Is it possible to be racist or sexist and not know it?

12 Comments

This is a continuation poll to this one -> http://isitnormal.com/poll/is-it-possible-to-be-racist-and-be-friends-with-people-of-other-races-129272/

So after making the poll and getting some interesting responses, I was thinking- is it possible to eb racist or sexist and not really know it? Could something treat another race poorly, or think negatively of the other gender or complain constantly about another race or another gender, and truly not believe that they're racist or sexist?

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  • dappled
    11 years ago | pl

    Every single one of us is racist or sexist to some degree every day of our lives, even if it's to the most minor of degrees and not even really detectable or important. As with virtually everything in life, it's not "yes" and "no", but a point on a scale, and a point that varies by time and place.

    Just do your best.

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    • Anonymous Post Author
      11 years ago | pl

      Well, of course- it's like the Avenue Q song, "Everyone's a little bit racist", and it's true.

      I'm talking more along the lines of the hard core racist and sexists; the ones that think white people are superior to blacks or hispanics, or females are the superior gender. Is it possible for someone to honestly believe that their gender is superior to the other but they don't believe that they're sexist?

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      • NeuroNeptunian
        11 years ago | pl

        "Is it possible for someone to honestly believe that their gender is superior to the other but they don't believe that they're sexist?"

        I once argued with a user who used the argument "The Male Gender is the superior gender", and when I told him that he was sexist, he said that sexism (the definition) is the unjustified prejudice towards a sex and his opinion was justified, therefore, he was not sexist.

        I've known people to be prejudice against black people and say that it's not prejudice because it is justified. Some of them had even gone the distance to back up their prejudice with scientific research and sociological data (i.e. That there are more blacks in jail than whites) as evidence that blacks are inferior, therefore, it is fact not prejudice.

        Personally, I don't feel that prejudice is justified in any case, but I don't blame someone for having it. There is an innate need in us to dominate or to avoid dangerous encounters and I feel that prejudiced, even in it's most minute forms, fills that.

        My point: Most people that are prejudiced don't just not realize it, but they don't even see themselves as prejudice at all.

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      • dappled
        11 years ago | pl

        Ahh, that's a different point. Of the hard core, I'd guess they have reasons for believing what they do and also thinking that racism is a "politically correct" tag to judge them as wrong for saying what they think is true.

        There's an element of that. People are being attacked for saying what they think and that's plainly wrong. People have got to be able to say what they think. It's got to be a fair and open debate without mudslinging.

        I guess what is starting to happen is that people do believe they are right but that society won't listen and so they just don't say anything. Whereas I'm on the easy "liberal" side of the coin and I can't be attacked in the same way for what I think.

        It's an interesting point you raise.

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  • kingbilly
    11 years ago | pl

    we are all racist in this era of life and time the pc brigade has made sure we all are we cant even fly our own flags in our own country without it upsetin some ppl well a think it about time we stoped doin what were told by the pc brigade and be the country we once were durin the war do u know the polish werent aloud to spk the there natural tounge outside as it was offending to us as we didny know what they were sayin and look how much we won bk then that was when u were proud to be british not now who wants to call them self british it doesnt mean anythin now to us true brits but it means something to the
    Foreigners see that makes me be racist but that my opinoin

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  • GoraIntoDesiGals
    10 years ago | pl

    There are people who say I'm not racist except against blacks. Lol

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  • Avant-Garde
    10 years ago | pl

    Of course, its possible.

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  • nAt2017
    11 years ago | pl

    Let me put it this way- Lincoln was a white supremacist. He hated African-Americans, even though he liberated the slaves. But did he think of himself as racist? No. Because white bias was the norm back then. What is considered politically correct now is going to be seen as horribly crude a hundred years from now.

    So, yes. Prejudice is relative to society.

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  • FocoUS
    11 years ago | pl

    Have you ever heard the following statement

    "I have [black/female/hispanic/gay] friends but I still think [offensive comment]"

    So yes you can be prejudice without realizing it.

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  • Anonymous Post Author
    11 years ago | pl

    Darn it, I made a type: "eb" is suppose to say "be".

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  • NeuroNeptunian
    11 years ago | pl

    I believe that some of the most racist or sexist people do not believe that they are truly racist or sexist, because that would imply that their beliefs are wrong and they do not believe that their beliefs are wrong. The most prejudiced people wouldn't believe that they are prejudiced because they truly, truly have convinced themselves that their feelings are justified, and therefore, not wrong.

    So yes, I feel that it is possible to be very racist or sexist without knowing so. Just like how a person who is incredibly negative towards others might not know that they are very negative. If you truly don't feel that there is anything wrong with your behavior, then you will have no desire to improve yourself and without that desire you will not bother to pick apart your character for analysis.

    After all, if you are so deluded that you truly believe that there is nothing wrong with you, that every idea and opinion you hold is without flaw and you truly have never questioned yourself nor have you entertained questioning towards yourself, then why in the hell would you analyze yourself?

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  • [Old Memory]
    11 years ago | pl

    i think its more common to know you are and to hide it

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