Do you think racist bigoted prejudiced people can change?

[Kain10th]

Or is it impossible? Have you known any to change?

 

[Brick In The Wall]

I believe that anyone is capable of change. We all change over time whether we want to or not. However, meaningful and constructive change requires more work than most are willing to put in.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

Anyone can learn compassion and learn to stop hating and learn to stop abusing if they seek to. No one is hopeless. It takes desire, a lot of inner strength, courage, and humility.

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[Deleted member 17949]

They absolutely can if they want to. My father used to be racist but he changed himself because of an honest desire to be a reasonable person. It's only hard to change people when they don't care about how reasonable they are and are too wrapped up in their own pride to listen to conflicting opinions.

 

[Deleted member 19654]

I think some people are just too set in their ways where it's just too deeply rooted within them for them to change. Or perhaps it's just a case of them being unwilling to open their minds and change.

 

[esse_est_percipi]

Or is it impossible? Have you known any to change?

It depends on the person.
If a person has a lot of hatred in them and personal baggage, and maybe bad childhood experiences, it can be difficult to make them see sense.
I know that being confrontational with such people will not make them change. The key is to try to talk reasonably with them and not use judgmental language. Try and see things from their point of view, this will make it easier to lay out the opposing view, which is the utter irrationality of not treating others with the proper respect and on terms of equality simply because of something like ethnicity.

 

[SoIntoYou]

it takes a lot of love

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

I know that being confrontational with such people will not make them change. The key is to try to talk reasonably with them and not use judgmental language. Try and see things from their point of view, this will make it easier to lay out the opposing view, which is the utter irrationality of not treating others with the proper respect and on terms of equality

From my own personal experience, there is truth in this. The only time I ever remotely got through to my mother was when as an adult I pointed out during a conversation about her childhood how scary the domestic violence she was laughing off must have been. She got quiet and said, "Yeah, I guess I brought some of that to you." But then it never went further. Although the physical abuse had been over for years, she never stopped trying to control me, and she never sought to make amends for the past. It's really hard to be the bigger person and keep trying to help someone out of that, having been on the receiving end. I've had to use my power to get myself out of it, I admit I resent needing to rescue her, too, in order for there to be reconciliation and safety. I'm tired of having all my strength and all my love going for her benefit, even that benefit. I'm not a Christ figure. I'm not Gandhi. She has to take some ownership for her salvation, and she has to have desire for it. Or, she has to suffer to the point that she sees it as the best solution. Most people don't change unless the pain is so great that change is the only way to stop it, or come out of an illusion to awareness when the illusion is hurting them too much.

Confrontation, I think, can potentially wake someone up. They have to have even a seed of willingness or awareness, though. If they keep clinging to whatever makes them feel justified, and if they cling to whatever illusion they're in that overpowers their reason, recognition of others, and their self-control, especially if they're filled with the power of what they're doing and get fed by it, then it's really hard for them to connect with the goodness and rightness in themselves, and their inner power and backbone, to stop and change course.

 

[Fragile]

Not everyone can change, and it's not realistic to expect prejudices to just stop existing. As long as there are inequalities or even minor differences between individuals, there will be issues that then turn to hate towards one group.

It's sad, but that's how the human tribalistic brain works. We evolved in small groups or family units that constantly had conflict with others, so thinking negative of different people and others (regardless of race, gender, religion, etc.) is more way more present in our brains than some people would like to think.

Maybe some day we will understand each other and realize that generalizing a group just because an individual did something that we perceive as bad is just wrong. But we live in a world where even the oppressed and victims of those prejudices turn into the oppressor when they get to the top.

The best thing to do is just to ignore them, only a few have the courage to listen to the other side and even a smaller minority will put effort to change.

 

[Green Destiny]

I remember a documentary in school about a skinhead who eventually left a local hate group and completely changed his views on people, and what we was before scared him to death. For some it probably takes time, but I think it's possible.

 

[Deleted member 19654]

There are definitely examples of people who are able to change. I don't remember her name but she was part of the Phelps family and westboro Baptist church till she chose to leave. She did a Tedx talk about it

 

[XYZ]

I believe they can. If there is a will to change anything is possible. It depends of the environment tho. If a bigot never leaves their home turf and never immerses him/herself into new cultures, experiences and perspectives, I don't think there's a chance they just wake up and go "Wow dude, racism is wrong".

 

[sadbadpsychogirl]

according to american history x, yes. according to reality, im not sure.

 

[Eren]

I think so, but not because others tell you that they are wrong, people do not change their way of thinking by external coercion, this even reinforces their way of thinking.

They can change with time and experience, because they realizes that he is wrong.

 

[so tired or manic]

it gets complicated. what level of racism and bigotry? if it's something they grew up with pointing out why the thoughts are incorrect might make a difference as long as they're willing to accept they can be wrong.
I've come across people who just want to hate everyone and racism and bigotry is an easy way to do that, those people are best to back away from.
mostly it's completely individual with many factors on if a person can even attempt to see different.

 

[agentgeez]

I don't believe so. I'm not one to really think about 'possibility' in that sense at all, though; essentially, if someone has the ability to change, they will, because that's how the sequence of events determined it. It's why I'm not satisfied with answers like 'yes, if they put in the effort or have the desire to'. Because that just narrows it down; now we're not talking about all bigoted people, but those with certain traits.

And what triggers this desire to change in the first place? We know the same event or piece of information won't change every bigot, otherwise we'd have a tried and true way of brainwashing by now. Despite identical personalities or behaviours on the surface, there's still so much we don't know about the inner workings of someone's mind which makes it impossible to make broad claims like this. I'd liken it to genes; someone might have the same trait, but one person might have two dominant alleles whereas one might have a dominant and a recessive, and we simply can't tell from the surface. Likewise, perhaps a bigot has potential to change if you expose him to a certain event, but another wouldn't, even though their beliefs and way of thinking are seemingly identical.

It's why instead of thinking that "they have the potential to change but just choose not to (I don't believe 'choices' can be seen so simply)' I think it's more accurate to say that the method of changing someone isn't universal, if we can even say that it exists for someone at all. This kind of thinking is behind why I think that ultimately, the idea that "only you can change yourself" is a lie. Of course, I'm not saying that it's other people's responsibility to change other people, but I think the idea that only you can change yourself exists because people believe that if there's an opportunity to change someone and you don't take it, it's your fault. I don't believe that. I think you absolutely can change someone in certain circumstances if you put enough time, effort, and love into changing them, and that in fact it's sometimes required. How many cases have you heard of someone receiving support, new relationships, or even advice that helped get their life back on track? A lot of people's motivation could be solved if they had someone who cared about them that pushed them into beneficial situations or took care of them in some capacity. It just doesn't mean you have to do it, especially if you're tired and have issues yourself. It's tiring to support someone, never mind take care of them. And it's certainly not a guaranteed method of 'fixing' someone either, just like leaving it to themselves isn't either.

 

[Sinai Silence]

I always think its possible to change peoples bigoted and prejudice views. If Daryl Davis can convert KKK members I think its entirely possible to change anyones views about others.

The best method of going about this in my eyes is showing these people that we are just as human as they are. Treat them how you would treat anyone else you just met. Being violent and confrontational only reinforces their jaded views and fulfil what they believe to be the truth.

 

[Finis Autem Spero]

I was, I did,

Moving away from racist family and friends really helped.

 

[Deleted member 1465]

Yes. But the more someone's view is entrenched and reinforced, the less they are capable of listening and the harder it is to change. Sometimes it takes a profound experience to shift someone's viewpoint, where they are forced beyond their control to see a different perspective. So often it's experience that changes people rather than words.

 

[ravergirl]

I think it's possible, but it requires a level of self evaluation and openness to criticism that is very rare in our culture.

 

[Pupuce]

I used to be both homophobic and xenophobic because of my dad, but now I've changed. I hate people equally based on their apparent stupidity. It sounds like a joke, but honestly it's quite on point.

 

[GoodPersonEffed]

I hate people equally based on their apparent stupidity.

And who is that because of?

It's still hate based on not meeting a personal standard of human value. It's still a feeling of power based on believing someone is less and you are more, unless you're stupid too and hate yourself out of reverse stupidness bigotry. If you ever experience brain damage, you'll probably hug every "stupid" person you meet!