Noticing trends isn't the same as what you're talking about.
Stereotypes exist because on some level they tend to be true.
It's not fair to say they ALL have some characteristic, because I do believe individuals can do whatever they choose. There are such things however as differences in culture and upbringing which absolutely will influence groups of people.
White people are taught to accept people's differences and to get along with diverse groups of people. That's all well and good, but those groups aren't usually taught the same thing. In the country I'm in right now people are openly racist as hell, and it's not a white country.
They're far more homogeneous than America here so the mentality is VERY MUCH "us" and "them".
This us vs them mentality is also why Muslims and Jews have the problems that they do. They view their own group as the correct one and YOURS as infidels or even cattle (goyim).
So we dance along and say "la la la, I love everyone equally..."
Again.. Nice sentiment there, but THEY are taught something radically different from what you were and its utter foolishness to expect them to act the same.
My experience living abroad has pretty clearly shown me this... I basically try to view people through white American lenses where sure people are different but we're all the same at heart, right?
Wrong. I think deep deep down that IS correct but you have this cultural layer that fucks everything up. People are deeply programmed by their culture.
Check out a book called "The End of All Evil", by Jeremy Locke. Short quick book, well worth your time.
Noticing trends isn't the same as what you're talking about.
Stereotypes exist because on some level they tend to be true.
It's not fair to say they ALL have some characteristic, because I do believe individuals can do whatever they choose. There are such things however as differences in culture and upbringing which absolutely will influence groups of people.
White people are taught to accept people's differences and to get along with diverse groups of people. That's all well and good, but those groups aren't usually taught the same thing. In the country I'm in right now people are openly racist as hell, and it's not a white country.
They're far more homogeneous than America here so the mentality is VERY MUCH "us" and "them".
This us vs them mentality is also why Muslims and Jews have the problems that they do. They view their own group as the correct one and YOURS as infidels or even cattle (goyim).
So we dance along and say "la la la, I love everyone equally..."
Again.. Nice sentiment there, but THEY are taught something radically different from what you were and its utter foolishness to expect them to act the same.
My experience living abroad has pretty clearly shown me this... I basically try to view people through white American lenses where sure people are different but we're all the same at heart, right?
Wrong. I think deep deep down that IS correct but you have this cultural layer that fucks everything up. People are deeply programmed by their culture.
Check out a book called "The End of All Evil", by Jeremy Locke. Short quick book, well worth your time.