Posted: Dec 15, 2015 12:59 pm
ScholasticSpastic wrote:Macdoc wrote:Let's put it flat .....kids learn....got it now ??? Or are you taking the stance its some sort of instinct
Absolutely children learn. They learn from their parents and relatives, from their peers, and by noticing patterns on their own. It is the latter type of learning which can result in bigotry independently of learning it from others. Show me a society without bigotry. If it is learned, or cultural, we should be able to find one. The fact that we cannot do so argues strongly that it naturally emerges from the way our brains work. It's a flawed sort of reasoning in that we now live in an era where isolated social systems are difficult to find, but it's the only humane way to try to tease out the "nature" from the "nurture" with any sort of objectivity.
I agree. Children develop a little "tribalistic" instinct early on, as part of bonding with the family unit. Anything outside the family unit that is different is, potentially, something to be afraid of until the child is properly socialised to deal with such things. It is a perfectly natural response to an individual being comfortable with the familiar and fearful about the unfamiliar. If a child comes from a family that is very limited in their worldview and social circle, even without that family expressing any overt bigoted views, they are at risk of forming negative views about the unfamiliar.