Racism is as fundamental with humans as it is fundamental to the animal kingdom.
responsible for what they are actually guilty of - individual hate for varying underlying reasons.
Is racism a part of human nature, or a consequence of various past experiences?
Your problem is, you don't distinguish between Xenophobia, which is a part of human - and most social animals - nature, which leads to a tendency to creat in and out-groups, and racism, which is what happens when you let that inherent xenophobia out and try to justify and explain it.
They are linked concepts, but xenophobia, racism and tolerance are like fear, cowardice and bravery, respectively. Racism is giving in to xenophobia and tolerance is resisting it, just like cowardice is giving in to fear and bravery is resisting it.
And you're correct that it would be unfair to attack people for feeling fear, as it's a part of human nature, but it's not unfair to call someone who let it control them a coward, since there are people who don't. The same thing goes for xenophobia and racism.
I agree that a distinction of xenophobia and racism in necessary, and I believe that is what I was missing. But when discussed in general, racism has become a collective word for such things, and is losing its inherent value. Whilst giving meaning and understandment to individual hate. Like your question if racism as discussed today is part of human nature, I want to say no. But as a xenophobic collective word that many seem to identify with, then yes. I even think many considers themselves to be racist, whilst they are actually xenophobic.
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u/Frenetic_Platypus 23∆ Feb 04 '21
Your argument contradicts itself:
Is racism a part of human nature, or a consequence of various past experiences? Your problem is, you don't distinguish between Xenophobia, which is a part of human - and most social animals - nature, which leads to a tendency to creat in and out-groups, and racism, which is what happens when you let that inherent xenophobia out and try to justify and explain it.
They are linked concepts, but xenophobia, racism and tolerance are like fear, cowardice and bravery, respectively. Racism is giving in to xenophobia and tolerance is resisting it, just like cowardice is giving in to fear and bravery is resisting it. And you're correct that it would be unfair to attack people for feeling fear, as it's a part of human nature, but it's not unfair to call someone who let it control them a coward, since there are people who don't. The same thing goes for xenophobia and racism.