I agree, profiling the threat posed by a stranger is critical. If our ancestors had not quickly profiled for threat level, and erred on the side of caution, we wouldn’t be here. But its the evolutionarily advantageous strategy of erring on the side of caution that becomes a problem in a multi-cultural country of 330 million people. When in doubt we tend to put strangers in the threat category. Doubt often comes from lack of familiarity. Lack of familiarity is common in a highly segregated society. Thats why the current strategy of the left is so infuriating. The way to get rid of unhelpful racial stereotypes is to meet people of different races. That is far less likely when you are maximizing racial awkwardness by making race essential and handing out swift punishment for any missteps.
Yes I agree, perceiving another person as strange and dangerous can result from lack of experience with that type of person (although it also can result from bad experiences). In a more racially integrated society, there would probably be less negative racial stereotyping.
I also want to point out that it isn't skin color that matters, but the cultural attributes that may be associated with certain skin colors. A poor American black could be the same color as a highly educated Indian immigrant, and our stereotypes of each might be very different. How a person speaks and acts counts much more than skin color.
I agree, profiling the threat posed by a stranger is critical. If our ancestors had not quickly profiled for threat level, and erred on the side of caution, we wouldn’t be here. But its the evolutionarily advantageous strategy of erring on the side of caution that becomes a problem in a multi-cultural country of 330 million people. When in doubt we tend to put strangers in the threat category. Doubt often comes from lack of familiarity. Lack of familiarity is common in a highly segregated society. Thats why the current strategy of the left is so infuriating. The way to get rid of unhelpful racial stereotypes is to meet people of different races. That is far less likely when you are maximizing racial awkwardness by making race essential and handing out swift punishment for any missteps.
Yes I agree, perceiving another person as strange and dangerous can result from lack of experience with that type of person (although it also can result from bad experiences). In a more racially integrated society, there would probably be less negative racial stereotyping.
I also want to point out that it isn't skin color that matters, but the cultural attributes that may be associated with certain skin colors. A poor American black could be the same color as a highly educated Indian immigrant, and our stereotypes of each might be very different. How a person speaks and acts counts much more than skin color.