Another excellent discussion.
It seems like it's primal human nature to discriminate, to separate "us" from "them". In fact, this is now the sociological definition of what race is. It is much better explained as a perception instead of some actual biological distinction. Survivalist, selfish human nature naturally makes one elevate whatever race or group a person and their perceived equals belong to. Years ago it was for tribal control of hunting/gathering territory, and today it's for jobs and other resources. The "I'm/We're better than you/them" mentality greatly aids the mind in justifying violence and other atrocities.
It's funny, because the definition of "us" and "them" varies circumstantially. For instance, the European immigrants to America in the 19th century (Irish, Italian, German, Catholics, anything not purely protestant and Anglo-Saxon) faced great discrimination. But, by the early to mid 20th century, they had gained equal footing as other "whites" that had more pure Anglo-Saxon roots. Why? Because the original Anglo-Saxons gradually faced more of a labor threat from emancipated African Americans, Hispanics, Mexicans, Asians, and many other immigrants willing to work for less money than "whites". Hence, institutionalized discrimination was employed to exclude them from the job market.
Social programming is a STRONG force, and especially when huge numbers of people share a common belief, it tends to reinforce and uphold whatever is accepted by the masses. Realize that we have mediums of transmitting information that all support each other, relay many of the same ideas, and have grown especially powerful within the last couple of decades, with many mediums even cross-promoting each other.
People underestimate how impressionable they are. Consider advertising - one of, if not the most effective tactics is to simply impress a person with a feeling of humor or happiness that they then associate with the product being sold, which is later accessed by the brain when they see the product on a store shelf, in a vending machine, etc. etc. This tactic has been exploited to its fullest potential on a variety of currently widely held public opinions. I'm not even going to start listing them, as I may never finish.
The overly acceptive alpha-brainwave state experienced shortly after tuning into to television programming (an incredibly appropriate expression) further helps impress the subconscious. Think of how many times our socially promoted ways of thinking and generalizing a person based upon their race, gender, age, sexuality, or phenotype, passing our judgment, and taking a resultant action have been a direct result of being exposed to TV material that formed our preconceived notions of how they would function. The entire thing serves as somewhat of a cycle, with people even sometimes choosing to conform to the roles that our society has siphoned them into.
I think it is our responsibility to get over these silly notions of inequality and stereotyping; to kill the ego and place ourselves in the shoes of every other human being on this Earth, and realize that we're all the same thing, each with the same potential. I say these things, but I struggle with them on a daily basis.
Anyway, I'm gearing up for WPI - World Peace I.
...and 'react' accordingly. But this is a different thing when we decide to challenge ourselves, when there is no 'force' involved, and no one else to blame. Then, we are in a position to truly learn, instead of reacting to challenges from exterior sources.
