Can a person change from being racist to not racist?
BlueEyedMrsP
Posts: 12,178 Forum Member
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Is it something that never changes?
On the Roddy Piper thread there was mention that Hulk Hogan was exposed as a racist, but was seen recently with Mike Tyson, in an attempt to seem less racist I guess?
Is racism a very ingrained belief that is always there?
On the Roddy Piper thread there was mention that Hulk Hogan was exposed as a racist, but was seen recently with Mike Tyson, in an attempt to seem less racist I guess?
Is racism a very ingrained belief that is always there?
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But if they are forced to modify their behaviour by (for example).......the Race Relations Act........I believe that gives hope for their children.
The self righteous don't always live up to the billing and the despicable can often suprise.
Of course, you have to be willing to change.
For example if someone disliked a certain race just because their parents did and it was ingrained within them but then they had to work closely with someone of that race and got on well with them and realised they are no different. I think in that situation the racist belief could soften.
EDIT: Or like in PIs case above, if a family member marries someone of that race, it would be similar.
But young racists probably not, they won't really change. They really should already know better.
I think that describes how I feel as well. Most people are a product of their environment/upbringing, my parents were somewhat narrow-minded because they grew up in a very homogenous white culture where immigration was almost exclusively other whites. By the time I went to school it was a pretty mixed bag of races and cultures, but I think my father especially retained his prejudiced views on anyone not white. So while it can be a learned behaviour, kids don't always adopt their parents' outlook. My mom still uses the "P" word on occasion, I don't think she even realizes she shouldn't. I guess like many others she lives in a bit of a bubble (an us vs them kind of mentality) and doesn't want her bubble to burst.
Racism is often connected to a fear of the unknown, differences in culture that are not understood and learnt beliefs from people in authority. No child is born a racist, it is learnt behaviour and can be changed by learning more about other races.
There are, however, some people who just don't want to learn and won't change.
Sums my thoughts up perfectly
People are not born racist, but for a racist to change into a non racist you would need that person to have the self awareness to know their existing views are ignorant. They would also need a willingness and desire to educate themselves.
You see the same old excuses trotted out for older generations not knowing that certain words for example are racist or widely considered offensive, but for me that's a poor excuse- it's really not all that hard to keep up to date with a few words is it, especially if you have any grasp of the modern world/ the vast amount of information available to everyone at the click of a button.
The old 'but he/ she's from a different generation and doesn't know any better' type of stuff, really doesn't wash.
I'm not so sure. There's quite a few who renounced their involvement with the KKK, white supremacist / neo Nazi / etc. movements.
I think the most famous is probably Johnny Lee Clary, a wrestler and former KKK wizard. Also T. J. Leyton publicly rejected the skinhead and white power movement during the 1990s. His story partly inspired American History X. [Edited: Sorry, I misspelt his name - T. J. Leyden http://theforgivenessproject.com/stories/tj-leyden-usa]
The twin sisters - Prussian Blue - recently renounced their beliefs and association with the white nationalist / white pride movement, but they haven't given up their scepticism on the Holocaust, though.
But yes, I do believe anyone can change or soften their beliefs - whatever those may be and rightly or wrongly - over a period of time.
Totally agree.
Then I learned, more than once, that I had opinions on matters I had no personal experience of and had upset people I valued.
I thought abortion was inexcusable back then.
I talked at length once to a work colleague I admired who told me she'd had a termination at 16 and why she had it.
I just listened and realised what little I understood.
I changed over the years, not like a pendulum, I just listened more.
Not just on that but other matters as well.
smoking weed is illegal.
I have so much respect for people who are able to admit they changed their views on something after realising things aren't as black and white as they once thought. Good for you!
I agree, given the fact quite a few people from older generations weren't racist or prone to using racist slurs.
One example: John Wooldridge, British film composer and scriptwriter, did awesome things in the RAF during WWII. He was a staunch supporter for a permanent tribute to black Britons who fought and died during WWII. He died during the 1950s (he was only 39