Are we all a little bit racist? At least in the sense that we may have some unconscious biases based on unfair stereotypes? And if we are, shouldn't we make a conscious effort not to be?

No. That is too much guilt-ridden, angst.  I don't have any prejudices against any color.  I have prejudices, yes.  They have more to do with unconscious memory regarding perceived pain I have endured and maybe mis-labeled; meaning, the reason for the pain,  the cause.  On that aspect of this idea, you are doing a great job in calling attention to needing to be conscious.  

I think that is both insightful and much needed; for our mental and spiritual and yes, physical health.   I think holding onto such fears, cause blockages in our development on all three of these levels.   It manifests in the physical as disease.   It manifests in the mental as worry, fear, and worse.   It eats away at us.  And the spiritual?  Well, we can only get so far on that path if we do not face all fears and surrender and trust.

But that is digression.

What I do not like about this question posed as it is, is if you are not ready and do not know how to release an issue that is causing NO pain at all -- yet, you know it is there, buried deep within?  If you do not know how to release that scary, negative  stuff in a healthy manner, it can cause all kinds of Guilt-ridden angst.   You may realize you have issues, but not know exactly what is causing them, so they keep popping up in your consciousness here and there, to tap you on the shoulder with pain and guilt.

The end.

We are and we may not even realize we are with institutionalized racism. We think it's normal, as our norms are set by our society, ruled by elites.

Hm, that's interesting. I do think some people are just not ready to deal with it. This would explain why some get so defensive and angry when called out for racist or prejudiced remarks.

Institutionalized racism is one aspect of it, but I think the ultimate root of it is in tribalism, which humans have not even come close to evolving out of.

No

What about most of us, instead of all of us?

Probably. Cheers and happy weekend!

Lol, same to you!

I hate those damn Romulans.

"All," I think, goes too far.

A baby is not born racist, nor born with any prejudices of any kinds.

There's nothing inherently racist in any of us.

But how we grow into preconceived biases, with no experience of the disliked other, can be complex.

Like wild animals who have not experienced human hunters for over 5 generations,

very remote hunter-gatherers respond to strange humans with curiosity.

While those who have experienced clashes through misunderstandings or violence are instantly wary.

But now we have media, which tends to sensationalise the worst

and not show us the plethora of ordinary goodness that is the norm in most areas.

So it becomes too easy in the absence of direct experience,

to form biases based on media reporting.

Or we may pick up our parent's biases, which can be very unconscious

and perhaps even more insidious.

So I agree with you, Rpf1918. If we monitor our own thoughts and reactions,

notice and question their origins,

take the trouble to inform ourselves fully about others,

and take each individual on their personal merits,

we could go a long way towards defusing and ending or reducing racism.

Yes, I do think most all people are a little bit. Not in the sense of actually feeling our race is superior, but in allowing preconceived notions to sometimes color our thoughts.  

Yes, I think we should make a conscious effort to recognize that "we" do indeed have those feelings, and question WHY.  

Kardassians are no good either .

No, I wouldn't call babies racist, but I've seen articles where experiments found that by a very young age, babies learn to prefer faces that look like the ones they are used to. This suggests that there is a built in mechanism for distinguishing different races, or ethincities, etc, and that there is some evolutionary advantage to preferring the most familiar looking people around you. It makes sense for humans living in the prehistoric world, where they formed groups of a hundred or so, and sticking with your own group was crucial to survival. It seems to me this must form at least some of the basis for racial prejudice.

Yep, that's exactly what I meant.

Probably. Most people feel the most comfortable with people who are like them. Other races can be seen as inferior because they're different. Yes we should make a conscious effort not to be.

No and primarily because true bigotry is far more than mere bias or even stereotyping.

True bigotry assigns value statuses of superiority and inferiority based on attributes completely out of our control.

Someone advised me yesterday that if I'm guarded and not surprised when someone white is racist, that's a racist assumption on my part. Interesting.

I think you may be confusing racism with prejudice and stereotyped thinking. We all do have certain prejudices about other people.  

But racism requires the belief of superiority, a sense that I'm better than you based solely on your race or culture. In that sense no, not all of us are.racist.  But I do agree with you that we all do have preconceived ideas about others. Yes.

Lol, that's probably just the voice of experience talking.

I think it is something we're taught and have to work to not be a part of. 

And it is an honest discussion that should not be squelched,  just because some people find the subject offensive or uncomfortable. THAT is not productive at all, from what I've observed. 

I made a conscious effort not to be racist when I was in primary school. I think I had the hang of it a good long while before the Internet was invented, considering I'm 54 now and I remember realising that people of other races and nationalities were still people before the 1960s ended. From that, how would you deduce that I am a "little bit racist"?

*Like*

Agreed, great question.