on the inside...be safe...be kind...and i wish you love...

Answer 6

I think, like any problem first step is admitting the problem exists. While you think the media is to blame, perhaps you should examine yourself, and why you feel the way you do. Do some research on the different cultures, races and religions you hate, understand them better, and maybe through time and effort you'll come to the realization that none of us, regardless of our race are that much different.

Answer 7

Spend time, one-on-one, with people who are different than you. Also, read as much as you can about different cultures. We humans tend to fear the unknown. The more you can educate yourself, the better. A really great book on this topic is called Black Like Me, about a white man who colored his skin and passed as black in the South.

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it." Atticus Finch in To Kill A Mockingbird

Answer 8

Lack of love in your heart. Get into the Word of God the Holy Bible and listen to the Lord. He can remove all the hate to where you won't even watch media programs on TV. If you think the media is to blame then write them a letter and tell them.

Answer 9

Meet and talk to people.
I'd say if your a racist, like many of us, your are just afraid of what you do not know.
The more you will talk to people, the more you will realise that those people you fear are exactly like you and me...

Media have no role in this, face your responsabilities, no need to hide behind wrong excuses...

Answer 10

Did you ever wonder if people stereo-type you when they see you walking down the street? I do and that helps me not to stereo-type others. But I think it is built into our human nature to be that way. We have to fight it the best we can and be happy with that. Good for you for trying.