Why do people make race-based judgements when race is the least important aspect in determining character?

Question

"Race is the least important aspect in determining character, yet it is often the most significant factor in how we are perceived. "

A quote taken from understandingrace.com.

Answer 1

As the first person said, some people are ignorant and uneducated. However, there are others who know better but simply WANT TO generalize for whatever reason/s (i.e. people who hate and seek to justify their hatred via negative stereotypes, people who simply look for excuses to complain about others, and so on...) Then, of course, there are those who have been spoon fed a bunch of nonsense for so long (such as those who were raised by racist parents/guardians) that they refuse to let it go.

Answer 2

simply put it's easier that way, they didn't make the saying "i trust with my eyes wide open" for nothing, we trust what we can see. unfortunately what we see isn't always the truth but that takes effort so many folks don't do it. lets no forget all the second hand information that many children get about other races from their parents, stupidity begets stupidity after all. i'm just grateful that i got to grow up in toronto where most cultures are a stones throw away. heh come on TO is the centre of the universe after all, well that and i never trust anything the media tells me

Answer 3

I'm actually doing research into how the ability to distinguish outsider to your group from insiders helps the evolution of cooperation. Communities do better if they have a means of telling who is and isn't a member of their group. I'm looking especially at linguistic markers in this context, but clothes, hairstyles, and (yes) skin colour play a role. As human beings, we are very adept at picking up on relatively trivial cues and using them to recognise outsiders.

This ability has been good for us. The (big) downside is that it leads us to mark people who look or speak differently as outsiders, even if they're not.

Answer 4

It's because race is an important issue in American society. Blacks & Whites have never been treated the same in the United States. People tend to make judgments on people based on how they're different from them, & race is the most easily identifiable outward difference among people.

Answer 5

The answer is unfortunately traditional beliefs in our culture. Hopefully it will change one day. By the way, Captain, how can you be black in some of your answers and white in others? Also shouldn't you know the difference between where and wear if you were a retired captain?

Answer 6

Because some people just want something to complain about.It's a shame how we do that to each other.We all tend to go off of stereotypes when the fact is,we're just afraid of things we don't understand.So what do we as people do?? We hate.We tear each other down just to feel good about ourselves.

Answer 7

Race is a very superficial and those that judge based on this are just that. . . .in many cases, in other's it's just plain ignorance. But their are exceptions to everything.

Answer 8

Look I am so tired of people not telling the truth.....the truth is that the majority of blacks cause most of the crimes, most of the drug dealings ,and 1 out of 3 will go to jail,these are facts not my uneducated racist feelings. We are all riding in the same boat, for the most part......now you have a choice, you can go down this rode, or you can go down that one., the rode you choose is up to you........It is time we white and black quit blaming and get off our lazy @sses and go to work, respect one another, Marry your women, and take care of our children. And If someone is guilty of a crime, just because he's black ,white green or purple......put there butts in jail......Don't try to justify there wrong doing based on there ethnicity. Go to any city , where there is a Martin Luther King Dr. It will be the worst area as far as crime goes in the city.....That is a FACT...check it out.......I know it sounds like im bashing , but im sorry if the shoe fits......WHERE IT!

Answer 9

because they are ignorant&can not understand,new,different things,other than their own(not working)It's easier to stand in judjment,that to try somthing new and be judged!!
This most certainly does not apply to me.Everything i know&enjoy comes from some other country or culture.

Answer 10

I hear you, but Americans are OBSESSED with ethnicity, and it all stems from our history of genocide against the Native people and the enslavement of innocent African people.