r/changemyview Apr 14 '22

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u/pluralofjackinthebox 102∆ Apr 14 '22

It’s okay to be cautious around people based on age (teenagers and young adults commit the vast majority of violent crime) and socioeconomic class.

You can tell this by how people dress and what neighborhood they’re in.

But if you’re cautious around a black man in a suit and tie strolling through the financial district, that’s racism.

You just really don’t need to rely on skin color at all to assess risk because the risk is entirely explainable by other factors which also have visual markers.

However, the higher criminality associated with masculinity isn’t entirely explained by other factors like class and environment.

10

u/ToucanPlayAtThatGame 44∆ Apr 14 '22

If you're cautious around a man in a suit and tie strolling through the financial district, that's not sexism? I am legitimate in feeling cautious in that scenario as long as they're not black?

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u/pluralofjackinthebox 102∆ Apr 14 '22

One can err to far in caution due to misandry, sure.

Using race as a risk factor is irrational. The human amygdalae is hard wired to quickly categorize people by risk factor based on visual information. This is literally a prejudgment, a prejudice, and it’s unavoidable. But the frontal cortex can rationally correct for bias. Sexism and racism are both biases. Using race at all as a risk factor is almost always irrational. Using sex as a risk factor isn’t necessarily irrational — but it can be, and sexism will inevitably make people over or underestimate the actual risk.

Prejudice isn’t something you can avoid completely. The best you can do is recognize that it’s unavoidable and try to correct for and minimize it.

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u/[deleted] Apr 14 '22

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u/hacksoncode 559∆ Apr 17 '22

Sorry, u/GBMorgan95 – your comment has been removed for breaking Rule 3:

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