Inability to transcend racist/classist mindset

[Kyle Gjerseth]

I have many racist and classist ideas. When I see certain types of people (based on class or race) I instantly assume the worst about them. For example, with african american individuals that have a certain "look" about them, I assume they smoke weed and act in the stereotypical fashion that ghetto rap portrays. With poor seeming homeless people, I assume they are a drug addict and steal things to get money for drugs. I fully believe that these are the minority of these groups, and that most people don't act like this, but I still judge them without knowing anything about them. I haven't really watched any of Leo's content that discusses these judgements, but I would like to know what can be done about my judgemental attitude and the stereotyping of certain groups/cultures. Does Leo have any content that explains this?

[SgtPepper]

The only reason you think this is because you've been programmed with these narratives so consistently that you believed them.

I know the perfect cure for this.

You need to go outside and actually meet these people. Volunteer at a homeless shelter, meet people of different ethnicities locally, or travel, and talk with them. Listen to their story. 

Edited December 15, 2021 by SgtPepper

[Guest EmptyVase]

@Kyle Gjerseth

I think great advice was given already. I'd like to add one more thing: even IF your judgements turned out to be correct, try to step in their shoes. What would the world to you look like if you were homeless? We probably can't even imagine all the shit you'd have to go through, but we can try to empathize with their view.

The definition of empathize: "understand and share the feelings of another".

Why would a homeless person steal?

Why would a black person rap about the ghetto?

Recognizing that everyone's trying to do their best is a very healing view. Plus, you actually start to understand the world way deeper.

Some people might judge you heavily that you cannot transcend a racist/classist mindset. Others would see the light of betterment, shining through the clouds.

[DocWatts]

There's also an important difference between personality traits that are ego-centonic and those that are ego-distonic.

The difference is that ego-centonic traits are those that are parsimonious with your values, and are congruent with who you think you are as a person. They're things you like about yourself and identify with.

Ego-distonic traits on the other hand are things that you don't like about yourself and wish to change, because they conflict with who you think you are (or would like to be) as a person.

While a self described 'race realist' like Richard Spencer or Ben Shapiro's racism is ego-centonic because it's not seen as a problem, what you're describing is obviously an ego-distonic trait.

The way you fix that is to unlearn ways that you've been conditioned towards pre-reflectively 'Othering' people with a different ethnic or cultural background. One of the ways that you begin to solve this is by positive face to face interactions with the group that you're Othering.

Is there a point of contact you can find (such as a social activity you enjoy doing) that would bring you in to contact with people outside of your own background? For a lot of people college serves this function, but really it could be anything: sports, dancing, music, board games, social activism, etc. Finding ways to bond with individuals from other backgrounds will begin to dissolve those pre-reflective judgements and make them untenable over time.

Edited December 17, 2021 by DocWatts

[DocWatts]