Racism "Why Is it so Easy to

Racism "Why is it so easy to develop and then retain racial prejudices?" How can we break this "mold"? Racial prejudices are formed easily because they are learned cognitive patterns. One develops racial prejudices just as one learns a language or learns how to ride a bicycle. Just as it is difficult to "unlearn" a skill, it can also be difficult to "unlearn" racism.

However, it is possible to break the "mold" of racism by refusing to engage the racist mind, refusing to engage racist discourse, recognizing when racism exists, and teaching the future generation about love and respect. As Nittle (n.d.) points out, most types of racial prejudice arise from "race-based stereotypes." Stereotypes are cognitive categories or structures. In many ways, stereotypes help human beings organize an otherwise overwhelmingly complex world. Thus, we group similar things into clusters or categories. All ducks and penguins fall into the bird category.

The problem with racial stereotyping is that race is not real; it is a social construct that people have been programmed to believe in. Science has repeatedly disproven the notion that race is real, because features like hair color and skin are "superficial," and "all members of the species Homo sapiens have more characteristics in common than different," ("Racial Prejudice," n.d.). Racial prejudice is therefore based on false beliefs and false concepts.

Unfortunately, it becomes easy to develop racial prejudices because children learn them from their elders, including parents and teachers, as well as from the media and other means by which social norms can be disseminated. It is impossible for a child to not develop a belief system influenced by his or her culture and surroundings. Unfortunately also, racial prejudice is easy to retain because the culture reinforces it and normalizes it.

"Sources of prejudice and discrimination are often rooted in particular historical and social contexts, and are shaped by institutional structures and practices," (Hawkley, n.d.). Racial stereotypes are disseminated and propagated because people actually believe they are real, or grounded in fact. Until enough people refuse to believe in the falsehood of racial stereotypes and prejudice, there will be enough people who do uphold prejudicial values to allow the perpetuation of race-based biases and stereotypes. Breaking the mold is not easy, but it can and should be done.

Racism is the result of racial prejudice. Racism refers to the structural effects of prejudice, which can be devastating for all members of the society. When racism becomes institutionalized, it causes "a set of environmental conditions, such as housing market conditions, that favors one group over another," ("Understanding Racial and Ethnic Differences in Health in Late Life: A Research Agenda." Breaking the mold therefore requires efforts from public policy, efforts from individual people, and efforts from educators.

Public policy measures alone are not enough, because even legislation cannot change the way people think. People still believe in God, even though the government does not tell them to. Therefore, it is more important for individuals to change their habitual modes of thinking. Awareness is the key. The person needs to become aware of their own prejudices, and stop feeding them or acknowledging them. "It is by confronting these myths directly that we undermine the justifications for prejudice," (Hawley, n.d.).

Likewise, the person needs to realize when racial prejudice is manifest in their daily life. Recognizing inequality is an important first step,.