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I think racism is both taught and learned. To me, racism or a racist attitude is something that develops over time and is influenced by a person's upbringing and environment. A child isn't born hating a certain skin color or being slanted in their view towards a certain type of a person; those things take time to develop. So, personally, a person's environment is the most important thing in determining whether or not a person will grow to become a racist. Now, as far as which is a greater contributor to fostering racism - being taught racist attitudes or learning them as you go - that's a tough call.

A person might have grown up in a household where they were raised to respect all people regardless of skin color, religion, sexual orientation, e.t.c. However, due to peer pressure, environmental factors, and a person's own inclinations, a racist attitude and belief system might develop. So much depends on the individual and how they are put together and what they are exposed to as they grow and mature into an adult. Conversely, a person that was raised to hate a certain type or class of people may, through their own intellect, education, and maturity learn to deny and move past their racist indoctrination. Again, so much depends on the individual person and on what they choose to accept and believe. Whether racism is taught or learned or any combination thereof, a good education and exposure to various groups and types of people can go a long way towards banishing racist beliefs and practices.

Learn more about this author, Jason Medina.
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