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Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
#1
Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
I have thought often of how prejudice, stigmas, and hatred work, and it seems to me that the people who feel hatred (the kkk, homophobes, etc) are often doing so out of a sense of fear, and are ignorant of the people they hate. In essence, they don't understand why they exist, so they hate them. I feel that with understanding eliminates this hatred, in whatever sense it may be. If someone raped your daughter, for example, if you figured out that that person has a specific part of their brain that lacks empathy, you may say that they were destined by nature to be a rapist and have more sympathy. Or, if it turned out that they were raped as a child, then it was nurture which made them a rapist. Either way, even in the most extreme cases, it seems that an understanding, a cool calm and rational understanding free of emotional response, absolves hate. What is your opinion?

That is to say that hatred, prejudice, fear, are the categories of emotional responses. Whereas understanding does not involve this sort of thinking. Perhaps you could even liken it to the difference between the sober, rational, scientific mind, and the irrational, emotional, religious mind.
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#2
RE: Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
(February 8, 2017 at 2:43 pm)WisdomOfTheTrees Wrote: I have thought often of how prejudice, stigmas, and hatred work, and it seems to me that the people who feel hatred (the kkk, homophobes, etc) are often doing so out of a sense of fear, and are ignorant of the people they hate. In essence, they don't understand why they exist, so they hate them. I feel that with understanding eliminates this hatred, in whatever sense it may be. If someone raped your daughter, for example, if you figured out that that person has a specific part of their brain that lacks empathy, you may say that they were destined by nature to be a rapist and have more sympathy.
Kind of a leap from being unempathetic to being a rapist, don't you think?  I'm not sure how one consigns a person to the other?

Quote:Or, if it turned out that they were raped as a child, then it was nurture which made them a rapist.
Maybe it was the raping -they- did that made -them- a rapist?  Just tossing that out there......lol.   Wink

Quote:Either way, even in the most extreme cases, it seems that an understanding, a cool calm and rational understanding free of emotional response, absolves hate. What is your opinion?  That is to say that hatred, prejudice, fear, are the categories of emotional responses. Whereas understanding does not involve this sort of thinking. Perhaps you could even liken it to the difference between the sober, rational, scientific mind, and the irrational, emotional, religious mind.
I'd say that in the absence of an emotional understanding it is pointless to claim -any- understanding of humanity.  There is no dichotomy between being rational and emotional, and if the subject is human behavior the one is positively meaningless without the other. Understanding often leads to hatred, prejudice and fear...it's not as though these emotions are categorically unjustifiable or irrational.
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
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#3
RE: Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
Many emotional responses are instinctive. People tend to fear snakes and spiders not puppies or ducks. People are also naturally inclined to distrust strangers. People are averse to dung and vomit but crave sweets and fatty foods. Understanding a threat does not entail ignoring its danger. The question at hand is not the origin of natural feelings or instincts but rather how to attain the judgement to know if and when we should use reason to overcome what nature imposes or to comply with it.
<insert profound quote here>
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#4
RE: Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
(February 8, 2017 at 3:00 pm)Khemikal Wrote:
(February 8, 2017 at 2:43 pm)WisdomOfTheTrees Wrote: I have thought often of how prejudice, stigmas, and hatred work, and it seems to me that the people who feel hatred (the kkk, homophobes, etc) are often doing so out of a sense of fear, and are ignorant of the people they hate. In essence, they don't understand why they exist, so they hate them. I feel that with understanding eliminates this hatred, in whatever sense it may be. If someone raped your daughter, for example, if you figured out that that person has a specific part of their brain that lacks empathy, you may say that they were destined by nature to be a rapist and have more sympathy.
Kind of a leap from being unempathetic to being a rapist, don't you think?  I'm not sure how one consigns a person to the other?

Quote:Or, if it turned out that they were raped as a child, then it was nurture which made them a rapist.
Maybe it was the raping -they- did that made -them- a rapist?  Just tossing that out there......lol.   Wink

Quote:Either way, even in the most extreme cases, it seems that an understanding, a cool calm and rational understanding free of emotional response, absolves hate. What is your opinion?  That is to say that hatred, prejudice, fear, are the categories of emotional responses. Whereas understanding does not involve this sort of thinking. Perhaps you could even liken it to the difference between the sober, rational, scientific mind, and the irrational, emotional, religious mind.
I'd say that in the absence of an emotional understanding it is pointless to claim -any- understanding of humanity.  There is no dichotomy between being rational and emotional, and if the subject is human behavior the one is positively meaningless without the other.  Understanding often leads to hatred, prejudice and fear...it's not as though these emotions are categorically unjustifiable or irrational.
This post is stupid. You don't seem like the sort of person who it would be fruitful to argue with. "Maybe raping someone makes them a rapist. Haha got you". Yeah, great argument, you really had me there when you said A THING IS A THING. Blocked.

Also you're conflating reason with emotion, which makes no sense.
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#5
RE: Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
Heather McGhee (who's she? http://www.demos.org/heather-c-mcghee) was on C-SPAN not too long ago fielding questions from callers when she gets a call from Gary from North Caroline...

[Youtube]BsUa7eCgE_U[/youtube]

The conversation in this video is by far more important than shouting "Your views are wrong!" The problem is this is a best case scenario. In the link below you can read a follow up of Gary going to the library to check out books to learn more about people of color. What I see on a daily basis are people who are happy to hate, and who would like nothing more than to not need to learn more about people who are different from them. The conversation in the video is a two way street where both people were willing to listen. Unfortunately, that's not always the case.

In my opinion, and I think it follows, learning eliminates fear-based prejudice, but the issue is getting to a place where people on both sides want that conversation. Heather McGhee was well-prepared, but you could easily see a lesser person snapping at the "I'm prejudice." Again, it's a two way street.

Here's a follow-up on Gary.
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2017/0...nt-america
I can't remember where this verse is from, I think it got removed from canon:

"I don't hang around with mostly men because I'm gay. It's because men are better than women. Better trained, better equipped...better. Just better! I'm not gay."

For context, this is the previous verse:

"Hi Jesus" -robvalue
Reply
#6
RE: Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
I love it when people say something really iffy, get stymied by a "stupid" remark, and then block the person in response, while babbling about conflating reason and emotion. Physician, heal thyself.

Angel
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Reply
#7
RE: Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
(February 8, 2017 at 3:30 pm)Khemikal Wrote: I love it when people say something really iffy, get stymied by a "stupid" remark, and then block the person in response, while babbling about conflating reason and emotion.  Physician, heal thyself.

Angel
I came here for a serious philosophical discussion, you undermine that. Goodbye.
Reply
#8
RE: Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
A serious philosophical discussion that does not, apparently, involve any disagreement with you.  Sounds super serious?
I am the Infantry. I am my country’s strength in war, her deterrent in peace. I am the heart of the fight… wherever, whenever. I carry America’s faith and honor against her enemies. I am the Queen of Battle. I am what my country expects me to be, the best trained Soldier in the world. In the race for victory, I am swift, determined, and courageous, armed with a fierce will to win. Never will I fail my country’s trust. Always I fight on…through the foe, to the objective, to triumph overall. If necessary, I will fight to my death. By my steadfast courage, I have won more than 200 years of freedom. I yield not to weakness, to hunger, to cowardice, to fatigue, to superior odds, For I am mentally tough, physically strong, and morally straight. I forsake not, my country, my mission, my comrades, my sacred duty. I am relentless. I am always there, now and forever. I AM THE INFANTRY! FOLLOW ME!
Reply
#9
RE: Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
(February 8, 2017 at 3:33 pm)Khemikal Wrote: A serious philosophical discussion that does not, apparently, involve any disagreement with you.  Sounds super serious?
You're free to have a serious discussion with me. What I won't do is argue over erroneous remarks misrepresenting what I said. If I wanted that I would go to facebook. I could very easily be reading the history of western philosophy by bertrand russell right now, which I want to finish by the end of summer for school, instead of wasting my time.
Reply
#10
RE: Are stigmas and and prejudices, inherently based on fear, ignorance and hatred?
(February 8, 2017 at 3:33 pm)Khemikal Wrote: A serious philosophical discussion that does not, apparently, involve any disagreement with you.  Sounds super serious?

I think he's just trying to give examples where knowing more of a situation will change your feelings or views of the situation, even visceral situations involving rape. WotT may believe those things are true or maybe he/she doesn't, but thats besides the point.
I can't remember where this verse is from, I think it got removed from canon:

"I don't hang around with mostly men because I'm gay. It's because men are better than women. Better trained, better equipped...better. Just better! I'm not gay."

For context, this is the previous verse:

"Hi Jesus" -robvalue
Reply



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