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Originally Posted by Martian
I reckon that entire paper can be trimmed down to this and still carry the same meaning.
As Manic_Skafe noted, these sorts of biases are not only normal, but essential. I cannot, for example, deal with every person, place and thing in the world on an individual basis without having my brain implode. I simply do not have the capacity.
I grew up in a multi-racial home, and as a consequence my prejudices aren't racial. That isn't to say I don't have prejudices, just that they exist in different forms. I tend to think of Americans as more violent than my own countrymen; while on the whole this may be true, it oversimplifies the issue. It may be accurate to say that some Americans are more violent, or even that Americans on average are more likely to commit a violent act, but applying this on an individual level is obviously flawed. I have to make a conscious effort not to do so.
It's also apparent in gender relations; how many jokes exist stating that 'men are this way and women are that way?' These jokes are stating a widely held bias, which may even be true in a general sense, but does not necessarily exist on an individual level. It's the same principle in effect.
It's much easier to deal with our fellow man categorically than on an individual basis.
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This is true, but it doesn't mean there isn't room for improvement. And it certainly doesn't mean that people should be given a pass to wallow in their own ill-conceived biases. You are saying here yourself that you have to make a conscious effort not to lump all Americans into a negative stereotype. Meaning, that's something that you (perhaps) are morally opposed to. This was the most important aspect of the article to me. The fact that most people want to change these reactions when they become aware of them.
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Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce
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