Nature or nurture

SouthernN'Proud said:
Now that brings up an interesting question.

I agree that prejudice, in its current definition, is not a naturally occurring phenomenon; that it is learned behavior. I want that stated up front.

Now that we are all on the same playing field...what about self-induced segregation? Lemme preach on it.

Go into any public gathering you like where a mix of races/genders/whatever are likely to be found. College classroom, workplace cafeteria, high school sporting event, church, food court at the mall, doesn't really matter, just pick one. Arrive early, and take a seat in the rear that affords a full view of the entire room. Observe what you see. People will segregate themselves. Almost every time. Why?

I think I know why for the record, I just wanna see what y'all think.
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Birds of a feather flock together. Segregation is a natural act.
 
I think it is cause everyone is prejusticed in some way or another, and likes to stick in the clique that looks and acts like them.

Mind you, I also believe that every person on the planet it racist to one degree or another. They may try not to be, they may feel bad when they have those thoughts, but I do believe everyone is racist.
 
paul_valaru said:
Mind you, I also believe that every person on the planet it racist to one degree or another. They may try not to be, they may feel bad when they have those thoughts, but I do believe everyone is racist.
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I'm not sure that's 100% true, but there is certainly no small amount of evidence to support it. I know I can be. :shrug:
 
chcr said:
I'm not sure that's 100% true, but there is certainly no small amount of evidence to support it. I know I can be. :shrug:
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I honestly think that, people don't mean to, and try to change it, it's the ones that LIKE being racist that are the dangerous crazies, the rest are jsut normal, except for the really guilty that over-do it to PROVE they are not racist.
 
paul_valaru said:
I think it is cause everyone is prejusticed in some way or another, and likes to stick in the clique that looks and acts like them.

Mind you, I also believe that every person on the planet it racist to one degree or another. They may try not to be, they may feel bad when they have those thoughts, but I do believe everyone is racist.
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You are correct on this. I have thoughts at times for which I scold myself but that is because those things are there. Even though I have done everything I can do personally for integration and racial harmony I still have prejudices that usually run to those who make that group look bad through their actions.

Do you believe that there are Black people and Niggers? White folks and White trash? Mexicans and Cholos? Of course you do -- as do we all.

The former of those groups are the good, hard working, law abiding citizens who make up a civil society; and the latter are the converse. There is no requirement that we respect those types; and they deserve our enmity and any epithet used to describe them.

It is when those epithets are used against the good, hard working, law abiding citizens of those groups, for no other reason than their <enter attribute>, that this becomes true prejudice which essentially means "pre judge".
 
See I do disagree with the racial epitaths, even if someone MIGHT be deserving of one, I would choose not to use it.
 
Gato_Solo said:
BTDT, got the t-shirt. This is just another re-hash of the same argument. Those who say its nature usually flip-flop when confronted with possibilities of 'cures'...
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Why would that cause someone to flip flop? Since it's natural and harmless there's no need for a "cure" any more then there's a need for a "cure" for black skin.

I know Micheal Jackson cured himself but that seems downright unnatural to me.

What people need cured of is rampant bigotry.
 
paul_valaru said:
I think it is cause everyone is prejusticed in some way or another, and likes to stick in the clique that looks and acts like them.

Mind you, I also believe that every person on the planet it racist to one degree or another. They may try not to be, they may feel bad when they have those thoughts, but I do believe everyone is racist.
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+1

It should be noted that without that little trait, our ancestors would have fed a few large felines on an African plain and we wouldn't be here to argue the point to start with.
 
SouthernN'Proud said:
It gets better. Last night I learned that about 2/3 of the staff have asked not to be scheduled with him because he's gay. These are the young, single, open minded people. Male and female alike, they don't want to work with the gay guy. I was asked if I had a problem with working with him. The unspoken undertone was that the effort was on to get rid of him. I replied that I had no problem whatsoever with the guy.
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If your workplace is altering their schedule so people don't have to work with someone that is gay that is workplace discimination. You do work in law enforcement right? Do they do that with blacks too?
 
SouthernN'Proud said:
K, so segregation is natural, but prejudice is to be eliminated.

Now. Where is the line between the two?
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One is driven by genetics and the other is driven by other factors. One is inbred and the other is learned.

Emotions are the one thing that drives this attitude as when one wants to hurt another's feelings one will look for the "abnormalities" in the other person which are not common to themselves.

It wouldn't matter if everyone on the face of the Earth were the same color. You would still have prejudice aginst the shorts by the talls; the blonds against the brunettes; the straight hairs against the curly; the large feet against the small; the fat against the skinny; the bowlegged against the straight; then blue eyes against the brown; the straight teeth against the crooked; the large lips against the small; etc., etc., ad nauseum.
 
SouthernN'Proud said:
So it's not natural, but it's inescapable?
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Yes and hell yes. The seven deadlies will continue to drive mankind to the end of their existence. Unless we go to the premise of THX-1138 where everything, including emotion, is controlled; but there will always be those like THX-1138 who will buck the system.
 
paul_valaru said:
but I do believe everyone is racist.
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It goes way beyond race. That's just simple to see.

Take 50 NYU graduates & 50 FSU graduates. They will segregate.50 NASCAR fans & 50 INDY fans. 50 Sox fans & 50 Yankee fans. 50 guys & 50 girls (asuming all 50 guys aren't looking to score)

We like our own. Period.
 
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