Racism & Xenophobia are in our nature

[plenderj]

I mean think about it.
Evolutionarily speaking, one would naturally want to be wary of people from other caves/fields/villages/forests etc.

One would want to defend one's own women, children, food, territory, weapons, animals etc. against people not in your own social community/structure.

So if one needed to be so xenophobic to survive, why is it such a bad thing when one acts racist or xenophobic in certain situations ?
Is one not just falling back on basic instincts ?

[simonm]

Racism is a way for making it easier for simple minded people to make judgements.

I can't see any evolutionary advantage to it whatsoever.

[mendhak]

Originally posted by plenderj
I mean think about it.
Evolutionarily speaking, one would naturally want to be wary of people from other caves/fields/villages/forests etc.

One would want to defend one's own women, children, food, territory, weapons, animals etc. against people not in your own social community/structure.

So if one needed to be so xenophobic to survive, why is it such a bad thing when one acts racist or xenophobic in certain situations ?
Is one not just falling back on basic instincts ?

While we're falling back on basic instincts, how bout we confine women to the kitchens and prevent them from working?

It's a changing world, where humans on the whole must adapt (to their own changing world) for what's better. Societies that conform to these standards of 'basic instincts' are left behind to writhe in their own filth.

[plenderj]

I see evolutionary advantages.

If, back in more primitive times, you were to greet every stranger you come across with open arms, then you'd be ****ed over more than likely.
So you'd have to be naturally wary all your life of people you don't know.

Also, throughout history, wars have always been faught between groups of people.
Group A fights with Group B, where 'group' represents villages,
cities, countries, contenents etc.

[Wally Pipp]

Possibly because society, primarily Western societies, have evolved beyond that, beyond the territorial behaviour.
Possibly because there's a wide-held belief that everyone has the same rights.
Possibly because the current xenophobia is only designed to keep the simple people happy.

You always reap what you sow. Sow hatred and you will get hatred. As simple as that. Mankind has evolved to a higher state of awareness and although we're still plagued by instincts, we've created environments that have no natural predators and allow for mutual development.

On the other hand, there are already too many humans on this planet. Perhaps that's the price we pay.

[plenderj]

Originally posted by mendhak


While we're falling back on basic instincts, how bout we confine women to the kitchens and prevent them from working?

It's a changing world, where humans on the whole must adapt (to their own changing world) for what's better. Societies that conform to these standards of 'basic instincts' are left behind to writhe in their own filth.

I know its a changing world.
But the minute someone falls back on that which they were evolved to do, they're hated for it.

[Behemoth]

caution and hatred are not the same thing.

[mendhak]

Originally posted by plenderj


I know its a changing world.
But the minute someone falls back on that which they were evolved to do, they're hated for it.

Humans were never evolved to actually DO those things. It was the most basic of primal instincts which still reside in our psyche. It is however, disappearing, slowly. Very slowly. Because of the previously mentioned reasons.

[plenderj]

Originally posted by Behemoth
caution and hatred are not the same thing.

true, but its a fine line.
reasons for things get forgotten - like the IRA.
Used to be for x number of reasons, now they're just all thugs and skumbags blowing everybody up

[simonm]

plenderj

I see evolutionary advantages.

If, back in more primitive times, you were to greet every stranger you come across with open arms, then you'd be ****ed over more than likely.
So you'd have to be naturally wary all your life of people you don't know.

It's one thing to be wary of strangers but what has that got to do with discriminating on the basis of appearance or race?

Also, throughout history, wars have always been faught between groups of people.
Group A fights with Group B, where 'group' represents villages,
cities, countries, contenents etc.

Yes, racism has lead to many wars hasn't it. And you wonder why racism is such a despised trait?

[plenderj]

Originally posted by simonm
plenderj

It's one thing to be wary of strangers but what has that got to do with discriminating on the basis of appearance or race?

Yes, racism has lead to many wars hasn't it. And you wonder why racism is such a despised trait?

1) As I said to behemoth, reasons for things get forgotten.
Caution, for good reason, would have been taught to children etc, and they could easily generalize to just think of anything not of their own 'type' as bad.
And you know where that'd end up going.

2) Yeah I know its so despised, but if its something that our race has used and gotten knocked into our heads for so long, surely we should realize that its only natural that people could be naturally like that sometimes ?

[Arbiter]

Originally posted by plenderj
I mean think about it.
Evolutionarily speaking, one would naturally want to be wary of people from other caves/fields/villages/forests etc.

One would want to defend one's own women, children, food, territory, weapons, animals etc. against people not in your own social community/structure.

So if one needed to be so xenophobic to survive, why is it such a bad thing when one acts racist or xenophobic in certain situations ?
Is one not just falling back on basic instincts ?

Plend,

We also used to live in caves, whack each other on the head with mammoth thigh bones and eat our children.

Should we revert back to these traits also?

[simonm]

plenderj

People are racist, not because they've aquired a useful evolutionary trait, but because it simplifies thinking for the simple minded. It saves them having to think about things more carefully and judge people on an individual basis.

People shouldn't defend racist behaviour by saying that they can't help it; it's in their genes, is dangerous. People should take r esponsibility for their own actions and attitude.

[Wally Pipp]

Perhaps we should go back to hunting for our food which was at one time natural instinct for us.

You take the sticks, I'll take the sharpened stones. I think I saw a mammoth passing the other day ...

[plenderj]

Originally posted by Arbiter
Plend,

We also used to live in caves, whack each other on the head with mammoth thigh bones and eat our children.

Sounds like an average boozy-bust-up outside a nightclub ... well ... except for the children part

[mendhak]

Hmm...

Yeah I know its so despised, but if its something that our race has used and gotten knocked into our heads for so long, surely we should realize that its only natural that people could be naturally like that sometimes ?

OK, granted that these instincts are natural, and some people hold a tendency for these. In our world today, do you believe that such people would be able to actually progress or get anywhere with tendencies such as those? Remember, convergence and interactivity are one of the key concepts today. Such a person would never be able to do the 'job' well.

As for people HATING people who think like that, I'd suppose that MIGHT be OUR primal instinct of despising people who are different. Perhaps.

[Jethro]

Originally posted by Wally Pipp
Possibly because the current xenophobia is only designed to keep the simple people happy.

Running down our glorious PM l see, what more could you expect from a European......

[Wally Pipp]

Probably ...
but can you deny it ?

[plender]

BAM! Said it 9 years ago.
http://opac.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=8345

[baja_yu]

I'd sue for plagiarism

[FunkyDexter]

Wow, blast from the past.

I don't think anybody was arguing that tribalism is not in our nature. People were arguing that that's not something to be celebrated.

[wossname]

DELETE FROM threads WHERE startdate<20070101;

[baja_yu]

I haven't read the whole theory, but how exactly does race factor in the whole caveman/tribes theory? With those arguments you were cautions of every outsider.

And yes, ok we are, by evolution, wired to be afraid of snakes, lions and stuff that could kill us. Again, no race. And even then, we aren't wired to hate lions or snakes, just to be cautious around them. I don't see cavemen exterminating animals just because they are afraid of them.

[moti barski]

history is written by the winners

[honeybee]

I am creating a history-writing bot which will automatically write and literally 'create' history.

.

[baja_yu]

I am creating a history-writing bot which will automatically write and literally 'create' history.

.

Yeah, but does it have a hole in its head for mouth? I don't think so!

[abhijit]

BAM! Said it 9 years ago.
http://opac.yale.edu/news/article.aspx?id=8345

How did they manage to get funding for this silly theory?
I suppose in the world of academics, you could get funding for anything.

[moti barski]

Yeah, but does it have a hole in its head for mouth? I don't think so!

yeah, and the hole should be heated with the bots b8triz