Poll: Are racists victims too?

[Brawndo]

Picture the stereotypical racist, the hypothetical George Studdard of rural Georgia: white, 51 years-old, high-school educated, lower middle-class. George was born into a racist household, raised by racist parents, and grew up in a predominantly racist community. The word "n****r" was said casually around his house. Growing up, George rarely saw minorities except on TV. His neighbors talk disparagingly about the migrant "s***s" who pick vegetables on nearby farms. His classmates, and later co-workers, make jokes about blacks, Muslims, and Jews on a regular basis. More than half of the religious leaders and authority figures in his town are widely known to hold prejudiced personal beliefs.

So is it really a surprise that George became a racist? Is he not simply a product of his environment? Isn't he really a victim of a primitive, prejudiced upbringing that he could not control? Sure, people can later realize the error of their ways, but one's formative years can be the most critical in forming political, social, and religious opinions. Few people make radical changes in their values and beliefs later in life.

Even if this doesn't justify his behavior and speech, is not George as much a victim as those he hates?


Btw, these aren't necessarily my personal views, but I think this is an interesting topic of discussion.

 

[A Weary Exile]

"Victim" is the wrong word. "Misguided" is more accurate.

 

[spookydom]

Not victims. Just ignorant.

 

[PunkyMcGee]

not really, you can change how you were raised. it's not as hardwired as you may think.

 

[flare09]

I like how you censor yourself for one racial slur and not another.

 

[PunkyMcGee]

I like how you censor yourself for one racial slur and not another.

ha. he did put it in quotes though.

edit: (i have more to say) once you consider yourself a "victim" for being a racist than your aware enough to try to change that.

 

[maddawg IAJI]

In my opinion, no. I was raised in a predominately catholic family, I went to a Catholic School, spent most of my primary school days in a church and learning about how Jesus was crucified. I'm now a 17 year old Atheist. While the environment around you can shape your personality and your view of the world, it doesn't make it permanent. In the case of George, he is a product of a racist upbringing, but that doesn't mean he must be racist.

 

[Penguinness]

This is a large portion of grandparents nowadays, you generally just have to ignore them.

 

[Therberus]

"Victim" is the wrong word. "Misguided" is more accurate.

I agree, I think that more should be done to educate people in areas such as these. Racism stems from a misunderstanding and even fear of others.

 

[Frozen Donkey Wheel2]

I like how you censor yourself for one racial slur and not another.

ha. he did put it in quotes though.

Yeah, but they were both in quotes, so...yeah.

And the first guy is right. "Misguided" is the right word, not "victim". Besides, there's plenty of people who are raised in religious homes and end up atheists. Why not kids in racist homes? If anything, they have a far better chance at seperating themselves from their families beliefs then the ones in religious homes, since racism is far less accepted then religion is.

(By the way, I'm not trying to say that religion is as bad as racism, it's just an example of something else a kid might be raised to believe. Again, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH RELIGION.)

 

[CManator]

No, george is not as much of a victim as those he hates, as he is not on the receiving end of the hateful words and violence.

However given his circumstances, it's no surprise he turned out the way he did. Still, he could have questioned the behavior of those around him and decided to be a better man. He simply conformed to his surroundings, and thereby continued that mentality and likely passed it on to his peers and children, repeating the cycle of hate.

George represents one of society's greatest flaws.

 

[Phenakist]

Surely if someone is generally unintelligent, close minded and can't see past their upbringing the only thing they are a victim of is their own ignorance, and are fully accountable for anything they say.

 

[Blitzwarp]

Not victims. Just ignorant.

MTE. Ignorance fears and loathes what it does not understand, and does not make any effort to understand what it's afraid of: it just lashes out, or harms. A victim, on the other hand, is someone who has been subjected to some form of abuse which has shaped their perceptions that way.

(It's why I really can't stand the term 'homophobia' - why, exactly, isn't it just called sexualism or something, in the vein of racism and sexism? Oh, right, because people claim that gays scare them with their gay ways. Totally not ignorance, you guys.)

 

[ramboondiea]

i suppose in a sense, people who say that upbringing shouldn't make a difference, are just underestimating ho influential it can be, if you have managed to become (what you think) is well adjusted doesnt mean everyone will craft their own views.
look at your religious examples, people from religious homes becoming atheists, the fact of the matter is this does not apply to everyone, many people take the values they learn from family and will always (to some extent) hold those ideals.

(p,s im not condoning racism, i just think some people are too quick too condem th eindividual as the only offender)

 

[Guitarmasterx7]

I wouldn't say it's how they're raised, but their childhood experience as a whole, probably.

Let's say hypothetically a white kid is raised by racist parents. Let's assume he goes to school, and a majority of the black kids are really nice and don't meet the description of what his parents made them out to be. Eventually he's going to understand that race isn't really a determining factor on who someone is. It might not be immediately, because he's going in initially with a racist mindset, but if his experience points to the contrary, then he probably isn't going to be racist.

Now let's say hypothetically a white kid is raised by racist parents in the projects. Now let's assume he goes to a bad school with black kids also raised by racist parents in the projects. If he's in a scenario where the black kids are all assholes to him, and he never sees otherwise the negative things his parents told him are reinforced by experience. In this scenario I think it's very likely for even a rational minded individual to be racist. If you start out with a certain viewpoint and there's very little to no evidence pointing to the contrary, why on earth would you change your view? I mean yes, it's going to be kind of unlikely that someone is going to be that sheltered, but it does happen.

Not to say there aren't some people that are just willingly ignorant assholes, but yes, you make a point, sometimes they are just products of their upbringing. Though I wouldn't really consider them "victims."

 

[Macgyvercas]

I'm just going to go with misguided, because I really don't want to get into the nature vs. nurture debate again

 

[zehydra]

People are not just products of their environment, but a combination of THEMSELVES + Environment. People need to remember this.

 

[bassdrum]

It's an environment that they grow up in. It's lamentable, but I don't think that it makes them victims.

 

[Ima842]

I was raised in an environment like george (except that my parents werent racist).And I didnt became racist becase i know the diference between right and wrong.
So no i dont think they are victims too

 

[MrHero17]

He's someone with problems, not a victim.