This morning while getting dressed for work, my attention was drawn to a talk show program on TV.
I dont know what the moderator's name was but he was a Psychologist (Not Dr. Phil) and he was featuring two young ladies (both adults and married) who brought their Mom on the program because she was a racist.

At first I wasn't interested but after a while I was intrigued...
They said that their (White) Mom while they were kids would not allow them to have any Black Friends; even though their community and the school they attended were predominantly Black.

One daughter spoke of a time when she made the mistake of having one of her Black Classmates give her a ride home and the Mother, right there on the front lawn, immediately after her daughter alighted from the vehicl egave her a whooping. She said that the mom then went down to the local store, bought a "Cat-O-Nine (leather whip with metal strips on the ends), call the boy up and told him that if he ever came near to her daughter again she would skin him alive.

Anyway, to make a long story short, the Mother when asked, said that she WAS in fact a racist and when asked why, said that she was born that way.

She then told the audience that as a child she was was given a Black dog whom she would torture every minute of the day. She said that she would stick things in every single orifice of the dog just to see him suffer. She said that her father (who encouraged the behavior)was a racist and would often brag about the number of N*** that he had personally killed.

Anyway...The thing that stuck with me was when she said that she was BORN a racist.
The psychologist tried convinced her that she was not Born a racist but infact learned racism.
He even lamented that racism is a sickness.

What do you believe...?

1. Can someone be born a racist?
2. If you were not before, can you "learn" racism?
3. Do you think that racism is an illness?

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Productive,objective, mental, spiritual and intellectual enhancement fosters personal enrichment.
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1. No, you can NOT be born that way....that's plane idiotic to think that way.
2. Racism is a learned behavior. Peeps get it from each other, wether it is stemmed through jealousy, anger, or taught.
3. Yes..racism is an illness. I consider racism as being sick in the head..therefore, it constitutes as an illness.

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LOVE LOCKDOWN

So Dr. JAS ,
What advice would YOU give to a friend who is an admitted racist from birth, but who has now expressed a desire to change, but dont know how>?

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I would advise her to seek God first and to find some real professionial help. Anyone is capable of doing what they want if they truly desire to do so.

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LOVE LOCKDOWN

Yah, I agree. One is born pure and taught everything they know by experiencing it one way or another.

Since I found this definition of the word on the net:

Illness \Ill"ness\, n. [From Ill.]
1. The condition of being ill, evil, or bad; badness;
unfavorableness. [Obs.] "The illness of the weather."
--Locke.
[1913 Webster]

I would have to agree cause I think racists are evil.

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If you've never stared off in the distance, then your life is a shame...

But what if they are not into the "God business" and is only interested in "unlearning" what they knew for the greater part of thier lives?

What if they now are aware of the negatives of racism but still find it difficult to think of Black people (assuming them to be White) in a positive light or to otherwise relate?

What would YOU as a White person (who obviosuly does not espouse racist views) say to them?

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I would slap them upside the head and tell them to wake up!!

Ok...I know I wouldn't actually do that, but it's a nice thought. Well....even though you refer to me as Dr. JAS..I am far from it and have a hard time understanding that someone thinks that they cant better themselves. Maybe they need to spend time with a black family and realise that there is no difference but color?? Either way..she needs professional counseling, cause she juss aint right!

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LOVE LOCKDOWN

1. no you cannot be born a racist, but you can be born from them

2. Yes if you are born from racists, they can raise you and teach you hate.

3. Well, I don't think its a physical sickness, mental maybe


I feel like when you get to a certain level of maturity, you must make your own decisions about what is right and wrong, this is what i tell my students, who tell me that their parents teach them racist things. I tell them they should never disrespect their parents, but they need to decide for themselves, what is right for them. You can unlearn, racist behaviors, if you can truly accept in your heart that we are are all together in the human race. This is my belief

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Productive,objective, mental, spiritual and intellectual enhancement fosters personal enrichment.
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ugh....


I do not believe that someone can be born a racist.

Yes, you can "learn" racism.

I think racism is pitiful and disgusting... but not an illness...

Just small mindedness

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"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies"

Proverbs 31; 10

True statments in a perfect world......but not reallistic thinking....

if a person was born into a racist family...that is ALL that they have EVER known. they are a victim (of sorts)....example...(true) boy twins are born..an accident occurs and ow the partents have made a decision to raise one of them as a girl instead of a eunich. the one raised as a girl...REALLY thinks he is a girl..

try telling this one as an adult..."you were born a boy...thats what you are and you must live your life as such" how do you think this person is going to fare?

How a person is raised really impacts thier lives...racist ppl are NOT ill they are victims of life...and i really feel empathy for them and saddness for thier life.

But babyloc, I was born in a racist family... and I am not racist at all...

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"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies"

Proverbs 31; 10

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Productive,objective, mental, spiritual and intellectual enhancement fosters personal enrichment.
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it does not neccarily apply to everyone....inm not saying its an excuse....just a reson for racist ppl....

altough you may not be a racist...you have expressed some racialy (what can be considered racist) comments

ex.

"why do black ppl need to have thier own schools?"
Why do black pple need thier own TV shows?'
why is affirmative action necc?

while im not calling you racist by any means...(ANY MEANS) the things we are taught and exposed to may lend us to think on things i a way that could be construed asa such;

ex..Babyloc thinks white ppl have supriourity complex and think they think they are better then the darker races.....

im not a racist but it can be construed by that comment.......that is just what my surounding have tought me...

But the reason why I say those things is because I believe that everything shouldn't be about black and white...

Just as there shouldn't be ANY all white schools... there also shouldn't be ANY all black schools...

I feel EVERYTHING should be equal and for everyone...

Which I know that would be a perfect world and will never happen in your lifetime or mine... or even my daughters...

I think that a lot of racism towards blacks is brought on by their very determination to feel like they deserve their own everything yet... when white people have something that is "all white" then black people get in an uproar...

It is like the pot calling the kettle black...

You can't have it both ways to me...

either everything is for everyone... or everything is separate and we are back to square one on a battle that should have never started...

Yes, white people started it... but... that was many many years ago... and now... we should have all evolved past it... that is all I am saying.

And truth be said... especially in the south... how many families can claim to not have black ancestry... i can't... I have black in me... my family just tried to stamp it out of themselves... which is sad... I think everyone should embrace their heritage...

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"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies"

Proverbs 31; 10