Is it normal i dont understand how people can attack you based on minority?

I was reading this book recently and the main character was talking about race and how it's merely a social construct that keeps us thinking we're different, when in actuality we're not. You look at someone of a different race and you think of all the stereotypes associated with that race. You also think of all the gangs full of races like his. This is all probably the result of fear, xenophobia, since you do not know this man but you think you know where he comes from based on his skin color. Thus you make radical assumptions as a way to justify your fear. Thing is though that while you're judging him he's probably judging you as well.

I don't know why people fight over issues of race, well actually that's not true, nowadays it's really because of the history between whites and practically any other race. At least in America, this country was built on the eradication of one race (Native Americans) and the enslavement of another (African Americans). Then there was also the whole "Manifest Destiny" phase which only perpetuated America's jingoistic behavior for more land. Rudyard Kipling even wrote a story depicting "The White Man's Burden" which was to educate and Christianize all of the other races in the world, since they were all portrayed as savages. But anyways, if we go back a few centuries to before imperialism, to when people didn't know that others of different skin color existed, you have to sort of think of the xenophobia. Think about the Bible and how many demons it pretty much describes, perhaps when you encountered a man much different from you appearance-wise you thought this man must be the devil. At least that's just my guess. People generally fear the unknown, and I think that's where this whole distrust came from, you didn't know the person who stood before you so your immediate thought was that he's going to kill you.

I love anyone, who loves my butt!

Stereotypes are pretty much human nature, no ape is gonna think "well hey I see theres a python climbing my tree, but im sure hes just an individual who wont bite me like the last one tried to do"my theory is that racism is a defence mechanism because people who grew up coming into little contact with that culture/ race doesn't know how they are as people, and as a defence mechanism pulls out the worst case scenarios acsociated with that race/ culture/religion/social group as a emergency case defence mechanism, for instance, a gay guy in a atheist family could think terrible things of a person when he hears the person is Christian because its something new and hes not sure how to continue, but has herd they are brainwashed and depise gays, so hell be wary of that person

I base this theory on my own experience as a white south African in a university where most of the students are black, on socoal media it sounds like a were on the brink of civil war, but in the university were next to colourblind because as the firgenerationt o go to mixed schools weve been interacting and making friends with people of different races all our lives, while the older generation and the more rural people still are very secretarian because theres little multiracial interaction there

Just my 2 cents, Cheers