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Position:Home>Philosophy> How can anyone judge someone primarily on their race or skin colour?Question: How can anyone judge someone primarily on their race or skin colour!? I know this is a simple question,in fact my 7 year old asked it (in a more basic way) However as much as I can not accept intolerance based on a quirk of fate as to where one was born,I can not come up with a satisfactory answer!.So ideas!?!?!?Www@QuestionHome@Com
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: "Racism is the lowest, most crudely primitive form of collectivism!. It is the notion of ascribing moral, social or political significance to a man’s genetic lineage—the notion that a man’s intellectual and characterological traits are produced and transmitted by his internal body chemistry!. Which means, in practice, that a man is to be judged, not by his own character and actions, but by the characters and actions of a collective of ancestors!. Racism claims that the content of a man’s mind (not his cognitive apparatus, but its content) is inherited; that a man’s convictions, values and character are determined before he is born, by physical factors beyond his control!. This is the caveman’s version of the doctrine of innate ideas—or of inherited knowledge—which has been thoroughly refuted by philosophy and science!. Racism is a doctrine of, by and for brutes!. It is a barnyard or stock-farm version of collectivism, appropriate to a mentality that differentiates between various breeds of animals, but not between animals and men!. Like every form of determinism, racism invalidates the specific attribute which distinguishes man from all other living species: his rational faculty!. Racism negates two aspects of man’s life: reason and choice, or mind and morality, replacing them with chemical predestination!." “Racism,” The Virtue of Selfishness, Ayn RandWww@QuestionHome@Com If you're trying to explain human nature and the psychological process that leads to making judgements about others, then I think you can answer it that all living creatures have a basic tendency to "flock together"!. Humans are not different that way!. Discrimination at its most basic definition just means making decisions for one thing and against another; it was expanded to making decisions about race and gender and other things, appropriately, but the basic definition of the word is just about decision making!. I think it makes sense that when humans lived in insolated tribes for tens of thousands of years that anyone who looked different was likely to be an enemy!. So those who made that judgement (based on skin color, maybe, or hair color, or dress, etc!.) to be intolerant of differences lived to judge another day, because they were appropriately cautious for the times around those who were different!. So it was a primitive survival behavior at one time!. I would guess that tendency is still in our human brains somewhere, even though today many of us have human brains bigger than back in the days when we were cave dwellers and hunters / gatherers!. Today we can use those evolved brains not only to be tolerant across those superficial differences, but we can go futher and learn to embrace the cultures of those whose skin color does not match our own!. Today being cooperative across lines of difference is an appropriate survival technique!. That's what I think!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Why would you want to do that!? The answer is simple!. You can't!. So one way of explaining why people do is to suggest that there are historical events in their life that lead them to make prejudicial judgements about people they have never met!. Yes then you are likely to have to go into a full explanation of prejudice!. One simplistic method is to talk about a vegetable they wont eat even though they have never tried it!. This is a form of 'prejudice' as in prejudgement your seven year old has decided it wont taste nice by how it looks!. So some people make judgements about other people without ever hearing what there views are, or they decide they know what their views are based on the way they dress or skin colour!. All I can say is be prepared for an endless stream of why!? why!? why!? Kids are great at being perceptive about things that don't make 'sense' but then you know that already!.Www@QuestionHome@Com Hard to define, find a reason for, or reasoning for, but this is how I explained it to my children, who are now explaining it to their children in the same way!. Its fear, fear of that which is different from yourself!. It is handed down to us through language, societal values, customs and mores, ideas and a need to be superior in some way that is easily and readily seen!. It stems from ignorance, from the insularity of early civilization!. From misunderstanding, outright refusal to give credit where there is difference!. It continues because societies continue to stereotype!.!.!.everything we see, hear, read is based on opinion, on ideas about what is right and proper and anyone that doesn't fit neatly into that mold is wrong!.Www@QuestionHome@Com The simple answer is you can't!. Every person is an individual!. To go into more detail, you can say there are some people who are raised thinking that blacks are bad or whites are snooty, but that is because they don't know many of them and have no way to form a better opinion!. It's like the gal who hates big dogs!. She's never owned one!. She was either taught that big dogs are bad or had an experience with one dog that convinced her all are bad!.Www@QuestionHome@Com People need a cowardly way to make themselves feel more superior, or just plain better about themselves!. A cowardly mode of bullying to feel some sort of semblance of power!.!.!. Creating fear, is easy, and a form of control for later on, perhaps!? Basic, irrational intolerance and fear of something, or in this case, someone, that they cannot comprehend!.Www@QuestionHome@Com racism is the weapon of cowards and the ignorant!. you cannot and should never judge an individual based on skin color, cultural orientation or race!. when a person is afraid of truth or there is a level of insecurity against a fellow human, then this is usually the easiest way out for them!.!.!.an excuse so they wont have to fight on the level and prove their own worth!.!.!.Www@QuestionHome@Com I don't know how you can explain prejudice to a seven year old, but generally I believe that people find it easier to know what they don't like than what they do like!. Tie this in with having no clear sense of identity or feeling somehow that your identity is under threat & you get the kind of prejudice that we see the whole world over!.Www@QuestionHome@Com sadly people do because they have not learnt that we are all the same and what you should look for is if they are a nice person and kind regardless of colour!. Hope that helps i have no kids so I'm sure you could word that better to your child !. you can confuse them later with religion and culture differences :)Www@QuestionHome@Com When a police officer takes my report of who has done this crime that I have seen or heard, they ask about the race, height and age as well as the weapon(s)!. Instead of sounding like an animal i speak like a human and answer the questions!. does that answer your question adequately!.Www@QuestionHome@Com How can one judge another for any reason for that matter!?Www@QuestionHome@Com saddleworth brass web sight todayWww@QuestionHome@Com |