Will Mankind Ever Evolve Past Bigotry!?

[TheInvisibleMan]

When there's different consequences for people of different races for the same exact behavior, you can understand how that can contribute to inequality, right?

it doesn't contribute to any inequality when the playing field is already unequal

because in that very same routine, Chris Rock talks about his fame and how in the neighborhood he lives in, his neighbor (who is white) is a dentist...he (at the time) was one of the best black stand ups on the planet, and his neighbor is a dentist, a plain old dentist

so to afford a house in that neighborhood, he had to be the VERY BEST in his field, but a well off white person wouldn't have a problem buying a house there

[Conch22]

Just so I'm clear, your line of reasoning is treating one specific action as innocuous when it comes to one race and demonize the exact same act when it comes to a different race?

Again, if you demonize someone for an action you'll give a pass to someone from another race for doing, that is racist. If you're condemning Michael Richards for his psychotic racist tirade against a heckler and you'd give Chris Rock a pass for saying that exact same thing to that same person in that same cadence, going full Uncle Ruckus on him, then please reflect on your justifications.

[Lee Stone]

Alan Moore had the right idea in Watchmen.
The only way everyone will come together is if a fabricated enemy is made to appear to threaten them all equally. And it would need to be something that's impossible to defeat, but with the illusion that it could be defeated.
So that everyone will be in that point of rising up together, indefinitely, to oppose that which (supposedly) threatens them all.

[JackDaw]

If you said that exact quote and replaced white with black, would that make it sound like you're on the right side of history or the alt-right side of history? Legitimately curious

I assumed it was a joke...surely everybody knows that racism exists in practically every society and race on Earth, white, black, pink, brown, etc. Anybody who thinks it's purely a white phenomena has next to no knowledge of historic or present day events.

Incidentally, it's at least possible to argue that discrimination against other races is driven by evolutionary forces, and is to some extent logical. If two intelligent races exist in an habitant with limited resources (i.e. any known habitant), then the race willing to stick together and eliminate the other will survive to see it's genes replicate.

[Lee Stone]

I assumed it was a joke...surely everybody knows that racism exists in practically every society and race on Earth, white, black, pink, brown, etc. Anybody who thinks it's purely a white phenomena has next to no knowledge of historic or present day events.

Incidentally, it's at least possible to argue that discrimination against other races is driven by evolutionary forces, and is to some extent logical. If two intelligent races exist in an habitant with limited resources (i.e. any known habitant), then the race willing to stick together and eliminate the other will survive to see it's genes replicate.

Something else worth mentioning, and really goes without saying but is still often overlooked, is that non-racists also exist in every society and race.

[Conch22]

I assumed it was a joke...surely everybody knows that racism exists in practically every society and race on Earth, white, black, pink, brown, etc. Anybody who thinks it's purely a white phenomena has next to no knowledge of historic or present day events.

Incidentally, it's at least possible to argue that discrimination against other races is driven by evolutionary forces, and is to some extent logical. If two intelligent races exist in an habitant with limited resources (i.e. any known habitant), then the race willing to stick together and eliminate the other will survive to see it's genes replicate.

Probably bait, but on the chance he was serious, wanted to flip it, as its an idea I've seen crop up on social media enough.

You could call it an unfortunate byproduct of evolution. Survival instincts taking a wrong turn.

Something else worth mentioning, and really goes without saying but is still often overlooked, is that non-racists also exist in every society and race.

Nothing to add, just really wanted this posted more than once.

[beetle_booster]

I assumed it was a joke...surely everybody knows that racism exists in practically every society and race on Earth, white, black, pink, brown, etc. Anybody who thinks it's purely a white phenomena has next to no knowledge of historic or present day events.

Incidentally, it's at least possible to argue that discrimination against other races is driven by evolutionary forces, and is to some extent logical. If two intelligent races exist in an habitant with limited resources (i.e. any known habitant), then the race willing to stick together and eliminate the other will survive to see it's genes replicate.

Err... Exactly what the Nazis were thinking when they were eliminating the Jews.

[beetle_booster]

Probably bait, but on the chance he was serious, wanted to flip it, as its an idea I've seen crop up on social media enough.

You could call it an unfortunate byproduct of evolution. Survival instincts taking a wrong turn.


Nothing to add, just really wanted this posted more than once.

Which raises the question: if racism and discrimination is a byproduct of evolution for our survival, why then did we evolve the capacity to think that such things are wrong?

[beetle_booster]

On a broader note, why do we have morality (ie: feelings of guilt, conscience) when survival would be much easier if we didn't have it. One of objectives of Stalin's regime was to create soldiers with no conscience because then they would do what they need to do without being bothered by guilt.

[Conch22]

Which raises the question: if racism and discrimination is a byproduct of evolution for our survival, why then did we evolve the capacity to think that such things are wrong?

On the discrimination side, I would posit that early on identifying dangers from certain plants, animals and tribes of humans was a survival mechanism. Caution before a situation is fully assessed through nature and nurture takes root through generations. You see yhere is a likelihood of being mugged in a neighborhood through experience, you likely find another route or prepare yourself with tools or safety in numbers to stave off predators.

Then the myths set in, that procreation with a virgin can cure illness, of different peoples having different brain structures, etc. And the perception shifts from this is a threat to the why, to nature or nurture. And you've got a pack instinct and survival instinct driven to paranoia setting in and building through generations of misunderstandings and wayward cultures thriving on a might makes right mentality.
If someone is unfamiliar with something and is aware of enough of a potential danger, they become territorial, both for themselves and their loved ones and community.

On a social level affecting survival instincts, the evolution becomes cancer. It becomes healthy cells that have undergone an evolution through a mutation and become harmful to the body, to the whole, that they're meant to preserve.
Cancer can be cut out, new ideas can take root of old and make us stronger in the broken places would be my take on it. Its not unflinchingly guaranteed or a path that's easy for all, though worthwhile endeavors are not always easy.

On a broader note, why do we have morality (ie: feelings of guilt, conscience) when survival would be much easier if we didn't have it. One of objectives of Stalin's regime was to create soldiers with no conscience because then they would do what they need to do without being bothered by guilt.

I would say a sense of self and how you relate to others has strong foundations in morality. I would also say its not entirely relegated to humans, pets fight and then make ammends, care when one passes before another. There's a hollowness to the experience of life without that connection to one another. And the positive emotions come with the negative, adding value both ways. Letting us truly grow and not be the equivalent of a stagnant equation predicated on just being sans triumph or tribulation.

That would be my take on it, but that's a rather deep meaning of life type question that others might have a different take on (and I am quite secular, which most definitely influenced my answer

[JackDaw]

Which raises the question: if racism and discrimination is a byproduct of evolution for our survival, why then did we evolve the capacity to think that such things are wrong?

Because environments are complex and changing, and the attributes that may have served well generations ago in one habitat may be completely undesirable facing a different set of circumstances.

Thus the ability to rationalise and quickly change behaviour may be a wonderful evolutionary advantage...but to change behaviour quickly purely through analysing changed circumstances requires conscious ability to consider past actions may be wrong.

I'm only putting that forward as one line of argument. Your question is such a difficult one....there are several potential answers, and don't see how anybody could be confident on which was "right" one.

[Vegan Daddy]

nope

/10char

[Vegan Daddy]

Imagine there's no heaven
It's easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today...
Imagine there's no countries
It isn't hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace...

Pfft

John Lennon was a posturing twat.

[MyriVerse]

There will always be "the other," but to be very honest, it has never been better as far as these things are concerned.

[Joker Venom]

Sadly, no.

It's like the song says, "you've got to be carefully taught". Racism, and any other form of bigotry, are learned behaviors. No one comes out of the womb hating anyone.

As long as there are people who were brought up on that kind of vile thought process, and as long as those people make no effort to educate themselves, and they pass that ignorance on to their own children, bigotry will always exist.