by Elizabeth M Young

Created on: April 03, 2010

The primary cause of racism is teaching. When parents and significant others express and teach racist dogma, values, norms and beliefs during a child's formative years, the child will incorporate those beliefs into their cognitive, intellectual, emotional and spiritual frameworks. Unless such individuals go into full immersion in the military or other integrated and intensive work and living environments, they are far more likely to retain those beliefs and attitudes.

The next cause of racism is in policy and reinforcement of racist policy in businesses, institutions and enterprises. The increasing presence of surveillance cameras on police vehicles and in stores reveals that there are differences in action, decision and treatment based on ethnicity and race.

The issue of "fear" or of "past bad experiences" is not a cause of racism. These issues are an excuse. In most cases, a comprehensive investigation of the complainers past will reveal close relationships and upbringings that developed cognitive issues of overtly racist behavior and belief systems.

In many cases, "personality" is the source of the nebulous and vague racial complaint. Such targeted, predictable and subjective "problems" are attempts to disguise racism as a justifiable behaviorial response. This is simple, manipulative and antisocial behavior that is encouraged, reinforced and allowed in most areas of life.

It is not ignorance that is a cause of racist behavior and belief, it is actually the deliberate teaching of stereotypes, false pretenses and outright lies that is the cause of racist behavior and belief.

Segregation is a great incubator for racism, xenophobia, and other social bias. When people of a racial, religious, economic, ethnic or other societal group aggressively segregate themselves from others, or grow up in segregated communities, it is easy for them to incorporate permanent tendencies toward generalized and negative beliefs about others, combined with a lack of curiosity or interest in becoming more educated about others.

When an individual has a segregated life, the pre-existing racism is enhanced by the media which promotes racial and ethnic stereotypes to those who's only significant knowledge or experience with other groups comes from television, film, news and entertainment media.

As far as mental illness, generalizing racist attitudes toward all people of a race, appearance or ethnicity because of a traumatic incident belies the positive post traumatic experiences with members of the same target group when attention, assistance or support is wanted.

Violent and criminal racist behaviors that are a function of  mental illnesses, such as antisocial or personality disorders needs to be treated as a function of criminal mental illness, not as any more of a basic right than kleptomania, murder or fire setting. 

In summary, common racism is a decision toward a way of life, belief, norms, values and institutional and business policy. It is teaching and reinforcement by society and its institutions that causes and perpetuates racism. Everyone builds opinions, beliefs and attitudes based on their life experiences and observations, but hard core racism is taught, beginning early in life and is reinforced by lack of intellectual curiosity and action or by filtering life experience to reinforce existing beliefs.

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