What is the motive behind racism?

[Anonymous]

Let’s all just compare it to a child throwing a temper tantrum. How do you show that child there is no reward behind doing so?

[normalice]

The motive behind racism is usually just validation. People want to feel important and special but lack the skills to do so in any objective sense - or at least believe that they lack them - so are prone to relying on a narrative that tells them they are special by birthright. It's hard to craft such a narrative in general terms on an individual level but super easy to do it at the racial level.

[Asker]

Man, do we see eye to eye on that statement.

How do you show that there is no reward behind being this way?

[Mettbltt]

You misunderstood racism.

[Asker]

How do you show a child there is no reward for throwing a temper tantrum?

[normalice]

You can't show there is no reward. There is always a tradeoff between self indulgence and self improvement and ideally we should all find some balance of the two. But those who tilt too heavily in either direction, particularly towards self indulgence, will lose the part of their senses that can even appreciate the other. So, they are rewarded each time they think themselves better than someone of another race. That's the only reward they care about and there are infinite opportunities to get it, since it is their own thoughts. It is not wildly different from an addiction and I don't know enough about addiction recovery to give any soid advice for how to get someone out of that particular cocoon.

[Asker]

I was shown as a kid that when l threw a temper tantrum, that mom would just ignore me. Thereby me not getting the reaction l was looking to get.

So by ignoring a person’s racist comments or behaviors, you rob them of that power over your emotions. Or, you could just laugh at them.

I believe that if you react angrily, you give them that validation.

If a racist has never met me, knows nothing about me, doesn’t know that l am not racist, then when that racist becomes angry and violent towards me, they will change my perception and I will begin to see everyone of that particular race as angry and violent.

Thereby perpetuating racism.

[normalice]

That would probably work if everyone did it but that's true of nearly everything. A solution that doesn't account for the nonparticipation of a substantial subset of the population is not a realistic solution.

[Asker]

You must be an educator.

[normalice]

Haha

[Asker]

I was being serious.

[normalice]

Yes, I know. I don't talk about my career here, as a rule.

[Anonymous]

It's disgust like for roaches or flies. There is no motivation or reward, you just don't want share your food with those creatures.

[Mettbltt]

every person is racist

[Asker]

How do you show a racist there is no reward behind acting that way?

[jahaims]

Racism stems in ignorance.