Racism: Nature or Nurtured?
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Presentation by: Jeremy Richardson & Johnny Mifsud
Defining
Racism
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Racism is defined as:
1) a belief or doctrine that
inherent differences among the
various human races determine
cultural or individual
achievement, usually involving
the idea that one's own race is
superior and has the right to
rule others.
2) A policy, system of
government, etc., based upon
or fostering such a doctrine;
discrimination.
3) Hatred or intolerance of
another race or other races.
-Dictionary.com
History
Racism
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of
Many would argue that racism
has existed since the beginning
of time
Racism has been documented
thoroughly through several
events including (but not limited
to) the Holocaust, the South
African Apartheid, and through
the once-fraternity now evil
hate-spreading Ku Klux Klan
Defining Racism
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Racism is defined as:
1) a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the
various human races determine cultural or individual
achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is
superior and has the right to rule others.
2) A policy, system of government, etc., based upon or fostering
such a doctrine; discrimination.
3) Hatred or intolerance of another race or other races.
-Dictionary.com
History of Racism
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Many would argue that racism has existed since the beginning of
time
Racism has been documented thoroughly through several events
including (but not limited to) the Holocaust, the South African
Apartheid, and through the once-fraternity now evil hatespreading Ku Klux Klan
Questions for the Class =)
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Who in this class has ever said something racist? (Don’t be shy,
we’ve said them too)
Now, why did you say it?
Where did you hear of these racist words/phrases?
Explanation
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For those who said you grew up hearing racist remarks from
generations prior to you, and for those who said you hear or see
racism in the media, you are absolutely correct
Racism has fostered either intentionally in forms of rap music, or
unintentionally when saying words or phrases that cause
another to be upset without you realizing you are doing it
An example of this would be the term ‘porch monkey’
The term is extremely racist towards the African race, but it is
simply only a combination of two frequently used words in
English and actually sounds comical, hence the desire to say it
Nature….or nurture?
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The racism that exists in our world derives from the simple fact
that people think they are better than others
But how do they justify this?
By saying their pigment of skin is better than another’s?
By thinking one’s religion is better than someone else’s?
Is the feeling of racial superiority natural, or has it been fostered
through history, culture, and media?
Natural Racism
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It is natural to observe differences and classify things according
to their differences and similarities.
Hatred also seems to be something that is universal for humans
Most people have a strong dislike for some group of people,
whether it is a racial group, a religious group
Facts about Natural Racism
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Many believe ideas that state: Younger children spend more time
staring at different races from their own when presented with
photographs
Toddlers notice race more than gender
Kids pick out friends based on skin color
Kids’ brains categorize world and assume people that look like
them are more similar to them
Conversations about race are difficult for parents
Self-segregation at schools goes up as school diversity goes up
Nurtured Racism
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Applying hatred to a group of people based on their ethnicity is
mostly a learned phenomena
A connection needs to be established between race and
superiority in order for someone to be racist
Human beings are born just being people and they are nurtured
throughout there life about the different races and all of the
cultures in the world
Facts about Nurtured Racism
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Many believe that:
Racism is not an ideology, but an institution
The origin of racism does not lie in human nature but it lies in
the slave trade
The slave trade showed a boom in racism where Africans were
sold to white plantation owners as they were seen as inferior and
lacking rights
Many also believe that history proves the fact that racism is
nurtured by capitalism because prior to the invention of
capitalism, racism being used as a form of oppression did not
exist
This super stellar Youtube video proves another way racism is
embraced and nurtured…through the media:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y44BfGAdQbU
Who wins here? Nature or Nurture?
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The consensus between Jordo and Johnny is that racism is
nurtured
Reasons for this being are:
Little babies do notice race over gender, and that fact is simple
to explain, and I will explain it in an analogy…
If you buy a box of Smarties, and all of them are red and only
one is blue, obviously you are going to notice the blue one as it
will stick out like a sore thumb
If they are all red however, and one is slightly chipped or has a
slight variation in appearance, you are not going to notice it as
much
Citations (the bureaucratic stuff our lawyers
make us say)
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Works Cited
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Appiah, Kwame Anthony. "'Racism': History of Hatred." AAD Project.
N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2011.
<http://aad.english.ucsb.edu/docs/appiah.html>.
Bronson, Po. "Racism is Innate." Interview by Campbell Brown. CNN
Newsroom. CNN. 14 Sept. 2009. CNN. Web. 28 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eq1PDYB1G1U>.
Bronson, Po, and Ashley Merryman. "Even Babies Discriminate."
Newsweek. Harman Newsweek LLC, n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.newsweek.com/2009/09/04/see-baby-discriminate.html>.
"The History of Racism." All About Popular Issues. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar.
2011. <http://www.allaboutpopularissues.org/the-history-of-racismfaq.htm>.
“Nature vs Nurture; Racism." Scribd. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Mar. 2011.
<http://www.scribd.com/doc/ 16463500/Nature-vs-Nurture-Racism>.
Taylor, Alex. "The roots of racism." Socialist Worker. N.p., n.d. Web. 31
Mar. 2011. <http://socialistworker.org/2002-2/431/431_08_Racism.shtml>.